Chapter 245
Rong Heng stared blankly at Little Li Hua.
To him, his sister was just his sister—no matter how much she grew, she would always be his little sister. Why couldn’t they live together? Besides, Little Li Hua was barely over five, not even six yet—how could she be considered grown up?
They had grown up together. Rong Heng had cared for his sister from when she was just a tiny baby. They had never been apart.
“Does this mean we’ll never live together again?” Rong Heng asked cautiously.
Little Li Hua was reluctant to leave her brother too. If she had to live alone, she wouldn’t agree no matter what her mom said.
But now that there was Sister Xue Wei, and her brother wanted to live with Ika, wasn’t this arrangement perfect?
Still, seeing the hesitant and conflicted look on her brother’s face, Little Li Hua didn’t want to be too firm about it. “It’s just temporary… When Ika’s better, I-I’ll come back and live with you again.”
Rong Heng remained sullen.
Even though their room wasn’t very big, Ika could sleep in his bed, and he could take the floor—it wouldn’t take up Little Li Hua’s space.
He still couldn’t accept the sudden idea of his sister leaving.
Their conversation was overheard by Wen Yan and Yan Ya, who exchanged a glance before Yan Ya stood up and walked toward them.
She understood that separating the two children would be difficult, even cruel, for siblings who had depended on each other for so long. She had been thinking about how to ease them into accepting this change.
Although Little Li Hua was still young and not yet developing, waiting until then might be too late. Building awareness of gender boundaries early was better.
Meanwhile, Rong Heng, almost nine years old, still had a vague understanding of gender differences, which wasn’t ideal either.
It wasn’t just Rong Heng and Little Li Hua. The nursery’s other cubs also needed to start learning about these topics in their lessons soon.
“Rong Heng, come with me for a moment,” Yan Ya said gently.
Hearing her, Rong Heng snapped out of his thoughts. He looked at his mother, who had always cared for them with warmth and patience. Over time, Rong Heng had grown attached to Yan Ya.
He nodded and got up to follow her out of the dining hall.
Rong Heng had a vague idea of what Yan Ya wanted to discuss with him, and he felt a little lost.
“Mom…” he called softly.
Yan Ya didn’t speak immediately. She crouched down to give him a hug, holding her son tightly and gently patting his back.
For some reason, Rong Heng suddenly felt a wave of grievance wash over him.
He pressed his lips together but didn’t reject the overly intimate gesture from Yan Ya.
“Rong Heng, you’ve done so much. You’ve taken such good care of your sister all these years,” Yan Ya said, her voice tinged with emotion as her eyes grew misty.
After becoming a caretaker at the nursery, Yan Ya had gained access to past surveillance footage. She had watched every clip of Rong Heng and Little Li Hua’s time there.
Particularly those early days when the siblings had first arrived, seeing her tiny son clumsily yet diligently caring for his baby sister had often brought her to tears.
Their bond was so deep—of course Rong Heng would be heartbroken at the thought of separation. But still…
Yan Ya released Rong Heng from her embrace, looking at him as she said, “Your sister is a girl. You understand that she’s different from you, right?”
Rong Heng frowned in confusion. “Because she’s different, she can’t live with me anymore? But you live with Dad, and Wen Wen lives with Uncle Lai Ze.”
“That’s because we’re married,” Yan Ya explained patiently. “We’re lifelong partners, so it’s natural for us to live together.”
Rong Heng grew even more puzzled. “Then why can’t my sister be my partner?”
“Of course not,” Yan Ya replied with a helpless sigh. “People who are related by blood can’t be partners, because… well, partners are meant to have children together.”
It was the simplest explanation she could give.
“Just like you and your sister were born from me, one day, when you grow up, you’ll each find your own partner, start your own families, and have your own children.”
Rong Heng furrowed his brows tightly. Yan Ya’s explanation was hard for him to grasp—he had never lived in a normal society and hadn’t received any lessons about these topics.
“Do you have to have children?” he asked.
Yan Ya looked into his confused eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then shared her honest thoughts. “Having children is a painful and risky process.”
For ordinary people, artificial wombs could be used, but for beast-blooded humans, only natural childbirth through the mother’s body was possible—a challenge that science had yet to overcome.
Both her children were beast-blooded and possessed great strength. The stronger the individual, the more difficult and dangerous childbirth could be.
Yan Ya gently stroked Rong Heng’s face and said softly, “Whether or not to have children is a decision you can make when you grow up. Whatever you decide, your dad and I will always support you.”
Rong Heng’s young face showed rare signs of struggle. He looked at Yan Ya and, after a moment of thought, asked, “Did you and Dad go through a lot of pain and danger to have me and my sister?”
Yan Ya’s eyes immediately reddened.
She hadn’t expected Rong Heng to focus on this point first. How could this child be so thoughtful?
As Yan Ya’s heart ached for him, Rong Heng noticed her red eyes and assumed she was remembering the pain of giving birth to him and his sister. Feeling flustered, he stammered, “I-I’m sorry, Mom…”
“There’s no need to apologize,” Yan Ya shook her head. Her emotions had stabilized significantly since she first came to the nursery, and she no longer broke down in front of her children.
