“Alrighty.”
The old man turned his gaze to Fang Yiming. “Young Fang, you’re also getting the three-fresh one, huh?”
“Yes, Uncle. I’ll have the three-fresh too.”
Fang Yiming introduced to Yue Mingyuan and the others what was available here, and they each placed their orders.
The specialty here was that the wontons were cooked together with the noodles, and you could also add a plump, round poached egg.
Yaya wanted to try everything, but she couldn’t eat that much, so she just shared a bowl with Huo Jiusi.
When the food arrived, Huo Jiusi scooped up a big wonton with a spoon, blew on it to cool it down, and held it to her mouth, reminding her again and again, “Take small bites, careful not to burn yourself.”
With his other hand, he scooped up another wonton and set it aside to cool.
A bite of wonton, a bite of noodles, plus egg—Huo Jiusi took care of Yaya so carefully and attentively.
Yue Mingyuan, Ye Zhiqiu, and Fan Xue were all used to this kind of scene, but Han Siyang and Fang Yiming had never seen it before and found it quite novel.
Fang Yiming didn’t know the situation and asked Yue Mingyuan directly, “Little Yue, is this your son? How come he doesn’t look like you?”
“No, he’s the grandson of Old Huo next door.”
Yue Mingyuan glared at Fang Yiming. “You should go get your eyes checked.”
“Don’t worry, even if I went blind, I could still take you down.” Fang Yiming tilted his chin at Yue Mingyuan. “You owe me another favor, you know.”
“You want me to go easy on you in the competition?”
“You little punk, still so cheeky!” Fang Yiming cracked his knuckles. “Just wait for the competition—I’ll show you what’s what!”
“Come on, you loser.”
Yue Mingyuan didn’t hold back at all. “I don’t owe you anything—you lost, so you owe me.”
While Fang Yiming and Yue Mingyuan bickered, Huo Jiusi had already fed Yaya until she was full. Every time Yaya finished eating, she would gently pat her little belly.
Huo Jiusi took out a fruit leather from his pocket and handed it to Yaya, afraid she might get indigestion.
Yaya held the fruit leather with both hands, taking small bites—she couldn’t have been cuter.
Fan Xue couldn’t resist and planted a kiss on Yaya’s cheek.
Yaya turned her head and smiled at Fan Xue, her eyes curving like crescent moons.
Han Siyang waved at Yaya. “Yaya, come here, let Auntie give you a hug.”
Huo Jiusi helped Yaya hop off the stool. She came over to Han Siyang, who scooped her up onto her lap. Yaya took out a crabapple from her pocket and handed it to Han Siyang. “Auntie, this is for you.”
“Thank you, Yaya.”
Han Siyang lowered her head and kissed Yaya’s little cheek. It felt so good that she couldn’t help but kiss her several more times.
“No wonder your Auntie Xue’er always loves kissing you.”
“Will Auntie always kiss me from now on too?” Yaya looked up, her big round eyes blinking.
Han Siyang nodded with a smile. “That’s right. Is Yaya willing to let Auntie kiss you?”
“Yes! Auntie is Mommy’s good friend, and I like Auntie.”
Fang Yiming, sitting nearby, was also charmed by Yaya. He gently poked her with his finger. “Little one, what’s your name?”
“Hello, Uncle Fang. My full name is Yue Chuman—my grandpa gave me that name. My nickname is Yaya, with the grass radical.”
“How old are you?”
Yaya answered obediently, “One year and two months.”
“Only one year and two months and you can already speak so clearly, and you even know Yaya has the grass radical—that’s amazing!”
Fang Yiming gave Yaya a thumbs-up, then turned to Yue Mingyuan. “My daughter is already a year and a half old and can only manage single words.”
Han Siyang, standing nearby, froze. She had finally met someone she liked, but it turned out he already had a child. Well, at least it was just a crush.
But the next second, she heard Yue Mingyuan ask Fang Yiming, “Sister-in-law… you haven’t found someone else?”
“Haven’t met the right one. I’ll wait until I do. I want to find someone I like, who can also genuinely accept my little girl—that’s probably hard.”
Han Siyang’s mood was like a rollercoaster, rising and falling. She could tell that Fang Yiming’s wife was probably gone.
But if the two of them ended up together, it would mean she’d have to become a stepmother. That really went beyond her life plan—she had never even considered the possibility.
After everyone finished eating, Fang Yiming first dropped off Ye Zhiqiu, Fan Xue, and Han Siyang at the dance troupe dormitory.
Then he took Yue Mingyuan, Yaya, and Huo Jiusi to a nearby guesthouse. Yaya had already fallen asleep, and Huo Jiusi was holding her.
Seeing that Yue Mingyuan still had something to say to Fang Yiming, Huo Jiusi said a quick goodbye and carried Yaya back first.
Fang Yiming lit a cigarette and teased, “So you’ve already found yourself a son-in-law?”
“Get out of here—nothing good ever comes out of your mouth.” Yue Mingyuan punched Fang Yiming’s shoulder. “Don’t laugh at me. One day your daughter will get married too, and you’ll cry your eyes out. At least I’ve watched this one grow up and know him inside and out.”
“Every time I go home, my daughter doesn’t even recognize me.”
Fang Yiming smiled bitterly and rubbed his face. His situation was the same as Yue Mingyuan’s—the base was near Jiangning, but he couldn’t just go home whenever he wanted.
“After this competition, I want to transfer out.”
“Because of your little girl?” Yue Mingyuan had been leaning against the car door, but when he heard this, he stood up straight.
“Not entirely because of her. There are other reasons too.”
Fang Yiming patted Yue Mingyuan’s shoulder. “I’m getting older. I can’t keep pushing myself like this—if I do, it’ll kill me.”
“If you’ve got what it takes, then carry my share too.”
Yue Mingyuan frowned. He knew Fang Yiming wasn’t telling the truth.
No one knew Fang Yiming’s abilities better than he did—they had been rivals for years.
But he respected Fang Yiming’s decision. They were all ordinary people with flesh and blood, with families to support. You had to consider your family, consider reality—you couldn’t just rely on hot-blooded idealism.
“Keep in touch. If you ever need anything, don’t be a stranger.” Yue Mingyuan spoke up.
This time it was Fang Yiming who gave Yue Mingyuan a punch. “Don’t worry, I definitely won’t be a stranger.”
“Zhao Gang has plenty of dirt on him—he won’t hold up under investigation. As for his son, he’s just a reckless troublemaker. That kind of person has no brains, but you still need to watch your back.”
Fang Yiming knew Yue Mingyuan well and was clear that Yue Mingyuan wouldn’t let Zhao Gang and Zhao Lei, father and son, off easily.
After receiving Yue Mingyuan’s call and finding out it was Zhao Gang, he had also pulled some additional information on him.
He couldn’t give that information to Yue Mingyuan, but he could point him in a direction. He believed in Yue Mingyuan’s capabilities.
Although his base of operations was in Guojing, he could handle this small matter in Jiangning too.
After Fang Yiming finished his cigarette, the two had said just about everything.
“Alright, I’m off. Next time we meet will be at the competition.”
Fang Yiming patted Yue Mingyuan’s shoulder and was about to get in the car. Yue Mingyuan thought for a moment, then still reminded Fang Yiming, “Don’t hold yourself back. Try to go for it.”
Fang Yiming quickly understood what Yue Mingyuan meant, and the image of that girl with the warm smile flashed through his mind.
