Chapter 69

Chapter 69

When Maomao was little, he suffered from severe separation anxiety regarding You Nan, and would cry if he lost sight of You Nan even for a moment.

As he grew older, this issue gradually lessened and had improved significantly by the time he turned three.

Now, Maomao could spend the whole day out with his grandmother, and even if he didn't see his mother for five or six hours, he didn't cry anymore.

The adults in the family were relieved about this.

After all, Maomao would eventually have to go to school—he couldn't very well keep clinging to his mother once he started.

If he were still crying and looking for You Nan in kindergarten, how would he ever get through school?

But once Maomao stopped crying, the grown-ups in the family started fretting about other things.

Maomao was well-behaved and really cute.

Since childhood, he had been the absolute favorite of the Jiang family elders.

If Maomao ever took a little tumble or got a scrape while walking carelessly, his grandparents would be so upset.

Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang treated Maomao like the apple of their eye, afraid he'd melt in their mouths or shatter in their hands.

Now, their little treasure was going out to school, and he'd be away from home for a good part of the day. Just as his grandparents were relieved that he could independently attend school, they quickly became extremely anxious again.

How would they cope with him being away for so long during school hours?

You Nan was pretty okay with Maomao going to school, but Mrs. Jiang and Mr. Jiang just couldn't get used to the idea.

You Nan ate a peach while listening to Mrs. Jiang fretting in his ear, worrying about one thing after another—ultimately, she just couldn't bear to part with Maomao. She was afraid Maomao would cry at school and miss his family.

You Nan listened quietly without saying a word, the cloying sweetness of the peach filling his mouth.

He couldn't help but let his mind wander.

In other families, it was the children who cried their eyes out for their parents at school.

But in their family, it was the opposite.

Maomao could handle everything calmly—even at a young age, he was independent, with his own ideas and ways. It was the elders who couldn't handle it.

It was the grandparents who had separation anxiety now.

You Nan saw right through it, but You Nan didn't say anything.

He was afraid Mrs. Jiang would get flustered and mad and wouldn't let Maomao sleep in their room anymore, making him and Jiang Songen put Maomao to bed.

When Jiang Songen and Maomao slept together, they'd end up squabbling.

You Nan had seen it many times—Maomao would fall asleep sprawled across Jiang Songen's chest, "ghost pressing" his father awake.

Besides, Jiang Songen had plenty of energy at night and always had *other things* on his mind.

You Nan didn't want Maomao disturbing them.

Jiang Songen would definitely kick Maomao out at night.

And Maomao was a bit petty when it came to his dad.

If his father got the better of him, payback was instant—giving his father a hard time on the spot.

The two of them could bicker forever, and even when You Nan tried to play peacemaker, it was useless.

You Nan took another bite of his peach.

Anyway, he and Jiang Songen were on the same page.

It was best to just send Maomao to school. They'd been through it themselves when they were kids—there was no point in getting so worked up.

Mrs. Jiang had been talking nonstop but hadn't heard a peep from You Nan, the mother. She looked up and saw her daughter-in-law blissfully eating and drinking. Mrs. Jiang exclaimed, "Hey!" and tried to pull You Nan over to her side.

She insisted, "Xiao Nan, don't you agree?"

You Nan had to stifle a laugh. He held the large peach in both hands, using it to hide his face. "Since you're so worried, Mom, why not just pull Maomao out of school? Or maybe you could ask the teacher if you can sit in on the class as a companion."

"Hey! You! What kind of nonsense is that!"

Mrs. Jiang immediately got all flustered.

She could tell You Nan was joking with her, but was this really the time for jokes?

She was worried sick.

Maomao *has* to go to school! And she was already so old—almost fifty, a grandmother—how could she possibly sit in a classroom full of three- and four-year-olds?

Xiao Nan's definitely picked up her son's bad habits!

Mrs. Jiang doted on both Maomao and You Nan, so she pinned the blame squarely on her shameless son.

You Nan watched as Mrs. Jiang, unable to sit still and not wanting to speak with him anymore, stormed off in a huff.

Not only did she leave, but she also took away the plate of peaches she'd specially washed for him herself earlier.

You Nan swallowed the last piece of peach in his mouth, feeling a twinge of regret.

He should have eaten faster earlier.

Now there were no more peaches for him.

In the afternoon, Maomao woke up from his nap.

The little boy, who only came up to an adult's knee, sat up, rubbed his eyes and face with both hands, and then climbed down from his little toddler bed.

Maomao's movements were smooth and practiced, clearly accustomed to being independent.

The room door was closed, and Maomao was too short to reach the handle.

He pulled his little chair over, set it down a bit back from the door, then stood on it on tiptoe, and pulled the door open a crack.

The child immediately jumped down and, like a slippery little fish, squeezed through the narrow gap.