She took a deep breath and, after calming herself, looked at Rong Heng with deep affection. “I’ve never regretted choosing to have you and your sister. I only regret not protecting you both better and letting you suffer so much.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Rong Heng said. “It was the bad people’s fault.”
Li Sinian had already told Rong Heng everything about what had happened, including how he and his sister were abducted for experiments as cryogenic subjects.
Yan Ya nodded. “I’m glad you think that way.”
Then Rong Heng asked, “So… does living with someone of a different gender always result in having children?”
Looking at his innocent and naive expression, Yan Ya paused, then answered honestly, “Not immediately. That only happens when you grow a bit older…”
She was still pondering how to explain that boys and girls shouldn’t live together even without having children when Rong Heng spoke up.
“Alright, I understand.”
He nodded and sighed. “Then my sister can live with Xue Wei. They’re both girls, so it’s fine for them to live together.”
Yan Ya felt a wave of relief. She wasn’t sure what had caused Rong Heng to suddenly accept this, but the fact that he was willing to take this first step was already progress. The rest could be taught slowly over time.
“Even if you’re not in the same room, you’ll still be in the nursery together. You won’t be apart,” Yan Ya reassured him. “During the day, you can always play together.”
“Mm…” Rong Heng nodded, though his spirits were still a bit low.
“Let’s go back and eat,” Yan Ya suggested. “After dinner, we can move your things.”
“Okay.”
After dinner, Rong Heng carried Ika’s dinner to the pool to find him.
While Rong Heng was away, the little mermaid hadn’t been idle. He practiced swimming and holding his breath, diving underwater and staying submerged until he couldn’t hold his breath anymore.
To his surprise, he discovered that with practice, he could hold his breath for longer periods. This realization brightened his mood slightly.
When he heard Rong Heng’s footsteps, Ika stopped practicing and swam up from below. Wet and glistening, he broke through the water’s surface, resting on the pool’s edge with an expectant look on his face as he gazed at Rong Heng.
Rong Heng paused mid-step. His earlier frustration over Little Li Hua moving out vanished when faced with Ika’s bright, trusting, and joyful blue eyes.
The reason he had agreed to let his sister move out was, in fact, because of Ika.
When his mom was explaining things to him, Rong Heng realized the situation wasn’t appropriate. Though he cherished Ika as a childhood friend, he wasn’t at the point of wanting Ika to live with his precious little sister—especially if it meant the possibility of having children together.
Even without having children, living with a member of the opposite gender was something only suitable for lifelong partners.
That was a serious, life-long decision. He couldn’t let his sister make such a choice lightly!
Besides, Ika was so beautiful, and Little Li Hua had no resistance to attractive things. If they lived together and she fell for him, what if she decided to have children with him?
Their mom had made it clear—having children was a dangerous and painful experience!
Rong Heng couldn’t bear the thought of his beloved sister suffering even the slightest bit.
On the way to deliver Ika’s dinner, Rong Heng couldn’t help but wonder: Did Ika insist on living with him because of Little Li Hua? But he quickly dismissed the thought.
After all, Ika had just arrived at the nursery. How could he know Rong Heng and his sister lived together?
Even so, the thought didn’t cheer him up.
However, his frustration slowly melted away when he met Ika’s eyes.
The simplest solution would be to say no to Ika living in his room, but… he couldn’t bring himself to disappoint him. That meant the problem lay with himself.
“Little Li Hua agreed, so we can live together,” Rong Heng said.
Ika’s face immediately lit up. He clapped his tail excitedly and said in his clear, melodious voice, “ Sister is the best!”
Rong Heng frowned warily at him. “She’s my sister.”
“Mm!” The boy nodded enthusiastically, his voice full of warmth. “And Yang Yang is the best!”
Rong Heng: “…”
That wasn’t the point.
Ignoring the faint heat rising in his ears, he placed the dinner tray in front of Ika and said, “Eat first, or it’ll get cold.”
Ika nodded but rested his chin in his hands, staring at Rong Heng expectantly.
Rong Heng tilted his head in confusion. “Why aren’t you eating?”
“Aren’t you going to feed me?” Ika replied, flashing him a sweet smile.
Rong Heng wanted to refuse. Earlier, he had fed Ika because he was disoriented and couldn’t manage on his own. Now that Ika was alert and could speak normally, surely he could feed himself!
But under the little mermaid’s increasingly pitiful gaze, Rong Heng sighed in defeat, picked up the bowl, and began feeding him again.
As Ika ate, his cheeks puffed adorably, and Rong Heng couldn’t help but comment while feeding him, “Even my sister feeds herself now.”
“Oh, wow! Your sister is amazing!”
Ika praised her while absentmindedly opening his mouth to take the spoonful of food Rong Heng brought to his lips. His face glowed with satisfaction as he ate.
Rong Heng: “…”
