Tang Mian stayed at home for more than half a week before he started feeling better. During this time, Fu Shizhao also didn’t go to kindergarten.

First, because it was indeed a high flu season recently, and many children at the kindergarten were getting infected due to their weaker immune systems. Many parents were also keeping their children at home. Second, it was because he wanted to stay at home and accompany Tang Mian.

For him, there was nothing appealing about going to kindergarten without Tang Mian. Last time, when Tang Mian went abroad for a medical checkup, he couldn’t go with him. So, this time, with Tang Mian resting at home, he finally had an excuse not to go to kindergarten.

However, Shen Siwan restricted his contact time with Tang Mian every day, fearing that he might also get infected. Even if he took precautions and wore a mask, it wasn’t allowed.

Fu Shizhao was very obedient and would stay in his foster father’s room when separated from Tang Mian. He would listen to music on his old phone and secretly write in his diary.

【Young Master has been sick recently, very clingy and well-behaved, but he tends to shed some tears】

【Today, I didn’t give him the strawberry-flavored candy pacifier, and he cried. I had to bring the strawberry one to soothe him for a long time before he calmed down】

【Today, I thought Young Master had fallen asleep and left, but he cried. I had to sing to soothe him for a long time】

【The sun was shining brightly today. Young Master’s bee doll that he had hidden in a corner was found by Tang Sheng. The maid washed it and put it out in the sun all day before placing it on his bed. He cried, and Tang Sheng had to throw the bee doll away in a hurry】

Although Tang Mian, while sick, liked to shed tears, it wasn’t for no reason, and he didn’t cry loudly. Instead, his lips would quiver slightly, and big teardrops would roll down like golden beads. He sobbed softly, like a kitten, and it didn’t make people find him annoying. Instead, it made them want to comfort him.

During Tang Mian’s illness, he received many caring phone calls from his little friends. He had such a good reputation among them.

Mu Zichen even wanted to come to their house to visit him but was politely declined by Tang Mian, who cited the reason of not wanting to infect him.

When Tang Mian was sick, he didn’t like noise or excessive socializing. He preferred to rest alone.

Or… listen to Fu Shizhao sing for him.

By the time Tang Mian was almost recovered, Fu Shizhao could smoothly sing the song “Meow Woof Departure.” Tang Mian was very satisfied with this and asked Fu Shizhao to sing for him every day.

In his defence– not only did it help improve Fu Shizhao’s singing ability, but it also helped him recognize more characters. It was all for his own good.

The night before Tang Mian recovered from his illness and was about to return to kindergarten, he stood in front of a full-length mirror and looked at himself, then glanced at Fu Shizhao standing beside him, his small brows slightly furrowing.

Fu Shizhao had finally gained some weight and was not as thin as before. His face was plump, and he looked even more endearing than when he was skinny.

As for Tang Mian, he had visibly lost weight due to being sick.

Fu Shizhao had also grown taller, although he hadn’t surpassed Tang Mian yet, the difference between them wasn’t much. He seemed to be growing faster than in his previous life.

Tang Mian had a faint sense of crisis. He couldn’t let Fu Shizhao grow taller than him while still calling him big brother. It was a matter of his dignity and pride as an older brother.

Shen Siwan naturally noticed the changes between the two of them. She pinched their chubby cheeks affectionately and with a hint of tenderness in her eyes, she said, “Mian Mian has gotten thinner; you should eat more to nourish yourself.”

After saying that, she measured their heights and weights and recorded them on a growth chart.

Looking at the recorded height and weight differences between him and Fu Shizhao from the last measurement, the next day during kindergarten lunch, Tang Mian took a big piece of fatty meat with a small spoon, drank a whole bottle of milk, and even “snatched” some food from Fu Shizhao’s bowl, behaving like a hungry little bandit.

But he still couldn’t leave Fu Shizhao behind and instead was almost catching up to him. Time quickly came to the weekend before their birthdays, and Shen Siwan took them to a children’s photography studio.

The good news was that this time their mom didn’t have the idea of making him wear a little dress for photos. Instead, she picked out adorable animal-themed costumes for him and Fu Shizhao.

He was a cat, and Fu Shizhao was a dog.

The photography studio also had cats and dogs that matched their costumes, which were incredibly affectionate.

Tang Mian’s colorful world on paper was vivid and lively, but he had many shortcomings in other areas, like singing and managing his expressions during photoshoots.

Fu Shizhao, on the other hand, was much more cooperative. He held Tang Mian’s small hand and ran around the photography studio, making Tang Mian relax a lot. The sight of him acting silly in his little dog costume even made Tang Mian’s eyes curve with amusement.

