Life After Marriage (3)

After the twins’ full-moon, Shen Xi took the kids back to Shen’s family home. Shangguan Yanqiu and Fu Handing could not spend a minute away from the children.

The wall between the Li and Shen family villas was taken down. Toffeecito was sad for days. Song Wenye laughed and said Toffeecito must be upset that it could not climb the wall anymore. After all, that wall belonged to it for over a year.

In the end, Yu Yuanxi installed a ladder where the wall used to be, and Toffeecito was back to its bubbly self. The cat would climb up and down the ladder to get to the other side since it was an unmissable ritual for Toffeecito.

Granny Yu had been staying with the Shens’ since Song Wenye had her baby. Although she was advanced in age, she still had the energy to care for the child and lightened the load off the young couple.

Shen Zhangqing and Yun Jinping could not be around full-time to tend to the child as they had to get back to work once the kid reached a month old. A confinement lady was hired to look after the child.

Song Wenye was an idol. As a public figure, she had an image to keep. Hence, she started weaning her child off breast milk on his full-moon.

Shen Xi had Shangguan Yanqiu and her husband take over childcare. Fu Qingxuan and the other brothers would drop work and make time for the babies. Besides, the twins were safer in the hands of family than outsiders.

By the time Li Yuan and Shen Xi returned home with the children, Toffeecito, who had not seen them for two months, bounced up and down in excitement. It kneeled by the cot and sniffed curiously at the babies.

“Toffeecito,” Shen Xi called.

Toffeecito looked back before continuing its observation of the twins. It cautiously reached out a paw to touch the little fella but quickly retracted in timidity.

With a smile, Shen Xi held its paw. “This is your siblings. Come and touch them, but don’t bring your claws out. You don’t want to scratch them.”

“Our Toffeecito behaves like a human. I suspect it might be human.” Song Wenye carried her infant in and looked at them gleefully. “Yu Song nearly fell out of his cot one time. Toffeecito sat there and made sure he didn’t.”

“Is Yu Song awake?’ Shen Xi turned back and found the little man in Song Wenye’s arms looking at her with those beady eyes.

Song Wenye and Yu Yuanxi’s son was named Yu Song. Shen Zhangqing and Yun Jinping were understanding that Granny raised Yu Yuanxi all on her own. The child was given the last name “Yu” so that the Yu family had a successor.

“He just woke up.” Song Wenye carried Yu Song over as she looked at the twins in the stroller. “Tangtang is such a good girl. She can be my son’s wife in the future.”

“Are you mad? You’re my sister-in-law.” Shen Xi rolled her eyes.

“That’s some backward thinking you have there. We’re only related through the household register. You and your brother don’t share a blood tie. What’s wrong with Tangtang becoming my daughter-in-law?” Song Wenye earnestly lectured Shen Xi before adding after much thought, “Why don’t you change your name and move your household register to the Fu family?”

Struck with another thought, Song Wenye smiled to herself. “Your brother is a child of the Yu family according to the household register. That makes things easier. Based on the household register, we have no relations.”

Shen Xi rolled her eyes. “Who’s the one with backward thinking? You’re suggesting an arranged marriage. Everyone has the freedom to date and marry whoever they want. It’s all up to them.”

The girls sat together and watched over the children while chatting.

Toffeecito stood still as it looked at the twins. People might mistake Toffeecito to be a statue if its eyes did not move too.

Yu Song was well-behaved in Song Wenye’s arms. He would not cry so long as he was held by someone. Yu Song had begun babbling, but no one knew what he was talking about.

“Xixi, your crybaby is awake.” Song Wenye pointed at the cot and teased.

A little guy like Li Mianmian could cry a house down. Hence, the nickname “Crybaby”.

However, the crybaby held the tears back this time even though he could not see anyone. His bright and huge eyes were fixated on Toffeecito.

Startled by Mianmian suddenly opening his eyes, Toffeecito nearly lost its footing and fell. It got a hold of itself and poked its head to look at Mianmian curiously.

The child and the cat stared into each other’s eyes for a long time before Mianmian broke the silence with a loud cry.

The wails knocked Toffeecito off its paws. Frightened, Toffeecito fell and tumbled on the group before getting up. It twirled around in a daze.

Finding it amusing, Song Wenye laughed out loud and said, “Come here, Toffeecito.”

Yu Song extended his arms to catch the tail. Tried as he might, he could not grab the tail. Still, he did not throw a tantrum and kept on going.

“Toffeecito let Yu Song play with its tail when he cries. Yu Song will then stop crying.” Song Wenye tapped on Toffecito’s head and pointed at the little man in Shen Xi’s arms. “Go and settle Mianmian down.”

Toffeecito turned around and glanced at the whiner. Tilting its head, Toffeecito approached Mianmian and wagged its tail in front of him.

Shen Xi watched as the crybaby stared intently at Toffeecito’s tail and gradually stopped crying. She chuckled when Mianmian tried to reach out to grab the tail. “That’s a kid’s toy right there.”

She did not spoil Toffeecito for nothing. It could help her to calm the babies down now.

“Toffeecito is the sweetest with children,” Song Wenye added with a smile. “Look at Tangtang. No amount of crying can take her away from her sleep.”

“She’ll never get some sleep if she lets the crying get to her,” Shen Xi joked.

Kids were usually easily startled, and the crybaby could shake the earth with his wailing. Tangtang would be awakened by him if she was not as nonchalant as she was now.

It somehow started snowing outside. With pure snowflakes fluttering outside the window, the figures of two handsome men carrying plastic bags in hand, strolled along in laughter and talk.

Entering the lawn, the pair lifted their gaze and looked at the bedroom window with love and delight in their eyes. There lay their everything.