Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Yan Yan, who’d been standing at the bottom of the stairs blushing profusely as Xiaotu clung to him for dear life, looked toward his mother for help with pleading eyes.
AHEM! AHEM! “Uh, Xiaotu…” Her mother laughed a little awkwardly and once again tried to reason with Xiaotu as she said, “In order to marry someone, you have to wait until you’re of legal age. You’re still way too young right now, so it’s impossible for you to become Brother Orange Juice’s wife.”
“…”
As Xiaotu only had three years’ worth of life experience, she of course had no idea that there was an age limit in order to become someone’s wife. According to what her mother had just said, it must mean that she couldn’t become Brother Orange Juice’s wife.
“Didn’t that mean she couldn’t stay over at Brother Orange Juice’s house after all?”
As soon as she’d realized the truth of this, her little nose wrinkled, and large pea-sized tears started streaming down her face. “I don’t care! I want to become Brother Orange Juice’s wife no matter what. I want to stay over no matter what! I don’t want to go home no matter what. I want to play with Brother Orange Juice no matter what.”
Upon hearing her start to wail, Cheng Zhiyan looked down at her with a helpless expression on his face. Although she was a tiny little girl, in a matter of seconds there were torrents of tears running down her face. It was quite pitiful.
“All right, all right, stop crying. Xiaotu, here… Why don’t I let you become Brother Orange Juice’s wife? How about that?” Cheng Zhiyan’s mother was obviously taken aback by Xiaotu’s wailing, and, seeing that she had no intention of stopping anytime soon, she’d decided to try a different approach.
“No matter what, they were still guests. She couldn’t let guests arrive in high spirits, yet leave in tears, could she?”
Upon hearing what Auntie Zhou had said, Xiaotu instantly ceased her crying. She sniffled, her large teary eyes blinked, her tiny mouth pouted, and she said to Cheng Zhiyan’s mother somewhat unwillingly, “But…but…you said I’m still too young. You said I can’t become Brother Orange Juice’s wife…”
“Uh…huh… Why don’t you try becoming his girlfriend first?” Cheng Zhiyan’s mother was surprised that Xiaotu still remembered everything that she’d said. She hesitated for a moment before finally proposing this compromise.
“What’s a girlfriend?” Xiaotu’s tiny hands still firmly gripped Cheng Zhiyan’s arm as she asked in a pitiful tone.
“A girlfriend is…someone who will become a wife in the future…” Cheng Zhiyan’s mother racked her brains trying to come up with an explanation for Xiaotu. “If you become his girlfriend, there won’t be an age limit…”
“Then does that mean I get to stay over here to bathe and sleep with Brother Orange Juice??” Xiaotu was concerned about this aspect the most.
“Uh…uh huh.” Deciding to bite the bullet, Cheng Zhiyan’s mother nodded.
“Xiaotu, Auntie Zhou has already agreed to let you sleep over tonight, so why don’t we first go home to change into pajamas and then come back?” Xiaotu’s mother had been thinking and had come up with this solution to coax Xiaotu into returning home. She planned on dealing with the other issues later.
Xiaotu tilted her head as she pondered over this a little. Finally, she nodded and released her hand from Cheng Zhiyan’s arm. Then she flung herself into her mother’s arms and exclaimed, “I want to wear my set of pink rabbit pajamas.”
“All right, let’s go back home to change into pajamas.” As she held Xiaotu in her arms, Xiaotu’s mother was relieved that she’d finally managed to coax her daughter into returning home. She quickly stood up, and after bidding adieu to Cheng Zhiyan’s mother, she promptly returned home.
After watching the mother and daughter leave, Cheng Zhiyan turned to his mother with a depressed expression on his face. “Mom…how could you sell me out so easily?”