Ехtrа Chaptеr 6
Whilе other сhildren start саlling fоr mоm аnd dаd as eаrly as seven or eight mоnths, аnd evеn the lаtеr оnеs cаn mаkе sоunds bу ten mоnths, little Guangzhi had раssed his first birthdаy with hardly а word. Evеn the tyрiсаllу unflаррable Fu fаmilу begаn tо grоw anхious аnd сalled fоr а doсtor.
But the dоctor was unfаzеd. Аfter rеviewing all the funсtiоnаl test rеsults, hе ехрlаined thаt а child's lаnguagе develоpmеnt is раrt of thе lеft-brаin sуstem. Some сhildren are naturallу more right-brain dоminant—like thеir daughtеr, whо leаrned to walk early, so speech might come a bit later.
The doctor's words reassured the whole family, and he also reminded them not to assume the child understood nothing and that speaking was useless. In fact, children learn from what they hear, so they should practice more.
Since the doctor had said so, Ruan Sixian saw no reason to worry every day. Letting things take their natural course, the day would surely come when the child would speak.
During this period, while the child hadn’t yet learned to introduce herself, Ruan Sixian and He Lanxiang threatened with their lives to stop Fu Mingyu from calling her "Guangzhi" anymore.
Since the baby’s formal name was "Dingxin," derived from the line in the Chuci, "A settled heart does not waver, a broad mind does not narrow," Fu Mingyu wasn’t too upset about it.
Without the nickname "Guangzhi," Ruan Sixian gave her a new one: "Little Star." It not only echoed her formal name but also commemorated the meteor shower etched in her memory.
Of course, whether Fu Mingyu secretly called her "Guangzhi" in private, she had no way of knowing.
Days passed in anticipation of Little Star’s first words.
But when the day finally came for her to speak, Ruan Sixian was plunged into endless confusion.
It was an ordinary morning. Having accidentally overslept a little, Ruan Sixian drowsily made her way to the nursery. Not finding Little Star there, she looked downstairs and saw her daughter sitting cross-legged in the middle of the sofa, watching TV.
Auntie Zhang was shaking a milk bottle beside her, while the professional nanny adjusted a small scarf.
Ruan Sixian stretched, gazing at the scene with deep contentment.
But before her arms could drop, her daughter looked up at her, smiled sweetly, and said, "Baby."
Huh?
Huh??
Ruan Sixian’s hands froze mid-air as she stared at the one-and-a-half-year-old downstairs, unable to process what had just happened.
Did she just speak?
What did she say?
Was it "Mommy"?
Ruan Sixian blinked. The little one downstairs waved her tiny hand and said softly, "Baby, awake?"
Huh?
Huh??
This was what they meant by "silent until a stunning debut."
While other children might start with single words from a few months old, by a year or so, they still might not form a subject-verb-object sentence. Yet her daughter had opened with a full phrase?
But just as Ruan Sixian was delightedly surprised, it suddenly dawned on her.
That phrase sounded familiar. Hadn’t she just heard it yesterday morning?
At this thought, Ruan Sixian stood frozen upstairs, while the two aunties stared at Little Star in astonishment.
After a long pause, Auntie Zhang wondered aloud, "Where did she learn that?"
The professional nanny beside her subtly glanced upstairs.
Catching that look, Ruan Sixian turned expressionlessly and headed for the bathroom.
Fu Mingyu was leaning against the sink with one hand, chin tilted up as he wiped the remaining foam from his jaw with a towel.
He had just showered, and the steam in the bathroom hadn’t fully dissipated. Under the warm yellow light, his deep voice cut through the muffled sound of running water.
"Baby, awake?"
Ruan Sixian: "..."Her hand holding the toothbrush paused, and she lowered her head without saying a word.
"What's wrong?" Fu Mingyu turned and leaned against the bathroom counter, crossing his long legs, watching Ruan Sixian brush her teeth with interest. "Who upset you?"
"You."
"What did I do this time?"
Ruan Sixian's mouth was full of toothpaste, and her words were left entirely for Fu Mingyu to guess.
"Go see your daughter yourself."
Anyway, she was too embarrassed to face the two older aunts downstairs right now.
Fu Mingyu straightened up and leaned against Ruan Sixian's back, resting his chin on her neck as he looked at the two of them in the mirror.
"Not yet. It's rare that we both have time today. Want to go to Nanao later?"
"!"
Ruan Sixian couldn't speak with bubbles in her mouth, so she simply kicked backward and stomped on his foot.
Fu Mingyu was utterly confused, frowning and letting out a light "tsk" before wiping the foam from the corner of her mouth with his thumb and turning to leave.
Their daughter was perfectly fine, watching TV in the living room.
Fu Mingyu picked her up and played with her for a while, then held her shoulders and let her stand on his legs.
"Guangzhi, what's wrong? Did you make Mom angry?"
Ruan Sixian had just come downstairs when she heard the name "Guangzhi" and immediately rushed over to snatch the child from Fu Mingyu's arms.
"Are you crazy? I told you not to call her Guangzhi!"
Fu Mingyu showed no remorse at being caught, taking the bottle from the aunt, testing the temperature, and feeding their daughter while asking, "What's wrong with Little Star today?"
