“Is it really for Daddy?” Zhan Qingyue asked, pinching Mi Dou’s little cheek. “Tell the truth, and Daddy won’t hold it against you.”

Mi Dou hesitated between telling a lie and the truth for a moment, then finally lowered his head and said honestly, “No, I bought it for myself.”

Luckily, he didn’t lie; otherwise, he would have faced some consequences.

Zhan Qingyue felt a bit relieved and asked, “What else?”

“I also secretly ate an ice cream…” Mi Dou, having confessed one thing, decided to spill everything, but quickly added, “But Daddy said you wouldn’t hold it against me!”

“Alright, since Mi Dou didn’t lie, Daddy won’t hold it against you,” Zhan Qingyue patted his head. “Come on, Daddy will make lunch for you.”

In Mi Dou’s memory, it was the first time seeing his dad cook, so he happily followed him around the kitchen.

Zhan Qingyue nearly bumped into the little one a few times as he turned around, making it difficult to move, but Mi Dou stubbornly refused to leave and wait outside.

But Zhan Qingyue had a trick up his sleeve—he gave Mi Dou some garlic to peel.

So, Little Mi Dou spent the entire cooking time battling with the garlic.

When Zhan Qingyue finally finished and brought the dishes to the table, Mi Dou looked at the feast and exclaimed, “Wow, Daddy, you’re amazing!”

Zhan Qingyue saw the look on Mi Dou’s face, which was the same as Ning Qiuxiu’s when she saw him prepare a table full of dishes, and couldn’t help but laugh as he ruffled his son’s hair. “Go wash your hands for dinner.”

Mi Dou ran off to wash his hands and then proudly showed his clean, chubby little hands to Zhan Qingyue. “All clean, Daddy.”

Zhan Qingyue served him a bowl of rice and added some dishes to his plate, saying, “Go ahead and eat.”

Mi Dou picked up a spoon, scooped some food, and put it in his mouth.

Then, with exaggerated acting, he widened his eyes, his body trembling, and gave a thumbs up, saying, “Mmm, mmm, mmm, it’s so good!”

Zhan Qingyue was amused by his son’s dramatic reaction, feeling quite pleased.

He decided to let him have that lollipop in the afternoon.

After lunch, the two of them took a nap as usual, and in the afternoon, Zhan Qingyue took Mi Dou out to play, marking the end of the first episode of “Mommy’s Not Home.”

Mommy had also returned.

Ning Qiuxiu was originally supposed to come back the next day, but her work finished early today, so she changed her ticket and came back.

Mi Dou, who hadn’t seen his mom for two days, was thrilled when he heard she was back and rushed out to greet her.

However, his two feet weren’t as fast as Miaomiao’s four.

Before he even made it halfway, Miaomiao was already at his mom’s feet, wagging her tail furiously for some pets.

Mi Dou was so annoyed.

“What’s wrong, Mi Dou?” Ning Qiuxiu patted Miaomiao’s head, then looked up to see her son stopping in his tracks.

She walked over, picked him up, and kissed his little face over and over. “Aren’t you happy to see Mommy?”

“I’m happy,” Mi Dou hugged Ning Qiuxiu’s neck.

He acted completely differently in front of his mom compared to his dad, his voice becoming soft and sweet with a slight nasal tone as he whined, “But Miaomiao ran faster than me.”

“You’re even competing over that? Such a strong competitive streak, hmm?” Ning Qiuxiu laughed, pinching his little nose.

If he could run faster than a dog, that would be something.

“I wanted Mommy to see Mi Dou first.”

“Well, Mi Dou needs to eat more if he wants to grow up fast and run faster than Miaomiao,” Ning Qiuxiu teased him.

Mi Dou believed her and proudly said, “I’ve been eating well these past two days, haven’t I, Daddy?”

Daddy…

Daddy’s mood was a bit down.

Ever since having a son, Ning Qiuxiu’s first priority upon returning home was no longer him, but always little Mi Dou.

