A gentle breeze wafted through the garden of Shen Yi’s home, the wind ruffling the long strands of hair of Lu Xinyi as she held a little boy on her lap while watching Qing Qing play with Mallows and Milktea, her husband’s two Akita dogs. Her white tiger was sleeping next to her once again as she sat at the porch.
Two years had passed since Sun Mingai’s death, and a lot had happened. Perhaps it was fate’s way to compensate her loss before, but Lu Xinyi would admit that she was truly happy now. She wasn’t alone anymore.
She had a family she could call her own, a couple of friends always there for her, her brother who still looked after her even if he’d started his own family with Ji family’s Ji Mingqian, and a husband who loved and cherished her the most.
She even mended her relationship with Sun Feiyan although the latter would refuse to admit that they were being acquainted with each other.
Then, there’s her Grandmother Tang and the whole Tang family supporting her.
Lu Xinyi didn’t think she could ask for more though there were times she felt that it was incomplete. To this day, she was missing her parents. Often times, she found herself visiting her parents’ grave before turning to pay respects to Sun Mingai’s before she left for home.
She spent hours sitting quietly next to her parents’ graves, telling them her worries, her dreams, and her children’s welfare. Shen Yi would come with her on occasions, saying nothing but always leaving some flowers.
Lu Xinyi didn’t know what could have happened if she didn’t impulsively go alone on that cruise vacation and hadn’t met him. She didn’t she could once again experience having a family and learn how to love.
However, she slowly came to realize that there was a life she had to live in spite of her parents’ death and decided to live her life to the fullest without regrets because she had a loving husband—and four children to care for now.
“Zichen, Yuyan, why are you here? Isn’t it too early for you to leave your tutors behind?” she teased the twins once they came to the garden to join Shen Lingqing.
“But we already finished our lessons, Mommy!” Shen Yuyan defended, “Can we play with Qing Qing now?”
The twins were now eleven years old and were starting to get preferences of their own, but they still like to spend time with Qing Qing and their little brother. Shen Yuyan was starting to bloom into a fine young lady while Shen Zichen was becoming more like Shen Yi in every aspect.
Lu Xinyi laughed when she saw Yuyan nudging her elder brother to help her convince their mother.
“Alright, you can play with Qing Qing, but you better stop at once when the snow starts to fall. Else, you might catch a cold,” she told them.
Shen Yuyan squealed with glee, thanked her mother, and chased her younger sister while her brother annoyed the sleeping white tiger next to Lu Xinyi by tickling its ears.
“Xiao Bai, why do you always sleep?” he asked the tiger. Xiao Bai flicked his ears and turned his head in the opposite direction to avoid his hand. “You always go wherever Qing Qing and Lingtian go. You aren’t planning to eat my baby siblings, are you?”
Lu Xinyi burst into a fit of laughter hearing his words.
“Really? I thought Xiao Bai likes their scent. I never thought he wants to eat them.” Before she could forget something, she asked him, “Zichen, are you sure you finish your lessons? I wouldn’t be able to help you if Daddy finds out you ditched your tutor again.”
Between the twins, Shen Zichen was responsible and level-headed. She and Shen Yi were able to rely on him at times to look after his siblings.
“Yes, Mommy. We finished the lessons early. I even helped Yuyan to answer hers,” Shen Zichen responded before getting back to his feet to follow his sister, leaving Lu Xinyi with their youngest sibling.
“Mommy?” The boy in her arms called her attention.
“Sorry, Lingtian. Do you want more apples?” Lu Xinyi smiled down to her son, her hand reaching out to take a piece of sliced apples from the wooden bowl next to her for him to munch on. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
The boy reached out a hand and took the apple from her hand. He ate happily while watching his siblings play on the snow. The two girls were making the head of the snowman while Shen Zichen looked around for twigs they could use as its arms.
Shen Lingtian was born a month after his sister’s fourth birthday and was now one year old. Unlike his sister, Lingtian didn’t seem like he inherited her mother’s absolute tongue; and he was quiet and calm, so much that she and Shen Yi were worried that he wasn’t crying like any other normal babies at his age.
Zhao Xi and her mother-in-law had assured them that there was nothing wrong with their son as he was just developing differently.
While his sister’s name meant ‘ethereal’, his meant ‘to take the heavens’. It was Shen Huang who bestowed the name to the boy, hoping that he’d help the Shen family flourish.
The wild white tiger stirred in his sleep and cracked an eye open. He then slowly stood from his place and went to the other side of the porch to sleep comfortably.
“I see that you didn’t wait for me to wake up and played outside,” came Shen Yi’s baritone voice as he sat next to the place Xiao Bai vacated.
Lu Xinyi lifted her head and smiled at her husband. Her husband had done an all-nighter for work and had slept too late last night. She decided not to wake him up and let him sleep, knowing that he needed some rest. It was now past ten in the morning, and he really had slept in.
“Sorry, you seemed so tired we let you slept in,” she said as she leaned against him for support while his arm resting on her waist as he looked down to their youngest son.
The boy was watching him with interest as he continued to eat his apple in silence. Again, most of Shen Lingtian’s facial features were from the Shens, but his eyes and nose were from his wife.
After he finished his snack, Lingtian slipped out from his mother’s lap and balanced on his feet with Lu Xinyi’s assistance before turning to run towards Zichen who called after him.
“So what’s for breakfast?” Shen Yi asked while their children busied themselves in the garden. He led her back to the kitchen for a late breakfast. He raised an eyebrow when he saw a plate of souffle pancakes on the dining table; across it laid a beautiful slice of cheesecake.
“Xinxin, I didn’t forget that today’s our fifth wedding anniversary. Why did you prepare two sets of cakes?” he questioned her.
Shen Yi was half-tempted to grin when he saw the pancakes, but the pointed glare his wife sent his way was a clear warning. He shouldn’t voice out his thoughts. Ah, but she wasn’t as flat as pancakes anymore. Just like this souffle pancakes, her buns were soft and jiggly after giving birth to his two children.
“Nothing much,” Lu Xinyi answered with a grin, “Just wanted to remind you of our deal, President Shen.”
It was only then Shen Yi remembered what was missing. He ran a hand on his face and sighed. Yeah, for their fifth wedding anniversary, he should have asked Qiao He to make reservations for dinner; but the man was on vacation with Zhang Qing as they recently got married.
Still the same as the first time he’d met her, Xinxin declined all the expensive gifts he prepared for her and only accepted food.
“Takeout or food trip?” he asked her.
Lu Xinyi tapped her chin to think. If they ordered takeout for dinner, they wouldn’t have to worry about their children; but the food trip with her husband alone seemed tempting. Ah, what to do? What to choose?
“Takeout, it is!” She would rather stay at home with her children for peace of mind.
Shen Yi wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek. He was really glad he’d chosen the right woman to marry during that cruise vacation. Thinking about it, he should’ve thanked Grammie and his father for setting him up for a blind date.
