Chapter 444 – Three Years Later
Song Yi looked at the little girl, who resembled his wife, Xu Fanghua, almost exactly—like a miniature version of her.
He felt his heart melting as he gazed at her.
When he woke up, Song Yi remained immersed in the dream for a while, unusually delaying his usual routine of washing up and studying.
Song Yi knew that he and Fanghua didn’t have any children yet. Both were still in their learning stages, so they had no plans for a child at the moment.
Moreover, since he was studying abroad in Country A, having a child was even more impractical.
The matter of having children could only be considered after he returned to his home country.
However…
Song Yi thought that if their future daughter could be like the little girl in his dream, it would be wonderful.
He imagined that he and Fanghua would certainly cherish her deeply.
To be honest, Song Yi was almost eager to write a letter to Xu Fanghua to tell her about the dream.
But he held back.
What if Fanghua thought he was pressuring her to have a child?
He didn’t want to add any stress to Fanghua. Besides, being in Country A and not by Fanghua’s side, even if she wanted a child, it wasn’t possible.
So…
Song Yi chose to get out of bed, quickly wash up, and return to his studies, aiming to return home as soon as possible.
…
Time always flew by when immersed in study.
The developments in the outside world also moved rapidly.
Unknowingly, three years had passed…
In these three years, many people and things had undergone significant changes.
For instance, Xu Jinning had been teaching at Beijing University for over three years now.
Three years ago, she had been an intern in the National Translation Department. Now, she was fully capable of handling responsibilities on her own, and her monthly salary was much higher than before.
Three years ago, Xu Jinning was just 18, but now, at 21, she had grown into an even more attractive and captivating young woman, just like Xu Fanghua had been at her age. If she hadn’t already married Xie Ting’an, there would probably still be many suitors who wouldn’t give up.
Yes, in her 20th year, Xu Jinning and Xie Ting’an had registered their marriage, although they had not yet held a wedding reception. They intended to have a reception, just needed to find a suitable time when all important family members could attend.
At that time, Xie Ting’an had just finished his graduate studies and started a company. Eager to formalize their relationship, he wanted to register their marriage first. Xu Jinning was flexible about the timing, as long as she was committed to him.
So, at 21, they had officially registered their marriage. However, Xu Jinning still lived in the small courtyard, only occasionally staying at the Xie family home.
The small courtyard was no longer rented but had been transferred to Xu Fanghua’s name. Two years ago, the owner decided to sell both the small and the large courtyards and move abroad.
When Xu Jinning heard about the sale, she immediately took action. After discussing with her sister Xu Fanghua, Xu Jinning bought the large courtyard, while Xu Fanghua bought the small one.
Xu Jinning used the dividends from investing in the supermarket and her salary over the past three years to purchase the large courtyard. Although Xu Fanghua had saved less, she borrowed some money from Xu Jinning to buy the small courtyard, as she was unwilling to accept it as a gift and preferred to repay the loan.
She felt that, even with the closest siblings, some matters needed to be settled clearly. She absolutely could not take advantage of her younger sister just because she was kind-hearted.
With the small courtyard now officially belonging to them, Xu Fanghua felt more at ease living there with her child.
These days, the small courtyard was also occupied by the Song family.
Firstly, Xu Fanghua was busy with her graduate studies after completing her undergraduate coursework, and she had not yet graduated. She had limited time to care for the child.
Secondly, although her mother-in-law, Mother Song, had been helping with the confinement period and the baby, there were still responsibilities back home with Father Song and younger brother. Mother Song couldn’t stay in Beijing for long.
After discussing it, Xu Fanghua suggested that Father Song also come to stay in the small courtyard after it was purchased. As for the younger brother-in-law, he had been admitted to a school in Beijing, so he naturally moved there as well.
Now, the small courtyard was occupied by the Song family. Xu Fanghua continued her graduate studies, while younger brother-in-law attended school in Beijing and only returned home after classes.
Father Song and Mother Song were responsible for managing the small courtyard and taking care of their granddaughter, Siyi.
As for the responsibilities back home, they hired others to handle them, with Father Song occasionally going back to oversee things.
Three years ago, Song Siyi was just a newborn, but according to the traditional age system, she was now four years old and ready to start kindergarten.
Recently, Xu Fanghua had enrolled her in a nearby kindergarten.
Every day, Siyi was taken to kindergarten by her grandparents and picked up after school.
Today, Xu Fanghua, who rarely had time off, and Xu Jinning, her younger aunt, came to pick her up from school.
With Qingming Festival approaching, Father Song and Mother Song had returned home for ancestor worship and would only come back after the festival.
So now Xu Fanghua and Xu Jinning took turns picking up Song Siyi from kindergarten, with younger brother-in-law occasionally coming as well.
Song Siyi, dressed in a pretty dress and looking delicate and lovely, stood beside Xu Fanghua. It was clear to anyone who saw them that they were mother and daughter.
At the moment, she held one hand with her mother and the other with her aunt, her face beaming with happiness, feeling very content.
As they walked, she suddenly tilted her head and asked Xu Fanghua, “Mommy, when will Daddy come back?”
Xu Fanghua was momentarily stunned, then calculated the time and replied, “Soon. Your dad wrote a letter saying he would be coming back soon. According to his timing, it should be in about half a month.”
Over the past three years, Xu Fanghua and Song Yi could only communicate through letters, as phone calls could not connect between the two countries.
Letters took a lot of time to travel back and forth, but they kept up with their correspondence, sending at least two letters a month without interruption.
However, Xu Fanghua had not yet told Song Yi about their daughter. At first, when she was pregnant, Xu Fanghua decided to keep it a secret, fearing it might distract Song Yi and affect his studies. She also wanted to give him a surprise.
Later, when the baby was born and she looked at the tiny infant in the swaddling cloth, Xu Fanghua had the sudden urge to write to Song Yi and let him know about their daughter. But she resisted.
She held off for three years, and before she knew it, their child was already three years old and ready for kindergarten.
Now, Xu Fanghua still had not informed Song Yi about their daughter.
This time, it wasn’t about affecting Song Yi’s studies. Instead, it was driven by a mischievous sense of anticipation.
She wanted to see Song Yi’s reaction when he returned home and discovered he had such a grown-up daughter. She imagined he would be quite shocked.
