Chapter 86 The Two Babies’ Arranged Marriage

Chapter 86: Childhood Betrothal for the Two Babies

Shi Zai naturally favored this match. If Zhaozhao and Sheng Sheng could maintain their childhood closeness, their chances of ending up together were high. They were childhood sweethearts, their families the best of friends—it promised to be an excellent union. As for Wang Wang, Shi Zai honestly hadn't noticed him favoring anyone. He didn't even dare suggest the little one took after him, for Wang Wang didn't prefer one friend over another; he considered every good friend his best. When speaking of Wang Wang, Shi Zai could only describe him as innocent, adorable, and a bit silly; otherwise, that grumpy man would accuse him of passing on his own broad affections.

That morning, a few snowflakes fell—snow on the winter solstice was a blessing. Large, feather-light flakes bore witness to pure, innocent childhood hearts. The banquet hall brimmed with colorful bouquets, balloons, and streamers, filling everyone's hearts with the charm of winter.

However, a comical scene unfolded when it was time for Zhaozhao and Sheng Sheng to walk across the stage to complete the ceremony.

On one side of the stage, Zhaozhao calmly observed the noisy, laughing adults, seemingly busy with who-knows-what. He held the hand of Sheng Sheng, three years and two months old and slightly shorter than him, while clutching his newly beloved airplane plush toy. But the toy was bulky, and he needed his other hand free to hold Maomao—Sheng Sheng’s older brother—so he set the airplane down.

He waited and waited. Where was Maomao? He and his brother couldn't possibly be separated.

The adults urged him and Sheng Sheng to hurry to the center of the stage. What were they supposed to do? Dad said he'd reward him with a cute airplane cake afterward. He wasn't particularly craving it—just mildly interested—but Dad seemed so excited about him wanting it, so he decided to act like he did. Feeling annoyed by all the staring, Zhaozhao leaned close to Sheng Sheng’s ear and whispered, “Do you think this is fun?” Sheng Sheng rubbed his eyes, his thin eyelids reddening. “What are we doing?”... *Waiting for the airplane cake,* Zhaozhao thought blankly. *If Maomao doesn’t come soon, Sheng Sheng will start crying.*

Turning his head, he thought he saw Uncle Tan Xun flash by behind the stage, holding Maomao.

Zhaozhao asked Sheng Sheng again, “Do you want to find Maomao together, or wait?” After a two-second pause, Sheng Sheng’s gaze shifted from their photo below the stage back to Zhaozhao. “Let’s find brother together.”... As soon as he finished speaking, Zhaozhao took Sheng Sheng’s hand and ran behind the stage.

For a moment, chaos erupted. Maomao struggled fiercely in his father’s arms, tearing at his shirt, while Zhaozhao and Sheng Sheng each clung to one of Tan Xun’s legs, tugging at his pants. Finally, they “rescued” Sheng Sheng and ran back toward the stage, hearing Uncle Tan Xun say with a wry smile behind them, “You little rascals, I’m going to get scolded again when we get home.” *So what if he got scolded? Which dad doesn’t get scolded by the other parent?*

As soon as they reached the side of the stage, the adults below looked surprised. Soon, someone started laughing, then the whole room erupted in laughter. Finally, Dad and Uncle Qian Xi came up… Zhaozhao scrunched his little brows. *What was going on?* Uncle Qian Xi immediately tried to take Maomao away, while Dad held tightly to him and Sheng Sheng… Zhaozhao blinked calmly and asked Dad and Uncle Qian Xi, “Don’t you want Maomao anymore?” The two adults froze simultaneously. “Of course not!” Hearing this, Sheng Sheng burst into loud sobs, and Maomao, eyes red, shouted, “Don’t abandon me!”

Uncle Qian Xi went to comfort the twins, while Dad knelt down and pulled Zhaozhao into a hug, asking him why he thought that. Zhaozhao gave a quick smile that vanished. “Dad, why?” *Why wouldn’t they want Maomao and Sheng Sheng together?* As he pondered, he heard Dad pause and say, “Don’t you like Sheng Sheng more? How about playing with just Sheng Sheng for a while?” Zhaozhao thought about it. Did he like Sheng Sheng more? It was just that Sheng Sheng seemed so vulnerable; he wanted to take extra care of him. But did that mean he liked him more? Zhaozhao shook his head. “Maomao and Sheng Sheng can’t be separated.” Then Dad said, “People have to separate when they grow up.” Hearing this, Zhaozhao blinked in confusion. *Why would they have to separate when they grew up? And…* He sighed softly. “Not now.” Dad asked if he insisted on staying together, and Zhaozhao nodded.