Ruan Sixian glanced at the aunts nearby, too embarrassed to say.
"Nothing."
After that day, Little Star began speaking frequently, smoothly calling "Daddy" and "Mommy," and occasionally saying "Thank you, Mommy" when Ruan Sixian handed her something. But the word "baby" that had first opened her little mouth was still frequently used.
Occasionally, she would even call Fu Mingyu "brother."
It was fine when no one else was around, but when the aunts were nearby, Ruan Sixian always felt embarrassed.
It was as if she had given birth to a little parrot spirit.
When Fu Boting learned that his granddaughter had started speaking, he arranged an early return trip and rushed back with He Lanxiang, carrying bags of gifts to see their granddaughter.
But their timing was unfortunate—Little Star was sleeping.
He Lanxiang sat by the crib for a long time but never heard her granddaughter call her "Grandma." Helpless, she went to sort through the gifts she had brought back.
After dinner, Fu Boting walked over to the cradle, leaning in to take a closer look at his granddaughter's little nose and mouth, only to see her open her big eyes.
Fu Boting was overjoyed, reaching out to pick up his granddaughter. Just as he was about to ask her to greet him, she preemptively called out a loud "baby."
With a slight hint of an "er" sound.
The over-sixty-year-old, stern-faced titan of aviation finance leasing was caught off guard by being called "baby," and his old face flushed slightly.
He Lanxiang: "..."
Ruan Sixian: "..."
The instigator glanced over calmly, as if unaware of the awkward atmosphere, and said seriously, "Little Star, call him Grandpa."
Later, when Little Star became proficient in learning and distinguishing the correct use of various titles, she even learned some simple complete sentences earlier than other children her age.
How was this discovered?
Thanks to Little Yan.
It was already winter by then, and Little Star was almost two years old.
Yan An, representing the Yan family, brought Zheng You'an over to deliver some small gifts for the child.He had no interest in children, even somewhat disliked them, but seeing Zheng You’an happily playing with the child, he also went over to take a symbolic look.
But once he looked, he couldn’t tear his eyes away.
Though he didn’t want to admit it, a girl inheriting Fu Mingyu’s looks could actually be quite pretty.
Later, when Zheng You’an had held the child for a while, Yan An casually reached out, “Tired? Let me hold her for a bit.”
Zheng You’an rolled her eyes and turned her back to him, “Don’t drop the child.”
Come to think of it, Young Master Yan, who had never lifted a finger for household chores, wouldn’t know how to hold a child.
It wasn’t until dusk approached and the two had to head home that Yan An slowly walked over to Little Star, casually shaking a rattle drum in front of her.
Little Star’s eyes followed the rattle drum for a few moments, sparking a bit of interest in Yan An. He bent his noble waist, took her little hand, and guided her to use a rubber mallet to play whack-a-mole.
Little Star remained quiet, letting Yan An move her around, though her face showed little excitement.
Yan An, however, had his fill of fun. He tossed aside the whack-a-mole machine, grabbed an electric puppy, turned it on, and set it on the floor to run. At the same time, he planned to have Little Star sit on it.
For the first time, he showed such a gentle smile to a child, lifting her up with both hands, “Uncle will give you a horse ride?”
Little Star waved her arms in the air, and Yan An, delighted, tried to place her on the electric puppy.
But before he could let go, Little Star spoke.
“Are you sick~”
Yan An: “...?”
The soft, babyish voice did nothing to lessen the impact of those words. Zheng You’an saw his pupils tremble, the faint affection he had for the child visibly fading away.
Yan An snapped back to reality. Fu Mingyu’s child was his child—the gears of fate were welded in place.
“You two…” Zheng You’an turned back to the couple in a daze, “What have you been teaching her?”
Fu Mingyu naturally heard it too. He frowned, glanced at Ruan Sixian, then stepped forward to pick up Little Star.
“You can’t say things like that in the future,” he said, carrying the child aside to teach her.
After the Yan An couple left, Ruan Sixian stood in place for a long while, anxiously reflecting.
Unconsciously biting her finger, she crouched in front of Fu Mingyu and Little Star, saying with little confidence, “Little Star, you can’t say things like that in the future, you little parrot.”
Little Star had already been taught her lesson and was now playing with toys, completely ignoring Ruan Sixian’s words.
Ruan Sixian glanced guiltily at Fu Mingyu, “I only said it to you once yesterday. I didn’t expect her to learn so fast.”
Then, she promised herself, “I won’t say it again.”
“You can say it if you want,” Fu Mingyu said, shaking the rattle drum for Little Star while glancing at Ruan Sixian from the corner of his eye. “Just don’t say it in front of Guangzhi.”
“You actually enjoy being scolded…” Ruan Sixian stopped mid-sentence, widening her eyes. “Fu! Ming! Yu! You called her Guangzhi again! Are you—”
Fu Mingyu glanced up, and Ruan Sixian’s words cut off abruptly. She took a deep breath, looked up at him, and said, “Are you sick… too.”
One sat, the other crouched—one smiling, the other frowning, making Ruan Sixian look pitiful.
