Attention Sir, I Have Your Heart Handcuffed!-Chapter 552 - 400. Waking up, it seems that everything has changed (Second update)
Shi Nian did not know how long she had been asleep, only that she had had a long dream. The dream seemed to last a lifetime, narrating all the past experiences she had gone through.
That night, she slept soundly, her heart at peace, enabling a deep and restful sleep. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Thus, when she was awakened by Jieyou early the next morning, she stretched widely and felt relaxed, her spirits high.
Upon opening her eyes, the first thing that greeted her was golden light, like strands of gold forcefully spread out, diffusing across the entire world in her sight.
Then, within that gold radiance appeared Jieyou’s face. Little Jieyou seemed like an angel of pure beauty, with features that stirred Shi Nian’s heart quietly.
Seeing Shi Nian open her eyes, Jieyou cheerfully climbed onto her, snuggled in Shi Nian’s arms, and happily exclaimed "Mommy."
Shi Nian embraced Jieyou, leaning in to gently kiss the top of her head. The child still carried a hint of milky scent that softly floated into Shi Nian’s breath. It was the essence of the mother-child bond, the scent of the child being the most wonderful aroma to a mother.
Shi Nian couldn’t help but smile, overwhelmed by an unspeakable joy: "Did my Youyou sleep well?"
Jieyou thought earnestly: "It was good. But I wanted to sleep with Mommy, yet Daddy sent me away. Daddy doesn’t allow Jieyou to love Mommy, Daddy wants to be the only one to love Mommy..."
Shi Nian paused for an unknown reason, her heart stirred inexplicably. Yet, unable to understand the cause, she let it go. She hugged her little daughter tightly, smiling: "Jieyou, don’t blame Daddy. It’s not that Daddy wants to be the only one to love Mommy; Daddy knows Jieyou has grown up. Now my Jieyou is a young lady who should have a room of her own and secrets of her own. That room is Jieyou’s own kingdom, where even Daddy and Mommy must not enter without permission."
Children, especially the younger ones, often wish to grow up quickly. True to form, Jieyou listened to Shi Nian’s words and happily laughed, twirling the tip of her wavy hair with her small fingers as she curiously asked, "Can Mommy and Daddy really not enter Jieyou’s secret kingdom?"
"Of course," Shi Nian earnestly raised three fingers: "Mommy won’t deceive Youyou. Mommy promises Youyou."
Jieyou sweetly hugged Shi Nian’s neck, nestled against Shi Nian’s heart, and closed her eyes contentedly, uttering an old-fashioned sigh.
"Mommy is finally together with Jieyou, Jieyou is so happy."
The little darling speaking such old-fashioned words amused Shi Nian, making her tenderly pinch Jieyou’s apple cheeks: "Mommy has always been with Jieyou, all mommies find it hard to be apart from their children. Why is my Youyou saying such strange things this morning? Has my Jieyou reached an age of forced melancholy while crafting new verses?"
Finding it amusing herself, Shi Nian smiled, yet Jieyou blinked her big eyes, turning to gaze steadily at Shi Nian.
The little one seemed to have something to say but somehow restrained herself despite her young age.
Shi Nian found it odd, gently stroking Jieyou’s long hair, asking softly: "What’s wrong with my Youyou?"
Not knowing whether other mothers wish for their children to mature early, she certainly did not. She preferred her children to remain innocent and carefree for a few more years, avoiding premature growth. Therefore, she disapproved of her daughter sighing in this old-fashioned manner or becoming inexplicably hesitant to speak.
As a mother, it pained her.
Jieyou then lowered her head, clutching Shi Nian’s hand tightly with her small fingers: "Mommy, let’s have breakfast. Jieyou is very hungry."
Evidently, the little girl was avoiding.
Shi Nian felt a sudden pang of distress, wondering if she had done anything inadequately to cause her daughter such premature depth.
She could only try to smile, nodding earnestly: "Alright, since Jieyou is hungry, Mommy will hurry up to prepare breakfast for Jieyou."
Ultimately, she concluded that if she were to deliberately press Jieyou for reasons behind her actions, it might leave deeper marks on Jieyou’s young heart. Thus, she decided to observe for herself, hoping to discover the reason behind her child’s behavior in the future.
