Chapter 460 – Why Does It Sound So Much Like Ayi?
Song Yi’s mother looked at her son, who was staring blankly, and couldn’t help but find it amusing.
But she also knew that Fanghua hadn’t told him since she was pregnant.
At first, it was to avoid distracting Song Yi from his studies, worried that he might give up on studying abroad and choose to return home.
Later on, it was entirely to give Ayi a surprise.
Song Yi’s mother rolled her eyes at him and then said, “Siyi is your daughter. What’s wrong with her calling you daddy?”
Song Yi: Of course it’s wrong! It’s wrong in every way!
“But Mom, I was studying abroad for over four years. How could there be…”
Song Yi’s mother rolled her eyes at him again and moved aside, saying, “Come in first. We’ll discuss everything in detail when Fanghua returns.”
So, Song Yi, still in a daze, carried little Siyi and went inside.
Everything in the small courtyard seemed unchanged.
But the people living there had changed.
Xu Jinning and Xie Ting’an had married, so they had moved into the courtyard Xu Jinning had bought and rarely stayed here now.
In this small courtyard lived not only Song Yi’s mother but also his father and younger brother.
His younger brother was now in university, living on campus and coming back less often.
His father had recently gone back to the countryside for some family matters and wouldn’t return for a few more days.
“Wait, Mom, tell me, what is the deal with this child?” Song Yi urgently wanted to know the situation, so he followed his mother, still holding the child, into the kitchen.
Song Yi’s mother continued cooking, not paying much attention to him, but she was happy inside.
“Like I said, I’ll explain everything when Fanghua returns. Anyway, Siyi is your child.”
Song Yi: …Alright then.
“Daddy, I want to ride the horse,” little Siyi said as they walked out of the living room.
“Ride the horse!” Song Yi naturally knew what that meant. After all, when he was little, he had ridden a horse on his father’s back.
His father had always been very loving toward both him and his younger brother, agreeing to almost anything they asked for.
And now…
He was supposed to let this little girl ride a horse, which…
“Daddy, giddy-up, faster, faster!”
“Daddy, you’re doing great!”
“Siyi, hold on tight, I’m going to go even faster.”
“Charge!”
“Ah, so fast, so fast!”
…
Xu Fanghua unlocked the door to the small courtyard and, as soon as she entered, she heard the sound of cheering coming from the living room.
The soft, sweet, and milky voice was clearly her daughter, Song Siyi.
But the male voice…
It sounded very familiar.
But in an instant, Xu Fanghua realized.
The voice sounded so much like Ayi’s.
Could it be him?
But wasn’t Ayi supposed to return in another week?
Regardless of whether it was him or not, she would find out when she saw him.
So, almost without finishing her thoughts, Xu Fanghua quickened her pace toward the living room.
Even though the distance from the yard to the living room wasn’t very far,
At that moment, Xu Fanghua felt like it was incredibly long.
As she neared the living room, just one more step would let her see inside.
But she inexplicably hesitated.
What if it wasn’t him? Then it would be a false alarm.
But if it was him?
Xu Fanghua’s emotions were mixed with eagerness, but also a strange sense of anxiety and hesitation.
She could even feel her heart racing wildly.
Yet, she hesitated with that final step.
Xu Fanghua thought her feelings were similar to those who return to their hometown after many years and hesitate to face it immediately. Perhaps this was the feeling of being nervous about returning to familiar ground.
Now, she was feeling timid.
“Si Yu, come sit on my shoulders, hold on tight, and I’ll show you something high up,” came the voice from inside.
Soon, a figure unexpectedly appeared in front of Xu Fanghua.
When Xu Fanghua saw the person clearly, tears immediately blurred her vision.
At that moment, Song Yi, who had little Si Yu on his shoulders, also froze upon seeing Xu Fanghua for the first time, his eyes reddening with unshed tears.
“Mommy~” Little Siyi’s eyes lit up upon seeing Xu Fanghua, and she immediately waved and greeted her.
Then she remembered she was riding on her daddy’s shoulders.
Excitedly, she said, “Mommy, look, Daddy is back.”
“Siyi recognized Daddy!”
Xu Fanghua walked closer to them, step by step, until she stood in front of Song Yi.
She looked at him, wiped away her tears, and said, “Siyi is really amazing; she recognized Daddy so quickly.”
Her words made Song Yi’s heart tremble.
“Fanghua, Siyi…”
“Siyi, Song Yi, Ayi, Siyi is your daughter. When you left for your studies, I fainted. Ningning took me to the hospital, and after an examination, I found out I was pregnant. Later, I gave birth to Siyi…”
As Xu Fanghua explained, Song Yi was finally convinced that Siyi was indeed his daughter.
It was just as he had guessed.
She was conceived before he left for his studies.
“Fanghua, why didn’t you tell me? You kept it from me for over four years. Do you know how shocked I was when I saw Siyi and heard her call me Daddy…” Song Yi’s tone and expression carried a sense of grievance.
“And you should have told me. You were pregnant, had to study, and take care of a child—how tough it must have been.” The thought of how hard it must have been for Xu Fanghua over the past few years made Song Yi feel deeply pained and guilty.
He felt he had been neither a good husband nor a good father.
He had not been there for her and their child when they needed him the most.
Xu Fanghua shook her head and said, “If I had told you before you left for your studies, would you have gone? Even if you had gone and found out you were going to be a father, would you have been able to focus on your studies? You might have even come back immediately.”
Song Yi: … Alright, he admitted that Fanghua understood his thoughts completely.
Even before knowing about the pregnancy, he had been reluctant to go abroad for his studies.
Let alone finding out that Fanghua was pregnant; there was no way he would have left.
Song Yi always knew what was most important to him.
It was love and family that mattered most!
Dreams were secondary.
Fanghua had indeed guessed his thoughts accurately, but…
Song Yi looked at Xu Fanghua, holding Siyi in his arms, and said, “Fanghua, you’ve worked hard these years. I won’t leave again.”
Xu Fanghua’s eyes reddened once more.
Had these years been tough for her?
Indeed, they had been.
Her husband was abroad for his studies, not by her side. The longing grew stronger each day. Although Ningning was there with her, some things and some words could only be shared with her husband; only he could bear them together with her.
Not to mention, she had to endure the hardships of pregnancy and the emotional ups and downs.
Especially in the early stages of pregnancy, when she couldn’t keep anything down, suffered from morning sickness, and still had to study… Xu Fanghua’s condition was truly difficult at that time.
