Chapter 19

When Chen Nian and her mom came out of the study, they spotted Fang Zhi standing in the living room off in the distance, waiting for them.

Chen Nian rubbed her face, smoothing away all those extra expressions, before breaking into a smile. She called out to Fang Zhi, “Zhizhi, are you hungry?”

Fang Zhi shook her head. Once Chen Nian reached her side, she leaned in and whispered, “Did Auntie yell at you?”

Chen Nian lowered her voice too, coming to her mom’s defense. “No, she just thinks I talked too much today.”

Fang Zhi nodded. “You did.”

Chen Nian fell silent for a beat. “…”

Fang Zhi added, “No bed or desk.”

Chen Nian protested, “You said ‘not yet’ just a second ago.”

Fang Zhi was firm. “Not now, anyway.”

Chen Nian shrugged. “Fine then. I’ll bunk with my parents. It’ll help us bond…”

The front door swung open, and Chen Junjie strode in carrying bags of groceries. He called out cheerfully to everyone, “Dinner’s ready!”

The conversation between Fang Zhi and Chen Nian cut off abruptly. Liu Chunhua shouted over to them, “Hurry up and wash your hands!”

Chen Nian grabbed Fang Zhi by the wrist and pulled her toward the bathroom. The sink was a little high for a kid, so Chen Nian fetched a small stool. “If your arms get tired reaching, just step up on this…”

Fang Zhi had already started washing her hands. “I’m not tired.”

Chen Nian glanced up at her. “…”

Fang Zhi really wasn’t tired. Not only was she taller than Chen Nian, but her arms were longer too.

Chen Nian stood there quietly holding the stool. When Fang Zhi finished, she let out a long sigh, set the stool down, and climbed up on it herself.

Grown-ups shouldn’t fuss over little things like this. Besides, even when she grew up, Chen Nian still wouldn’t be as tall as Fang Zhizhu.

Chen Nian sighed again. “Ah…”

Everyone settled around the dinner table, where the spread was generous.

On a normal night with just the three of them, it was usually three dishes and a soup. Chen Nian didn’t eat much as a kid—barely half a portion—so it was more than enough.

But with Fang Zhi there, they’d added a full two extra dishes.

Fish, meat, chicken, shrimp—Chen Nian clutched her chopsticks and sighed. “Dad, you’re playing favorites.”

“We’re celebrating today,” Chen Junjie said, fully embracing his role. “Our family just gained a new member.”

Fang Zhi looked stunned. She kept her head down and said nothing. Chen Nian dropped a big shrimp into her bowl. “Thanks to Zhizhi, I get to celebrate New Year early!”

“Hahaha!” Chen Junjie burst out laughing. “Happy New Year!”

Liu Chunhua poured drinks for everyone. When she handed one to Fang Zhi, she asked, “Zhizhi, is the food good? If you don’t like it, we won’t order from this place again…”

“Don’t,” Fang Zhi said at last. She finally lifted her head, her brows knitting together. “This isn’t right.”

Chen Junjie jumped in first, all bluster. “What’s not right? Is my voice too loud? Haha, sorry about that. Niannian’s a tomboy at heart, so I’m used to being loud and rough. I’ll tone it down now…”

“No.” Fang Zhi’s brows furrowed even more. She set down her chopsticks. “We’re not family yet.”

The words hung in the air, stunning everyone into silence.

Before Chen Nian could respond, Fang Zhi pressed on. “The paperwork isn’t finished.”

“Oh, right, right.” Chen Junjie laughed again. “Don’t worry about that, Little Zhi. Uncle will take care of everything.”

“Then until it’s done, don’t do this.” Fang Zhi stared down at the grains of rice in her bowl. “Don’t spend money on me. Don’t be so nice to me.”

To anyone else, her tone and expression might have come off as cold. But to Chen Nian, it was pure grievance.

Grievance over an uncertain future. Disbelief that good things could really happen to her. Fear of betrayal before everything was set in stone.

Chen Nian understood perfectly. She felt the exact same way.

Chen Nian stared at Fang Zhi. Liu Chunhua stared at her daughter.

Chen Junjie looked baffled. After a long pause, Liu Chunhua said, “Let’s just eat.”

No one brought up the topic that should have been the highlight of the meal after that. Chen Junjie chatted about work. Liu Chunhua talked about her sewing projects. Chen Nian chimed in now and then, but mostly she kept her eyes on Fang Zhi’s chopsticks.

Watching to see which dishes she liked. Noticing if she needed a napkin or a drink.