But Uncle Qian Xi was still insisting that only Sheng Sheng could go on stage, not Maomao.

Maomao grew angry and kicked a nearby flower arrangement.

Zhaozhao grew even more irritated. He frowned at everyone, picked up his airplane toy from the floor, broke free from Dad’s grip when he wasn’t looking, and walked off the stage from the side. After just a few steps, Maomao followed, then Sheng Sheng with red eyes. Zhaozhao stopped, holding Sheng Sheng’s hand to keep him from falling. They didn’t get far before Dad and Uncle Qian Xi stopped them, saying they could all go together.

After walking across the stage, they could cut the airplane cake together.

Zhaozhao hesitated. “Okay.” Right now, Maomao and Sheng Sheng really needed a little cake to cheer them up. He set the airplane toy down again, took one child’s hand in each of his, and the three of them walked to the center of the stage. A photo was taken amid the cheerful laughter of the crowd.

Shi Zai, the dad, laughed the loudest, nudging the man beside him vigorously:

“Brother! What do you say? Zhaozhao takes after you, hahaha…”

“…”

“Tsk, at such a young age!”

“…The Qing Dynasty fell long ago.”

Seeing Shu Yangkuo say this expressionlessly—a line Shi Zai had used several times when they first met—Shi Zai was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter… *Did he not know what this man was thinking? Was it necessary to make such a big deal out of it?!*

But… Shi Zai had a sudden realization. He turned and hugged Wang Wang, who was munching on a candied hawthorn on his father’s lap:

“Wang Wang, it’s your turn to go on stage! Who do you want to go with?”

“Why did brother go first?”

“…Because brother… doesn’t have as many friends as you. You can invite all your friends together, or one at a time.”

“Why are there only photos of brother and Sheng Sheng?”

Biting his tongue, Shi Zai’s mind raced. He immediately said, “Because Dad prepared a special surprise for Wang Wang. Do you want to go out alone with Dad?”

“Not bringing brother?”

“Skiing. Just Wang Wang.”

“Wow—wow—”

Seeing Wang Wang so excited he could barely sit still on his father’s lap, leaping into his arms, Shi Zai laughed along, though he felt a bit emotional inside. *Ah, when you have two children—whether twins or years apart—it really is either both or neither.*

This arranged marriage event turned out rather amusingly and made people ponder again about “fair treatment.” On Zhaozhao’s side, he neither understood what was happening nor particularly wanted to cooperate. On Wang Wang’s side, he didn’t find the day’s activities very fun and was a bit unhappy.

The next day, when Shi Zai took Zhaozhao skiing alone, he decided to talk directly with the little one:

“Do you think Dad and Father love you more, or brother more?”

“…I don’t know either.”

“Hehe, tell Dad.”

“Sometimes it’s me, sometimes it’s brother. Just like sometimes I love Dad more, sometimes I love Father more.”

Hearing this, Shi Zai was silent for a while. Once again, he felt a weight lift from his heart.

Just as he was about to speak, Wang Wang turned his head back from the snow tube:

“Dad, why does it have to be like this? I mean… why do I have to be the same as brother?”

“…Because Dad wasn’t loved when he was little. Now that I love you both, I’m always afraid I’m not loving you equally.”

Hearing this, Wang Wang blinked, surprised. He twisted his whole body around, lifted his ski goggles, and took off Dad’s goggles too. He wanted to look into Dad’s eyes. Sure enough, Dad’s eyes looked as hurt as his voice sounded. Wang Wang shook his head:

“Dad, you know I super love you, and Father, and Zhaozhao… and lots of people. Isn’t that enough?”

“…It’s enough, more than enough, my Wang Wang.”

After saying this, Shi Zai’s eyes grew wetter. He hugged Wang Wang tightly and kissed his slightly reddened cheeks:

“I love you so much, Wang Wang. But, when I’m with you, I love you the most. When I’m with brother, I love him the most. Is that okay? Dad understands now. Some things don’t need to be given to both of you at the same time. You are Wang Wang, brother is Zhaozhao. Dad will support you both to be the best in your own lives. Whatever you want, Dad will support you. It’s just that you’re still young and don’t always know what you want, so Dad tries his best to give you both fair treatment. Were you unhappy yesterday?”

