Chapter 1420 Its Too Late

Winter had finally arrived. The snowfall this year was particularly heavy. White covered almost everything outside, transforming it into a winter wonderland. At least, this was the case at Dragon Palace Home #10. Iris, Long Jinjing and their husbands took their own set of twins outside to carefully expose the babies to their first winter snow. Jiang Ying Yue and Lin Yehan were also present and brought Little Jun. All five puppiesPudding, Chowder, Ham, Mash and Gravyaccompanied the children. Little Jun played in the snow with all the puppies that were growing very fast during this period. They didn't look small anymore.

Little Mochi's excited laughter filled everyone's ears as he watched his elder cousin and the puppies playing in the snow. He waved his little arms and kicked his little feet until his daddy carefully supported him on the snowy ground. Iris did the same thing with Little Matcha. The Jin twins couldn't walk on their own yet, so the husband and wife helped their babies walk in the snow.

Little Mochi was beyond ecstatic. It was a good thing that Jin Liwei was the one holding him. If it was Iris, she might not have been able to hold her naughty, wiggly son as stably as Jin Liwei. Even the quiet Little Matcha was enjoying it. His one-toothed grin looked adorable.

Their puppies, Pudding and Chowder, ran around the two babies while being careful not to b.u.mp into them. All puppies were well-trained and already knew how to protect the babies even from themselves.

Iris couldn't describe her happiness as she watched her family spending time together. Her smile was no less ecstatic than her babies. Jin Liwei's gaze softened when he looked at her. "Mama! Mama!"

Iris stiffened but quickly caught herself. She smiled at Little Mochi. "Yes, I'm Mama. Are you calling me?"

Little Mochi grinned and pointed at her. "Mama!"

She glanced at her husband. "Is our son really calling me? He's not just babbling some baby gibberish like usual, is he?"

Jin Liwei looked at their son. "I think he's really saying Mama this time."

"Oh!" Her eyes watered. Then she swooped down and gave their eldest twin son lots of kisses on the face.

Little Mochi giggled.

"Mama!"

Iris stiffened once again. She glanced at her other son. Little Matcha, who looked so much like his daddy, was pouting at her. The baby looked disgruntled that his mommy was only kissing his brother and not him. "Oh!" Iris also kissed her other twin son. Afterwards, she turned to her husband with a big smile. "They really called me Mama this time!"

"En." Jin Liwei was also happy for his wife. This wasn't the first time that the couple heard their twins saying what sounded like "Mama" or "Dada" or sometimes even "Papa". However, they weren't sure if their babies were really calling for them or just babbling something that coincidentally sounded like those words.

It was only today that Iris and Jin Liwei felt sure. Little Mochi and Little Matcha's words were very clear, not to mention that they looked directly at their mommy's eyes when calling for her.

"Say it again. Say Mama!"

"Mama! Hehehe. Mama!"

"Mama."

Iris laughed and gave another round of kisses to her babies. Little Mochi's loud laughter could be heard even from a distance. Little Matcha also giggled and snuggled closer to his mommy. Jin Liwei squatted beside them and looked at both his babies. "Call me Dada."

Little Mochi grinned at him and blew a raspberry with his mouth instead. Little Matcha only blinked at their daddy.

"Call Dada." Jin Liwei didn't want to give up.

Little Mochi farted. Little Matcha continued snuggling with his mommy.

Jin Liwei sighed and sulked a little. "Don't feel bad, darling." Iris gave her husband's cheek a light peck. "I'm sure that they'll eventually learn to call you soon. The doctor already mentioned before that Mama is often easier to learn to say first for most babies."

"En." Although he said this, he still felt a little jealous.

"They already know to call you Mama?" Long Jinjing asked.

She and Lu Zihao arrived next to Iris and Jin Liwei. They were carrying their own twins in a carrier strapped to their chests.

"Yes!" Iris couldn't wait to share the excitement. She asked her twins to call her again. "Mama! Mama! Hehehe."

"Mama."

Long Jinjing also felt excited. Then she looked at her own twins. She couldn't wait for them to call her Mama as well. "They don't know how to call you yet?" Lu Zihao asked his brother-in-law.

Jin Liwei ignored the man's mocking tone. "They'll learn it soon."

Lin Yehan slung his arms over his third and fifth brothers' shoulders. "Don't make fun of our third brother, Fifth Brother. You'll likely experience the same thing."

Lu Zihao glanced at Little Misha strapped to his front body. "You have to know how to call me as soon as you learn to call for your mom. Do you understand, Mikhail?"