After dinner, Chen Nian took Fang Zhi to play with her Transformers. Once Liu Chunhua finished cleaning up, Chen Junjie tugged her back into their bedroom.

For all his rough edges, he wasn’t clueless. With all of Chen Nian’s strange behavior and random bits of knowledge today, he needed to hash it out with his wife.

He went on excitedly, spilling everything. But Liu Chunhua didn’t look shocked in the slightest. If anything, she seemed to respond with a faint: That’s it?

Chen Junjie trailed off. “…”

Chen Junjie tried again. “It’s just… kind of weird, you know?”

Liu Chunhua shrugged. “I think it’s perfectly normal.”

Chen Junjie blinked. “???? Normal? How does she even know about cameras? We’ve never owned one in this house.”

Liu Chunhua thought carefully for a moment. “Last year, when your unit organized that poverty alleviation event, didn’t Niannian and I go to show support?”

Chen Junjie nodded. “Yeah, so what?”

Liu Chunhua replied, “Your bureau chief’s secretary had that new camera and was snapping photos everywhere. Niannian… went over to take a look.”

“Oh, I see.” Chen Junjie blinked in surprise. “She got this good just from looking for a bit?”

Liu Chunhua shot back, “You think everyone’s like you?”

Chen Junjie: “…”

Chen Junjie pressed on. “Then those arguments she had before…”

Liu Chunhua frowned. “Who told you to watch TV all day? You’ve got the TV monopolized.”

Chen Junjie said, “You can learn all this just from watching TV? Are kids these days really that impressive?”

Liu Chunhua retorted, “Yeah, you think everyone’s like you.”

Chen Junjie: “…”

After a few personal jabs, Chen Junjie completely backed down.

Liu Chunhua patted him on the shoulder. “Go take a shower. You’ve been running around all day and stink. Pay more attention to your daughter from now on, or you won’t know what she turns into. Then you’ll be all shocked…”

That did the trick on Chen Junjie. He was busy with work most days, and it was mostly his wife handling Niannian’s affairs. His wife even took on sewing jobs, and sometimes the money she made from clothes exceeded his salary.

It left him feeling pretty guilty, but he still couldn’t shake his lofty sense of pride—he refused to flatter or form cliques. That just made him feel even more ashamed.

With a long sigh, he pulled Liu Chunhua into a hug and murmured, “You’ve worked hard, honey.” Then he went off to clean himself up.

Once the door closed, Liu Chunhua let out a breath. “Phew…”

Chen Junjie was easy to placate, but truth be told, wasn’t she the same?

Niannian had said she dreamed of many things and changed because of it, so Liu Chunhua set aside logic and science to believe her.

Deep down, wasn’t it just because this was her daughter?

No matter what her daughter became, she was still her daughter.

What else could she do? Consult a fortune teller? Get a brain scan? Or ship her off to some special facility for human experiments?

Ridiculous. Of course not.

She’d made that kind of foolish mistake once before—never again.

Just like Chen Nian had said, all she wanted was for everyone to grow old happily. Liu Chunhua shared that goal with her.

Some questions might have answers someday, or maybe not. Either way, it wasn’t that important.

That night, Chen Nian still slept with her parents.

Liu Chunhua knew it wasn’t comfortable for her, so she discussed it with her husband. Why not convert the study into a bedroom, giving each child their own room?

Chen Junjie had no objections. He could move his desk to the balcony—the light there was good too.

Liu Chunhua started preparing to renovate the room and buy furniture, but she didn’t tell Fang Zhi about it.

She urged Chen Junjie to hurry with the paperwork so they could give the child a sense of security.

Chen Junjie was enthusiastic, but problems arose anyway.

As a proper civil servant, he’d only had one child back when the national policy pushed for family planning—one was best.

Now suddenly adding a daughter? He mentioned it casually to a close colleague, who strongly objected. “You absolutely can’t put this girl on your household registry.”

“You’re violating policy. They’ll catch you for sure.”

“Doesn’t matter if she’s biological or adopted—as long as she’s on the registry, it’s no good.”

“Right now, if you say it’s adoption, everyone will laugh and say they believe you, praising you as a saint. But later, if there’s an evaluation or a promotion spot and you’re competing with someone, they’ll grab this and use it against you.”

“To put it bluntly, they might even spread rumors that this second daughter is your illegitimate child, saying you’ve got issues with your personal conduct.”

Chen Junjie: “…”

Chen Junjie fell into deep thought and endless hesitation.

