Chapter 401: Every minute, every second I'm thinking

The vacation ended, those who work went to work and those who study went to school.

Zi Heng came home from school, his shoulder bag still not taken off, when he first heard a chorus of howls from some corner of the house. While he was changing shoes in the entryway, he pricked up his ears and stood straight.

"What sound?" He followed the noise to look, but saw nothing.

Xu Yanfeng didn't reveal it, but instead lifted his eyelids slightly, indicating he should go find it himself.

Zi Heng didn't know why he was crouching, as if afraid to startle something; he tiptoed over and saw a white cage, beside it a fluffy nest, a small water dispenser, and a clean bowl.

Then the howling sounded again; being closer, he could judge more precisely, and Zi Heng found it at the side of the cabinet—a very small puppy.

The puppy spun around trying to bite its own tail, and because it couldn't catch it, it grew frantic and howled.

Zi Heng couldn't believe his eyes, turned his head, and looked at Xu Yanfeng with a face full of surprise and joy. Xu Yanfeng stood not far away, arms crossed lazily, observing his reaction; when their gazes met, Xu Yanfeng broke into a smile.

Zi Heng pointed at the little guy, his dark eyes sparkling with excitement, and said in a silly, delighted tone: "You really bought a puppy?!"

Xu Yanfeng felt that this was how Zi Heng should act his true age, and he nodded: "Didn't I tell you? We got it from the mountain villa to raise—how is it?"

"That's great! Thanks, Dad."

Zi Heng crouched down to play with the puppy.

Xu Yanfeng shook his head, gave a humored chuckle, and reminded him: "Put your backpack down before you play."

Only then did Zi Heng remember his backpack was still on his back; he stood up, took it off, placed it on the sofa, and ran back to the puppy. The puppy lunged to chew his slippers, he giggled, bent over, and picked the puppy up.

"Dad, is this an Alaskan?" Zi Heng asked.

Xu Yanfeng raised an eyebrow: "You know?"

"I've seen people raise this kind of dog on my phone," Zi Heng said. "It can grow very large."

Xu Yanfeng grunted: "You didn't want a mighty dog, did you? Besides, your mom also likes Alaskans."

Zi Heng: "How big is it now? When will it grow into a mighty look?"

"About two or three months, still under three months," Xu Yanfeng said patiently. "Puppies grow fast; in a few months it'll be taller and sturdier than you."

Xia Xi came home from work, and Zi Heng ran up to her excitedly, lifting his head to say: "Dad brought home a puppy, an Alaskan, it's so cute! It's asleep now, in its nest."

Xia Xi put down her bag and car keys, pulled out a tissue to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and asked: "Do you like it?"

"Mm." Zi Heng nodded firmly.

Zi Heng took her to see the sleeping puppy, which was truly adorable—its tiny fluffy head rested on the edge of the doghouse, its four legs stretched in one direction, and one ear flipped over.

This dog was chosen together by Xia Xi and Xu Yanfeng. Before returning from the mountain villa, Xu Yanfeng had already contacted a reliable pet store; the owner sent photos and videos of several puppies, all cute, but their temperaments differed. The two discussed and picked the one that looked honest and simple-minded.

Seeing it in person, it was even more endearing than in the videos.

Xia Xi reached out and gently stroked the puppy; it was soft and felt wonderful, and she said softly: "Give it a name."

"Let me think." Zi Heng scratched his head, pursed his lips in thought for a moment, and said: "How about calling it Truck?"

Xia Xi: "..."

Your talent for naming is on par with your dad's—no wonder you're related.

Not hearing any praise, Zi Heng turned to look at his mother: "Is it not good?"

Having agreed to let the child choose the name, Xia Xi naturally agreed with him, perhaps thinking the child had his own ideas: "Truck it is, then—indeed, when it grows up its build should be sturdy, fitting the name."

Zi Heng grinned, calling out to the sleeping puppy a few times: "Truck, truck, truck." He cupped his small face and asked: "When can I take Truck out to play?"

