"Ever since Jiu Cheng left, Hua Yan hadn't left the recuperation base. Half a month later, Lao Qiao finally brought her some good news. The two most mysterious groups had left the mainland, but their specific whereabouts were unclear.

Although it was still impossible to determine their purposes, Hua Yan felt relieved upon hearing they had left.

After autumn began, Hua Yan weaned Hu Chen off breast milk and started giving him goat milk every day.

Boiled goat milk, left to cool for a while, with a small spoonful of salt added, Hu Chen could drink two small bowls. The bowls were about the size of her fist.

The little guy was getting fairer and cuter, looking like a jade doll, making him even more adorable.

At first, Hu Chen didn't like goat milk. When it was time to drink milk, he didn't cry out loud but had tears in his eyes, looking at Hua Yan pitifully without glancing at the goat milk on the table.

Hua Yan's father and Nanny Chang, seeing this, exclaimed that the little darling was upset. Everyone blamed Hua Yan, and in the end, Hua Yan had to give in, letting Hu Chen have her breast milk.

However, at night when everyone was asleep, and Hu Chen woke up hungry, Hua Yan would only give him the goat milk she kept warm in a thermos. This boy was also quick to adapt. After several times of crying without Hua Yan giving in, he gradually started liking the milky taste of goat milk.

Thus, Hu Chen was weaned. Hua Yan sighed in relief, realizing that taking care of a baby was no less demanding than taking care of an adult.

In autumn, Hua Yan usually got up around seven. After changing Hu Chen into clean traditional Chinese clothes and giving him goat milk, she would carry him to her father.

Because it was autumn, Hua Yan wanted to resume the training she had abandoned for nearly a year. She felt that she and Hu Chen would eventually follow Hu Li and, given the nature of his work, there would surely be many thrilling events. To enjoy the excitement, she needed to ensure her own safety first.

"Grandpa. Yang... Grandpa..." Before Hua Yan could speak, Hu Chen was already leaning forward, waving his hands, with crystal-clear drool at the corners of his mouth, happily looking at her father and Lao Yang, who had just come upstairs after exercising.

Seeing Hu Chen, her father took him and gave him a kiss.

"Fly... Fly, fly."

Jiu Cheng had played with Hu Chen before, throwing him up and catching him. Hu Chen must have found it to be a fun and thrilling game. Since Jiu Cheng left, whenever he saw a man, he would sweetly call out "fly fly."

"Our little Chen Chen wants to fly. Alright, Grandpa will play fly-fly with you."

Lao Yang stood by with a smile, ready to assist. Hua Yan, worried, quickly stopped them. Not long ago, her father had strained his arm playing fly-fly with Hu Chen.

His arm had only healed for a month. Hua Yan, feeling distressed, said, "Dad, your arm hasn't been well for long. You can't roughhouse with Hu Chen." She then tried to take the playful Hu Chen, thinking she must find time to properly discipline this mischievous boy.

Despite being only a few months old, his bright eyes revealed an early maturity and intelligence. Whenever Hua Yan genuinely ignored him with a stern face, he would adjust his behavior according to her expressions next time.

So clever at such a young age, Hua Yan didn't think it had anything to do with her. It must have been inherited from Hu Li's excellent genes, she thought.

At this moment, she understood why, in novels, unmarried women would go to great lengths to have a child with an elite man for the sake of having a smart baby.

While Hua Yan was lost in thought, her father was already downstairs with Hu Chen, playing fly-fly. Hu Chen, thrown high, was not afraid but laughed even more joyfully, his voice like a silver bell echoing through the mountains and woods.

Soon, many elderly people returning from their morning exercises gathered around the small pavilion below their house. Seeing Hua Yan's father and Hu Chen having fun, the stronger ones also joined in, playing fly-fly with Hu Chen.

Seeing so many loyal fans of Hu Chen, Hua Yan didn't have the heart to take him back. Frustrated, she thought to herself that she would make Hu Li discipline this naughty boy when he returned.

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Realizing there was nothing for her to do here, Hua Yan stopped worrying and left.

"Xiao Yan..." Her father's voice called out from behind after she had walked a bit.

"Dad, why are you here?" Hua Yan looked at her father in surprise.

With a look that said he had something to say, her father replied, "Let's talk while we walk."

"Okay."

"Xiaoyan, it's been over three months since Huli left... Has something happened?"

This question had been troubling Huafu for a long time because he didn't know that every month Huli would have Hu'er forward several emails, keeping their contact uninterrupted.

Unexpectedly, despite appearing carefree in his daily life, Huayan was moved by her father's concern. She hugged Huafu's arm like a child and said affectionately, "Dad, don't worry. Huli and I have been in touch all this time. But as you know, where we live has its peculiarities, and with him being in Germany, direct communication isn't easy. But we still exchange emails every month."

