Chapter 11: Chapter 11 Soaking Feet at Grandma and Grandpa’s House~

Chapter 11: Soaking Feet at Grandma and Grandpa’s House

The children used to spend more time at the Lu family home. Now, though their older grandson wasn't there, they had their chubby little one.

Grandpa Song doted on him, carrying the little tyke around to show off to his old friends, never putting him down even when his arms grew tired.

Perhaps it’s an age thing—everyone seems to love drinking tea and playing chess at this stage of life.

Lu Zhishi sat on Grandpa Song’s lap, his big, round eyes fixed intently on the chessboard. Clutching a black chess piece eagerly, he waited for Grandpa Song’s instruction.

His adorable expression made Grandpa Zhao across the board chuckle. Pointing to a spot on the board, he said, “Come on, listen to Grandpa Zhao—put it here.”

Lu Zhishi glanced at him, then looked away, snuggling closer into Grandpa Song’s embrace.

That sly old man was being tricky.

Having watched Grandpa Lu play chess several times, he had some experience. Placing the piece there would cost Grandpa Song the game.

Grandpa Song patted his round little head, adjusted his hat, and pointed to another spot for him to place the piece. “Don’t listen to Grandpa Zhao. Put it here.”

Lu Zhishi leaned forward and placed the black piece down, then looked up at Grandpa Song.

Grandpa Song smiled, gently stroked his back, and praised, “Our Zhishi is so smart.”

Lu Zhishi grinned widely, taking the next black piece from Grandpa Song and waiting patiently.

As the sun grew stronger, they lost track of time, absorbed in the game. It wasn’t until Grandma Song called them for dinner that the grandfather and grandson realized how much time had passed. “We lost track of time. We’re heading back now—give us fifteen minutes.”

After speaking, Grandpa Song held the phone up to Lu Zhishi.

Lu Zhishi: “?”

Lu Zhishi: “Hi-yah~”

The voice on the other end instantly softened. “Little one, tell Grandpa not to rush. Be careful on the road, wear his hat properly, and Grandma will be waiting at home with dinner ready.”

“Hao ang~”

After hanging up, Grandpa Song packed their things, said goodbye to Grandpa Zhao, and hurried home with the child in his arms.

“Luckily, I have you, sweetie. Otherwise, Grandpa would’ve gotten an earful when we got back.”

Grandpa Song chuckled as he bounced him gently in his arms.

“Mwah~” Lu Zhishi patted his chest comfortingly.

Grandpa Song couldn’t help but laugh and rubbed his head affectionately.

Even in a hurry, Grandpa Song didn’t forget to pick flowers. He took a detour to the villa’s dedicated flower garden.

The flowers here could be picked freely, and staff would replant them afterward.

Lu Zhishi looked around—the garden was filled with a variety of flowers. Grandpa Song easily followed a cobblestone path to one of the smaller flowerbeds.

“Sweetie, come take a look. Which sunflower is the prettiest?”

Lu Zhishi bent down and examined them seriously. He soon spotted a particularly large and sturdy sunflower and quickly reached out to touch it, letting Grandpa know he wanted that one. “Yeah-da~”

Grandpa Song praised him, “Good eye! This sunflower is big and beautiful. Grandma will definitely love it when we bring it home.”

Lu Zhishi’s eyes curved into smiles as he looked up at Grandpa Song with a grin.

Grandpa Song bent down and picked a small one as well, asking the garden staff to have both wrapped up so he could take them home.

“The big sunflower is for Grandma, and the small one is for you, sweetie.”

They arrived home exactly fifteen minutes later. Grandma Song playfully pinched Grandpa Song’s arm in mock scolding before taking the bouquet and the child inside.

Lu Zhishi glanced at Grandma Song and noticed that although she had glared at Grandpa, the corners of her lips were curled into a smile—she was clearly happy.

Then he looked at Grandpa Song, who, despite having his arm pinched, wore a doting and indulgent smile.

Lu Zhishi nodded, deep in thought, filing this away for future reference.

The chubby baby nodded seriously, lost in his thoughts. Grandma Song took him to wash his hands and even gave his face a rinse.

The little one’s cheeks were rosy.

