CH 194 Brother!
Translated by The BL Muse (ko-fi)
After many meetings and discussions, it was finally determined that the joint research center area would be established in China. Like the United Nations headquarters in country A, China divided an area in the northeast near the largest forest in the country specifically for the establishment of a research area. The environment was beautiful and the area was large. It was vast, not remote but could isolate the noise from the outside world.
With the concerted efforts of all countries, it only took about a month from land reclamation to completion of the joint research area construction. During this period, the entire Changjiang project team, except for the researchers who were on rotation duty every day, could take a vacation. Jiang Chen finally had a rare period of rest.
Jiang Chen felt dazed after realizing he had not been home for more than half a year.
There was laughter in the garden, a girl's tinkling laughter and a young child's sweet voice were getting closer and closer. After a while, two figures, one tall and one short, stepped out from the solarium. A girl wearing pink casual clothes held the hand of cute little dumpling in a blue sailor uniform. The girl walked very slowly, lowering her head and waiting step by step for the little dumpling to follow her pace.
At the same time she patiently taught her how to speak: "Ran Ran, say ‘Brother’ again."
The little dumpling still with a pacifier in her mouth mumbled, "Brother."
"Not to me." He Qianyu squatted down and supported the little dumpling: "When you see Brother later, then you call him that."
Don't know whether the little dumpling truly understood or not but she blinked and called, “Brother.”
"That's the photo that Sister Qian Yu just showed you. The most handsome one in our family. Do you remember it?"
The little dumpling's eyes lit up, her fleshy hands stretched forward, and moved to run on her short stubby legs: "Brother!"
"Yes!" He Qianyu pressed the little dumpling still: "Remember, he is the most handsome and gentle one, our brother."
"Brother!" The little dumpling pulled her arm and stretched her head forward.
He Qianyu picked her up and kissed her: "Ran Ran is so smart, remember to call like this later." As she spoke, she turned around. Suddenly her eyes widened and her expression went blank for two seconds. Then she screamed and while holding the little dumpling in her arms, she ran towards the young man at the door.
"Brother!"
"Brother! Brother!"
Jiang Chen paused in his steps and the corners of his mouth raised unconsciously. He took three quick steps to catch the running girl: "Slow down, don't fall."
"Brother..." He Qianyu hugged Jiang Chen tightly. Her face was smiling just now, but her eyes turned red instantly: "I miss you so much..."
"Brother misses you too."
"I came second in the final exam last semester and ranked first in the midterm this semester... You said you would buy me a gift every time I made progress. You already owe me two gifts, but I don't want a gift. I just want Brother to accompany me. Second Brother refused to accompany me to watch a movie. I want you to accompany me, and there is also a delicious restaurant. All my classmates have been there, but I am the only one who hasn't... "
Jiang Chen rubbed He Qianyu's hair, listened to her tearful voice, and gently stroked her back: "I'm sorry, Brother took so long to come back. Brother will go to the movies with you tomorrow and take you to that restaurant you want to go, okay?"
"En..." He Qianyu raised her head and said in a low voice, "Are my eyes red and ugly?"
"It's red, but very cute." Jiang Chen flicked the tip of her nose, "My sister will always be the most beautiful girl."
He Qianyu burst into a sunny smile. She remembered something and started to complain again: "Every time I cry, Second Brother says I'm ugly. And when you're not here, he always bullies me. Brother, you must help me teach him a lesson later."
Jiang Chen agreed with a chuckle. His eyes met the toddler squeezed in the middle, who looked confused and curious but not timid at all: "Ran Ran?"
The little girl sucked at the pacifier in her mouth and blinked at Jiang Chen.
"Do you still remember Brother?"
Little Jiang Ran tilted her head, suddenly stretched out her hands, and raised her little chin, signaling Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen laughed and took her from He Qianyu's arms, "Are Mom and Dad in there?"
