Lin Xinyan felt puzzled upon seeing how serious he looked.
“What’s gotten into you? Have you forgotten that they’ve changed their names?” she asked.
Zong Jinghao shook his head as he explained, “I’m just so used to calling them their old names that I don’t feel like changing them.” While speaking, his vision lingered on her belly. “We’ll let this baby carry your surname regardless of his or her gender.”
Gazing at her, he said in a gentle voice, “As you’re the only child of your father, we should let one of our children be the descendant of your family.”
He was serious about that decision. Since Lin Xinyan had always been so considerate of him, he thought that it was about time he started doing the same time to her too.
It went without saying that she was touched by his gesture. Glaring at him, she chided, “Why are you telling me something so emotional? Are you trying to make me cry?”
He laughed out loud and wrapped his arms around her. Planting a kiss on her forehead, he muttered, “It pains me to see you cry.”
Tsk, tsk. ”What wrong have I done to deserve this scene of public display of affection? Can you guys give me a break?”
Su Zhan, who was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed in front of his chest, watched the two of them with amusement.
The affection in Zong Jinghao’s eyes disappeared as coldness took its place immediately following Su Zhan’s appearance.
Slowly, he looked up at Su Zhan and spoke in a level voice, “You’re just jealous.”
Then, he ignored him and walked into the house with Li Xinyan.
Su Zhan was left speechless.
Am I jealous of them?
Indeed, I am.
Is my life not miserable and lonely enough? Why did he have to remind me of that fact?
Is it because I look like a pushover?
He began cursing Zong Jinghao for his cold-heartedness and how he had been neglecting him ever since he reunited with Lin Xinyan. At the moment, he felt like a pitiful and lonely soul who was abandoned by everyone else in his life.
Qin Ya refused to forgive him, and now, even his buddy distanced him for the sake of his own wife.
“What a heartless man!” he muttered under his breath. However, it was loud enough to be heard by Zong Jinghao, who spun around and confronted him, “What did you say?”
Su Zhan was left stumped immediately. He turned into a scaredy-cat in an instant, and he racked his brain, trying to churn out an excuse. “Uhm… Your two kids demanded to have some ice cream just now, so I’m going out to buy some for them. Do you guys need something from the store?”
“Is there anything you crave for?” Zong Jinghao asked Lin Xinyan.”
“I want some cakes with cream.”
As she had never eaten since morning, she had a sudden craving for fresh cream.
“What flavor would you like it to be?” Zong Jinghao asked again.
Lin Xinyan thought for a while before answering, “I’d like to have a mango cake.”
“I’ve got it. I’ll get some fruits too,” Su Zhan responded.
Zong Jinghao mumbled back a response. He reckoned they could only return to the city tomorrow. As the area they were staying in was quite remote, it was not convenient to get the stuff they wanted because the shops were not within walking distance.
The best thing about that place was how quiet and secluded it was.
They entered the living room to escape the unbearable heat from the sun in the courtyard. The house had been built with logs, so the thermal insulation was great. The inside of the house stayed cool as though the air-conditioner was operating despite it being summertime. In the middle of the living room was a square table where Zong Qifeng and Zong Yanchen sat opposite each other, playing chess. It seemed like Zong Yanchen was stuck. He was staring at the chessboard intently, trying to come up with a way to turn the tables against his grandfather.
He was so focused that he didn’t even notice his parents walking in.
As Zong Qifeng intended to train the little boy to be patient and detail-oriented, he waited quietly for the little boy to discover the weak point of his game.
In the meantime, Zong Jinghao and Lin Xinyan started walking on tiptoe as to not disturb them. Treading forward along the wall, they spotted Zong Yanxi crouching next to a window at a corner of the living room. A huge Samoyed was lying prone on the floor next to the little girl. The dog looked like a fluffy snowball; its whole body was covered with white fur.
Zong Yanxi, who was stroking and caressing its head gently, seemed mesmerized by the dog. “How can you look so adorable?” she muttered under her breath.
Lin Xinyan squatted down and tousled her daughter’s hair. “Do you fancy the dog a lot?”
The moment the little girl saw that it was Lin Xinyan, she threw herself into her arms delightfully. “Mommy!”
Twining her arms around her neck affectionately, the little girl asked, “How come you’re here?”
Lin Xinyan combed the little girl’s hair with her hands and said, “I’m here because I miss you.”
Resting her chin on her mother’s shoulder, Zong Yanxi turned to face Zong Jinghao. “Daddy, have you patched things up with Mommy?”
“When did we ever fight?” He took the little girl from Lin Xinyan and pinched her chubby cheeks. “Your Mommy and I were forced to be separated from each other temporarily, but it was not because of a fight, got it?”
Zong Yanxi pouted her lips. She did not care why they had separated from each other. She just wanted them to never separate from each other again so that all of them could live together as a family forever.
“Daddy, can I keep this dog? I love it so much!” She pointed at the Samoyed lying on the floor.
Zong Jinghao did not sanction her request right away. Although the dog was cute, he was worried that she might get hurt by the big-sized dog.
“Pretty please…” She tugged at his collar and pleaded coquettishly.
“The dog is very docile. It won’t bite, and it’s been trained before,” said Cheng Yuwen, who approached them. At the sight of Lin Xinyan, he greeted her, “You’re here too.”
He supposed she was the reason why Zong Jinghao had come back after leaving the city.
He had heard about Lin Xinyan’s departure to C City from Zong Qifeng, and he reckoned she was here in Baicheng to attend Bai Yinning’s wedding ceremony.
Lin Xinyan nodded back at him.
Meanwhile, it was another game that ended in defeat for Zong Yanchen. Feeling indignant, he demanded, “Let’s play another one.”
Zong Qifeng caressed the little boy’s head and said, “It’s good to have such fighting spirit, but I think we should take a break and continue the game later tonight.”
He rose to his feet and looked to where his son and Lin Xinyan were standing. As for Zong Yanchen, he looked listless and dispirited because he had yet to win a game with his grandfather. It was the first time he was experiencing the frustration of being the loser.
Zong Qifeng had not gone easy on him on purpose. As the bright kid had never been defeated before, he thought that it was not a good thing for his development.
As the saying went, no pain no gain.
He harbored high expectations of his grandson, even higher than what he used to have of his son back then.
Hence, he was determined to train and nurture the little boy to become a tough and resilient person. The kid was slightly arrogant now because he was wise beyond his years.
Some setbacks and challenges would help his growth.
When Zong Qitian saw Lin Xinyan, he suddenly understood why his son had come back.
“Please come with me,” he said to Lin Xinyan.
She agreed and left the living room together with him. She had expected that he would want to talk.
