Chapter 299: Zai Zai’s Changes

Chapter 299: Zai Zai's Transformation

"I'll wait for my brother to wake up, or else he might blame me later," Niu Niu said with a pout.

This little one's quite perceptive.

"Come on, help Mama sweep the floor, okay?" Su He handed the broom to Niu Niu with a smile.

"Okaaay~ But Mama, why do you always sweep the floor when we come back? The floor is already so clean," Niu Niu asked, puzzled.

Every time before going to the city, Mom and Dad would do a thorough cleaning.

But after returning, Dad would do another thorough cleaning.

Doesn't that get tiring?

Niu Niu couldn’t quite understand.

Su He hesitated...

She didn’t know how to explain the reason to her daughter, but she genuinely felt that if she didn’t tidy up before leaving, she couldn't leave with peace of mind.

And when they returned, if she didn’t clean, it felt like everything was dusty.

Plus, they lived at the foot of a mountain, and Su He worried about critters getting in. She wasn’t afraid herself, but she didn't want the kids freaking out.

So, the first thing after coming home was cleaning—it was a must.

"There’s dust on the floor. It’s dirty," Su He dodged the question, not knowing how else to answer.

Niu Niu looked skeptically at the already clean floor but resigned herself to picking up the broom and started sweeping.

Meanwhile, Fu Tinghua had already got the stove going, set up the pot, and started cooking noodles.

Su He had mentioned in the car that she hadn’t eaten ramen in a long time and really wanted some.

Fu Tinghua didn’t think he could cook other things well, but ramen? That he could handle.

Both kids were over four years old now, so occasionally eating flavor packets wasn’t a big deal. He simply cracked a few eggs and threw in some veggies, quickly boiling the noodles.

As soon as the aroma spread, Niu Niu was done for.

She had thought sweeping was fun at first.

But the moment food was involved, she forgot everything else, dropped the broom, and rushed to the kitchen.

"Dada! Dada! Are you making tasty noodles?" Niu Niu asked eagerly as she leaned close to Fu Tinghua.

"Yes, just about done."

Fu Tinghua picked up a strand of noodles with chopsticks, pinched off a piece, blew on it, and then handed it to his daughter to taste.

"Try it. Is it cooked?" Fu Tinghua asked with a smile.

The little one was so eager that Fu Tinghua had originally planned to taste it himself, but Niu Niu’s puppy-dog eyes made him relent.

Niu Niu opened her mouth, chomped down, and then looked at Fu Tinghua with eyes shining. "Daddy, it's so good!"

Fu Tinghua: "......"

He was asking if they were done, not whether they tasted good.

"Are the noodles still firm?" Fu Tinghua asked again.

"No, they're delicious." Niu Niu emphasized once more.

Fu Tinghua: ......

He quickly took the pot off the fire, afraid the noodles would overcook if left any longer.

"Call your brother and Mom to eat the noodles," Fu Tinghua said to his little sidekick, Niu Niu.

"Okay!" She was on it—mission accepted!

"Mom, Mom, noodles are ready! The noodles are so yummy!" Niu Niu tugged at Su He, who was still sweeping the front door, her voice tinged with urgency.

"Alright, let's go."

Su He had just finished sweeping, so after putting the trash into a bag, she took Niu Niu’s hand and headed back to the kitchen.

The moment Fu Tinghua saw them, he asked, "Where’s Zai Zai?"

"Huh?" Niu Niu had been pulled into the kitchen by Su He and hadn’t had the chance to call her brother yet.

"I’ll go get him. He shouldn’t sleep too long, or he won’t be able to sleep at night."

As soon as Su He turned around, she saw Zai Zai standing right behind her, his dark eyes locked onto her.

If he weren’t her own child, Su He might have instinctively found his gaze a little unsettling.

But after spending so much time with Zai Zai, Su He now saw him through a mother's loving lens—completely smitten with him.

"Oh, baby, you’re awake? Are you hungry?" Su He stepped forward and swept Zai Zai up from the floor.

Zai Zai: ......

"Come eat the noodles. I’ve already dished them up for you," Fu Tinghua said, chuckling as he shook his head as he looked at his family.

"Let’s go." Su He carried Zai Zai and set him on a stool, then placed a bowl of noodles Fu Tinghua had served in front of him.

Fu Tinghua wasn’t sitting around either, helping Niu Niu by handing her chopsticks.

Zai Zai wordlessly took his chopsticks and quietly ate the noodles in front of him.

Su He and Fu Tinghua exchanged a glance—both had noticed their son had been off lately.

"Zai Zai, has something been bothering you recently? Remember you can tell Mom and Dad anything, right?" Su He gently stroked her son’s head and spoke only after confirming he seemed calm.

"Nothing’s wrong. I’ve just been having lots of dreams lately," Zai Zai said between bites.

"Bad dreams?" Su He pressed.

Zai Zai shook his head, clearly not wanting to talk about it.

Su He was worried but understood she shouldn’t push too hard.

Fu Tinghua also shook his head at her, signaling her to let it go.

After they ate, Niu Niu dragged her brother along to go see their friend, Ya Ya.

Zai Zai now appeared completely normal, actually taking his little sister to visit the Fu family.

Su He wanted to follow, but Fu Tinghua held her back.

"Let’s go later. Don’t worry too much—you care too much, you’ll overthink things," Fu Tinghua said with a frown.

Su He thought back on her son’s behavior lately, but nothing stood out as weird.

Except for that one night when he woke up, saying he dreamed of being trapped in a sea of fire.

But the next morning, he seemed completely fine again.

The thing is, the kid was usually quiet and serious, like a mini grown-up, so Su He couldn’t tell whether his current state was normal or not.

"Ugh, parenting is tough," Su He couldn’t help but sigh.

"You’re way too wound up. Honestly, I think you’re freaking out over both Zai Zai and Niu Niu. The second something seems off, you want to dig to the bottom of it—that’s not good," Fu Tinghua gently advised.

Su He felt a bit helpless. She didn’t want to be like this either—wasn’t it just the story messing with her?

"Alright, I’ll try to chill out about it. I’ll try to change," Su He admitted, realizing she sometimes made a big deal out of small things.

"It’s fine. Let’s wait and see. If it really comes to it, I’ll talk to Zai Zai."

Fu Tinghua thought that since he and Zai Zai were both male, it might be better for him to approach their son.

"You?" Su He looked at Fu Tinghua with serious doubt.

Fu Tinghua laughed at her look.

"I’m not just a surgeon—I also took some psych classes. Did you forget?" Fu Tinghua couldn’t help but chuckle.

Su He: ......