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The arrival of a baby in the house left Luke feeling quite distressed. After Shang Zhitao discovered her pregnancy, Luke suddenly stopped jumping up to greet her. He became unusually gentle. Shang Zhitao would ask him, “Why don’t you jump anymore?”
Luke let out a long, low whine: “I can’t jump! It might hurt Mommy!”
On Little Nian Tao’s first day home, as soon as the infant carrier was set down, Luke rushed over and sniffed it thoroughly, inside and out. He was confused—why had such a tiny thing come into the house? In his mind, Little Nian Tao was just another puppy, albeit one that looked different from him. He even regarded Nian Tao as his own child.
Because Nian Tao was so small and Luke tended to shed fur, everyone temporarily banned Luke from entering Shang Zhitao’s bedroom. Luke obediently stayed by the door, guarding his baby. Every time Nian Tao opened her eyes, moved her little hands, or made soft cooing sounds, Luke would immediately stand up anxiously and pace around in circles. At first, no one understood what Luke was doing, but later they realized—it was because Luke’s little treasure had woken up!
Luan Nian, fearing that Luke might feel neglected, would sneak into the kitchen at night after Nian Tao fell asleep and Shang Zhitao rested, to prepare something special for Luke to eat. Luke would sit there waiting, just like before, tongue hanging out.
As Luan Nian prepared food, he occasionally glanced back at Luke. “You’re already an old dog.”
“Do your teeth still work?”
Luke gave a small bark: “Yes!”
Luan Nian patted his head. “Still trying to act tough, huh?”
Luke jumped up, placing his paws on Luan Nian’s hand to play for a bit. When he heard movement in the room, he would run to the door, poking his head in to see what was happening. His expression was wary, as if to say: You wouldn’t hurt my baby, would you?
During her confinement, Shang Zhitao received visits from a group of friends.
Sun Yu arrived on the day she was discharged from the hospital. She took five days off work, and no matter how much Shang Zhitao tried to send her away, she refused to leave.
Not only did she stay, but she also competed with Luan Nian to take care of Shang Zhitao.
Of course, Luan Nian wasn’t pleased. The two of them clashed in the kitchen: “You can’t even take care of yourself!” Luan Nian mocked her.
“When Shang Zhitao was in Beijing, I took care of her. Back then, you were useless,” Sun Yu retorted, refusing to back down.
“…Is your company going bankrupt? Why are you sticking around here?”
“No, business is too good. They don’t even need me.”
Neither could win the argument, so Sun Yu simply said, “Little Nian Tao seems to be awake. You cook.”
Without a word, Luan Nian turned and left the kitchen to her, heading to check on Nian Tao.
But Little Nian Tao hadn’t actually woken up.
She seemed to be having a pleasant dream, her little mouth curling up into a smile that looked exactly like Luan Nian’s when he smiled. Shang Zhitao glanced at him and pouted.
Luan Nian couldn’t hide his pride. At first, he had been considerate of Shang Zhitao’s feelings and claimed, “Her ears look like yours.” But eventually, he stopped pretending altogether. If anyone suggested that the baby didn’t resemble him, he’d insist they take another look.
“Take another look? I think you’re wrong.”
One day, Dr. Liang noticed this behavior and winked at Shang Zhitao, whispering to her, “She looks exactly like her father. It’s as if it’s some great achievement for her to resemble him. I hope Little Nian Tao doesn’t inherit his personality—stubborn, foul-tempered, and unable to express himself properly. By age three or four, he was already fighting. Nian Tao’s temperament must take after you.”
“Can we tell her personality yet?”
“I knew Luan Nian had a bad temper when he was still a newborn.” Dr. Liang recounted the story of how Luan Nian nearly cried himself into a faint during feeding. Shang Zhitao thought carefully and realized that Little Nian Tao hadn’t done anything like that. Little Nian Tao was very well-behaved—eating, sleeping, and quietly listening whenever someone spoke to her.
Sometimes she would cry when hungry or wet, but as soon as someone came, she would stop crying immediately.
Every time Sun Yu saw how well-behaved Nian Tao was, she would tease Luan Nian: “What did you do to deserve such a daughter?”
“Jealous? Have one yourself.” Luan Nian shot back, picking up Nian Tao to play with her.
Little Nian Tao wasn’t afraid of strangers. On the day many of her uncles and aunts visited, the house was packed. Everyone treated her like a rare treasure, observing her and saying, “Her expressions really resemble her mother.” No one mentioned that she looked like Luan Nian.