He could forgo a promotion to adopt a child, but he couldn’t bear to tarnish his own reputation—or the child’s—for it.

This hesitation caused some delays. Over the weekend, Dean Su called him. Chen Junjie covered the receiver and spoke in vague terms. When he hung up, he turned to find Chen Nian standing right behind him.

Already feeling guilty as if caught red-handed, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

“You little rascal!” Chen Junjie scolded her. “Sneaking up without a sound—you scared me to death!”

Chen Nian stared at him, looking him up and down. After a long moment, she asked, “Dad, are you hiding something from Mom?”

Chen Junjie thought this kid had gotten too clever. He pulled her into a hug and clamped a hand over her mouth. “Don’t you go saying wild things.”

Chen Nian mumbled into his palm, “I was only half-sure before, but now I’m certain.”

Chen Junjie: “…”

Chen Nian pried his hand away and led him out to the balcony.

Chen Junjie: “！！！！”

Why did everyone have to tarnish his good name!

Chen Junjie smacked Chen Nian on the head. “Stop watching all that trashy TV drama! If I have something to say, I’ll tell your mom!”

Chen Nian: “Then hurry up and tell Mom, or I’ll do it for you. The TV said confession brings leniency, but resistance brings severity…”

Chen Junjie scratched his head in frustration.

Lunch that day was eaten amid a heavy heart. Afterward, seeing Chen Nian staring at him meaningfully, Chen Junjie slapped his thigh and pulled his wife into the bedroom to confess.

Chen Nian was sweeping the floor with a broom, while Fang Zhi trailed behind her holding a dustpan.

Chen Nian swept up a pile of debris, and Fang Zhi held out the dustpan. The two worked together seamlessly to finish the chore.

This had been their routine all week.

Chen Nian didn’t want Fang Zhi to tire herself out with housework, but completely barring her from helping would make things feel distant.

So they settled into this pattern: Fang Zhi stuck right behind her, handling the easy tasks, which also helped deepen their bond and understanding.

Chen Nian swept, Fang Zhi held the dustpan; Chen Nian cleared the bowls, Fang Zhi gathered the chopsticks; Chen Nian washed the dishes… oh, wait, her mom wouldn’t let them wash the dishes.

“All clean.” Chen Nian took the dustpan from Fang Zhi’s hands. “Let’s water the little flowers and plants now!”

Fang Zhi: “Okay!”

Chen Nian dashed into the bathroom, grabbed the green Maomao sprinkler, filled it with water, and handed it to Fang Zhi. “You water the living room ones, and I’ll do the bedroom.”

Fang Zhi: “Okay!”

Fang Zhi actually enjoyed these chores. When she watered the plants, she made sure to soak every pot of soil thoroughly, and if there was any dirt on the leaves, she’d wipe it off with a cloth.

Her serious demeanor made her look like a diligent little gardener. Chen Nian watched with eyes curved in a smile, though it was a pity they didn’t have a camera at home to capture these precious moments on the spot.

She hadn’t even finished watering the living room plants when the door to her parents’ bedroom opened.

Her father trudged out looking utterly dejected, grabbed his bag of documents, and headed out the door. Her mother waved Chen Nian over, beckoning her inside.

Chen Nian glanced at Fang Zhi and went in.

Chen Junjie had laid out the whole truth to Liu Chunhua. After mulling it over, she decided this matter still needed to be discussed with Chen Nian.

Chen Nian had taken so much initiative with Fang Zhi’s situation that Liu Chunhua was starting to treat her like a real adult.

Worried that Chen Nian might not understand, Liu Chunhua began with some groundwork, first explaining the nature of her father’s job.

But before she could say much, Chen Nian suddenly let out an “Ow!”

Liu Chunhua: “What are you ‘owing’ about?”

Chen Nian: “It’s about this, right?”

Liu Chunhua: “What ‘this’?”

Chen Nian: “I knew Dad had been moping around these past few days. My bad, I forgot all about it.”

Liu Chunhua: “？？？？”

Chen Nian: “He’s just too rigid, doesn’t know how to be flexible. That’s why he hasn’t even made section chief all these years.”

Liu Chunhua: “Hey, don’t talk about my husband like that, or I’ll get upset.”

Chen Nian: “Second Uncle only has one son, right? We can put the household registration under him. We’ll work it out with him, and everything else stays our family’s responsibility. Second Uncle’s a good guy; there won’t be any issues.”

Second Uncle was a distant cousin on her father’s side. Their blood ties weren’t close, but their families got along well.

