Chapter 190 Shen Qingyan: Just looking at him melts my heart.

Today, the little girl didn't comb her curly hair into three little buns as usual. Instead, she tied the part of her hair that covered her eyes into a single, upward-pointing bun.

The rest were casually draped over the shoulders.

Her hair was not only thick, but also curly and bouncy.

According to Yan Liti, her hair was naturally curly when she was a child, and she proudly stated that her granddaughter inherited this trait from her.

Now, her curly hair lies obediently on her shoulders, making her features appear even more delicate, like a Barbie doll.

Shen Qingyan felt her heart melt just looking at her.

He carefully sat down beside her, being careful not to crush her pile of toys.

"Shall I peel some chestnuts for you?" he asked softly.

Qiao Qiao glanced at the paper bag in his hand, her eyes lighting up.

She really liked the roasted chestnuts; they were sweeter and softer than the ones her third aunt used to cook for her at home, and they had an indescribable fragrance.

Seeing the little girl's eyes light up, Shen Qingyan knew she wanted to eat.

They immediately started peeling it.

Shen Qingyan had been carrying the chestnuts back in his arms ever since they were roasted, so they were still very hot, even a little scalding.

However, the heat had no effect on Shen Qingyan.

Shen Qingyan peeled off the outer shell by pressing the top, then picked off the sticky layer of skin, and only handed it to Qiao Qiao after making sure it was clean.

Qiao Qiao looked at the large hand extended in front of her.

This hand is different from Qiao Changdong's hand.

Although Qiao Changdong was from the countryside, he had rarely done farm work since he was a child, so his hands were not as rough and calloused as those of a typical farmer.

If you ignore his slightly tanned skin, you could say his hands are quite delicate.

And now, this hand is being extended towards Qiao Qiao.

Not only is it large, but it is also very rough. There is a thick, almost hardened callus at the junction of the thumb and forefinger.

Shen Qingyan watched as the little girl stared at his hand, neither taking it nor urging him, simply extending her hand.

Until the little girl said to him in her soft voice, "Break it into smaller pieces, one is too big."

Shen Qingyan quickly split it in two.

To Shen Qingyan's surprise, the little girl still didn't take it. Instead, she stretched out her fluffy little head, opened her little mouth, and let out an "ah".

This time, Shen Qingyan was stunned.

Until the little girl raised her long eyelashes, looked at him, and said matter-of-factly, "My hands are dirty, you feed me."

Shen Qingyan then seemed to wake from a dream, and almost flattered, fed the peeled chestnut meat to someone else.

The way she opened her little mouth, waiting to be fed, immediately reminded Shen Qingyan of a fledgling bird waiting to be fed.

His gaze softened even more.

However, he remembered what Qiao Xiaoyun said before she left, and only gave five to the little girl.

In order to feed him a few more bites, he deliberately broke a chestnut the size of an adult's thumb into ten equal parts.

"..." Qiao Qiao.

As she watched the meat being fed to her shrink smaller and smaller, her lips twitched.

Are you scattering millet to feed the chicks?

Although Shen Qingyan was reluctant to part with this rare opportunity to be close to his daughter, after feeding the little girl five chestnuts, he put away the paper bag and prepared to put the chestnuts back on the table.

But as soon as he stood up, he met the little girl's lingering gaze as she stared at his hand.

Qiao Qiao: "Chestnuts don't taste good when they're cold."

She said in a low voice.

Shen Qingyan immediately understood what the little girl meant. He opened the bag, peeled two more for her, and put them in her mouth before finally putting the bag down.

Fortunately, the girl didn't make things difficult for him this time, otherwise Shen Qingyan really wasn't sure if he could withstand the girl's gaze.

Shen Qingyan put down the bag, washed his hands again, and sat down next to the little girl. He didn't do anything but watch her play.

His usually cold and resolute gaze was now so gentle it was almost tender.

From receiving the letter to finding the person, and now being by the little girl's side, Shen Qingyan always felt a sense of unreality.

Sometimes he really felt like he was dreaming.

In particular, it is important to know that his encounter with Long Yijun, their falling in love, and their eventual separation were all like a dream.

That's a bit too fantastical.

What made it even harder for him to believe was that he actually had a daughter.

She was so small, yet so adorable.

It was such a small, pinkish-white blob that he could never get tired of looking at it, no matter how many times he saw it.

It's truly heartwarming to see it all at once.

Qiao Qiao could feel the focused gaze beside her. At first, she felt a little uncomfortable, but she quickly became engrossed in the fun of building Lego.

The airplane model looks difficult, but putting it together is even more difficult.

The model she's putting together now is a model airplane and an airport.

Qiao Qiao was having a hard time putting it together.

There was a part she couldn't spell no matter what she tried, so she had to ask the adults next to her for help.

Seeing the little girl's tiny finger poking his arm, Shen Qingyan smiled gently and was about to take the blueprints she handed him.

The phone in the living room suddenly rang.

Shen Qingyan frowned and could only coax the little girl, saying, "I'll go answer the phone first, okay?"

Qiao Qiao nodded obediently.

Shen Qingyan then got up and made a phone call.

Qiao Qiao glanced at the clock on the wall, thinking it should be time to go down for dinner, and then got up with her little bottom sticking out, and took her short legs to the bathroom to wash her hands.

But as soon as the other end answered the phone and said, "Hello, this is..." before Shen Qingyan could finish the sentence, he saw a small figure walking towards the bathroom without slippers. He almost immediately put down the phone and said to the person on the other end, "Wait a minute."

Then he jogged over, grabbed the fluffy bunny slippers from the ground with one hand, and stopped the little girl who was about to walk to the restroom with the other.

"You need to wear shoes," Shen Qingyan said gently, placing the shoes at the little girl's feet.

Qiao Qiao was wearing fleece-lined socks embroidered with cat heads, and with the room heated and blankets spread all over it, she was a little reluctant to wear slippers anymore.

With a pout, she protested sweetly, "I'm not cold."

"The bathroom floor is cold," Shen Qingyan said, then, remembering something, added, "I'll take you to wash your hands."

The bathroom counter was a bit high, and he was worried that the little girl wouldn't be able to reach it, or that she might bump into something where he couldn't see her.

In the end, Shen Qingyan simply put down the phone, led the reluctant little girl who had put on slippers to wash her hands, and then squatted at the door, holding a towel, carefully wiping her hands.

Each chubby finger was wiped with extreme care, as if it were handling some rare treasure.

The person on the other end of the phone: "..."