"It just arrived and isn't fully accustomed to the environment yet; its immunity might not be strong enough, so it needs to stay home for a while before going out." Xia Xi said. "Later, the three of us can walk it every day and keep it company as it grows."

Xu Yanfeng took a cup of water, and as he approached he saw a big and a small figure squatting side by side beside the doghouse, murmuring to the sleeping dog, not knowing what they were saying; Xia Xi's face showed a gentle smile, while Zi Heng's eyes were full of anticipation.

Xu Yanfeng took a sip of water and decided to cook tonight.

This winter is warmer than usual; upon entering November, Nancheng's temperature hasn't dropped much, and for several days the high has been around eighteen or nineteen degrees.

With the wedding approaching, Xia Xi belatedly felt a bit nervous, worried about making a mistake at the ceremony.

Of course, she didn't mention this little nervousness to Xu Yanfeng, because she thought it was a bit sentimental.

The wedding venue was set at Jingyu Yuan, which Xia Xi had personally designed; after completion it had never been opened to the outside, and unexpectedly this was its first use—a grand wedding ceremony.

The wedding invitations were sent out one after another; the style was decided by Xu Yanfeng—not the usual red, but a fresh green, with a few sweeping curved lines sketching the pattern of wind lifting petals. Tied with a dark‑green lace ribbon, the tail of the ribbon held a small vial of gold powder; when the invitation was opened and the powder sprinkled on it, the characters appeared, full of fun.

Xia Xi asked about his idea, and he said: "Green is very summery, like Xia Xi's summer."

Xia Xi pointed at the lines above and asked further: "What is this?"

Xu Yanfeng replied: "Wind, the wind of Xu Yanfeng."

Xia Xi laughed.

A few days before the wedding, Xia Xi did not stay with Xu Yanfeng but returned to Su Jinru's place.

Red "double happiness" characters were pasted everywhere in the house; the living‑room ceiling was circled with red garlands, from which red lanterns hung, and the sofa was covered with a red blanket. Xia Xi could hardly recognize the place.

Su Jinru still thought it wasn't enough, so she fetched a big pack of balloons and a stack of red long‑striped cards printed with blessings such as "hundred years of harmony," "everlasting," "growing old together," and "united hearts."

She instructed Xia Yue and Xia Xuan: "You two find time to inflate the balloons; when tying them off, remember to use this red string, and tie a card underneath the string. The balloons will float to the ceiling, with these cards hanging down—a grand sight. I saw this online and bought the supplies on purpose."

Dealing with so many balloons, Xia Xi thought it would be a hassle: "Maybe we should just skip it." She pointed to the red garlands overhead: "It's already nice enough."

Su Jinru firmly said: "No, you have to listen to me on this."

Xia Yue and Xia Xuan rolled up their sleeves and got to work; Xia Xi wanted to help, but her phone rang.

It was a video invitation from Xu Yanfeng.

"What are you doing?" Xu Yanfeng, not at home but in the car, wearing a white shirt and black suit with his tie loosened a bit, proper yet hinting at nonchalance, obviously just out of the office and eager to call her.

Realizing this, Xia Xi couldn't help but lift the corners of her mouth.

Her smile bloomed like a flower, and Xu Yanfeng also curled his lips: "Don't laugh, just talk to me."

Xia Xi glanced at her sisters hard at work in the living room, stepped a bit away, then said: "Your work is already arranged, why are you going to the company again?"

Xu Yanfeng said: "Just handling a few things, no problem."

Xia Xi said "oh," turned the camera slightly, and showed him the living‑room setup: "My mom is over the top, wanting to decorate every corner of the house in red; my sisters are busy like assembly‑line workers."

"I think Mom thought it through thoroughly, so we should do it this way."

「……」 Xia Xi fell silent, then pretended to cough, "In the next few days we won't see each other for three days, take care of yourself." She deliberately paused, then added, "And the dog."

Xu Yanfeng: "……"

Xi Xia: "Don't miss me too much."

Xu Yanfeng suddenly laughed: "That won't do, I'm thinking of you every minute and every second."