Wang Wang thought hard about what Dad said, then nuzzled against Dad’s chest. He laughed first and said, “I tell Father I love him most when I’m with him, and I tell you I love you most when I’m with you. And Xiang Xiang and his brother, and Huiyan and Qingchan in our class…” Shi Zai chuckled softly and ruffled Wang Wang’s hair. *How could he be so good at loving, just like me?* His heart was melting from Wang Wang’s cuteness.

Wang Wang scratched his ear and added, “Yesterday? No, I just wanted to know why. What was that about? I’m not a little dummy like brother. Why didn’t you tell me, Dad?” After saying this, Wang Wang looked up, still with the same confusion as yesterday.

Suddenly, Shi Zai threw his head back and laughed. He really had been too fixated on fairness. After a moment’s thought, he said:

“Yesterday was an arranged marriage for Zhaozhao, like between Father and Dad. In the future, Zhaozhao and Sheng Sheng will form a family—one will be the father, one will be the dad. Dad didn’t mean to leave Wang Wang out; it’s just that Wang Wang…”

“What?! I don’t want just one best friend! I want lots and lots of people at home!”

“Hahahahaha… But Father and Dad only have each other.”

Hearing this, Wang Wang fell into thought, but soon laughed heartily, just like his dad:

“Dad, can we not talk about this? I just want to be Dad’s little kid.”

“…”

The little one looked at him with bright eyes. Shi Zai smiled again and nodded immediately. “No matter how old Wang Wang gets, you’ll always be Dad’s baby forever. When you grow up and read the diaries Dad wrote for you, look at the photos and videos Father took, you’ll see we love you even more than you imagined.” Wang Wang shook his head. “I already know. There’s no one in the world who loves me more than Father and Dad.”

With deep emotion, Shi Zai cupped the baby’s face and touched his forehead with his own:

“Baby, Daddy is so happy—it’s like the sun has been planted in your eyes.”

“Giggle, Daddy has the sun in his eyes too!”

“Mmm, Daddy also wants to tell you—you don’t need to be too well-behaved, or act too mature in front of your little brother. Just like what I said earlier, no matter how old you are, you’ll always be Daddy’s little baby, just like your brother.”

The little one grabbed a handful of snow and threw it up, wagging his head happily as he exclaimed:

“Brother likes me! I like brother too! Little brother listens to me more and more! I want to be a good older brother to him! Hahaha!”

“…”

He was just like when he was one or two years old—a dazed and adorable little tiger.

Shi Zai chuckled and said, “Okay,” hoping that when they grow up, especially during their teenage years, they’d still remember these words. Hahaha!

Late afternoon on a Monday in late December—Zhaozhao hadn’t napped well at noon, or more accurately, hadn’t slept at all. He had taken apart his airplane model, scattering the pieces all over the floor, and then asked his Dad to help him put it back together. After arriving at the antique street, Shi Zai carried him to the second floor and lay down with the little one on a bamboo chair to rest a bit more. But having missed his usual nap time, Zhaozhao’s eyelids were droopy with sleepiness, yet he wasn’t really sleepy and kept fidgeting.

So Shi Zai started making up a story for him, whispering in his ear—starting from “Zhaozhao accidentally wandered into a primordial forest and saw an elephant,” then adding little scenes like “Huh, what’s that sound?” or “What’s happening up ahead?” and “Zhaozhao flew over the ocean,” stringing together over a dozen scenarios to guide the little one’s imagination into the unknown. Toward the end, running out of ideas, Shi Zai began singing “Catching Loaches.” As Zhaozhao listened, he let out a little yawn, raised his hand, and covered Daddy’s mouth—without looking at him—while secretly curling his lips in a secret smile before falling asleep.

*Tsk, even covering Daddy’s mouth is a trick he learned from his Dad.*

Just like his Dad, he may never become particularly outgoing or lively, but gradually, he’s learning to actively express his emotions and feelings.

Take the child marriage pact from the other day, for example. After returning home, before Shi Zai could even try to comfort him, Zhaozhao sat on his little rocking horse expressionless, waiting until everyone had gathered in the living room. Then, furrowing his little brows, he started grumbling, “Daddy’s so annoying,” “Dad’s so annoying,” “Brother’s so annoying.” It was the first time Shi Zai had seen him so directly express his little frustrations, and he burst out laughing. Since he was the first to laugh, the embarrassed Zhaozhao ran over and punched his legs twice. Shi Zai quickly suppressed his laughter—the little one’s unique way of seeking comfort was just too adorable.