Maomao was now going to find his mother, but You Nan was currently taking a class.

After getting married, Jiang Songen hadn't allowed You Nan to work a day.

.

From the time You Nan was pregnant until Maomao was born, Jiang Songen had always stayed by You Nan's side.

How scary having a baby could be, Jiang Songen had seen it firsthand.

All of You Nan’s uncomfortable reactions were seen by Jiang Songen, and it broke his heart. He was so worried about You Nan that, by the later stages of the pregnancy, he even developed pregnancy symptoms himself.

This isn’t all that rare in medical terms.

When a man loves his wife deeply and feels distressed about her morning sickness and sleepiness during pregnancy, these symptoms can transfer over to the husband.

It’s possible for both husband and wife to experience nausea together.

Alternatively, the husband might take on the symptoms so that the wife doesn’t have to suffer from morning sickness.

It all comes down to personal integrity and physical health.

Having experienced the discomforts of pregnancy himself, Jiang Songen knew exactly how difficult it was.

He swore to himself in his heart to be good to You Nan.

Since his wife had been through so much for him, it was only natural that he, as her husband, should make sure You Nan was comfortable.

Since work was so tiring, Jiang Songen decided not to let You Nan work.

Instead, he asked his mother to take You Nan out to have fun all over the place.

He told his mother that if they ran out of spending money, she should ask his dad first. If his dad didn’t have any money either, she could ask him.

Of course, that was never gonna happen.

Mr. Jiang had way more money, and as long as Mrs. Jiang didn’t do anything shady, the money would never run out.

After explaining this to his mother, Jiang Songen turned around and handed over all his bank cards to You Nan.

"Darling! This is all my pay that I’m handing over to you!"

Jiang Songen also wanted to experience what it felt like to have his wife manage his money.

He didn’t spend much money in his daily life—he got his meals and drinks covered either at the company, at home, or during social events where someone else paid.

He barely ever had to pay out of his own pocket.

Moreover, he owned a house and a car, so he had no money troubles.

Even gas money was paid out of his mother’s personal account, so he didn’t have to spend a single cent.

Every day Jiang Songen’s routine consisted of waking up, kissing his wife, going to work at the company where his dad worked him hard, and after work, having no desire to go out—just wanting to return home.

Once home, he could hold his wife, joke around with his little son, and have fun with him.

Maomao spent a lot of time with his grandmother. Mrs. Jiang loved watching TV dramas—lots of the brain-rotting kind if watched too much.

From hearing them so much, Maomao memorized many lines from these shows.

Every time his father messed with him and he couldn’t get him back, Maomao would shout, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west! Don’t bully the young for being poor!"

Jiang Songen and You Nan couldn’t help but laugh every time they heard this.

Jiang Songen, not even trying to be nice, just laughed right in his face.

You Nan was a bit more considerate, mindful of the child’s self-esteem, and would turn away, her shoulders shaking trying not to laugh.

Jiang Songen lived a fulfilling life every day, with little time to spend money.

So he simply handed it all over.

You Nan looked at the bank cards in front of her and double-checked with Jiang Songen if he meant it.

The man puffed out his chest like a proud peacock, "Of course, darling!"

You Nan didn’t argue and accepted them right in front of him.

However, You Nan wasn’t about to not spoil her husband too.

Jiang Songen watched as You Nan took out her wallet, pulled out five red bills, and stuffed them into his pocket.

"All husbands get an allowance, so you should too."

You Nan said, kinda embarrassed and almost laughing.

But Jiang Songen’s eyes lit up instantly.

It was a very strange feeling.

Jiang Songen had earned countless amounts of money and signed contracts worth millions, tens of millions, or even billions, all of which passed before his eyes without him batting an eyelid.

Yet, the 500 yuan in pocket money that You Nan gave him made him feel something special.

Jiang Songen hopped into bed, hugged You Nan excitedly, and said, "Darling, you’re the best!"

Then, unable to contain his excitement, he had sex with his wife multiple times.

Afterward, You Nan regretted it deeply.

She felt she had got the short end of the stick.

You Nan didn’t work and initially enjoyed going out with Mrs. Jiang every day, but eventually, she couldn’t keep up.

So she stopped going out and stayed home to accompany You Ruan and Maomao.

However, staying at home for long periods became boring. Jiang Songen signed You Nan up for a few hobby classes to help her enrich her life.

It’s often said that love means walking side by side and helping each other be their best, rather than confining the other person to a rigid framework.

Restriction and control are not how you treat a wife—that’s how you treat a pet bird.

Jiang Songen enrolled You Nan in adult martial arts to strengthen her body, piano lessons to help appreciate music, and during his time off, he occasionally took her horseback riding.

You Nan lived a very fulfilling life every day, and her smile grew even brighter.

What surprised Jiang Songen even more was that, since two of the three activities were physically demanding, after attending classes for a while, his wife was even able to switch positions with him at night.

