Chapter 147: The Real and Fake Daughters Who Were Switched at Birth – 6…

Xie Hui’s probing gaze landed on her. Seeing her guiltily fidgeting with her fingers, he tugged at the corner of his lips in amusement.

She might be small, but she sure had guts.

He couldn’t be bothered to deal with her anymore. With a light smack on her bottom, he tossed her to the side.

Then he turned to pick up Yuan Yu, who was sitting nearby. The moment he reached out, the little one eagerly raised her arms and, once seated on Xie Hui’s lap, opened her mouth wide.

“Ah—”

Her tiny white teeth looked no bigger than grains of rice.

Because Xie Hui saw her every day, he didn’t notice any significant changes.

Yuan Huan stood to the side, watching as the gentleman picked up her daughter.

She turned and scooped up the little one who had just been casually tossed aside and was now sprawled on the floor, unable to get up. Patting her back gently, she coaxed her softly.

The two nannies had prepared a variety of teething jerky, but it seemed these two little ones had a clear preference for beef.

They would only nibble at the other types when their gums were really itchy.

Most of the time, they’d toss anything else aside with disdain.

Today, the nannies had made pumpkin porridge. Since Xie Hui had nothing urgent to deal with, he took a bowl and tried to feed Jinjin. But the little girl had already tilted her head back, staring anxiously at Yuan Huan with her mouth wide open.

Almost instinctively, Xie Hui turned his head and saw Yuyu sitting in the stroller, gnawing seriously on a piece of dried beef, drooling all over herself.

When Xie Hui squatted in front of Yuyu, she stared at him blankly, thinking he wanted to eat her jerky.

“Yee, ya, wa.”

Seeing the saliva-soaked piece of beef jerky in her hand, Xie Hui frowned slightly and took the chewed-up piece, handing it to a nearby nanny. Then he scooped up a spoonful of thick pumpkin porridge and brought it to Yuyu’s mouth.

He figured it had cooled down enough by now.

But Yuyu, seeing Jinjin blowing on her own porridge nearby, puffed out her cheeks and gave a big blow too.

After feeding them, the nannies cleared away the dishes.

It was winter, and since the two little brats hadn’t been outside and weren’t dirty, they didn’t need daily baths.

Yuan Yu was easygoing no matter how others treated her—always cheerful and cooperative.

Jinjin, on the other hand, was a bit more particular. Despite being so young, she already wanted to soak her feet.

The first time, Yuan Huan didn’t catch on to her intentions. Jinjin struggled to pull off her socks and tossed them aside, then lay down and stuck her bare feet toward Yuan Huan. It took a few tries before Yuan Huan realized she wanted a foot soak.

Once one wanted to soak, the other followed suit.

Xie Hui looked at the tiny girls sitting on their cartoon-themed stools, pant legs rolled up to their knees, feet soaking in little basins, and couldn’t help but smile wryly.

The room was well-heated, so there was no worry about them catching cold.

The basins were small. After soaking, Jinjin propped her feet up on the edges of the basin.

Yuyu, sitting beside her, saw this and tried to mimic her. But since it was her first time and she hadn’t mastered the technique, she accidentally tipped the basin over, spilling water everywhere.

Fortunately, the experienced nanny had been watching closely. The moment the basin tilted, she quickly scooped Yuyu up.

Jinjin watched the scene with a slight frown of distaste, and she too was picked up shortly after.

Both were placed on the bed, given clean socks, and coaxed to sleep.

Downstairs, a nanny not on child duty was in the kitchen. Fresh beef had just been delivered, and she wanted to dry it while she had the chance.

At the teething stage, babies’ gums get incredibly itchy, and they can’t resist the urge to bite things.

If teething items aren’t prepared properly or there aren’t enough, kids will start chewing on clothes or gnawing on toys.

No matter how clean, clothes and toys aren’t meant to be eaten.

Watching the nanny skillfully prepare the teething jerky, Xie Hui had to admit—there’s a reason people specialize in different fields. The nanny’s jerky was clearly better than what the household chef or maids could make.

The weather hadn’t hit its coldest yet; it was just past December on the solar calendar.

Soon, it would be time for the New Year. The villa’s chef, driver, and other staff would be heading home for the holidays. Yuan Huan, however, might stay.

After all, she didn’t have a home of her own. Living at the Xie family villa with food and lodging provided, she’d never rented a place outside.

Xie Hui didn’t force her to stay, but he did feel reluctant to part with the obedient little one.

After a snowfall, the cold seemed to descend all at once. Overnight, the season truly turned to winter.

By the time the twelfth lunar month rolled around and the steward and maids were all preparing to head home, only one chef and one driver said they would stay.

Xie Hui offered generous bonuses, but with those two mischievous little ones around, he wasn’t sure he could handle them alone.

Only two staff members stayed, enticed by the high bonuses. The two nannies had already informed the steward in advance that they’d be going home for the New Year.

What surprised Xie Hui was that Yuan Huan didn’t plan to stay either.

