"Mm," Wen Qing said with a smile.
Ji Yanjun held Hengheng in one arm and held Wen Qing's hand with the other.
Wen Qing would occasionally reach out and poke Hengheng's chubby cheeks: "Little chubby ball, little chubby ball, look at Mommy, look at Mommy."
Hengheng giggled as she dodged, occasionally making "ah ah" sounds with a strong babyish tone.
Amidst laughter and conversation, Wen Qing and her family walked through the campus of Nanzhou University. Their handsome son, beautiful daughter, and adorable baby attracted everyone's attention, sparking a lively discussion.
"Does Wen Qing have a lover?"
"Yes, you've all forgotten about that student who came to class while pregnant before. She's so beautiful now."
"Wen Qing's husband is very stylish."
"And she has a child."
"They are so happy, I'm touched by their happiness."
"..."
“Wife, someone is praising me,” Ji Yanjun said, turning his head.
"Yes, they're praising your handsome and tall appearance." Wen Qing smiled, then reached out and poked Hengheng's chubby cheeks: "They're saying our baby is cute."
Ji Yanjun smiled.
Hengheng was so happy that he bounced around in Ji Yanjun's arms. His little arms and legs were quite strong. Luckily, it was Ji Yanjun who was holding him. If it were Wen Qing, she wouldn't have been able to hold him like this.
Seeing how healthy Hengheng was, Wen Qing's smile never faded.
After arriving home, Wen Qing brought up the matter of children's clothing with Ji Yanjun again.
Ji Yanjun nodded after hearing this: "That's right." Now that Fengqing Group has made a name for itself, the industry takes Fengqing's moves as a benchmark. In addition, Wen Qing has a talent for clothing design and production, so the children's clothing brand will definitely be a hit once it is launched.
“But I don’t know much about children’s clothing.” Wen Qing fell into deep thought.
Ji Yanjun laughed, pointed at the chubby Hengheng sitting on the carpet, and said, "Look, isn't this a ready-made template?"
When Wen Qing looked over, Heng Heng looked over as well, immediately stretching out his chubby little arms: "Ahhh!" He wanted a hug.
"No hug, no hug," Wen Qing teased Hengheng with a smile.
Hengheng: "Ahhh!"
"No hugging, no hugging, I won't hug you," Wen Qing continued.
Hengheng turned his head away, looking like he was thinking, "Mom is so mean, I'm so tired."
At this moment, Wen Qing walked over with a smile, hugged Hengheng tightly, and then kissed his chubby cheeks: "Little Hengheng, why aren't you looking at Mommy? Why aren't you looking at Mommy?"
Hengheng loves it when others play with him, and he immediately starts giggling.
Ji Yanjun stood by, protecting them, fearing that Hengheng might suddenly throw them both to the ground.
After a moment, Wen Qing stopped teasing Hengheng and turned to Ji Yanjun, saying, "Yanjun, I've thought it through. We'll use our little Hengheng as a model to develop children's clothing."
Ji Yanjun then asked, "Isn't this model too fat?"
"Are you fat?" Wen Qing asked.
Ji Yanjun looked at Xiao Hengheng's chubby little arms, segmented like plump lotus roots. He poked a small indentation in Hengheng's arm with his finger, and the indentation bounced back with a "pop," showing how fleshy and elastic it was.
Wen Qing poked Hengheng's little arm and said, "He's so chubby."
Ji Yanjun poked again: "So fat."
Hengheng was poked several times, his long eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes darted around to look at his parents' arms. He also tried to poke his parents' arms with his little fingers, but couldn't make a dimple. Instead, he poked his own chubby arms, and with one poke, he made a deep dimple. He was indeed very chubby.
"You're so fat, aren't you?" Ji Yanjun asked.
Hengheng seemed to understand, and immediately hugged Wen Qing's neck, rubbing his chubby cheek against Wen Qing's, as if to say, "I'm not fat at all."
Wen Qing laughed.
Ji Yanjun helped the mother and son to sit on the sofa so that Wen Qing wouldn't get tired carrying them, while he went into the kitchen to cook.
Wen Qing was in the living room, playing with Heng Heng while observing the child and thinking about making children's clothes. After a while, Heng Heng got sleepy, and after coaxing him to sleep, Wen Qing went to the kitchen and watched Ji Yanjun busy at work.
For more than three years, he has almost given up his own career to stay with her and Hengheng, day and night. It would be a lie to say that Wen Qing was not moved.
