Sui Yan looked over in confusion, opening her eyes wide in excitement: "Auntie Lin! Uncle Shen!"
She trotted over to a married couple, looking up at them.
Lin Yifeng smiled and ruffled Sui Yan's hair, then picked her up: "Is Yan playing here?"
The little girl happily nodded: "Yes, yes!"
"Hello, may I ask who you are?" Liu Man walked over and asked with a nod.
Before Lin Yifeng could say anything, Sui Yan pulled Liu Man over to introduce them: "Auntie Liu, they are Nian Nian's mom and dad!"
Liu Man was surprised, then reacted: "So you're the ones who saved Yan."
Lin Yifeng smiled and shook her head: "It wasn't us, it was our daughter."
Liu Man smiled gently: "Are you and your husband here to see the house?"
Shen Shuquan didn't say anything, just smiling. Lin Yifeng sat down holding Sui Yan and said: "Yes, the houses here are very nice, we had our eyes on them early on. We were hesitating whether to buy them or not, but our daughter Nian Nian insisted we buy them as soon as she heard about it."
Sui Yan nodded her head: "Nian Nian knows Yan is here!"
Lin Yifeng asked in surprise: "Really? Did Yan tell Nian Nian?"
The little girl smiled, her eyes narrowing charmingly: "No, big sister told Nian Nian. Big sister goes to the same school as Nian Nian!"
Lin Yifeng looked thoughtful: "The big sister Yan mentioned is..."
Liu Man explained appropriately: "She's the daughter of Mr. Sui's current wife."
Lin Yifeng was startled, then couldn't help but laugh: "It seems no one can not like Yan!"
The little girl was a bit confused, but knew it was a compliment. She held her head up proudly: "Yan is super super cute!"
Everyone laughed: "Yes yes, Yan is the cutest!"
Lin Yifeng looked tenderly: "Where is Yan's family? Let's buy the house next to Yan's, how about that?"
Sui Yan looked up at Liu Man: "Auntie Liu, can we invite Auntie Lin over?"
Liu Man laughed and ruffled her hair: "Sure... Mrs. Shen, shall we go take a look over there first?"
She pointed at the model in the center of the sales office.
Lin Yifeng nodded, just about to pick up Sui Yan to stand up, but the little girl struggled and said she could walk by herself.
"Auntie, Yan can walk by herself!"
Lin Yifeng had no choice but to put her down: "Alright!"
So they followed the agent over to the model. Liu Man glanced around and was introducing the Li family's location to Lin Yifeng and Shen Shuquan.
Sui Yan looked left and right, and found no one was paying attention to her. She tiptoed and stretched out a little white paw to touch the model houses.
These models were intricately made, and the little girl stroked them as if they were her favorite toys, eyes narrowing in satisfaction.
Liu Man saw her movements out of the corner of her eye but didn't stop her, just kept chatting with Lin Yifeng and Shen Shuquan.
Lin Yifeng and Shen Shuquan were a bit surprised. From their conversation so far, they understood Liu Man was Sui Yan's nanny, but her behavior was far from what one would expect of a nanny.
Liu Man vaguely sensed their thoughts but didn't explain much.
Just then, Sui Yan lightly pulled at Liu Man's clothes: "Auntie Liu, there are little cars here."
Liu Man looked over and saw they were just toy cars in the model. She gently stroked the little girl's hair: "Yan, be careful not to break them, understand?"
The little girl obediently nodded: "I know!"
Kids at four and a half don't have much energy. After playing for a while, she became drowsy and said she wanted to sleep.
Liu Man held the little girl and said helplessly to Lin Yifeng and Shen Shuquan, who had just finished looking at the house: "Mr. Shen, Mrs. Shen...I'm sorry but could you please wait a moment? I'll take Yan back first to let her get some good rest."
Lin Yifeng waved her hands: "No need, no need. You take Yan back to rest, we're done looking at houses and will head back now. It's better to have someone watching the little ones."
Liu Man didn't insist. She smiled apologetically: "I'm very sorry about today, I'll be sure to properly host you next time."
...
After dealing with her own matters, Liu Hua happened to return home at the same time as Sui Zhi and Qiao Ze.
Recalling the praising message from the school teachers, Liu Hua felt gratified.
When she came in, she was still holding two exquisite boxes, as if she had been chatting with someone outside.
She was puzzled: "Auntie Liu, where did you take Yan this afternoon? How come someone sent over two gift boxes?"
Liu Man was surprised and after asking some questions, said: "Yan said she liked the models at the sales office, they probably sent them over."
Liu Hua held up the things in her hands: "There are two boxes here, could the other one be from Mrs. Shen?"
Liu Man leaned over to look. There were no labels. She helplessly shrugged: "Probably."
Liu Hua laughed: "They are really thoughtful. We should think of some gifts to send their child too."
Liu Man took the boxes and put them away: "Okay!"
Upstairs, Sui Yu, who was tapping away at his keyboard, glanced at Sui Zhi and Qiao Ze. He picked up a cup next to him, intending to pour some water in the second floor living room.
But as soon as he left the study, he saw a little panda curled up on the sofa in the living room.
Sui Yu's heart instantly melted at the unexpected sight.
He walked over and picked up the "little panda": "Yan, how did you end up sleeping here?"
Sui Yan was wearing a little panda onesie, with a hat on her little head, two round ears sticking up. The shoes and sleeve mittens were also in the shape of panda paws!
From the back she looked exactly like a soft, cute little panda!
But the little girl was now snuggling pitifully in Sui Yu's arms: "Brother, I think I had a nightmare."
Sui Yu's heart ached: "What did you dream about? Don't be scared, dreams aren't real."
The little girl sniffled, still very upset: "Mm."
Seeing his sister so dejected, Sui Yu forgot about getting water. He carried the "little panda" towards the study.
Sui Zhi and Qiao Ze were slowly working on their homework, and didn't pay attention when Sui Yu came in. But Qiao Ze inadvertently glanced up and was shocked still.
"Sui Yu, where did you steal that panda from?"
--
Translator's note: I tried to keep the meaning and style of the original Chinese text as much as possible while adapting it for English readers. Please let me know if any parts need to be clarified or improved!
