A few days later, Little Niangao woke up bright and early.
With his hair all tousled, he snuck into the room next door.
His round eyes darted around as he tiptoed over to his mom, placed his little hand on the blanket and patted her belly.
"Good morning, little sister," he whispered, as if sharing a secret.
Fu Zhiyie had woken up long ago, but kept his eyes closed, holding his wife as he waited for her to wake.
His long eyes slid open; he lazily glanced at his son and gestured for him to climb up from the other side.
Little Niangao wriggled into his dad's warm spot. Fu Zhiyie, his stubble grown enough to poke, rubbed it against him playfully. "Up so early?"
Little Niangao couldn't help but giggle, then covered his face and mouth.
"Mom said, today I'm going to Tangyuan's house."
"Mm-hmm, but Mom isn't up yet, and neither is your little sister."
They kept their voices low, careful not to disturb the others.
"Little sister is so lazy," he whispered.
"She's small, so she needs more sleep to grow big and strong."
"Okay, then we'll wait for Mommy to wake up."
They mumbled quietly to each other for a while. Behind them, someone gave a sleepy hum—about to wake. Fu Zhiyie abandoned his son and turned over to scoop his wife into his arms.
"Baby, are you awake?"
Cecilia snuggled her head deeper into his broad chest and shook her head. "Still sleepy..."
Early pregnancy was always like this: so very tired, hard to wake in the morning, wanting naps throughout the day.
Her just-awakened voice was soft and kittenish with a hint of spoiled charm.
Behind, Little Niangao, ditched by Dad, finally crawled out from under the covers again.
Dad's back was like a little mountain. Little Niangao knelt on the bed and peered over Fu Zhiyie's shoulder to look at Mom.
How come Mom seemed so tiny, hiding under Dad's blankets? "Mom, is little sister awake yet?"
Cecilia blinked, then saw a small head peeking out from behind Fu Zhiyie.
"Sweetheart, you're up so early."
"Yep, Mom. I already said good morning to the little sister. Are you feeling shy, hiding in Dad's arms?"
Afraid Mom couldn't see him, Little Niangao climbed up onto Dad and stretched his short legs, tiptoeing just to reach Mom.
Feeling the warmth of his little hand on her face, Cecilia laughed. "Of course my husband has to hold me."
Fu Zhiyie reached out, effortlessly lifting his son from behind and settling him between the two adults.
"Careful, don't kick Mommy's tummy."
"Okay."
Little Niangao, sandwiched between Mom and Dad, wriggled gleefully.
"Mom, today I'm going to tell Tangyuan I have another little sister!"
"Hmm... Alright."
They lounged about for a while and only after lunch did they finally set off.
Little Tangyuan was dressed in a red jacket, with her hair tied into two little buns using red strings. She sat on a play mat, tugging at Er Dou's fur.
Back at Mia Moore's house, Er Dou used to rule the roost. But ever since Tangyuan arrived, some mysterious bond seemed to suppress him. Every day, he got pinned down and had his fur plucked. The huge husky didn't dare move when the little girl touched him, simply flopping there and letting her do as she pleased.
"Ding-dong—ding-dong—"
The doorbell rang. Little Tangyuan looked up at the door just as Mia Moore opened it.
"You’re here! My little Niangao, my little Cecilia!"
She welcomed them inside. Fu Zhiyie set his son down; he was just dropping the two of them off and then headed to the office.
Cecilia spotted little Tangyuan sitting on the mat, squatted down and opened her arms. "Tangyuan, come to Auntie!"
Little Tangyuan paused for a second, then realized it was her aunt. Her chubby hands pressed against the floor as she scrambled to her feet and toddled over.
With a little "thump-thump-thump", she dashed into Cecilia's arms.
"Gugu... gu!"
The living room was wall-to-wall plush carpet, so Cecilia sat right down and scooped the sweet, soft little one into her arms.
"Oh, Tangyuan, you smell so nice!" She pulled her son over too. "Look, your sister already grew taller!"
Little Niangao looked at Tangyuan and called out happily, "Tangyuan!"
Tangyuan reached out her little hand and presented her brother with a clump of dog fur she’d just plucked...
"Wow, is this Tangyuan's gift for her big brother?" Cecilia stifled a laugh as she took the handful of fur. "Sweetie, give your sister your gift now."
"Okay!" Little Niangao presented the limited-edition doll he had left by the door.
Mia Moore came out of the kitchen with fruit, spotted the doll, and shrugged. "Well, there goes another one, doomed for destruction."
It seemed their little girl had inherited more than a bit of Charles Chase’s mischievous, dramatic streak—bossy, cunning, and already a little actress.
"It's fine, let her play."
Tangyuan hugged the doll. Its crystal-clear violet eyes and golden hair made it look like a princess in layered skirts.
"Doll... pretty!" Tangyuan smacked a kiss on Cecilia’s cheek and started playing with it, completely engrossed.
Little Niangao just squatted to the side, watching his sister play.
Cecilia returned to the sofa and chatted lazily with Mia Moore about nothing in particular.
"So for the New Year, you're really going to Y Country?"
"That’s right. Mom finally found true love and is remarrying, so we’ll spend the New Year in Y Country. We'll help her pack her things there, but we’ll come back to live here after the holidays."
"That's wonderful. I hope my mom finds someone to enjoy life with, too."
Compared to Ye Jing, Sarah Chase was much more free-spirited and unrestrained—dating and finding someone to share the years ahead.
"What?! Really? Baby number two!" Mia Moore was even more excited than Cecilia herself. "Fu Zhiyie finally agreed to it, huh?"
"No, not really," Cecilia whispered to her, confiding in hushed tones.
Mia Moore burst out laughing. "Nice one! Good for you!"
They were still engrossed in their conversation when Little Niangao ran over, looking all wronged, his eyes misty with tears.
"Mom..."
"What’s wrong, sweetheart?"
Little Niangao pointed sadly at the ground behind him. Tangyuan had already torn the doll’s arms and legs off and pulled off the wig as well.
The poor, now-bald, maimed doll lay pitifully on the carpet.
Sensing the attention, the tiny destroyer looked up and blinked her eyes innocently.
Cecilia couldn't help but laugh—just like her brother, this little one was a born drama queen.
"Sweetie, why did you give your sister the doll?"
Little Niangao thought for a bit, then said seriously, "To make her happy."
"Well, look—is she happy playing with it now?"
Little Niangao glanced at his giggling little sister and, though reluctant, nodded. "Happy."
"That’s right! Tangyuan is already having fun. Once she’s done, we’ll tidy the doll back up for you, okay?"
Little Niangao grudgingly accepted this explanation.
By evening, Fu Zhiyie returned to pick up his wife and son.
But Little Niangao still looked a bit down. Fu Zhiyie glanced at him in the rearview mirror.
"What’s wrong, son?"
Little Niangao shook his head. Cecilia quickly told Fu Zhiyie about everything that happened that day.
Fu Zhiyie smiled. "Sweetie, what will you do if your little sister breaks your toys in the future?"
"Huh... my toys..."
"Yes."
"But I like little sister. I don’t want to be mad at her," Little Niangao replied, clearly caught in a dilemma.
"You know, if you ever want to be upset, you should tell your sister how you feel and protect the toys you really care about. Not everything needs to be sacrificed."
Little Niangao nodded, still just slightly puzzled. Fu Zhiyie didn’t want his son to have to give up everything just because of a new sibling.
But when the baby sister was finally born, Little Niangao ended up being the most devoted protector in the whole family.
He’d save every treat for her.
If she broke his toys, well, that was alright too.
Even his snacks from kindergarten—he’d sneak back a piece just for his little sister.