Mr. Zhan’s place in his wife’s heart had long since fallen to second place.

Zhan Qingyue nodded and then said to Mi Dou, “Mommy’s thirsty; go to the kitchen and bring her a glass of water.”

“Okay!” Mi Dou was more than happy to serve his mom.

He jumped out of her arms and bounced off to the kitchen.

With just a few words, Zhan Qingyue successfully sent his still-inexperienced son away.

He wrapped an arm around Ning Qiuxiu’s waist, kissed her cheek, and asked, “Are you tired?”

“It’s okay, my waist is a bit sore.”

Zhan Qingyue’s hand wandered over her waist. “Let me give you a massage.”

As an old married couple, Ning Qiuxiu let him massage her while teasing her.

She asked, “Did you have fun taking care of Midou?”

Zhan Qingyue chuckled. “It’s a bit less fun than Angry Birds.”

“…” Ning Qiuxiu swatted his hand away, laughing and scolding, “Get lost! The older you get, the more mischievous you become!”

The word “old” struck a chord in Zhan Qingyue, who didn’t consider himself old, but he just smiled and said nothing.

At night, Midou insisted that Ning Qiuxiu tell him a story before he slept.

However, he had napped for a long time at noon, and Ning Qiuxiu was yawning by the time he finished three stories.

Yet, Midou was still enthusiastic. “Mom, I want another one!”

“You’ve already heard three,” Ning Qiuqiu flicked his forehead. “Go to sleep.”

“No!” Midou was willful in front of his mom.

“What do you mean ‘no’?” Zhan Qingyue happened to return to the room and heard Midou’s words.

Midou: “…”

The bold attitude he had in front of his mom disappeared the moment his dad walked in.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet? It’s late. Go to bed,” Zhan Qingyue said, seeing it was already past 10 PM.

Little Midou hadn’t slept yet, and he had to go to kindergarten the next day.

“Okay.” Midou didn’t dare defy his dad. He looked up and said, “Mom, give me a kiss.”

Ning Qiuxiu, seeing the difference in Midou’s behavior in front of her and Zhan Qingyue, found it both amusing and helpless.

She kissed his cheek. “Hurry and sleep.”

“Goodnight, Mom. Goodnight, Dad.” Mi Dou obediently lay down and closed his eyes.

Zhan Qingyue shook his head. “Little rascal.”

Ning Qiuqiu tucked Midou in and said, “Then aren’t you the scarecrow?”

Zhan Qingyue: “…”

It seemed to make sense.

Ning Qiuxiu went to take a bath.

When she came out, Midou was already fast asleep.

Usually, they each slept on one side with Midou in the middle.

Only when they wanted to do something inappropriate for MiDou would they cross this “Chu River and Han Boundary” and meet in the middle.

Feeling a bit tired today, Ning Qiuxiu sighed as she lay down, ready to sleep.

But then Zhan Qingyue, who had bathed in another room, lay down beside her. Ning Qiuxiu, wary, whispered, “I’m tired today.”

Zhan Qingyue put on a serious face. “But there’s something I can’t wait to prove tonight.”

“…” Ning Qiuxiu was drawn in by his seriousness. “What’s going on?”

Zhan Qingyue turned off the light, his warm body pressing against hers, kissing her cheek. “You’ll understand in a moment.”

In the end, he just wanted to be intimate!

What a trickster!

Initially, Ning Qiuxiu felt a bit hesitant, but after so many years of marriage, Zhan Qingyue knew exactly where her sensitive spots were.

He quickly had her completely under his control.

Ning Qiuxiu surrendered almost instantly.

Tonight, Zhan Qingyue seemed as strong as if he had taken a blue pill, and Ning Qiuqiu was overwhelmed, nearly brought to tears by his vigor.

But with their little troublemaker nearby, she didn’t dare make too much noise, afraid of waking the child.

She could only plead softly for mercy.

“Am I still old, Qiuxiu?” Zhan Qingyue didn’t ease up, instead whispering hoarsely in her ear.

