At night, in the yard of their new home, Shen Xue leaned into Chen Yang's embrace, while the little girl and Chen Hao sat on Chen Yang's lap.
Gazing at the round moon above, the family of four, munching on raisins, felt quite content.
"Daddy, Yan Yan thinks the moon is round, but brother says the moon is crescent."
The little girl, mimicking Chen Yang, playfully tapped her brother's round head with her chubby hand. Chen Hao didn't mind, engaging in a playful banter with his sister.
"Dad, the moon is round now, but it will become crescent later, and it's crescent most of the time, so I think the moon is crescent."
Chen Hao spoke with much more logic. The siblings each had their own distinct personalities.
The little girl was blissfully unaware, perfectly embodying a child her age and being incredibly cute.
Chen Hao, despite his small stature, acted like a little adult, more like an older brother than a younger one.
"Yan Yan, Hao Hao, the moon isn't simply crescent or round."
"The moon itself doesn't emit light. It's a sphere that reflects sunlight, allowing us on Earth to see it."
"Our Earth revolves around the sun, and the moon revolves around our Earth. When the Earth blocks the sunlight from reaching the moon, we see a crescent moon. When it doesn't block the light, it appears round."
"Do Yan Yan and Hao Hao understand?"
Chen Yang looked at the two little ones in his arms, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"Daddy, what are you saying?"
The little girl's big eyes blinked. She hadn't understood a single word her daddy had said.
Chen Hao remained silent, but his expression suggested he hadn't quite grasped it either.
"You, why are you lecturing the children? How old are they? They can't possibly understand this."
Shen Xue, watching the earnest Chen Yang, almost burst into laughter.
This fool was treating the children like adults. How could such young children comprehend what he was explaining?
Chen Yang scratched his head. Most men would likely drone on about astronomy, but he'd forgotten that the children were too young to understand.
"Daddy, you still haven't told me if the moon is crescent or round."
The little girl snuggled into Chen Yang's embrace, her big eyes blinking.
She had bet with her brother. If she was right, he had to give her two raisins!
Although Chen Yang would give them raisins whenever they wanted, food won in a child's bet tasted much sweeter.
Chen Hao also stared at Chen Yang.
This was a matter of two raisins.
Now Chen Yang was flustered, stumped by the children's questions.
He couldn't explain the concepts of orbital revolution or rotation to them.
"Alright, alright, Yan Yan and Hao Hao, don't make it difficult for Daddy. Mommy will give you raisins."
Seeing Chen Yang scratching his head in frustration, Shen Xue couldn't help but smile. The two children received raisins from Shen Xue and immediately beamed with joy.
They then hopped off Chen Yang and began to run around the yard, giggling.
Watching the two children play and laugh, Shen Xue leaned tightly into Chen Yang's embrace, feeling immensely happy.
"With her brother around, Yan Yan is much more lively."
Shen Xue gazed at the little girl. Having grown up without a sibling, although she was adorable, Shen Xue always felt something was missing. Now that her son was back, she felt the children's childhood was more complete.
It was companionship!
Children needed companionship!
"Yes, with Yan Yan to lead, Hao Hao is also more attached to us. Didn't you see? Earlier, when you were cooking, our son was peeking at you from the doorway."
Chen Yang put his arm around Shen Xue's slender waist. The woman had visibly thinned out in the past few days, and Chen Yang's heart ached for her.
In the kitchen, an old ginseng was stewing a wild chicken on the stove. Chen Yang had specifically bought it from Old Master Tu. In his previous life, Old Master Tu had found a nest of wild chickens in the mountains. Chen Yang had caught one when he was just reborn, and the rest had escaped.
He had thought the chicken family had escaped disaster, but it seemed they had still fallen into the old man's hands. It was fate, so Chen Yang bought them to stew for Shen Xue to regain her strength.
The stew pot gurgled on the stove, and the rich aroma of chicken soup filled the entire yard.
The two little ones, while playing, also smelled the aroma. The two little gluttons hovered around the stove, sniffing with their little noses.
Chen Hao, who was initially shy and reserved, became more lively due to the little girl's influence. The little girl also put on airs of being the leader, taking her brother along for fun.
Alas, their grandfather's sparse beard. Previously, only the little girl would pull it occasionally. Now, the little girl had corrupted Chen Hao as well. The two children, held by their grandfather, would pull his beard.
Watching their grandfather try to stroke his beard only to find it constantly missing, Chen Yang felt like laughing. However, his father-in-law was delighted.
Every time he winced from the pulling, he would call them his precious grandchildren, and since he was happy to have his grandchildren pull his beard, Chen Yang didn't interfere.
"Wife, the chicken soup is almost ready. Wait for me."
Lifting the lid, a thin layer of chicken oil floated on the rich chicken soup. A piece of old ginseng, red dates, and raisins were added inside.
Chen Yang carefully scooped the old ginseng into Shen Xue's bowl, adding a generous portion of chicken pieces. It was a full bowl.
"Chicken soup is here."
Chen Yang, wearing an apron, first served a bowl to Shen Xue, then served two bowls to the little girl and Chen Hao. The three of them sat around the table.
"Daddy, it smells good."
The little girl stirred the soup with her small spoon, her face showing an expression of delight at the aroma of the chicken soup.
Chen Hao, perhaps influenced by his sister, was a true little foodie. Without saying a word, he buried his head in his meal.
"You silly child, blow on it, don't scald yourself."
By the time Chen Yang brought a bowl of chicken soup for himself, Chen Hao had already eaten a little more than half of it.
"Dad, it's not hot."
Chen Hao looked up at Chen Yang's words and managed to utter this sentence after a long pause.
This little fellow's reactions were always a beat behind.
"Eating food that's too hot can harm your stomach. Ah, why am I telling you this? You wouldn't understand."
Chen Yang was about to lecture him, but seeing his son's confused little eyes, he decided against it. He patted his son's little head.
He blew on Chen Hao's chicken soup to cool it down a bit before handing the bowl back to him.
"Yan Yan, you need to blow on yours too. Don't drink it too hot."
Chen Yang blew on the little girl's soup as well. She was also a little foodie, and he didn't want her to get burned.
"I want some too."
Hearing Shen Xue's voice, Chen Yang was stunned.
Was he dreaming? When had his wife learned to act spoiled?
"Then I'll blow on it for you."
However, Chen Yang quickly blew on Shen Xue's soup and fed it to his wife's mouth.
"Daddy, I want some too, I want some too."
Seeing her daddy feeding her mommy, the little girl immediately rushed over to join the fun.
Unexpectedly, Chen Hao held her small bowl, blew on her spoon, and brought it to the little girl's mouth.
"Sister, drink."
Chen Yang continued to feed his wife, mentally giving his son a thumbs-up.