On the first day of the lunar new year, Xu Han welcomed a stroke of luck.

There was a piece of land right by the highway entrance, quite spacious, perfect for growing vegetables and convenient for selling them.

Xu Han had been eyeing it for a long time.

Originally, the owner insisted on using it for growing rice and wouldn’t rent it out.

However, today the owner came by and told her that his daughter-in-law was pregnant and needed to go to the city for care.

They would also need help with childcare, so they couldn’t farm the land themselves anymore.

Therefore, they agreed to rent it to her.

The rent for the land wasn’t expensive at all—just 200 yuan for the whole year.

But Xu Han had decided to open a vegetarian restaurant, which meant she wouldn’t have time to farm at home.

She couldn’t find anyone suitable to take over the work, especially since she needed to keep her plans secret to protect Koko from gossip.

What if she asked her second uncle and second aunt to come over?

Her second aunt could help with planting, weeding, and harvesting vegetables, while her uncle could assist with packing, loading, and delivering the produce.

In the future, when she opened her vegetarian restaurant, she would also need deliveries from her home side.

Having familiar faces handling this would be more reliable and comforting.

As for money, initially, she might not be able to pay them much, but once she started earning, she would definitely increase their share.

The more Xu Han thought about it, the more she felt it was a good idea.

Her second uncle and second aunt were trustworthy and honest people, and she had no problem sharing her plans with them.

Xu Han made up her mind to talk to them after the new year.

…

By the third day of the lunar new year, Grandma Qiao had gone to visit relatives, leaving Xu Han and Koukou at home without any familiar relatives around.

Koukou might have caught a chill from watching fireworks on New Year’s Day because these days he wasn’t feeling well, occasionally throwing up and looking rather listless.

They saw a doctor who reassured them that it was nothing serious and advised him to drink plenty of water.

On this fine day, Xu Han pushed Kouko’s stroller outside and lowered the sunshade so he could enjoy the warmth without worrying about the sun.

“Here, sweetheart, have some warm water.” Xu Han offered the bottle filled with warm water to Kouko’s lips.

The little one held the bottle with both hands and put the nipple in his mouth.

“You need to suck, don’t pretend to drink for Mom.” Xu Han noticed he was just holding the nipple in his mouth without sucking, so she gently lifted the bottle for him, saying helplessly.

Even at such a young age, he already knew how to play tricks.

Listening to his mom, Kouko took a few sips.

“Have another sip, good boy.” Xuhuan coaxed him.

Kouko innocently looked at Xu Han, refusing to drink, trying to charm his way out.

Xuhuan couldn’t help but feel fond as she pinched his little nose gently, “You’re just too cute.”

Huang Daxian, the weasel, also crept over and curled up under Kouko’s stroller to sleep.

Huang Daxian appeared aloof in front of strangers, but was quite affectionate with family.

As long as Xu Han didn’t bother to pet its fur unnecessarily, it was always willing to get close to people.

Huang Daxian was also an adorable creature.

Xu Han felt like she was a winner in life, with a cute Kouko on her left and a cute Huang Daxian on her right.

Just as Xu Han was lost in the bliss of her life, with Kouko and Huang Daxian, she heard some commotion outside the courtyard gate.

They usually left the gate open during the daytime in the lunar new year. Xu Han turned her head and saw a girl cautiously peering in.

“Is Qiao Wanqing living here?” the girl asked.

Xu Han didn’t recognize her and wondered if she was a relative, but if she were, she should know them.

Thinking this, Xuhuan stood up politely and said, “Yes, I am. And you are…”

The girl’s face lit up with joy.

She glanced up and down at Xu Han, then called out to someone behind her, “Bro, this is the place.”

Xu Han was puzzled, “?!”

Before long, a clean-cut young man appeared at the gate.

He looked slightly chubby, giving him a youthful appearance.

His eyes sparkled as he looked at Xu Han and said, “Hello, I’m Li Lianhua’s nephew. She should have mentioned me to you.”

Her nephew—the supposed blind date guy?

He had the audacity to come uninvited.

Xu Han’s expression soured, “Oh, I told you I’m not interested. What are you both doing here?”

“We just came to meet and greet, since we’ve been introduced. Whether it leads to anything else, well, that’s another matter. It’s good to make friends,” the man’s sister said smoothly.

Xu Han was stunned.

Could anyone really be this shameless?