"Yanjun," Wen Qing called from the doorway.
Ji Yanjun, focused on chopping vegetables, didn't turn his head, but asked with a smile, "Hungry?"
Wen Qing shook her head: "I'm not hungry."
"Is Hengheng asleep?"
"Um."
Ji Yanjun didn't ask any more questions.
Wen Qing hesitated for a moment before asking, "Yan Jun, will you blame me?"
Ji Yanjun paused, turned his head and asked, "What's wrong?"
“Because of me, you haven’t been able to properly develop your own career. In your past life, you had such a big career, but in this life, you’re just revolving around me and Hengheng,” Wen Qing said.
Ji Yanjun was stunned for a moment, then put down the knife, walked over, and took Wen Qing's hand: "It's not your fault, thank you."
Wen Qing gazed at him quietly.
“You and Hengheng are my life’s work. Unless you despise me, I’m willing to do this for the rest of my life,” Ji Yanjun said.
Wen Qing felt a warm and tender feeling in her heart. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Ji Yanjun's waist, buried her face in his chest, and said, "Yanjun, you don't need to worry about me so much. You're afraid I'll get sick. I'm perfectly healthy."
Does your good health conflict with my concern for you?
Wen Qing smiled, then slowly said, "Hengheng will grow up, Liangliang and Pengpeng are all grown up, and our parents have nothing to do at home. There aren't many children here in Nanzhou, right?"
"You mean you're leaving Hengheng with his parents?" Ji Yanjun asked.
“No.” Wen Qing was reluctant to part with him and said, “What I mean is that we can shift some of our focus to our respective careers. If we are really busy, we can send Hengheng back to the county town or stay in Shuiwan Village for a couple of days, so that Hengheng can get to know more other children, especially in Shuiwan Village, where there are so many children.”
Ji Yanjun nodded secretly, agreeing, but he said, "Do you think I lack ambition?" In fact, he was able to juggle childcare and work without any problems.
"No, not at all." Wen Qing immediately let go of him and explained earnestly, "I especially like it when you're home. Hengheng and I are both very happy when you're home. We love you the most."
Ji Yanjun laughed. He didn't hold the love letter against her. He was thinking that when he had time in the future, he would take Hengheng to stroll around Nanzhou University more often, and it would be best if the whole world knew that he was Wen Qing's man.
Wen Qing had no idea what Ji Yanjun was thinking; she was, for one, thinking about children's clothing.
After that, Wen Qing spent all her time at home with Heng Heng, observing him and drawing draft after draft of children's clothes and shoes. She carefully studied the fabrics and made one sample garment after another for Heng Heng to wear, treating him like a guinea pig for experiments.
Ji Yanjun gradually returned to his work.
"Hengheng, call me Mom." Wen Qing sat on the carpet, holding a pencil and leaning over the coffee table to draw. She couldn't finish the drawing right now, so she was just teasing Hengheng.
“m, m…” Hengheng dropped the rattle in her hand, crawled over, and grabbed Wen Qing’s arm, trying to stand up.
"Mom." Wen Qing mouthed the words to him.
"Mom..." Hengheng's bright eyes were fixed on Wen Qing's mouth, and she smacked her lips and called out, "Mom..."
"Oh right, oh right, call me Mommy." Wen Qing smiled and hugged the chubby Hengheng tightly, kissing and playing with him, making him giggle, "Mommy, Mommy..."
"Mother."
"Mom, Mom..." The little voice was so sweet.
Just then, Ji Yanjun returned.
"Oh, Hengheng, look! Daddy's back! Daddy's back!" Wen Qing said with a smile when she saw him.
Hengheng's eyes lit up, and she lay down on the ground, her chubby little arms reaching out quickly, her little bottom wiggling as she crawled toward Ji Yanjun. Her two chubby little arms hugged Ji Yanjun's trouser legs, making her look incredibly cute.
"Dad, Dad..." Hengheng can only call out one word at a time now.
Ji Yanjun smiled and scooped him up from the ground.
"dad……"
"Hey, son." Ji Yanjun smiled and patted his chubby face, then looked at Wen Qing with a serious expression and said, "Qingqing, pack your things, we're going back to the county town for a couple of days."
Wen Qing's heart skipped a beat. Why did she suddenly want to go back to the county town for two days? Usually, they wouldn't go back unless Ji Yousheng called them repeatedly. Why was Ji Yanjun now taking the initiative to go back to the county town for two days? Although she was on vacation and didn't have classes, she preferred to go back to Shuiwan Village.
