Li Yi and Jiang Xue returned to Louwailou with the children. As soon as they reached the private room they had reserved on the second floor, they heard the sound of adults chatting and laughing, along with the cheerful laughter of children coming from inside.
Pushing open the private room door, Li Yi was greeted by a heartwarming scene.
There stood Third Sister, cradling her one-month-old son in one arm and a delicate, porcelain-skinned little girl in the other. Her face was radiant with a gentle smile; there was not a trace of her former assertiveness or sharpness—she seemed like a completely different person.
The little girl, nestled in her arms, was holding the baby’s hand, kissing and stroking him, full of curiosity and joy.
Li Yi’s gaze fell on the little girl’s face. Though still childish, he could already make out the features of Xiao Jingshu as she would look when she grew up.
He thought back to his previous life, when this girl had broken up with her boyfriend for her mother’s sake and even donated part of her liver to save her. Before Li Yi had found them, she had worked two jobs just to scrape together a little more medical money for his third older sister.
At that time, Li Yi had thought to himself: if his third sister had a child of her own, along with an adopted daughter like Xiao Jingyu, her life would be perfect.
Having been given a second chance at life, through his own efforts, that wish had finally come true.
Watching the two children play happily in Third Sister’s arms, Li Yi couldn’t help but feel a lump in his throat, and tears glistened in the corners of his eyes.
Fortunately, since he was holding the two children, neither Jiang Xue nor the others following behind—Zhang Ziqiang, Zhang Feng, and the rest—noticed anything unusual about him.
At that moment, the people inside the room spotted Li Yi and his group. Eldest Sister Li Mei immediately called out, “Xiao Yi, Xiao Xue, come on in quickly—Director Xue and the others are already here!”
Li Yi quickly composed himself, forcing back the tears that were about to spill over, then carried Yunrui and Yunjin into the private room.
Upon seeing Li Yi enter, Xue Jianming and his wife immediately stood up.
This was Li Yi’s first time meeting Xue Jianming’s wife—Xiao Jingyu’s biological mother.
She was of average height, with a slender figure, an attractive face, and a gentle demeanor—she exuded the charm of a delicate young woman from the water towns of Jiangnan.
True to her status as Xiao Jingyu’s biological mother, she was indeed quite striking in her own right.
“I just took Xiao Xue and the kids for a quick stroll around the small market next door. Sorry to keep you waiting!” Li Yi said with a touch of apology.
Xue Jianming quickly replied, “It’s no problem, Mr. Li. We just arrived ourselves!”
Xue Jianming’s wife, Xiao Ya, smiled and added, “Actually, visiting the market at this time of day isn’t the best experience. If you want to explore the West Lake Market, morning is best. That’s when the fishing boats have just returned from the sea, so whether it’s seafood, fruits, or vegetables, everything is incredibly fresh—and the prices are cheaper too. If Mr. Li and his wife don’t mind, I’d love to take you both to the West Lake Morning Market one day!”
Li Yi smiled and said, “That sounds great. Since you’re locals from Lin’an, having you as our guides will definitely save us a lot of trouble. It’s just a bit of a bother for you!”
“It’s no trouble at all. If it weren’t for your investment, Mr. Li, our Pioneer Furniture Factory might not have survived. It’s also thanks to your support that Jianming became the factory director. It would be my honor to do something for you and your wife!” said Xiao Ya.
Xue Jianming chimed in, “Mr. Li, you’ve been my mentor. I’ve always been deeply grateful for your support and guidance!”
“Old Xue, don’t be so formal. I made you factory director partly because I value your abilities, and partly because you handled the fire so well last time!” Li Yi said.
“President Li, the factory is currently…”
Before Xue Jianming could finish, Li Yi raised his hand to stop him, then smiled and said, “Old Xue, this is a family dinner today. Let’s not talk about work. You can report on the factory’s situation to me privately when we have time later!”
“Alright…”
Just then, Jiang Xue’s voice rang out from the room: “Sister Na, is that Director Xue and Sister Xiao Ya’s daughter you’re holding? She’s so pretty and adorable!”
Li Na immediately replied with a smile, “Yes, Xiao Jingyu is indeed adorable. And for some reason, the moment I laid eyes on her, I felt an instant connection.”
“That’s because you wanted a daughter yourself, but ended up having a son, so now you’re just crazy about every little girl you see!” Jiang Xue said.
“Maybe so, but I just really like Xiao Jingyu!”
Hearing this, Li Yi’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, “Since Third Sister likes Xiao Jingyu so much, how about becoming her godmother?”
“Become godparents?”
At this, Li Na, as well as Xue Jianming and Xiao Ya, were all taken aback, staring at Li Yi with looks of disbelief.
Li Yi glanced at Xiao Jingyu, then explained, “Old Xue, Sister-in-law, to be honest, I know a little about the art of physiognomy. From the very first moment I saw Xiao Jingyu, I noticed two things about her!”
Xue Jianming hurriedly asked, “I wonder what exactly Mr. Li has seen in Jing Shu?”
