MM Racing Chapter 1351 Ying locks herself in the study
Chapter 1351 Ying locks herself in the study
Meanwhile, the midday sun in Nata shone warmly on the roof of the ranch house, making the first-floor living room even warmer.
Ningguang sat upright in the center of the soft sofa, holding Aba Aba's little baby Xi steadily in her arms.
She had a beautifully bound picture book for infants and toddlers spread out on her lap, and she was patiently teaching the little one in her arms to describe the pictures, word by word.
It's less about "teaching" and more about one-sided nagging.
After all, a nine-month-old baby has only just learned to crawl around and chokes on milk when drinking it. He can't even speak yet, so how can he recognize words?
That's definitely an overly abstract approach.
Ningguang, however, did it with exceptional seriousness, her eyes filled with an unprecedented tenderness.
She knew that children of this age couldn't understand complex vocabulary, but she was still willing to use a gentle tone to tell her about the world in the picture book, little by little.
At least this way, the energetic little baby can be quiet for a while and stop crawling and making a fuss everywhere, which can be considered as helping Shenhe and Ying share some of the caregiving burden.
Ningguang stretched out her slender fingers and gently touched the adorable little cow illustration on the picture book, her voice soft and gentle.
"This is a calf, it can moo."
Xi stared curiously at the colorful pictures on the pages of the book with her big, round eyes. Her little head swayed slightly as she followed Ningguang's finger, and she responded with soft, babyish words.
"Ah~"
Ningguang smiled gently, turned the page with her fingertips, and pointed to the illustration of a fluffy little lamb, continuing to patiently guide the reader.
"This is a little lamb, it can bleat."
Xi tilted her little head and stared at it for a long time, seemingly not understanding what the fluffy thing was. She simply put her chubby little fist into her mouth and gnawed on it with relish, even letting out a confused gasp.
"what?"
Just then, soft footsteps came from the stairs.
Shao Yun was wearing a loose white bathrobe, her hair still damp and radiating moisture.
Having just finished a morning of herding work, he took a nice hot shower and felt a lazy, comfortable feeling all over.
"Phew~ the day's work is finally over..." Shao Yun muttered contentedly as he slowly walked down the stairs.
"Taking a hot shower feels so good, it's like a dream come true."
His gaze swept across the living room, and he immediately spotted the two people, one big and one small, on the sofa.
Ningguang was whispering softly to Xi in her arms, sunlight falling on the tips of her hair, gilding them with a soft golden edge. Her usual shrewdness and competence had completely faded away, leaving only a rare tenderness.
Shao Yun couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, and walked forward lightly, saying casually, "Oh? Ningguang... or rather, my sister-in-law, what are you doing with your niece?"
Ningguang looked up at Shao Yun, and before she could look away from his loose white bathrobe, she heard him call her "little sister-in-law".
Those three words startled her so much that she froze instantly. The gentle smile on her face vanished, and her eyes were filled with panic. She even instinctively tightened her grip on Xi, but then, afraid of hurting the little one in her arms, she quickly and gently relaxed her arms.
"Mr. Shao, Mr. Shao Yun, you must be joking!" Ningguang's voice trembled slightly as she waved her hand urgently.
"Just call me by my name. 'Little sister-in-law' sounds too awkward. If Miss Ying and Mr. Kong hear that, they'll be unhappy."
Interestingly enough, Ying and Kong don't really care about Ningguang's nickname at all.
For Ying, it was just a code name. As long as the family was harmonious, Shao Yun could call him whatever he wanted.
Sora felt that since he only had Ying as his biological sister, Ningguang's status as his "adopted sister" was already abstract, and the title was even less important. As long as his brother-in-law treated his sister well, that was enough.
Seeing her strong reaction, Shao Yun couldn't help but smile, walked to the single sofa and sat down, then changed his words accordingly:
"Yes, yes, Miss Ningguang. By the way, where is Shen He?"
According to the usual division of labor, Shen He usually takes care of the baby, while Ning Guang is busy with housework and cleaning. Today's scene is quite unusual.
Ningguang held Xi firmly in her arms with one arm, and gently patted the little one's hand with the other, patiently explaining:
"That's right, Miss Shen He has been working really hard taking care of the child these past few days. She looked quite tired during the day."
"After I finished the housework, I came over to help take care of her for a while so she could rest. She's probably sleeping in her room right now."
Upon hearing that Shen He had fallen asleep from exhaustion, Shao Yun's smile faded, replaced by a hint of shame.
He sighed softly, his tone tinged with self-reproach, and said, "Sigh... Thank you for your help. This child is getting more and more energetic, and he's definitely getting harder and harder to take care of."
He paused, then muttered to himself, "Have I been too focused on herding lately and haven't paid much attention to Shen He's physical and mental health? I didn't even notice how tired she was."
Seeing the self-reproach on his face, Ningguang quickly comforted him, "Mr. Shao Yun, don't think like that. Taking care of children is a very tiring thing, it's normal to be tired."
"Fortunately, there are many people in our family, and we can all help each other out, so we can finally catch our breath and don't have to worry too much."
She thought for a while and added:
"The main problem is that Ms. Shen He is too stubborn. When it comes to taking care of the children, she always does everything herself, and she won't say anything even if she's tired. She always tries to force herself."
