Watching little Lu Nannan grow up day by day, the time had finally come for her to start kindergarten.
This was a very important milestone in the little one's growth. The whole family took it very seriously and even threw a special party to celebrate for little Lu Nannan.
However, when the first day of school actually arrived, and little Lu Nannan happily carried her little backpack through the kindergarten gates, everyone else seemed to suffer from separation anxiety.
After dropping her daughter off at kindergarten, Xu Yanxia went to work as usual. By the time her car arrived at the company, she had already received numerous messages on her phone.
Without exception, they were all from the "Loving Lu Family" group chat.
First, her father-in-law, Chairman Lu, who was away on a business trip, sent a voice message asking, "Today is Nannan's first day of kindergarten. Did she cry? Is she blaming Grandpa for being away on a business trip and not dropping her off at school?"
Immediately after, her sister-in-law, Lu Jingxi, followed up with a question: [What? Our Nannan is going to kindergarten today?!! Wasn't it tomorrow???]
Her brother-in-law, Lu Jingyao, replied: [Today is September 1st. Do kindergartens also start on September 1st??? How is Nannan? Is she getting bullied by the other kids???]
Her mother-in-law, Madam Shen, sent a voice message tagging the couple, "Jingming, Xiaoxia, did Nannan bring everything she needed for school today? She didn't forget her water bottle, did she? It's hot now, so remind her to drink plenty of water."
Perhaps because she had taken a work call on the road and didn't see the messages in time, her husband, Lu Jingming, who had arrived at the company early for a meeting, replied to everyone first: [Nannan didn't cry this morning. She was very happy on the way to school, and she even smiled and said bye-bye to us when she entered the kindergarten. She didn't forget her water bottle, and she brought everything she needed. Nannan is very good at interacting with others, so she shouldn't get bullied. Don't worry.]
Xu Yanxia followed up with a reply as well: [Yes, everyone, please don't worry. Our Nannan is amazing. She got along very well with the other kids in her early education classes before. Now that she's a little older, kindergarten will be even less of a problem.]
She thought the family would be at ease after this, but to her surprise, after the messages were sent, everyone's questions came pouring in one after another—
Nannan's uncle: [What are they having for lunch at kindergarten today? Will there be food she doesn't like?]
Nannan's aunt: [Yeah, will she miss us so much that she cries during her afternoon nap? Boohoo, it's my Nannan's first day of school today. I really want to go back and keep her company!!!]
Nannan's grandpa: "Can we go over and check on the children during lunchtime? Nannan still isn't very good at holding chopsticks. The teachers will help her, right?"
Nannan's grandma: "I'm mostly worried about her sleeping. It's her first day taking a nap at kindergarten, and I don't know if she'll be able to get used to it."
Xu Yanxia: "..."
Seeing everyone so anxious, why did it make it seem like she and Lu Jingming weren't her biological parents?
Left with no choice, she hurriedly replied again: [Rest assured, everyone. We inspected this kindergarten for a long time. It has a great reputation, and I also know the principal. Everyone needs to believe in Nannan too. She's already three years old and needs to learn to adapt to the outside world. Don't worry too much.]
Fortunately, after this message was sent, Nannan's grandparents, uncle, and aunt didn't say anything else. They just sent "OK" gestures one after another and finally quieted down.
Figuring that Lu Jingming was also in his meeting and didn't say anything else in the group, she put her phone back into her bag, got out of the car, and took the elevator to her office.
Who knew that before she could take two steps, her phone vibrated again.
She took it out to look and found that it was a private message from Lu Jingming: [Should we go check on Nannan at noon?]
[Mainly because her previous early education classes were only for half a day, but this time it's for the whole day. It really makes people a little worried. She won't actually miss us so much that she cries, right?]
Xu Yanxia: "..."
Great, another anxious one.
Now it made her look even more cold-hearted and unlike a real mother.
She could only reply to him: [We wouldn't be able to see her even if we went. Besides, she's probably playing perfectly fine with the other kids. If you suddenly show up, you might make her cry even if she wasn't going to.]
[Also, the teacher will send photos later, so don't worry.]
Only then did Lu Jingming reply to her: [Alright. Then let's go pick Nannan up early this afternoon and try to be the first ones she sees.]
