Chapter 32: Departure for Travel

“Mo Yichen, weren’t you supposed to be on a flight tonight? Why are you back?” Zhu Jia widened her eyes in surprise, setting down the strainer in her hand.

Mo Yichen lowered his gaze, taking off his suit jacket and hanging it on the coat rack.

“I’m leaving tomorrow morning.” He had already planned to leave, but for some reason, he still wanted to come back and take a look. After all, the business trip would last at least half a month.

Zhu Jia saw Mo Qingqing and Mo Chengxin standing awkwardly next to the table. She immediately got up and pushed them back into their seats. “Qingqing, Chengxin, sit down. Your big brother is happy to have you here.”

They sat down awkwardly, not daring to lift their heads, looking like students being scolded by their teacher.

Zhu Jia, knowing Mo Yichen better after these months, was aware that he didn’t actually dislike the siblings. If he did, he wouldn’t have invited them over.

Through their interactions, Zhu Jia realized that Mo Yichen wasn’t a bad person. He could even be quite loyal at times. He wouldn’t unjustly blame these two kids or harbor any resentment toward them.

He simply couldn’t be bothered to interact with them.

Zhu Jia stood up cheerfully and walked toward Mo Yichen, linking her arm with his. She acted sweetly, “Yichen, today we went to visit Lin Lin with Qingqing and Chengxin, so I invited them to dinner. You should join us for hotpot.”

She even winked at him.

Mo Yichen, feeling a bit awkward from her tone, froze for a moment as she held onto his left arm. He absently responded, “Mm.”

“Come on, sit with us,” Zhu Jia said as she led him to the table, making sure he sat next to her.

Between them, Xiao Wen’s high chair was placed, and when Xiao Wen saw Mo Yichen approach, he excitedly waved his hands and smiled.

“Qingqing, Chengxin, don’t be so shy. Put the beef in first to cook,” Zhu Jia said, pointing to a plate of thinly sliced beef.

Mo Chengxin, nervously holding the strainer, hesitated before placing a few slices of beef into the hotpot, careful not to look at the two people opposite him.

Zhu Jia: …

“I’m going to wash my hands,” Mo Yichen said, standing up and heading toward the restroom.

The two siblings exhaled at the same time. Mo Qingqing secretly gave Zhu Jia an inquiring look, and Zhu Jia responded with a silent “I don’t know.”

Mo Yichen returned to the table, and Zhu Jia was cooking duck intestines in the red pot.

“Has Xiao Wen eaten?”

“Not yet, I’ll feed him while I eat.” She wanted to satisfy her own craving for now.

“I’ll feed him, you eat first.” Mo Yichen said淡淡地, taking the silicone bowl placed in front of Zhu Jia. Zhu Jia seemed used to it and didn’t react much.

The two siblings sitting opposite them had astonished expressions on their faces, unable to believe their eyes as they looked at their older brother. After all, from childhood until now, Mo Yichen had always seemed cold and unfeeling to them, and never seemed like the type who would take care of a child.

Mo Yichen rolled up his sleeves slightly and, with practiced skill, began feeding Xiao Wen some carrot beef porridge. After each bite, he would wipe his mouth with a wet wipe.

Xiao Wen was eating much better now, and since he was very hungry today, he eagerly swallowed each mouthful.

The two siblings sitting across from each other felt like they had just witnessed an incredible secret. They lowered their heads and ate quickly, too embarrassed to look up at the scene across from them.

“Here, this is for you. Thank you for your hard work.” Zhu Jia smiled brightly as she watched Mo Yichen feeding Xiao Wen with care, while she could enjoy the delicious hot pot. She spooned some spicy, hot pig brain into his bowl.

Mo Yichen furrowed his brows slightly but didn’t say anything.

Xiao Wen’s bowl was almost empty, and when he got to the last bite, he accidentally knocked over the spoon, spilling the beef porridge onto his clothes.

“Ah, how careless!” Zhu Jia quickly took out a wet wipe and started cleaning the stain on his clothes, but the fabric left a wet mark.

Mo Yichen stood up, unbuckled Xiao Wen’s safety strap, and picked him up. “I’ll take him to change his clothes first.” He said, then walked upstairs with Xiao Wen.

Zhu Jia nodded indifferently, continuing to eat the sweet potato noodles in her bowl.

Once Mo Yichen left, the two siblings opposite her immediately exploded!

“Did I see that right? Our big brother is actually taking care of a child?” Mo Qingqing’s pupils widened in shock as she put down her chopsticks, her face filled with disbelief.

“What’s so surprising about it? Once you’re a father, of course you have to know how to take care of a child.” Zhu Jia was surprised by their exaggerated reactions.

By now, she had already entrusted more and more childcare responsibilities to Mo Yichen. Although her points didn’t accumulate as quickly, it was really good for Xiao Wen.

Zhu Jia had read several books on early childhood education, which mentioned that having a father involved in raising a child from a young age greatly benefits the child’s cognitive development and increases their sense of happiness. It also has a positive impact on the child’s personality.

