Daily life 4
After Yuanyuan's response, he cuddled the bottle and fell asleep in Yu Li's arms. Only Yan Sui was left, slowly petrifying, seeming to have lost all color.
Lin Jiarong, worried he was overthinking, quickly comforted: "Little Yan, Yuanyuan was just too tired, wait until he wakes up and we'll teach him again."
Yan Sui's color returned, and he smiled: "I know, Auntie." He didn't hold it against anyone, only blaming himself for getting up too late!
Now he could only watch the sleeping Yuanyuan eagerly, waiting for him to wake up so he could teach him to call "Uncle."
Luckily, Yuanyuan's nap only lasted two hours before he woke up. He rubbed his little fists against his eyes, waking up while leaning on Yu Li's shoulder. It took a while for his eyes to become more alert.
Yan Sui expectantly leaned in, not even having a chance to say anything, when he heard Yuanyuan call out, "Su Su."
Yan Sui immediately felt deeply satisfied. At 4 PM, the relatives and friends who had come to celebrate Yuanyuan's first birthday party also gradually arrived. Everyone played with Yuanyuan for a while, then they all had dinner together, arriving at the "grabbing the items" segment.
Yuanyuan sat amidst the pile of objects, looking up at his two fathers. The adults around called out his name, gesturing for him to grab the items next to him.
Those items had all been brought by them - cash prepared by Mr. Lu and Mr. Xu, stethoscopes from Dr. Yan and Dr. Xu, game discs and a small violin bow from Yan Sui and Xu Changke. In addition, there were the Four Treasures of the Study from Butler He, toys from Lin Jiarong, a mouse from Jiāng Mǎo...
Yu Li bent down and said to the perplexed Yuanyuan, "Yuanyuan, choose the one you like the most."
He pointed to the items on the round table. Yuanyuan finally shifted his gaze around. He seemed to look at them carefully, and in the end, he grabbed the piece of blue lapis lazuli prepared by Yan Shiting and Yu Li.
"Grabbing this is good, it means he'll be healthy and strong in the future," said Butler He.
The young child didn't know the deeper meanings behind the grabbing ceremony, he just liked the beautiful stone. After grabbing the lapis lazuli, he crawled to the table's edge, opening his little arms for his father to hold him.
After the grabbing ceremony, the first birthday party was also over. After seeing everyone off, the tired Yuanyuan had already fallen asleep, clinging to Big Daddy Yan Shiting's coat. Next to him, Yu Li also let out a yawn.
Yan Shiting, out of the corner of his eye, supported Yuanyuan with one hand and held Yu Li's hand, leading them upstairs to sleep.
***
After the first birthday party, Yan Shiting and Yu Li packed their bags and took Yuanyuan on a honeymoon trip.
However, considering the young child was still small, the couple planned to just take Yuanyuan to the neighboring city to play, to experience nature and visit the zoo and such. This trip wouldn't be long, but they could have a "honeymoon" like this every year. And when Yuanyuan was a bit older, they could go even further.
In May, the weather was nice, with less rain and moderate temperatures. Yu Li and Yan Shiting brought Yuanyuan to the neighboring city of T. They booked an oceanview suite, and from the floor-to-ceiling windows, they could see the vast blue sky and sea in the distance.
Outside the suite, there was also a small private swimming pool for their use only. On the first day of their stay, the little fish child Yuanyuan, seeing the swimming pool, had eyes that sparkled with excitement.
Yu Li crouched down and asked, "Does Yuanyuan want to swim?"
After the first birthday party, Yuanyuan's speech had become clearer, and he excitedly said, "Ya, swim." He still couldn't form long sentences yet, only using a few words to express himself.
Yu Li smiled, buying a child's swimming ring at the hotel, and took Yuanyuan to the small pool. The pool wasn't deep, so the landlubber Yu Li could easily stand in it. He supported Yuanyuan, watching the little one splash his little arms and legs in the water.
Yan Shiting, having finished unpacking, also came to the poolside. He was wearing casual T-shirts and pants, his hair naturally scattered, looking much younger. Yu Li stood in the water, looking up at Yan Shiting, his heart beating a bit faster.
Normally, the domineering Yan Shiting was always in suits, his hair carefully styled with wax - this casual Yan Shiting was a rare sight. Every time Yu Li saw it, he couldn't help but be moved. After all, this was a side of Yan Shiting that only he could see. Noticing Yu Li's gaze, Yan Shiting bent down and kissed his lips.
"Spacing out?" Yu Li's face flushed, glancing at Yuanyuan. Luckily, the young child was focused on playing with the floating toys on the water's surface, not noticing his two fathers.
