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Finding it interesting, Tang Tang crouched down and watched them. She saw the little girl’s movements becoming faster and faster. Towards the end, Tang Tang could barely keep up with the speed that the toy was built with, and within three minutes, the pile of bits and pieces were put back to its original state.
Tang Tang was just amazed, “Nuo Nuo, you’re simply amazing! How come you don’t even need to take some time to think?” That was a new toy that was bought yesterday. The little girl had never played with it before. She just watched for a moment, and then she was able to piece it all back together. Not only was she quick, but she also had a strong mind!
Originally, Tang Tang thought that Ji Xiao Zhuo was already very smart, and she didn’t expect the little girl to be very bright as well. Children from this world were too frightening!
Shyness flashed across Wen Nuo’s eyes when she got praised. She blinked her large eyes at Tang Tang. She looked adorable and well-behaved, which made Tang Tang extremely fond of her.
At this moment, Ji Yan returned. He froze when he saw that there was an extra person at his home. Ji Yan knew the little guest’s identity after a second. He didn’t say anything and simply walked to the group and asked, “What are you playing?”
Immediately, Tang Tang showed the toy to Ji Yan, “Look, husband, Xiao Zhuo just dismantled the toy into bits, but Nuo Nuo built it back in three minutes. Isn’t that amazing?”
Ji Yan was quite astonished. He looked at the complicated toy and then turned his gaze to the little girl. It was unexpected that such a complicated toy would be built by a little girl in three minutes. Even he, himself, who frequently assembled firearms, may not be able to do it.
“Truly amazing!” Ji Yan was not coaxing the child; his praise was sincere. To be able to restore the toy to its original state, an excellent memory was necessary, as well as a strong analytical ability. This ability wasn’t something that could be gained by relying on daily training; it required natural talent. The little girl clearly had the innate ability, and it exceeded an average person.
Ji Yan didn’t treat this just as children playing around. Instead, he recognised the little girl’s ability and he knew that her talent couldn’t be overlooked. It needed to be nurtured.
After thinking for a moment, Ji Yan went directly to the bedroom and took a warship model from the bookshelf. It was a large model. The model was one metre wide and half a metre tall. The shape and structure were realistic, and the internal elements were closely linked with one another. The model was extremely complicated. It took Ji Yan a month to complete the warship model.
Without a word, Ji Yan started to disassemble the model. Tang Tang was shocked, “Husband, why are suddenly taking it apart?”
Ji Yan explained as he dismantled it, “I want to let Nuo Nuo try to assemble it.”
“That…” Tang Tang thought that Ji Yan was joking. This wasn’t a simple children’s toy, ah. Could a child assemble such a large and complicated thing? Also, the children hadn’t been in contact with such things before.
In response, Ji Xiao Zhuo became excited and reached out to touch Wen Nuo’s head, “Nuo Nuo, you need to build it back properly, ok?”
Wen Nuo nodded compliantly. Then she watched Ji Yan dismantle the model without blinking. Ji Yan didn’t deliberately slow down his movements; instead, he just continued dismantling the model at his usual speed. After half an hour, there was a big pile of components on the floor. Tang Tang got dizzy just from looking at it.
When Wen Nuo looked at the large pile of elements, she didn’t feel intimidated and instead reached out to start assembling.
Quickly, Tang Tang picked up the little girl, “Nuo Nuo, we need to have dinner now; otherwise, the food will get cold. Let’s build it after the meal, ok?” In response, Wen Nuo looked at the pieces on the floor. She looked reluctant to part with them, but she still nodded her head in the end.
Tang Tang directly carried the little girl to a chair at the dining table. She didn’t need to use much effort at all. It clearly showed how light the little girl was. Tang Tang scooped a large bowl of rice for her, “Nuo Nuo, you’re too thin. You need to eat more. It would be better if you were chubby like Xiao Zhuo.”
Wen Nuo took a glance at Ji Xiao Zhuo. She also thought that being chubby was better, so she nodded heavily and started to eat in large mouthfuls. It was like she would get plump instantly if she ate this way.
Tang Tang sat next to Ji Yan. She checked the time, and it was already half-past eight. So much time had passed, but no one came to look for the little girl, did no one in her family notice that their child was not at home?
Tang Tang was feeling a bit disgusted inside, and she couldn’t help but ask Ji Yan, “Husband, everyone should be home by now, right?”
Ji Yan instantly understood what Tang Tang really wanted to ask. He pursed his lips and replied, “Apart from people doing missions or having night training.”
“Oh,” Tang Tang replied and looked at the polite girl who was eating. She secretly sighed and decided that if no one came for the little girl, then Tang Tang would keep her for the night.
