A Long and Lingering Happiness.
“Waa…”
Yu Luo carefully picked up the softly whimpering child from the crib, holding her in her arms and gently coaxing, “Mommy’s holding you, Ah Ran, don’t cry.”
Ah Ran’s little hands hooked around her neck, nuzzling against her intimately like a small animal, and she stopped crying.
Her heart softening, Yu Luo stroked her head. “Good girl.”
Beside her, Qi Song, with practiced ease, prepared Ah Ran’s milk, sat down next to Yu Luo, and carefully placed the nipple in Ah Ran’s mouth.
Ah Ran suckled slowly on the milk, her pair of large, dark eyes watery and glistening as they darted around.
Her gaze happened to meet that of Taotao, who was curiously sizing her up from the side.
Ah Ran’s little eyebrows twitched, and she shrank back into Yu Luo’s embrace.
“Is this my big sister?” Taotao blinked and asked in a soft, sweet voice.
Yu Luo and Qi Song glanced at each other, both falling into silence.
They didn’t know how to define the relationship between the two sisters either; calling them older and younger sister was no longer straightforward.
Ah Ran was now just an infant of a few months, and she had lost her memories, with no telling if she could ever recover them.
Worried that if she regained her memory one day, she might feel awkward about the titles, the two decided not to correct the form of address for now.
Qi Song reached out, pulling Taotao into her lap, and kissed her cheek. “Yes, although she’s smaller than you right now… she is indeed your biological older sister.”
“Mommy suddenly had a baby?” Taotao’s face was a picture of curiosity.
“…No,” Yu Luo said gently. “There are some unusual circumstances, and we’ll tell you about them in the future. You just focus on growing up first, sweetie, don’t be in a hurry.”
“Oh.” Taotao obediently agreed and asked no more questions.
She tilted her head to look at Ah Ran in Yu Luo’s arms, slowly extending a finger to carefully touch Ah Ran’s cheek.
Unlike Ah Ran’s unavoidable resistance toward Taotao back then, Taotao had grown up surrounded by intense love and meticulous care. Her personality was lively and bright, so she never worried that the sudden appearance of a “biological older sister” would take away the love of her Mommy and Mama.
She was simply happy to have a new, close playmate. Her sister was the first thing on her mind when she opened her eyes and the last thing when she closed them.
The very next day, she was already volunteering to prepare milk formula for her sister.
Under the encouraging gazes of her Mommy and Mama, she carefully shook the formula in the bottle until it was evenly mixed, then trotted excitedly to the crib.
When Mama carried Ah Ran out, she gingerly fed the nipple into Ah Ran’s mouth, watching her sister, who was three years younger than her, drink the milk with a glug glug sound.
Taotao’s eyes sparkled. “Sister is so cute when she drinks milk, waaah.”
Her sister also seemed to be growing more familiar with and fond of her. Her little hand would grasp Taotao’s finger to play, and she would grin a small smile at her.
“So sister only has one little white tooth, eh,” Taotao’s eyes widened in amazement again, finding it incredibly precious.
Nearby, Yu Luo and Qi Song smiled, enjoying the sight of their two little ones’ adorable interactions.
Their lives had completely slowed down in this way.
They would wake up in each other’s arms around eight or nine, and after breakfast, they would read scripts and play with the kids in the study.
In the afternoon, they would laze together in the garden, basking in the sun. The rocking chair swayed gently back and forth, and time drifted by leisurely in the breeze.
Both kids had fallen asleep on them.
Qi Song lowered her head slightly, her nose lightly brushing against the shell of Yu Luo’s ear before she planted a kiss there.
She said, sounding pitiful, “Although this is very blissful, it’s been so long since we’ve had any proper private time together1…”
Raising children was inevitably hard work, and since both of them were hands-on, a great deal of their time and energy was taken up.
Last night, they had been missing each other terribly. Their clothes had already been shed amidst a passionate kiss when they heard Ah Ran suddenly start to whimper softly in her crib.
Qi Song reluctantly rose from the warm, fragrant, soft jade2, got dressed, and went to change the diaper.
After she finished, she had wanted to continue, but then she heard a knock on the bedroom door.
Taotao stood sweetly at the door, hugging her little pillow, and said in a soft, aggrieved voice, “I had a nightmare, I want to sleep with Mommy and Mama.”
Qi Song picked her up, stroking her head and comforting her in a gentle voice, stalling for time at the doorway. Meanwhile, Yu Luo quickly and silently got dressed under the covers.
It was nothing short of a mess.
…
At this moment, lying in the rocking chair, they looked at each other for a while and suddenly came to a mutual understanding—
It was time to send their kid to kindergarten.
Taotao, nestled comfortably in Yu Luo’s arms, mumbled a few words in her sleep, unaware that she had already been scheduled by her Mommy and Mama.
They had been worried about not being able to find a suitable kindergarten, but as it happened, Ren Zhi, who was also in B City, enthusiastically recommended one. “The kindergarten our Youyou goes to is quite good. Both the environment and the atmosphere are very reassuring. Do you want to let Taotao give it a try?”
