Pei Chen placed the little baby in the crib. The two little ones, Doubao and Niangao, gathered around, calling out, “Sister…”
Each of the two kids stood on one side, their bright eyes curiously studying the baby.
Pei Chen, who was pushed to the side, looked at the two of them with a helpless expression.
“……”
He had been worried that these two might be afraid of him showing favoritism, but it turned out they didn’t care about him at all—they were here to compete with him for their little sister’s attention.
Though he found it amusing, seeing the love his sons had for their sister brought a softness to Pei Chen’s eyes. “Do Doubao and Niangao like their sister a lot?”
The two little ones nodded. Niangao put a finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture as he whispered, “Sister is asleep.”
“Yes, she’s still sleeping.”
Doubao turned his head and looked at Pei Chen with anticipation. “Daddy, can I touch my sister?”
“Yes, you can.”
The two little ones gently touched the baby’s soft face with their tiny, white fingers, as if they were studying a new and fascinating creature.
Niangao turned his head to look at Pei Chen, cutely gesturing with his hands as his bright eyes sparkled. “Why is Sister so small? She’s even smaller than my Psyduck in my room.”
Recently, when Xuan Xia came over to play, she bought them a Psyduck and a Pikachu plush toy. The two little ones loved them so much that they cuddled them to sleep every night.
Pei Chen’s lips curled up as he patted Niangao’s head. “You two were just as small as your sister when you were born, but she’ll grow up slowly.”
Niangao nodded his head, pursed his lips, and said, “Then when Sister grows up, I’ll give her all my toys.”
“I’ll give my toys to Sister too,” Doubao added.
Pei Chen looked at the two of them and smiled. “Alright, then we’ll wait for Sister to grow up slowly.”
—
Three days after Liang Zhiyi gave birth, she was discharged and moved into a postpartum care center.
During this time, Pei Chen temporarily left Doubao and Niangao at their grandparents’ house while he stayed at the center to take care of Liang Zhiyi.
During the day, Liang Zhiyi lay in bed. After a while, she finished reading the book in her hand and turned her head to see Pei Chen gently rocking their sleeping daughter, his eyes full of affection.
He had been holding her for an hour without showing any sign of fatigue.
He was truly infatuated with her.
The young woman looked at the man, snorted, and playfully complained, “It seems that after some people have a daughter, they no longer see anyone else.”
Pei Chen was taken aback by her words, then turned to meet her gaze, smiling with mild surprise. “What?”
Liang Zhiyi muttered, “You just keep holding your little princess. I’ll stay here all by myself.”
Pei Chen, seeing this, suppressed a smile and gently placed the baby back into the crib.
The young woman, her head lowered, fiddled with her book. Just a few seconds later, she was pulled into an embrace. The man leaned down and planted a light kiss on her lips, smiling as he softly asked, “Didn’t you just say you wanted to read for a while, Zhizhi? I was just trying not to disturb you.”
She didn’t respond. Pei Chen lowered his gaze to meet hers, a bit flustered. His deep voice was slightly strained as he asked, “Zhizhi, are you really upset?”
“No wonder they say fathers dote on their daughters more. I can see that now. You weren’t nearly this enthusiastic when Doubao and Niangao were born…”
Pei Chen couldn’t help but chuckle. “Really? Then who was it that once said I only had eyes for our two sons?”
Back when Liang Zhiyi was recovering from giving birth the first time, she had jokingly said that he only had eyes for their two little ones, holding the older brother one moment and the younger the next, always too busy.
She couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Either way, you have eyes for our sons and daughter, but not for me.”
Pei Chen’s smile deepened, and he replied, “Mmm, you’re saying that, but you’re smiling yourself.”
Embarrassed, she puffed up her cheeks, “Fine, just keep teasing me…”
The man smiled as he took her hand, pulling her closer. “Silly girl, how could you think you’re not in my eyes? I love them because they’re yours. And even with our daughter now, Zhizhi, you’re still the one I love the most.”
Hearing this, a smile bloomed on Liang Zhiyi’s face as she proudly replied, “I was just teasing you. How could I be jealous of our children? You’re the silly one.”
