"Youâre not too late to know now," Ye Ziâan glanced at him with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"Handsome Dad, can I do it tomorrow?"
Ye Ziâan shook his head without a second thought, "What needs to be done today must be done today, donât you understand that?" He fastened his belt and suddenly felt it was tight.
He looked down in confusion, the belt had always been fastened at this spot, so why had he not noticed the tightness before?
Feeling somewhat uneasy, he rushed to the dressing table and after several glances, confirmed his handsome face was still as it had always been and then he felt relieved.
"Canât I just do todayâs and tomorrowâs tasks together? Iâll finish tomorrowâs lesson, and todayâs as well," Yangyang began to bargain, "Handsome Dad, why donât you take me with you? I havenât been to the town yet. Handsome Dad, look at your pitiful little son. Iâve grown so much but havenât had a proper look at the place I was born."
"Handsome Dad! Handsome Dad!" He clutched at Ye Ziâanâs robe hem and even managed to wipe his eyes twice, putting on quite an accomplished act of looking pitiable.
Ye Ziâan, now confident that he hadnât gained weight, took a closer look at his son. The corners of his eyes were dry, and the corners of his mouth were tilted up as if he had been caught stealing a laugh.
He smoothly withdrew his robe from his sonâs small hands, thinking that it had been a long time since he and Xiaxia had been alone together and even longer since he had gone out on his own. How could he take this little rascal with him?
"Son, the act of looking pitiable might work once, but not a second time. You already used it last time when you wanted money; using it again is overdoing it," he said, patting his sonâs head. "Compared to your brother who was lured away by your fourth uncle, youâre already fortunate to stay at home. As for the rest, donât even think about it. Practice your calligraphy diligently. Weâll go to your grandmotherâs for lunch, and in the afternoon, youâll come back and recite texts."
"If you donât finish, well, I wonât be easy to talk to..."
Having said that, he ignored his sonâs expression and went downstairs, supporting Yang Chuxia.
As for Yangyang, he hummed and hawed, taking his time to come downstairs after his hopes were dashed.
Even during the meal, he was still sullen and silent.
"Xiaxia, have I gained weight?" Ye Ziâan suddenly felt his belt tighten again right after finishing a bowl of porridge.
It made him uncomfortable enough to realize that the feeling upstairs had been correctâthe belt was indeed tighter.
"Really?" Yang Chuxia looked at him; his face was still gaunt. "I donât think so."
"But, but my belt feels tighter," said Ye Ziâan, not caring about dignity as he loosened it a bit to feel more comfortable.
Having finished her meal, Yang Chuxia came over to check and found the marks on the belt had indeed shifted.
With a hardly suppressed laugh, she said, "You need to lose weight!"
Ye Ziâan was now feeling gloomyâhow had he gained weight? When had it even started?
Could it be the food at home had been too good lately? No, he couldnât become a fat man; what about his face... Instantly imagining his face several times fatter, he shuddered. He knew his wife adored his looks; what if she lost interest in him because he turned ugly? No, that simply wouldnât do!
"Son, tomorrow morning your dad will practice martial arts with you." He indeed needed more exercise.
When Yangyang heard this, he immediately made a face and ran off, "I donât want to train with you; oh, Handsome Dad is going to become a big fatso."
"Hey, you little rascal! Asking for a beating, huh!"