Slow to mature after marriage

Zhou Yu'an lowered his head and looked into the eyes of Shen Ruoqing in his arms.

Shen Ruoqing looked up at her innocently, her eyelashes fluttering. "Mommy's a little scared," she said softly, "Can I snuggle into your arms for a bit?"

Zhou Yu'an: "..."

"...Okay," Zhou Yu'an said.

As they talked, the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms without even realizing it.

-

Zhou Yu'an was woken up by the strangulation. Shen Ruoqing was wrapped around her like an octopus, her arms around her waist, her face buried in the crook of her shoulder, her hair brushing against her chin, tickling her. Her legs were also draped over her calves, she was holding her tightly, as if afraid she would run away.

Zhou Yu'an stirred, trying to quietly remove her hand. Shen Ruoqing suddenly opened her eyes and cried out in alarm, "An'an!"

Zhou Yu'an froze at the shout.

Shen Ruoqing was dazed for a few seconds, her gaze shifting from blank to focused. Seeing Zhou Yu'an in her arms, her expression changed from panic to relief, and she smiled again, "An'an, good morning."

Zhou Yu'an looked at her crescent-shaped eyes and his lips moved slightly. "...Good morning."

This mother seems a bit clingy.

-

After breakfast, Shen Ruoqing called the brother and sister to the courtyard.

There is a ginkgo tree in the yard.

The tree trunk is thick, and the branches and leaves are lush. Sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled light and shadow on the ground.

In one spot on the tree trunk, there are crooked marks, next to which are numbers and dates. One year old, two years old, three years old, four years old, five years old—the marks stop abruptly at the age of five.

That was something the brother and sister did every year when they were little. Every time they grew a little taller, they would carve a line on the tree trunk and write their names and the date next to it. Xu Bai's carvings were tall and straight, while An An's were crooked and uneven. In some years, they even carved an extra line, probably because they didn't stand up straight when measuring and had to add it later.

Shen Ruoqing pulled Zhou Yu'an and Zhou Xubai under the tree, holding a measuring tape in her hand, looking eager to try it out.

"Mom..." Zhou Xubai stood under the tree, smiling helplessly, and had to remind her, "I'm already thirty years old, so please don't take me with you, okay?"

Shen Ruoqing was less patient with her son. "Don't waste your breath on me, come here right now."

Zhou Yu'an, who had also been pulled over, wanted to say that she was already twenty-six years old. But Shen Ruoqing had already unrolled the measuring tape and was looking at them with her head tilted to the side.

Zhou Xubai glanced at Zhou Yu'an, sighed, and walked over resignedly, leaning against the tree trunk with his back pressed against the rough bark.

Zhou Yu'an also walked over and leaned against the other side of the ginkgo tree. The bark was rough and pressed against her back. Shen Ruoqing bent down and carefully carved a new mark on the trunk.

"Zhou Yu'an, 26 years old, 172cm."

"An'an has indeed grown very tall."

Shen Ruoqing sighed and began measuring Zhou Xubai again.

"Zhou Xubai, 30 years old, 186cm."

Shen Ruoqing exclaimed in surprise, "Son, how come you've grown so tall?"

Zhou Xubai stared at Shen Ruoqing and couldn't help but laugh, "Yeah, Mom, how come I've grown so tall?"

It was only then that Shen Ruoqing realized that with her youngest daughter gone, she had not only missed out on Zhou Yu'an's childhood, but also on Zhou Xubai's.

She felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.

Zhou Shuyan, who had been standing by watching, came over and put his arm around his wife's shoulder to comfort her.

Soon, Shen Ruoqing composed herself and, standing on tiptoe, patted her two children's heads.

But in the end, a new beginning has arrived.