183 Going Home

The family of three walked along the coastline, passing the newly built houseboats, and soon arrived near the old houseboats.

This area has been renovated and has a strong sense of history.

Huo Yanxi suddenly grabbed Xie Yaoyao, who turned around and looked at him in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

Huo Yanxi laughed and pulled off his tie, saying, "Close your eyes, I have a gift for you."

Xie Yaoyao was slightly surprised, "What are you going to give me?"

Huo Yanxi smiled and said, "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise. Close your eyes."

Xie Yaoyao obediently closed her eyes, her lips curling up uncontrollably. "What exactly do you want to do?"

A warm sensation covered his eyes, carrying the unique scent of a man.

Then she felt him tie a bow behind her head, and then he took her hand and led her slowly forward.

"Baby, trust me completely, and walk forward with confidence. I won't let you fall."

Xie Yaoyao's eyes were slightly moist.

"Yes, I know."

In this world, the only person she unconditionally trusted was Huo Yanxi.

She followed in his footsteps, and Xie Ziyu held her hand on the other side.

"Mommy, you're about to go down the stairs, slow down."

Xie Yaoyao: "Okay, Mommy, go slower."

She took a tentative step, then stepped down until her foot touched solid ground before moving it further.

The feeling of being able to see what was ahead, but having someone holding her hand on both sides, made her feel very secure.

She walked for an unknown amount of time, the sea breeze gently caressing her face, and she heard laughter occasionally coming from the beach.

There were also parents chasing after their children, yelling at them to be careful, their voices noisy and sometimes near, sometimes far.

Such liveliness brought a faint smile to her lips.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, they finally stopped. Xie Yaoyao asked, "Have we arrived?"

Huo Yanxi said softly, "We've arrived. Close your eyes first, and I'll count to three before you open them."

Xie Yaoyao obediently closed her eyes, feeling the bow on the back of her head being pulled open.

The tie covering her eyes was removed, and light shone on her eyelids.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and then she heard Huo Yanxi counting in her ear.

"3, 2, 1".

Xie Yaoyao opened her eyes and, seeing the scene before her, burst into tears.

Her eyes widened in disbelief, tears streaming down her face. She raised her hand to cover her slightly parted mouth. "How could this be?"

The intact houseboat, her former home, the home that Chi Wanwan had set on fire, came into view.

She glanced at Huo Yanxi with teary eyes, "Did you have it repaired?"

Huo Yanxi knew she would be moved, but he didn't expect her to cry like this.

He tenderly wiped away her tears, saying, "Don't cry, I didn't do this to make you cry."

Xie Yaoyao choked up, "Thank you, Huo Yanxi, thank you for letting me see our home again."

The boathouse doesn't look newly built; it's probably been artificially aged, with even the weathered walls showing signs of wear and tear from the sun and wind meticulously restored.

It is evident that Huo Yanxi put a lot of thought into the reconstruction, aiming to preserve their memories.

Huo Yanxi said, "Then please stop crying, okay?"

Xie Yaoyao wiped away her tears. She remembered that when she came back last year, this place was still fenced off and had not yet been renovated.

It seems that Huo Yanxi recently had someone rebuild it.

"When did you hire someone to rebuild it?" Xie Yaoyao asked Huo Yanxi as she walked towards the entrance of the boathouse.

Huo Yanxi followed closely beside her, while Xie Ziyu squatted in front of the houseboat playing in the sand.

"At the end of July, I began to doubt your identity, so I came back."

At that time, he wanted to remind himself not to look for Manman's shadow in Xie Yaoyao.

Then they returned to the small fishing village, where they unexpectedly met Granny Zheng and discovered Manman's background.

It was a lucky accident.

Xie Yaoyao narrowed her eyes. "You suspected my identity so early on, so you cooperated with the doctor to make me lose weight, was it because you've always suspected me?"

Huo Yanxi nodded. "Mm."

Xie Yaoyao: "When I touched you, your expression changed and you shook off my hand. I thought you hated me."

Huo Yanxi was taken aback. "When did I shake off your hand?"

"When I saw the electric shock mark on your wrist, I wanted to check on you, but you shook off my hand right at the villa entrance." Xie Yaoyao pouted, looking aggrieved.

He was really fierce back then.

Huo Yanxi recalled that scene, his eyes filled with apology, "I'm sorry, my feelings were very complicated at the time."

The night before, he found a resemblance to Manman in Xie Yaoyao.

He felt that his feelings for Manman had changed, and he actually wanted to find a substitute.

He couldn't tolerate himself and used electric shocks to forcibly correct his thoughts.

When the body is in pain, the mind becomes clear.

The next day, he met Xie Yaoyao, and her concern caused his emotions, which had finally gotten back on track, to stray again.

That's why he so violently shook off her hand.

"I don't hate you. On the contrary, I love you very much. You have no idea how much I want you."

He whispered the last three words almost in her ear, not wanting Xie Ziyu to hear them.

A jolt of electricity ran through Xie Yaoyao's ears, and she quickly jumped to the side, almost bumping into the fence next to her.

Huo Yanxi didn't expect her to react so strongly, so he quickly reached out and grabbed her waist, pulling her back.

"Be careful not to get hurt."

Xie Yaoyao rubbed her ear and said, "Don't talk so close to my ear, it tickles."

Huo Yanxi looked at her with deep eyes. If it weren't for the inappropriate timing, he really wanted to press her against the door and kiss her.

He restrained himself and looked away, saying, "We're almost home, do you want to go in and take a look?"

Xie Yaoyao nodded, "Okay."

Huo Yanxi had the key, so he opened the courtyard gate and stood by the gate, reaching out to block it.

Xie Yaoyao walked in. The courtyard was exactly the same as before, even the tulips planted in the flowerbed were lush and green.

It is evident that Huo Yanxi put in a lot of effort and even hired someone to look after the place.

Her eyes welled up again. Every brick and tile here was just as it used to be, including the pillars under the eaves.

She walked over and saw that their heights, which they had carved on the pillar before, were still there.

Each line recorded the time it took for her and Huo Yanxi to grow taller, and she reached out and gently touched them.

The rough texture under her fingertips made her heart flutter.

She stood next to the pillar and compared herself to the pillar; she seemed to have grown two or three centimeters taller after giving birth.

Huo Yanxi walked over and said, "Don't move, let me draw a line for you."

Xie Yaoyao said, "I was wearing shoes, so it doesn't count."

With shoes on, she was five or six centimeters taller than the last time her height was measured.

Huo Yanxi took a tissue and placed it on the ground, letting her step on it.

He measured her height like that, saying, "After we broke up, you grew a few centimeters, and now you're 1.7 meters tall."

Xie Yaoyao is considered quite tall among her peers.

Her legs were especially long, especially when they were wrapped around him... dazzlingly white.

Realizing he had lost in thought, Huo Yanxi coughed lightly and marked the current time on the line: September 30th of a certain year.

"Manman, measure me too."