When it came time to choose the photos, Shen Siwan almost went all in, except for a few poorly taken shots, she kept them all. One was of the two of them holding hands and looking at the camera. One was of them crouching down and petting the cat and dog. One was of Tang Mian hugging Fu Shizhao’s fluffy tail from behind. One was of Tang Mian raising his hand to pull Fu Shizhao’s dog ears. One was of Fu Shizhao reaching out to touch the cat tail behind Tang Mian.

It’s no wonder she was greedy; it was just that both of these little ones were too cute. No matter how they were photographed, they looked good.

Tang Minghuai and Fu Yu, the two grown men, knew their aesthetic preferences well and waited quietly on the first floor , they only glanced over when choosing photos.

After taking the photos and changing back into their regular clothes, it was time for lunch. There was a high-end shopping mall nearby with a variety of delicious food options and excellent service. However, Shen Siwan initially didn’t plan to go there, as she knew that the expenses in such places could be too high for regular people, and she was aware that Fu Yu might have some reservations.

After all, they had been helping raise his “son” for half a year, providing almost the same resources for Fu Shizhao as for Tang Mian. For instance, today’s photo shoot had cost quite a bit, and when Fu Yu had offered to contribute financially, they hadn’t accepted. Even though they didn’t feel any discomfort about it, as Fu Shizhao had always been with Tang Mian and they both liked him a lot, Fu Yu was a diligent and honest person who always felt a bit uneasy about such things.

Eating inexpensive home-cooked dishes would also be good, but they needed to check local food recommendations first. Choosing a place that wasn’t tasty might not be worth it. Their birthdays were coming up soon, so their happiness was the priority.

However, when they came out after changing clothes, Tang Mian complained about being hungry, playfully saying he wanted something delicious. Shen Siwan didn’t want to let him go hungry, so she decided to go to the nearby shopping mall.

Tang Mian loved Western food; he had gained some weight during a trip abroad, and it was unfortunate that he got sick right after returning, losing the weight he had gained with difficulty.

In the mall, there was a good Western restaurant where Shen Siwan and her husband had once met before they got married. It had been many years, but its reputation had always been excellent.

It was Tang Mian who wanted to eat there, so she decided that the expense would be covered by Tang Mian. Fu Yu didn’t need to feel uncomfortable about it.

Tang Mian didn’t know all the considerations his mom had taken into account. He was genuinely hungry. The morning photo shoot in the studio had consumed a lot of energy, and his stomach was growling.

Inside the Western restaurant, Tang Mian, wearing a bib, and Fu Shizhao ate the small pieces of steak that his mom had cut for them. Their cheeks were puffed up, making them look like two little hamsters.

Their drink was warm milk since children of their age could only drink that. Tang Mian took big gulps, and his little tummy finally started to feel full.

The adults chatted and discussed the upcoming birthday party to be held at home. They planned to decorate the house while the kids were at kindergarten, and Shen Siwan even asked Fu Yu for help in hanging decorations on the walls.

Fu Yu, who had served in the military, was tall and strong, so he was quite handy with such tasks. He had been wondering how he could repay them for all they had done, and when he heard Shen Siwan’s request, he nodded enthusiastically, saying, “Leave it to me.”

While they were eating, Tang Mian suddenly tugged on his mom’s sleeve and whispered, “Mom, I need to go to the bathroom.” He had drunk too much milk.

Fu Shizhao noticed and added, “I need to go too.”

Shen Siwan, upon hearing this, glanced at her husband and smiled, saying, “Let Daddy take you.”

After all, the children were already three or four years old, and they had developed a sense of gender. They were no longer babies who couldn’t even speak, so it was no longer appropriate to take them into the women’s restroom.

Fu Yu immediately got up and offered to take them, saying, “I’ll take them; I also need to use the restroom.”

Shen Siwan nodded without any objections and continued discussing the birthday party plans with her husband.

However, not long after they left, Fu Yu hurriedly returned with the two children. His expression didn’t look too good, and he scanned the restaurant, looking around nervously.

“What’s wrong?” Tang Minghuai asked.

Fu Yu shook his head, clearly unwilling to answer, and just said, “It’s nothing.” Tang Ming Huai didn’t press the matter further.

Tang Mian looked a bit puzzled. In the restroom earlier, he had only seen a man with a small boy who looked to be around four or five years old. The man was wearing a sharp black suit and seemed to be in poor health, coughing frequently. He hadn’t had a chance to see the man’s face before Fu Yu had taken him away.

Was there something wrong with those two people?

Tang Mian wiped his hands on the napkin, and suddenly, a thought raced through his mind. Could it be…

Fu Shizhao also lowered his eyelashes slightly, covering his emotions as he picked up a small piece of steak with his fork and put it in his mouth. When they were in the restroom earlier, he saw someone from the Fu family.

Someone who had died when he returned to the Fu family during his past life in high school.

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