Chapter 66

Chapter 66

After settling at Xie Ting, Jiang Jining's years from twenty to twenty-four flew by in a blur.

Often, before he could even feel time's passage, he had already slipped from one season to the next. On many days, he felt as if he were living in another story created for him by Bian Han.

The only true yardstick of time was his Ya'er—his thriving child.

Right before his very eyes—

Dou Ya'er grew day by day in the blink of an eye. She gradually learned to roll over, crawl, and stand up independently. Just as Jiang Jining said, she was truly a child of this world, yet forever the most special existence in the eyes of her two fathers.

Most of the time, Jiang Jining believed his daughter was his tiny guide in this world. He learned more from her. Because of Dou Ya'er and Fu Yuze, he felt more deeply connected to this world.

It was they who made him put down roots here, integrate here, and fall in love with every flower, plant, and tree here.

The four seasons gained a new warmth.

Dou Ya'er grew day by day, developing more and more of her own whimsical ideas.

Her little mind could only hold what was most important to her at the moment.

"...So Daddy doesn't miss Ya'er very, very much." This was the fourth time three-and-a-half-year-old Dou Ya'er had said this today.

The first three times were said to the kitten Bone, Aunt Tao, and Uncle Lu respectively.

Dou Ya'er held out for two hours after Jiang Jining left, but couldn't bear it any longer. She pattered over to Dad's study, knocked on the door, poked her little head in, and asked if she could come in.

Seeing the key parts of the meeting were done, Fu Yuze ended it early and was greeted by a woebegone little one.

It's no exaggeration to say—

Dou Ya'er was a baby beautiful down to every strand of her hair, the meticulously crafted masterpiece of her two creator fathers. Especially her eyes, crystal clear and bright, with thick, curly lashes that grew longer from the inner to the outer corners, naturally dewy like a little fox's, beautiful whether looking up or down.

This was truly rare.

Dou Ya'er inherited the spirit and charm of her father, Jiang Jining.

And added many emotions appropriate for her age, vivid and lively. Even when she said nothing, every time Guaiguai stayed quietly in her two fathers' arms, she naturally drew a crowd.

The phrase 'loved by all' didn't do her justice.

"How could Daddy not miss Ya'er?"

Fu Yuze patted her little back just as he did when she was a newborn, picked a cat hair off her, lifted her with both hands, and settled her on his lap. "Last night, you knew Daddy had to go out today and were unhappy. What did he do?"

"Daddy held me to sleep..."

Dou Ya'er answered dutifully despite her pout.

Seeing the big yellow bread, Bone, jump onto Dad's desk again, she lifted her pink-white little feet and pointed at her good friend with her chubby finger.

Fu Yuze understood and brought Bone over too.

Dou Ya'er nestled in Dad's arms, playing with the cat's little paw pads, and said, "But if Daddy misses me very, very much, he should have taken Ya'er along. Ya'er can be good by herself."

Fu Yuze raised an eyebrow slightly.

He thought, given how clingy Ya'er was to Jiang Jining, she wouldn't have played peacefully these two hours. Coming to find him must mean she was extremely upset. Even if she expressed it, it would likely be asking Jiang Jining to stay home or not go out in the future.

He'd underestimated her.

"Papa is working with Auntie Ji Huan today." Fu Yuze saw that Bone kept its claws well retracted, even when Dou Ya'er pulled them out, it retracted them voluntarily—a good cat. He placed it back on the floor with one hand, still not making promises on Jiang Jining's behalf about taking Dou Ya'er everywhere. "Papa rarely goes out. He's worried that if he gets too busy to take good care of you, he'd be very sad."

"...Oh."

Dou Ya'er seemed to understand a little.

"So, if Papa is willing to go out, it must be for something very important he needs to accomplish. Usually, at times like this, Dad will be home with you." Fu Yuze stroked her hair, which reached just below her shoulders—smooth, even the hair quality was as good as her Papa's. "Can Ya'er hold out until mealtime before calling Papa?"

This was the journey he'd been on.

Now, he had to gradually teach it to Dou Ya'er too.

Jiang Jining loved them more than anything. They couldn't, in the name of love, demand that he must be like a golden canary in a castle, staying day and night forever at Xie Ting to accompany just the two of them.

Jiang Jining had already given Ya'er all the love in his heart.

Before he had to be away for three consecutive days, he subtly did a week of preparatory work with Dou Ya'er, afraid that the daughter he and Fu Yuze had raised with their own hands couldn't bear to be apart from him.

In truth, he also had things he was eager and willing to do.

Ji Huan was currently preparing for her next major fashion show, to be held at the International Exhibition Hall in Jingzhou. This time, both the investment and the guest invitations were of extremely high caliber. However, at the most crucial stage of clothing design, she encountered some bottlenecks in material selection and color scheme implementation.

During a weekend family gathering at the Fu family's old residence, while chatting with Jiang Jining, Ji Huan discovered he could quickly grasp her difficulties and pain points, proposing ideas that seemed naive yet showed considerable insight.

Thus, Ji Huan invited him to the Yunzhi headquarters for discussions.

Jiang Jining naturally did not decline.

Listening to their conversation, Fu Yuze had many thoughts—Jiang Jining's father was an honest official, but when it came to rewards and silver, he was not soft-handed either. The Jiang family had been wealthy merchants for generations, and from the wife to the three children, they lived quite luxuriously.

Jiang Jining's aesthetic sense and temperament were indeed cultivated by his parents.

During those days when Fu Yuze worked at the Jiang residence, he thought day and night of catching a glimpse of the young mistress who would become his wife.

Truly like a celestial being descending to earth.

