Chapter 50: Berry, a child who is easy to please

On the first day when her brother was not at home, Meiguo was as depressed as a wilted fruit. She stood on the sofa with her whole body leaning against the window, staring out longingly. Her little back looked a little bleak and desolate.

Qiao Tong stood by the door and called her, "Guoguo, Aunt Luo said she wants to make strawberry cake. Do you want to come and help?"

"No." The child, with his back to her, said in a muffled voice, "I want to wait for my brother to come home here."

Feng Ci was not at home, and separation anxiety made Meiguo lose most of her interest in anything in the outside world.

Seeing the good relationship between the brother and sister, Qiao Tong was both relieved and a little jealous. She wondered if Guoguo would think of her the same way if she went on a long trip and couldn't come back one day.

Qiao Tong: "Baby, brother will be back tonight." She walked over to Meiguo and touched her head lovingly. "Brother will definitely be surprised and happy to eat the strawberry cake made by Guoguo."

Berry slowly looked up, pouted, and whispered, "But brother doesn't like cake."

"So what does he like to eat?"

"He loves snacks," Berry puffed up her cheeks and complained, "He likes to hide and eat snacks secretly, never sharing any with me."

As a three-year-old child, eating, drinking and having fun are her few joys. Adults want to share her happiness. How greedy!

Qiao Tong spoke well of Feng Ci: "Brother is also worried that you might get angry and hurt your throat again."

Meiguo curled her lips, not being fooled. There was resentment hidden in the child's big, round eyes:

"No, mom, my brother learned this from you and dad. You all hide from me when I eat delicious food."

My brother wasn’t that smart before. He never ate secretly but always ate in front of others.

Meiguo was still upset about her parents secretly going out to eat fried skewers.

"..." Qiao Tong laughed dryly and was at a loss for words.

"Well, how about we make dumplings?" Qiao Tong tried to change the subject. "Your brother has been eating dumplings and wontons since he was a child. We'll make them and send them to him at noon so you can see your brother."

Berry's eyes lit up: "Okay."

Handicraft activities can not only exercise children's hands-on ability, but also consume their vigorous energy. Qiao Tong asked Meiguo to participate in the dumpling-making activity in order to distract her attention and tell her not to wait like a watchdog.

Aunt Luo is a good dumpling-maker. In the past, Fengci’s refrigerator was filled with assembly-line quick-frozen dumplings. They were not bad, but they were definitely not delicious either.

Since Aunt Luo came, she has been responsible for making all the dumplings in the house, with all kinds of flavors.

The dumplings made by Aunt Luo have thin skin and large fillings. The folds are evenly and beautifully pinched, and they look like standard gold ingots when placed there.

Meiguo stood on a small stool, wearing a little yellow duck apron, and used all her strength to toss the dough, making a dull banging sound on the table.

The flour sprinkled on the table to prevent stickiness flew all over her face, and her head and body seemed to be sprinkled with fine snow, like a cute little princess playing snowballs in the snow. Qiao Tong couldn't help but pick up her mobile phone to record this scene.

Meiguo was so tired after shaking it for a while that she was out of breath. Aunt Luo took the dough and quickly divided it into small pieces and rolled it out.

Meiguo followed suit and made a bunch of strange dumplings.

"Guoguo's dumplings are so good." Aunt Luo praised without blushing. "Next time, Auntie, bring some embossing molds. The shapes will be even more beautiful. What pattern do you like, Guoguo?"

Berry raised her head and said, "I want to seal the rabbit pattern. I want to make dumplings in the shape of a rabbit."

Aunt Luo smiled and agreed: "Okay, I'll look for it later."

"Baby, Aunt Luo made more stuffing. We'll put some in later." Afraid the child would overthink it, Qiao Tong explained, "Brother has a big appetite, so he needs to eat more."

"Okay, Mom."

Meiguo wanted to give Feng Ci a big surprise, so she made dumplings for him without telling him.

Meiguo turned on her phone watch and her voice was clear and loud: [Brother, I'm here to see you, please come out quickly]

Just finished half a day of military training, walking back to the dormitory:

【Why did you come to see me? 】

【I'll give you something delicious.】

All new freshmen at University A need to participate in a one-month military training. It was the scorching summer heat, and Feng Ci's legs were numb after standing in military posture for a whole morning.

The footsteps that were originally heading straight for the dormitory changed direction without hesitation the next second.

At the school gate.

Feng Ci opened the car door, bent down and stuck his head in. The cool air relaxed his pores and he felt alive again.

"elder brother?"

When Meiguo first saw Feng Ci wearing camouflage clothes, he was so handsome that she could hardly recognize him.

Feng Ci nodded his chin lightly, his voice lazy: "Hmm? Go ahead."

Oh, it's her brother.

