One could not possibly let Grandma Xuan hold them. Xuan Mohan leaned over and let the two of them embrace. Lan Tongtong hugged Grandma Xuan’s neck and said in a milky voice, “Great-grandma is so beautiful!”
“Mmm~ Such a sweet mouth, you are beautiful too!” Grandma Xuan smiled and pinched Lan Tongtong’s soft little face.
“Mom, let them go in first…” Luo Qinlan couldn’t stand watching any longer and stepped forward to let them go inside, but upon closer inspection, she was greatly surprised.
How could these two children look so much like Mohan!
She loved children. Every year she would keep mementos of Mohan, carefully storing them in a room. It was just that as Mohan got older, he disliked having his picture taken.
Xuan Mohan: I never liked taking pictures!
“Yes, yes, look at Great-grandma’s memory. Come on, Great-grandma has prepared food for you.” Saying this, she led the two children inside.
Xuan Mohan, holding the little girl, also went inside.
“Hongyi, did I see correctly? Those children look so much like Mohan, could it be…”
After they left, Luo Qinlan looked at her husband with surprise. This was too sudden; she had no psychological preparation.
Xuan Hongyi was much calmer. “Let’s go in first. We’ll ask Mohan about it later.”
Luo Qinlan, feeling dazed, let her husband lead her inside.
“Tongtong, Lexuan, Hanyu. This is Grandpa and Grandma.”
Xuan Mohan said a few simple words, introducing the children’s names to them.
Lan Tongtong and Lan Lexuan did not speak, looking at their elder brother, Lan Hanyu. They had only just recognized their father; would it be inappropriate to call them now?
Lan Hanyu knew his siblings were looking at him. However, they were their biological grandparents, so calling them was fine. Thus, he took the lead and called out, “Grandpa, Grandma.”
Seeing their brother call out, the two little ones obediently called out as well, “Grandpa, Grandma.”
Everyone present noticed the interaction among the three children. Xuan Mohan was not only not angry but felt that Hanyu was doing a good job as a brother.
If they had been three mischievous and unruly children, Luo Qinlan might have rejected them. But they were so well-behaved, and they looked so much like her son, that it was difficult for her not to like them.
“Hello. You’ll be staying here for the next couple of days. Don’t be shy about anything; make yourselves at home, okay?”
Seeing Luo Qinlan’s gentle and friendly demeanor, Lan Tongtong broke free from Xuan Mohan’s embrace and rushed over. “Grandma, you look so pretty! Tongtong likes you very much.”
Little Tongtong’s eyes were only on what was good-looking and pretty, and she expressed her likes directly.
Luo Qinlan covered her mouth and chuckled. The little girl was indeed sweet-mouthed and good-looking. Look at her, so lively, fair, and soft and cute.
She scooped her up onto her lap and gently tickled her small, round nose. “You are the prettiest of all. Grandma likes you very much too.”
On the way in, she had already decided. If they were truly her son’s children, she would definitely welcome them back and spoil them. As for the children’s mother…
Luo Qinlan looked at her son with a complicated expression.
Soon, the living room was filled with laughter.
Xuan Hongyi called Xuan Mohan to the study.
“What’s going on?” he asked directly after closing the door.
Xuan Mohan knew they would ask. “No.”
Xuan Hongyi’s expression was serious. “Then how do you explain why the children resemble you so much?”
Xuan Mohan choked. How would he know?
A moment later, the two of them came downstairs together.
Luo Qinlan looked at her husband. Seeing him shake his head slightly, her beautiful face could not hide her disappointment. How could they not be his if they looked so much like him?
She had taken a liking to these three children when she first met them, and after a brief interaction, she liked them even more. Now, she felt a chill in her heart.
“Grandma, why aren’t you happy? Tongtong feels unhappy when she eats a piece of cake, and then she feels better.”
After speaking, her chubby little hand picked up a small piece of cake and placed it near Luo Qinlan’s mouth.
The little girl was so cute and sensible. Why wasn’t she their child?
“Tongtong is too stingy, only giving such a small piece?” Luo Qinlan teased intentionally.
Lan Tongtong tilted her head and said foolishly, “It seems a bit small. Then Tongtong will change it.”
“Pfft~” Seeing the little girl’s adorably dazed appearance, Luo Qinlan couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Mom, what good news is making you smile so happily?”
Ji Anlan, who had just walked in, smiled sweetly.
Luo Qinlan beckoned, her lips curving upwards. “Anlan is back! Come over quickly, let me introduce you to some children.”
“Whose children are these? Why are they here…”
As Ji Anlan approached, she froze as if struck by lightning, her entire body feeling as if doused in a bucket of ice water, chilling her to the bone.
“These are children Mohan brought back from a friend’s house. Do you remember the child Mom mentioned last time? It’s them.”
Luo Qinlan’s face was full of smiles, showing how much she liked them. Seeing Anlan standing there foolishly, she called out, “Anlan? Anlan?”
Ji Anlan, regaining her senses, forced a smile. “Is that so? They’re quite cute.”
But were they really friends’ children? If they were just friends’ children, why would everyone like them so much?
Ji Anlan did not expose them. She walked to the sofa and greeted them first, casually asking, “Are these children staying here tonight?”
“Yes, their family has something to attend to, so they asked us to look after them for a couple of days.”
After saying this, she smiled and pinched the little girl’s face again. The little girl was so soft and smelled so good. “Tongtong, Lexuan, Hanyu, this is your Aunt Anlan.”
“Hello, Aunt Anlan!” Look at that, these three children are smart, sensible, and well-mannered. I can’t get enough of them! Is looking after them for two days too little? And do the children still need to go to school? Thinking of this, she looked at her son:
“Mohan, are these three children attending school?”
After speaking, her gaze flickered to Lan Hanyu, who was sitting close to Xuan Mohan. They looked alike, their expressions were consistent, and their temperaments were the same. When they were not speaking, they were practically miniature versions of her son. How could they not be?
Ji Anlan also noticed. In a place where no one could see, she almost ripped her clothes.
“Yes, you will take them to school tomorrow. It’s in Peter.”
Peter? It seemed the children’s family was not lacking.
But… “Mohan, aren’t you staying?” Leaving the children here?
“Yes, I have something else to do tonight. You take good care of the children,” Xuan Mohan instructed again, not entirely at ease.
“You don’t need to tell us; we will take good care of the children.” Just because these children were so lovable, she would take good care of them.
Xuan Mohan finally felt relieved. Just as he was about to leave, his sleeve was suddenly tugged. His heart softened. “Does Hanyu need something?”
Hanyu rarely approached him to speak. No matter the reason, he was happy.
Lan Hanyu nodded, his small face serious. “May I speak with you privately?”
Xuan Mohan raised his eyebrows and, holding Lan Hanyu’s small hand, went to the study on the second floor.