Chapter 171: Wife, Your Son Is Bullying Me!

In the blink of an eye, spring deepened, and the old locust tree in the yard sprouted fresh green leaves.

Jinjin and An'an, like little saplings, grew a little each day.

Jinjin can already steadily toddle a few steps while holding onto the tea table; although she still furrows her little brows, the occasional "dad" and "mom" that pop from her mouth delight the whole family.

An'an is a clingy little sweet bean, constantly babbling "mommy" and "hug" all day, crawling swiftly, and loves to chase after her brother's rear to cause mischief.

It was a weekend, and the sunshine was perfect.

Jiang Ran finally found a spare moment and was trying to teach Jinjin to say "dad" instead of always shouting "bright" at the light bulb.

He sat cross‑legged on the floor, cradling his son, pointed at his own nose, and patiently said, "Jinjin, look at dad, dad—dad—".

Jinjin's large eyes, like black grapes, stared at him; she pursed her little mouth, extended her chubby fingertip, and precisely poked Jiang Ran's nostril: "…bright?".

Pfft—

Su Ruan, who was feeding An'an apple puree nearby, couldn't hold back and laughed out loud.

Jiang Ran wore a defeated expression, grabbed his son's mischievous little hand, half‑laughing, half‑crying: "You little brat, is your dad's nose a light bulb? Still bright!"

He turned to Su Ruan to vent his frustration.

"Wife, your son is bullying me!"

Su Ruan smiled, fed the last bite of apple puree into An'an's mouth, grabbed a towel to wipe the little girl's face, and said, "Who told you not to shave cleanly? In the sunlight you'll get a little glare."

After eating and drinking their fill, An'an twisted their small body, slid down from their mother's arms, and crawled on all fours toward their brother and dad, joyfully shouting, "Bro! Bro! Hug!"

Jinjin heard her sister's call, instantly shifted focus, wriggled out of dad's grasp, turned to pull her sister, her little face solemn as if fulfilling a brother's duty.

The two little rascals rolled together, their giggles scattering across the courtyard.

Jiang Ran watched the scene, his heart melting like a puddle, and the earlier sense of defeat drifted far beyond the clouds.

He stretched out his long arm, scooped both precious eggs into his embrace, and gave each a kiss: "Alright, bright is bright! My son's daughter says bright, so it's the brightest!"

After a while of play, Li Huijuan came out and carried the two children to take a nap.

The courtyard returned to quiet, leaving only the rustle of leaves in the wind.

Jiang Ran squeezed over to the lounge chair where Su Ruan sat, sat beside her, naturally rested his head on her shoulder, and let out a long sigh: "Finally a moment of peace; this little rascal has more energy than I do."

Su Ruan let him lean on her, her fingers absent‑mindedly combing his slightly prickly short hair: "Editor-in-Chief Wang called this morning, finalizing the last details of the preview event. It's set for next Friday."

"Next Friday?" Jiang Ran sat up straight instantly, his eyes sharpening, "That means there are… ten days left."

"Can the final step of Zhuyun be finished this afternoon? Has Master Wang confirmed?"

"Hmm, Master Sun is fine‑tuning the curvature of the sleeve cage at the end, saying it can be delivered after lunch." Su Ruan nodded, picked up the notebook from the small table beside her, and said, "I've tweaked the display plan again; look here…"

Bathed in the warm spring sunshine, the two leaned heads together and discussed, speaking earnestly, occasionally arguing, yet perfectly in sync.

The sunlight cast their cuddled silhouettes onto the ground, stretching them long.

In the afternoon, Master Sun indeed personally escorted the finished Zhuyun to the Incubation Park's New Studio.

When the moon‑white long coat was taken out of its dust‑proof bag and gently hung on the specially reserved display rack, the whole space seemed to quiet for a moment.

There were no dazzling colors, no intricate decorations.

But the fluid‑like lines, the just‑right crispness, and the fabric's delicate pearl‑like sheen under natural light together formed a silent yet powerful aura.

It stood there quietly, cool and aloof, yet seemed to harbor a force that could break through any obstruction.

"That's the feeling."

Su Ruan stood a few steps away, studying it carefully, murmuring softly to herself.

The fatigue from months of repeated tweaking and revising found its best solace at that moment.

Jiang Ran stood beside her, silent, and simply reached out, gripping her hand tightly.

His palm was warm and dry, bearing a reassuring strength.

He doesn't grasp all the design intricacies, but he can read the "strength" this garment conveys, which mirrors his wife's innate resilience and the realm he hopes to carve out for Chongsu, alike.

"Excellent, Boss Su." Master Sun adjusted his reading glasses, his usually stern face breaking into a satisfied smile, "This curve was pulled three times at the end, finally achieving the soft‑yet‑firm quality you described."

"Thank you for your hard work, Master Sun." Su Ruan expressed sincere gratitude.

"No trouble at all; creating something like this is a Handcraft Person's blessing." Master Sun waved his hand, then turned to Jiang Ran, "Boss Jiang, if there's anything else to prepare at the venue, just tell me."

"Lao Wang and the others are also rushing the final adjustments on a few other display pieces."

The preview event's preparations entered the final countdown.

The New Studio was lit brightly day and night.

Su Ruan, with Douzi Yaya, repeatedly fine‑tuned the lighting and display angles, striving for each piece to be presented in its best condition.

Jiang Ran was busy cross‑checking the guest list, confirming materials, maintaining close communication with Editor‑in‑Chief Wang, and even finding time to return to the old shop to oversee daily business, so busy his feet barely touched the ground.

That evening, the two returned home, both utterly exhausted.

The children were already asleep, and the Main Hall still held a lamp and warm dishes on the stove.

After a haphazard bite and washing up, Su Ruan lay down, feeling as if every bone in her body had come apart.

Jiang Ran turned his body, his large hand covering her waist, kneading with moderate pressure.

"Exhausted?" he said in a low, hoarse voice, "Tomorrow is the final Rehearsal; after that we'll be done. Hang in there a bit longer."

"Hmm." Su Ruan closed her eyes, feeling the heat from his palm and the just‑right kneading, so comfortable she almost sighed, "You're the same. These past days, everything has depended on you, inside and out."

"What's that to you?" Jiang Ran's hands kept moving, his tone matter‑of‑fact, "You're in charge of making things the best they can be; I'm in charge of getting the best things seen by more people. Our division of labor is clear."

He massaged for a while, then his hand rose slowly to gently stroke her back, like soothing an exhausted cat.

"When this is over, no matter what, we'll have to rest for a couple of days. I'll take Jinjin and An'an to the park to row, then make a nice stew for you to replenish."

His plan was simple and plain, yet filled with the warm, homely glow of everyday life.

Under his rhythmic gentle strokes, Su Ruan's tense nerves gradually relaxed, a drowsy "hmm" escaping her, and she curled closer into his arms.

Jiang Ran paused, the faint light filtering in from the window, watching her tranquil sleeping face, and lowered his head to press a soft kiss onto her smooth forehead.

"Sleep now, wife." he whispered, pulling her more securely into his arms, "I'm here."