Chapter 82

He Yi’an brought over two outfits for Zhiyi to choose from for the day.

She had organized all the clothes she had packed from Shang Tongxu’s house but couldn’t find a single autumn or winter dress. Perhaps in the past few months, in her rush to find her biological daughter, she had lost the urge to shop or dress the child up—something He Yi’an could understand.

Zhiyi’s wardrobe wasn’t extensive; it mainly consisted of sweatshirts and light sweaters, while her outerwear included a down jacket and down pants. The elderly took care of the child, and this combination made it easy to dress and undress. Meanwhile, Ningwei usually wore dresses, with the occasional sweatshirt.

“Which outfit will our little squirrel choose?”

He Yi’an held up one of the outfits.

Zhiyi didn’t quite grasp the concept of choosing her clothes. Usually, Shang Tongxu just handed her an outfit to wear. They would rush through washing up and a quick breakfast, barely pausing before dropping her off at her in-laws’ house, leaving no time to consider what the child wanted to wear.

In recent months, as the project entered a critical phase and with the search for her child, she had been stretched thin, leaving no time to ask Zhiyi about her clothing preferences.

Zhiyi hesitated, her voice soft: “Can I choose for myself?”

He Yi’an replied gently, “Of course you can.”

Zhiyi pointed to the white hoodie on the left, her eyes lighting up at the design of a little horse from her favorite cartoon.

While dressing her daughter, He Yi’an asked her husband to wash up first, and they took turns caring for Zhiyi.

“You love cars and little horses, right?” she said as she dressed her.

Zhiyi’s eyes widened in surprise. “How did you know?”

He Yi’an laughed. “Because I’m smart! A clever mommy can have such a clever baby like you.”

Hearing her mother praise her intelligence, Zhiyi couldn’t help but smile.

As He Yi’an wrapped her arms around Zhiyi to help her put on the outfit, Zhiyi nuzzled her head against her mom’s chest, wanting to be cute yet feeling shy.

Suddenly, she remembered that this was her little sister’s mother.

Then, she thought again that her little sister had been misplaced; this was her mother.

After getting ready, He Yi’an tied Zhiyi’s hair into loose double buns.

Once she finished styling her hair, she turned Zhiyi around. The hairstyle was cute and soft, making her look even more adorable, enough to melt anyone’s heart instantly.

Unable to resist, He Yi’an showered Zhiyi’s little face with kisses, planting several soft pecks.

Still not satisfied, she leaned over and kissed the other side of her daughter’s chubby cheek a couple more times.

“How can my baby be this beautiful?” she mused, thinking that perhaps this was just the perspective of a doting mother.

Just then, Xu Xiangyi emerged from the dressing room, dressed and ready.

“Come here, look at this little one in front of the makeup mirror!” Xu Xiangyi’s stern face broke into a smile. “Whose beautiful baby is this? I almost didn’t recognize her!”

With a few swift steps, he effortlessly scooped up his daughter into his arms.

As compliments showered down on her, little Xu Zhiyi felt a warm glow filling her tiny heart.

Xu Xiangyi carried Zhiyi over to wake up his son, asking her who they should rouse first: Xu Hang or Sixun.

Zhiyi replied softly, “Sixun gege.”

They passed by Jiang Sixun’s room, and Xu Xiangyi stopped at the door, knocking firmly a few times.

“Jiang Sixun? Time to get up!”

With these two, he struggled to maintain a gentle tone.

Silence reigned from inside.

“Jiang Sixun!” He knocked again, a bit more insistently.

Burrowed in his blankets, Jiang Sixun had no desire to move. Who wakes up at seven during winter break?

Since he didn’t have a habit of locking the door, it clicked open with a soft “click,” followed by a gentle voice at the threshold: “Brother?”

Xu Xiangyi entered the room, placing Zhiyi down on the bed to stand.

“Didn’t you say you’d take your sister shopping?” he tugged at the blanket. “Are we going or not?”

Jiang Sixun snapped awake, recalling his promise to accompany his sister.

