Her real name is Zhou Qiantong.
My aunt and grandfather both call her Tangtang.
My aunt and uncle's son, her cousin, is studying out of town. As a child, Tangtang often visited her aunt's house to play with him, but he always thought she was childish. Now that he's away studying, they rarely see each other anymore.
Because her parents have to move to another province for work, which is quite confidential, they have to leave Tangtang in City A, under the care of her aunt for a while.
My aunt works in a public institution and has to do housework after work. She has already become a middle-aged woman, with a lost figure and a aging complexion.
My uncle runs a publicly listed company. Even in his forties, he maintains a great figure, showing no signs of weight gain and looking like he's in his thirties.
When Tangtang was little, she would be shy around her uncle. Back then, he was tall and handsome, but now he exudes the air of a mature, adult man. I'd lived with my aunt before, but those stays were always short. Now I was set to stay permanently.
Tangtang packed her belongings and clothes, and moved in with only her aunt and uncle. Reluctantly, she moved in.
In the blink of an eye, she'd been living there for almost a year. Tangtang was already 17.
She'd assumed her parents would be back from work in about six months, but she hadn't expected to stay there for another two.
Thankfully, her aunt and uncle treated her like their own daughter, saying it didn't matter how long she stayed, as it was a good opportunity for them to keep her company and relieve her boredom.
Even though she was her aunt, she still had to be careful. Tangtang rarely entered their room.
One time, while helping her aunt find something, she noticed that they slept under separate blankets.
The little girl was still young and didn't understand what that meant.
It was natural for her aunt to be close to her, but her uncle was even closer.
She was in high school, and her studies were very intense.
Her uncle personally picked her up and dropped her off at school every morning and evening. After dropping her off at school, he'd go to the company.
The family had two drivers: one to take my uncle, and the other to take my aunt on family errands or to replace her.
She arrived at school much earlier than she did at work, so she could have taken the bus herself or had the driver pick her up, giving my uncle more time to rest.
But my uncle always went with her first.
Early in the morning, my aunt was still asleep, and the servants had already prepared breakfast.
My uncle sat at the head of the table, eating breakfast and reading the newspaper. Tangtang sat beside him, staring at him intently as she ate her breakfast.
Men of his age were very attractive, exuding a mature and relaxed air, with the authority of a superior, though he never displayed this to his family.
My uncle was very handsome in his youth, and his charm remained.
This was the only man she had ever been close to, besides her father. Tangtang was always drawn to men's mature charm, and even from a distance, she could almost feel their warm presence. After breakfast, Tangtang packed her schoolbag, took the lunch box packed by the servant, and rode to school with her uncle.
The driver was waiting early and opened the door for Tangtang. Tangtang climbed in first, followed by the man.
The car drove steadily through the quiet morning air.
In the back seat, her uncle carefully observed Tangtang to see if she was dressed and ready.
The 17-year-old girl was as tender as a flower bud, her face clean and fair without a trace of impurity.
Her neat bangs framed her smooth, shiny hair. Her skin was fair, and her hair, also light, fell softly over her shoulders. Her beautiful big eyes flickered, her nose was delicate, and her rosy, tender mouth was chubby.
She was as adorable as a doll, well-behaved and endearing.
"Are you sleepy?" the man asked in a deep, magnetic voice.
Tangtang shook her head.
"No." With her uncle by her side, she couldn't be sleepy at all. "Have you packed lunch? Did you bring milk and fruit?"
He bent down to check the girl's schoolbag, meticulously checking it as if it were his own daughter. Over the past year, their relationship, which had been somewhat distant at the beginning, had grown closer, like a father and daughter.
"I have," Tangtang recalled, searching her memory.
The car stopped at the school gate.
The man put the girl's schoolbag on her shoulder. "I'll pick you up after school tonight, okay?"
Tangtang looked at her uncle and nodded obediently.
"Okay, thank you, Uncle."
Because her uncle sat on the right side of the car, and the left side was a busy road, it was unsafe to open the door.
Tangtang always stepped over her uncle and exited through his side of the car.