Xu Yanxia could only reply with another OK.
Then she smiled, shook her head, and finally entered her office.
Actually, as her biological mother, how could she not worry about her little girl?
This was a little life nurtured within her own body; her love for her was no less than anyone else's.
But just as she had said, this was the first step the little one had to face on the path of growing up. No matter how much she worried, she had to rationally support her daughter.
...
Fortunately, little Lu Nannan was a very smart, capable, and independent little girl. After a few days of kindergarten, not only did none of the problems the elders worried about occur, but she even made many good friends and had a wonderful time.
The first thing she did when she opened her eyes every day was rush to go to kindergarten.
Seeing that she was truly so happy, the adults' separation anxiety finally gradually subsided.
And watching her daughter become more and more independent, Xu Yanxia also developed the idea of having another child.
That night, during an intimate moment between the couple, she blocked Lu Jingming's hand as he reached for a condom.
"What's wrong, baby?"
In the dim light, a trace of confusion was hidden in Lu Jingming's lust-filled eyes.
Xu Yanxia whispered in his ear, "I want to have another child to keep Nannan company."
Hmm?
He became even more confused and asked her in a low voice, "Aren't you afraid of the pain? Having a child is too hard on you."
But Xu Yanxia smiled and said, "But having another sibling is a good thing for Nannan. In the future, when we are old, she will still have blood relatives in this world who can support her and help share her burdens."
Actually, both husband and wife had siblings, so they understood this reasoning better than anyone.
Especially for Xu Yanxia, who grew up without parents and with aging grandparents. It could be said that she and her brother grew up keeping each other company and supporting each other.
But Lu Jingming's heart still ached for her.
After all, he had witnessed the entire process when their daughter was born, and he deeply knew how difficult it had been for his wife.
He sighed and said, "But I really don't want you to suffer like that again."
Xu Yanxia hugged his shoulders and kissed his lips again. "Then just treat us better, and love us well."
That was a given.
He kissed her back fiercely and said gently, "I'd give you my life."
...
When little Lu Nannan moved up to the middle class in kindergarten, her mother gave birth to a little brother for her.
In terms of facial features, the siblings looked very much alike. Both had inherited their parents' best traits and were extremely good-looking.
However, as a boy, Little Brother Lu naturally had a larger frame, and he was sturdy and robust, with a more heroic spirit.
Uncle Lu Jingyao was very pleased about this. He patted his chest early on and declared, "This kid is great material for ice hockey. Leave him to me, and I'll definitely make him an ice hockey champion in the future!"
Aunt Lu Jingxi hugged her eldest niece and laughed heartily, "Our Nannan finally has her own little brother! Come, Nannan, training a little brother must start from childhood. Auntie will personally teach you a secret manual on how to train him."
...
Whether it was because Auntie's "secret training manual" actually worked or not, Little Brother Lu had been his sister's most loyal sidekick, bodyguard, and servant since he was a toddler.
He followed his sister wherever she went and did whatever she told him to do. Even when his sister needed a little sheep while playing a game, he would immediately drop to his hands and knees and chew on the grass in the lawn.
Fortunately, no pesticides were ever used on the family's lawn.
Over the past few years, with the growing number of family members, Lu Jingming and Xu Yanxia had moved into the villa from their engagement. After all, the place was spacious. The two children running around and playing wildly in the yard all day was also good for their health.
It was another Friday afternoon. Xu Yanxia finished her work early and took the two children to set up the barbecue grill in the courtyard.
This was something the family had agreed upon a few days ago. Dad, who was away on a business trip, was coming home tonight, and everyone was going to have a DIY barbecue together to celebrate the weekend.
Just then, a car suddenly drove through the gates.
Once the car came to a steady stop, Lu Jingming stepped out and walked over.
"Honey! Nannan! Xiaobao!"
He opened his arms and smiled at his family.
"Daddy!"
"Daddy!"
The two children laughed in unison and ran toward him.
Watching him scoop up both children, one in each arm, Xu Yanxia smiled and walked over to join them.
The sunlight slanted across the lawn, and a gentle breeze blew by, carrying the family's laughter and filling the entire courtyard.
The End