“We’re going.” He struggled to sit up from the covers.

“Good morning, brother!”

Her voice and smile were so healing, they banished any remnants of his morning grumpiness.

Jiang Sixun replied, “Good morning.”

He gazed at the two little buns atop his sister’s head, feeling a sudden urge to squeeze them. Maybe he should swap places with Xu Hang and have Xu Hang stay at his house instead.

Xu Xiangyi handed over the clothes from the end of the bed, finally managing to wake up one of the kids.

He turned to ZhiYi’and said, “Now go wake up Xu Hang gege.”

Zhiyi wanted to linger there for a moment. After pondering for a bit, she concocted an excuse, saying earnestly, “This bed is so soft; I just want to sit here for a while.”

Xu Xiangyi chuckled, “Alright, then wait for Daddy here.”

Once he left, Zhiyi crept from the foot of the bed to the head, carefully avoiding stepping on her brother’s blanket. She was also worried about falling off the edge, so she took small, cautious steps, her arms slightly outstretched to maintain her balance.

Jiang Sixun, kneeling up in his cocoon of blankets, reached out to help her over. “It’s fine if you step on the blanket. You’re not wearing shoes, so you won’t get dirty.”

Still being cautious, Zhiyi finally reached the head of the bed. She crouched down and whispered, “Brother, I counted to 2 today.”

Jiang Sixun thought she would forget everything after a nap, but little did he know…

Going Home. Xu Ningwei often cried the night before, declaring she would never speak to her brother Xu Hang again because he wouldn’t play with her, but the very first thing she did upon waking up was to seek him out for fun.

Who would have thought she had such a good memory?

“Your mommy and daddy have a bunny baby now. What will you do when you go home? Isn’t that place no longer yours?”

Xu Zhiyi froze for a moment, her eyes dimming as if her world was about to shatter.

She murmured, “I’ll go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. They must miss me so much, and my second brother will miss me too.”

Jiang Sixun rubbed his face, just awake and not fully coherent, realizing he had misspoken. How could he say that was no longer her home?

But once words were out, they couldn’t be taken back. He scrambled to comfort her, “Why don’t you want to be here? You have your squirrel daddy and squirrel mommy, and me too.”

Zhiyi was stumped. That question was far too complex for a child her age.

Not knowing how to respond, she caught a tear that had fallen with her fingers.

Jiang Sixun, unusually patient for the past few days, said, “Today I’ll take you shopping, and we’ll buy some toys. Tomorrow, I’ll take you go-karting. Please don’t cry, okay?”

Zhiyi made an effort not to let any tears fall. “I’m not crying, brother.”

Xu Xiangyi had just woken up his son and entered to find his daughter’s eyes glistening with tears.

A child’s emotions are like the weather in June—sunshine one moment, rain the next.

It seemed she was feeling homesick again.

He asked nothing, biting back his concern and pretending not to notice her watery eyes. Instead, he smiled and inquired, “What were you talking about with your brother?”

Zhiyi replied, “Brother said we’re going go-karting. Is that true?”

Xu Xiangyi extended his hand, allowing her to hold onto him as they walked over. “Absolutely! Zhiyi loves go-karting, right?”

“Uh-huh!” she nodded vigorously.

Zhiyi had only driven indoor go-karts before, where the track had just one turn, racing with other kids her size.

But Xu Xiangyi was planning to take her to an outdoor track tomorrow, where she could experience the thrill of speed.

Holding tightly to her father’s finger, she reached the edge of the bed. He was so tall that even on her tiptoes, she couldn’t reach his neck.

At that moment, Xu Xiangyi’s phone rang. He bent down, allowing Zhiyi to wrap her arms around his neck, then effortlessly lifted her with one arm while answering the call with the other.

On the other end was his secretary, informing him that the squirrel costume he needed was all set and could be ready by tonight.

“Great, thank you for your hard work,” Xu Xiangyi replied.

Once Zhiyi left the room, Jiang Sixun began to change his clothes.

He glanced at his watch, knowing it was time to get moving.