Grandma Song turned to Grandpa Song, who was washing his hands nearby, and asked, “Why are the child’s cheeks so red?”

Grandpa Song raised his eyebrows slightly, raising his hands in a helpless gesture. “I’m innocent—his cheeks have always been this red.”

Grandma Song was skeptical. “Really?”

Grandpa Song nodded.

Lu Zhishi, snuggled in her arms, nodded too. “Hi-yah~”

After dinner, Grandma Song applied baby lotion to his face, carefully changed him into clean and comfortable pajamas, and then held him, slowly soothing him to sleep.

With a child in the house, dinner was served early.

Nights in the north get dark early in winter, so everyone usually went to bed soon after if there was nothing else to do.

Lu Zhishi had already taken a bath in the afternoon. Now, lying on the big bed, he grabbed his feet and chewed on them, occasionally squirming around.

It was strange—even though he wasn’t truly a baby, he still couldn’t help chewing his feet.

Lu Zhishi held his chubby foot, gumming it, and thought to himself, *Maybe it’s my brain that wants to chew.*

Grandma Song came out after her bath and saw him happily munching on his foot. Puzzled, she went over to pull his foot away and gently lifted his chin to check his gums.

“Yah~”

Grandpa Song came out carrying two bowls of warm water and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Grandma Song: “I saw him chewing on his foot and thought he might be teething.”

Grandpa Song set the bowls down and asked, “No teeth yet?”

“Not yet.” Grandma Song picked up the little one and brought him over to soak their feet together. “I wonder when he’ll start teething.”

Grandpa Song said gently, “No rush. It’s normal for babies to get teeth late. Qi Nian was also a late teether.”

“That’s true.”

Lu Zhishi was listening. Just as he heard them mention when his dad teethed, he was eager to hear more, but his grandparents didn’t continue.

Lu Zhishi looked up at them.

Sensing a strong gaze, Grandpa Song looked over, locking eyes with the little one. He couldn't help but laugh, "Don’t worry, I’ll soak your feet right away."

"Heehee~"

"Alright, alright, I’ll give you a foot massage later too."

Lu Zhishi blew a drool bubble: "..."

Grandma Song saw it and quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe his drool, then fetched a warm towel to wash his face.

"..."

He couldn't help it; Lu Zhishi leaned into Grandma Song’s arms and giggled.

Seeing him laugh, Grandpa and Grandma Song couldn’t help but laugh along.

The large basin was for Grandma Song, while the small one was for Lu Zhishi. Since a child’s skin is delicate, everything he uses needs to be separate.

Sitting in his little toddler chair, Lu Zhishi carefully dipped his foot into the water, then let out a babyish "ow."

It was too hot! Grandma, Grandpa, come quick and add some water!!

The couple got a scare for a moment, but then found it amusing—what was this little rascal up to?

After adding some cool water to the small basin, Lu Zhishi stopped fussing and comfortably soaked his little chubby feet.

True to his word, Grandpa Song sat across from him, washing the little one’s feet and giving them a gentle massage.

Lu Zhishi let out two soft giggles.

Luckily, he was sitting in his toddler chair; otherwise, with all his squirming, Grandma Song would have worried he might fall off.

Right after they'd dried the child’s feet and put him on the bed, Lu Tingan called.

Grandma Song smiled and brought over her squirming, rolling grandson. "Good baby, Daddy’s calling."

Lu Zhishi hurriedly craned his neck to see the screen.

When the video connected, Lu Tingan’s face appeared—handsome and cool-looking, yet tired and gentle.

Seeing his little round head, Lu Tingan smiled slightly, "Chubby baby."

Hearing Lu Tingan’s voice, Lu Zhishi instinctively pouted, tears welling in his eyes: "Pwaah..."

He was actually trying to say "Daddy," but his pronunciation wasn’t clear yet.

Lu Tingan understood, pursed his lips slightly, eyes filled with longing and heartache. His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed.

When he spoke again, his voice was husky, "Be good, baby. Daddy will be home for New Year’s."

The little one couldn’t understand, but the adults could.

Grandma Song comforted him, "Don’t cry, don’t cry. Daddy will be back for New Year’s, just a few more days."