Chen Nian had concluded that Second Uncle was a good man based on events from the decades to come. He ran a business, so no policy entanglements, his home was nearby, and Fang Zhi would go to the same school as her later on. All things considered, putting the household registration with him was perfect.

But Chen Nian didn’t spell it all out. She figured if she floated the idea, her mom would naturally reach the same conclusion.

Liu Chunhua eyed her for a long moment before raising one last question: “If we don’t put the household registration in our home, won’t Zhizhi feel…”

Chen Nian: “She’s little now, might not get it or even notice, but when she gets older…”

Clatter.

Something hit the floor.

Chen Nian’s words cut off. She whipped around, yanked open the door, and there stood Fang Zhi just outside, the sprinkler fallen from her hand, water trickling steadily onto the ground.

Fang Zhi’s face flickered with confusion, disappointment, and sadness—but only for an instant.

She quickly turned cold and indifferent, just like when Chen Nian had first met her, as if she never wanted to speak to Chen Nian again.

The scene was too dramatic; Chen Nian stood there frozen.

Fang Zhi turned and headed straight to her room, slamming about as she packed her things with frantic speed.

Liu Chunhua bellowed, “What are you standing there for? Go coax her!”

Chen Nian felt her legs go weak, her face crumpling. “I’m trying to figure out how to coax her…”

Chen Nian pushed her back into the room and shut the door. “I’ll handle it first. Me first!”

It was her mess to clean up—specifically, soothing Fang Zhizhu’s anger—and by now, Chen Nian had a fair bit of experience.

No matter whether she was grown up or still a child, the only way to win her over was to cling, to wheedle, to shamelessly beg for mercy, and to play weak.

In plain terms, Fang Zhizhu was a dominant type: cool on the outside, fiery within. She yielded to softness but never to force, and she melted for shameless, whiny pleading.

So Chen Nian barreled into the room, not caring what Fang Zhi was doing. She dropped into a sliding kneel the moment she crossed the threshold and latched onto Fang Zhi’s thigh.

Fang Zhi: “????”

Chen Nian: “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I was so wrong! That’s not what I meant at all—please, just hear me out!”

Fang Zhi: “…” She kept packing.

Chen Nian: “You can’t leave! You can’t leave! It took forever to get you to my house—you have to stay here forever!”

Those words hit a nerve. Fang Zhi kicked at her leg. “Get off me.”

Chen Nian: “No way! I’m not moving…”

She launched into her explanation. “I didn’t mean I don’t want you added to our family register. You can’t just barge onto it like that. Honestly, the register doesn’t even matter. What matters is that my whole family adores you. Dad’s always trying to buy you treats. Mom won’t even go grocery shopping without you. And I can’t get by without you—mornings studying need you beside me, lunch doesn’t taste right if you’re not there, and afternoons out playing… wuwuwu, no one else will play with me! They all hate me. Only you put up with me. If you leave, what am I supposed to do…?”

Fang Zhi paused, her hands stilling as she looked down at Chen Nian. “No one plays with you?”

Chen Nian shook her head wildly, lying through her teeth without a shred of guilt. “Nope! No one! They hate me—they say I talk too much, that I’m a clingy pest, that I’m too dark!!!”

That last bit came out raw and real. Her little friends really did pick on her complexion, even making up a mocking rhyme about it once.

Fang Zhi went dead silent, clearly stunned.

Liu Chunhua sidled up to the doorway and peeked inside to gauge the situation.

Catching sight of Chen Nian—half-sprawled on the floor—Chen Nian shot her a wink: All good. Under control.

But the next instant, an enraged bellow exploded right above Chen Nian’s head, rattling her skull.

“You deserve it!!!” roared Fang Zhi.

Full-throated and thunderous: “You even called me small!!!!”

The sheer volume shattered the ice and sorrow, unleashing her pent-up frustration.

She really did care.

Chen Nian froze solid. It took her several seconds to process: telling a kid she was “small” was a massive blow to any child.

Especially one as sharp, sensitive, and precociously mature as Fang Zhi. To her, it felt like being deceived and belittled—an outright insult.

Fang Zhi started kicking again. Chen Nian clung on for dear life.

Oblivious to her mother’s speechless expression in the doorway, Chen Nian squeezed her eyes shut and wailed.

“Sis! Sis! You’re the biggest!”

“I’ll call you big sis from now on—I’m your little sis!”

“Sister Fang! Zhi Sis! Protect me! Don’t let anyone bully me!”

“Whimper whimper… sob sob… What’ll I do without my sis…?”