Shi Nian slipped her shoes on, finally witnessing the sunlight fade, as the surroundings gradually became clear.
Shi Nian then suddenly paused, bewildered once again.
Why did everything... feel inexplicably foreign?
It was a room entirely decorated in a Chinese style; the plain white walls combined with zitan wood carved window grids and a huanghuali ancient bed. All the furniture was from the Ming and Qing dynasties, with simple materials and designs, yet exuding an inherently carefree and easygoing temperament.
In a corner stood a graceful red silk palace lantern, complementing the elaborate carvings on the wooden furniture to illuminate the room’s understated tone.
Such classical elegance and refinement, perfect down to the details, left Shi Nian momentarily dazed, unsure of her whereabouts.
But immediately, she laughed at herself.
What place could it be? Naturally, it should be her own home; it certainly couldn’t be the guest house in Jiangnan Ancient Town.
She picked up a hairband and casually tied her hair into a bun, then walked into the kitchen to make breakfast for Jieyou.
But she even forgot where the kitchen was, so Jieyou silently took her hand and led her there. Seeing her embarrassed smile, Jieyou lowered his clear black-and-white eyes and softly said, "Daddy doesn’t want Mommy to cook, so Mommy rarely comes to the kitchen. The fact that Mommy couldn’t find the kitchen is just because of this."
Shi Nian thought about it and found it made sense. She nodded and walked in, "From now on, Mommy will come to the kitchen more often and make meals for Youyou every day by herself."
Although she knew she wasn’t very skilled at cooking and wanted to avoid contact with smoke and oil to maintain her beauty, her lack of passion for kitchen affairs was more for herself. After becoming a mother, she felt every woman had the duty to cook for her child.
Because a child should eat food personally made by his mother, that was the taste of home. How could it be that years later, when the child grows up and leaves, he would say that he misses the dishes made by the family nanny the most? Only a mother’s cooking skill would draw the child back in longing. It’s not about the culinary expertise, but the maternal love embedded in the aroma of the dishes.
However, despite her ambition, facing everything in the kitchen, Shi Nian couldn’t help but feel quietly discouraged.
It seemed Jieyou was right; she rarely went into the kitchen to cook, so she knew nothing about where things were placed in the kitchen. Even trying to find a pot and rice just to make some porridge for Jieyou, she couldn’t figure out where these basic items were stored.
Shi Nian searched through cabinets as she couldn’t help blaming herself: If she had the intention to cook for her child after becoming a mother, then why had she cooked so little as Jieyou grew?
Was she too lazy to do it?
Or was she too busy over those years, leaving no time to actually practice it?
Thinking of this, she stopped and reached out to brush back the scattered hair on her forehead.
Her heart became inexplicably lost again.
Reflecting on Jieyou’s growth over the past few years, she was shocked to find she couldn’t remember anything!
Oh God, what kind of mother was she?!
How could she love her daughter so much but forget the child’s most precious, irreproducible growth moments?
She took deep breaths, trying to refresh her brain completely with oxygen.
No, it couldn’t be. She couldn’t have been careless enough to forget her daughter’s growth experiences. It must be because she slept too well last night, so her brain hasn’t fully woken up yet.
But she still couldn’t remember!
Shi Nian was truly panicked, looking around frantically as if those memories were tangible things right beside her—if she searched, she could retrieve them.
But there was still nothing...
Her legs weakened, and she suddenly crouched down, hugging her head.
She didn’t know what was happening to her, but she suddenly thought of her husband’s mother. That woman, once delicate as a Water Lotus, also suffered from postpartum depression after her husband’s birth, which persisted for years.
Could it be that she was like that? Is that why she forgot her daughter’s growth experiences?
"Nian, what’s wrong?"
At this moment, the curtain fluttered, and Huangfu Huazhang walked in gracefully in an ivory-colored silk boxing suit, but upon seeing Shi Nian’s state, he hurried forward to hold her.
Shi Nian was already crying, tears streaming as she looked at him in confusion, "Husband, where did you go?"
Huangfu Huazhang was also taken aback, his black eyes tightly focusing on Shi Nian’s expression, "... The village hoped I could teach the elderly a set of Tai Chi Boxing, so I only left for an hour this morning. Nian, whatever you want to do, just tell me."
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