Little Misha drooled. "Tsk." Lu Zihao fished out a baby towel from out of nowhere and wiped his son's drool.

Lin Yehan chuckled. Then his gaze followed his fiance, who was playing with Little Jun and the puppies in the snow. Jiang Ying Yue was wearing gloves, but he knew that there was now a simple engagement ring with a tiny diamond on her finger inside. Yes, he gave her a ring even when she was the one who proposed to him. He wanted to give her a ring with a big diamond but knew that she wouldn't like it. Her intense daily training and physical work in security made it inconvenient to wear jewelry with any large, protruding gems. [Read official chapters on W e b n o v e l (dot) com. Please stop supporting piracy. Also follow the author on Instagram: @arriacross]

Jin Liwei and Lu Zihao followed his line of sight. All of them already knew about the engagement between the two.

"When do you plan to marry Jiang Ying Yue, Eldest Brother?" Jin Liwei asked. "I want to marry as soon as possible, but Ying Yue and I agreed to wait until Little Jun becomes more comfortable with my presence in their lives. That's why I'm doing my best to come here every day."

Jin Liwei nodded. As Little Jun's G.o.dfather, he appreciated his eldest brother's thoughtfulness for the child. Then he thought of something. "You'll take Jiang Ying Yue and Little Jun to live with you after the marriage?"

Lin Yehan hesitated before replying in a measured tone. "That's the plan."

"I see." Jin Liwei glanced at his G.o.dson. He would miss the little guy living here. Lin Yehan sighed and patted his third brother's back. "Don't worry. Ying Yue intends to continue working here. She'll bring Little Jun to spend the day here and come home to my farm villa after work."

"That's fine, then. I'll tell the head of security to give her only the day s.h.i.+ft from now on."

"Thanks, Third Brother. I appreciate it."

"En."

The men watched their wives playing with the children. When Little Mochi sneezed, the adults decided that it was enough playing outside in the snow. So they all headed inside to warm up. The babies were fed and put to sleep in the nursery. Little Jun also ate a snack before heading to the playroom with the puppies to find Popcorn.

The adults relaxed in a lounge room for tea time. Now that the children weren't with them, they were free to talk about serious and unpleasant topicsspecifically, about Long Hui. By this time, Long Hui's divorce had been finalized. The process went unexpectedly fast. It was reported that Mao Qiuyue refused to sign the divorce papers at first but eventually did not struggle anymore shortly after.

"The Maos are finished," Lu Zihao said as if commenting on roadkill he pa.s.sed by. They all agreed with his a.s.sessment. Mao Textiles became bankrupt. The authorities seized most of its a.s.sets after evidence of the company's violations surfaced. Its shareholders lost almost everything. The biggest loser, of course, was the Maos.

"This is what they get for touching my G.o.dson," Iris said. Her tone was cold and ruthless. She sounded very similar to Lu Zihao.

"What about the case Sis Yue filed against Mao Qiuyue?" Long Jinjing asked. "Still awaiting court ruling," Lin Yehan replied. "But we're confident that we'll win. It's just that we have to go along with the slow legal process."

"In the meantime, we're ensuring that Mao Qiuyue and the Maos can't escape abroad," Jin Liwei said.

Iris nodded. "Mao Qiuyue will likely go to jail. Atty. Hong is pus.h.i.+ng for the worst child abuse punishment for her. But, to be honest, Long Hui actually helped our case by suing the Maos for a.s.sault."

"That's what he's good at," Jiang Ying Yue spoke for the first time in this conversation. "Pus.h.i.+ng down others and escaping to save himself when things start to deviate from his own plans."

Lu Zihao sneered. "A coward."

Long Jinjing pouted. Her eyes looked sad and disappointed. "Eldest Brother was so nice to our kids when he met his nephews for the first time. He even sent presents for the babies afterwards."

n.o.body could deny that.

Long Hui was indeed like a completely different person that night. However, everyone understood that the ceasefire would only happen that one time. The enmity they had with him was too deep.

"I still hope that he changes for the better," Long Jinjing murmured. "Little Sister Xiulan changed and matured a lot. Maybe Eldest Brother Hui can also do the same thing."

Lu Zihao snorted. Iris pursed her lips. Jin Liwei sighed and shook his head.

"It's too late," Jiang Ying Yue whispered.

Lin Yehan took her hand where she wore her engagement ring and kissed it. "Yes, it's too late."