That evening, as she held Jinjin and saw Xie Hui return from working late, she approached him and said:

“Sir, I… I’d like to go home for the New Year on the eighteenth of the twelfth lunar month. Is that okay?”

She had already asked the steward, but he had said Jinjin was too attached to her. If she really wanted to leave for the holiday, she needed to ask the master directly.

Before Xie Hui could respond, Jinjin, who had been in her arms, stopped chewing on her jerky and clung tightly to Yuan Huan’s arms. Tears welled up in her beautiful eyes.

She didn’t wail like she did when throwing tantrums—just let the tears fall silently, which made Yuan Huan’s heart ache terribly.

Xie Hui had no reason to stop her from going home for the New Year, so they agreed that Yuan Huan would leave quietly when Jinjin wasn’t aware.

But the little girl was far too clever. Knowing she was too small to hold on to Yuan Huan, she started playing with Yuyu all day long.

Yuyu, who had always been snubbed by Jinjin, was overjoyed by the sudden affection. She laughed so hard her drool ran down her chin.

Whenever Jinjin wanted to hug her, she let her. Sometimes, she’d even offer her half-chewed beef jerky to Jinjin.

As the New Year approached, Xie Hui watched them stick together every day and began to worry that Yuan Huan might not be able to leave even on New Year’s Eve.

So one night, Xie Hui did something rare—he brought the little one into his bedroom.

Afraid she’d catch cold, he tucked her in carefully. Seeing her struggling to get up but unable to manage, he said:

“Let’s have a proper talk about Yuan Huan going home for the New Year, okay?”

That one sentence was enough to calm the restless little brat.

Xie Qianjin puffed out her cheeks in anger, looking like an indignant little pufferfish ready to polish shoes.

Her furious expression made it clear she thought Xie Hui was about to scold her.

“Daddy understands—you really like Yuan Huan. But she has a family too, and she wants to be with them for the New Year.”

Xie Qianjin, who had braced herself for a scolding, heard Xie Hui’s gentle tone and immediately teared up.

Seeing her about to cry, Xie Hui softened even further.

“After the New Year, Yuan Huan will come back.”

“Ya?”

Seeing the doubt in her eyes, Xie Hui gently ruffled the tufts of hair on her head.

“Really, I promise—she’ll come back after the New Year.”

“Yi ya?”

Not sure what she meant, Xie Hui furrowed his brow and tried guessing.

“When will she come back?”

“Yi!”

“When will she leave?”

“Yi!”

Eventually, realizing Jinjin was getting impatient and even a little annoyed, flailing her hands in frustration, Xie Hui asked instinctively:

“Your little sister?”

“Ya~”

“She’ll come back with her mommy too.”

After saying that, Xie Hui held her tiny hand to make sure it wasn’t cold, then continued coaxing her.

“So be a good girl and let Yuan Huan go home for the New Year. She’ll come back to see you next year, okay?”

Her little face remained scrunched up, but after a long pause, she finally responded in a small voice.

“Ya.”

“Good. I’ll tell Yuan Huan tomorrow. When she leaves, we’ll take you to see her off.”

Even though she still looked unhappy, Xie Hui pulled her into his arms, gently poked her puffed-up cheek with his fingertip, and planted a kiss on it.

“Jinjin is such a good girl.”

The little one froze for a moment after being kissed, then scrunched up her tiny brows and wiped her face clean with the back of her hand in disgust.

She obediently let Xie Hui hold her for a while, but the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she seemed to get. Unable to hold it in, she reached out and gave Xie Hui a firm smack on the side of his face, leaving him completely stunned.

“I was just saying how well-behaved you were.”

“Hmph~”

Jinjin didn’t feel even a little bit unworthy of the praise. When Xie Hui looked over, she pursed her lips and lifted her chin with a proud little expression, looking especially smug. Behind her head, two tiny pigtails barely thicker than a rubber band stuck out.

The next day, Xie Hui mentioned it to Yuan Huan. This time, Jinjin didn’t insist on clinging to Yuan Huan, nor did she throw a fit while holding onto Yuyu.

When the nanny handed some beef jerky to Jinjin, she glanced at Yuyu and handed over her clean piece to her little sister.

“Mister, I’m heading back to visit my family this time. After the New Year, I promise I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

Thinking about what she wanted to say next, Yuan Huan felt a bit embarrassed—her ears were burning red.

She knew her request might be pushing it, but she couldn’t help but speak up:

“Mister, could I trouble you to take care of Yuyu for a little while? The Spring Festival travel rush means there’ll be crowds everywhere, and the atmosphere back in my hometown isn’t exactly the best. I… I…”

Seeing how awkward she looked, Xie Hui didn’t make things harder for her and nodded in agreement.

“Of course.”

Completely unaware of what was going on, Yuyu happily gnawed on the piece of beef jerky her sister had given her. While the adults weren’t paying attention, she beamed at her sister, showing off her rosy gums and the tiny little teeth just starting to poke through.