In the end, Beijiao personally retrieved Jiang Ran’s ski board bag the next day. Unfortunately, she didn’t appreciate it. As he walked around the room organizing her ski boots, she even complained about the noise, furiously kicking the blanket to express her displeasure.
Beijiao didn’t indulge her bad habits either. He threw aside the ski boot he was adjusting with the drawstring. Then he reached out and pulled the blanket off her head. Her face, hidden under the blanket, was flushed red, and one pale, tender hand struggled with him for the blanket.
But her strength was no match for his.
He easily got his way. At this moment, the man’s rough hand rubbed her soft cheek: “Still got strength, kicking the blanket like you’re going to make a hole in it. Seems like I’m getting old.”
Jiang Ran’s face turned even redder from his caressing.
She cursed, “Beast,” and desperately burrowed deeper into the blanket amidst his soft laughter. After thinking for a while, she popped her head out again: “Bring that off-piste board too.”
Beijiao raised his eyebrows.
Jiang Ran explained, “I promised Nian to go a couple of runs at Wolf Ravine.”
Beijiao murmured an “Oh,” recalling how the first time he skied off-piste was at Wolf Ravine. He returned to be scolded by Jiang Ran, who was still his mentor then, so badly that he was scared stiff…
He sat on the bed, crossing his legs: “Take me along?”
Jiang Ran scoffed and politely said, “We only have one off-piste board at home.”
Beijiao: “I can use my park board.”
When Jiang Ran realized her polite refusal didn’t work, she turned blunt: “No way. Can you not be so clingy!”
Beijiao reminisced about the time when he first entered Wolf Ravine, tagging along with a group who clearly appeared to be experienced skiers. Those people were warm and friendly to strangers, chatting cheerfully…
Nowadays, more and more people ski, and this year Wolf Ravine might be crowded with these young and passionate bodies…
She was right. Even though their son is three years old and will go to kindergarten next year, he still couldn’t feel at ease—
What if something happened!
“Anyway, if you don’t take me, you’re not going anywhere either,” Beijiao said, “I’ll stick to you.”
He specially bent down to whisper this into Jiang Ran’s ear.
Watching helplessly as her ear turned red, then one hand shot out from under the blanket, pushing and shooing him away.
“Get lost.”
“You kiss me first and then I’ll go.”
“I’ll kiss your ass. Did you do something good that I need to reward you?”
“Isn’t it good that I picked up your board bag early in the morning?”
“I could have picked it up myself. Don’t you know what good deed you did? My waist still hurts!”
Jiang Ran threw the blanket open to show him. Outside, it was already bright daylight. Under the sunlight, her delicate, pale, and smooth skin, without a single visible pore, was marked all over by him…
Using hands and mouth.
The worst spot was even slightly bruised.
Beijiao leaned in for a look, fell silent for a moment, then considerately covered her back up with the blanket.
Failing to take advantage, the man obediently stood up. Under Jiang Ran’s stern gaze, he took out a new ski backpack from the closet, and packed the radio transceiver and a snowsuit with satellite positioning into the ski backpack.
This resulted in Beichi sitting on the sofa sucking on a lollipop, staring at his dad holding one long ski board bag in each hand and wearing a pink ski backpack on his back. He said, “Dad has so much stuff.”
Beijiao: “…”
Dad only has one board, one pair of boots, and a helmet. Everything else is your mom’s.
Beijiao turned to look at Jiang Ran. She had only a wheeled suitcase with her, containing casual clothes and things for their son.
Jiang Ran said expressionlessly, “Yes, your dad brings so much stuff when he goes out. How come you can’t even bring a bunny?”
Beichi probably didn’t expect his mom to still be thinking about it after a night.
He jumped off the sofa, perhaps to shut his mom up, he actively reached out to hold her hand and quickly pulled her outside.
Afraid she would turn back and take the bunny.
The family of three entered the elevator and watched the door close.
In the elevator’s reflection, Beijiao clearly saw the woman suddenly smile silently behind him, creating a very horror-movie effect… He immediately turned around to give her a warning look.
But it was already too late.