“…” Old, my foot! You’re like a 20-year-old!

Though Ning Qiuxiu’s mind was muddled, when she heard his question, she suddenly realized what Zhan Qingyue was trying to prove.

She couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.

Could he be any more childish?

Zhan Qingyue: “…”

She actually laughed at him!

And so Ning Qiuxiu was in for it…

The next morning, Ning Qiuxiu was woken up by Mi Dou, who had gotten up before her.

Just as she was about to get up and help him get dressed, Zhan Qingyue held her down and said, “You keep sleeping. I’ll take care of it. Mi Dou, don’t wake your mom.”

“Okay.”

Mi Dou obediently followed Zhan Qingyue to the bathroom to wash up.

Ning Qiuxiu, though exhausted, couldn’t fall back asleep.

After lying there for a bit, she decided to get up as well.

She had to go to the office today, so she thought she might as well hitch a ride with Zhan Qingyue and come back for a nap afterward.

But as soon as she tried to get up, her waist gave out, and she fell back onto the bed.

“Ow…” Ning Qiuxiu groaned, clutching her aching waist.

That jerk!

Thinking about the question Zhan Qingyue had asked her last night, Ning Qiuqiu found it both amusing and exasperating.

Back when he was 30, she used to tease him about being an old man.

He never minded and would even joke that an old man was just right for a beautiful young wife like her…

Nowadays, as they approach middle age, people start feeling the pinch of a crisis and can no longer tolerate being called “old.”

Just like her, about to turn 30, Ning Qiuqiu is very sensitive about anyone mentioning her age…

Thinking of this, Ning Qiuxiu smiled.

She should be more mindful with her words in the future and avoid poking at Mr. Zhan’s sore spot.

Ning Qiuxiu struggled to get up from the bed, holding her aching waist.

Zhan Qingyue came out of the bathroom and was a bit surprised to see her up. “Why don’t you sleep a bit longer?”

“I still have to go to the office today. It’ll be more satisfying to finish things up and then come back to sleep,” Ning Qiuxiu said with a slightly hoarse voice, glaring at him as she thought about last night. “You’re banned for the next month!”

This threat didn’t faze Zhan Qingyue at all. He walked over, chuckled, and ruffled her messy hair. “So, how would you rate my performance last night?”

“…” You still have the nerve to ask!

Ning Qiuxiu wanted to retort, but recalling her earlier decision, she held back the words and instead smiled sweetly. “Mr. Zhan, you’re still as mighty as ever.”

“…” That sounded odd too.

But having had his fill last night, Mr. Zhan let it slide.

He stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Ning Qiuxiu, forcing her to face him.

“What are you doing? Where’s Midou?”

“He’s in the bathroom,” Zhan Qingyue said nonchalantly, gazing at her intensely. “Let’s give Midou a little sister.”

Considering Zhan Qingyue’s deep desire for a daughter, and that Midou was almost five, it seemed like a good time. Ning Qiuxiu nodded. “Okay.”

Zhan Qingyue’s arms tightened around her at her agreement, and he bent down to kiss her.

Just then, Midou came out of the bathroom and saw his dad kissing his mom.

He immediately covered his eyes with his hands and said, “Daddy kissing Mommy is so embarrassing. Midou won’t look.”

Despite saying he wouldn’t look, Midou peeked through his fingers at his parents.

“…”

Caught by their son, the couple lost the mood to continue.

Ning Qiuxiu broke free from Zhan Qingyue’s embrace, coughed awkwardly, and said to Midou, “Go change clothes with your dad. You’ll be late for kindergarten.”

Seeing that his parents had stopped, Midou came over and said, “Midou wants a kiss too.”

Ning Qiuxiu tried to bend down to pick him up, but her waist, still sore from last night’s activities, wouldn’t cooperate.

Zhan Qingyue stepped in and lifted little Midou.

The couple exchanged a smile, and then each kissed one of Midou’s soft, chubby cheeks.