After the meal, the little girl immediately rushed to the pile of components and started to assemble the warship. Ji Yan, Ji Xiao Zhuo, and Tang Tang sat on the side and watched her work.
Like before, the little girl’s movements were very fast. She took each piece without hesitation as she assembled them, and very soon, a cannon was built. Tang Tang shook Ji Yan’s arm excitedly, “Husband, Nuo Nuo is absolutely amazing.”
In response, Ji Yan let out a low “En” sound. The way he looked at Wen Nuo became increasingly different. As Ji Yan watched her assemble, he discovered that the little girl didn’t just have a strong restoring ability. It seemed like she also had an innate ability to instinctively know the interior components required to assemble different pieces. There were many things that the little girl didn’t even know what they were, but she relied on her instincts to piece the parts correctly.
This was a formidable ability. If she used this ability to assemble a genuine world’s finest battleship or other weapons in the future, then the whole country would …
This little girl was a good seedling. If she was nurtured properly, she would become an important person for the country. She would be worth more than his whole unit.
The word “genius” suddenly came to his mind, and Ji Yan had never used this word to describe Ji Xiao Zhuo before.
At this moment, knocking sounds were heard from the front door. Apart from Wen Nuo, who was engrossed with assembling, the sound attracted the attention of the family of three. Ji Yan stopped Tang Tang from getting up; instead, he stood up to open the door himself. The person outside did not make him feel surprised.
“Battalion commander Wen.”
Wen Zhang Yi nodded at Ji Yan and went straight to the point, “Ji Yan, I came to pick up my daughter. I heard she was here.”
Ji Yan explained, “There was no one at the nursery picking up the little girl at the end of the school day. The rain was heavy, and my wife didn’t know where your house was located, so she brought the little girl back with her.”
A slight embarrassment flashed across Wen Zhang Yi’s eyes. He returned home late today, and he only noticed that she was missing because he didn’t see Wen Nuo after a long time. He asked his wife and found out that Wen Nuo didn’t come home during the day, so he rushed out to search for her. The nursery was already closed, so how could anyone be there? Wen Zhang Yi could only ask around for the teachers’ home addresses. Then he was told by a teacher where Wen Nuo was and finally came here.
Wen Zhang Yi had always known that his wife didn’t like Wen Nuo because she was the living proof that he had once given up on their relationship. Since he committed the wrong first, he turned a blind eye to many things. On top of that, Wen Nuo was not likeable because of her strange personality. Even he, as her father, didn’t like her much, so never mind about anyone else. So Wen Zhang Yi never asked his wife to treat Wen Nuo well. It was fine as long as it wasn’t too bad, but that didn’t include losing her since she was his flesh and blood after all.
“I’m really grateful to Sao Zi. My wife is looking after a child at home. The child is still young and can’t be left alone, so she didn’t pick up Wen Nuo on time. Fortunately, your wife took her along.”
Ji Yan didn’t comment. He moved a little to let the other man enter the house.
As soon as Wen Zhang Yi entered the house, he saw Wen Nuo, sitting on the carpet playing with a large pile of components. His expression immediately turned bad as he shouted, “Wen Nuo, why are you recklessly breaking things again?!”
The harsh shouting made Wen Nuo, who was engrossed with building, come back to her senses. When she saw him, fear flashed across her eyes and the piece she was holding fell out from her hands.
Seeing the little girl in such a state, Tang Tang quickly pulled the little girl into her embrace. Tang Tang explained to Wen Zhang Yi, “She didn’t take things apart recklessly. We let her play with it. Don’t be so fierce with her. She is still young.”
Wen Zhang Yi didn’t believe Tang Tang words. He turned to apologise to Ji Yan, “I’m sorry, ah. I caused trouble for your family. The girl has always liked tearing things apart. She has taken apart many things at home. We disciplined her many times, but it’s no use. Now she doesn’t dare to do it at home. I didn’t think she would destroy things at your home instead.” He carried on, “How much is the item that she ruined? I’ll compensate you.”
“No need.” Ji Yan’s eyes darkened. His tone was not as good as before, “My wife is saying the truth. I dismantled the model and let Wen Nuo rebuild it. There is no need for compensation and no need to be so fierce with a child either.”
Wen Zhang Yi blanked. He smiled awkwardly, “So it’s that, ah. Thank you for today, but it’s not early anymore. I’ll take her home now.”
Once Wen Zhang Yi finished speaking, he directly went to pick up the little girl and walked towards the door while carrying her. The little girl looked longingly at the warship model on the floor from her father’s shoulder before moving her line of sight to Ji Xiao Zhuo.