The car was cramped, and Tangtang always faced her uncle head-on, slowly making her way out, or sometimes, accidentally, she'd sit on his lap before stepping out.
Each time, the man didn't shy away, letting the girl get out with difficulty.
The food must have been stained with her saliva, and the man ate it with relish.
After Tangtang was taken home, the servants had already left after finishing the meal. Auntie also returned from get off work early.
She invited them over for dinner.
The dinner was a feast, most of it Tangtang's favorites. Tangtang had lived there for a year, and the servants knew her preferences.
In the luxuriously decorated dining room, the three of them sat together for dinner.
Auntie asked Tangtang about her studies and school, and if she needed anything.
Auntie was the eldest in the family, followed by her father, then her third and fourth uncles.
She had loved visiting her aunt's house since she was little. She was very easygoing and especially kind to her.
Tangtang responded to her auntie's words as she ate.
"Why don't you eat the broccoli? It's so nutritious!"
Auntie looked at the broccoli she had sifted from Tangtang's bowl, several large, shiny green florets. "Such a good thing, but you don't want to eat it!"
Tangtang mumbled, swallowing the rice in her mouth.
"I don't like broccoli."
"What a waste!" Auntie said with a stern tone. "Give it to me," the man sitting at the head table said in a deep voice.
Tangtang was a little surprised and looked up at her uncle. He had changed into his home clothes, but his hair was still neatly combed, the way he wore it for work.
His face became more defined with age. My aunt said that women outside were trying every possible way to seduce my uncle, not only because of his wealth and status, but also because of his handsome looks and mature demeanor.
The older he gets, the more attractive he becomes.
Tangtang stared at the handsome man with infatuation.
My aunt smiled and said, "Your uncle is the best."
He never ate anything else; in all those years, I'd never seen him eat from her bowl.
It seemed he truly doted on Tangtang like his own daughter.
Tangtang lowered her head, her ears red as she passed all the broccoli in her bowl to her uncle.
She watched as her uncle took the broccoli, which she had so disdainfully tossed around with his chopsticks, and ate it. It was undoubtedly stained with her saliva, and he devoured it with relish. My aunt loved soup, so after a few mouthfuls of rice, she went to the kitchen to get some.
Tangtang picked at the dishes on the table, selecting only those she liked.
She tapped her large chopsticks against her small chopsticks.
"Don't be picky."
Tangtang raised her little face and looked at her uncle. His eyes were deep, filled with an inexplicable meaning.
"Open your mouth."
The man took a chopstickful of braised pork and fed it into her tender, rosy little mouth.
Tangtang's face visibly reddened as she slowly chewed the braised pork.
He fed her with his own chopsticks.
After she grew up, even her own father hadn't fed her, let alone with the chopsticks he was using.
My heart was pounding like a rabbit had been kicked.
The man looked at Tangtang, who lowered her head and ate the meat with her small mouth. Her tender, rosy mouth could barely contain the large piece of braised pork, her cheeks rosy and pale. She was so small, with tiny arms and legs, yet at only 17 she had grown into a graceful beauty.
The look in the man's eyes deepened.
After dinner, Tangtang showered and returned to her room to drink a glass of hot milk her aunt had warmed for her. She then put the cup in the kitchen and prepared to go to sleep.
She opened the door. The light in the living room was still on, but it was quiet, and no one was around.
They must have gone back to their rooms.
Tangtang went into the kitchen to wash the cup, and when she left, she ran into her uncle.
Tangtang obediently called him "Uncle."
She felt a warmth on her lips. The man's large hand caressed the girl's delicate lips, slowly wiping away the white beard from his mouth.
Tangtang stiffened, taking in the warmth of the man's hand and the scalding heat emanating from him, making her almost breathless.
"Aunt...Uncle?"
Seeing the white marks on his hand, she realized he was wiping the milk from her mouth. Even so, wiping her mouth with his own hands felt incredibly intimate.
Tangtang's face flushed, and she couldn't help but purse her lips, licking her lips with her tender, red tongue.
