Chapter 289: The First Reach

Runze’s POV

The afternoon inside the nursery unfolds without a single sound from the outside world.

Weeks have slipped by quietly, and the changes in Siying are easy to see. The small baby who once needed constant holding has grown into an alert, bright-eyed infant, sitting independently on her padded mat with steady balance. Her chubby cheeks are round and pink, her features growing more striking and lovely with every passing day as she watches everything happening around her with sharp curiosity.

I sit on the floor beside the mat, my knees pulled up to support the sketchpad resting in my lap. My black pencil moves in short, clean strokes across the thick paper, blocking out the structural layout of a stair railing detail.

Siying sits upright on the large, padded surface, her little legs spread out for balance. She wears a soft ivory onesie, her round eyes, so full of life, locked onto a bright blue teething key resting near the far edge of the mat, just beyond her grasp. A fabric rattle and a squeaky rubber ring sit closer to her, entirely ignored.

Bael sits cross-legged on the floor just a few feet away, his long legs folded comfortably. He wears a chocolate cotton t-shirt that highlights his relaxed posture. His chin rests in his hand, his eyes fixed on Siying as she lets out a small, determined grunt.

"She is not looking at the rattle," Bael murmurs, leaning in slightly. "She wants the blue one."

"She has been staring at it for a long while," I say softly, keeping my pencil hovering just above the paper. "I placed it further away on purpose to see what she would do."

Siying sways slightly on her bottom, her tiny hands hovering over the mat. She reaches one arm out, her small fingers stretching as far as they can go, but the blue key remains out of reach.

Instead of whining or falling back onto her side, she plants both palms flat against the mat. She leans her upper body forward, her round little bottom lifting up into the air as she pushes herself onto her hands and knees.

She rocks back and forth on her tiny knees, her little toes digging into the surface. She lets out a huff, plants her right hand a few inches forward, and drags her left knee across the mat.

One step.

At that exact moment, Bael freezes. His shoulders tense, and he slowly lifts one hand to cover his mouth, his eyes widening in sharp, breathless focus as his gaze shifts between Siying and me.

My own breath catches in my throat. My hands fist tightly around the edges of my sketchpad, my heart thumping so loudly against my ribs I am almost convinced Siying will hear it. My knuckles turn white against the thick paper, every muscle in my body locking up in tense anticipation.

She wobbles, her little elbows shaking under her weight, but manages to stay on her hands and knees. She shifts forward again, dragging her other knee across the mat until her tiny fingers close around the plastic blue key.

"Young master, I brought the fresh—"

Mrs. Wen’s voice cuts off abruptly near the doorway as she walks into the nursery carrying a neat stack of folded baby clothes. Her mouth opens slightly, stopping dead in her tracks when she catches the final two movements of Siying’s clumsy crawl.

Siying grabs her prize, pulls it toward her chest, and sits right back down on her bottom. She looks down at the blue key clutched tightly in her fist, then throws her head back with a loud, breathless belly laugh.

The silence in the room instantly shatters.

I drop my pencil against the sketchpad, scrambling forward on my knees as a wide, helpless grin breaks across my face. "Bael! Bael, did you see that?! She crawled! I saw it!"

Bael doesn’t say a word at first. He just sits there with his shoulders tense, staring at Siying with wide eyes before a slow, disbelieving grin cuts across his face. He nods vigorously, his voice dropping into a breathless, shaky whisper. "I saw it too— She actually moved forward."

Mrs. Wen quickly sets the stack of folded clothes onto the dresser and turns toward the hallway, calling down the stairs toward the lower floor. "Madam, come quickly! The young miss just crawled to get her toy!"

From down the hall, the quick tap of Grandmother’s footsteps echoes against the floor. A second later, Grandmother hurries through the doorway, her silk tunic swaying slightly as she steps into the room, her expression softening into pure delight.

"What is all this noise?" Grandmother asks, though her gaze immediately settles on Siying, who is happily banging the blue key against her lap.

"Right in front of us!" I say, turning to Grandmother with a wide, helpless grin, completely unable to contain my excitement. "She pushed herself right up onto her knees and reached for it!"

Bael looks up from the mat, the disbelieving smile still on his face as he adds in a quieter, proud voice, "She moved forward three times on her own."

Grandmother walks over to the edge of the mat, bending down with practiced grace to look at Siying. She reaches out, her wrinkled hand gently stroking Siying’s fine hair. "A stubborn little thing, just like her father," she murmurs, her lips curving into a deep, affectionate smile. "Starting early, aren’t you, little one?"

Siying looks up at Grandmother, waving the blue key in the air and letting out another loud, squeaky laugh.

Bael scoots closer, sitting on the edge of the mat next to her, resting his forearm against his knee as he watches her play. "We need to clear the low table edges now," he says, his tone turning practical, though his eyes are still bright with excitement. "And get proper padding for the corners."

I watch Bael naturally step into the work of baby-proofing the house alongside Grandmother and Mrs. Wen.

Reaching down, I scoop Siying up into my arms, lifting her high into the air with a soft laugh. She kicks her little legs and lets out a bright, bubbling shriek of pure joy.

I catch her safely against my chest and press a kiss to her cheek. Across from me, Bael watches us with a smile I know I will remember long after this afternoon has passed.