Instantly, Ji Xiao Zhuo got up and followed Wen Zhang Yi from behind. He walked as he looked up to speak to Wen Nuo, “Nuo Nuo, you need to be good. Go home and sleep first, and I’ll play with you again tomorrow, ok?”
The little girl nodded obediently.
“Don’t worry, I’ll put away all the pieces, and you can continue building it next time.”
The little girl’s eyes brightened. She cutely waved goodbye to Ji Xiao Zhuo.
Ji Xiao Zhuo followed them to the entrance. He watched them leave until their figures couldn’t be seen before turning around. His face looked serious as he sighed heavily.
“What’s wrong, Bao Bao. Do you miss Nuo Nuo?”
Ji Xiao Zhuo shook his head. He spoke melancholy, “Mummy, I think Nuo Nuo’s daddy doesn’t treat her well. He just shouted at her too. If it was my daddy, he definitely wouldn’t be like that.”
Of course, Tang Tang noticed that Wen Zhang Yi didn’t care much for Wen Nuo, but she didn’t know what would be the best thing to say at this time. Whether parents loved their child or not wasn’t something that outsiders could influence. Both children were born from women who they didn’t love, and while Wen Zhang Yi didn’t care much for his child, Ji Yan loved his child dearly and persisted in not getting a divorce because of his child.
This was the difference between people.
Ji Xiao Zhuo picked up all the components from the floor. He packed as he muttered, “I think Nuo Nuo is amazing. Why does her daddy say she was breaking things up recklessly? That’s not true; she can assemble them all properly.”
When Ji Yan heard that, he stroked Ji Xiao Zhuo’s head, “Nuo Nuo isn’t recklessly dismantling things. She is a genius, but her father hasn’t realised this yet.”
Ji Xiao Zhuo fully agreed. After his mood became better,he asked, “Daddy, since Nuo Nuo’s daddy hasn’t realised her good points, can we bring Nuo Nuo into our family?”
Ji Yan shattered Ji Xiao Zhuo’s idea, “Nuo Nuo has her own family. Her father would not agree to that, just like how I won’t give you away.”
Disappointed, Ji Xiao Zhuo looked at the floor. He looked up again after a while and asked, “Can I bring Nuo Nuo here every day to build this big ship?”
Ji Yan nodded, “Of course, you can. Once Nuo Nuo finishes rebuilding this one, I have another one for her that’s more fun.”
“Really? I’ll tell Nuo Nuo tomorrow. She’ll definitely be very happy.”
After Ji Xiao Zhuo ran off excitedly to put away the model’s components, Tang Tang poked on Ji Yan’s arm and puzzledly said, “Husband, do you think that Bao Bao treats Nuo Nuo especially well? He didn’t get jealous when I treated Nuo Nuo well. Previously, the little one would get jealous when I hugged Wen Wen for a moment.”
Ji Yan went silent. He thought this was probably due to a man’s desire to protect, even though the said man was not even four years old yet.
Ji Yan coughed, “Maybe their relationship is particularly good because they are desk mates.”
“That’s true. Those two constantly interact with each other. The relationship must be good. From now on, I’ll have Nuo Nuo stay over for dinner more often. It’s hard to find such a good friend.”
Ji Yan had no complaints. Having another child at home was quite good. Also, he wanted to see the depth of the little girl’s natural talent.
“Achoo–” Tang Tang suddenly sneezed. She quickly covered her nose.
Ji Yan frowned, “What’s wrong? Did you catch a cold?”
Tang Tang shook her head, “No, I didn’t. My nose was just feeling itchy. I’m as healthy as an ox after all.”
However, Tang Tang, who was healthy as an ox, started having a fever in the middle of the night.
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Extra
Thirty years in the future, a small group gathered. The drunk men were childishly comparing their wives.
Gu Zhang An’s son, Gu Si, started the topic, “My wife is a beauty in the police force. Normal men can’t win against her in a fight. Their legs will tremble when they see her.”
Yuan Liang’s son, Yuan Yi Feng, said, “A beauty in the police force is not much. My wife is more impressive. She’s a top rate psychologist. She can see through you at a glance and destroy you. A member of the police force is useless against her.”
Zhuo Ji’s son, Zhuo Ran, joined in, “My wife is more amazing than both of yours. My wife is the country’s youngest female city mayor. Police and psychologists are under her management.”
Only Ji Zi Zhuo didn’t speak, he carried on drinking indifferently. Everyone else asked him why he didn’t speak. In response, he shook his head and answered, “My wife is quite ordinary. She is just involved in the research and development of things like nuclear weapons and aircraft carriers.”
Everyone else: “….” Really want to beat him up!