"Did something happen at home?" Wen Qing asked.
“Dad collided with someone while riding his bicycle,” Ji Yanjun said.
Wen Qing was startled and quickly stood up to ask, "Is it serious? Where are we now?"
"It's not serious, but he has a cast on and is currently at home. He's getting old, so recovery will be more difficult," Ji Yanjun said.
Wen Qing breathed a sigh of relief; it was alright as long as it wasn't serious.
Ji Yanjun continued, "Hengheng has been born for so long, but he hasn't spent much time with his grandparents. This time, Dad is lying at home, so I wanted to see Hengheng more often."
"Okay, I'll pack my things right away." Wen Qing agreed before Ji Yanjun could finish speaking.
Ji Yanjun was taken aback. He understood the discord between Wen Qing and Liang Wenhua, and that she was very sensible to make such a quick decision. He said, "Qingqing, thank you."
Wen Qing smiled, then went into the bedroom to prepare clothes for Heng Heng to change into.
Ji Yanjun patted Hengheng's little bottom and asked, "Hengheng, do you want to bring your toys?"
Hengheng nodded his little head and said, "Yes, I'll take you."
"Are you bringing everything?"
Hengheng nodded repeatedly, "Yes, I'll take them all."
So Wen Qing and Ji Yanjun tidied up together, while Hengheng stood up, holding onto the bed, sucking on his chubby fingers as he looked at his parents.
"Don't instigate," Ji Yanjun said.
He immediately put his hand down, smacked his little red lips, and then, holding onto the bed, walked back and forth along the edge of the bed.
After Wen Qing finished packing, she asked, "What about the sewing machine?" Wen Qing had drawn up many sets of children's clothing, as well as bibs, smocks, hats, etc. The fabric had been selected and Feng Qing Textile Factory had prepared the goods. They were just waiting for Wen Qing to finalize the design and start production. Wen Qing had already made four or five sample garments and was still revising them. It was in the final stage, so a sewing machine was essential.
"After returning to the county town, I carried one home from the garment factory to use," Ji Yanjun said.
Wen Qing smiled and said, "Yeah, I almost wanted to take one of these home with me. I'm so stupid."
"Bring your drawings and everything with you, so you can make changes whenever you need to," Ji Yanjun said.
Wen Qing nodded.
As soon as they finished speaking, the bed suddenly became a mess. Turning around, they saw that Hengheng had somehow gotten to the bedside. He had thrown all the pillows and books on the bed onto the floor, and the pens, cups, matchboxes, and other items on the bedside table were also thrown onto the bed. At this moment, his chubby little hands were reaching into the bedside table and groping for something. His chubby face was full of fun and curiosity.
"Hengheng," Wen Qing called out.
He immediately withdrew his chubby hand, turned to look at Wen Qing, then at Ji Yanjun. Seeing that his parents weren't smiling, he knew they were angry. He turned around, grabbed the bedside table and the wall, and ran quickly towards the door. If he didn't run, his father would spank him.
"Hengheng, come back here!" Wen Qing shouted.
Little Hengheng shook her head, holding onto the wall as she walked out, saying, "No, no, I just don't want to come back."
However, he didn't run away. Ji Yanjun picked him up and slapped him twice on the bottom. He didn't cry. He lay down by the bed and picked up the pen, cup, matchbox, and other things that were thrown on the bed and put them on the bedside table.
On the way home, Wen Qing said in the car, "Yan Jun, have you noticed that Heng Heng is getting more and more mischievous?"
"Is there?" Ji Yanjun asked.
"Yes, when he was little, he was very well-behaved. But ever since he learned to walk, he's been causing trouble everywhere. Once, when we went to Shuiwan Village, Mom gave him two candy cakes. Pengpeng was afraid he would eat too many, so he ate one of them. He started yelling and screaming. Pengpeng had already finished eating, and he was so angry. Then he secretly took Pengpeng's homework and threw it under the bed. If Mom hadn't seen it, the homework would never have been found."
Ji Yanjun smiled.
"Also, he takes apart all the little toys in the house, and then he can't put them back together. They're scattered all over the floor, so he keeps taking them apart and causing more damage." Wen Qing thought to herself, how could he be so mischievous.
Ji Yanjun said with a smile, "He wasn't well-behaved when he was little. Back then, he couldn't sit or crawl, he could only lie down. He wanted to be naughty, but he couldn't. Now that he can sit, crawl, and make 'ah ah' noises, of course he's naughty." He'll be even more mischievous when he can walk.