"Even the strongest body can't withstand this kind of strain."
This is very true, because raising children is not only physically exhausting, but also mentally draining...
Xi, nestled in their arms, seemed unable to understand what the adults were saying. She simply blinked her round eyes, looking at Shao Yun and then at Ning Guang.
Shao Yun nodded thoughtfully, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the sofa armrest as he pondered to himself.
Shen He has been working really hard lately. Why don't we find an opportunity to let her go back to Liyue for a few days to rest? It would be good for her to see her Master Liu Yun and relax.
He was lost in thought when his gaze suddenly fell on the picture book open on Ningguang's lap, which shifted his attention, and he casually asked:
"By the way, Ningguang, what were you talking to my daughter about just now?"
Ningguang glanced down at the brightly colored picture book on her lap and explained softly:
"It's a storybook for toddlers that I bought specifically for my child at the market of the Suspended Wood People tribe a few days ago. It's illustrated with common animals found in Nata, and I thought it would keep her entertained."
As she spoke, she looked down at Xi in her arms, a slight smile of regret curving her lips, and said self-deprecatingly, "But, it seems that the baby... can't understand at all."
That's right. At this moment, Xi's little head couldn't hold any stories or words. She just found the colorful pictures on the pages fresh and interesting, and her little hands would occasionally try to grab them. She was babbling incoherently, all of it innocent baby talk.
"Ah~" The little guy shook his head and aimlessly scanned the living room.
Looking at his daughter's adorable, bewildered expression, Shao Yun couldn't help but grin helplessly and said with a smile:
"Hey, what's the big deal? The child is still young, it's not the time for him to learn to read yet. As long as he can eat his own food, drink his own milk, and is healthy, that's enough."
As soon as she finished speaking, the picture book completely lost its appeal to Xi.
She wriggled her little body, her gaze fixed on Shao Yun, her little arms and legs flailing, making coquettish "ah~ ah~" sounds, clearly wanting her dad to hold her.
Upon seeing this, Shao Yun immediately got up and stepped forward, carefully taking the baby from Ning Guang's arms and holding him steadily in her arms, her tone full of doting affection.
"Okay, come here, let Daddy hold you for a bit. My little baby, did you miss Daddy?"
Held in Shao Yun's arms, Xi immediately giggled, snuggling closer to him and happily reaching out her chubby little hands to grab at the air.
Shao Yun looked down at his chubby-cheeked daughter in his arms, and couldn't help but raise his hand to gently rub Xi's soft cheek, sighing with relief.
"It's amazing how much you've grown. I remember when you were just born, you were so tiny, and now you're so big... You've even learned to crawl."
Just then, footsteps sounded on the stairs, and another figure slowly walked down. It was Shao Yun's brother-in-law, Kong.
He was also wearing a loose white bathrobe, clearly having just taken a shower.
It might be hard to believe, but the prince of the Abyss Order has been acting like a proper ranch apprentice these past few days, following Shao Yun around the ranch every day, feeding grass, cleaning fences, and taking care of livestock, learning everything quite well.
This move by Tianli was too ruthless; it brought tears to the eyes of millions of abyss demons.
Kong's gaze swept across the living room, immediately spotting Shao Yun sitting on a single sofa playing with the child. He walked straight over and casually asked:
"Brother-in-law, where's my sister? I haven't seen her anywhere in the middle of the day."
Shao Yun held Xi in one arm and pointed towards the study on the first floor with the other, smiling helplessly.
"Look, she's holed up in her study. You see, there's a sign on the door that she wrote by hand that says 'No Trespassing,' so she doesn't let anyone in."
Kong looked in the direction Shao Yun was pointing, and sure enough, there was a crooked piece of paper pasted on the door of the study, with a few eye-catching characters written on it, which was obviously Ying's handwriting.
He couldn't help but frown, curiously examining the tightly closed study door.
"What is she doing in there? She's so secretive."
Shao Yun raised an eyebrow and guessed with certainty, "What else could it be? Maybe he found another good light novel somewhere, locked himself in with the book, and is probably engrossed in reading it."
"What kind of novel could make her so obsessed?" Kong muttered, increasingly puzzled, unable to comprehend his younger sister's fascination with fictional stories.
Seeing this, Shao Yun smiled and waved his hand, simply changing the subject, and patted Xi, who was whimpering in his arms.
"Never mind her, she won't be out anytime soon anyway. Come on, brother-in-law, want to play with your niece? The little one's been talking about you for ages."
Of course, that last sentence was made up by Shao Yun...
As he spoke, Shao Yun carefully held Xi under her armpits with both hands and gently lifted her up in front of Kong.
The little guy was amused by this sudden action and giggled, kicking his two short legs wildly in the air. He looked incredibly cute.
Kong looked at his little niece swaying back and forth in front of him, and his heart instantly melted. He quickly reached out and took her in his arms, holding her tightly, and sighed helplessly and affectionately.
"Well, there's really nothing we can do about you."
Xi clearly liked this gentle uncle very much. After being held in Kong's arms, she immediately reached out her little hands and grabbed the collar of his bathrobe tightly. She also buried her little head in his arms, clearly showing that she was a clingy person who would never let go.
Judging from this, it seems that Kong will have to hold his little niece like this until Xi falls asleep.
……