Returning to Infancy with my Nemesis - Chapter 52

After returning, Tang Mian eagerly anticipated the entire night. In his dreams, he even spent a long time pulling at Fu Shizhao’s hair, thinking it was a puppy. He likes both cats and dogs.

If it weren’t for the fact that the cat at home doesn’t like dogs and becomes aggressive upon seeing them, Tang Mian might have already begged his mom to get another puppy. Unfortunately, adding a new member requires considering the feelings of the original inhabitants.

In the darkness, feeling the “violence” Tang Mian was committing against his own hair, Fu Shizhao smiled helplessly but didn’t stop him. Tang Mian’s fondness for kittens and puppies was well known.

In the previous life, there were some stray cats and dogs on the campus. He often saw Tang Mian squatting down to feed them, and the little ones were all very close to Tang Mian, always treading around him.

Later, when he went to college, he had secretly gone to the school to see Tang Mian a few times and found that he still had the habit of carrying cat food with him.

Some people are naturally liked by small animals.

Fu Shizhao closed his eyes, and as Tang Mian petted him, he gradually fell into a deep sleep.

In the dream, he also turned into a little puppy, stubbornly biting onto Tang Mian’s pants, wagging his tail wildly, and following him all the way back home.

Tang Mian’s heart softened, and he didn’t drive him away.

However, following Tang Mian back to his residence, he found that it wasn’t the Tang family’s villa, but the small house Tang Mian bought in the previous life. He had never been inside and didn’t know what it looked like, and the dream was the same.

Then he woke up abruptly.

Fortunately, Tang Mian was still peacefully sleeping next to him after waking up.

The small hand no longer pulled at his own hair but instead extended, wrapping around him, and a small foot rested on his leg. Fu Shizhao sighed in relief and closed his eyes to go back to sleep. He didn’t dream again.

When Tang Mian woke up with a messy hairstyle, he brushed his teeth while looking at Fu Shizhao with a puzzled expression, asking what happened to his hair.

Fu Shizhao, feeling both amused and exasperated, took one of Tang Mian’s hands, placed it on top of his head, and ruffled his hair casually, mentioning how Tang Mian did the same to him last night.

Tang Mian: “…”

Feeling guilty, Tang Mian put his hand down, averted his gaze, and picked up a cup filled with water to rinse the toothpaste foam from his mouth. After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Tang Mian conscientiously picked up a small comb and started to comb Fu Shizhao’s hair.

Luckily, Fu Shizhao’s hair was not as soft as his own. Although it was tousled with many stray hairs due to the previous night’s actions, a casual comb made it neat again.

Fu Yu smiled as he watched the two children getting along so well and filled three insulated cups with hot water.

It was agreed upon yesterday that they would go to Xu Qingying’s house today.

Today was Sunday, and Xu Qingying didn’t have to go to school. She wouldn’t be at home during the day on Monday. After finishing breakfast, the group left the hotel.

The old lady did not accompany them. Instead, Fu Yu and a few bodyguards took them to Xu’s house.

Upon arriving at Xu’s house, Tang Mian gradually realized that Grandma Fu chose this five-star hotel not because it was close to the small square they went to last night but because it was close to Xu’s house.

They didn’t use any transportation and quickly walked to Xu’s villa.

The Xu family lived together, spanning four generations with over a dozen people. The atmosphere was exceptionally pleasant.

It could be said to be the opposite example of the Fu family’s situation.

No wonder their vibes don’t match with the Fu family.

Xu Qingying had been waiting for them at the entrance of her house, accompanied by a well-behaved, large Samoyed. When they approached, the Samoyed’s big tail wagged rapidly.

Seeing this, Xu Zhen opened the courtyard gate and greeted them to come in.

Before they could enter the house, a large group of people began emerging from various places. Some were getting ready to go to work, some were watering plants in the yard, and some were taking out the trash.

Without exception, they all casually greeted them, but in reality, they were sneakily assessing Tang Mian and Fu Shizhao.

