Serenity woke up at the usual time.

This was simply part of their daily routine.

“Wifey, please sleep a bit longer. I’ll take Sonny to kindergarten today,” Zachary urged.

He was reluctant to let Serenity rise early to see Sonny off. As long as it was raining and the temperature had dropped slightly, he wanted his beloved wife to enjoy some extra rest.

Serenity, contemplating this, lay back down, pulled the quilt up, and said, “The quilt is still warm. That’s fine; you can take Sonny, and I’ll sleep a bit longer. Just go next door to wake him up and help him get dressed.”

“Okay,” Zachary replied, kissing her gently. “I’ll wake Sonny.”

Serenity returned the kiss and hummed softly.

Before long, Zachary changed his clothes, left their room, and headed to the next one.

Sonny was still fast asleep, sleeping soundly.

As Zachary approached the bed, he heard Sonny giggling and thought he was awake. “Sonny, time to get up,” he called.

It turned out Sonny was merely dreaming; he didn’t remember the dream, but he wore a joyful smile.

Seeing how adorable the little boy looked, Zachary hesitated to wake him. However, he still needed to get him to kindergarten.

He sat on the edge of the bed, gently patted Sonny’s cheek, and called out warmly, “Sonny, Sonny, it’s time to get up; we need to go to kindergarten.”

Sonny stirred awake.

He opened his eyes, glanced around, then shut them again and turned away from Zachary, murmuring, “Uncle, I don’t want to go to kindergarten. I want to sleep. Can you ask the teacher for a leave of absence for me?”

Zachary replied, “Your uncle wouldn’t dare do that. If your aunt finds out, she’ll scold me endlessly.”

With that, Zachary got up and helped Sonny find the clothes he wanted to wear.

He sat down on the bed, ready to assist him further.

edge of the bed once more and said warmly, “Winter vacation is just a few days away. Come on, I’ll help you get dressed.”

Zachary then asked, “Would you like some milk powder?”

Sonny rolled over to Zachary’s side, snuggling into his arms, and playfully said, “Uncle, I don’t want to go to kindergarten. Please ask for a day off for me, and tell my aunt that I’m not feeling well. I just want to drink milk powder.”

Sonny was still attached to milk. He needed to drink milk powder every morning and evening. While he didn’t consume much, it was essential for him. Even a few sips were sufficient. If he didn’t have some milk powder before bed, he wouldn’t sleep well and would wake up in the middle of the night demanding milk.

“If you tell her you’re unwell, your aunt will take you to the hospital to see a doctor. Once you go to the hospital, you’ll have to get dressed. Then your aunt will be even angrier. Not only will she scold you, but she’ll also blame me, and you’ll be in trouble. I can’t help you with that; I wouldn’t dare do something so risky. Besides, didn’t the teacher say that children should be honest? How could you lie to your teacher and your aunt?”

Sonny fell silent. He opened his eyes to look at Zachary and finally said, “A man as big as my uncle is still afraid of my aunt. My uncle is clearly much taller and stronger than my aunt, yet he still fears her.”

Zachary playfully grimaced and said, “Your uncle can’t argue with your aunt.”

Sonny replied, “Okay, that’s true.”

Zachary wasn’t as articulate as Serenity.

“Uncle, I need to p-e-e.” Zachary lifted him out of bed and helped him put on his slippers to head to the restroom.

After Sonny finished using the bathroom, he washed up and came out. Zachary assisted him in changing clothes and said as he helped him dress, “It rained today, and the temperature is going to drop. Make sure to wear warmer clothes.” Sonny replied, “It’s raining; no wonder it feels so cold. Uncle, look at how chilly it is—I could go to kindergarten for the first time!” Zachary playfully pinched his nose and said, “It’s not snowing heavily. If there’s a heavy snowfall and the roads get blocked, you won’t have to go to kindergarten.” Sonny then asked, “Uncle, when will it snow heavily?”