Qin Ningyi said something else, very softly, and An An, buried in his arms, didn't hear it. Su Nianzhu, sitting nearby, saw his lips move.
"You and him will never be like father and son as we are."
Su Nianzhu smiled and nodded. It was the first time she had seen her son so soft and sentimental.
But An An was indeed worth doting on. What a cute child.
After chatting for a while, Qin Ningyi went to the study to work overtime. An An accompanied Su Nianzhu for a walk in the yard.
With Qin Ningyi's promise, An An was very happy and looked around the future home with excitement.
The yard was not large, but many plants were grown. When they reached a corner, they saw a tree tied up with ropes.
"Grandma, why is there a rope tied to that tree?" An An asked, confused.
"That tree is dead. The housekeeper tied a rope to it so someone could pull it out tomorrow."
An An walked closer to examine it and said urgently, "It's not dead yet, Grandma!" He pointed to the medicine packet still on the tree and said, "This nutrient solution was used incorrectly. If you change to a different nutrient solution, it should get better. Grandma, can we save it?"
Su Nianzhu became interested. She had the housekeeper plant this tree after she arrived, thinking that when other flowers withered, the flowers on this tree would keep the yard fragrant.
However, shortly after transplanting, its condition worsened. The housekeeper's nutrient solution was useless, so they decided to replace it.
An An could actually say this. This tree wasn't dead?
"Why does An An say the nutrient solution was used incorrectly? Uncle housekeeper said this is the best nutrient solution," Su Nianzhu asked curiously.
An An explained with a serious face, "Mom often says, the best isn't always the most suitable." He pointed to the nutrient solution hanging on the tree, "The ingredients are not suitable for this kind of tree. And since it's summer and not the best time to plant, it needs even more careful nurturing."
Hearing him speak so convincingly, Su Nianzhu was surprised. "Then what nutrient solution does An An think should be used?"
An An thought for a moment. "I don't know how to pronounce it. Can Grandma give me paper and pen? I remember how it's written."
Back in the living room, the housekeeper brought paper and pen, and An An wrote down a very complex name, stroke by stroke.
Su Nianzhu looked at An An's neat handwriting with some surprise. It didn't look like something a five-year-old child would write. And he remembered such complex strokes!
"An An, how did you remember this? That's amazing, and your handwriting is very good!" Su Nianzhu smiled and patted An An's hand, praising him repeatedly.
An An lowered his head slightly, feeling a little embarrassed. Few people had praised him so much, except for his mother and Uncle Shen.
The housekeeper nearby put away the paper and prepared to buy the nutrient solution tomorrow to try.
"How does An An know all this? You said your mother grows flowers? Is it this kind?" Su Nianzhu asked with a smile still on her face.
"Mom doesn't grow this kind of flower, but I saw an introduction to this tree in Mom's book. Mom also wrote something next to it, so I remembered it," An An said, taking the opportunity to promote Huo Rou. "What Mom writes is definitely correct."
"Does An An usually like to read books about flowers and trees?" Su Nianzhu thought to herself, if this was truly her grandson, it would be something to boast about. She would make her old friends who showed off their children envious.
An An ran to the side table with thumping steps, took his schoolbag, and opened it to show Su Nianzhu. "This is the book I like to read the most."
Su Nianzhu took out the slightly worn "Xinhua Dictionary" from his bag and found it somewhat magical. This was truly more peculiar than her son was in his childhood.
"Why do you like to read the 'Xinhua Dictionary'? There are no stories in it."
"An An is still young and doesn't recognize many words. Mom bought this for me so I can read many, many books." An An carefully put the book back into his small schoolbag.
Su Nianzhu felt a bit emotional. Watching An An carefully put away the dictionary, she said to him, "An An, Grandma will buy you an electronic dictionary tomorrow. A very light and small one, so you won't have to carry this dictionary anymore."
Fearing that An An, having lived in the village, might not be familiar with electronic dictionaries, she took out her phone and gestured approximately. "It's smaller and thinner than this phone. An An just needs to scan the characters he doesn't recognize, and he'll know what they are. It can also help An An read articles!"
Su Nianzhu knew about this because her old friends had been talking about it. Yuda Education, under Yuda Group, had released a new electronic dictionary for students, which had quickly become popular in their circle.
A while ago, her social media feed was flooded with posts from her friends. She remembered it vividly. Finally, she could join in the trend!
"Thank you, Grandma, but I don't like that. I like flipping pages," An An politely refused Su Nianzhu's suggestion. "An An likes to flip through pages one by one."
"Using that dictionary is fast, but An An feels that it's not like flipping pages, it's... it's..." An An couldn't find the adjective after thinking for a long time and concluded, "I still prefer the paper dictionary Mom bought."
Su Nianzhu smiled so broadly that her eyes couldn't close. She hugged An An and swayed him. "An An must love his mother very much, always thinking about her."
An An nodded seriously, then looked at the smiling Su Nianzhu and asked cautiously, "Grandma, you will like Mom too, right?"
Su Nianzhu hugged An An, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.
Even without a definitive outcome, she had accepted this grandson. Regardless of who his mother was, she would accept him for the sake of this grandson.
His identity didn't matter. The Qin family was wealthy. As long as his intentions weren't malicious, adopting him as a goddaughter to raise was fine.
An An looked like her son, and his personality was so endearing. This was fate!
Su Nianzhu glanced at the closed study door upstairs and thought with a sense of resignation that relying on her son to develop feelings, chase girls, and get married was likely out of the question.
It was better to directly accept a grandson. An An was wonderful!
An An didn't know Su Nianzhu's thoughts. Seeing her nod, he thought she had agreed to like his mother and instantly felt relieved.
"Grandma is so nice!" An An revealed a small dimple.
This way, he wouldn't have to worry. When his mother returned, he could bring her to find his father without Grandma disliking them. His mother wouldn't have to hide by the creek and cry like Li Xiaohua's mother.
An An felt a great sense of accomplishment. He was already thinking about how to ask his mother to bring her to find his father when she returned.
The housekeeper came over to remind them of the time. It was already nine o'clock.
"Alright An An, go wash up with Uncle housekeeper. It's time for bed," Su Nianzhu patted An An's back. "Let Uncle housekeeper help you wash, okay?"
"An An can wash himself," An An pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and then asked softly, "Can I sleep with Dad?"