One day, Jiang Fuyue was feeding Suisui. The chubby little one lay heavily in her arms.
At first, it was a warm and tender scene of a loving mother and obedient daughter. But not long after, the little one became excited, her legs kicked, her chubby hands waved wildly in the air.
Suddenly, she grabbed Jiang Fuyue’s hair and yanked, almost sending her own mother off on the spot.
That wasn’t all, she even started biting randomly.
Jiang Fuyue’s scalp hurt, her chest hurt. Even someone as calm and tolerant as her couldn’t help but cry out.
Hearing the commotion, Xie Dingyuan immediately strode in from the outer room, took Suisui directly, and cast a concerned gaze at Jiang Fuyue: “Did she bite you?”
Jiang Fuyue pulled down her clothes. “…It’s fine.”
Meanwhile, the well-fed Suisui was smiling in her father’s arms, drool glistening, revealing a few sharp little rice teeth.
It was infuriating, but there was nothing to be done.
Xie Dingyuan placed her in the crib to play with her brother, then opened a cabinet, took out a tube of ointment, and walked over to Jiang Fuyue.
“Lift your clothes.”
“No need…”
“It’s not like I haven’t seen it before, what are you shy about?”
“……”
Sure enough, the skin was broken.
Xie Dingyuan’s eyes were full of heartache. He dabbed ointment onto the wound with his finger, his movements light and gentle.
He was so calm about it that it made Jiang Fuyue feel embarrassed instead.
“Next time don’t feed Suisui directly, let her use a bottle.”
She had already bitten through several pacifiers, let alone a person?
Suisui, who was currently grabbing her brother’s toy: “?” Are you being polite?
Actually, Jiang Fuyue no longer breastfed directly most of the time; she usually pumped into a bottle. Today had just been an exception.
Who would’ve thought…
“Do you think our daughter is a bit too… rough?”
Top at eating, also quite good at hitting people.
Eats a lot, poops a lot, and is especially domineering.
Although Xie Dingyuan felt sorry for his wife, he still couldn’t help but speak up for his daughter: “She’s still young, she doesn’t understand.”
“Didn’t you just get slapped by her yesterday?”
“Ahem… it was just a pat, not that serious.”
“Then who was the one shouting in pain in front of me?”
“……”
Compared to Suisui’s wildness, her older brother Niannian was much more refined.
Not only was he gentle and well-behaved when drinking milk, he also did everything else calmly and in an orderly way.
For example, when he peed, he didn’t cry or fuss, just made a couple of “ah ah” sounds, and Xie Dingyuan would know to change his diaper.
Or when he was hungry, he didn’t even need to make a sound, he would just stare straight at the bottle, and his father would immediately understand.
Only when he needed to poop would he cry symbolically a couple of times.
Jiang Fuyue seriously suspected that this child had a natural cleanliness obsession, because any blanket that had been soiled was completely rejected by him.
As soon as it got near him, the little guy would cry immediately!
Like he had a built-in “poop radar.”
And because of this, Niannian was much easier to take care of.
Small appetite, less output, not fussy, and not prone to crying.
The siblings were two complete extremes.
Jiang Fuyue: “I think Niannian takes after you.”
Xie Dingyuan: “Of course! If my son doesn’t take after me, who would he take after?”
“……”
There was another especially good thing about Niannian, whether it was food or toys, he never fought with his sister.
For example, right now, even though his favorite yarn ball had been snatched away by his sister, he only pursed his lips slightly. No crying, no fussing.
It wasn’t just being good-tempered, it was like he had no temper at all.
……
Days passed like this, one after another, and in the blink of an eye it was the end of April.
“We can leave the island?!”
“Really?! It’s been over a year, finally we can go home! Wuwuwu…”
“You’re not joking? Are you sure?!”
“Professor Jiang said it herself, could it be fake?!”
“My god! Happiness came so suddenly, I can’t even handle it!”
“I’ve been waiting for this day, I’m going back to my room to pack right now!”
“……”
All the team members were overjoyed, running around spreading the news.
Soon, the news spread, and the island villagers also found out.
Although they felt reluctant, they also understood that these people were meant to return home in the first place. The extra half a year they had stayed was already a stroke of luck.
They couldn’t ask for more.
So this time, the villagers were sincerely happy for them.