"What should we do then?" Wen Qing asked worriedly.
"It's alright, it's fine for kids to be a little naughty, but it's not good if it goes too far." Ji Yanjun wasn't worried at all, because he was also quite mischievous when he was a child.
"Yes, they shouldn't be too naughty."
The couple talked as they arrived at the Ji family's house in the county town.
As soon as the car stopped, Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi rushed over. In the past, they would call out, "Yanjun, brother," but this time they called out, "Hengheng, Hengheng!" Liang Wenhua and Ji Ningzhi shouted at the same time.
Ji Yanjun got out of the car first, and before he could open the back door, Liang Wenhua had already opened it with a big smile and called out happily, "Hengheng, Hengheng." She completely ignored Wen Qing and stared at her chubby grandson.
Unfortunately, her eldest grandson still wouldn't let her hold him.
"Mom, don't block my sister-in-law's way. Let her and Hengheng get off the bus first," Ji Ningzhi said from the side. Since being hurt in both love and friendship by Li Chuanli and Zhang Fangfang, Ji Ningzhi has matured a lot. Seeing Wen Qing and Ji Yanjun's love for each other for years and the lovely Hengheng, and seeing how successful Wen Qing has become, she knows that she can't compete with Wen Qing and there's no need to. Besides, Wen Qing isn't a bad person. It was Zhang Fangfang who instigated her before. So, after being persuaded by Ji Yanjun several times, Ji Ningzhi also called Wen Qing "sister-in-law".
However, Liang Wenhua still stubbornly disliked Wen Qing. The relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has always been difficult to reconcile. Not to mention Liang Wenhua's preconceived bad impression of Wen Qing, she always believed that Feng Qing's success was all thanks to her son and had nothing to do with Wen Qing. If it weren't for Yan Jun, Wen Qing would still be a country girl.
However, for the sake of her eldest grandson, she decided not to clash with Wen Qing. At this moment, in order to allow her eldest grandson to show himself, she stepped back.
Ji Ningzhi leaned forward and took Hengheng: "Hengheng."
Then Wen Qing got out of the car.
"Hengheng, Hengheng." Liang Wenhua teased Hengheng with a big smile: "My grandson has grown even more handsome. I heard you can walk with support from the wall, is that right? Tell Grandma."
Hengheng turned her head away and leaned on Ji Ningzhi's shoulder, ignoring Liang Wenhua.
Liang Wenhua: "...Ning Zhi, why doesn't this child like me?"
“I don’t know either. Dad misses Hengheng so much. I’ll take him to see him now.” Ji Ningzhi said as she carried Hengheng into the main room.
Meanwhile, Ji Yanjun and Wen Qing had already seen Ji Yousheng. As people get older, they can't afford to have any illnesses or injuries, otherwise they will look much more haggard.
Ji Yanjun and Wen Qing asked a few questions and then came out of the room. Just then, people from Fengqing Garment Factory delivered a sewing machine for Wen Qing to use.
For the next few days, Wen Qing, Ji Yanjun, and Hengheng stayed at the Ji family's house.
Every day, Ji Ningzhi takes Hengheng out to play. Although Ji Ningzhi used to be a bit slow-witted, she has become much clearer-headed since she stopped being misled by Zhang Fangfang. Although she still makes silly mistakes from time to time, she really loves Hengheng and takes him out to play every day.
When Liang Wenhua couldn't reach Hengheng, she would watch over her from afar, preparing food, clothes, shoes, making her bed, and tidying up her toys.
Wen Qing waited until Hengheng went out to play before revising her manuscript and making clothes in her room. Since this was her first time working with children's clothing, and children's items required careful consideration, she put a lot of effort into making sure the clothes would be a hit on the market while also serving children and giving adults peace of mind.
Just as Wen Qing was cutting the fabric with scissors, Heng Heng returned.
"Mom, Mom..." Hengheng called out in a clear voice.
Wen Qingying: "Oh, Mom's here, Hengheng's back."
"Mmm." A child's "Mmm" is different from an adult's; it's very soft, slightly upturned, and has a strong milky quality.
Wen Qing felt relieved upon hearing this: "Come here, Mommy will give you a kiss."
"Um."
Hengheng had just entered when the phone in the main room rang, followed by Liang Wenhua's harsh voice calling out, "Wenqing, the phone."