Meiguo jumped out of the car, stared at Feng Ci carefully for a while with wide eyes, and criticized him: "Brother, why did you come out without washing your face?"

"?" The child's words pierced Feng Ci's heart. He gritted his teeth and said, "Who doesn't want to wash? I still use the facial cleanser my mother gave me, okay?"

Berry was suspicious: "But there's black mud on your face."

The poor freshman who had been in the sun all morning: "...I just got a tan."

"Oh." Berry asked concernedly, "Have you brushed your teeth?"

Feng Ci pressed his temples: "Swish it up, swish it up, didn't you want to give me something delicious? Give it to me."

The freshman, who was concerned about his reputation, just wanted to send the brat away quickly. Meiguo giggled and casually extended her hand, "Brother, please look."

Feng Ci felt his palms warm, and when he looked down, he saw a disposable lunch box filled with dumplings stuffed in his palms.

Feng Ci raised his eyebrows: "Is this the delicious food you want to give me?"

"Yeah, eat it quickly." Berry urged.

Feng Ci shifted his gaze from the lunch box to the child.

Meiguo didn't say anything. Blingbling's big eyes were full of confidence in her own cooking skills. She felt that her brother would be able to recognize that the dumplings were made by her.

As expected, Feng Ci recognized it. He picked out the ugly, sticking-out dumpling buried in the middle and asked, "Did you make this?"

Meiguo nodded vigorously, holding up a finger shyly and proudly. "I'm awesome, right? I learned it in one try."

She stared at him without blinking, her hair standing straight up, waiting to be praised.

Feng Ci snorted and laughed, having perfectly misunderstood. He quickly and accurately used the chopsticks in his hand to open the dumplings and rummage through the stuffing.

"Let me see what's inside the dumplings."

"Yes, he even knew I liked the one with cabbage and pork filling, so he used it specifically to confuse me."

Berry was petrified, watching her beloved dumplings being ruined by Feng Ci, and a little flame suddenly rose up.

Feng Ci was confident of victory, and his face still had an expression of seeing through everything. After searching for a long time, he found that the dumplings were either cabbage or pork.

Impossible, that doesn't make sense. He sat up straight and said, "Did you add magic potion or juice from magical plants, like the juice from the Qiqi flower, into the dumplings?"

Berry, whose anger level soared to 100, said: "I don't have any."

Feng Ci chuckled, then calmly picked up the milk tea beside him and took a big sip.

Berry's anger value instantly soared to one thousand. He jumped up and hit Feng Ci's stomach with his head like a little wild boar.

"Puff." Feng Ci was caught off guard, and the pearls and milk tea splashed all over Berry's head.

“…”

The child blinked confusedly, his eyes gradually turned red, and his mouth pursed.

Feng Ci's eyelids twitched: "Guoguo, don't—"

"Mother!"

The earth-shaking cries of the human cub echoed throughout the school gate, causing passers-by to look back frequently.

Qiao Tong, who was sitting in the driver's seat, turned around and saw the incredible scene of berries being doused with a waterfall of milk tea.

Qiao Tong opened his mouth in confusion, with a question mark on his face.

Feng Ci: ...It’s about to end.

*

In the evening, there were only mother and daughter at the dinner table.

"Mom, I don't like the taste of this dumpling. Let's leave it for Dad."

The filling of the berry bun is only as big as the size of a little fingernail. When you take a bite, all you get is the skin. Of course, the taste is not good.

But it would be a shame to throw it away. After all, it is the child’s first time making dumplings and it is very memorable.

Qiao Tong nodded in agreement and picked out the dumplings from the bowl. Wen smiled and said, "If your father knew that these were dumplings you made yourself, he would be very happy. Let him eat them all and keep him happy for a while."

The mother and daughter made a happy decision.

When Feng Chen returned home, a plate of steaming dumplings was placed in front of him.

From then on, Feng Chen often received food from his daughter and wife. Sometimes it was the pear soup that Qiao Tong had failed to make, sometimes it was the buns that Meiguo had made at random, or the leftover scraps from the cake that Qiao Tong had made for Meiguo.

Feng Chen, who had been eating leftovers for half a month, cautiously suggested one day: "How about getting a dog?"

Berry was surprised: "Dad, you want to eat the dog's leftovers too? You're so greedy."

Feng Chen: “…”

Qiao Tong's eyes were indifferent: "Why, do you have any objections?"

"No, no." Feng Chen had a strong desire to survive, and he said quickly, "Xiao Ci has started school, and it's just you and your daughter at home. I was worried you'd be bored, so I mentioned it casually. You don't have to take it to heart."

Meiguo still felt sorry for her father: "Mom, I think we shouldn't keep a dog. If the dog eats the leftovers, Dad will have nothing to eat."

Feng Chen: ...Well, how can she not be considerate? My daughter is thinking about him all the time!