The time on the plane read 7:32 AM, marking the earliest wake-up call during winter break.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he dialed Lu Jianbo’s number.

It was the middle of the night in London. Lu Jianbo glanced at his phone and saw the call was from Jiang Sixun. His heart skipped a beat; his son hadn’t called him directly in over four or five years. Was something wrong?

“Hello? Sixun, what’s up?”

Jiang Sixun replied, “Dad, can you transfer some money to Uncle Xu’s account right now? I want to go shopping today.”

Lu Jianbo was taken aback. “…”

Jiang Sixun continued, “Mom forgot to give me money.” He realized he didn’t have a single cent on him—what kind of shopping trip was he going to have without cash?

He had also forgotten his dad’s card, never thinking he would actually go shopping.

Lu Jianbo took a deep breath. “You can buy any car model you want. Just ask Uncle Xu to pay for it.”

“No way! I won’t use Uncle Xu’s money. It’s not for me; it’s for my sister’s toys.” Jiang Sixun insisted on paying himself.

He couldn’t let Uncle Xu foot the bill for a gift meant for his little sister.

Lu Jianbo reluctantly agreed. He had always been willing to oblige his son’s requests.

After hanging up, he immediately messaged Xu Xiangyi, asking him to prepare some cash for his rebellious son.

[I’ll be back in a few days.]

Xu Xiangyi replied: [Why are you coming back?]

Lu Jianbo answered: [Isn’t it normal for a father to want to see his son?] If it weren’t for Zhiyi being found, his son would have spent the winter break in London.

It had been half a year since he last saw him. Despite Jiang Sixun’s rebelliousness, it would be a lie to say he didn’t miss him.

He had uncovered several clues about the swap, and was shocked to learn that it was all orchestrated by Shen Qingfeng. This trip to Shanghai was not only to see his son but also a personal apology to Xu Xiangyi.

His son’s life had been affected by his reckless actions seven years ago.

He asked, [How’s Yueru doing?]

Xu Xiangyi didn’t respond, locking his phone and tossing it aside.

Half an hour later, Xu Hang and Jiang Sixun came downstairs for breakfast.

At the dining table, Xu Xiangyi was cradling his daughter, feeding her breakfast. He first offered her a bite of soft-boiled egg, then scooped up a spoonful of corn and pine nuts.

Xu Hang, sitting across from them, curiously asked, “Why does my sister still need to be held while eating?”

Xu Zhiyi, cheeks stuffed with food, answered seriously, “Because I’m still a baby. I won’t grow up until I’m eight.” She looked up at their dad, as if checking to see if she had said something wrong.

Xu Xiangyi smiled warmly, “That’s right. We only grow up at eight.”

With one arm around his daughter, he…

The child took a few bites of rice before putting down her chopsticks and being fed a spoonful of pine nut corn by her mother.

Auntie had prepared Cantonese-style dim sum for Jiang Sixun, and he glanced at the plate of corn, asking his sister, “Is the pine nut corn good?”

Xu Zhiyi used to dislike it, but things had changed. Now that she was a little squirrel baby, she knew she needed to eat more nutritious foods like pine nuts to grow up healthy.

“It’s delicious!” she exclaimed.

Just as she finished speaking, her mother brought a cup of milk to her lips.

With both hands cupped around her mother’s hand, she gulped down a third of the milk in one go.

He Yi’an felt incredibly grateful that they had found her in time. If she got any bigger, her husband wouldn’t be able to hold her in his arms for meals or cuddle her to sleep.

At this age, she was adorably innocent and blissfully unaware of the complexities of life.

With a mix of compensatory feelings and a desire to bond with Zhiyi, Xu Xiangyi wished he could hold his daughter for twenty-four hours straight, eager for her to rely on him.

Having had her fill, Xu Zhiyi leaned against her dad’s chest, quietly observing the others at the table as they ate.

Seeing Jiang Sixun enjoying his food, she asked, “Brother, what are you eating?”

“Shrimp dumplings! Do you want one?” he replied.

Xu Zhiyi wanted to, but her tummy was already full. “I’m stuffed. Can I have one tomorrow instead?”