"Okay, it's here." Wen Qing thought it must be Yao Shiling bringing the groceries, and then said to Ji Ningzhi, "Ningzhi, can you watch Hengheng for me for a while? I'm going to take a call, and I might have to go out for a bit."
Ji Ningzhi called out to Wen Qing but couldn't stop her. She just wanted to bring Hengheng back so she could go to the bathroom. But Wen Qing answered a phone call and went out.
Ji Ningzhi couldn't hold it in any longer. She put Hengheng next to the sewing machine and called out, "Mom, Mom, come and check on Hengheng. I'm going to the toilet. Hurry up, I can't hold it in anymore. I'm putting Hengheng next to the sewing machine. Please come and watch him."
"Okay, okay," Liang Wenhua replied.
Ji Ningzhi had already run away.
Hengheng is a mischievous child who is curious about everything and wants to reach out and touch everything. When he saw the paper and clothes hanging from the sewing machine, he reached out and pulled hard, tearing off one piece of paper and one piece of clothes after another.
When Liang Wenhua ran over, all she saw were clothes and papers scattered all over the ground.
"Oh dear, little Hengheng, you're being naughty again," Liang Wenhua said.
Hengheng has never liked Liang Wenhua. In Liang Wenhua's words, she was taught to dislike him from birth. So she twisted her little body, took a couple of unsteady steps, and suddenly lay down on the edge of the bed, away from Liang Wenhua.
When Liang Wenhua saw her eldest grandson, who was fair and chubby, she was overjoyed, even if he was disappointed. She happily went up to him and called out, "Hengheng, it's your grandma!"
Hengheng walked to one side.
"Grandma, give me a hug." As soon as Liang Wenhua touched Hengheng, Hengheng cried out.
Just then, Ji Ningzhi ran back and heard the commotion: "Mom, don't hug him, Hengheng. Auntie will take you to play with Bingbing." Then Ji Ningzhi took Hengheng away.
Liang Wenhua was still angry because she wasn't holding Hengheng. She couldn't stand anything. She turned her head and saw the mess in front of the sewing machine. She got even angrier. She thought to herself that Wen Qing only knew how to draw these messy things all day. She came home and even brought back a sewing machine. She didn't cook or like to dress. She just did these worldly chores!
Liang Wenhua wasn't going to help her pack up. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly remembered a mahjong buddy she had recently met. The buddy first praised her to the skies, then mentioned that her wife also sold clothes and that business was booming. Then the buddy asked Liang Wenhua if her eldest grandson had any clothes he didn't wear anymore, or any children's clothing styles, so she could get a couple for her grandchildren and buy her some carp later.
At this moment, Liang Wenhua looked at the clothes and drawings scattered on the ground. She turned her head and looked through the window at the courtyard. Wen Qing had not returned, so she bent down and picked up the children's clothes and drawings.
"There are so many styles of paintings, and so many clothes for this child." Liang Wenhua said softly, then quickly picked out a few sets of clothes, grabbed a few paintings, and went out the door, thinking to himself, "These are my grandson's things, I can take them if I want."
At the same time, Wen Qing accepted the neatly arranged cotton wadding and vegetables grown in her own field that Yao Shiling brought, saying, "Mom, since you're already here, come and see Hengheng at home." "Home" here refers to the Ji family's home.
"I'm not going. Wenpeng is so playful. What if the cow runs away? I have to go home right away." Yao Shiling said with a smile, "Wenqing, this cotton was just harvested this year. The cotton fibers are very fine and soft. It's perfect for making a few sets of cotton-padded jackets and trousers for Hengheng. They'll be very warm."
“Okay, Mom, wait a moment, I’ll have Yanjun take you back to Shuiwan Village,” Wen Qing said.
“It’s not far, no need, no need to see me off. You can bring Hengheng home to stay for a couple of days later,” Yao Shiling said.
"Okay." Wen Qing agreed, but still called Feng Qing Garment Factory's car to take Yao Shiling back to Shuiwan Village before she felt at ease.
Then she came back with cotton and vegetables, put the vegetables in the kitchen, and took the cotton back to the room. She didn't hear Hengheng making any noises, so she guessed he had gone to play with Ningzhi again. Wen Qing smiled and prepared to continue making children's clothes. She had just sat down in front of the sewing machine when she realized something was wrong.
Where are the manuscripts? There were clearly many in front of her just now, how come there are only two?
And what about the clothes? Where did all those children's clothes on this stool go?
Wen Qing's heart skipped a beat. Had Heng Heng pulled her away?
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