Naturally, Luan Nian wasn’t satisfied. Turning to Chen Kuannian, he said, “Take another look. Maybe you need new glasses?”
“Let me see again… Her eyes also look like her mother’s.”
Everyone burst into laughter.
Lin Chun’er and Xiao Mei sat by Shang Zhitao’s bedside chatting with her. Finding the men bothersome, they shooed them out and closed the door.
Luan Nian shrugged and led them to the balcony.
The sunset outside was beautiful.
The men stood quietly by the window for a while. Tan Mian pulled out his phone to check the calendar and remarked, “It’s been two years since we last went out together. Next time, we’ll probably all be old men.”
“That can’t happen,” Song Qiuhán said. “When Little Nian Tao grows up a bit, we’ll all go out together. It’ll be a different kind of fun.”
“And then I’ll be alone?”
Tan Mian glared at Song Qiuhán.
Everyone laughed.
In their twenties, they played freely, feeling as if the world was limitless, with no constraints or responsibilities. In their early thirties, their paths diverged slightly, each busy with their lives but occasionally gathering. Now nearing forty, getting together had become difficult.
Life was full of unpredictable changes.
Fortunately, these friends hadn’t drifted apart. Whenever life changed for any of them, the others would show up without hesitation.
“How about a drink tonight?” Song Qiuhán suggested.
“Sure.” Luan Nian hadn’t had a drink in a long time, but today, surrounded by friends, it felt hard to refuse.
“What do you feel like eating?”
“Let’s eat at home. It’s livelier that way. We can have hot pot—it’s convenient.”
“Alright.”
Luan Nian had secretly stashed over a dozen bottles of premium soy-sauce-flavored baijiu. When Shang Zhitao once asked him why he hoarded so much, he said it was for Little Nian Tao’s dowry. Today, in a good mood, he brought out a few bottles from the stash.
“What else do you have hidden at home?” Chen Kuannian asked curiously, already scheming about selling off other people’s belongings.
“Does rice paper count?”
“?”
“Shang Zhitao bought twenty stacks of rice paper years ago.”
“She has such foresight?”
“Mm-hmm.”
When Lin Chun’er heard the commotion outside, she came out to scold them: “Little Nian Tao is sleeping! No loud noises!” Seeing Song Qiuhán setting up drinks, she asked, “Are we drinking today?”
“Yes. Want some?” Song Qiuhán offered.
“Sure!”
She, too, loved a lively gathering.
Shang Zhitao couldn’t drink alcohol, but she enjoyed the lively atmosphere. When it was time to eat, she hobbled out of bed despite her discomfort.
The group gathered together, filled with joy.
Shang Zhitao’s round face glowed with smiles, making her look especially adorable. Luan Nian, worried she might sit uncomfortably, slipped a cushion under her. During toasts, he poured her warm water instead of alcohol.
The elders had warned Luan Nian not to let Shang Zhitao eat raw, cold, or hard foods, so he kept a close eye on her while she ate.
Everyone noticed how much Luan Nian had changed.
None of them had ever imagined they’d see him like this in their lifetime. Well, his sharp tongue aside.
It was rare for them to gather like this, so they cherished the moment and basked in the happiness.
No one drank excessively, but the drinking went on for hours, continuing late into the night before they finally called it quits.
After the noise subsided, only three humans and one dog remained in the house.
After finishing up everything, Luan Nian returned to the bed to find Shang Zhitao still awake. He asked, “Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“I’m not tired.”
“Then come here.” Luan Nian pulled her into his arms and began playing with her hair. Her hair had grown thicker during her pregnancy, and now when he grabbed a handful, it felt thick and bouncy, springing back when released. Luan Nian couldn’t resist playing with it.
“How are you feeling today?” Luan Nian was referring to her episiotomy wound. The first time he saw her walk after giving birth, his heart ached for her.
“A little better,” Shang Zhitao replied, holding his hand. “Aren’t you going back for a meeting in a few days?”
“I’ll go there and return on the same day.”
“No. Just go and don’t rush back the same day—it’s too tiring.”
“It’s not tiring. I can’t leave you three alone. The company doesn’t care where I am; I work wherever I am. Tracy and I talked about it—starting now, I only need to be in the office one or two days a week.”
“You sound like an old woman,” Shang Zhitao teased him, mimicking his tone.
Luan Nian pretended not to hear.