Ignoring the sharp gaze from her husband, Jiang Ran bent down and tugged at her son’s hand: “Aoao, didn’t you sleep hugging the bunny last night?”
Beichi hadn’t reacted yet, one hand still held by his mom, he looked down at his other empty hand and then adorably and confusedly grabbed at the air.
Beichi: “How did Mom know?”
Jiang Ran: “Of course Mom knows. Guess where the bunny is?”
Beichi: “Where?”
Jiang Ran: “In the suitcase. Mom already put the bunny in the suitcase for Aoao!”
Beichi: “?”
Standing at the front, Beijiao expressionlessly covered his ears.
The next second, the elevator was filled with the three-year-old boy’s desperate scream of “Mom can’t!” accompanied by the woman’s happy laughter, as the elevator door opened at the basement level leading to the garage.
…
Since they lived in the same community, Qiu Nian and Li Xingnan were already waiting in the underground garage.
Beside them, a little boy slightly taller than Beichi was holding a leash for an Alaskan Malamute that was even taller than him. Upon hearing the noise, both the boy and the dog turned their heads.
Naihuangbao had guarded Jiang Ran’s belly for almost half a year when she was pregnant, and it was as if he had already known her through the belly, getting along very affectionately.
The big dog had been sitting steadily before, but seeing Beichi now, it lifted its butt and started wagging its tail.
Li Nian was about a year older than Beichi. The little boy wore a baseball cap, and his running shoes were brand new… He had a lively expression on his face and eagerly ran over with the dog as soon as he saw them, calling out in a sweet voice: “Aoao, look at Naihuangbao!”
As he ran, the lights on his shoes even blinked, making them extremely flashy.
He ran like a whirlwind to the three-person family, then suddenly braked hard. He obediently called out “Auntie Ran” and “Dog Uncle,” and was about to show off his dog to his playmate when he looked closely and noticed the red eyes.
Li Nian immediately got anxious, threw away the leash in his hand, and grabbed Beichi’s hand—
“What’s wrong!” the kid asked loudly, “Why are you crying!”
Unlike Beichi, who was a quiet child raised purely in the south, Li Nian went back to Northeast China with his father every winter…
While he didn’t learn much in his hometown, he picked up the rough and tough mannerisms of the Northeast men completely, speaking with a loud and strong voice when angry.
Beichi climbed down from Beijiao’s arms, stood steadily on the ground, stood on tiptoe, and patted Naihuangbao’s ears: “I didn’t cry!”
Li Nian’s eyes turned round and round, staring at his face for a long time. Finally, he “Oh”ed and didn’t ask further.
Beichi felt a bit uncomfortable and put his hand down.
Then it was grabbed again and placed on the dog’s head.
“You touch it again,” Li Nian generously approved, “When I want to cry because Mom scolds me, Dad lets me touch Naihuangbao’s ears!”
Beichi: “…”
The two kids and a dog gathered aside whispering.
Qiu Nian was dragging a suitcase by then. Their two families parked their cars together, loading the suitcases into their Audi. Qiu Nian glanced at Beichi, who was standing on tiptoe hugging Naihuangbao: “Jiang Ran, how old are you? Can’t you stop bullying your son… Within three days, he gets upset by you for two. And you still complain about him looking at you like you’re a stepmother!”
“I just wanted to give him a comfort toy. He himself couldn’t bring himself to ask, so as his mother, I had to be considerate?” Jiang Ran stood beside them expressionlessly, “He’s really like his dad, same personality, stubborn and suffering for it.”
Beijiao was putting the board bag into the trunk of their car at this time.
Upon hearing this, he was not happy.
“When did I ever stubbornly suffer for it?”
“Who was it that looked fierce and told me to stay away from you no matter what I wanted to do?” Jiang Ran kicked him with her foot, “If I were a regular girl, I would have been scared off by you.”
Qiu Nian: “…You’re proud of yourself for snatching a college student, huh?”
Jiang Ran’s face remained calm: “I’m just afraid my son will pick up bad habits from his dad. Otherwise, what’s the use of having a pretty face? He won’t find a girlfriend either.”