"Our Dads are." He Qianyu replied, while winking her eyes to remind little Jiang Ran, but the little girl was playing with her pacifier pendant and seemed to have forgotten about it a long time ago, “Our Moms haven't come back from the supermarket yet. "
"Where's Qian Min?"
"He’s playing games upstairs." He Qianyu couldn't help complaining when he mentioned He Qianmin: "Because of getting early admission, every time Second Brother came back from vacation and I asked him questions, he would mock me for not being smart and say in our family of five, I am the stupidest, this is a total personal attack on my character! Brother, you must scold him later."
"I promise to scold him for you."
"I can hear your loud voice even upstairs." The young man on the second floor balcony leaned out half of his body and said condescendingly: "Who are you complaining to——Brother!!!" His expression changed instantly, and the young man jumped onto the stone railing: "Brother, you're back!"
"Stand still." Jiang Chen subconsciously took half a step. Seeing that he was standing firmly on the railing, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Get down from there and take the stairs."
He Qianmin hummed, quickly turned around and ran into the room, and then soon appeared downstairs. Jiang Zhuo and He Yanfeng came out with him.
"Dad!" Jiang Chen walked quickly towards the two dads.
He Yanfeng and Jiang Zhuo stood side by side at the door. Each raised a hand and put it on Jiang Chen's shoulder, both smiling.
"It's good you're back."
"Come in quickly."
Jiang Chen held Jiang Ran and walked inside. His home was no different from when he left, except that there were some more children's toys in the corner of the living room.
"Are you tired?" Jiang Zhuo pointed to the toys in the corner: "Just put Ran Ran there. She doesn't like being held by others all the time. She can play by herself."
Jiang Chen was not tired, but thinking that Jiang Ran might not remember him anymore, and being held by him all the time might not be comfortable, he also thought it would be better to let her play by herself.
However, when Jiang Chen walked to the carpeted play area and squatted down to put down the silent little Jiang Ran, the soft hand of the little dumpling that was wrapped around his neck refused to let go, pulling him tightly, almost hanging on his neck.
"Jiang Xiao Ran," He Qianmin squatted next to Jiang Chen, making faces to scare her: "Let go."
Jiang Xiao Ran rolled her eyes at him smartly, turned his head and buried it in Jiang Chen's neck.
He Qianyu laughed: "Even Jiang Xiao Ran dislikes you."
He Qianmin narrowed his eyes, put his index and middle fingers together, and made signs near his neck.
"Brother!" He Qianyu immediately complained: "He Qianmin threatened me!"
Jiang Chen glanced at He Qianmin: "What are you doing?"
"Brother, don't turn to her right after you come back. You don't even know that her temper has changed drastically in the past six months. She is as fierce as a hag. Teaching Jiang Xiao Ran to even roll her eyes."
He Qianyu: "Jiang Xiao Ran only rolls her eyes when she sees you. What does this mean? It means that you are so annoying that a one-and-a-half-year-old toddler learned to express her disgust without even being taught.”
"Brother, look at her."
"Brother, you said you would help me teach him a lesson!"
"My brother won't teach me a lesson."
"Brother just promised me."
"It doesn't count." He Qianmin hooked Jiang Chen's neck: "My brother and I are the closest, do you understand?"
"No, my brother likes me the most!"
"Just deceive yourself.”
"I'm not."
"Why not? Ask Brother then."
He Qianyu turned around: "Brother, you tell him!"
He Qianmin snorted coldly and looked at Jiang Chen: "Brother, you tell her."
Jiang Chen pulled down Jiang Xiao Ran's hand that was holding his hair, and rubbed the hair of his younger siblings fairly: "No quarrels are allowed."
……
He Yanfeng raised his eyebrows and said, "The older these two get, the more disobedient they become. Only Xiao Chen can control them."
Jiang Zhuo also shook his head: "The same goes for Ran Ran. Normally, she would squirm or fuss after being held for a long time, but today in Chen Chen's arms, nothing happens at all."
The two fathers looked at each other and smiled, their eyes too focused in the same direction that the chess pieces in their hands did not land even after a long time.