As long as it wasn’t snowing or raining and there was no need for wood to heat the house, they would never burn firewood, so, Shen Mianmian found it a bit odd that he suddenly asked to start a fire this time.
But she didn’t ponder deeply about the reason. After all, making a fire in this weather really wasn’t easy, and it could seriously make a person faint from the heat.
Before long, she had washed all the vegetables, and just as she was carrying the basin into the kitchen, Shen Jianhua took it from her hands.
"Mianmian, you go back to your room and read. The kitchen is too hot, I can manage on my own."
Shen Mianmian raised her eyebrows slightly, unable to contain her curiosity any longer, "Dad, you’re acting a bit strange today."
Shen Jianhua did occasionally overflow with fatherly love, but he had never been so attentive to details. He harbored some traditional male ideas, he might occasionally help out, but would not single-handedly serve a household of women meals.
His behavior today was truly abnormal.
It was as if he was intentionally trying to make up for something, and that deliberate kindness made her feel inexplicably uneasy.
Shen Jianhua panicked inside, feeling inexplicably guilty when questioned by Shen Mianmian. He gave an awkward smile, then suddenly became very sentimental. Content orıginally comes from 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⟡𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵
"Mianmian, I’ve been thinking a lot lately. I’ve always said I wanted to cherish you, to fulfill my responsibilities as a father, but I have never lived up to it. I’m not up to par as a father. Thinking about the past, I feel very guilty. If I don’t do something now, I truly don’t deserve your calling me dad."
Before Shen Mianmian could speak, he asked again, "Mianmian, do you resent me in your heart?"
Shen Mianmian pressed her lips together without speaking. Just the thought of never having heard a single word of truth from Shen Jianhua’s mouth until her death in her previous life, made her unable to calm her heart.
She really couldn’t bring herself to say those magnanimous words.
Shen Jianhua sighed, his eyes reddening slightly, "You have been sensible since you were young, unlike other children who love to cry. Back then, I especially loved carrying you on my back when we would go out and play, and each time you would giggle. But you were young back then; you probably don’t remember any of it now."
"I remember," Shen Mianmian chuckled bitterly. How could she possibly forget?
That was the happiest time of her previous life. Zhou Siyu hadn’t been brought over yet, and Shen Jianhua was very good to her, and even Zhou Lanfang was somewhat decent.
Then one day, out of the blue, Zhou Lanfang inexplicably hit her and cursed her as a little mongrel. Later, they brought Zhou Siyu back, and from then on, they treated her worse and worse every day.
It was then that her personality began to change.
Shen Jianhua was taken aback, "You remember all that? I thought you had forgotten. You were very lively back then, but slowly you became more introverted."
Recalling the past made Shen Jianhua truly miss those days.
Especially when Shen Mianmian was first picked up, she was so tiny, just starting to speak, with her chubby and round appearance clearly indicating she came from a wealthy family.
He was panicking at the time, afraid of getting into trouble, yet he couldn’t bear to part with such an adorable child.
At that time, he thought, picking up a daughter when he and Zhou Lanfang were still young, if they could still have children of their own, having one more daughter wouldn’t add much pressure to their lives.
Even if they couldn’t have more children, they could still welcome a son-in-law into the family.
"Dad, do you really not know why I became introverted?"
Shen Mianmian stared at Shen Jianhua, her gaze tinged with a hint of mockery.
"I’m sorry, I have let you down," Shen Jianhua said guiltily, hanging his head low, thinking of what he was supposed to do. He didn’t dare to look her in the eye, fearful that his resolve would soften if he did, and he would change his decision.