Yu Li finally felt at ease looking at Yan Shiting: "Because my gege is so handsome." He never held back when it came to compliments.
Yan Shiting paused slightly, the corners of his mouth curving upwards, and he went back to the room to change into swim trunks before also entering the pool. The family of three soaked in the pool, with Yan Shiting supporting Yuanyuan, taking off his swim ring and teaching him how to properly swim, as well as how to float on his back.
He instructed very earnestly, always paying attention to Yuanyuan's movements, not letting the young child swallow a single drop of water. With the two fathers accompanying him, the excited Yuanyuan splashed his little arms and legs even more vigorously.
But with that came the inevitable - his limited energy was soon depleted. Gradually, the smile on Yuanyuan's face faded. He used his gaze to search for Yu Li, then, under Yan Shiting's protection, he paddled over to Yu Li. He had already learned how to swim.
Yu Li was a bit surprised, hugging the swimming Yuanyuan. The little one safely buried his face in Yu Li's shoulder, his soft voice laced with drowsiness: "Daddy, sleep."
It was just past 1 PM, and the young child hadn't napped yet today.
Yu Li stroked his back: "Okay, Yuanyuan sleeps, Daddy will carry you to the bed."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Yuanyuan in his arms had already closed his eyes, his breathing even and steady. Children are like that - in the embrace they feel safe in, they can just fall asleep.
Yan Shiting's eyes were gentle as he stepped forward, embracing Yu Li's waist, lifting him out of the pool first, then supporting himself on the edge to leave the swimming pool. The couple gently bathed Yuanyuan and dressed him in a soft onesie, placing him on the bed.
The hotel's big duvet was too large and heavy for a child, so they had brought Yuanyuan's own small blanket and plush fish toy.
Seeing the quietly sleeping Yuanyuan on the bed, Yu Li couldn't help but smile. He turned to look at Yan Shiting, and the other man leaned in to kiss his lips. After the kiss, Yan Shiting took Yu Li's hand and said, "I'll teach you how to swim."
"Now?" Yu Li was a bit surprised.
"Mm, Yuanyuan has already learned, so you must be able to as well." Behind the gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze was deep, seemingly hiding unspoken emotions. Although Yu Li knew he wouldn't do anything untoward outside, he still couldn't help but blush.
He glanced at Yuanyuan and said in a casual tone, "Okay, I'll try to learn before Yuanyuan wakes up."
Yan Shiting's eyes softened as he stroked Yu Li's hair, not saying anything more.
***
Yu Li still hadn't learned to swim before Yuanyuan woke up, but he could now hold his breath underwater for over 20 seconds. Before this, he didn't even dare submerge his nose in the water. It was truly remarkable progress.
The next day, the couple took Yuanyuan to the beach in the morning when the sun wasn't too strong. Hand in hand, they walked on the sand, watching Yuanyuan toddle forward unsteadily.
After the first birthday party, Yuanyuan had progressed not only in his speech, but also in walking.
However, after a while, Yuanyuan stopped and crouched down. Yu Li thought something was wrong and quickly walked over, but saw Yuanyuan digging in the sand.
He and Yan Shiting didn't say anything to disturb him, silently watching as Yuanyuan dug out a fan-shaped seashell.
The seashell was intact, a relatively small thing in the adults' eyes, but larger than Yuanyuan's little hand. Yuanyuan sweetly smiled, holding up the seashell and excitedly looking at Yu Li and Yan Shiting: "Daddy, Big Daddy, look!"
Yu Li also smiled, his beautiful peach blossom eyes curving: "It's very beautiful, Yuanyuan has good taste."
Yuanyuan giggled for a while, then continued walking forward. In the young child's eyes, the entire beach seemed to have become a treasure trove, with each grain of sand potentially hiding something beautiful.
When Yuanyuan's legs started to ache, Yan Shiting hoisted him up onto his shoulders, continuing to walk. "Ee ya!" The suddenly elevated Yuanyuan clapped his little hands, calling out excitedly.
Yan Shiting firmly held him, not letting him fall. Yu Li followed beside them, occasionally picking up the beautiful seashells from the beach.
The sea breeze blew gently, bringing the waves to the shore. Yu Li had Yan Shiting put Yuanyuan down, letting him experience the feeling of the waves washing over his feet.
The couple each held one of Yuanyuan's hands, and when the waves got bigger, they would instinctively lift Yuanyuan up. The lifted Yuanyuan showed no fear, instead curling up his little legs cooperatively, then happily laughing "Ge ge."
The laughter drifted away with the sea breeze, as if it could float towards the future.
Comments
Post a Comment