This made Jiang Songen super happy.

Now that Maomao was awake, he went to find his mother, who was having a music lesson at home.

In the first two years, You Nan learned to play the piano. Recently, Mrs. Jiang had become obsessed with period dramas and developed an interest in the guqin and pipa. She asked the teacher if she could learn those instruments too and joined the classes.

You Nan was willing to learn alongside Mrs. Jiang, figuring it was always good to pick up another skill.

However, they hadn’t taken many lessons yet, and their skill level was still lacking—it sounded like a strangled chicken.

The child walked barefoot on the plush carpet in the hallway, not feeling the cold at all.

The little one followed the piercing, off-key music drifting through the house and stopped at the door.

His small, soft, chubby hand lifted and knocked a few times.

The screeching from inside immediately stopped.

His mother’s face appeared behind the door.

You Nan crouched down, gently smoothing his son’s sleep-mussed hair, and said softly, "You're up so early today?"

The child nodded. "I missed you, Mommy."

You Nan’s heart melted at this, and he ushered his son inside.

The earlier screeching had come from Mrs. Jiang practicing her instrument nearby.

She was embarrassed that her grandson had heard her, her face flushing bright red.

Seeing the child without shoes, she grew concerned, and she quickly set aside her embarrassment, calling for the nanny to bring a pair of shoes for the child.

The music teacher, noticing the Jiang family’s young master had arrived, tactfully stayed quiet.

Mrs. Jiang took the small shoes from the nanny and helped the child put them on. "Will you keep Grandma company?"

The child nodded.

After a while, the screeching resumed.

The child sat upright nearby, without flinching, not looking at his grandmother, pretending not to hear a thing—like a little statue.

At first, Mrs. Jiang felt deeply embarrassed to play so poorly in front of her grandson, feeling too embarrassed to be a role model for him.

But this had been going on for a long time now, with little improvement.

Mrs. Jiang wasn’t the same person she used to be.

Now, she was undaunted, because no one at home would ever say she wasn’t good enough.

Learning music requires patience and self-discipline. Mrs. Jiang was interested in music, but after class, every time she passed the guqin or pipa at home, she’d veer away, thinking she had other things to do first.

And so, she kept putting it off and never practiced outside of class.

There were times she was remorseful and practiced with You Nan.

But You Nan had a foundation from two years of piano lessons and could slowly play by reading the score.

Mrs. Jiang, on the other hand, had nothing.

She was disheartened, her face bitter every time she played, as if attending a funeral, and began to regret joining the lessons.

You Nan suppressed a laugh and gently encouraged her to take her time, practice more, and said he’d accompany her.

But Mrs. Jiang always found excuses to avoid it.

Seeing Mrs. Jiang’s dawdling and irritability, You Nan grew even more impressed by how she had managed to persist in planning his and Jiang Songen’s wedding.

After accompanying his grandmother and mother to the music lesson, the child was scooped up by his grandmother. He wrapped his arms around her neck and said softly, "Grandma did so well today."

The child’s words were full of effusive praise.

Mrs. Jiang knew her sweet grandson was just humoring her—she was well aware of how she really played.

But even though she knew it was empty flattery, it still made her happy, and she chuckled warmly.

"Of course! As long as the child stays with Grandma, Grandma can do anything enthusiastically!" Mrs. Jiang kissed the child’s cheek.

"Grandma."

Now with a lipstick mark on his cheek, and with an impassive expression, much like his father's, he said, "Grandma, I want to go to school."

As soon as these words left the child’s mouth, Mrs. Jiang went quiet.

The child pretended not to notice his grandmother’s unhappiness and continued tugging at her heartstrings: "Can I, Grandma?"

Mrs. Jiang didn't think so.

Just hearing this topic made her tense.

Still, she forced a smile, afraid that a frown would scare the child. "Does the child really want to go to school?"

The child actually didn’t; he wanted to stay with his mother. But he’d heard from 007 that kindergarten was fun.

So, very skillfully, he shifted the blame to his father. "Daddy said kindergarten is fun."

The child wasn’t wrong—Jiang Songen had indeed said this to win him over before.

Mrs. Jiang suddenly remembered, and her smile stiffened.

That infuriating son of hers—ever since becoming a father, he’d become such a headache.

You Nan’s eyelid twitched, and he shot a discreet glance at his son.

The child, sensing his mother’s suspicion, gave an innocent look back.

As if to say, "Why are you looking at me, Mommy?"

You Nan, seeing his sly demeanor, knew immediately that Jiang Songen had somehow offended the little master again.

It was clear the child knew Mrs. Jiang was reluctant to send him to school, so he’d pulled a "playing them against each other" move, getting Mrs. Jiang to reprimand Jiang Songen.

This wasn’t the first time You Nan had seen this happen.

