"Mommy..." A tiny, aggrieved voice came muffled, melting Yang Chuxiaâs heart into a messy puddle.
Ye Ziâan, however, could not stand to see his son acting so spoiled and quipped, "Son, even your mommy holding you will make you shorter."
Yang Chuxia held her forehead; she had only delayed for a moment and heâd already resumed teasing their son.
Then, Yangyang suddenly lifted his head, looking at daddy then at mommy, being unable to be held or cry or kiss, he exuded an aura of utter dejection.
Feeling wronged, he hung his head, no longer speaking or smiling.
Yang Chuxiaâs heart ached at the sight, and she scooped her son into her arms.
But Yangyang still remembered Ye Ziâanâs words and hastily protested, "Donât hold, donât hold."
Yang Chuxia secured his little body to stop him from squirming and shot Ye Ziâan a glare before saying, "Yangyang, daddy was just tricking you earlier. Listen to mommy, as long as Yangyang eats well, youâll grow tall in the future, and hugs and kisses wonât be a problem."
"Really?" Yangyang paused on hearing that, but he was still somewhat skeptical.
"Of course itâs true. When you were just born, you couldnât even walk, and we carried you all the time. Arenât you walking now and havenât you grown taller than before?" Yang Chuxia explained, gesturing with her hands, "When you and Lele were just born, you were only this tall, but look at how tall you are now."
"Wow, so small." Yangyang quickly had his attention diverted by Yang Chuxiaâs gestures, amazed at how tiny he used to be.
"Yeah, you were that small back then."
Yangyang nodded at this but then went around to Ye Ziâan, glaring up at him for a long while before accusing, "You lied!"
Ye Ziâan just raised an eyebrow and retorted, "Whose fault is it if youâre gullible? How come Lele didnât get fooled by me?"
Okay, he was admitting that he really had tricked Yangyang.
Yangyangâs lips pursed in indignation, his tiny body shuddering with anger.
Eventually, he declared, "I wonât talk to you anymore."
Yangyang was angry, very angry!
He then snuggled back into his mommyâs embrace, hanging his head silently. After that, no matter how Ye Ziâan tried to tease him, he just wouldnât respond.
"Oh, the little guy has quite a temper," Ye Ziâan remarked, glancing at the guava in his hand, realizing even the tasty fruit couldnât cheer him up.
"Who told you to deceive him," Yang Chuxia said while caressing her sonâs head and softly asked, "Yangyang, would you like some pomegranate?"
But Yangyang shook his head; he didnât want to eat, not anymore.
Yang Chuxia shot another glare at Ye Ziâan. It was all your fault, why did you lie to him, donât you know childrenâs hearts are fragile? Ye Ziâan, feeling awkward, scratched his nose.
"My lord and lady have arrived; right ahead is Linshan Temple," Ye Yi and others had also come along outside.
Hearing this, Yang Chuxia lifted the curtain to look out and saw the place was indeed quite nice. There was an orchard to the left and pavilions, towers, and flower beds to the right, with a few lotus flowers floating on a small pond, resembling a park.
It wasnât much to look at compared to other places, but in Mianyang, it was a rather fine spot for a visit.
Ye Ziâan got off the carriage first, and after having Lele handed down to Ye Yi, he reached out to pick up Yangyang. But Yangyang, upon seeing him, hurriedly turned and clung tightly to his mommyâs neck, crying out, "I donât want you to hold me."
Ye Ziâan was left speechless and exchanged a glance with Yang Chuxia, only to see schadenfreude in her eyes. Serves you right, letâs see how you like teasing now, your son is mad and really wonât pay you any mind now.