In Zhaozhao’s understanding of the child marriage pact, it was Daddy, Dad, and Brother who made him go on stage and feel awkward—especially Daddy, followed by Dad and Brother, who didn’t seem to care. Later, everyone had to say “I love Zhaozhao” many times before he was satisfied.

Shi Zai couldn’t sleep and, lying there, ended up laughing out loud. Zhaozhao, startled awake, opened his sleepy eyes, glanced over, silently shifted away, and went back to sleep. Shi Zai didn’t disturb him further. *Ah, unlike Wang Wang’s innocent, lively cuteness, Zhaozhao’s cuteness comes with a touch of pride.*

Not long after, Zhaozhao woke up fully, yawning.

Shi Zai wasn’t busy in the afternoon, so he decided to skip the studio and stay with Zhaozhao on the second floor to play. The little one grabbed a bucket of pipe-building blocks from the toy shelf and silently started building something. After watching for a while, Shi Zai joined in, but whatever he picked up, Zhaozhao would take it from his hands. When Shi Zai looked up at him, Zhaozhao curled his lips into a faint smile—the little stinker was teasing him.

Soon, Zhaozhao handed him two curved pipe pieces:

“Daddy, want gun.”

“Huh? But these two don’t fit together—you can’t make a gun with them.”

“Want gun.”

“We need a connector piece. Let Daddy find one…”

“Want gun!”

“Ah, found it…”

But then Shi Zai’s hand was pushed away—the little one insisted on using only the two curved pipes, the “connectors,” to make a gun, which was impossible since they were the same size and couldn’t interlock. No matter how Shi Zai tried to explain, Zhaozhao stubbornly insisted, even glancing up at Daddy’s expression while frowning slightly and whining.

Shi Zai was instantly melted by the whiny, sulky tone. *Well, if he’s as stubborn as his Dad, so be it.*

Remembering his Dad’s “I don’t want to play with this”… Hahaha!

He laughed twice but quickly stopped—otherwise, the little one would lose face and punch him again. Hahaha. After thinking for a moment, Shi Zai found a roll of clear tape and asked Zhaozhao, “Is it okay if we tape it?” The little one nodded and even asked him to first tape a loose joint on his jumbo airplane. After finishing that, Shi Zai taped the two curved pipes together, making a tiny gun.

He handed it to Zhaozhao and grinned, “Daddy’s smart, right?” Zhaozhao nodded but didn’t even glance at the gun, setting it aside immediately. Puzzled, Shi Zai picked it up and offered it again, but the little one dodged, refusing to take it.

Shi Zai laughed helplessly, “You insisted Daddy make a gun, and now you don’t want it?” Zhaozhao ignored him, focusing on fiddling with his jumbo airplane—though it was just a jumbled mess of pieces, unrecognizable as anything. When Shi Zai offered the little gun again, Zhaozhao still refused, even whining “Mmm” to say, “No, don’t bother me.” So Shi Zai set the gun aside and was about to stand up when Zhaozhao glanced at it and secretly smiled. *Teased again,* Shi Zai bit back a laugh.

He was deliberately being unreasonable with Daddy, testing if Daddy would spoil him.

Shi Zai quietly took a photo of the little one, smiling the whole time. He considered using the moment to tell Zhaozhao he shouldn’t act like this, but after a moment’s thought, decided it wasn’t worth making a fuss about. On one hand, Zhaozhao just wanted more attention and care; on the other, this was his way of expressing a unique closeness—probably aware that lately, whenever he felt upset, he’d push everyone away.

It was like telling them, “I’m okay now, I’ve always loved you,” but unlike his brother, who would say it outright, Zhaozhao expressed it through this little act of sulky affection. Reserved children are like that—expressing themselves in indirect, clumsy ways.

So Shi Zai sat back down beside Zhaozhao, this time not taking any of his pipe blocks but occasionally asking, “What part is this?” or “Does Zhaozhao want the red one?” Gradually, even though Zhaozhao didn’t really want to be disturbed, he started responding, even gesturing to show how the airplane would fly. Shi Zai kept praising him: “Zhaozhao is so smart!” Even the most aloof kids love being praised.

But each time he was praised, the little one would raise his eyebrows and stay silent for a moment, getting bashful.

As they built, they were almost done with a monster-looking airplane—when suddenly, *clatter clatter*—the airplane’s base was too small, and the messy assortment of parts on top, not securely assembled, all fell apart. The airplane was gone.

Just as Shi Zai was about to help Zhaozhao rebuild it, the little one calmly brushed off his hands as if dusting them off, sighed pretending not to care, stood up nonchalantly, scratched his head, and wandered around the play area aimlessly—avoiding looking at Daddy.