Ruan Sixian sneered, “I see it now. You men are forever elementary school kids. You’re happy when you see me angry.”Fu Mingyu leaned forward, brushing his index finger against Ruan Sixian's nose.
"Don't sneer like that, or Little Star will pick it up again."
"Then how should I smile?" Ruan Sixian stretched her mouth wide. "Like this?"
Fu Mingyu's eyes still held a hint of amusement as he pulled her up and into his arms, whispering softly, "How can you be so adorable?"
Ruan Sixian glanced at her daughter through narrowed eyes.
Though it felt a bit silly to ask, she still murmured quietly, "Am I more adorable, or is your daughter?"
"You are," Fu Mingyu said. "You're her adorable mom..."
"Shh! Don't say it." Ruan Sixian suddenly pressed her hand against Fu Mingyu's chin. "Little Star might pick up that bad word again."
Fu Mingyu: "..."
Ever since that day, Ruan Sixian had stopped saying anything with negative emotions about Fu Mingyu in front of their daughter.
She made a pact with herself: whenever she wanted to say "Are you crazy?" she would instead say, "Are you alright?"
Whenever she wanted to say "You pervert," she would say, "Is everything okay?"
And to prevent Little Star from learning to call Fu Mingyu by his full name, she even changed how she addressed him when she was upset—grinding her teeth as she called him "my respected husband."
Whether Little Star would end up saying unpleasant things in the future, Ruan Sixian didn't know, but to outsiders, the couple seemed like a textbook example of mutual respect and courtesy.
Besides restraining herself, Ruan Sixian also made a request of Fu Mingyu.
"You're not allowed to say 'oh,' 'hmm,' or 'tsk.' You can't say 'whatever' either—that makes me indecisive. And you can't just nod without saying anything."
Ruan Sixian paused to catch her breath before adding, "If you really have nothing to say, just say 'I love you, wife.' Got it?"
She looked at him, waiting for him to say "Okay."
After a long moment, the person opposite her spoke: "I love you, wife."
Ruan Sixian: "..."
Fine.
The phase of Little Star parroting everything she heard came to a temporary end, and she never picked up any swear words again.
As for her upbringing, Fu Mingyu and Ruan Sixian generally took a relaxed approach, letting her play however she wanted most of the time. It wasn't until she was over three years old that they sent her to an early education class.
It was the first time the little one would leave home and spend half a day in an unfamiliar place, so Ruan Sixian and Fu Mingyu, feeling uneasy, made time to personally take her there.
But the whole way, the child didn't cry or fuss. Even when the teacher carried her inside, she turned back and waved goodbye with a smile.
"Bye-bye, Mommy and Daddy~"
It was a good thing that the child was so sensible, but Ruan Sixian felt a pang of sadness watching her.
"Do you think she'll just walk away without looking back someday?"
Having raised a child for over three years, Fu Mingyu had already gained the foresight of a parent. Holding Ruan Sixian's hand and looking at their daughter in the children's room, he said, "Children will always have their own lives. The one who will always be with you is me."
A month later, Little Star received her first homework assignment.
The teacher gave each child a hand-drawn picture book to take home and learn about "mountains, rivers, and streams."
In the book, the mountains were green, the water was blue, and the clouds were white.
Little Star flipped through a couple of pages lazily before starting to doze off.
They say you can tell a person's future by the age of three, and Ruan Sixian felt like she was glimpsing her daughter's future as an academic underachiever.
This wouldn't do.
She opened the book again, pointing at the pictures and saying, "Come on, let's go through it with Mommy one more time."
"This is a mountain...""Mountain." Little Star repeated, pointing at the river and white clouds in the picture even faster than Ruan Sixian. "River, cloud."
Ruan Sixian: "..."
This child not only looked like her father but even shared his temperament.
"Star, let's not read anymore." Fu Mingyu picked her up. "Let's go see real mountains and rivers."
"Okay, okay!"
Fu Mingyu turned back and raised an eyebrow at Ruan Sixian.
After so many years of living together day and night, how could Ruan Sixian not understand what she meant?
At this moment, she was even more eager than Little Star.
Two hours later, the family of three appeared at South Ao General Airport.
The Diamond Star was well-maintained. Even though they hadn't visited in months, not a speck of dust had settled on it.
"Star, come up." Ruan Sixian sat in the pilot's seat and waved to Little Star. "Mom will help you with your homework."
The spacious co-pilot seat was just right for Fu Mingyu and Little Star.
The plane took off from the end of the runway, soaring over plains and wilderness, gradually climbing.
Wherever the plane passed, maple forests blazed like fire, dyeing the mountains red; mist rose, colorful clouds gathered, and the cloud layers churned in the sunlight, glowing with golden light; the clear lake resembled endless glass, its blue waves rippling, bright and shimmering.
Little Star pressed against the window, looking down at the vast landscape stretching thousands of miles.
Mountains weren't just green—they could also be red.
Clouds weren't only white—otherwise, why would they be called "clouds in color"?
Even rivers weren't necessarily blue.
For the first time, Little Star showed an excited expression, letting out a long, admiring sigh.
"Wow..."
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