C13 The Handsome Man Did Not like You

"Little troublemaker, settle down now!" Zhang Zhe quickly pulled Fourth back into his embrace. "Your mom's driving, and this is very dangerous!"

Fourth nodded, "Oh, Grandma, I'm sorry, and I'm sorry, Mom."

"But I really like that uncle!" she declared earnestly, despite her childish tone.

Zhang Zhe chuckled and tousled her hair. "Is that uncle really that good-looking? You've got Mr. Ye here, who's quite the looker, and you've never been this smitten."

Ye Jianjia chimed in, "Auntie, you just don't get it. That uncle is Fourth's lifesaver. While some might offer themselves in gratitude, our Fourth here is thinking about adopting a bargain dad!"

"Mom, what's a bargain dad?" the ever-so-cute Sixth, Ye Yilu, asked innocently.

"Bargain means it's not valuable," Jianjia teased the kiddo without missing a beat. "Sadly, your real dad's gone, and I've already picked out a stepdad for you. He can't be your bargain dad."

That remark effectively squashed Fourth's hopes of "adopting a dad."

Fifth, Ye Yiwu, sidled up to Fourth, batting her large eyes curiously. "Sis, is that uncle really that handsome?"

"Yes!" Fourth nodded emphatically. "If you met him, you'd like him too!"

Ye Jianjia observed, "See, that's the girl fan effect."

Later, the kiddos huddled together, chattering away in fluctuating volumes. Jianjia couldn't afford to be distracted and concentrated on driving.

Once back in their neighborhood, she took on the task of carrying bags, while the kiddos tagged along with the other two adults.

Fourth bounced up to Jianjia, gazing up at her while walking, "Mom, can we get a new stepdad?"

"No, I'm already married to your stepdad," Jianjia replied, glancing down at Fourth. "Watch where you're going."

Fourth looked ahead and stepped into the elevator of their apartment building, which was empty, allowing them to enter together.

"Mom, can we have two stepdads?" Fifth surprisingly joined Fourth's "stepdad recruitment" campaign.

Jianjia laughed softly, "Mom can only be married to one person. Let's say this: Mom and your stepdad have to stay married for at least two years. After that, Mom will be single again."

"Mom, can't you be single right now?" Fourth asked.

Actually, Fourth didn't really understand what "single" meant. He just figured that if Mom were single, they might get a new stepdad.

"No, if Mom got divorced now, we'd all go hungry. Do you want your brothers and sisters to go hungry too?"

The thought of his siblings starving was unacceptable. Fourth immediately shook his head in disapproval.

"So, if Mom becomes single in two years, will you marry the handsome man and let him be our dad?" Fourth's logic was impeccable.

Ye Jianjia couldn't help but laugh, even as she felt a twinge of irritation. She playfully pinched his chubby cheek and said, "Yes, but what if the handsome man doesn't like me and doesn't want to marry me? He might not want to be your dad either!"

Where did this kiddo get the audacity to go around claiming random men as his father?

But truth be told, it wouldn't take two years for Fourth to forget about the stranger he'd only met once; a few days would probably suffice.

Ye Jianjia was trying to deflect the conversation, but she hadn't noticed Fourth in the corner, silently extending his little chubby hand and counting on his fingers, "One year... Two years..."

When the elevator reached their floor, the other kiddos were led out, but Fourth remained in the corner, still counting on his fingers. Ye Jianjia freed up one hand and scooped him up to leave.