“Of course!” her dad chimed in.

She found herself already looking forward to tomorrow, just for a single shrimp dumpling.

At 9:30 AM, the family was ready to head out.

Jiang Sixun dashed upstairs to grab his down jacket, putting it on as he hurried down.

He Yi’an looked at his outfit for the day: a striking red mid-length down jacket paired with black athletic pants. His tall frame and clean-cut style made the bright red especially eye-catching.

“Did you choose this outfit by yourself today?”

“Yep!” Jiang Sixun replied, then asked, “Auntie, does this look okay?”

He Yi’an smiled and praised him, “You could pull off anything!”

Xu Hang chimed in, “Don’t believe everything adults say!”

He Yi’an waved her son over with a smile. “Come here.”

In a flash, Xu Hang was gone, the first to jump into the car. He slid down the window, looking at his sister who was having a blast playing with bubbles on the lawn.

Xu Xiangyi had asked Shang Tongxu about the children’s favorite games and foods. Following the list, he had bought everything, including a whole box of bubble-making supplies.

With the wind blowing, colorful bubbles floated up in strings, glimmering in the sunlight.

Xu Zhiyi chased after the bubbles, her laughter ringing out as she tried to catch them with her tiny hands, reluctant to pop them.

Just as she was lost in her game,

Xu Xiangyi received a phone call and pulled out his phone to see it was from Shang Tongxu. He called for his son to come downstairs and handed him the bubble wand. “Play with your sister for a bit.”

Worried that Zhiyi might overhear the conversation, he stepped away before answering.

Shang Tongxu was at the hospital and asked if Ning Wei had any medication allergies.

Upon hearing it was about medication, Xu Xiangyi immediately grew concerned. “What’s wrong with Ning Wei?”

“Nothing major,” Shang Tongxu reassured him. “Last night, I took her outside to build a snowman. I’m used to the northern winters, but she’s just a child. She couldn’t handle the cold and started to run a fever in the early hours.”

He had tried to coax her into taking fever medicine, but she refused, and despite attempts at physical cooling, her temperature wouldn’t drop, so he had no choice but to bring her to the hospital.

“No medication allergies,” Xu Xiangyi confirmed.

“Good. Sorry to bother you.” Shang Tongxu paused, then asked, “How did Zhiyi do last night?”

“She cried all night and woke up in a fright. The second half of the night was better.”

Shang Tongxu felt regret and guilt; he should never have let their child sleep alone during those months.

They exchanged a moment of silence before hanging up.

In the pediatric waiting area, Ning Wei had cried herself to sleep in Xiao Meihua’s arms, her face still streaked with tears. Just a moment ago, when Shang Tongxu had stepped away to make the call, she refused to let Xiao Meihua hold her.

Xiao Meihua pressed her forehead, rubbing it hard. “I haven’t slept all night; I’m about to lose my mind.”

When Shang Tongxu returned from his call, he took the child from his wife’s arms and felt her palm; she was even warmer than before.

Xiao Meihua sighed. “At this rate, when will this end? We can’t keep missing class.”

“Just a few more weeks and she’ll be fine. She can’t cry like this every day,” Shang Tongxu replied.

“What if she’s still like this in a few weeks?” Xiao Meihua asked. “She’s already reached her limit; her little body can’t take much more.”

“I’ll take care of it; you don’t need to worry.”

Upon hearing that Ning Wei was in the hospital, Zhiyi’s grandparents rushed over.

Her grandmother was still reeling from the situation, having not yet seen Zhiyi. The thought of it saddened her deeply. She organized some toys that Zhiyi used to play with at their house and reminded her daughter to send them over.

“No need to mail them; do they really lack toys? She might not even care for them anymore,” Xiao Meihua commented.

“Every child’s belongings are special. It’s not about whether they’re desirable or not. Sending them gives Zhiyi a reminder that we haven’t forgotten her. We can’t let her feel abandoned by her family,” her grandmother said, wiping her tears.

Xiao Meihua hesitated to respond.