“Why are you so mischievous?”
Pei Chen, seeing the cunning glint in her eyes like a little fox, cupped her face in his hands. His kiss was heated, with a hint of punishment as it claimed her breath, prying open her lips to explore.
The young woman whimpered, eventually surrendering obediently.
Pei Chen finally stopped, gazing into her eyes with a deep intensity, his voice hoarse with a hint of sandpaper roughness, “If you weren’t still in postpartum recovery, I’d show you just how I’d handle you today.”
Hearing this, Liang Zhiyi’s face flushed, a sweet sensation blooming in her heart. Her fingers lightly hooked onto his collar as she murmured softly, “Husband, I feel a bit uncomfortable…”
In truth, she longed to be close to him too.
Pei Chen’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he struggled to resist her teasing. He nibbled on her earlobe, his voice husky as he coaxed her, “Bear with it a little longer. Once you’re fully recovered, your husband will make sure to take care of you properly.”
Liang Zhiyi’s heart raced like a drum, her face red to the roots of her hair. She softly agreed, only for her lips to be sealed once more as his fresh scent filled her senses, their mutual restraint finding release in that kiss.
Somehow, the conversation, which had started about their daughter, had drifted in this direction…
After the kiss ended, Liang Zhiyi leaned against Pei Chen’s shoulder, her heart brimming with sweetness as they snuggled close.
The sunlight outside streamed gently through the leaves, casting a bright, warm light into the room.
—
Since Liang Zhiyi gave birth in early February, this year their family of five spent the Lunar New Year at the postpartum care center. Although it wasn’t as lively as in previous years, it held a special significance.
After the baby was born, Pei Chen carefully searched through dictionaries and eventually chose the character “渘” (Ruo), naming their daughter Pei Ruo.
Tender as water, gentle and soft—“Rou” (柔) signifies peace and tranquility, symbolizing the softness akin to newly sprouted plants. The addition of the water radical aligns with the names Suo (溯) and Che (澈), representing the hope that their daughter’s temperament would be as gentle and graceful as flowing water.
With this, Pei Chen and Liang Zhiyi, along with their three children, Pei Suo, Pei Che, and Pei Ruo, formed a complete and warm family of five.
For the two of them, nothing in life could be more beautiful than being together as a family.
After deciding on their daughter’s formal name, they still needed to pick a nickname. That evening, it happened to be the Lantern Festival. Liang Zhiyi was eating tangyuan when an idea struck her. She laughed and said, “Let’s call our daughter ‘Tangyuan’ as her nickname.”
With Xiao Doubao (Little Dumpling), Xiao Niangao (Little Rice Cake), and now Xiao Tangyuan (Little Sweet Rice Ball), the nicknames all ended up being food-related, perfectly matching together.
A few weeks later, after Liang Zhiyi completed her postpartum recovery, they held Tangyuan’s one-month celebration.
That night, back at their villa in Hai’an Yunhua, after giving Tangyuan a bath, Liang Zhiyi sat on a foam mat holding their daughter, with Pei Chen sitting beside her. Doubao and Niangao were also nearby, watching their sister.
The two little boys seemed to have a natural protective instinct for Tangyuan, perhaps due to their blood relationship. Every morning, they would ask to see their sister first thing. Sometimes, when she cried, they would try to cheer her up by offering toys or making funny faces.
Tangyuan also seemed to adore her brothers. Whenever she saw them, she would wave her tiny hands and feet, her big eyes shining, and her mouth curling into a wide grin.
Niangao, seeing his mother holding Tangyuan, looked up with eager eyes and said, “Mommy, I want to hold Sister too.”
“You want to hold your sister, Niangao? Sure, Mommy will teach you how.”
Although Niangao was still very young, Liang Zhiyi didn’t want to discourage his affection for his sister. She guided him on how to hold the baby carefully, reminding him to be gentle and not to let her fall. Finally, Niangao took his sister into his arms, his eyes curving into a happy smile.
Seeing this, Doubao also chimed in, “Mommy, I want to hold her too.”
“Alright, Doubao can hold Sister too.”
