Time flows like water, and in the blink of an eye, it was the second month of spring, when the grass grows and the orioles fly.
The second day of the second lunar month, the day the dragon raises its head, happened to be the day the children started school.
Huo Jiusi and Yaya were going to kindergarten together.
Every compound had its own kindergarten, right inside the compound, incredibly safe.
The children and their parents all knew each other. If there was time in the morning, the parents would drop the children off. If there wasn’t, a few children who lived close by and knew each other would go together, running and playing along the way.
The kindergarten didn’t provide meals, so at noon they still had to go home to eat, and after their nap they would go back.
Originally, Huo Yingnian planned to have Huo Jiusi attend the kindergarten in the neighboring Air Force compound, where Qin Feng also went, so the two could keep each other company.
But Yaya was still little, so they decided to let Huo Jiusi go to the kindergarten in their own compound with Yaya.
When Qin Feng found out, he kicked up a fuss about going with Huo Jiusi and Yaya.
Yue Minghui and Qin Liping had no choice but to agree.
Qin Liping and Yue Minghui lived near the Business University. While Qin Feng was in kindergarten, he stayed at his grandparents’ house, and went home with his parents on weekends.
The kindergarten was a bit far from both the Yue and Huo homes. Huo Jiusi was worried Yaya would get tired, so he had Yaya sit in a little pushcart, and he pushed her there.
From far away, they could see Qin Feng standing at the kindergarten entrance, waving hard at them: “Jiusi, Yaya!”
He ran up to them, squatted beside the pushcart, and kissed Yaya: “Yaya, did you miss your Little Feng gege?”
“I did!”
“Look, gege brought you lots of yummy treats.”
Qin Feng took off his little backpack. It was packed full of snacks: “If you get hungry later, just tell me, okay?”
“Thank you, Little Feng gege.”
Qin Feng’s grandmother had brought him over. Huo Jiusi and Yaya went up and politely greeted her, then the three children held hands and went into the kindergarten.
Huo Jiusi, Qin Feng, and Tan Bei were all in the same class, along with a few other kids they often played with, so they were all very familiar with each other.
They didn’t exclude Yaya at all. In fact, they were quite happy that Yaya could be in their class.
In the morning, they just drew pictures, and when the weather was nice they went out to play for a while, and the time passed.
Huo Jiusi pushed Yaya on the way back, with a big group of people following beside them. After the other children went home one by one, only Huo Jiusi, Qin Feng, and Yaya were left. Huo Jiusi asked Yaya: “Yaya, do you think kindergarten is fun?”
“It’s about the same as being at home, just with a few more kids my age.”
Yaya thought about it carefully. There really wasn’t much difference. Every day at home was the same kind of day for her.
Eat a little something, read a book, draw pictures, go out to play for a while.
Kindergarten also taught them things, but only the simplest kind, and Yaya already knew all of it.
Actually, she went to kindergarten to get used to it in advance, to lay a foundation for starting elementary school later.
And it also counted as adding an experience to her life. She hadn’t gone to kindergarten in her previous life, so in this life she wanted to experience it.
Yaya knew Huo Jiusi would find kindergarten really boring. His mind was far more mature than other kids his age. If it weren’t for accompanying her, he definitely wouldn’t be willing to go to kindergarten and play with those children.
And from Yaya’s words, Huo Jiusi could also tell that Yaya liked kindergarten.
As long as Yaya was there, anywhere was fine with him.
Wherever Yaya was, that’s where he would be.
When they got home, Wan Jiayin and Meng Fang surrounded Yaya, asking about her first day at kindergarten.
They had originally wanted to send her off in the morning, but Yaya wouldn’t let them. They were all very worried, afraid Yaya might be bullied.
After learning that Yaya was fine, Wan Jiayin’s heart finally settled back into her chest.
“Second Aunt.”
Yaya suddenly walked over to Meng Fang, reached up, and touched her belly: “Little brother is about to come out and meet us soon.”
The due date was still half a month away. Meng Fang thought it wouldn’t be too late to go to the hospital a week early, but since Yaya said so, she needed to get ready right away.
Sure enough, early the next morning, Meng Fang felt an unbearable pain in her lower back. She had never given birth before, but she had heard many mothers talk about what it felt like, so she knew she had gone into labor.
Yue Mingli was completely stunned. It took him quite a while to snap out of it and realize he needed to hurry and take Meng Fang to the hospital.
Yaya, Huo Jiusi, and Qin Feng didn’t go to kindergarten either. They went to the hospital too.
Meng Fang’s cervix dilated quickly. By the time she reached the hospital, she was pushed straight into the delivery room.
In just half an hour, a loud baby’s cry came from inside.
“Congratulations, congratulations, it’s a boy, six jin and eight liang.”
Yue Mingli had experience holding Yaya before, so when he took his son from the nurse’s arms, he wasn’t flustered.
But after one look at his son, Yue Mingli felt all his joy doused like a bucket of cold water, chilled to the bone. He said with heartfelt emotion: “How come he looks like a monkey, so ugly!”
Wan Jiayin stepped forward and smacked Yue Mingli: “How can you say that about your own son?”
Yue Mingli put the baby in Wan Jiayin’s arms: “Mom, look for yourself! I’m not lying, he’s really unusually ugly.”
Wan Jiayin was quite helpless, because the child in her arms really was a bit ugly. But fortunately, she still knew: “All babies are like this when they’re born. Once he grows a little and fills out, he’ll be handsome.”
“Yaya was beautiful from the moment she was born.”
Yue Mingli picked Yaya up and kissed her little cheek: “Our Yaya has been beautiful since birth, and she’s getting more and more beautiful.”
It wasn’t just their family praising their own child. Their Yaya really was beautiful.
Those big, dark, round eyes, that soft, plump little face, pink and white, that little nose and little mouth—every part of her was unbelievably pretty.
Not to mention the whole compound, he had never seen a little girl prettier than his Yaya in all of Guojing.
If there was one thing that wasn’t good, it was that Yaya was only his niece, not his own daughter.
Why couldn’t he have had a daughter? He wanted a soft, sweet little daughter!
He turned his head and glanced at the stinky little boy, and Yue Mingli felt his heart clench.
“Yaya is special. Most children are like this.”
Yaya actually quite liked her little brother. She reached out and touched his face: “Didi, can you hear jiejie talking? I’m jiejie, your jiejie.”
“Second Uncle, what’s little brother’s nickname?” Yaya asked Yue Mingli.
Yue Mingli answered without even thinking: “Monkey.”
“Second Uncle, how can you call little brother Monkey?” Yaya pouted unhappily.
“Then how about Yaya gives little brother his nickname? What do you want to call him?”
Yue Mingli didn’t even want to look at his son, let alone name him. His mind was full of Meng Fang, who was still inside and hadn’t come out yet.
“I need to think carefully.”
Yaya’s little face was very serious: “Let’s call him Yangyang, the yang from taiyang, sun. I hope little brother will be as warm and bright as the sun.”
“Oh my, our Yaya is so good at naming. Alright, then he’ll be called Yangyang. His formal name will be Yue Youyang.”
Yue Mingli made the decision readily and decisively, which also solved his son’s name.