Qiu Nian: “…Like my son with all his flashy talk, right? I don’t even know who Li Nian takes after—he’s not like his dad—”
The two turned around together and saw the two extremely handsome little boys with their heads close together. One kept chattering nonstop, while the other spoke little and just stood listening quietly…
The atmosphere was quite harmonious.
“They definitely won’t fight over the same girlfriend in the future,” Jiang Ran waved her hand, reaching a conclusion, “Now I can rest easy. Any little girl who can tolerate Li Nian would definitely frown so hard at my Aoao that she could kill a fly.”
“The one who likes Aoao must be a hopeless romantic,” Qiu Nian laughed, covering her mouth, “The kind who grew up reading boss novels.”
…
Jiang Huaixin loved his grandson dearly. Considering that Jiang Ran’s group was large and business class wouldn’t be enough, he arranged a private jet for them a month in advance.
Jiang Ran booked airline tickets but didn’t use them in the end. She canceled the tickets and comfortably enjoyed the luxury treatment by taking advantage of her son.
The private jet was spacious enough, so she casually invited the family of her neighbor Shan Chong to come along—
When Jiang Ran was pregnant with Bei Aoao, she was almost due at the same time as Wei Zhi, the wife of Shan Chong, and they became close friends after exchanging parenting experiences…
When Bei Aoao was not yet a month old, he had even been held by Shan Chong’s eldest daughter!
This time, she directly invited Wei Zhi. The girl’s family was quite well-off, and she didn’t put on airs. After a brief thought, she readily agreed and arranged to meet at the airport.
Now, Shan Chong’s eldest daughter Shan Xunyue was almost eight years old, and the younger one, Shan Yang, was already three. The two daughters stood hand in hand, their looks a blend of their parents’ features, so pretty that it made Jiang Ran and Qiu Nian, who only had sons, envious.
Far away, the two little princesses of the Shan family sat in the car.
Shan Xunyue bent down and saw the group approaching in the distance. Suddenly startled, she exclaimed, “Oh my, my brother is coming, huh?”
She pulled at her dress, smoothing out the wrinkles, “Dad, do you think Bei Chi will agree to sit next to me?”
Shan Chong glanced at his daughter: “I heard Bei Chi is a quiet child.”
Shan Xunyue: “I’m quiet too, right? Am I not quiet?”
Shan Chong: “You are quiet when you don’t speak.”
Shan Xunyue: “Then I won’t speak later!”
Shan Chong chuckled, clearly thinking his daughter was talking nonsense—
Xiaoman, as she was called, was a chatterbox. At home, she was the only one talking, making all the noise. How could she possibly keep quiet?
Unless the sun rose from the west.
…
Shan Yang, Bei Chi, and Li Nian were in the same kindergarten and were already very familiar with each other. When they met, Li Nian immediately went up and pulled the little girl’s braid.
Shan Yang quickly slapped his hand away: “Why do I have to see you even on vacation? You’re so unlucky!”
Li Nian put his hands in his pockets: “What’s wrong? Not happy? Even if you’re not happy, you still have to call me ‘big brother.’ Hurry up and call me!”
Shan Yang ignored him and turned to talk to Bei Chi.
At just over three years old, Shan Yang was a girl and learned to speak faster. She spoke in a babyish voice but her words were much clearer than Bei Chi’s…
Bei Chi himself knew this. The little guy had a sky-high sense of self-esteem, so when his playmate spoke to him, he just replied with “Hmm” or “Ah,” or “Okay.”
He spoke in a flat tone, one word at a time.
Jiang Ran watched from behind and shook her head, and Qiu Nian shook her head along with her.
The three families boarded the plane and sat down. The kids, like mice falling into a rice barrel, ran off to find their own seats. Shan Yang found a seat at the back and sat down, but Li Nian insisted on sitting next to her.
Shan Yang angrily shouted: “I don’t want to sit with you!”
Li Nian buckled her seatbelt for her: “I’m going to sit with you anyway, just to make you mad!”
Shan Yang: “…”
Qiu Nian leaned over from his seat watching his son’s flashy antics, sighing: “It’s over, this one is ruined. Better hurry up and have a second child.”
