"Climb down slowly now. Slowly."
Now three, baby Jing was now a toddler Jing. A toddler whom his brother could control more aptly than their mother. Not only because Jinhai acted as a flawless, responsible elder brother but also because it was Jing's own choice to stick to his brother's side more than his parents.
"I said slowly, Jing."
As expected of a hyperactive toddler, Jing held more sense of enjoyment rather than danger. The practice of climbing the stairs up and down had been the gravest challenge for Jinhai so far. But it wasn't Jing's fault. Whenever Jinhai appeared in his peripheral vision, he would drop everything and run straight towards his brother's embrace. That ignorance of looking left and right usually made him fall, but toddler Jing would just smile off his injuries.
"Jiihaiii!! Bo Jihaiiii!!!!"
Jing was climbing down faster than his little legs could accommodate his marathon dash towards his goal. Needless to say, he stumbled - but didn't fall the stairs, Jinhai being quick to block his fall with his body.
"I told you to watch where you are walking, didn't I?" He pursed his lips.
"Booooo Jiihaiiii!!!!"
Jing's eyes looked like the entire galaxy had settled in them. His chubby arms wrapped around his waist and he hopped up and down, the vigor of being hugged by Jinhai making him dizzy.
"Yes, I am right here. I am always here with you, but that doesn't mean you ignore your safety. You need to learn to walk slowly."
"Booo? Sow…ly?" Jing tilted his head to the side.
"Yes. Slow and steady."
Jing cheered with the brightest grin across his lips. "Sow n seady!"
Jinhai's brow twitched.
He didn't understand that all…
Yet the sweet melody of his laughter brought a smile to his lips. He ruffled his hair and said, "Let's go. We have to take a family picture."
He held his little hands in his and walked across the living room, his gaze scanning past the walls and ceilings. The room spanned the size of almost three well-furnished rooms. A beautiful chandelier hung from the ceiling, its soft light reflecting off the floor. The wall colors were warm and pleasing to look at. Sunlight poured in through the tall, wide windows. He remembered his mother had insisted on keeping the windows unobstructed - "A home should breathe," she had once said, and so the hall never felt closed, no matter how many people filled it.
"Jing."
Jing looked up as he tightly held onto Jinhai's hand.
Jinhai lowered his gaze, a smile as soft and warm as the first morning dawn reaching his lips and eyes. "This is our new home."
"Ome?"
"Yeah. We will live here now. It was Mom's dream to build our house. The rooms, the big dining hall, the garden with the fountain and swing and the terrace garden with all the beautiful flowers. We are finally in that home."
Though Jing didn't quite understand the significance, nevertheless, his face sparkled like fireworks lighting the sky with its breathtaking colors.
"New ome!!!"
They trotted across the room to the villa's entrance where they found Hai and Guiren talking to a cameraman, while Chunhua adjusted the nearby flowers and curtains.
"Will you stop jumping around?" Liu Liyan grimaced. "Your anxiety is making me jumpy and jittery!"
"So-Sorry Mom..! It's our first family picture here. I just want everything to be perfect…"
"Everything is already perfect," she glared. "Just sit down quietly. Look at your hair. It's already messed up. I don't want my daughter-in-law to look like a ghost in the picture."
"Broooo!" Jianyu rushed towards the two brothers and grinned. "Your new home is so pretty!!!"
A subtle but distinct sense of pride illuminated his black eyes. "Thank you. It's all Mom's work. Mom is amazing."
With the sound of a shutter's click, the kids looked up and found their aunt with a camera of her own.
"Cute! Cute! Cute!!" Liling blushed and squealed. "You trio will make me faint one day! Come, come, let's click more cute pictures!"
Hai walked in sometime later and clapped his hands for their attention. "Okay, the camera is all set up! It's picture timeee!"
"A-Already?" Chunhua panicked. "Wait, wait, let me check the flowers one more time-"
"The flowers all look great, my lovely wife," he grabbed her hands and pulled her forward, chuckling. "So let's go before you faint out from stress for real."
"Is everything really okay?"
Hai smiled and kissed her forehead. "Yeah. Everything is perfect. Everything is finally perfect, Chunhua."
For some reason, her eyes reddened and she pressed her lips hard.
"Hai! If you make her cry and ruin her makeup, I will kick you out. As if she isn't already stressed enough!"
He pouted. "Unfair, Mom. You used to love me so much. Now you only dote upon Chunhua. I feel sidelined."
"..."
"W-What nonsense!" Liu Liyan turned her head away. "I don't dote on her!"
Liling rolled her eyes.
When will Mom accept it?
The chaos finally settled down and everyone huddled together. Liu Liyan sat in the front with the boys standing before her. The two couples positioned themselves behind the couch. The hall beyond them glimmered like a castle. Jing tightly held his brother's waist while Jianyu tightly held his cousin's shoulder.
"I am…squished…" Jinhai trembled, almost breathless.
The cameraman locked them in his let's frame and smiled. "Perfect. Now everyone, give your biggest and brightest smiles!"
With the smiles onboard, radiating the mood of joy and happiness across the villa, a click echoed, freezing those smiles in timeless memories.
"Chunhua."
"Yes."
Hai turned to her, peering into her beautiful eyes. "You built a beautiful home. I am the luckiest man in the whole world. Thank you for marrying me, Chunhua."
Tears soon glistened her eyes with mistiness.
"I-Idiot…I am the luckiest woman too…"
"I am luckier though," he laughed and dropped a peck on her lips.
"Hai! Didn't I warn you not to make her cry!?" Liu Liyan gritted her teeth.
His brow twitched and he coughed. "Hey kiddossss!! Who wants to click a picture with me!"
He tried to pick Jing in his arms but the latter unleashed a full-blown wail. "Jiihaiiii!!!"
"My dearest son, do you not want to take a picture with your handsome father?" He sniffled.
Jing's teary eyes turned more teary. "Jihaiiii!!"
"..."
Guiren shook his head. "Let him go before he scratches your face. You cannot win against Jinhai."
It made Hai pause. If this was said before, Hai would have thought of something darker, something grimmer, something hopeless. But for the first time, losing against the name 'Jinhai' didn't spiral his heartbeats into an erratic and nauseous frenzy.
Hai returned Jing to his favorite brother and smiled. "Yeah, I cannot win against Jinhai. It's good though. I can finally...lose to him."
Liu Liyan's shoulders trembled unnoticeably and so did her breaths.
Liling sat beside her and pouted. "You say not to make sister-in-law cry but here you are crying yourself."
"Sh-Shut up!" She smacked her head. "Go click pictures with your husband!"
Liling hugged her shoulders. "I want to click pictures with youuuu haha! Hey, let's all click another picture! We will take lots and lots of pictures!"
