Cold…
Tang Yu squeezed her eyelids and curled up her body. Her lips were purple and freezing to the touch, and her brain held heavy and incapable of thought.
"Little Yu…"
Who is it?
"Little Yu."
The indistinct voice hovered between near and fair. The voice's owner sounded as if they were smiling, their gentleness causing her to subconsciously relax and spread her limbs. The familiar voice touched the thoughts hidden in the innermost part of her heart, thoughts that had long since become covered in dust.
Mommy…
Tang Yu opened her mouth slightly and muttered the form of address she hadn't said in over a decade, drops of tears seeping out from her eyelids.
A warm and soft hand gently wiped her face. Although the hand's owner seemed to have said something, all she heard were muffled words.
Am I dreaming… But this touch feels so real…
"Oh, my. Why did you cry all of a sudden, Little Yu? There, there, don't cry."
The voice entering Tang Yu's ears suddenly cleared up. The white glow that blinded her vision also vanished, allowing her to see the person in front of her.
Long black hair that softly rested on the shoulders. A pair of gentle eyes filled with a tinge of panic. A young face that normally wouldn't be found on a married woman with a child.
"Mommy…" Tang Yu's eyes widened, tears pouring out of her eyes. Then, she reached out to grab Mother Tang's sleeve in a panic, afraid that the woman would disappear in the next second.
Mother Tang, also known as Yu Wanrou, grew confused when her daughter jumped into her arms while sobbing. Then, she looked toward Father Tang, Tang Zhengyang, for help.
Tang Zhengyang was similarly confused by this situation. After faking a light cough, he looked toward his friend, Yin Changcheng, apologetically and explained, "Maybe she's afraid of strangers…"
Yin Changcheng waved his hand and laughed boldly in response. Then, he said, "Don't worry about it. All kids are like that. She'll stop being scared once she gets familiar with me."
Yu Wanrou gently patted Tang Yu's back and consoled her, "There, there, Little Yu. We are in Uncle Yin's house. Everything's fine."
Tang Yu gradually calmed down. However, before she could stop sobbing, she suddenly felt her body rapidly rising into the air and stopping mid-air.
While her heart pounded furiously, Tang Yu felt her back enveloped by a warm embrace. Then, she heard a voice coming from behind her:
"Why did our Little Yu become a crybaby all of a sudden? Hm?"
Tang Zhengyang rubbed his bristly chin against his daughter's tender cheek, the area he rubbed instantly taking on a faint tinge of red. However, he quickly stopped what he was doing when he received a glare from his wife. Then, he stopped misbehaving and carried Tang Yu to the sofa.
Tang Yu was stunned when she saw her stubby arms and legs. Then, disbelief colored her face when she waved her weak little legs.
This… Is this a dream?
"Mom, I'm home!"
A child wearing a thick down jacket suddenly opened the front door. The child had flushed cheeks, a pair of large glittering eyes, and a small red mouth that exhaled white air.
Wang Zhen walked out of the kitchen with a plate of fruits. When she saw her daughter, still covered in snowflakes, she immediately berated, "You went and played with snow again, didn't you? Don't come crying to me if you fall sick."
After setting the fruit plate on the coffee table, Wang Zhen looked at the Tang couple, feeling a little embarrassed as she said, "An-An is too playful. Your Little Yu is much more obedient. What a good girl she is."
The parents of both families conversed happily. In the meantime, the girl called An-An quietly walked up to Tang Yu and scrutinized her. A moment later, An-An took a deep breath, her expression changing instantly as she extended a hand to the pondering Tang Yu. Then, with a look of expectation on her face, An-An said, "Hello, my name is Yin Zhao-an. Yin(尹) is my father's Yin, Zhao(兆) is the 'zhao' in good omen(好兆头), and An(安) is the 'an' in peace(平安). What is your name?"
Tang Yu was in the middle of pondering over her situation when she saw a small and reddish hand appearing in front of her. Then, when she heard the self-introduction that followed, her heart instantly twisted in pain.
Tang Yu's tears fell uncontrollably again, her body instinctively cowering and retreating into her father's embrace.
Sensing the physical contact, Tang Zhengyang moved his attention away from the conversation and looked down in confusion. When he saw Tang Yu shivering and crying helplessly, he hurriedly picked up his daughter in his arms and asked, "What's the matter? Why did you start crying again?"
When Yin Changcheng saw the crying Tang Yu, he looked toward Yin Zhao-an and asked in confusion, "An-An, did you bully your Big Sister Tang Yu?"
Yin Zhao-an shook her head, an aggrieved expression on her face as she said, "I didn't bully Tang… Tang…" Tang What's-Her-Name. As Yin Zhao-an spoke, she started to feel even more aggrieved and began to show signs of sobbing. However, she quickly retracted her tears and kept her mouth shut when she received a glare from her mother.
Seeing her daughter huddled in her husband's arms, Yu Wanrou couldn't bear it anymore as she said, "Big Sis Wang, Big Bro Yin, I think Little Yu is feeling out of sorts today. She might have fallen sick, so we'll take her home for now and visit another time."
Tang Zhengyang also apologized to the Yin couple as he stood up from the sofa with Tang Yu in his arms.
It was the Yin husband and wife's turn to feel awkward as they hurriedly said, "Nonsense. We should be the ones apologizing for not entertaining your family properly."
Tang Yu, lying on Tang Zhengyang's shoulder, quietly raised her eyes to look at Yin Zhao-an, standing still. Coincidentally, her eyes met with Yin Zhao-an's reddened eyes, the sight frightening her and causing her to shrink back.
Until she left the Yin family's home, Tang Yu never looked at Yin Zhao-an again. This situation caused Yin Zhao-an, who had carefully adjusted her expression to say goodbye to Tang Yu, to feel an inexplicable sense of loss.
After sending the Tang family away, Wang Zhen returned and pinched her brows as she sat on the sofa. Then, she pulled her daughter to her side and earnestly asked, "An-An, did you really not bully Little Yu?"
With a sour nose, Yin Zhao-an said, "I really didn't bully Tang… Tang…" Tang What's-Her-Name. After forcibly retracting her tears, she continued, "Tang-Tang. I didn't bully Tang-Tang…"
Wang Zhen's eyes twitched a little. The only flaw her daughter had was her bad memory.
"You'd normally refuse to play with other children even when we ask you, so what made you take the initiative this time?" Wang Zhen was very familiar with the nature of her daughter. The girl was livelier than even boys her age.
While girls her age liked to play with other girls, Yin Zhao-an would refuse to do so, saying things like girls were too much trouble and would drag her feet, automatically ignoring the fact that she, too, was a girl.
Yin Zhao-an scratched her head in embarrassment when she heard her mother's question. Then, with reddened cheeks, she answered, "Because… Because Tang-Tang is pretty."
Tang Yu had glittering eyes, long eyelashes, and incredibly tender skin. Combined with her reddened eyes, she looked just like a small bunny. She was completely different from other girls who would dress up and look like colorful butterflies.
Wang Zhen sighed when she heard Yin Zhao-an's answer. She couldn't believe her daughter would gain an appearance complex at such a young age. Who, exactly, did the girl learn this attribute from?