◎ It seems that we still aren’t getting enough sleep ◎

Tao Xiaoxi’s headbutt was completely self-destructive. She didn’t know if he was hurt, but she was in pain herself.

She looked at the red mark on his forehead and regretted it a bit. He had just experienced a concussion, and now with her headbutt, she’d shaken his head even more. It was like adding insult to injury for his fragile brain.

She grumbled, “Are you dizzy?”

Before he could respond, she added, “If you’re dizzy, you deserve it.”

Chen Fang touched her flushed forehead. A rabbit, when provoked, could really exert some strength. “This little force of yours isn’t intense,” he said in a low voice. “Last night, even after something much more intense, I was fine. But you were half-dead from dizziness. So, before worrying about me, you’d better worry about yourself.”

Tao Xiaoxi felt that she hadn’t bumped hard enough just now. Taking a deep breath, she decided to try again.

Chen Fang immediately grabbed her by the waist and lifted her onto the washstand. Their gazes were now level. He leaned in close and said, “Bouncing and crashing like that takes too much effort. Let me do it this way, so you’ll save some energy.”

He was indirectly calling her short. Tao Xiaoxi didn’t want to bump her head against him anymore. She bent her knees and focused her strength, aiming for a different target.

Chen Fang sensed her intention and moved quickly, trapping her knees between his legs and pressing down. “Tao Xiaoxi, I’ve told you, you can bump anywhere else, but not here.”

Tao Xiaoxi was held in place by his hands—one on her face, the other on her shoulder—her knees tightly pinned between his long legs. She couldn’t fight back and was left to endure his breath against her, feeling his lips, tongue, and breath pressing down on her, gently but intensely.

The cold marble beneath her, the heat of his neck in her palms, the sound of the old lady humming a tune just outside the half-open door—it all made her feel like she was about to faint again, just like last night. Fortunately, he revived her, keeping her alive.

After thoroughly kissing her inside and out, he finally released her. Resting his forehead against hers, he asked hoarsely, “Do you know why?”

Tao Xiaoxi was just trying to catch her breath, unable to answer his numerous questions.

Chen Fang lightly kissed her lips again. “Because it’s yours. You have to protect it and never hurt it.”

…

She might as well just bite him.

Chen Fang teased his wife in the bathroom until her face turned red from head to toe before finally leaving the house.

Tao Xiaoxi splashed cold water on her face several times before she came out of the bathroom. She didn’t care where he was going. He could go wherever he pleased as long as he wasn’t in front of her.

When Yan Qiufang saw her granddaughter-in-law’s red face, she didn’t ask if she was hot or uncomfortable. She knew her grandson must’ve cornered the girl in the bathroom and probably hadn’t done anything decent. The old lady pretended not to notice, instead, she started kneading dough and chatting with her granddaughter-in-law. She asked if Tao Xiaoxi had managed to get the documents from the health bureau today. As they talked, Tao Xiaoxi’s face gradually cooled down.

Making dumplings was easy as long as the dough was right and the filling was prepared. Tao Xiaoxi could roll out dumpling skins, and she was actually a left-handed person when it came to rolling dough. She used her right hand for most tasks, but when it came to the rolling pin, she always used her left hand.

This was a funny little story. When she was a child, she thought it would be fun to learn how to roll dumpling skins. Meng Qing was on one side of the counter, while Tao Xiaoxi was on the other. Meng Qing used her right hand to roll the dough, and Tao Xiaoxi, being a bit clueless at the time, tried to copy her using the same hand as her mother’s. That’s how she ended up learning to be a lefty at this task. Meng Qing didn’t correct her because the old generation believed that left-handed people were smarter.

Tao Xiaoxi didn’t think using her left hand to roll out dough had made her any smarter. She wasn’t a particularly clever person. Her grades at school were decent, but she believed that hard work could make up for any lack of talent. One thing was for sure—her logical reasoning ability was terrible. When watching a mystery drama, others would follow the plot to guess the killer. As for her, she would first check the ending to see who the killer was, then watch the show from the beginning. Along the way, she’d realize where the clues were hidden. Jiang Youlin always said this method insulted the very concept of mystery. It might be an exaggeration, but the good thing was she never had to worry about spoilers.

She laughed with the old lady about this, and Yan Qiufang chuckled. “Well, at least you’re unique. Others push forward, and you push backward. There’s a term for it, isn’t there? Reverse reasoning, right?”

Tao Xiaoxi nodded. “Grandma, I knew we’d get along. You really understand me. You even know the term ‘reverse reasoning.’ You’re so impressive. My mom probably doesn’t even know it.”

Saying that Meng Qing didn’t know was a bit of an exaggeration, but when it came to pleasing the elders, exaggerating was just part of the game.