Xu Qingying enthusiastically introduced each person, “This is my dad, this is my grandma, this is my grandpa, this is my great-grandma, this is my great-grandpa…”

Out of politeness, Tang Mian and Fu Shizhao followed along and addressed each person in turn. The smiles on everyone’s faces deepened, and they brought out a lot of snacks for them. Everyone spoke Mandarin, so there was no barrier in communication. Holding their snacks, Xu Qingying excitedly led them to the side of the small Samoyed’s nest.

Da Xue also walked over, lifting her paws and showing no reluctance to let them pet her little ones. Even when one of the slightly temperamental pups barked at them, Da Xue gently held its nape, silencing it.

These Samoyed pups were probably around a month old. Although they hadn’t fully weaned, their eyes were already open, and they could run around. Each of them looked like a fluffy white ball, well-fed and chubby.

Each pup wore a dog tag around its neck to distinguish its identity. Tang Mian’s heart melted at the sight, and the desire to have a dog instantly surged within him. Thinking about his own little cat at home, Tang Mian’s expression softened.

However, maybe there’s a dog that Cotton Candy likes.

Although Cotton Candy would go crazy when it saw a dog, to be honest, in the past couple of years, it had only encountered five or six dogs. It wouldn’t be fair to judge all dogs based on this small number.

Tang Mian wondered if he read somewhere in a past life that, according to “experts,” cats could be fond of dogs too. Perhaps Cotton Candy just hadn’t met the right dog.

Tang Mian struggled with conflicting emotions.

Suddenly, a chubby little pup clumsily approached him and Fu Shizhao. Its little tail curled towards its back, ears drooping down. It sat between them, lifted one hind leg, and started scratching itself, thoroughly enjoying the sensation of relieving an itch.

“What’s its name?” Tang Mian’s gaze fell on the dog tag around the puppy’s neck, and he asked curiously. Fu Shizhao lowered his head for a moment and answered, “It’s called Xiao Er.” Xu Qingying added an explanation, “It’s the second one born.” Tang Mian speculated that the names of the other dogs might be Xiao Yi, Xiao San, Xiao Si…

Xu Qingying continued, “It also has a nickname, Xiao Erduo, because it has the best hearing. Whenever there’s any movement in the house, it’s always the first one to rush to the scene.”

After hearing this, Tang Mian reached out and gently poked the puppy’s little ear.

Samoyed puppies usually have droopy ears when they are young, almost blending into the fur on their heads, and they only stand up as they grow older. Little ears…

Fu Shizhao could clearly see the emotions in Tang Mian’s eyes. His gaze casually fell on the hearing aid on Tang Mian’s right ear, and he lightly pursed his lips.

The hospitality of the Xu family was overwhelming, and Tang Mian and Fu Shizhao stayed until it was dark before leaving.

After dinner, Xu Qingying took them to her room.

Tang Mian felt that Xu Qingying’s room was more like a boy’s room than his own. At least, his room had a lot of dolls, and the soft decor style was in light colors chosen by his mom.

In contrast, Xu Qingying’s room had few dolls, and instead, there was a large punching bag and some competition medals. However, the writing on the medals was in a language Tang Mian couldn’t understand, though he could guess that they were related to Taekwondo or a similar martial art.

Unexpectedly, this girl in a dress was so fierce…

Tang Mian’s gaze shifted to Fu Shizhao, and he turned his eyes, asking, “Zhao Zhao, can you fight?”

“Have you learned Sanda?” [t/n: Chinese form of fighting]

Fu Shizhao has also been learning Sanda.

In fact, Tang Mian also wanted to learn something in this area, but unfortunately, his ears were not very convenient, and he didn’t want to take off his hearing aids. In the end, he gave up.

He often went to watch Fu Shizhao’s Sanda classes and felt that Fu Shizhao was doing quite well.

Upon hearing Tang Mian’s question, Xu Qingying suddenly became interested. She waved her little hand on the punching bag, saying, “Shao Shao, how about a little competition?”

Fu Shizhao: “…”

Changing the topic, Fu Shizhao said, “Didn’t you say you need to catch up on homework?” After hearing this, Xu Qingying instantly wilted.

Yes, today was Sunday, and tomorrow is Monday. She hasn’t done much of her weekend homework, which she needs to submit at school tomorrow morning.