Liang Zhiyi placed the baby into his arms. Doubao was holding her when suddenly, Tangyuan started crying. He froze, and Liang Zhiyi quickly took the baby back, gently patting her back to soothe her, “There, there, don’t cry…”
Pei Chen observed and said, “She’s probably hungry. I’ll ask Aunt Zhang to make some formula.”
“Okay.”
On the side, Doubao watched his crying sister, his fingers twisting together in silence.
Neither Liang Zhiyi nor Pei Chen thought much of it until a few days later. When the two little boys returned home from kindergarten, Liang Zhiyi was in the nursery playing with Tangyuan.
As usual, Niangao asked to hold his sister, and Liang Zhiyi let him for a while. Then she smiled and asked Pei Suo, “Doubao, do you want to hold your sister too?”
Doubao was about to nod, but then something seemed to cross his mind. He quickly suppressed his eager look and gently shook his head, “No, I don’t want to.”
The young mother found this a bit unusual and asked, “Why not? Don’t you like your sister?”
“I do like Sister…”
“Why is that?”
Little Doubao lowered his head and softly replied, “Doubao doesn’t want his little sister to cry.”
Liang Zhiyi was momentarily stunned before realizing that the last time Doubao held his little sister, she happened to cry. The little guy had been feeling guilty, thinking that his sister cried because of him.
Liang Zhiyi noticed that although Doubao was very young, he was quite sensitive and particularly gentle and thoughtful.
She pulled Doubao into her arms, gave him a kiss, and patted his head with a smile. “Your sister didn’t cry because you were holding her. She actually likes Doubao very much, did you know that?”
“Really?”
“Of course it’s true. If you don’t believe me, hold her again.”
Pei Su handed over Tangyuan once more, and this time, she didn’t cry. Liang Zhiyi saw Tangyuan waving her tiny hands and laughed, “Look, she’s so happy. She really likes it when Doubao holds her.”
Pei Su looked at his sister, and a joyful light shone in his eyes.
In the evening, Pei Chen had an unexpected matter at work and didn’t return home until after eight o’clock. When he walked into the entrance hall, Liang Zhiyi approached him, took his suit jacket, and smiled brightly.
“You’re back.”
Seeing the lights on in the villa and the young woman waiting for him at home, Pei Chen felt a deep warmth. He raised his hand to wrap his arm around her waist. “Yes, finally done with work.”
Liang Zhiyi stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Have you eaten?”
“Yes, I just had something with Xuan Xia and Tong Zhou. How was your day at home?”
“It was good. Can I go back to work in a week? I really feel like I’ve almost fully recovered. I’m strong and healthy now, really.”
“Is that so?”
Pei Chen leaned in, his lips close to her ear. “Then let me check tonight to see if you can handle some action.”
The girl’s cheeks flushed.
Oh no, she suddenly felt a bit unsure…
After changing into his slippers, Pei Chen walked into the living room. Liang Zhiyi went to prepare his bath, while he headed to the game room. There, he saw Little Niangao sitting beside the cradle, playing with his sister with a toy.
“Daddy, Daddy’s back…”
Little Niangao was a little ball of affection. When he saw Pei Chen, he happily ran over, and Pei Chen scooped him up with one swift motion, making him giggle.
Pei Chen kissed him, then hugged his daughter, and asked where Doubao was. Little Niangao replied, “Brother is in his room.”
Pei Chen went to the bedroom and found Little Doubao reading. When Doubao saw him, his eyes lit up. “Daddy—”
The man picked him up and gently patted his head with a smile. “Was Doubao well-behaved at kindergarten today? Did you listen to your teacher?”
“I did. I ate my meals and took a nap like a good boy today, and the teacher even praised me.”
“Doubao is such a good boy,” Pei Chen said as he noticed the book on the desk. “Are you reading a storybook, Doubao?”
Pei Su nodded. “The teacher said that reading more books will help me grow up faster.”
“Do you really want to grow up so much?”
Pei Su nodded again and said in his sweet, childish voice:
“Mommy said that when I grow up, I can become a real man. I want to become a real man so I can protect my little sister in the future.”
TL: Just four more extras left!