Yan Qiufang laughed, “You think I’m just watching my phone for nothing? We’re in the digital age now. I know quite a bit about the internet and slang. I may be old, but I still try to keep up with my thoughts and not fall behind too much.”

Tao Xiaoxi tilted her head and looked at Yan Qiufang. “Grandma, you’re not old. With your energy and spirit, anyone who asks will definitely say you look under fifty.”

Yan Qiufang burst out laughing. “If I were under fifty, then you and Chen Fang wouldn’t even have been born. How could you be sitting here with me, making dumplings?”

After a moment of reflection, she continued, “Even if I wanted to be fifty again, I can’t turn back the time.”

The old lady paused, and her smile faded a little as she sighed. “The autumn when I turned fifty, that’s when Chen Fang’s parents got married. It’s been so many years.”

This was the first time she mentioned Chen Fang’s parents. Tao Xiaoxi paused while rolling the dough. “I’ve seen photos of my parents. Mom was so beautiful that people would even mistake her for a celebrity. Dad was handsome, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a high nose. They were perfect together.”

Yan Qiufang smiled again. “That’s true. You don’t know, back then it wasn’t like now. If someone wasn’t married by twenty-five, the family would go crazy. Chen Fang’s dad was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight then, but he didn’t care about relationships. He just worked. Even when we tried to set him up on blind dates, he didn’t go. That really drove me crazy. Then one day, I remember it was snowing. I was making dumplings when Chen Fang’s dad brought home a girl. She was wearing a light apricot-colored cotton coat, and her hair was braided into two long twists. When she saw me, her big eyes sparkled like crescent moons. She was so adorable. That night, I told Chen Fang’s grandpa that if our son could marry such a wonderful girl, it would be our family’s blessing. I’d probably wake up smiling in my dreams.”

Tao Xiaoxi laughed along with her. “Then grandma must have been so happy that she didn’t sleep well on the day mom and dad got married.”

“I didn’t just lose sleep that night. I didn’t sleep well for a whole week,” Yan Qiufang said, pausing for a moment. “But such a wonderful girl entered our home, and we didn’t let her have an easy time. Chen Fang’s grandpa was ill for over two years, and she stayed by my side, never complaining. Before he passed, he held my hand and said that even a real daughter couldn’t do what she had done. He told me to always take good care of her and never let her suffer.”

Yan Qiufang rewrapped the dumplings, her hands moving slowly. “I thought things would get better. The debts his grandfather left were almost paid off. Chen Fang’s father was getting more work. But who knew that heaven would be so blind… Chen Fang’s dad had an accident on the construction site, and when the news reached home, I rode my bike to the hospital, but on the way… I got into a car accident. Two people, on the same day, walking one after another… sigh… Heaven really doesn’t see. That year, Chen Fang was barely eight.”

That day felt like the sky was falling. All the tears of her life seemed to have been exhausted in one moment. It wasn’t that she didn’t blame heaven; she couldn’t help but think, why couldn’t it have been her instead? She even thought it would’ve been better if she had died instead.

But no matter how hard life got, the ones still alive had to keep going. Not for anyone else, but for that little grandson of hers. She gritted her teeth and endured, day by day, and somehow, life just went on.

Now, Chen Fang may not be a huge success in his career, but he can support a family, and he married a good girl. When she passes, at least she’ll have some dignity when she meets her daughter-in-law.

Yan Qiufang rarely talked about the past, but today, the scene reminded her of when Chen Fang’s mother first entered their home. Back then, she had been here too, making dumplings and chatting with her, trying to make the old woman laugh.

As she grew older, the end of the year made her think about those long-gone people and memories.

Tao Xiaoxi pulled out some tissue and gently wiped the old lady’s eyes. She hadn’t expected things to be like this. She couldn’t imagine how a little eight-year-old boy and a woman in her fifties managed to make it through. Her own biggest worry in life was why her mom loved Zhou Ying more than her.

Tao Xiaoxi’s eyes also started to well up. “Grandma, it’s all in the past. Let’s live well. Dad and Mom are watching over us, and they’ll be happy.”

“Yes, yes, look at me, feeling all sentimental. I shouldn’t have brought this up. Let’s not talk about it.” Yan Qiufang wiped her eyes with a tissue. “I’m just getting old, thinking too much about the past. It’s my fault for making you sad with all my talking.”

Tao Xiaoxi took the old lady’s hand and tried to sound upbeat. “Grandma, I love hearing about the past. I even want to know about Chen Fang when he was little. He always tells me how good he was when he was young, but I don’t believe it. I think he was probably a little troublemaker, climbing trees, jumping into rivers to catch fish—that’s more like him.”

The old lady probably missed her son and daughter-in-law dearly. Since she had no one else to talk to, it wasn’t good to keep everything inside. Although Tao Xiaoxi didn’t know how to comfort her better, at least she could listen and let the old woman talk about the past, giving her memories an outlet.