The man had brought several gifts in his hands, intending to bring them into Xu Han’s house.

Xu Han’s face stiffened as she said, “There’s no need to bring them inside. I won’t accept them.”

The man chuckled, “It’s alright, they’re just inexpensive things. Miss Qiao, please don’t be so formal.”

“What’s there to be formal about,” Xuhuan retorted, her tone sharp. “I never intended to be polite with you.”

Xu Han’s blunt words created an awkward atmosphere.

The man and his sister exchanged a glance, then his sister noticed Kouko in the stroller and exclaimed, “Wow, this must be your son! He’s so adorable. Oh, and he can even drink water by himself.”

The man leaned in to take a look and commented, “He’s really well-grown, fair and tender. If he were my son, I’d definitely dote on him.”

“To be your son? You’ve got quite the imagination.” Just as they were admiring Kouko, a cold voice suddenly cut through from behind— not Qiao Wanqing’s, but a… man’s.

They turned to see a handsome man standing at the door, his demeanor frosty.

At the same time, Yuanyuan rushed in and ran to hug Xu Han’s legs, his bright eyes looking up at her. “Auntie Qiao, Happy New Year.”

Xu Han: “…”

In this world, such coincidences can indeed happen.

Xu Han lifted Yuanyuan up. “Happy New Year.”

With a cold expression, Gu Yanqing walked in.

He and Kouko looked alike, and any discerning person could tell they were father and son.

Because their son had been likened to someone else’s, Gu Yanqing exuded a palpable aura of displeasure, causing the two visitors to falter.

However, Qiao Wanqing had already broken up with the child’s father, a fact known to Gu Yanqing.

Under his intimidating presence, the man steeled himself and said, “I earn a million a year, come from a good family, and consider myself decent-looking. More importantly, I know how to cherish someone. What’s so far-fetched about that?”

Gu Yanqing raised an eyebrow. “High income. What makes you so capable?”

“I sell pork in a supermarket at a big mall in the city,” the man’s sister explained. “If Qiao Miss comes along, she won’t have to do much except handle the money. Occasionally, she can help chop some bones when it gets busy. It’s not tiring, better than farming at home. All the money at home will be managed by Qiao Miss, and we won’t mistreat her.”

Xu Han: “…”

She didn’t have a bias against professions, but listening to them made her feel like this was all a joke.

“My son is picky; he only drinks Royal Elizabeth Windsor special formula milk, priced at 100,000 yuan per can.” Gu Yanqing placed a bag containing several cans of formula in front of them, his voice icy. “Do you earn enough to cover my son’s milk?”

Xu Han: “…”

“Is baby formula really this expensive? It’s probably made from ground-up gold.”

“I haven’t read many books, don’t fool me.”

“And that English sentence sounds weird too.”

The two people seemed to half-believe it.

The man chuckled awkwardly, “Why bother with such fancy baby formula? It’s not like they mix it with gold.”

“Because they have so much money, got a problem with that?”

The man hesitated.

In the end, the siblings left disappointed, unable to outshine Gu Yanqing.

“He still dreams of being my son’s dad. Dream on,” Gu Yanqing’s tone unusually harsh.

“Bad person,” Yuan Yuan echoed indignantly.

Xu Han had to stifle a laugh, seeing Gu Yanqing talking nonsense so seriously.

She reached out and patted Yuan Yuan’s head, saying, “Don’t learn bad habits from your uncle.”

“Yuan Yuan, take this to Ah Huang,” Gu Yanqing pulled out a pack of dried meat from his bag for Yuan Yuan, who happily took it to Ah Huang.

Because Kou Kou was ill and didn’t seem as happy as usual, he reached out to be carried by him.

Gu Yanqing took him up and said, “Stepdad?”

Just thinking about the man from earlier made Gu Yanqing want to punch someone.

Could a person with such character deserve to be Qiao Wanqing’s partner?

Anyone would dare to think about being his son’s father!

“No way, they came to the door themselves,” Xu Han took away the bottle of milk Kou Kou was drinking and said, “If I want to find someone, I’ll find a big shot like you who can afford a hundred thousand yuan a can of milk for Kou Kou.”

Gu Yanqing: “……”

Although he was speechless, Gu Yanqing’s mood inexplicably lightened.

Since Xu Han caught a cold, her milk supply drastically decreased, and no matter what she ate, she couldn’t make up for it.