Huafu turned to look at Huayan, convinced she wasn't pretending. Finally, he relaxed his tightly held worries, smiled warmly, and added with heartfelt sincerity, "Ah, even though we have Huchen now, I shouldn't have worried so much about you. But I know, when two people in love live together with little time together and separated by distance, without caring for each other, there won't be a good outcome.

I initially thought that after Huli left for so long, he hadn't been thinking about you and our son... Ah, it seems I was worrying too much." Huafu lovingly patted Huayan on the head leaning against his arm, laughing.

"Dad, you're not worrying too much. With you here, I feel safe. In your presence, I'll always be your child."

"Even though I'm already a mother, I still act like a child. Go on with what you're doing. I'm going to check on Chencheng. After playing for so long, his clothes must be wet. If I don't change them soon, he might catch a cold." With that, Huafu swiftly left before Huayan could react.

Huayan, smiling happily, couldn't help but murmur, "His walking speed is several times faster than mine, a young person. Looks like I need to train even harder."

Huayan persisted in her diligent training. Each month, she received sporadic and brief emails from Huli, every word resonating with his endless longing.

Time passed unnoticed into winter, and before long, Chencheng experienced his first snowfall ever.

Snowflakes danced in the sky, covering tall and straight trees, whether their branches were bare or not. The entire world, from the sky to the ground, from mountaintops to foothills, was blanketed in a vast expanse of white.

Dressed in padded clothes, wearing a fox fur hat, wrapped in several loops of a black sheep wool scarf, and wearing small gloves, Chencheng and Jiu Cheng were rolling around in the snow.

Chasing each other, the two laughed joyfully as they rolled snowballs. Lao Qiao and Huafu played chess, while Lao Yang sat beside them, brewing Da Hong Pao and watching the game.

Perched on the windowsill, Huayan sipped the fresh tea brewed by Lao Yang, as refreshing as the arrival of spring after winter, while watching Jiu Cheng roll a snowball about half a meter in size in the courtyard.

Beside her, Chencheng exerted all his strength, enthusiastically rolling a small snowball about half the size of a soccer ball. When he rolled it, his snowball was noticeably loose and not very solid.

Sometimes, when it rolled to the size of a soccer ball, Chencheng slipped and inadvertently flattened the small snowball. Nevertheless, despite these setbacks, the young boy persistently rolled the snowball over and over again.

The three elders, who had moved from the chessboard to outside, couldn't help but marvel, saying, "At such a young age, he has such a patient and persevering character. His future will be remarkable," remarked Lao Qiao.

"By three, a child shows their potential; by seven, their character. My grandson is indeed extraordinary," proudly declared Lao Yang.

His words earned him an eye-roll from Lao Qiao and complete disregard from Huafu.

Huayan quickly took out her phone and snapped several photos of Huchen playing in the snow at that moment, intending to send them to Huli through Hu'er. Despite the risk of someone around Huli seeing the photos, she wanted him to share in this scene more than anything else, putting other concerns temporarily aside.

After sending the email with the attached photos, Huayan couldn't help but wonder what expression Huli would have when he saw them.

In the ancient and elegant bedroom of the Hu family in Germany, Huli was coughing, with a towel wrapped around his forehead covered in ice packs. His right hand was still hooked up to an IV.

His mother sat beside the bed, wiping tears, murmuring incessantly, "Your father and I wanted you to bring that woman, Huayan, back to Germany, but you wouldn't listen, as if we were going to eat her. Now that you're sick, there's no one here who knows how to take care of you..."

Huli, who had been awake just moments ago, slowly closed his eyes. His mother had been repeating these words for months, and Huli was tired of hearing them.

Thankfully, after a while, Huli's mother saw that he seemed to be falling asleep and instructed the servants in the room to look after him before leaving.

Once his mother had gone, Huli took out his phone and was momentarily stunned by Hu'er's message. Hu'er informed him that Huayan's email contained photos. He asked if he should forward the email to him.

Despite knowing the risks, Huli, who was unwell, strongly desired to see the photos of Huayan and Huchen at that moment.

After hesitating for a moment, Huli instructed Hu'er to forward the email and told Hu'da, "Go get my private notebook and stand guard at the door."

Hu'da, confused but obedient, immediately carried out the order, standing by the door with focused vigilance.

Before long, Hu'da heard laughter coming from inside the room. It was because Huayan's photos were coherent, showing Huchen struggling to walk, dressed like a chubby polar bear, his face indistinct, except for a pair of eyes as deep and black as Huli's, clumsily rolling a snowball.

Seeing his son's awkward movements, Huli couldn't help but laugh out loud, his heart increasingly yearning to be with them at that moment, rolling a big snowball together.