Are you trying to get Dad scolded?

An-an turned back and saw the maid’s eyes were red. "Big Sister, why are you crying?"

The maid wiped her tears. "I just got some sand in my eyes."

An-an hesitated, afraid to approach the bathtub, her body trembling. But this was her father’s kindness; would he be sad if she refused? She lifted her leg to step into the tub, then pulled it back as if she had been electrocuted. She remembered Lin Aifang pushing her head into a water vat; the suffocating sensation was so terrifying, so unbearable.

The maid noticed An-an’s distress. Combining this with the scars on the child's body, she turned on the shower head instead. "An-an, do you not want to take a bath in the tub? It’s okay if you don't. I'll drain the water, and you can just shower."

An-an let out a sigh of relief. Her small, thin body was covered in scars.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. It was the family doctor’s voice: "May I come in now?"

The maid instructed An-an, "An-an, you go ahead and shower. I’ll be back in a moment."

The maid opened the door, her eyes still red, and closed it behind her. "Miss An-an has been abused. There are wounds and scars all over her body."

The family doctor frowned upon hearing this. "I understand. I will examine her once she has finished bathing."

An-an was wrapped in a soft, large towel by the maid, with only her delicate little face peeking out. She couldn't help but rub her cheek against the towel, saying contentedly, "It’s so soft. Big Sister, the towel feels like a big cloud."

The maid chuckled, though her heart ached. How could anyone have the heart to inflict such cruelty on such a lovely child?

Half an hour later, An-an, now medicated and bandaged, had fallen asleep. The doctor carried her medical kit downstairs. Shen Zhihan was sitting on the sofa, intently searching something on his phone. The doctor caught a glimpse and saw he was reading: "How to Raise a Daughter."

Shen Zhihan put his phone away, his expression frosty. "Well?"

"Miss An-an has quite a few scars. Some are fresh, and the wounds haven't fully healed. I’ve prescribed some ointment to be applied morning and night. Since she is young, they shouldn't leave permanent marks."

Shen Zhihan’s face grew even darker, and he signaled for Butler Liu to see her out. He gave orders: "Find a nanny for An-an. She must be gentle and approachable. Also, hire a chef who specializes in children's meals."

That same night, it was said that a thief broke into Lin Aifang’s house and broke both her legs.

Lin Aifang kept shouting that Shen Zhihan had sent people to hurt her, but when she called the police, she had no evidence whatsoever. She didn't know that if it weren't for the fact that he wanted to be a proper father to An-an and had promised to watch her grow up, Shen Zhihan would have already had her killed.

An-an had once said that killing people is not what good children do.

While Lin Aifang suffered in misery, the other villagers were jubilant, as if celebrating a festival. Shen Zhihan had truly sent people to invest in Pear Blossom Village.

An-an slept until the sun was high in the sky. Shen Zhihan had sent someone to check on her three times, terrified that she might stop breathing in her sleep. She was so small and fragile that he constantly feared she might just fade away.

It was rare for An-an to sleep so soundly. She had long suffered from sleep deprivation, forced to do chores until late at night while other children were fast asleep. At the crack of dawn, she would be dragged up by Lin Aifang to cut pig grass and cook slop. The soft bedding and the sleep-inducing incense made it all feel like a dream—a dream she didn't want to wake from, for fear that upon waking, she would be back in Pear Blossom Village, enduring Lin Aifang’s beatings.

Shen Zhihan checked his watch; it was already ten o’clock in the morning. This time, he went to check on her himself. The little girl was a tiny lump under the covers; if not for the slight rise in the blanket, one wouldn't even know someone was there.

He walked in on tiptoe and sat by the bedside, watching An-an’s sleeping face. Subconsciously, he reached out to check her breath and finally let out a sigh of relief.

Just then, An-an murmured in her sleep, "No, don't hit An-an. An-an is being good."

Shen Zhihan’s large hand hesitated before clumsily touching her forehead. He whispered comfortingly, "An-an, don't be afraid. Daddy is here."

Hearing that familiar voice, An-an opened her eyes, tears still clinging to her lashes. She asked, dazed, "Daddy?"

"Yes," Shen Zhihan replied. He pressed a button by the bed, and the automatic curtains slowly parted, leaving only a layer of sheer fabric.

White light filtered through the sheer curtains, and An-an realized how late it was. She scrambled up, looking as if she had done something wrong, and lowered her head before him. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I woke up late."

Shen Zhihan’s voice was calm. "You don't need to say sorry. From now on, this is your home. You can wake up whenever you want."

"But Daddy, An-an wants to wake up early to make breakfast for you. Daddy, An-an knows how to cook; An-an can fry eggs."

Shen Zhihan looked at An-an’s small hands. At her age, they should have been fair and tender, but instead, they were covered in various scars. He reached out to her. "Alright, I'll wait until you grow up to cook for me. You're so small—if you cook for me now, people will scold me. They'll say I’m not a good father—that I don't even cook for my daughter, and instead, I make her cook for me. Do you want people to scold Daddy?"

No one had ever spoken to her like this; it completely refreshed her understanding of the world. An-an’s eyes widened. "No! You are the best father in the world. You are the best, not a bad father. An-an won't cook. An-an doesn't want people to talk badly about you."

She would never allow anyone to say a single bad word about Shen Zhihan.

A smile touched Shen Zhihan’s lips. As it turned out, children were easy to coax. He thought of Xia Jing; no matter how expensive the gifts he bought, she never saw him.

Shen Zhihan picked An-an up and took her to brush her teeth. Once she was finished, he placed her in the walk-in closet and let her choose her own clothes. Soon, An-an emerged, dressed neatly in a white T-shirt with a pineapple pattern and light blue overalls. She looked impossibly adorable.

Shen Zhihan’s fingers itched, and he finally couldn't resist taking out his phone. "An-an, let me take a few pictures of you."

"Okay!" An-an stood there cooperatively, tilting her head slightly, her soft hair falling around her face as she raised her hands to make a peace sign.

Shen Zhihan kept clicking the shutter, suppressing a smile, and reached out to her. "Let's go downstairs for breakfast."

An-an held onto three of his fingers, and the two of them—one large, one small—went downstairs.

In the living room, two nannies were waiting. After Butler Liu had screened the candidates, he left these two for An-an to make the final choice. Both were similar in age, young, multilingual, trained in child psychology, and skilled in basic pediatric first aid. They were both beautiful and had approachable smiles.

Shen Zhihan didn't just want nannies to look after An-an; he needed them to play and practice with her. In the future, An-an would surely need to learn piano, swimming, dancing, horseback riding, golf, and tennis. Her studies also needed to be on the agenda. He wanted nannies who were "ten-skill" experts—proficient in everything.

Money made things easy. After An-an went to sleep, Butler Liu hadn't rested; he worked with great enthusiasm, spending the night weeding out thousands of resumes online and interviewing over a hundred applicants to finally select these two.