No wonder Jiang Jining initially looked down on modern fashion design. The fabrics he often wore in the Jiang residence were called masterpieces of divine skill. In the capital city of Dalin, inquiring about the three famous embroidery workshops custom-making clothes for the young master of the Duke's residence revealed that the labor costs and time spent were piled up with gold from the accounts.

Jiang Jining had the highest standards ingrained in him for the quality of food, clothing, and daily necessities.

Ji Huan had found the right person.

Whatever Jiang Jining decided to do, he would do well. After agreeing to help Ji Huan, he constantly researched modern fabrics and dyeing techniques at home. Occasionally, when Dou Ya'er clung to him, he would simply hold her in his arms to lull her to sleep while still managing to read, always a devoted father.

He couldn't neglect either side.

Fu Yuze didn't want him to be in a difficult position.

Dou Ya'er wasn't actually a high-needs baby. Her clinginess came purely from having rarely been separated from her two fathers since birth. Usually, when the little one was sent to Bian Han or her great-grandparents' place, Jiang Jining accompanied her.

If absolutely necessary, as long as she was promised a specific day for pickup, she could be fine on her own for two or three days.

That was exactly because the baby was so well-behaved and cute.

Jiang Jining couldn't very well bring his daughter to work and then ignore her.

Letting Dou Ya'er run around and play by herself would only make his guilt even heavier.

Knowing exactly what was on Jiang Jining's mind, Fu Yuze didn't wait for him to bring it up—he proactively chose to work from home these days.

"Well... alright then." Seeing Dou Ya'er's attention shift a bit, Fu Yuze carried her downstairs. After playing with the large building blocks of the cat paradise playset for about twenty minutes, she stood up and said, “Daddy, I need to go to the bathroom.”

Fu Yuze nodded.

Then he watched as Dou Ya'er wandered out of the living room, clung to Uncle Lu’s leg—who had just finished a phone call outside—and flashed her little pearly white teeth, saying, “Grandpa Lu, I miss Papa. Can you ask him when we’re eating?”

Uncle Lu was utterly charmed, grinning from ear to ear. He crouched down, scooped her into his arms, and was about to call Jiang Jining on his phone when Dou Ya'er seriously covered it with both hands.

Daddy said no calling!

“So then how do we…” Uncle Lu patiently tried to understand Dou Ya'er’s meaning, then immediately offered a new solution: “Alright, alright, how about we send Xiao Ning a WeChat message instead?”

Dou Ya'er leaned into Grandpa Lu’s arms, rubbing her cheeks with both hands, looking troubled. “Will it bother Papa and Auntie?”

Uncle Lu smiled. “It won’t.”

Dou Ya'er had also inherited Jiang Jining’s dislike for phones—she wasn’t fond of this big brick. The only good thing about it was staying in touch with the adults who loved her most. Once Grandpa Lu got it ready, she leaned in and sent Jiang Jining a sweet little voice message: “…Papa, are you tired from work?”

Sent!

She didn’t ask Papa to come back.

After saying her piece, Dou Ya'er turned and pressed against the clear glass door, watching her daddy seriously building with blocks without noticing her. Her little feet in cat-head slippers happily tapped the floor twice.

Uncle Lu was also delighted.

Seeing that Jiang Jining didn’t reply right away, Dou Ya'er didn’t wait either. She dashed back into the living room, threw herself into Fu Yuze’s arms, openly happy, and snuggled up: “Daddy…”

Fu Yuze kissed her little cheek, pretending not to understand.

Dou Ya'er couldn’t keep a secret for long. Seeing that Daddy wasn’t asking, she felt a bit fidgety. Her little feet, in their frilly white socks, would lift up now and then, like a kitten’s tail expressing her mood. After her eyes darted around, she waddled off, rummaging through her finished constructions until she found a giant bowl and spoon she'd put together last time.

Then she turned back and jumped in front of Fu Yuze.

Just as she was about to speak—

A cheerful ringtone sounded.

Fu Yuze glanced at it.

He answered the video call and pulled his daughter onto his lap.

With her plan interrupted, Dou Ya'er looked a little put out. She covered her face with the big bowl, pretending to cry, then decided she might need it later and simply plopped it on her head like a hat.

“What on earth is your dad making for you?”

Bian Han, on a business trip, missed Dou Ya'er and Jiang Jining terribly. After calling her own child, she had the call transferred here. Fu Yuze answered promptly, and the screen was instantly flooded with adorable Ya'er.

“A-Han, A-Han…”

Dou Ya'er leaned in, calling her name affectionately.

Bian Han didn't mind at all that Dou Ya'er called her 'A-Han,' but since Jiang Jining often called her that, Dou Ya'er picked it up too. Hearing it said so sweetly made her heart melt, so she didn’t fuss over the title.

“Sweetie, why are you wearing a bowl on your head?”

Bian Han strongly suspected Fu Yuze was teasing the kid while Jiang Jining was away. The worst-case scenario was that Dou Ya'er had done something wrong.

A chef's idea of punishing his daughter is really something, huh.

From Bian Han’s very first sentence, Fu Yuze knew this call wasn’t for him. He quickly let go, letting his daughter chat warmly with Bian Han, while he helped Ya'er wipe her little cat slippers with a wet wipe.

When he turned back, he saw the big-bowl Ya'er happily beaming.

Dou Ya'er looked up from the phone she was holding and grinned at him: “Hehe…”

Little rascal.

Fu Yuze’s lips curved. He gently pinched her cheek, took the bowl off, and heard his daughter chirp brightly, looking up at him: “Can I have some food, Daddy?”

The way she said it…

“Fu Yuze, have you lost your mind?” Bian Han immediately launched an indiscriminate attack: “As soon as Ning Zai is gone, you start putting Ya'er on a diet? She’s not even the slightest bit chubby!”

Fu Yuze: “…” He knew it.