On the first day of kindergarten, Taotao, with an adorable little peach-themed plush backpack on, was escorted to the kindergarten by her Mommy, Mama, and older sister.
At the kindergarten gate, Ren Zhi’s family was already waiting for them.
Taotao ran over to Youyou’s side in a few steps, and the first thing she said was a cheerful boast, “Youyou-jiejie, I have a biological older sister now!”
Ren Zhi’s family was stunned for a moment, their gazes turning to the delicate infant in Qi Song’s arms.
She was carved from powder and polished from jade3, very cute. But she was a bit shy; when everyone was looking at her, she couldn’t help but slowly bury her little face in the crook of Qi Song’s neck.
“…” Ren Zhi’s eyes widened. “What’s going on?? A second child!?”
Jiang Yin was messy in the wind4. “This is the ‘biological older sister’?”
Yu Luo didn’t explain in detail, leaving space for the wife-wife couple to piece things together in their own minds. She just stroked Ah Ran’s little head and said with a smile, “Her name is Yu Ran, and her nickname is Ah Ran.”
Taotao reluctantly parted with her sister, kissing Ah Ran’s little cheek before going into the kindergarten. “Sister, be good and drink your milk, and I’ll be good at school.”
Anyone who saw this scene would find it a bit bizarre.
Only Yu Luo and Qi Song revealed soft smiles. They also bent down to kiss Taotao. “Have fun at kindergarten. Always remember that we and your sister love you very much.”
“Mhm!” Taotao nodded happily.
The moment their kid stepped into the kindergarten, a certain couple pulled the bedroom curtains shut, and the afternoon hibiscus curtain warmed5.
Yu Luo’s long, curly hair was soaked with sweat, sticking to the full, white softness of her skin, which was covered in red marks, in a scattered and alluring way. She closed her eyes, feeling Qi Song’s fine kisses landing on the tips of her hair.
Qi Song scooped her into her arms, nibbled her ear, and teased her deliberately, “What is Jiejie trembling for?”
“…” Mist filled Yu Luo’s eyes, and the lovely pink at the corners of her eyes was like crushed cherry blossoms.
She bit her lip and buried her cheek in Qi Song’s embrace.
“Still trembling,” Qi Song wouldn’t let her go, lowering her head to kiss her tender earlobe, neither too lightly nor too heavily, and chuckled. “Looks like it felt very good.”
She gently turned Yu Luo over, holding her tightly from behind. Her teeth skillfully bit into the gland on the back of her neck, which was soaked in a magnificent crimson, and marked her deeply.
Yu Luo breathed heavily, her fingers gripping the bedsheets tightly as pitiful, glistening teardrops trembled and rolled from her eyes.
Qi Song kissed them away preciously, coaxing her in a low voice.
The bedsheets tumbled like waves until the warm sun began to set.
As things settled down, Qi Song held her, still not quite satisfied, pecking her with kisses. Suddenly, a question occurred to her:
“Jiejie, after I transmigrated back, was the faint fragrance I used to smell on you perfume?”
She had once mistaken that faint fragrance for Yu Luo’s pheromone scent and had always felt that Yu Luo’s arousal was a disingenuous performance because the concentration never changed.
Yu Luo blinked and chuckled lightly. “You don’t remember the scent you created yourself?”
The younger Qi Song had worked hard for a full two years to create a scented balm that best matched Yu Luo’s natural body scent. She had produced finished products during that time, but because she wasn’t satisfied with them, she had casually tossed them into a drawer in her room.
During the two years when her soul had suddenly “departed,” Yu Luo had discovered it by chance.
After consulting a doctor, that balm was melted into the high-concentration suppressants she usually injected.
Hearing this, Qi Song’s hand on Yu Luo’s waist tightened, and she said with a bit of heartache, “But that was…”
That was an imperfect product she had discarded.
Yu Luo gently pinched her ear. “That depends on how you look at it.”
“Back then, you felt this balm wasn’t close enough to my body scent, so you chose to discard it. But to me, this jar of balm was also a finished product that you worked hard to create, carefully selecting and blending various ingredients, repeatedly trying to get closer to my scent.”
“Just the thought of you sitting in the perfumery for an entire afternoon, sniffing and smelling, busy for my sake, I find it incredibly cute.” Yu Luo’s gaze was soft and warm. “So I was very happy when I found this jar of balm that day.”
At that time, she didn’t know when Qi Song would return, or even if she could return at all. She could only slowly miss her while looking at these small items she had stumbled upon, her heart fluttering again and again.
Qi Song’s eyes grew moist as she listened.
She lowered her head, her lips gently caressing Yu Luo’s. They were as fragrant and soft as a flower, always intoxicating.
It turned out that in every moment she was missing Yu Luo, Yu Luo, in a different place, was always missing her with the same feelings.
And this mutual longing and waiting was perhaps precisely the reason they were still able to embrace each other in the end after experiencing so much hardship.
