There was still clean water and towels in the bath chamber, and because Jiang Chenghan had been careful with his movements throughout, neither of them had dirty clothes when they finished. They had just inevitably worked up a sweat. So they rested in the bath chamber for a while longer, waiting until they felt their bodies had completely calmed down and their complexions had returned to normal before they emerged together.
"Father, you're back—" The moment they entered the rear courtyard, the little shuang'er Jiajia, who had been playing in the small garden under the watch of a maid and the Dowager Lady Yan, spotted Jiang Chenghan. He called out in his milky voice and, like a little cannonball, charged toward Jiang Chenghan on his short little legs.
The little shuang'er was now one year and nine months old, a very sturdy child. White, plump, and resembling a large glutinous rice ball, his fleshy face featured two eyes like ink-jade beads soaked in water—black, bright, and revealing a hint of cleverness and cunning. A mole the size of a sesame seed marked the center of his forehead, indicating his identity as a shuang'er.
Although Jiang Chenghan had not been home for half a year and they had not seen each other in that time, Yan Jingshu had drawn many portraits of Jiang Chenghan and often spoke of him to the little shuang'er. Because of this, the little shuang'er felt no strangeness toward Jiang Chenghan, and his affection was no less than that for Yan Jingshu.
Jiang Chenghan also missed his little cub greatly and immediately broke into a wide smile. He caught the charging little shuang'er and lifted him up, laughing, "Did you miss Father?"
"Miss, Jiajia miss Father so much." The child clung to Jiang Chenghan's neck and affectionately nuzzled his face, utterly adorable and endearing.
"So good. Father missed Jiajia too." Jiang Chenghan pinched the child's little nose and carried him over to where he had been playing.
A large felt rug, nearly nine square meters in size, was spread on the ground. On it were scattered various toys for the child: some common in this world, like a rattle-drum, a nine-linked puzzle, and a cloth tiger; others were toys Jiang Chenghan had specially commissioned from his original world, like building blocks, a Rubik's cube, and jigsaw puzzles.
He had had these made soon after Yan Jingshu discovered he was pregnant. Even Yan Jingshu, an adult, had been utterly delighted when he first saw them, so Jiajia, being a child, naturally loved playing with them and enjoyed himself immensely all day long.
Having been away from home for so long, Jiang Chenghan now had rare leisure time and naturally wanted to spend quality time with the child, making up for lost time. So he sat down on the felt rug and played with the little shuang'er.
They played like this for most of the day. Yan Jingshu did not disturb their father-son bonding time until it was time for the evening meal, when he came to the small garden to call them in.
After the meal, the little shuang'er was still reluctant to part with Jiang Chenghan, sticking close to his side and refusing to leave, insisting on sleeping with both Jiang Chenghan and Yan Jingshu. The Dowager Lady Yan, thinking that Jiang Chenghan had just returned and the young couple needed time to be intimate without disturbance, tried to coax Jiajia to sleep with her.
However, Jiang Chenghan had already alleviated some of his longing for Yan Jingshu that afternoon in the bath chamber. Now, he couldn't bear to disappoint the child either. Seeing that Yan Jingshu didn't object, he finally agreed. Carrying the little one, he returned to their bedroom with Yan Jingshu.
The little one was overjoyed. Although he had occasionally slept with Yan Jingshu when Jiang Chenghan was away, this was the first time since he could remember that he was sleeping with both his fathers. He was so excited he rolled around on the bed—one moment tumbling onto Jiang Chenghan, the next into Yan Jingshu's arms. He frolicked for a good while without any sign of sleepiness.
Jiang Chenghan didn't want to force him to sleep. Coupled with a sense of guilt for not being around much, he was somewhat indulgent and went along with the antics, playing hide-and-seek one moment and pretending to be a big tiger the next. The room was filled with the child's screams and laughter without cease.
After playing like this for half an hour, the child's limited energy eventually began to wane, and he slowly grew drowsy. Yet, his two small hands tightly grasped Yan Jingshu and Jiang Chenghan, as if afraid they would run away.
Jiang Chenghan and Yan Jingshu didn't move, letting him hold them until the child fell soundly asleep. Then Jiang Chenghan got up, carefully and gently picked him up, and placed him in the small bed to one side.
It wasn't that they didn't want to sleep with the child, but the bed wasn't very large. It was just right for Jiang Chenghan and Yan Jingshu, but adding a child would make it rather crowded. Jiang Chenghan didn't want Yan Jingshu to sleep uncomfortably and was also afraid they might crush the child in their sleep, so he put the child to sleep in his own small bed.
For the next few days, Jiang Chenghan did not go to the Governor's residence again, spending good time at home with Yan Jingshu and the child. During this period, he also took the father and son out for a spring outing to enjoy the scenery. Additionally, he found time to make a trip to the charity home.
Although Yan Jingshu often went to the charity home on his behalf to check on things, now that he himself had time, he always had to go personally. Not to mention, the child that Kou Shijun had entrusted to him was still at the charity home, and he needed to go check on the situation.
Everything at the charity home was as usual. After coming out from the charity home, Jiang Chenghan did not return home immediately but instead went next door to Xie Huan's school.
After learning that the little boy had an unusual background, as a precaution, Jiang Chenghan had arranged for Song Fan and the others, who had come to Ningcheng with the fake Zhao Dali, to stay at Xie Huan's school.
The charity home and Xie Huan's school were separated only by a small alley. On the surface, Song Fan and the others were there to help Xie Huan, but in reality, they were providing covert security. If anyone was seen lurking around the charity home or acting unusually, they could detect it early and take precautions.
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