Now that the country was directing a large amount of resources toward Duofu, life was becoming more hopeful, and people had gained a sense of security. They would no longer feel uneasy or fearful because of Jiang Fuyue’s departure.
What remained was only gratitude and blessings.
In the end, the departure date was set for May 5.
Before leaving, under Jiang Fuyue’s encouragement and organization, several Douyin accounts that had been nurtured for a long time conducted their first livestream sales.
【Little Zhong Horoscope】 sold sleep-aid tung-glazed pillows.
【Little Shark Beachcombing】 sold dried seafood products.
【Monkey Loves Climbing Trees】 promoted Duofu’s shepherd’s lily, which could be brewed into a drink, a must-have for health!
【Magical Hunter】…
After six hours of livestreaming, the transaction amount exceeded ten million.
And these goods would be taken out of the island along with Jiang Fuyue’s cargo ships and sent to all parts of the country.
On May 4, the day before departure.
Jiang Fuyue once again went to the bamboo house nestled against the mountains and surrounded by water.
After the undersea volcanic eruption that time, many bamboo houses on the island had collapsed or been destroyed. Now they had been replaced with sturdy frame-structure residences.
Only this place remained firm, standing quietly and solidly in its original spot, unmoved, just like its owner.
Fu Suizhong: “Professor Jiang, what brings you here?”
“I want to see Zhong Cheng.” Jiang Fuyue got straight to the point.
A flicker crossed his eyes: “Zhong Cheng? Who’s that?”
“Stop pretending. I knew from the first time I came, the tea was brewed by him.”
Fu Suizhong choked.
“And the herbal medicine sent into the delivery room when I gave birth, that was also decocted by him.”
“!”
Jiang Fuyue walked past him and went straight inside.
Fu Suizhong’s expression changed slightly, and he immediately stepped forward to block her: “He doesn’t want to see you…”
“But I want to see him. Move.”
“Professor Jiang, don’t make things difficult for me…”
Jiang Fuyue fell silent for a moment: “I’m leaving the island tomorrow. Go ask him if he wants to see me.”
Fu Suizhong was stunned: “Leaving the island? So suddenly? Alright! I’ll go ask.”
Two minutes later, he came out from inside, stepped aside, and gestured,
“Please go in.”
Jiang Fuyue stepped inside and finally stopped in front of a screen. Through it, she could see a straight-backed figure sitting.
She was about to walk around it, but the next second,
“Let it be like this. Don’t come any closer.”
“As expected, it’s you.” Jiang Fuyue’s mood was complicated. “Why?”
“Haven’t you heard the saying? It’s better to remember than to meet. We’re separated by two lifetimes, there’s nothing much to see. You’re no longer the Lou Mingyue of the past, and I’m no longer the Zhong Cheng I once was.”
“Just like you, after more than twenty years, you still like saying things in such a literary way.”
The man got anxious: “This is called atmosphere! Atmosphere! Do you understand?!”
“You’re talking about atmosphere with your former mortal enemy?”
“It was a mortal enemy before, you’ve already died once. Now we can be considered friends, right?”
Jiang Fuyue: “If we’re friends, have you ever thought about coming to find me on your own?”
“People need to maintain a sense of mystery between them, don’t you know?”
Jiang Fuyue’s lips twitched, “I’m leaving tomorrow. Aren’t you really going to move the screen and meet me?”
“No. This is fine.”
Jiang Fuyue didn’t insist anymore: “Thank you for the medicine that day, and for helping stabilize the villagers’ emotions at the beginning.”
She wasn’t a fool, she already understood what she should, and had basically guessed what she shouldn’t.
Before leaving, Jiang Fuyue asked once more: “Really not going to meet?”
“Not meeting. I wish you a smooth journey.”
“Alright. Take care.”
The man gave a soft hum in response.
After Jiang Fuyue left, Fu Suizhong walked behind the screen. In just a few months, his master had aged a lot, though his posture remained straight.
“Master…” He almost burst into tears. “What’s wrong with meeting her? You clearly want to see her so much, why be so stubborn?!”
Fu Suizhong didn’t understand.
The man slowly traced the rim of his cup, saying nothing.
In truth, the reason was simple, just as women dress up for those they like, men are the same.
He wanted the impression he left in the heart of the one he liked to always be young and handsome, not the withered old figure he was now.
In this lifetime, being able to hear her voice again, to see her give birth to children… that was enough.
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