“It’s really rare, huh? I’ve never seen the two little ones like this before.” Wan Jiayin looked at Yaya, then at Huo Jiusi.
Huo Jiusi was just like an abandoned little puppy, his head hanging low, looking utterly dejected: “It’s my fault Yaya is upset.”
“You have to coax a girl; if you keep coaxing her, she’ll stop being angry.” Wan Jiayin ruffled Huo Jiusi’s hair, signaling for him to do as he usually does and feed Yaya her egg custard.
Ever since Huo Yingnian moved next door after Yaya’s full-month celebration, Huo Jiusi had come over to see Yaya almost every single day. To them, this child was now just like their own.
Both were equally dear to her heart, and Wan Jiayin couldn’t bear to see either of them unhappy.
“Yaya.”
Huo Jiusi brought the egg custard specially made for Yaya over to her. He used a small spoon to scoop out a tiny bit, blew on it to cool it down, and brought it to her lips.
Yaya puffed out her little cheeks in a huff, hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth: [Little devil, I just want to eat the egg custard, this doesn’t mean I forgive you, got it?]
Huo Jiusi had been feeling pretty happy, but upon hearing Yaya’s thoughts, the light in his eyes dimmed considerably again.
His pitiful look almost made Yaya’s heart soften.
But then she remembered how he was always restricting her from doing this or that, and she just couldn’t stand it.
No way, no way. He’s already this bossy while he’s still so young. What will he be like when he grows up? She has to nip this bad tendency in the bud right now, while it’s just starting.
Huo Jiusi took care of Yaya with great precision. The amount he scooped up for her each time was just right, and the temperature of the food when he brought it to her mouth was also just right.
Yaya could now eat half a small bowl of egg custard in one go, and Huo Jiusi would finish whatever was left.
After finishing the egg custard, Yaya felt a bit sleepy. She yawned and, in a daze, reached her hand out towards Huo Jiusi.
Only after extending her hand did she realize what she had done.
But since she’d already reached out, oh well. It wasn’t like she planned to ignore the little devil forever. She had just eaten the food he fed her, so she’d just maintain her stern attitude for now.
Huo Jiusi happily picked up Yaya and carried her back to her room. First, he put her on the sofa, smoothed out her little bed, and then carefully placed Yaya onto it.
“Yaya, can you please stop being mad? It’s all my fault.” Huo Jiusi held Yaya’s little hand and kissed it.
Yaya turned her face away: [Hmph, you bullied me. I don’t want to talk to you.]
“I… I don’t like it when you kiss Xu Rui.” Huo Jiusi didn’t think there was anything wrong with being jealous.
[Little devil, I’m a human being, not your accessory. I have the right to make friends.]
Yaya turned her head back, her big, round eyes glaring at Huo Jiusi: [Acting like this makes me feel like I’m your pet. I, DO, NOT, LIKE, IT!]
[Just because you don’t like something, you tickle me. If you can’t control your emotions in the future, will you do something even more excessive to hurt me?]
“No, no, no.” Huo Jiusi waved his hands anxiously, with force: “Yaya, I would never hurt you.”
[You said before that you wouldn’t do anything I don’t like. What you just did was hurting me. Don’t think I don’t know you were tickling me as a punishment. That’s different from when we play together.]
“Yaaayaa~” Huo Jiusi held Yaya’s little hand and gently shook it, trying to smooth things over.
But Yaya felt she had to seize this opportunity to lay down the law for Huo Jiusi. She pulled her hand out of his grasp, and her little face was unusually stern.
Huo Jiusi truly realized the seriousness of the situation at that moment, because Yaya had never been like this before.
“Yaya, I know I was wrong.” Huo Jiusi tentatively took Yaya’s little hand again, looking up to gauge her expression.
There was still not a trace of a smile on Yaya’s little face: [If you really knew you were wrong, you wouldn’t still be trying to joke around with me.]
[Huo Jiusi, this is the first and last time I’m saying this to you. I don’t like you restricting me, interfering with me. I have my own freedom!]
[If you ever act like this again, I don’t care if we’re some kind of ‘shared destiny’ or not, you stay far away from me!]
[For two people to be together, respect is the foundation. Your actions didn’t respect me.]
[You remember this forever: First and foremost, I am me!]
“Yaya, I’ll go home and think carefully about what you said. I’ll give you my answer tomorrow.”
Huo Jiusi’s expression was incredibly serious. He gently patted Yaya: “Yaya, you’re sleepy. Go to sleep.”
What Yaya could resist the least was this kind of gentleness from Huo Jiusi. And she truly was very sleepy, so she slightly raised her hand.
Huo Jiusi knew what Yaya wanted. He placed his hand next to Yaya’s face, and Yaya rubbed her little cheek against the back of his hand, quickly falling asleep.
Little White had followed them in long ago. It leaped onto the little bed in a flash, but instead of curling up next to Yaya immediately, it observed Huo Jiusi. Seeing that he didn’t glare at it, it quietly went to Yaya’s other side.
Because of Yaya’s words, Huo Jiusi hadn’t eaten much dinner either.
Huo Yingnian usually came home very late. He was surprised to see the study light still on. He pushed the door open, and Huo Jiusi looked up: “Grandpa.”
“Jiusi, why aren’t you asleep yet?”
“Can’t sleep.”
Huo Yingnian held back a smile, walked over, and sat down next to Huo Jiusi: “Why can’t you sleep? What are you thinking about?”
“Grandpa, what does ‘First and foremost, I am me’ mean?” There was confusion in Huo Jiusi’s blue-purple eyes.
He understood most of what Yaya had said, but some parts he didn’t quite get. He couldn’t sleep, so he came to the study to look for answers, but he hadn’t found any.
“A person is first and foremost themselves. For example, your grandpa has different identities: a son, a husband, a father, your grandpa, and various titles. But these are all just parts of Huo Yingnian.”
Huo Yingnian gently tapped Huo Jiusi’s chest: “Just like you are first and foremost Huo Jiusi, and only then someone’s son, my grandson, Yaya’s friend, and in the future, someone’s husband, someone’s father.”
He guessed that Huo Jiusi’s worry came from Yaya, so he specifically mentioned her.
After all, the only one who could make his smart grandson like this was Yaya.
Suddenly, everything became clear to Huo Jiusi: “Thank you, Grandpa. I understand.”
Huo Yingnian was also aware of Huo Jiusi’s problem. He advised him: “Jiusi, don’t treat Yaya as if she’s your friend alone. When Yaya grows up, she will have other friends. But your grandpa believes that, for Yaya, you are to her just as she is to you – the most special one.”
“Grandpa, I know.”
Early the next morning, Huo Jiusi arrived at the Yue family’s home. As usual, he went inside to see Yaya first.
Yaya’s biological clock was always very accurate. She was about to wake up around this time.
She turned over, hugging Little White to her chest. Little White extended its little paws and hugged Yaya back.
She turned over again to lie flat. When Little White saw that Yaya wasn’t hugging it anymore, it stood up, stretched, then lay back down, continuing to curl into a ball, snug against Yaya.