Kou Kou, who originally didn’t need formula, now needed it to feel full.

Last time, she posted on her friend circle asking which formula was good.

Gu Yanqing probably saw it, so he brought some over.

Gu Yanqing brought quite a few cans at once, all packed in bags with the tops open.

Kou Kou had been drinking a lot of formula lately and recognized the shape of the formula cans.

So when he saw Gu Yanqing put them aside, he immediately knew there was something delicious there and eagerly reached out for it.

“Kou Kou, do you want to drink formula?” Gu Yanqing saw his expression, picked up a can and let Kou Kou hold it.

With one hand, he helped him, and Kou Kou took it joyfully.

He leaned over and started nibbling.

“Sweetheart, this isn’t tasty. Come, sit for a while and play with your big brother Yuan Yuan. I’ll make you some.”

Seeing Gu Yanqing arrive and someone else watch the baby, Xu Han went to the bathroom for a while.

She hadn’t finished yet when she heard Kou Kou cry pitifully.

She thought something had happened, but when she went out, she saw Gu Yanqing holding a bottle of milk.

Kou Kou looked at it longingly, reaching out for it.

“Sweetie, wait, it’s still hot,” Gu Yanqing comforted him.

But Kou Kou didn’t understand hot or not.

He only knew Dad wasn’t letting him drink milk, and he felt aggrieved.

He wanted milk.

Kou Kou was impatient.

Every time he saw formula, he urgently demanded it.

He couldn’t wait even for a moment.

Sometimes, if it was a little hot, he’d cry as if he was being mistreated, showing someone’s temperament.

So Xu Han always prepared the formula by mixing hot water with cold water to get the right temperature before adding the formula powder.

This way, the temperature was just right, and Kou Kou didn’t have to wait.

But Gu Yanqing didn’t know this.

He had just started preparing a bottle of milk, which was so hot that he couldn’t even hold it, let alone give it to Kou Kou to drink.

“He’s so eager to drink. How do you usually handle this?” Gu Yanqing felt a bit helpless with his own son crying like this.

“Just give him to me.”

Xu Han took the bottle from Gu Yanqing’s hand, poured its contents into a cup, and then prepared warm water again, adding formula powder to it.

Kou Kou, seeing the bottle taken away by his mom again, felt even more aggrieved.

He even got upset and started hitting the railing of the stroller with his hands.

Gu Yanqing felt ashamed in his heart.

Kou Kou was already this big, and he didn’t even know how to prepare formula.

It showed what a terrible father he was.

He bent down and picked up Kou Kou. Looking at him like this, he felt both heartache and amusement.

He comforted him, saying, “Baby, be good. Mommy will make it cooler for you now, so it won’t be hot.”

But Kou Kou paid no attention to him.

His eyes were fixed on the bottle the whole time, filled with the thought “I want to drink milk.”

Yuan Yuan tried to cheer him up and brought a toy that Gu Yanqing had bought for him, a spinning top. “Kou Kou, be good. It’ll be ready in a moment. Come, play with this spinning top.”

Unfortunately, Kou Kou, in the grip of his milk craving, didn’t buy it.

He didn’t even look at the toy in Yuan Yuan’s hand; his eyes were fixed only on the milk.

Xu Han quickly prepared the formula, sealed the bottle, shook it well, and handed it to Kou Kou.

He immediately grabbed the small handle of the bottle with his little hand, lying in Gu Yanqing’s arms, and started drinking.

Tears glistened in his round eyes as he drank, occasionally glancing at Gu Yanqing.

Gu Yanqing took a tissue from Xu Han and wiped Kou Kou’s tears, teasing him, “Such a glutton.”

“Hehe.” Kou Kou chuckled softly from his throat, but his mouth stayed firmly on the bottle nipple.

Xu Han was surprised to see Kou Kou drinking so eagerly, finishing almost half the bottle.

Normally, despite his love for milk, Kou Kou’s appetite was curbed by his recent illness; he would drink a few sips and then stop.

Today, he had drunk so much.

Could it really be that the milk Gu Yanqing bought was sweeter?

Curious, Xu Han couldn’t resist picking up the bottle to check the brand, but all she saw was English text.

Xu Han… well, her English wasn’t very good, and she couldn’t recognize it.

It seemed like it was really a top-notch imported formula from abroad.

Indeed, it tasted much richer than the ones she usually bought for Kou Kou.