Jiang Ran was different. After watching Li Nian’s second-generation rich kid performance, she turned to look for her own “three-no” teenager (no talking, no expression, no emotion) to see what he was doing. She saw him turn around and climb into the seat next to Shan Xunyue.
At this moment, as the older sister, Shan Xunyue turned her head and looked at him. When the little boy beside her also turned, their eyes met. Shan Xunyue then turned her head to look out the window.
Bei Chi seemed quite satisfied that she was ignoring him.
Jiang Ran: “…”
Absolutely hopeless.
Unable to stand it anymore, Jiang Ran approached, bent down, and fastened her son’s seatbelt. In a babyish voice, she said, “Aoao, you have to sit here!”
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw her dear son raise his pretty face. With a pair of black eyes exactly like his father’s, he looked at her solemnly and said, “Mom, speak normally.”
Jiang Ran: “…”
You’re my son.
Jiang Ran: “Then sit properly and don’t bother your Xiaoman sister, okay? If you feel like throwing up or uncomfortable, call me!”
Bei Chi turned his head to look at Shan Xunyue. The latter smiled politely at Jiang Ran. She spoke in a quiet and concise manner: “Auntie Ran, it’s okay. I can take care of my little brother.”
While fastening the little girl’s seatbelt, Jiang Ran was crying inside, thinking, “I have to have a daughter! I must! How come this useless dog at home couldn’t give me a daughter QAQ!”
With the sad thoughts of “My main character is also ruined, maybe because my husband hacked my account,” she sat between Shan Chong’s wife Wei Zhi and Qiu Nian.
Wei Zhi leaned over when she saw Jiang Ran sit down: “Why did Aoao go to play with Xiaoman?”
“I don’t know,” Jiang Ran waved her hand, “Maybe he likes quiet and pretty sisters.”
Wei Zhi: “?”
Quiet and pretty?
Who?
Was she talking about her daughter?
Jiang Ran didn’t think anything was wrong. After all, from the moment Shan Xunyue met them at the airport until now, she hadn’t spoken much. When she did speak, it was politely and quietly, like a true lady of a noble family!
Which parent wouldn’t like such a little girl!
She kept turning around frequently. Compared to the two noisy kids in the same row who were making a mess like a fish pond exploding, her son and the quiet sister were getting along so peacefully (sitting silently without a word), she felt slightly reassured.
Wei Zhi kept turning around frequently along with her.
Ten minutes later, when the plane was flying steadily, Xiaoman took out a book from her backpack, opened it—
It was a picture book.
It had words marked with pinyin and colorful illustrations, which also caught Bei Chi’s attention. Shan Xunyue turned her head to see the person beside her looking too, and generously pulled the book to the middle so both could see.
Wei Zhi: “…”
Wei Zhi kicked the front seat.
Shan Chong turned around.
Wei Zhi: “Your daughter has gone crazy? How come there’s a book in her backpack? I didn’t know she could do such a thing!”
Shan Chong also looked confused, stretching his neck to take a look. He saw his eldest daughter’s most tranquil moment in her life.
Shan Chong: “…”
Shan Chong was about to say something.
At this moment, he heard Shan Xunyue say in a moderate tone: “Can’t you read the words yet?”
Bei Chi lifted his eyelids and looked at the big sister. To Jiang Ran’s shock, he obediently nodded his head and said, “Hmm.”
Shan Xunyue smiled at him, “Then shall I read it to you?”
Bei Chi thought for a moment, paused, then nodded and said, “Okay.”
Shan Xunyue really started reading the picture book, using Mandarin as standard as reading a Chinese textbook in class, slow and patient.
Beside the seat, Shan Yang, who was previously busy pushing and shoving with Li Nian, was stunned. She raised her head and gave her mother a confused look—
How come her sister could speak in this voice!
She had never read a picture book to her!
What was she doing here, doing charity for Bei Aoao!
The plane was filled only with the eight-year-old girl’s voice reading the picture book page by page.
Shan Chong’s collar tightened as his wife pulled him over. Tilting his head, he heard Wei Zhi whispering anxiously: “Oh no, Chongge, is our daughter going to be a love-struck girl who digs wild vegetables when she grows up aaaaaaa?”
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