Sweet Wife in My Arms

“You don’t have to be so tense,” smiled the middle-aged woman. “I’m the nanny here. Mister Lu had informed me that a new nanny would be joining me today. There are too many children for me to handle alone, so it’s good that you are here. Oh, you can call me Aunt Gu by the way.”

As she was speaking, three children came thumping into the room from different directions. Two of them wrapped themselves around the nanny’s legs, while the one who didn’t get a leg stood there pouting.

The nanny laughed. The kids clearly weren’t believers of “sharing is caring”. Being the youngest and the frailest, the little sister had the right to be a little selfish. But shouldn’t the elder brother humor his little brother?

She reached out and lifted the forlorn child up.

“Nana…” his mellow, baby voice was heart-melting.

Liu Fang looked up and saw the three kids.

No wonder the nanny said there were too many children for her to handle. Three was a lot.

She pointed at the boy in the nanny’s arms, then at the boy around her leg. They twins looked almost identical! What a sight! She had seen twins in her village, but they didn’t look alike as much as these two. They both had bowl cuts, large pretty eyes, and moist red lips. Even their overalls were the same, including the socks on their little feet.

“Are they twins?” With the way they look, they had to be twins, right?

“Nah,” the nanny put down the child in her arms and made the children line up. “They are triplets. Elder brother, Lu Qi. Second brother, Lu Guang. And this is the third sister, Lu Wei. She’s the smallest here. We all call her Xunxun.”

Trip…triplets!

Liu Fang would have been amused if she could see her own expression right now. She was absolutely stunned! Giving birth to twins was impressive enough, but giving to triplets?! Incredible!

Not to mention the three kids were all very pretty. Especially the little girl who wore a dress and had a small strawberry hairclip in her hair. Her features were more beautiful and delicate than any child she had ever seen. And whiter too. She had to resist the temptation to pinch her cheeks. They looked so soft and squishy.

“Oh my. Where are my manners? Do come in,” said the nanny as she quickly stepped aside. The three children tailed her. They could be a handful for her and Miss Yan sometimes. Often, they would have to neglect one child to take care of the other two. It’s okay when Mister Lu is at home, but Mister Lu had to work during the day, and things often got chaotic during that time.

Liu Fang was very fond of kids. She had grown up in the mountains and had a pure and natural air, very much like the earth itself. She was patient and good-tempered. When she played with the children, she herself was like a big child. That made the children warm up to her quickly.

The door clicked open. Xunxun’s eyes immediately curved into little crescents. Delighted, she raced for the door. In her hurry, she lost her balance and began falling.

Liu Fang was aghast. She tried to help, but it was too late. Right as Xunxun was about to face-plant the carpet, a hand reached out and picked her up. Can’t let the little ball scrape her face.

It would be heartbreaking to see a scratch on such a pretty face.

“Mama, mama…” Xunxun hooped her arms around her mother’s neck happily. She wasn’t the type to learn from mistakes. Despite having fallen a lot of times already, she was just as naughty as before.

Yan Huan gave her squishy cheeks a pinch.

The little girl thought her mother was playing with her, and gave her a wet, sloppy kiss.

Yan Huan set her down and grasped her little hand.

Liu Fang quickly stood up, a little ill at ease. This must be the female owner of the house. Even though Aunt Gu said they were nice people that never hit or scold anyone, she felt tense. This was her first job, and she didn’t want to screw up. The salary was good too, and she wanted to save up some money for her brother’s bride price.

“Liu Fang…” For some reason, the gentle voice was imbued with a subtle pathos.

“Yes Ma’am,” said Liu Fang, looking up. When she matched eyes with Yan Huan, she quickly looked down again. She was a knockout. When she wasn’t smiling, she was a cool beauty, and when she were, she glowed with sunny radiance. Also, she reminded her of a celebrity she had seen on TV earlier.

“Liu Fang,” cooed Yan Huan. “Do you not recognize me?”

Liu Fang jerked her face up. Where had she heard this voice before? She had definitely heard the voice before, though she could not remember where. Was it when she was watching television? Did her female employer not only look like the celebrity, but also sound like her?

“It’s me, Liu Fang” she said, approaching. She rubbed Xunxun on the head.

“Go play with your brother, sweetie. I need to talk to the big sister here.”

Xunxun nodded and marched off to pester her brothers.

Liu Fang’s eyes widened, as though she had remembered something. Then her face fell. She couldn’t remember even if her life depended on it.

“I’m Xiao Yan,” said Yan Huan, lifting a hand to cover the left side of her face. Surely that would jog her memory.

Liu Fang paused at the mention of the time, then began studying Yan Huan’s face intently. Slowly, she began to see Xiao Yan in the woman before her. Her eyes, her nose, her pursed lips… There was no way she could forget her eyes. They were the prettiest she had ever seen.

“Sister… Xiao Yan?” asked Liu Fang in disbelief. “Are you really Sister Xiao Yan? For real?”

“It’s me alright,” smiled Yan Huan. Her smiles were partly warm, but mostly cold. Just like Xiao Yan. At this point, Liu Fang had no doubts remaining. This was Xiao Yan from the village.

“Your face,” Liu Fang pointed to her face. “You have recovered!”

“Yup,” said Yan Huan, running a hand across her face. Wherever she touched, it was smooth and silky, without the slightest signs of uneven scars.

“You have become so beautiful, Sister Xiao Yan,” said Liu Fang, lighting up. She was genuinely happy and relieved at learning that Yan Huan was Xiao Yan.