He had mastered the art of pretending to be deaf and dumb, otherwise, he feared he’d blurt out something that would upset her. The elders had repeatedly reminded him not to make her cry during her confinement—it could leave lasting health issues. Luan Nian didn’t entirely believe this, but he held his tongue simply because seeing her endure all this pain made him too tender-hearted to argue.
After a while, Luan Nian said to her, “I want to buy a bigger house in Bingcheng.”
“Hmm? How big?”
“Maybe around 300 square meters, with a garden?”
“?” Shang Zhitao sat up. “Are we that rich?”
Luan Nian raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond. In truth, he had withdrawn several sums from the stock market and wasn’t sure what to do with the money. The idea of buying a big house in Bingcheng struck him suddenly during the gathering with friends. He wanted to build a princess room for Little Nian Tao.
“You can’t spoil a child like that,” Shang Zhitao objected. “You’ll spoil her rotten. Isn’t this house big enough?”
“If I don’t spoil my own daughter, then who should I spoil?”
“No one should be spoiled.”
Luan Nian wanted to snap at her but held back. After a pause, he said, “Don’t listen to those misguided ideas.”
“What misguided ideas?”
“The idea that you shouldn’t tell your children if the family is wealthy.”
“…”
“Wealthy is wealthy, poor is poor. If you hide it from your child when they’re young, aren’t you teaching them to lie?”
“And you keep saying that Luke is your dog. Don’t you know your own dog? Your dog is snobbish—he loves wealth!”
“So, I’m buying a house.”
Luan Nian pinched Shang Zhitao’s cheek: “You have no right to stop me.”
One statement after another left Shang Zhitao unable to respond. The next day, she slept in late. When she woke up and found Luan Nian gone, she asked Da Zhai, “Where’s your precious son-in-law?”
“He went out.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
Luan Nian didn’t return until the afternoon, holding a deposit slip: “I’ve already put down a deposit on the house. You no longer have the right to decide whether or not to buy it—you can only choose between this one or another. Otherwise, the deposit is lost.”
Furious, Shang Zhitao swung her fist at his chest, but he caught her wrist: “Don’t make trouble.” He pressed his lips to her forehead: “I want you all to live more comfortably. Besides, the new house is closer to the airport, which will save me a lot of time traveling.”
“Don’t spoil her like this in the future—I’m serious.”
Luan Nian grunted but didn’t respond. He had already made up his mind. He thought, My daughter, my rules. In this house, you can only manage yourself.
By the time Little Nian Tao turned one month old, she had grown into an incredibly beautiful baby girl.
Shang Zhitao had bought countless adorable tiny outfits, sterilized them, and carefully dressed Little Nian Tao on her full moon day. Luan Nian held the camera, personally taking her full moon photos. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine his advanced photography skills would one day be used for such a purpose.
That day, Little Nian Tao was extremely sleepy, remaining closed-eyed no matter how they posed her. She seemed impervious to the world, as if nothing could disturb her peace. After two hours of fussing, the baby still hadn’t woken up, and both parents were exhausted, slumping onto the living room sofa. They exchanged a glance and laughed.
Shang Zhitao’s eyes were half-closed, like a cat’s. Having not stepped outside for over a month, her skin was even fairer, almost translucent in the sunlight. Her lingering smile added to her charm.
Luan Nian’s heart stirred. Leaning forward, he hovered above her, hands braced on either side of the sofa. Shang Zhitao’s eyes shimmered, and she tilted her chin slightly, brushing her lips against his once, then again.
Luan Nian’s body dipped slightly as he chased her lips, pressing her into the sofa.
How long had it been since they kissed like this? He couldn’t remember. During her pregnancy, she had teased him once, and when he stormed out in frustration, she never dared to tease him again.
Luan Nian’s kiss was passionate and rough, just like his old self.
Shang Zhitao’s breath quickened as she surrendered her tongue to him, letting him take control. Luan Nian was on the verge of losing himself, but he pulled back just in time, leaning against the other side of the sofa, gasping for air. He wiped his lips with his palm, his deep eyes lingering on her chest, his expression tinged with a hint of savagery.
“Luan Nian.”
“Hmm?”
“Will you take me for postpartum recovery in a few days?”
“We’ll see what the doctor says after the checkup.”
“Okay.”
Shang Zhitao slowly moved her toes against his leg. Luan Nian grabbed her ankle: “Don’t get carried away.”
“Oh.”
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