“First, Jing Shu and my third older sister share a special bond—specifically, a mother-daughter connection. You can ask Jing Shu if she also feels an unusual sense of familiarity with my third older sister, as if they’ve met before!” Li Yi said.
Hearing this, Xue Jianming immediately looked at Little Jing Shu and asked, “Jing Shu, is what Uncle Li saying true? Do you really like Aunt Nana?”
Little Jing Shu wasn’t even three years old yet, but girls tend to mature earlier than boys, and she could already understand what adults were saying.
Hearing her father’s question, the little girl replied without hesitation, “Daddy, I really like Aunt Nana. She smells just like Mommy!”
Hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned.
Especially Xue Jianming and Xiao Ya. This was Li Yi’s first time meeting Xiao Jingyu, so it was clearly impossible that Li Yi or anyone from the Li family had coached her on what to say beforehand.
Moreover, when they had brought the child over earlier, they had happened to encounter Comrade Li Na’s child crying incessantly. Out of curiosity, their own daughter had gone over to take a look, and to their surprise, the little baby had stopped crying and kept crawling toward Li Na.
Li Na didn’t seem to mind Xiao Jingyu either; after exchanging just a few words, she scooped both Xiao Jingyu and the other child into her arms. The three of them—one adult and two children—seemed to hit it off immediately.
Looking back now, it’s possible that Xiao Jingzhu and Comrade Li Na were truly destined to have a special connection!
At that moment, Xiao Ya spoke up: “The matter of becoming godparents is of great importance; let’s discuss it later. Mr. Li, what else did you see in Jing Shu?”
“Misfortune!” Li Yi said, his words coming as a shock.
No sooner had he spoken than, before Xue Jianming or Xiao Ya could say a word, Li Na frowned and said, “Xiao Yi, don’t talk nonsense. I think Xiao Jingzhu is just fine—she doesn’t look sick at all!”
Her mother, Zhang Guiying, added, “Xiao Yi, you can’t just say things like that. It’s not good for the child!”
Li Yi replied solemnly, “Jing Shu’s Yintang is turning blue—that’s the facial sign of someone about to fall seriously ill. Setting facial features aside, the Yintang is located between the eyebrows. The classical text of Traditional Chinese Medicine, *The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon: Ling Shu*, records: ‘The central point corresponds to the lungs; the lowermost point to the heart; the point directly below to the liver; the point to the left of the liver to the gallbladder; the lower point to the spleen; and the upper square point to the stomach.’”
“This means the space between the eyebrows corresponds to the lungs, and extends downward to connect with organs such as the heart, liver, spleen, and stomach. Therefore, observing the condition of this area can reflect the state of the five vital organs.”
“Xiao Jingyu’s Yintang has a faint bluish tint, which indicates mild oxygen deprivation in the heart and brain. Combined with the little girl’s pale complexion and weak voice, it’s highly likely there’s an issue with her heart.”
Originally, Xue Jianming and Xiao Ya had their doubts about what Li Yi was saying. But when they recalled that their daughter occasionally experienced nausea and retching, often grew extremely tired after just a short while of play, and suffered from nightmares and palpitations at night—
They had previously dismissed these symptoms as nothing serious—perhaps just a chill or something similar—but now, after hearing Li Yi’s explanation, the couple began to feel increasingly anxious and uncertain.
“Mr. Li, my daughter really…”
Before Xue Jianming could finish, Li Yi interjected, “You and your wife don’t need to worry. We’re here in Lin’an just for a vacation and some rest. I plan to take my mother to the hospital tomorrow for a checkup. If you’re free, bring Xiao Jingshu along too. A checkup will tell us for sure if there’s a problem!”
“O-o-okay, we’ll definitely come tomorrow!” Xue Jianming said hurriedly.
When it came to his daughter’s health, Xue Jianming naturally wouldn’t take any chances, so he agreed immediately.
Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Li Yi smiled and said, “All right, enough about that. I’ve long heard that Louwailou is the pinnacle of Hangzhou cuisine. Let’s go sample the chefs’ skills here!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Jiang Xue chimed in with a laugh, “I want West Lake Vinegar Fish!”
Hearing this, Xue Jianming and Xiao Ya, who were standing nearby, both froze.
Xiao Ya, in particular, opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.
Seeing the couple’s uncomfortable expressions, Li Yi naturally knew what it meant.
After all, West Lake Vinegar Fish really doesn’t live up to its reputation. As locals, they clearly didn’t want Jiang Xue to be disappointed, but they were too embarrassed to say so.
Li Yi also knew that the taste of West Lake Vinegar Fish was hard for most people to stomach, but he went along with his wife’s wishes and ordered this famous Hangzhou dish.
After all, some pitfalls are only fun once you’ve experienced them firsthand. Thinking of the look on Jiang Xue’s face when she finally tasted the West Lake Vinegar Fish she’d been longing for, Li Yi’s heart was filled with anticipation…
……….