Yan Qiufang patted her hand and smiled. “You’ve got it right. Ever since he was born, ‘good’ was never a word associated with him.”

The old lady didn’t hold back when talking about her grandson’s past.

Chen Fang didn’t know that the old lady had once gotten stung by wasps after trying to pull him out of trouble. When he was young, he had secretly drunk his father’s alcohol and got a good beating. She had shared almost every mischievous thing he did while growing up.

Meanwhile, Chen Fang was rushing to the company. He hadn’t lied to Tao Xiaoxi; the meeting had indeed been interrupted halfway, but that wasn’t the most important thing. There were things he couldn’t discuss at home.

The meeting with Fengyi had gone smoothly at noon, and he had originally planned to deal with Huang Baodeng after securing the Fengyi project. But now, he decided not to wait. He had to give Huang Baodeng a “gift,” as if wishing him a happy new year early.

He knew the “little green hair” guy. He was the brother of Huang Baodeng’s lover. It wasn’t actually a biological brother, just a blended family—one mother with a daughter, one father with a son.

Huang Baodeng waited for so many years and finally had a son. Chen Fang didn’t care whether Huang Baodeng was happy raising someone else’s son, but if he thought he could use the little green hair guy to disgust Tao Xiaoxi, then he could make them get even closer.

Chen Fang called Cheng Biao.

Cheng Biao worked for Huang Baodeng. When Chen Fang first worked with Huang Baodeng, Cheng Biao’s wife was pregnant and had rushed to the construction site to find him in a hurry. She tripped over a stone and fell. The place was very remote, and if Chen Fang hadn’t passed by and taken her to the hospital, the doctor said they might have lost both mother and child.

Cheng Biao regarded Chen Fang as his lifesaver, but few knew about this incident.

Chen Fang wasn’t the type to boast about his good deeds. To him, it was just a small thing anyone would have helped with. He didn’t feel he deserved such gratitude from the Cheng family.

Cheng Biao was a man of few words and didn’t know how to express thanks, but he had always remembered the favor. In recent years, Huang Baodeng had been targeting Chen Fang heavily. Whenever Huang Baodeng made any move, Cheng Biao was always the one to warn Chen Fang.

So their relationship deepened over time.

Chen Fang asked Cheng Biao to leak some information about Huang Baodeng’s lover and the little green hair guy. Huang Baodeng was very suspicious, and if anything seemed off, he would investigate thoroughly. Chen Fang wanted to see if Huang Baodeng would still acknowledge his “little green hair” brother-n-law.

The little green hair guy was trying to make his son inherit Huang Baodeng’s family business. Once that dream was shattered, he would make sure Huang Baodeng wouldn’t have it easy. Both men had dirty secrets, and neither could expose the other. It was a battle they both secretly relished.

When Chen Fang returned home, the dumplings were ready. The old lady was smashing cucumbers, and Tao Xiaoxi was peeling garlic. As soon as he entered the kitchen, both women looked at him and quickly turned away. He felt their gazes were a bit odd.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

The old lady continued smashing cucumbers. “What’s wrong? We’re just seeing the head of our family back. We’re just welcoming him.”

That sentence didn’t sound quite right.

Chen Fang walked over to where Tao Xiaoxi was peeling garlic near the trash can. He couldn’t see her eyes, but he could see the slight curve of her lips.

“Were you talking behind my back?”

“What would I be saying about you?” Tao Xiaoxi looked up at him for a moment before quickly lowering her head again. In a soft, teasing voice, she added, “Or did you do something wrong that’s worth gossiping about with Grandma and me?”

When she looked at him just now, her dark pupils shimmered with a playful light. Her voice was sweet, and he could tell she was holding something back. He brushed her hair aside and gently pressed the little bump on her forehead.

“What bad thing could I have done? I’m the most honest person. Grandma can vouch for me. Grandma, have I been an honest person since I was young?”

Grandma, while smashing cucumbers with a slap, followed along with his words, “Yes, if you’re not honest, who is? If you weren’t honest, there’d be twice as many white hairs on my head than there are now.”

Tao Xiaoxi couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Tsk, the way Grandma talked, it would’ve been better to directly argue with him. She didn’t even bother to leave him some face in front of his granddaughter-in-law. Now that she had a granddaughter-in-law, it seemed like she’d forgotten all about her precious grandson.

Chen Fang pressed harder on Tao Xiaoxi’s forehead, enjoying the way his grandma’s words made him feel annoyed.

Tao Xiaoxi swatted his hand away and leaned closer to Grandma. “Grandma, the hair dye I bought arrived. It’s too late today, but tomorrow afternoon, after your nap, I’ll dye your hair for you.”

“Oh, great! I did it myself once, but it was such a hassle. It didn’t turn out well. Going to the salon costs so much, so I haven’t done it since.”