As they called for the next patient, Shang Tongxu gently woke Ning Wei.

Ning Wei opened her eyes, recognized Shang Tongxu, and tightly hugged his arm.

Shang Tongxu felt an indescribable sense of comfort as he kissed his daughter’s head.

Her grandmother patted Zhiyi gently and encouraged her, “Does she seem hysterical to you? She’s quite close to Tongxu, isn’t she? Just be a little patient.”

Then, she asked Zhiyi for the car keys. “We brought Zhiyi’s toys with us; they’re in your dad’s trunk. He’ll take them to your car. If you’re too busy, just give me the address for Xu Xiangyi’s house, and we’ll send them ourselves.”

Xiao Meihua hesitated to share the address, worried that her parents might one day be so eager to see their grandchild that they’d just show up at the Xu family’s door. “Now that we have her back, let’s not disturb them again.”

She asked her father for the keys. “I’ll go get them myself; I need some fresh air anyway.”

Once downstairs, Xiao Meihua stood in the sun for a moment, realizing how much lighter she felt without the sound of a child crying nearby.

In the parking lot, she found her father’s car, expecting only a few toys inside. To her surprise, she discovered a large travel bag filled to the brim. When she opened it, she found several dolls, all meticulously washed and arranged, along with an array of outfits lovingly sewn by her mother.

Her mother had a knack for crafting and an abundance of patience, often making clothes and dresses for Zhiyi’s dolls.

In the center of the bag was a stack of Zhiyi’s storybooks, along with some sketchpads, and neatly arranged on the left were six boxes of animal-shaped cookies.

This brand of cookies wasn’t available in every supermarket; they could only be found at an imported goods store near her parents’ neighborhood.

Suddenly, memories of that night when the vase shattered flooded her mind, replaying in vivid frames. Zhiyi had called out for her and offered her some cookies. Now it seemed clear that Zhiyi had been worried she’d be upset about the broken vase and was trying to cheer her up with treats.

But how had she reacted back then?

She hadn’t accepted the cookies and had yelled at her instead.

Shaking off those thoughts, Xiao Meihua zipped up the travel bag and hoisted the heavy bundle into her car.

At ten o’clock, Xu Xiangyi’and his family of five, accompanied by their bodyguard, made a grand entrance into the shopping mall.

The young parents, along with their three beautiful children, quickly became the center of attention wherever they went. Luckily, social media wasn’t as rampant back then, and platforms like Weibo hadn’t even launched yet; gossip mainly circulated through print media. They didn’t have to worry about their casual shopping trip making headlines the next day.

Zhiyi rested her chin on her father’s shoulder, replaying the words he had said on the way to the mall in her mind. Starting tomorrow, she would be called Xu Zhiyi because she had eaten pine nuts that morning, a type of pine cone. She would officially become part of the squirrel family, a true squirrel baby!

“Squirrels have the surname Xu; from now on, I will be Xu Zhiyi,” she thought excitedly.

Her father had mentioned that there would be a small ceremony for her name change tomorrow.

And tomorrow would also bring Jiang Sixun…

Zhiyi eagerly nibbled on the shrimp dumpling that Brother Sixun had given her, her thoughts racing with anticipation for tomorrow.

Xu Xiangyi noticed the little girl in his arms was unusually still. He turned to her, gently stroking her back. “What’s the little squirrel baby thinking about?”

Zhiyi giggled, resting her head against him. “I can’t tell you. It’s my secret!”

“You have secrets at such a young age?” he teased.

“Yes! I have one… no, two secrets!” she declared, showing him two fingers that weren’t quite straight.

Seeing this, Jiang Sixun stepped forward, straightening her little fingers.

Zhiyi’s smile widened. “Brother, are you tired of walking?”

Jiang Sixun played along, responding dramatically, “So tired!”

Without hesitation, Zhiyi wrapped her arms around her father’s neck, extending her right hand to Jiang Sixun. “Brother, I’ll hold your hand while we walk!”

Jiang Sixun complied, taking her small hand in his.