Fortunately—
“There’s no need to wait anymore.” Qi Song’s kisses gradually moved downward. Amidst Yu Luo’s unbearable light gasps, she said in a low voice, “We are now at a distance where we can embrace immediately whenever we miss each other.”
And that distance could become even closer…
Yu Luo tilted her head back slightly, her slender neck revealing a graceful and moving curve. In the fullness and pleasure of being possessed again and again, she couldn’t help but lightly bite her lower lip.
Qi Song probed, neither too hard nor too soft. In her state of being heart drunk, spirit lost6, her beautiful eyes also gradually filled with mist.
Amidst the gentle swaying, Yu Luo saw Qi Song’s eyes curve slightly at her, her smile brimming with affection.
“Jiejie is always so cute…”
She lowered her head and kissed herself, her words carrying a deep meaning. “Inside and out.”
After cleaning up, the two, satisfied in body and mind, finally began to realize later, to perceive later7 that they missed the kid who had gone to school.
After picking up Ah Ran, who had considerately slept soundly in her crib all afternoon, and feeding her, the three of them went out to pick up Taotao from school.
They arrived a bit early, so they parked the car by a tree next to the kindergarten and waited patiently.
The school dismissal music began to play.
Qi Song pressed down on Yu Luo’s hand, which was about to unbuckle her seatbelt, and said softly, “I’ll go, it’s fine. Ah Ran is still sleeping, it’s not convenient for you to hold her.”
With that, she got out of the driver’s seat. Before closing the car door, she winked at Yu Luo in the passenger seat and smiled.
“Just like that, wait for me and our daughter to get out of school under the phoenix tree8.”
Yu Luo realized belatedly that the tree next to the car was a phoenix tree.
A thought stirred in her heart.
Once, when she used to pick Qi Song up from her evening self-study sessions at her school gate, she had also stood under a phoenix tree.
That tree had gone through spring, summer, autumn, and winter; from tender green, to lush and verdant, to golden and brilliant, to covered in snow…
And she had always stood there waiting, watching the girl in the blue and white school uniform run towards her impatiently with her backpack on, her beautiful eyes as bright and clear as stars.
Later, when she got a car, she would also park it by the phoenix tree.
Qi Song would always knock on her car window first, poking her head in, and clingily ask her to pat her head.
As she nuzzled against her, a cute and contented look would appear on her face.
That phoenix tree had witnessed the most innocent years of her and Qi Song’s youth, a time of mutual companionship and healing.
“Knock, knock, knock.” The car window beside her was suddenly knocked on.
Yu Luo snapped back from her memories.
Her breathing quickened, and her heart pounded against her chest, making it feel slightly warm. She raised her hand and lightly pressed the button to open the window.
Sure enough, just like many years ago, Qi Song poked her head in from outside the window—
The difference was, this time, their daughter was in her arms.
Before her were two faces, one large and one small, that looked alike. The larger one’s face had long since shed its former immaturity and innocence, her features as picturesque as distant mountains in spring, possessing a mature, composed, and moving charm; the smaller one was carved from powder and polished from jade, smiling like a happy little cotton candy puppy, with a small tuft of hair even sticking up on the top of her head.
The similarity across a long span of time always made one’s emotions well up, the tide of the heart surges9.
Yu Luo’s nose suddenly tingled. She slowly curved her lips into a smile, raising her hand to preciously stroke the tops of Qi Song’s and Taotao’s heads.
Clear tears silently streamed from the corners of her eyes. The smile wavering in her eyes was like pear blossoms rustling down into the spring water, filling the pond with a gentle white. She opened her mouth and said softly, “You both know, right? I love you very much.”
Ah Ran, who was sleeping soundly in her arms, suddenly stirred, letting out a little mumble.
Yu Luo smiled and bent down to kiss her. “And I love you very much too.”
Taotao leaned into the car, her small hand trying hard to touch Yu Luo’s damp cheek. “Waa, why is Mommy crying? Taotao loves Mommy the most!”
Qi Song watched Yu Luo quietly, her eyes overflowing with a tenderness as deep as the sea.
She also smiled lightly.
Many years ago, when the younger her knocked on Yu Luo’s car window, begging the woman to pat her head, she never dared to imagine there would be a day like this—
After experiencing long, winding tears and pain, they had finally found each other again.
Their two lovely kids were nestled in their respective arms, and they, separated by the car door, gently and fondly kissed each other’s lips through the car window.
An exceptionally soft and real touch.
It was clearly very brief, yet it set off a long and lingering happiness in their hearts.
There was a sense of stability and certainty that needed no repeated confirmation—
This happiness soaked into every breath, suffused every moment of life, and would never, ever end.
(End of Main Text)
The author has something to say:
Wuwu, I’m really so grateful to the bao10 who have accompanied me all the way here!
I haven’t really thought about the fanwai11 yet, I’m planning to write a bit of happy daily life + a high-speed car12 (see the end of Chapter 59). Please quickly post what else you want to see in the comments section for my reference, mwah
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