Shi Zai had already leaned back on the floor, holding back loud laughter—the little one was like a cat pretending everything’s normal after doing something awkward!

Hahaha!

Zhaozhao probably heard his muffled laughter but refused to turn around, pretending not only that he wasn’t embarrassed but also that he had no ears, squatting silently by the toy shelf and calmly patting a small rubber ball. *So adorable!!*

Shi Zai washed his face, using the sound of the running water to let out a few good laughs before finally calming down. If it were Wang Wang, he’d probably gasp exaggeratedly, round his little mouth, and say, “Oh no, Daddy, what happened?” then tilt his head back and giggle at himself, “Oops, I’m a bit unlucky today,” laughing until his little shoulders shook, before babbling away while reassembling everything… Different kinds of cuteness, both equally amusing.

After laughing enough, Shi Zai took Zhaozhao’s hand and led him away from the “awkward spot” for a stroll around the studio. Nowadays, his studio was divided into two parts: a smaller area on the first and second floors for his personal workspace and lounge, and a larger workshop of about 200 square meters near Yang Yun’s kiln room, used by ten developing apprentices. Shi Zai’s studio not only earned a good income but had also built a reputable name in the industry, known for “restoring the old as old, innovating with the new”—meaning extremely faithful repairs of ancient ceramics and innovative touches on modern, expensive ceramics, which were very popular.

Whether bringing Wang Wang or Zhaozhao to the studio, everyone adored the two little ones. This time, they teased Zhaozhao again, always asking, “What’s your name? How old are you? What do you like?” Even though Zhaozhao was reserved and didn’t like playing with unfamiliar adults, he’d still puff his chest out and answer seriously, “I’m Zhaozhao, two years and six months old. I like Daddy, Dad, and Brother.” Everyone was amused by his serious demeanor—though they couldn’t hug him, watching him speak expressionlessly was endlessly entertaining.

It almost felt like teasing Zhaozhao was a way to imagine what his Dad would be like if he talked more.

Soon, the tall, reserved man arrived, and everyone quietly chuckled before returning to work, no one speaking further. Shi Zai grabbed Zhaozhao’s hand and rushed over, not mentioning the little one’s antics in front of him but instead making a mock fierce face playfully:

“Act like a dad once in a while!”

“…”

Shu Yangkuo was taken aback, then fell silent. He hadn’t done anything improper in front of the child, but he lowered his eyes, bent down, and let his wife tug his ear to vent. Shi Zai tugged, then burst out laughing, and in the man’s bewildered unease, kissed him.

After saying goodbye to everyone, Shi Zai took Zhaozhao and headed home with Shu Yangkuo.

Behind them, everyone soon whispered and chuckled, “Tsk” sounds lingering. The usually quiet, tall man, with one arm around his wife’s waist and the other holding his son, now seemed solid and dependable, whereas moments earlier… he’d been bowing and submitting—so well-trained.

Everyone sighed repeatedly—their boss Shi really had a way with things.

Tonight’s bonding activity was—mutually recording sweet daily moments with the two little ones.

On camera, the two little ones played “lift high” with Dad. The tall Dad lay down, taking turns lifting them up. Later, Wang Wang found it not thrilling enough and, as before, boldly stood on Dad’s raised knees, jumping from there onto Dad’s chest. Just before landing, Dad caught him and lifted him high again, eliciting endless giggles—so fun!

Seeing this, Zhaozhao whined, and with help from Brother and Dad, climbed onto Dad’s raised knees and—*thump*—jumped! Not only was he caught, but Dad also tossed him up high, making his little face flush with laughter! Wang Wang danced around nearby—he wanted to be tossed too… They took turns playing for a long time, until both little ones’ faces were stiff from smiling, then collapsed softly on the floor.

When it was the little ones’ turn to take photos of Dad and Daddy, Zhaozhao, like a little adult, calmly directed:

“Dad, Daddy—”

He clapped his hands together forcefully, meaning they should move closer—their task was to take a couple photo of Dad and Daddy.

Since his brother wasn’t explaining clearly, Wang Wang glanced at him, bounced, and said:

“Dad, kiss Daddy! Make it look sweet!”

“…”

So young, yet he knows “sweet”… Shu Yangkuo resisted blushing in front of the little ones, leaned closer, held his wife’s neck, made him lift his head and lean back, then bent down slightly to kiss—when the little one shouted again: