Pei Cheng closed the door. As soon as he turned around, he saw Jiang Yanzhi standing on the floor barefoot, staring at him without blinking. Pei Cheng froze, then quickly walked over and scooped the little one up in his arms.
Jiang Yanzhi’s whole body was cool, not at all like someone who had just crawled out of bed.
Pei Cheng felt his headache affliction was going to act up two years early. How had he not known before that Jiang Yanzhi was so clingy?
Nestled in his daddy’s warm embrace, Jiang Yanzhi explained stiffly, “I—I can’t sleep.”
Carrying Jiang Yanzhi to the bed, he wrapped him up in the blanket and continued holding him to warm his body. Pei Cheng stroked his hair, helpless yet indulgent. “Don’t do this again. I’ll worry.”
Jiang Yanzhi buried his head and said nothing, his little appearance somewhat aggrieved.
Pei Cheng did not know why his heart softened. He had never thought indulging a child was a good thing, especially a boy, but now he had inexplicably softened.
And his heart ached for him.
Without warning, Jiang Yanzhi began to cry. Tears pattered down like rain. Before long his whole face was covered in tears, his nose red, tears and snot smeared all over his face—ugly and adorable at once.
“What are you crying for?” Pei Cheng did not know whether to laugh or cry. “I haven’t even scolded you yet.”
Jiang Yanzhi cried for a while, tears still falling uncontrollably. He sniffled and choked out, “I—I’m afraid.” Pei Cheng touched his head, thinking he was afraid that tomorrow he would have to follow Jiang Lin…
Zhi learned to read, said: “You don’t want to learn to read with your father?”
Jiang Yanzhi wiped his tears with his sleeve. “No, I’m not afraid.”
“Then what are you afraid of?” As soon as Pei Cheng finished speaking, it was as if he had caught on to something. He narrowed his eyes and said, “You’re afraid I’ll leave you here alone and go back to the side residence.”
Jiang Yanzhi said nothing, which was probably a tacit admission.
Pei Cheng forcefully lifted the little guy’s chin and stared into his eyes. “Listen to me.”
Jiang Yanzhi looked sad and bewildered.
Pei Cheng found this version of Jiang Yanzhi somewhat amusing. “Remember this: I am your dad. No matter who I lose, I will never lose you.”
Jiang Yanzhi looked up. After a long while, he nodded heavily. He knew the difference between his father and his dad, and he understood even more the meaning of that sentence, “I will never lose you.”
“Don’t cry anymore.” Pei Cheng lowered his eyes and wiped Jiang Yanzhi’s tears with his fingertip, his feelings complicated.
Jiang Yanzhi obediently tilted his head up, letting Pei Cheng wipe his tears.
As Pei Cheng wiped, he thought of himself as a child. If someone had wiped his tears and held him to coax him when he cried, perhaps even now he would not have always hated and refused to remember his childhood.
After holding him for a while, Pei Cheng’s arm grew sore. He was too lazy to push away the little guy still clinging stickily to him, so he simply fell onto the bed in that position.
Only after Jiang Yanzhi’s whole face was covered by the blanket did he react. He hurriedly scrambled out from under the blanket with hands and feet, climbed onto Pei Cheng’s chest, and then lay there without moving.
Pei Cheng felt as if a jack was pressing on his chest. Before long he could not breathe. He reached out and patted Jiang Yanzhi’s bottom, neither lightly nor heavily. “Get down and sleep.”
Jiang Yanzhi dawdled and refused to get down.
Pei Cheng held the little guy’s back with one hand and supported his bottom with the other, pulling him down from his chest and laying him at his side.
Jiang Yanzhi puffed up angrily and said nothing.
With the burden of Jiang Yanzhi gone, Pei Cheng immediately felt much more comfortable. But Jiang Yanzhi pulled a long little face, so angry that for a long time he did not turn his head to speak to Pei Cheng.
Jiang Yanzhi faced the wall, stuck out his bottom, arched his upper body, his little face full of grievance and anger, but more than that, expectation—he was waiting for his dad to come coax him.
Because the heavy burden in his heart had been lifted, before Pei Cheng could wait for the little guy to turn around on his own and “forgive” him, he had already drowsily fallen asleep.
Jiang Yanzhi carefully turned around. Seeing that Pei Cheng was already asleep, a trace of grievance flashed in his eyes. He pressed his lips together and inched quietly toward Pei Cheng.
Pei Cheng was not awakened.
Jiang Yanzhi finally lay down in the place closest to Pei Cheng, as he had wished. Happily, he reached out, clutched the clothes on Pei Cheng’s chest, closed his eyes, and before long fell asleep too.
When Pei Cheng woke again, the sky outside the window had already darkened, and Jiang Yanzhi, lying in his arms, was still asleep.
Pei Cheng rubbed his temples. It was not early; later he still had to go to the front hall, and he might be late, so he woke the little guy.
Jiang Yanzhi opened his eyes drowsily. Seeing Pei Cheng sit up straight, he sat up too and imitated him by rubbing his eyes.
Pei Cheng ignored him and turned his head to shout outside, “Someone.”
Erxi pushed open the door, with Sanxi behind him, and lit the candles in the room.
The dim room was instantly lit. Pei Cheng said in a hoarse voice, “What time is it?”
Erxi said, “It is the hour of the rooster.”
Pei Cheng abruptly threw off the blanket and said sternly, “Has anyone from North Garden come to the East Courtyard?”
Erxi had not expected Pei Cheng to react so strongly and was badly startled. Only then did he say, “North Garden hasn’t sent anyone yet, Second Young Madam.” Pei Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, absentmindedly put on his shoes, and without looking at Jiang Yanzhi, who was still on the bed waiting for him to hold him, walked to the window and said, “Has the Second Master gone out?”
Erxi and Sanxi exchanged a glance. The former spoke helplessly, “There has been no movement in the Second Master’s courtyard. If Second Young Madam is worried, this servant will go to the Second Master’s courtyard and ask?”
Pei Cheng and Jiang Linzhi’s courtyards were separated by a single wall—very close, and also very far.
“No need.”
Sanxi brought Pei Cheng’s cloak. The night wind was strong, and Pei Cheng had just recovered from a serious illness. If he caught a chill, he might fall ill again. Sanxi shook out the cloak and silently fastened it for Pei Cheng.
Jiang Yanzhi sat by the bed. Erxi knelt on the ground to put on his shoes, and after the shoes were on, he also put a padded jacket on him.
After they were dressed neatly, Pei Cheng took Jiang Yanzhi’s hand and said, “Let’s go. First, go find your dad.”
Erxi and Sanxi followed behind Pei Cheng. The four had just reached the courtyard gate when they saw Jiang Linzhi happen to walk to the gate as well.
By coincidence, they met Jiang Linzhi, who said, “Let’s go. North Garden has sent someone to urge us.”
Pei Cheng kept up with Jiang Linzhi’s pace, thinking as he walked: Could it really be such a coincidence?
The group hurried to North Garden. Everyone had long since taken their seats. It was very quiet; no one spoke. It did not have the warmth and harmony of an ordinary family banquet.
Before Jiang Linzhi and the others could take their seats, they heard the Old Madam sitting in the seat of honor say in a strange, sarcastic tone, “I wonder who is actually in charge of the Jiang family. Even for a meal, one has to be invited three times and four times. Could it be that even the rules have been forgotten?”
The entire hall fell silent. Eldest Master Jiang was still smiling, as if he had heard nothing, while Hu Xiayun tilted her head, wanting to strike up a conversation with him.
The other guests belonging to the Old Madam’s maternal family also did not speak. Everyone was waiting to see Second Master Jiang make a fool of himself.