Grandma wasn't being quite truthful—New Year’s was still twenty days away.

Lu Zhishi tearfully babbled, "Ah-woo, ah-woo," wanting to talk more with Lu Tingan. He missed his daddy.

Lu Tingan comforted him for a while, chatting a bit longer, but then the film crew needed him for the next night scene.

Reluctantly saying goodbye to his child and parents, Lu Tingan hung up.

The child clung to the phone, crying. Grandpa and Grandma Song had stayed quiet on purpose, giving Lu Zhishi all the time with his dad.

After the call ended, the little one hung his head, eyelashes damp, lacking his usual liveliness.

Grandpa and Grandma Song picked him up, gently rocking him and walking around the room to soothe him.

Lu Zhishi gradually calmed down, not as sad as before, and rested on Grandpa Song’s shoulder, murmuring softly.

He hadn’t even shown Daddy his sunflower yet.

Grandma Song exchanged a glance with Grandpa Song, and he called Song Qinian.

The call connected after a short delay.

Song Qinian’s hair was messy, and he held a towel, "Chubby baby, why are your eyes so red?"

Lu Zhishi clung to Grandpa Song’s wrist, pressing his chubby face into the screen, and called out in a milky voice, "Pwaah～"

"Is that your brother? Daddy, I want to see too—"

Song Qinian wiped the water off his face and handed the phone to Lu Zhiyu, "Your brother misses you. Talk to him—Daddy’s going to fetch water."

Lu Zhishi saw the person on the screen change to his chubby older brother.

He grinned, "Ge～"

Lu Zhiyu swept the phone around the room, "We’re in Daddy’s room. Daddy’s still at work."

"Da～"

"It’s really cold here—there’s light snow falling," Lu Zhiyu said. "Good thing you didn’t come, or you’d be crying from the cold."

Lu Zhishi wanted to say he wouldn’t cry from the cold, but it came out as gibberish. He frowned, his chubby face full of frustration.

Lu Zhiyu didn’t just talk to his brother; he also updated his grandparents about the film crew.

"The food here is good. Uncle Xiao Xi bought me milk cake—it’s sweet and sour."

"For baths, we have to fetch water. The water heater isn’t warm enough, so we can only use fetched water to wash."

"Daddy says the temple here is really powerful. Last time during a break, he and Uncle Xiao Xi went and got some peace charms. They’ll bring them back for us the day after tomorrow."

Lu Zhiyu chatted excitedly, gesturing as he spoke. Lu Zhishi listened, occasionally babbling a few baby sounds. The two chubby babies, one big and one small, were quite adorable.

Grandpa and Grandma Song leaned against the headboard, holding the phone steady while cuddling the chubby baby so he could rest comfortably.

Quietly listening to the two little voices chatting, the couple smiled warmly.

In the background, Song Qinian was busy fetching water, hurriedly washing the children’s faces and wiping them down before laying out a rug in Lu Tingan’s room.

The two little ones chatted for almost two hours. Grandma Song checked the time—it was getting late.

Plus, Lu Zhishi’s eyes were drooping, and Lu Zhiyu was lying in bed, phone in hand, half-asleep.

They gently persuaded the children to end the call, promising to talk again tomorrow.

Lu Zhishi hugged his big plush rabbit, curled up under the covers, and drifted off to sleep.

Grandpa Song patted his back over the quilt until Lu Zhishi fell soundly asleep, then whispered to his wife beside him, "I thought he would cry."

Grandma Song curled her lips into a smile, watching the little one’s belly rise and fall, her gaze full of affection. "He was worn out from chatting with the little one. If he weren’t so tired, he probably would’ve cried a bit."

Grandpa Song thought about it and laughed as well.

Early the next morning, the sky was gray and overcast. The temperature had dropped sharply overnight, making the day bitterly cold.

Since it was freezing outside, Grandpa and Grandma Song didn’t let him go out for a stroll. They kept him moving around the living room, which had a thick carpet laid out and plenty of heating, so there was no worry about him getting cold at home.

After finishing breakfast, Lu Zhishi squished his face against the floor-to-ceiling window to look outside, his cheeks squished flat like a little pancake.