Xiaotu’s father froze, reached up to touch the stubble on his face, and then couldn’t help but chuckle.
Xiaotu’s mother walked up, and, upon seeing how her daughter was all dolled up, she smiled and said, “Well, well, Xiaotu appears prettier than usual today.”
“Of course, I put powder on.” Xiaotu gazed at her mother proudly as she boasted, “Auntie Zhou helped me put it on.”
“Yes, and I see she gave you a red dot as well.” Xiaotu’s mother said with a pleasant expression.
“Yes.” Xiaotu nodded happily.
“Xiaotu looks so gorgeous.” Xiaotu’s father was all smiles as he scooped up Xiaotu, placed her on his shoulders, and said in a low voice, “Let’s go! We’re going home.”
Xiaotu couldn’t do anything but giggle.
…
Three days after Xiaotu’s father had returned home, Cheng Zhiyan sat at his desk reading and doing his homework.
Even though his surroundings were quiet, for some inexplicable reason, he felt like he couldn’t concentrate.
He kept feeling that…something was missing…
Cheng Zhiyan spun his pencil in one hand, while his other hand propped up his chin. His eyes fell on the notebook on the desk. It had become densely filled with problem-solving steps without him even consciously realizing it, yet for some unfathomable reason, he felt as if these problems had never even crossed his mind.
“What exactly was wrong with him?”
Cheng Zhiyan turned his head to look out the window, and there was a chubby little pigeon sitting on the bare tree branch.
COO,COO,COO. The pigeon tilted its head and stared back at him.
It just seemed…too quiet…
It seemed as if his room hadn’t been this quiet for a long, long time.
Cheng Zhiyan suddenly snapped to attention. He’d just realized that the thing that was missing was Xiaotu, who normally followed behind him every day like a little chatterbox as she talked constantly. “Brother Orange Juice, Brother Orange Juice…”
His room suddenly felt too quiet.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! Out of the blue, there was the sound of knocking at his bedroom door.
“Xiaotu?” Cheng Zhiyan stood up, quickly walked to his door, and opened it.
“Yanyan, are you still doing your homework?” Zhou Yue stood at the door with a smile on her face. Yet, when she saw the disappointed expression on her son’s face, she couldn’t help but freeze for a moment. Then, she asked confusedly, “What’s the matter? You seem a little unhappy.”
“Nothing…” When Cheng Zhiyan had discovered that his mother was actually the one knocking on the door, he’d instantly felt a little disappointed.
He quietly turned around and returned to his desk. Then he picked up the pencil and went back to solving his math problems.
“Xiaotu’s mother has invited us over to her house for dinner tonight. You need to tidy up and get ready. Change your clothes. Obviously, you can’t wear your pajamas over there.”
Zhou Yue leaned against the door, and, upon seeing the smile that crept over her son’s face after hearing what she’d said, she asked abruptly, “Since Xiaotu hasn’t come here looking for you for the past few days, perhaps you’re starting to miss her a little bit?”
Cheng Zhiyan didn’t move at first. Slowly, he turned around to look at his mother and said, “Who would miss her? I’m smiling because this little rascal has been freeloading at our home for such a long time, and now we finally get the chance to go to her house.”
“Oh…” Zhou Yue turned around with a knowing look on her face, and she murmured in a low voice to herself as she started to walk away, “I thought only women said things they didn’t mean,…but it seems that men do this as well…”
“…” Cheng Zhiyan muttered, “What did you just say?”
“Oh, nothing.” Already halfway down the stairs, Zhou Yue waved her hand at him dismissively.