“You little troublemaker.”

“Ba—ba,” Koukou responded, stretching out the sound.

“Not baba, it’s mama,” Xu Han tried to teach him.

“Babababa!” Koukou, delighted that Xu Han was mimicking his sounds, babbled even more excitedly, waving his arms and legs, causing milk to spill on his clothes.

Xu Han quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe it up.

Whenever Koukou got distracted while nursing, he would start playing instead of drinking properly.

After a while, he began to spit up milk. Xu Han stopped teasing him and gently put the nipple back in his mouth. “No more playing, drink your milk!”

Koukou, understanding her words, looked a bit aggrieved but obediently continued to nurse.

Xu Han patted his head.

Once Koukou finished drinking, he fell asleep.

Xu Han placed him in his small bed, covering him with a new quilt that Grandma Qiao had sewn for him.

With a bit of a headache, she went out to deal with her visitors.

Miss Tan seemed very interested in Huang Daxian and kept trying to play with him.

Tired of the attention, Huang Daxian climbed up the courtyard wall and onto the roof to continue his nap.

Miss Tan looked disappointed. “Your pet is so aloof.”

Xu Han replied, “He’s just slow to warm up.”

Miss Tan seemed puzzled by the idea of a slow-to-warm-up animal but didn’t dwell on it.

She smoothed her slightly messy hair and asked with a soft smile, “Where’s Koukou?”

“He’s sleeping after his meal.” Xu Han noticed that Miss Tan kept steering the conversation towards Koukou, likely wanting to ask about his father.

Checking the time on her phone, Xu Han saw it was just past 10 a.m., not time for lunch yet.

She turned to Tan Yue, who had been quietly using his phone, and asked, “Mr. Tan, of all the vegetables you bought last time, did you find any that you particularly liked? I can go pick some fresh ones for you from the field.”

Tan Yue looked up and smiled, “We liked the bok choy and the tomatoes. If it’s not too much trouble, could you get some of those?”

“Of course, no trouble at all,” Xu Han replied.

She was glad for the excuse to get away from the probing questions.

She headed out to the field to pick the vegetables, hoping that the distraction would give her some time to think.

Tan Yue thought for a moment and said, “Just pick more broccoli and cherry radishes. You can pick some other vegetables too. I brought an SUV today, so there’s plenty of space.”

Xu Han smiled, “Alright, then please have a seat for a while longer, both of you.”

Tan Yue nodded briefly, engrossed in his phone again.

Miss Tan, however, seemed to have more free time and expressed a desire to go with Xu Han to the field.

Xu Han, reluctant, made a last-ditch effort, “There are bugs in the field…”

“No problem, I studied abroad and often visited farms. I’m not afraid of those thumb-sized, plump, squishy bugs,” Miss Tan said cheerfully.

Xu Han was speechless.

She was afraid!

Xu Han had encountered those bugs before when she went to Aunt Li’s house to pick pears.

Those bugs disgusted her, making her skin crawl.

Since then, she hesitated to go into fields, fearing she’d encounter those bugs again.

Unlike Tan Yue, who could see business opportunities in a garden full of vegetables, Tan Xin was filled with delight at the sight of the lush, green garden. “Miss Qiao, you’re amazing. The vegetables you grow are so fresh and adorable. They’re beautiful.”

Xu Han handed her a small basket and a pair of scissors. “If you like any, you can pick them yourself.”

“Thank you,” Tan Xin said, her eyes sparkling as she took the basket. “It’s nice to pick some to give as gifts. It’s more thoughtful when you pick them yourself.”

Xu Han knew exactly who she intended to give them to but didn’t comment on it. “Be careful with your hands.”

“Sure,” Tan Xin, who seemed to be quite talkative, said while cutting a crown pumpkin. “Honestly, I really admire your simple and leisurely rural lifestyle, Miss Qiao.”

“What’s there to admire?” Xu Han said, trying to convince herself that there were no bugs in her own vegetable garden.

She started pulling up radishes. “It looks comfortable to outsiders, but it’s actually very tiring. Especially when it comes to gardening. Pulling weeds and watering plants often leaves you with a sore back.”

Tan Xin paused her work to listen attentively. “That’s true, I suppose. The simple life does have its hidden hardships. But still, there’s something very appealing about living close to nature.”

Xu Han nodded. “It has its moments, but it also requires a lot of dedication and hard work.”

The two of them continued picking vegetables, with Xu Han occasionally glancing at Tan Xin.

Despite her curiosity and probing questions, Tan Xin seemed genuine in her admiration for the simple life and didn’t push too hard on sensitive topics.

After a while, Xu Han’s basket was filled with fresh vegetables. “That should be enough for now,” she said, wiping her brow.

Tan Xin looked at her own basket, now filled with a variety of vegetables, and smiled. “Thank you, Miss Qiao. This was a wonderful experience.”

“You’re welcome,” Xu Han replied, feeling a bit more at ease.

She led the way back to the house, carrying the baskets of fresh produce.

“Doesn’t your husband help you?”

The inevitable question came.