Looking at the girl, still fragrant from her bath, her fair skin and tender lips still hanging out, the man's expression was ambiguous.
In a low, hoarse voice, he asked, "Aren't you going to bed yet?"
"I'm almost there."
"Go to bed early, you have school tomorrow."
"Yeah, goodnight, uncle." Tangtang said goodnight to her uncle adorably and trotted into the room.
The man watched the girl walk into the room for a long time before returning.
Tangtang truly cared about her uncle.
Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, and her aunt and uncle drove her back to her grandfather's house.
Also returning were the families of her third and fourth uncles.
The third and fourth uncles were several years younger than her aunt, and their children were also younger, the youngest only in elementary school. The house was bustling with activity. The servants who cared for Grandpa had prepared a large table of dishes and given them red envelopes, asking them to go home for the holidays.
After dinner, everyone was bored. Fourth Uncle suggested playing mahjong.
There were so many people that could fit at one table.
My uncle had been sitting on the sofa watching the news on TV. Aside from Grandpa, my uncle was the oldest and most powerful.
Having been at the top for so long, he radiated an inner aura of authority, and the uncles wouldn't easily get involved in his presence.
They coaxed Tangtang into asking my uncle to play mahjong with them, hoping to win some money. After all, he was the richest man, and that was the fun part.
Tangtang, coaxed by her two uncles, walked over to my uncle.
"Uncle, I want to ask you to play mahjong," the little girl said, her voice muffled by the TV's noise, so the man couldn't hear clearly. "What?"
The girl leaned in close to the man, practically whispering in his ear.
"Uncle asked if you want to play mahjong."
A soft, fragrant scent filled her face. They all used the same shampoo and shower gel at home, so why did she smell so good?
The man looked at Tangtang deeply and replied in a low voice.
"Yes."
The little girl loved to join in the fun. She happily pulled her uncle's arm and walked towards the mahjong table.
The man looked at the delicate, white hand holding his and wanted to hold it in his palm.
There were originally four small families. The second brother and his wife were away. If all three families had one person, they still needed one. The fourth brother's wife decided to be enthusiastic and rolled up her sleeves to sit at the mahjong table with the three men.
The third brother had the biggest idea and wanted to play big.
The uncle didn't care about the small amount of money. Whatever they wanted, it was a holiday to have fun.
Seeing how happy they were, the aunt cut fruit for them in the kitchen.
Tangtang sat next to her uncle, holding his allowance. Third Aunt also sat next to Third Uncle, and the younger brothers and sisters joined in the fun, all gathered around their parents.
The old man sat in a wheelchair, watching them from the side.
When Uncle won, Tangtang collected the money for him. She quickly collected the money the uncles handed over, even asking for any she didn't give. She clutched the money tightly in her hand, afraid to drop it.
A man like Uncle excelled at everything he did. After winning several rounds in a row, Tangtang's face lit up with joy.
Sitting next to Uncle was like a warm and caring little girl.
In the following rounds, Uncle started to let her win. Because the bets were so high, the money in his hand gradually dwindled, and his face began to worry.
The man's big hand gently squeezed her tender little hand. Every holiday, the family would get together to play cards. Tangtang had already mastered the game, and she could tell that Uncle was deliberately letting her win.
The nervous little face relaxed, and she began to feed her uncle fruit.
Tangtang peeled a sweet and sour orange. She loved it, and she ate several in a short time. He peeled the orange in half, carefully removing the white pulp, and handed it to his uncle. He turned and took half the orange into Tangtang's tiny hand, his mouth so deep it engulfed Tangtang's thumb.
Tangtang's little hand immediately stiffened, still feeling the warmth of his lips and tongue.
"Tangtang really cares about her uncle. Raising her is truly worthwhile," Fourth Aunt teased, seeing Tangtang sitting obediently beside her uncle, collecting money and feeding her fruit.
Uncle chewed the fruit, his head tilted to look at Tangtang with a meaningful smile. The man's smile was a bit wicked,
and Tangtang's face flushed.