“I’ll dye it for you from now on. I’m really good at it. I did my mom’s, and it turned out better than what they do at the salon.”

The elderly and the young chatted happily, completely ignoring him, the “honest man.”

The honest man could only go wash his hands and prepare the pot for dumplings. As for what she and Grandma had said about him, he wasn’t in a rush to find out. They had all night for him to interrogate her.

After dinner, Grandma went to change her clothes to head out for mahjong. The honest man cleaned the table and urged the person beside him to go upstairs. “You don’t need to help clean. Go upstairs and shower first.”

His voice was low, almost whispering in her ear, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe.

Under the table, Tao Xiaoxi’s foot pressed against his. She gently ground her foot against his, though the pressure wasn’t much, but still enough to make an impact. Her face was full of sweetness, “How could I let you wash the dishes alone? That’s bullying you, the honest man.”

Tao Xiaoxi said this without batting an eyelash, completely forgetting how, just after dinner, she had patted her stomach and rushed upstairs, leaving him to wash the dishes alone in the kitchen.

Chen Fang was about to expose her, but then he thought, even if she washed slowly, there was no need to rush her. There was another way, he could enjoy this slow pace together with her.

He handed her the stack of dishes. “Take these in first. I’ll wash with you, okay?”

His gaze carried a meaning she didn’t quite understand. Tao Xiaoxi didn’t get why washing dishes was so meaningful, nor did she catch his double entendre. She suspected that his eyes and voice had some hidden hook in them.

Tao Xiaoxi took the dishes and stepped on his foot as she entered the kitchen. While the pressure wasn’t strong, concentrating her weight on one foot still made a noticeable effect.

He groaned slightly, and Tao Xiaoxi’s eyes curved into a smile as they entered the kitchen.

Grandma rushed out the door. “I’m leaving.”

They had eaten dinner late, and now the mahjong table was waiting for her.

Chen Fang called out to Grandma, “Slow down, being a few minutes late won’t cost you any cards.”

As she changed her shoes, Grandma called back, “Ah, you don’t know. If I’m late, I won’t get a good seat. The seat’s important, it determines my luck for the night. I’m not talking to you anymore, I’m off.”

With a loud bang, the door slammed shut as Grandma left. Tao Xiaoxi, leaning on the kitchen doorframe, looked out. “Doesn’t she remind you of when we were kids, waiting for us to go out and play? We’d rush out, and they’d wait anxiously.”

At first, her tone was cheerful, but as she continued, her voice grew quieter. She had a carefree childhood. Sure, there were moments of unhappiness, but those little things couldn’t compare to what he’d been through. She realized she shouldn’t have mentioned her childhood so casually. Old people found comfort in their memories, and she wasn’t sure if he liked recalling the past. She didn’t want to bring up something that might upset him.

Seeing her expression, Chen Fang instantly understood that Grandma had said something to her. He walked over with the remaining dishes and flicked her forehead, hitting the little bump she had knocked on him earlier.

Tao Xiaoxi winced, and while he flicking her was painful, she silently vowed to build up her strength. One day, she’d make him feel the same pain.

Chen Fang leaned over and blew gently on the red spot he had caused. His expression was serious. “Tao Xiaoxi, I don’t like it when you pity me.”

Tao Xiaoxi, who had been glaring at him, froze at his words. She quickly tried to explain, “I wasn’t pitying you.”

No one likes to be pitied. He must hate it. She wasn’t pitying him, but whenever she thought of everything he went through at such a young age, she couldn’t help but feel sorrow for him.

Chen Fang, brushing past her shoulder, walked into the kitchen and placed the dishes into the sink. He turned on the faucet. “Then why did you look at me like that?”

Tao Xiaoxi hurried over to him. “I wasn’t pitying you, you just misunderstood my look.”

Chen Fang suppressed the smile that threatened to form at the corner of his mouth. He focused on washing the dishes and said lightly, “I don’t think I misunderstood.”

Tao Xiaoxi tilted her head, trying to meet his gaze. “You did. I wasn’t pitying you, I was feeling sorry for you. Can’t you tell the difference between pity and sympathy?”

Chen Fang’s face grew serious. “You don’t need to explain. I know the difference between pity and sympathy, Tao Xiaoxi. We’ve been through so much. I might not fully understand you, but I understand you more than you think.”

Tao Xiaoxi: …

Yes, he’s right. They’ve been together so many times, and although she doesn’t know him completely, she can at least say she understands about 75% of him.

She saw through him; he was deliberately twisting her words, making her jump around trying to figure out ways to comfort him.

Tao Xiaoxi eyed his profile, narrowed her eyes, stood on tiptoe, and blew lightly at his ear.

“Looking at it this way, we still aren’t getting enough sleep. Your so-called seventy percent understanding of me is clearly watered down quite a bit.”

Chen Fang: …