Xu Han sighed, a hint of sadness in her voice. “Not to embarrass myself, but my husband had an affair when I was pregnant, which led to our marriage falling apart. Now we’ve gone our separate ways.”

Tan Xin responded quietly, “I had no idea.”

“It’s okay, it’s all in the past now. I’ve moved on and I’m fine on my own,” Xu Han replied, trying to sound optimistic but holding back tears.

Tan Xin didn’t press further after hearing this.

Xu Han quietly praised herself for handling the situation well.

Relieved, Xu Han was picking cherry radishes when she heard a car horn from the road below.

Her house was secluded, and Aunt Li’s house was over a hundred meters away, rarely visited by cars.

Could it be… Xu Han had a foreboding feeling.

She walked to the edge of the garden and looked down.

Behind a tall SUV, another car had stopped.

The door opened, and Gu Yanqing, wearing sunglasses, stepped out, carrying a bundle that turned out to be little Yuanyuan.

Xu Han thought to herself, “Of course, just when I feared something like this would happen.”

Gu Yanqing, Tan Xin, Tan Yue, and Gu Yuanyuan—like a complete set of mahjong tiles—were all here.

…..

As the New Year approached, more people visited Gu Yanqing’s wealthy family to curry favor and bring gifts, which annoyed him greatly.

So, every year at this time, Gu Yanqing would escape until the noise settled down after the New Year.

This year was no different.

When work allowed him some peace, tired of being watched by these people, he decided to take Yuanyuan and drive to Dongyang Village.

He noticed that Qiao Wanqing liked Yuanyuan, so maybe this could be a breakthrough. (Xu Han: ???)

Unexpectedly, Qiao Wanqing’s home was bustling with activity.

“Mr. Gu?”

Seeing Gu Yanqing, Tan Xin, who was carrying a basket of fresh and beautiful fruits and vegetables to deliver to the Gu family, suddenly loosened her grip.

Tomatoes, eggplants, and small pumpkins rolled all over the ground.

After seeing a news video where a child resembled Gu Yanqing and was connected to a maternity store in the city, Tan Xin couldn’t help but be suspicious.

Could Gu Yanqing really have a child outside?

On one hand, she trusted Gu Yanqing’s character and didn’t believe he would do such a thing.

On the other hand, she couldn’t shake off her unease and wanted to know the truth.

Having recently returned from abroad and only met Gu Yanqing once, Tan Xin had known him before but he had always been distant and cold towards her.

Despite her proud nature, she couldn’t deny being drawn to him after all these years, especially upon learning he was unmarried.

Gu Yanqing was indeed the kind of man who could capture one’s heart at a glance, and Tan Xin found herself falling for him despite her strong possessiveness.

Seeing her unease, Tan Yue saw through her thoughts immediately.

“If you want to know the truth, why not ask directly?” he suggested.

Tan Xin hesitated. “Mr. Gu won’t tell me, and it might upset him.”

“I meant asking the child’s mother,” Tan Yue clarified.

Tan Xin looked puzzled.

Tan Yue explained their acquaintance with Qiao Wanqing, which surprised Tan Xin given her brother’s wide circle of friends.

Excited, they used the excuse of buying vegetables to visit Xu Han’s home again.

Initially, after hearing Qiao Wanqing’s story about her husband’s affair during her pregnancy, Tan Xin had felt somewhat relieved, believing Gu Yanqing wouldn’t behave irresponsibly.

Besides, it wasn’t uncommon for people to resemble each other.

Little did she expect Gu Yanqing himself to confront her with the truth.

“How did you end up here?” Gu Yanqing’s tone turned cold upon seeing them.

Compared to Tan Xin’s unease, Tan Yue remained calm and raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Does this land belong to the Gu family?”

Gu Yanqing glanced expressionlessly at Tan Yue, who responded with a smirk.

Gu Yanqing then turned his cold gaze to Tan Xin.

Avoiding his eyes, Tan Xin explained, “We came to buy vegetables.”

“So, Miss Tan means this is all just a coincidence?” Gu Yanqing asked.

“Of course not,” Tan Yue interjected dismissively. “Do you think we came all this way just to catch your illegitimate child? Gu Yanqing, don’t be so confident in yourself.”

Gu Yanqing sneered, “My confidence stems from my lack of trust in Mr. Tan’s character.”

Tan Yue mocked, “Mr. Gu, your character is impeccable, indeed.”

“Better than some, not as good as others… more than enough,” Gu Yanqing retorted.

“You!” Tan Yue’s face darkened at his remark, tension escalating.

Xu Han sighed, finding the situation too dramatic to watch.

However, she remained calm and secretly amused, almost wanting to cheer on the sidelines.

Ahem.

Well, this was now a showdown between protagonists and supporting roles.

She, the real cannon fodder, decided not to get involved in their drama.

Thinking they might take a while, Xu Han put on gloves and went to the other side of the yard to wash the freshly picked cherry radishes, leaving them to their conversation.

Gu Yanqing patted Yuanyuan’s head and signaled him to follow Xu Han.