Daddy's Name

Jiang Xiaobei stated with confidence, "Do we even need to confirm it? You and Daddy look so much alike; it's obvious!"

Jiang Xiaobei lifted her head, but her hair got tangled in the branches of the shrubbery. It hurt, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Big Brother, it hurts!"

Jiang Xiaobao sighed and carefully crawled over to Jiang Xiaobei. He whispered, "Don't move. I'll untangle your hair for you."

"Okay."

Just as Jiang Xiaobao was bending down to untangle Jiang Xiaobei's hair, Jiang Yuan walked hurriedly past the siblings. Her rushed pace caused her to miss the chance to learn the truth at that moment. This would lead to regret in the days to come.

The siblings had just returned to the second floor when they saw Jiang Guo rushing out of Yi Yao's house with a worried expression.

"Xiaobao, Bei Bei!"

Upon seeing the siblings, Jiang Guo hurriedly rushed over, extending her arms to embrace them. "Didn't I tell you to stay in the house? Where did you go?"

On a normal day, if the siblings suddenly disappeared, Jiang Guo wouldn't pay much attention and would even understand it, given that children are lively and need to play around. However, today was different. Ji Yunchen had just left, and she was genuinely worried that the siblings might encounter their dad.

If Ji Yunchen wanted to take the children away, she didn't have the confidence to retrieve them from his grasp now.

Jiang Guo appeared anxious, which made the siblings feel a sense of guilt. Jiang Xiaobao softly explained, "We got a little bored staying in the room, so we went to play in the shrubs downstairs for a while."

Jiang Xiaobei also held Jiang Guo's hand and coquettishly said, "Mommy, we know we did wrong. We won't do it again. Please don't be mad, okay?"

Jiang Guo's complexion eased a bit, and after a moment of silence, she asked again, "Did you two happen to encounter someone strange downstairs just now?"

Innocently, Jiang Xiaobao blinked his eyes and replied, "We didn't meet anyone. Mommy, who is the strange person you're talking about?"

Jiang Guo didn't want to lie to the children but chose to give a vague answer. "No, it's nothing."

Just as Jiang Xiaobao was about to continue questioning, Jiang Guo abruptly changed the subject, "Oh, it's already 7 o'clock, and I haven't cooked yet. How about we go out to eat today? Sweeties, would you like that?"

Yi Yao also nodded in agreement, "I know a place with delicious food. Let me take you there!"

Normally, the siblings would have enthusiastically agreed and nodded to their mommy's proposal. However, they had something on their minds and needed a private space to talk privately. Therefore, they promptly declined Jiang Guo's suggestion.

"Mommy, maybe next time. Our teacher assigned a lot of homework today, and we need to work on it!"

"Yes, Mommy, we want to leave a good impression on our teacher!"

"So, Mommy, you can start cooking now. By the time you finish, we'll have our homework done, and then we'll have time to eat!"

This was the first time the siblings had been so proactive about their studies, and Jiang Guo certainly didn't want to discourage them. She replied, "Alright, I'll listen to you. I'll go prepare dinner."

Yi Yao approached and asked, "Do you want me to help you with your homework?"

"No!" Jiang Xiaobao quickly refused. "These assignments are quite simple; they won't be a problem for us!"

"Really? But this is second-semester first-grade coursework!" Yi Yao said with a playful smile. "Are you sure you can handle it when you're supposed to start this next year?"

Following the regular school schedule in China, the siblings should still be attending kindergarten. However, they had returned to China after graduating from a foreign kindergarten, so they refused to go back to kindergarten here.

Yi Yao had suggested that they start primary school early just to pass the time, without expecting them to learn much.

But now that the siblings were showing a keen interest in learning, she wanted to support them.

"No!" The siblings were resolute and unaware of Yi Yao's good intentions. They immediately locked themselves in their bedroom, not giving Yi Yao the chance to enter.

Seeing this, Jiang Guo chuckled softly and said, "Yao Yao, you don't have to worry about them. When we were abroad, I hired private tutors for them. I can't say much about other subjects, but first and second-grade math won't trouble them."

"At six years old, they're studying second-grade material? It seems like your kids are little prodigies! After I become their homeroom teacher in the second half of the year, I'll be making a fortune, won't I?" Yi Yao joked as she walked over to Jiang Guo, wearing a playful smile. "I better start earning your favor now!"

Jiang Guo smirked and teased, "Alright, here's your chance to earn my favor. Come help me with the cooking."

"Okay!"

…

In the children's room, Jiang Xiaobei watched Jiang Xiaobao browsing web pages on the computer and couldn't help but urge him, "Big brother, it's been so long. Have you found Daddy's name?"

"Oh, don't rush me!" Jiang Xiaobao was a bit annoyed. "If I find it, I'll let you know."

Jiang Xiaobei pouted and, although still impatient, she settled down and sat next to Jiang Xiaobao, quietly waiting for his search to yield results.

Another ten minutes passed, and Jiang Xiaobao, lying on the bed, said in frustration, "No, I can't find this person online."

"Daddy is indeed very skilled!" Jiang Xiaobei complimented him at first, then continued sadly, "So what do we do now? We know what Daddy looks like, but we still don't know his name and address."

Jiang Xiaobao furrowed his brow, pondered for a moment, and said, "Don't worry for now. If we can't find him, we can ask someone for help! My desk mate's mom is a journalist and knows a lot of people. She should be able to find out!"

"That's great! Then we can find him!" Jiang Xiaobei suddenly lowered her voice and asked, "Big brother, do you think Mommy hates Daddy? Why has she never told us anything about him, not even his name?"