Xu Huaiyu joined in on the fun, saying, “I can’t walk anymore either!”

Zhiyi blinked her eyes thoughtfully, brainstorming. “You can hold Brother Jiang Sixun’s hand!”

Xu Huaiyu paused, unsure of how to respond.

He considered nudging Jiang Sixun aside; after all, she was his little sister.

But He Yi’an swiftly pulled her son closer, forbidding any mischief.

Xu Huaiyu struggled to break free, but his mother was surprisingly strong, holding him tight.

As they neared the children’s clothing store, Jiang Sixun released Zhiyi’s hand and turned to Xu Xiangyi. “I want to go check out some things with Xu Huaiyu.”

Xu Xiangyi’s first reaction was, “Are you going to play games?”

“No, just browsing in the mall,” Jiang Sixun clarified.

Not wanting to press further, Xu Xiangyi arranged for a bodyguard to keep an eye on the two restless children.

Once they were out of earshot, Xu Huaiyu asked, “What do you want to buy?”

“I want to get a toy for my sister,” Jiang Sixun replied.

Xu Huaiyu wanted to get something for her too, but he hadn’t brought any money. “I’ll ask Mom for some when we get home.”

“I have money,” Jiang Sixun said, pulling out the cash Uncle Xu had given him before they left. He split the four hundred yuan evenly, handing two hundred to Xu Huaiyu.

“Isn’t that a bit short for a toy?” Xu Huaiyu questioned.

“Let’s just go look first!” Jiang Sixun urged.

When they arrived at the toy store, they were stunned to see that even the toy cars cost several thousand yuan.

“Let’s start with something easy to assemble,” Xu Huaiyu suggested.

However, even the simpler, good-looking cars cost four hundred ninety-nine yuan.

Pooling their money together still left them four hundred yuan—still not enough.

Jiang Sixun sighed, realizing he would have to earn his own money; relying on adults was far too unreliable.

Meanwhile, on the fifth floor of the mall…

A family of three entered the children’s clothing store, where the manager had been eagerly awaiting He Yi’an, her VIP client.

He Yi’an had never taken Ning Wei to a children’s clothing store because Ning Wei lacked the patience for trying on clothes. Within five minutes of entering a store, she would be clamoring to leave. All of her foster daughter’s previous outfits had been handpicked by He Yi’an and delivered straight to their home, so when the manager saw Zhiyi, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow, she’s growing up so fast! Compared to the sizes He Yi’an bought before, she’s at least half a head taller!”

He Yi’an chuckled and replied, “Long legs run in the family; she takes after her dad.”

“Looks like she takes after both of you,” the manager added with a smile.

Xu Xiangyi, carrying his daughter, strolled around the store and asked, “Which one do you like the most? Let’s try that one on first.”

Zhiyi looked around, overwhelmed by the choices, struggling to pick just one.

After glancing around again, she still couldn’t make up her mind.

“No rush,” Xu Xiangyi reassured her. “Today’s main mission is to buy clothes for you. We can take our time picking.”

Finally, Zhiyi pointed to the leftmost rack. “I like that one.”

It was a bright red hooded cape made of pure cashmere.

He Yi’an was taken aback that her daughter’s first choice was a coat, especially with so many lovely dresses around.

The design of this little cape was quite trendy. With the Spring Festival approaching, it would be perfect for festive occasions. She said to her daughter, “Alright, let’s get this one, and then we can try on some dresses. How does that sound?”

Zhiyi nodded eagerly. “Okay!”

He Yi’an instructed the manager to bring all the new dresses, then took Zhiyi by the hand toward the fitting rooms.

As Zhiyi looked at the array of beautiful dresses, she gasped, “Are all these for me?”

He Yi’an sat down to help her change. “Of course! They’re all for our little Zhiyi.”

Zhiyi stood in her mother’s embrace for a moment, summoning her courage to whisper, “Thank you, Mama.”

He Yi’an felt a lump in her throat, overwhelmed with emotion. Holding her daughter tightly, she replied in a husky voice, “No need to thank me.”