So now, she entrusted some of the simpler tasks to Mo Yichen, like feeding Xiao Wen and changing his clothes, and he had become very skilled at it.

If he keeps up with this, he’ll be a great dad!

“So, your big brother is actually a good person. You guys shouldn’t always be so afraid of him.” Zhu Jia said earnestly to the two siblings.

“He might seem cold on the outside, but deep down he’s a warm person. Besides, he doesn’t really dislike you; he’s like this with everyone.”

“But he’s so gentle with big sister, it’s like he’s a completely different person!”

“Is… is that so?” Zhu Jia felt a little slow on the uptake. Was Mo Yichen really that gentle with her?

Mo Qingqing leaned closer and whispered, “Of course. After he came back tonight, he kept looking at you. Just now when Xiao Wen dropped the spoon, the first thing he did was check if you were upset! I saw it all clearly from across the table!”

Zhu Jia lowered her head and continued to eat the sweet potato noodles, but inside, she could feel something fluttering in her chest, a little ticklish.

Mo Yichen was indeed treating her better now, a complete change from when she first arrived. She had already started seeing him as a friend and a teammate in parenting.

This is how relationships work, slowly peeling away the layers to reveal the heart at the center.

If there’s mutual understanding, you’re drawn to each other. If you’re too different, you drift apart.

Soon, Mo Yichen came back down, holding Xiao Wen, who was now wearing new clothes and a matching bib. Xiao Wen obediently sat at the children’s table, watching the adults eat hot pot. Maybe the adults’ food looked so delicious, a little drool trickled down from the corner of his mouth…

Zhu Jia was really full by the end of the meal; after all, it had been a long time since she had hot pot, and she missed the taste so much. She leaned back on the sofa, holding her stomach lazily, while Xiao Wen was playing with a ball with Mo Qingqing and Mo Chengxin on the crawling mat in the living room.

Mo Yichen brought two glasses of water over and handed one to her.

“Thank you. I thought you were leaving tonight.”

“I was, but I changed my plans.”

Zhu Jia was already used to Mo Yichen’s constant business trips. “Where are you going this time?”

“North America.” Mo Yichen rotated the glass in his hand, leaving some marks on the surface. “Do you want to take Xiao Wen on a trip?”

Zhu Jia looked at him in surprise. “A trip? Where to?”

Mo Yichen turned his head, his eyes dark and unreadable. “I have five days off next month. You can think about where to go.”

Zhu Jia’s eyes lit up as she sat up straight with excitement. “Great! I have so many places I want to visit!” Her mind was already racing with a list of destinations.

Mo Yichen subtly curved his lips. “Take your time. Anywhere is fine.”

That night, Zhu Jia couldn’t sleep at all. She kept scrolling through her phone, searching “best places to take children” and “parenting travel guide”…

When she came across an article titled “[Warning] Life Advice! Never take a child on a trip before three! You’ll regret it!”, she sneered and clicked “Not interested,” then continued scrolling.

After looking at so much information from various sources, Zhu Jia finally decided on Deer City, a coastal city on an island in the south.

The main reasons were that Zhu Jia’s city had already entered autumn, while Deer City was still enjoying sunny summer weather. The island was not far away, just a two-and-a-half-hour flight, which was suitable for Xiao Wen’s first flight. Most importantly, she had heard that the water there was incredibly clear, the sand was soft and clean, and there were many family-friendly resorts…

Zhu Jia slapped her forehead—Xiao Wen’s first trip would be to this place!

However, traveling with a baby requires so much preparation. Zhu Jia followed an online guide and made a long list: portable kettle, sippy cup, insulated bowl, baby sunscreen, pacifier, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, UV sterilizer, portable baby food cooker, fruit puree, teething sticks…

As Zhu Jia wrote the list, she began questioning her life choices. Was this really a vacation? It felt more like she was moving Xiao Wen’s entire “house”! For a short 4-5 day trip, she had to pack nearly everything Xiao Wen owned…

But Zhu Jia pressed on with determination, fueled by her inner passion. She prepared all the items on the list one by one.

She packed two oversized suitcases and finally managed to fit all of Xiao Wen’s things inside, leaving just about one-third of a suitcase for herself.

Thankfully, the destination was warm, and the clothes were light and thin. Zhu Jia only packed a few beach dresses, short sleeves, shorts, swimwear, and pajamas.

Assistant Lin had already booked the hotel, the local car, and the driver for them. This trip would be taken on Mo Yichen’s private plane.

Xiao Wen officially turned ten months old two days before departure.

He had matured a lot, not only could he shakily hold onto furniture to stand up, but he had also grown six white teeth, and seemed to understand some simple words.

Zhu Jia was a little relieved that Xiao Wen wasn’t walking yet. No matter how fussy he got, he couldn’t wander too far.

If she had to travel with a child who could walk and run but didn’t listen, the level of difficulty would be unimaginable!

On the day of departure, they woke up early. Zhu Jia chose the lightest, most practical stroller for Xiao Wen. The three of them finally boarded the plane to Deer City.