He had plenty of experience by now.

As the middleman, the best approach was to stay out of it.

If he spoke up for Jiang Songen, Mrs. Jiang would accuse him of taking sides.

But staying silent felt guilty—Jiang Songen had always been good to him.

But he was caught between a rock and a hard place; seeing them clash, You Nan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

This pair, one big and one small, left him at a loss for how to get them to take a break from fighting.

Mrs. Jiang was usually easygoing and never petty, but there was one exception:

anything related to Maomao.

Even her own son, whom she had doted on since childhood, couldn’t come before Maomao in her heart!

So when evening came and Jiang Songen had just returned home, he was met with his mother’s unhappy face.

Jiang Songen glanced suspiciously to the side and saw his wife.

He noticed You Nan shaking his head slightly at him.

Jiang Songen understood immediately.

The man clenched his jaw.

Fine, fine. He knew it—while he was away, that little brat must have been bad-mouthing him again.

Sure enough, during dinner, Mrs. Jiang looked at her son, finding fault with everything.

She kept bringing up how Jiang Songen was as a child.

“When you were in kindergarten, your father and I, as parents, were so worried sick we could hardly focus on work during the day, always thinking of you.”

“Now you’re a father yourself, with your own child. Can’t you show a little more care for Maomao?”

Jiang Songen ate his meal in silence, feeling extremely upset inside.

He thought to himself, I shouldn’t have stopped making fun of Maomao about wetting the bed so soon last time—I should’ve kept it up for a few more days.

Meanwhile, the little one eating beside You Nan had no idea about his father’s mean-spirited ideas and had a great dinner that evening.

.

Despite Mrs. Jiang’s reluctance and unwillingness to let go, the day for Maomao to start school arrived before they knew it.

On that day, the whole family, except for You Ruan who had already started school earlier, all came along to send Maomao to kindergarten.

The child stood inside the kindergarten, waving to them through the iron fence, and shouted, “Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, please go back! You can go now!”

Stop crying already!

Maomao had inherited his father’s sense of pride; even at a young age, he understood what it means to save face.

Mrs. Jiang couldn’t bear to part with the child and shed a few tears, while Mr. Jiang, Jiang Songen, and You Nan, all soft-hearted, had eyes welling up.

To others, it looked as if the entire family was crying.

Many passersby glanced at them curiously, and as they looked at Maomao, many others also turned to look at him.

Maomao, who didn’t want to be the center of attention: “…”

Maomao took two steps back, and the four parents’ eyes reddened even more.

The child stopped retreating, took a couple hesitant steps toward them, and the four parents calmed down slightly.

But before Maomao could go over to comfort them one by one, a teacher nearby called his full name.

Maomao turned to look and saw that many children had already gathered. He didn’t have time to soothe his parents who were struggling with separation anxiety and could only wave hurriedly to them before throwing his fluffy, pastel yellow duck backpack over his shoulder.

Without a backward glance, he ran toward the school building.

“Maomao! My Maomao!”

Mrs. Jiang, who had initially shed only a tear or two, now started crying uncontrollably.

This worried You Nan and the others, who quickly helped Mrs. Jiang get into the car.

On Maomao’s first day of school, the family had a hard time adjusting; the house felt empty.

In the afternoon, You Nan drove the light-yellow car Jiang Songen had bought for him to pick up Maomao and You Ruan from school and bring them home.

Only then did the house feel lively again.

At first, Mrs. Jiang and the others couldn’t adapt to the loneliness left by Maomao’s absence.

But over time, they grew accustomed to the quietness at home. Moreover, seeing Maomao become even more lively after starting school, they gradually started to relax.

The parents’ separation anxiety slowly got over.

Children grow up quickly, changing all the time.

Clothes would become too short after a while, so new ones were bought, only to become too short again after some time.

Maomao finished three years of kindergarten, then went to elementary school.

He was bright and sharp, skipping two grades in elementary school. By age eleven, he entered middle school and skipped another grade.

While others were just starting middle school at thirteen, Maomao was already in high school.

By then, You Ruan had already graduated from university.

He became a teacher at the private high school where his brother You Nan and husband Jiang Songen had once studied.

You Ruan had always remembered the teacher who had helped him and his brother during their hardest time.

He saw that person as a role model.

You Ruan wanted to become someone like them—caring and ethical toward students.

He didn’t hide this from You Nan and Jiang Songen. After the three siblings had a talk, they all felt better about it.

You Ruan was now an adult, and You Nan wouldn’t interfere with his career plans or life decisions.

His brother was still young, with plenty of time to experience and learn from trial and error.

As an older brother, his role was to stand behind You Ruan, ready to have his back if he veered off course or took a wrong step.

Of course, he felt the same toward Maomao.

You Nan would be there for both kids, through good times and bad, through storms and hard times, as they grow up step by step.