Huo Tingzhou pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly exasperated by the situation.
"As soon as dawn broke, the little ones started clamoring to go outside, so Grandpa and Grandma took them out to see the snow."
Perhaps because they had never seen snow before, the twins weren’t particularly fascinated by much else.
But the moment they spotted snowflakes, their eyes would fixate as if spellbound.
Lately, Capital City had been blanketed by several heavy snowfalls.
Now, the moment the babies opened their eyes each morning, they’d babble insistently, demanding to go out.
It might sound unbelievable, but despite being just four months old, they’d already learned to read people’s moods.
Around Huo Tingzhou, they were perfectly well-behaved. But the second they were handed to anyone else, all hell broke loose.
"That won’t do," Jiang Si frowned slightly. "Grandpa and Grandma aren’t as young as they used to be, and the twins are at that lively, restless age."
"They might be having fun, but the elders end up staying outside for hours. Their bodies can’t handle that."
Huo Tingzhou understood perfectly—he’d said the same thing to the Old Master that morning.
But no matter how much he reasoned, the Old Master wouldn’t listen.
The doting affection grandparents have for their grandchildren is already intense.
But the adoration between great-grandparents and their great-grandchildren? That’s on another level entirely—unimaginably indulgent.
Who would’ve thought that the hardened war veteran who once braved gunfire would now stand outside for two or three hours just because two tiny babies pointed and babbled at the snow?
Jiang Si fell silent at this.
Noticing her worry, Huo Tingzhou reassured her, "Don’t worry, I’ll figure something out."
His tone was so confident that Jiang Si assumed he meant he’d take over the grandparents’ duty and personally take the twins out every day.
"That works," she nodded in agreement.
But then, to her surprise, Huo Tingzhou headed straight to the storage room and returned with a shovel.
With the heavy snowfall, every household had been shoveling snow, so Jiang Si didn’t think much of it at first.
By the time she realized something was off, the row of evergreen shrubs outside their living room window had already been mostly dug up.
Jiang Si stared in shock. "What—what are you doing?!"
Hearing her, Huo Tingzhou paused and calmly explained, "Clearing these evergreens will give the kids an unobstructed view. They can enjoy the snow from inside the living room."
Then he pointed near the window. "I’m planning to build a few snowmen here too."
It wasn’t a bad idea, but digging up the yard during the New Year festivities…
Jiang Si warned, "You’d better brace yourself for when Grandpa and Grandma get back!"
Speak of the devil.
No sooner had she spoken than the Old Master appeared in sight.
The moment he saw the ravaged garden, his eyebrows shot up in outrage.
"Huo Tingzhou! You rascal—what did you do to my evergreens?!"
He’d painstakingly nurtured those shrubs for years!
Huo Tingzhou repeated his explanation word for word.
Just as Jiang Si debated whether to intervene on his behalf, the Old Master cut in.
Though still fuming, his anger had completely shifted targets.
"You idiot! Why didn’t you say so earlier?!" he bellowed, voice booming.
"You made the babies freeze outside for nothing!"
With that, he handed Suisui to Jiang Si and barked at Huo Tingzhou, "Well? Stop standing there—keep digging! And where exactly are these snowmen going?"
Huo Tingzhou pointed.
The Old Master shook his head. "No, no, that’s too far. They’ll never see them from there!"
He took a large step forward.
Grandma Huo chuckled. "Right here. Make them big, so Suisui and Zhaozhao can see them the moment they wake up."
The Old Master nodded in approval.
Mother Huo and the others returned just then. Seeing the snowman project underway, the entire family pitched in.
As the saying goes, many hands make light work.
Soon, six whimsically unique snowmen stood proudly.
Their eyes were made of coal, their noses carved from carrots, and their necks adorned with bright red scarves.
The twins were overjoyed. Cradled in Jiang Si and Mother Huo’s arms, they wriggled excitedly all afternoon, tiny fingers pointing at the snowmen while babbling nonstop, refusing to budge from their spot.
When night fell and they were finally carried back to their room, Suisui and Zhaozhao still pointed longingly at the window.
"Ma—ma—"
Their pleading eyes locked onto Jiang Si, their message unmistakable:
They wanted the curtains open to keep watching the snowmen!
Jiang Si couldn’t help laughing as she wiped their little hands and feet.
"My little emperors, spare me! Leaving the curtains open at night is more than your poor mother can handle."
Besides, they were on the second floor—where was she supposed to magic up snowmen for them now?
The babies didn’t understand. When their mother didn’t comply, they turned their hopeful gazes to their father.
Huo Tingzhou smiled, scooped them up from their cribs, and placed them in the center of the bed.
The second their bottoms touched the mattress, they promptly flopped onto their stomachs with practiced ease.
Then, they simultaneously raised their heads.
One looked at Dad, the other at Mom.
Before Jiang Si could react, Zhaozhao’s little face leaned in.
In no time, a wet patch of drool was left on her cheek.
Though it was her own child, and she didn’t mind,
it was still drool after all!
Seeing this, Suisui tried to imitate, but unfortunately, he was a bit too far from Jiang Si.
After wriggling in place for a while, he didn’t manage to move an inch closer.
But that posture…
Jiang Si’s face flushed red.
This… this…
It couldn’t be, right? They were always careful whenever they… but this was just too…
Before Jiang Si could speak, Huo Tingzhou let out a low chuckle.
“You’re still laughing?” Jiang Si was so annoyed she didn’t even want to talk.
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” Huo Tingzhou explained gently.
Jiang Si’s face remained rosy. “Hurry up and get these two little troublemakers to sleep.”
“Alright.”
With that, Huo Tingzhou gathered the two little ones into his arms.
With his other hand, he flicked off the bedroom light with a soft click.
The sudden darkness quieted the children for a moment.
Before they could react, Huo Tingzhou’s large hand gently patted their little bottoms in a steady rhythm.
Perhaps worn out from the day’s play, the two mumbled some incomprehensible “baby talk” and, within minutes, were breathing deeply in sleep.
……
Once the little storm passed, the following days went smoothly. The whole family followed the itinerary Old Master had prepared earlier, accompanying Eldest Brother Huo’s family on a tour of Capital City.
They visited all the major and minor attractions,
sampled the local delicacies,
and even caught a few theater performances.
Time passed leisurely, and though the New Year was still days away, the Huo household was already filled with constant laughter and joy.
Truly, as the saying goes, as long as the family is together, every day feels like a celebration.
In stark contrast to the warmth and happiness of the Huo family, the Shen family’s New Year could only be described as utterly miserable—
