Chapter 347 - 344: Talking About the Children

Chapter 347: Chapter 344: Talking About the Children

Clearing his throat, Li Xiu said a bit sheepishly, "Bao’er, that was me. I told your parents and Teacher Xiao’s husband that Nuonuo is getting colder and more withdrawn as she gets older. It’s good to tease her a bit, otherwise, the ten-year-old girl would just keep a stern little face all day, looking like a little debt collector. She’s not nearly as cute as when she was little!"

"No wonder," Zhou Lian said, looking at Li Xiu in disbelief. "I was just wondering... with how much Mom and Dad and Teacher Xiao’s husband dote on her, why they didn’t come to confront me after she tattled. So it was you..." Her voice trailed off. ’But that’s so typical of Li Xiu!’

Li Xiu just smiled without a word. It was true that he was partly motivated by his daughter growing colder, but the most important thing was his own Bao’er. He held her in the palm of his hand, afraid she might fall; how could he let her parents and Teacher Xiao’s husband bother her just because the little girl tattled!

Seeming to understand what Li Xiu was thinking, Zhou Lian smiled and didn’t press the issue. They’d been married for so long; how could she not understand him? ’This man is so fiercely protective. Even before we were married, if my mother so much as nagged me for letting him hold my hand, he would defend me. And that’s even more true now!’

「At the crack of dawn」

Zhou Lian heard gleeful shouts from the courtyard. She groaned, burrowing her head into the warm embrace of the man beside her. ’Yanyan, that little rascal, making such a racket so early in the morning. No, wait... is that Nuonuo’s voice, too? What’s going on...?’

"Bao’er, you’re awake. It started snowing in the middle of the night, and it came down pretty hard. The two kids are probably having a snowball fight in the yard right now!" Li Xiu said gently, stroking the fluffy head nestled in his arms. He had only realized it had snowed himself when he woke up and saw the vast expanse of white outside the window.

Snuggling deeper into Li Xiu’s embrace, Zhou Lian grumbled, "I’m not even fully awake yet. Those two little terrors certainly have a lot of energy. Nuonuo’s playing in the snow, too? I guess she’s decided it isn’t too childish for her anymore!"

"Bao’er, our daughter is only ten. Isn’t it perfectly normal for her to be playing in the snow?" Li Xiu said indulgently, gently kissing the top of Zhou Lian’s head.

"I know she’s only ten, but she walks around with a straight face trying to act like a grown-up all day. It’s exasperating!" Zhou Lian said through gritted teeth, still hiding in Li Xiu’s arms. She had no idea where things went wrong. Her lively, cheerful daughter from their last life, the one who loved to talk and laugh, had somehow turned into this little deadpan girl.

With a soft sigh, Li Xiu said slowly, "Maybe this is just her true nature. In our last life, she probably forced herself to change her personality so you wouldn’t worry. After all, we weren’t on good terms back then. She likely made herself so talkative and cheerful for your sake, don’t you think?"

Zhou Lian froze at Li Xiu’s words, her mind racing back to their past life. When their daughter was only one or two, she and Li Xiu were already like strangers living under the same roof. She had been young and had no idea how to raise a child, but she must have been constantly unhappy back then. They say a child’s heart is the purest, and their daughter was so clever. ’Could she have sensed my unhappiness? Is that why she was always so talkative and cheerful, just to try and make me happy?’

It was true. Back then, Zhou Lian no longer knew how to face Li Xiu, and her adorable daughter was the only reason she kept going. For a long time, her daughter was her sole pillar of support. Even after her son was born, her daughter always held a unique place in her heart. That was why, as her daughter grew up, the villagers would laugh, saying she treated a girl like a priceless treasure.

In the same vein, her daughter was brilliant in both lives. In her past life, she had breezed through elementary school, middle school, a top-tier high school, and a prestigious university, eventually getting a guaranteed admission to graduate school. Even after graduation, her marriage and career never caused her mother a moment’s worry. Later in life, she had both a son and daughter, a successful career, and a husband who adored her. ’Honestly,’ Zhou Lian thought, ’even though my last life was such a failure, my two children were my greatest pride!’

"Jin Chen, do you think I’m a failure as a mother? What kind of mother am I, really?" Zhou Lian asked sadly. ’In my last life, I felt I would sacrifice anything for my children, but in the end, it was my daughter who was always protecting me. And in this life, it’s even worse. Li Xiu has handled almost everything for the children since they were born. Besides giving birth to them, what have I actually done for them?’

Sighing softly, Li Xiu looked at Zhou Lian with gentle eyes. "Bao’er, don’t overthink things. What’s past is past. I was just making a guess based on her personality now. But even if it were true, don’t you think that was her choice? That kind of personality is wonderful, too. Besides, even if she did change, she would have done it willingly for you. Think about it. In two lifetimes, who has our daughter ever changed for besides you? No one. Even after she grew up and started her own family, she was always the type to break before she would bend!"

After a moment of thought, Zhou Lian slowly began to smile. Her eyes, sparkling like a sky full of stars, curved into crescents, as if they could speak. ’Isn’t that just like my precious daughter? Towards me, her mother, she’s always so thoughtful and doting. But towards everyone else, including her own family... well, that’s another story...’

"Bao’er, you see it now? Our daughter truly has a Seven-orifice Exquisite Heart!" Li Xiu murmured, gazing mesmerized at Zhou Lian’s eyes. ’Heh, his precious daughter was completely devoted to her mother in both lifetimes. His son, too. Whenever their mother was involved, both of them were the type to instantly evolve.’

Nodding gently, Zhou Lian understood completely. Though her precious daughter’s personality was different in each life, her instinct to protect her mother was exactly the same. Even Sister Fang had privately commented that while Li Xiu had practically raised both children, they were far closer to her, their mother, than to their father.

"Bao’er, don’t dwell on it. The bond between some parents and children is simply innate. Take me, for example—I was born with a weak connection to my parents. Or look at our son and daughter. In our last life, even though things between us were so bad and they were more protective of you, they were still respectful and exceptionally dutiful to me, their not-so-responsible father." Li Xiu said gently, knowing what she was thinking. ’His children were the best kind of children—full of sincere passion, and clear about who had shown them kindness and who had wronged them.’

Sitting up from Li Xiu’s embrace, Zhou Lian looked out the window and said softly, "Jin Chen, our precious daughter and son are the best children in the world."

"Yes, they are," Li Xiu said with a proud smile as he watched her sit up. He grabbed a coat and draped it over her shoulders. "Then let’s get up and go see our wonderful, precious daughter and son!"

Hearing the cheerful laughter of Li Xianglin and Li Xiangrui from the courtyard, the knot in Zhou Lian’s heart finally untangled. No one could change what had happened in their past life. ’But what about now?’ she thought. ’Now, I can do my best to protect this pure innocence of my daughter and son.’