“You guys play around first. I’ll catch up on my homework. You can also bring the puppies over; Da Xue won’t mind.”

After saying that, she sat back at her desk with a pained expression, picked up a pen, and opened her workbook.

They could have gone downstairs to play; there were more places to play there. However, the Xu family was too welcoming. Tang Mian was not a real child, and he didn’t like being treated as one. It was more comfortable to stay in Xu Qingying’s room.

Naturally, Fu Shizhao went wherever Tang Mian went.

Fu Yu went to chat with the elders of the Xu family.

He knew Fu Shizhao’s biological parents and probably avoided discussing Fu Shizhao’s biological parents and his experiences over the years with them. He seemed to focus on more general topics.

During dinner, the elders of the Xu family even opened a bottle of wine to thank him. After all, Fu Yu had been raising Fu Shizhao since the passing of his biological parents, and Fu Shizhao had not married or had children all these years.

Biting the pen cap, Xu Qingying’s thoughts drifted elsewhere. She added, “By the way, there are snacks on that shelf. You can help yourselves.”

Tang Mian nodded and patted his stomach, which was already too full—he wouldn’t be able to eat even a single strawberry if a basket of them appeared in front of him right now

Just as Tang Mian was contemplating what to do, faint “ding ding” sounds echoed, followed by a small white figure suddenly appearing at the not completely closed door. A pair of grape-like black eyes sneakily peeked inside, and you could vaguely see its tail wagging rapidly in the darkness behind.

It was Xiao Er.

Although Tang Mian couldn’t distinguish the pile of puppies, he could already recognize Xiao Er. Xiao Er’s ears were slightly different from the other puppies, and even though Tang Mian couldn’t pinpoint the exact difference, he could unmistakably identify him at a glance.

Tang Mian quickly walked to the door, opened it, and brought Xiao Er inside. He sat on the small sofa and pampered him for a while.

Xiao Er did indeed have good hearing, probably hearing the word “snack” from Xu Qingying and assuming there might be something delicious here.

Even though he didn’t get any tasty treats, Xiao Er happily lay on Tang Mian’s lap, letting him pet him, and his tail wagged joyfully.

Among all the little puppies, Xiao Er was Tang Mian’s favorite.

Tang Mian and Fu Shizhao quietly pampered the puppies together, making sure not to make any noise to disturb Xu Qingying while she was working on her homework. She was already in pain and having difficulty concentrating, and they couldn’t afford to disturb her further.

Tang Mian was actually someone who enjoyed quietness. Even though he wore hearing aids and had no issues in his daily life, when there were too many surrounding sounds, his right ear struggled to distinguish the information he wanted, making him frustrated and his emotions less stable than usual.

Now, in the comfortable temperature of late autumn, holding a soft little puppy in his arms and accompanied by his best friend, Tang Mian was thoroughly enjoying the moment.

Suddenly, from the direction of the desk came Xu Qingying’s painfully filled complaint, “Ah… what is this… I can’t understand it at all… “

Tang Mian subconsciously glanced at Fu Shizhao, and with the little dog in his arms, he approached Xu Qingying. He took a look at the content of her workbook—a simple math addition and subtraction problem.

He could immediately see the answer, but for a child of her age, it might indeed pose some difficulty.

Noticing their arrival, Xu Qingying raised her hand and randomly rubbed the little ball of fur Tang Mian was holding. She pitifully said, “Math is just not meant for humans.”

It seems that people of all age groups share similar emotions when it comes to mathematics.

“The answer to this problem should be 9.” Fu Shizhao couldn’t stand it anymore and pointed at the problem Xu Qingying was working on. She looked at Fu Shizhao with confusion and asked, “Really?”

Fu Shizhao immediately explained why the answer was 9 using methods that a person of her age could understand. He also creatively came up with some other examples to help her grasp the concept.

Xu Qingying listened with a surprised expression, almost unable to close her mouth. However, she unexpectedly understood. Tang Mian, on the other hand, seemed unfazed, considering that Fu Shizhao was already tackling competition-level problems; these questions were child’s play for him. Tang Mian couldn’t help but feel a bit proud for some reason, and his grip on the puppy unintentionally tightened.

His little brother was truly impressive.

****