Leftovers are not rotten rice, there is nothing wrong with eating them, why are you being so pretentious like a grown man!

*

Meiguo was angry and didn't send a voice note to Fengci for two days. When Fengci was in his third year of high school, he would receive a voice note from the child after class every day.

[Brother, I let out a series of bubble farts. I put them in a bottle and brought them back for you to play with.]

[Brother, when will you come back? I miss you so much.]

[Can you hurry up? ]

Without Berry's voice message, Feng Ci felt empty and bloated inside.

He wanted to take some time to go home and apologize to Meiguo, but the military training was very intense, the time was tight and fragmented, so he could only wait until the weekend to go back.

It was a little after four in the morning, the moon was high in the sky, and a rustling sound was heard in the quiet bedroom.

"Mom, the moon is going out and the sun will be shining soon."

Meiguo sat up energetically, leaned over to Qiao Tong's ear and whispered, "Mom, let's go steal Dad and brother back."

Qiao Tong had been staying up late to draw the draft these days, and he was a little dazed. His voice was nasal: "Baby, they will come back on their own."

"Baby, are you awake?"

"No." Meiguo immediately fell down and snuggled into Qiao Tong's arms, "I still want to sleep with my mom."

Qiao Tong kissed Meiguo on the forehead and hugged the child tighter: "Baby, if you wake up, you can play by yourself for a while. You can call mommy when the sun comes out."

"Mom, don't you want to play?"

Qiao Tong didn't want to be a spoiler, so she agreed, "Yes."

Berry raised her head: "Then why don't you go out and play, Mom?"

Qiao Tong patted her daughter's back and continued with her eyes closed: "Because Mommy has to work, and your daddy has been busy with work lately and doesn't have much time to spend with me."

"Then mom, you should find a boyfriend."

Qiao Tong was stunned for a moment, then opened his eyes and said with a smile, "Then what about your father?"

The leaky little cotton-padded jacket said loudly: "Don't worry, Dad will stay at home to take care of me, you and your boyfriend can go out and play."

Qiao Tong was so happy that she woke up while laughing. Fortunately, Feng Chen was not there, otherwise his caring little cotton-padded jacket would become a leaky one, and who knows how he would cry.

She has been busy with work these days and has no time to take Berry out for a walk. Berry is probably bored at home.

Qiao Tong coaxed gently, "Then baby, can you stay asleep with mommy for a while longer? When it's daybreak, we can go shopping and go to the amusement park together."

Berry closed her eyes without saying anything: "Mom, I'm going to sleep."

Qiao Tong kept her word. After breakfast, she drove out with Meiguo. When they passed by Feng Ci's school, the mother and daughter got off and took a walk.

Meiguo looked at the fallen sycamore leaves scattered all over the ground, squatted down and picked up the greenest one. "Mom, this leaf is so young."

"Why did it fall?"

Falling leaves in summer is a natural metabolism. Large trees adapt to the high temperature environment by reducing the load by shedding leaves.

But Qiao Tong didn't explain it so complicatedly. She said, "Maybe it wanted to come down and play."

"No, because it is thirsty and wants to come down to drink water."

Meiguo took her little rabbit water cup from Qiao Tong, poured some water on Leaf, and said, "Little Leaf, drink more water. Drink enough water. Next time, you can make a little fish."

It was another moment of being moved by the innocence of children. Qiao Tong opened the memo on his phone and was about to write it down. The next second, Meiguo clasped her hands together and changed the subject:

"I like fat fish without bones. Come on!"

Qiao Tong: “…”

When the mother and daughter arrived at the entrance of the shopping mall, they happened to meet a mother and son who were talking. The child wanted to drink the soda in his mother's hand, but the mother refused to give it to him. The child pouted and was about to burst into tears.

Qiao Tong was walking by with Meiguo. Meiguo stopped to look at the soda in her mother's hand and said to the child seriously:

"This sweet water will dance in your mouth, sting your tongue, and make you cry." She puffed out her chest, "But when you grow up to be as old as me, you can drink it."

The sudden conversation disrupted the little kid's rhythm.

He was stunned for a moment, sucking his fingers with a mixture of confusion and curiosity: "Sister, how old are you?"

"I'm almost four."

"Are you in Gosling Park?"

"I don't need to go to Gosling Park." Berry said with an unfathomable expression, "I'm very capable."

"So, can you sing?"

"I can."

After Berry finished speaking, she didn't need anyone to urge her to show off her talent, shaking her little head and singing, "Oh, Mommy, delicious Mommy, Oh, Daddy, stinky Daddy~"

The child has her own tune. Qiao Tong doesn't know where she learned it from, or if she just made it up and sang it for no reason.

Qiao Tong pursed her lips and smiled happily. Meiguo noticed it and immediately stopped, holding her hot little face and looking at her: "Mom, are you laughing at me?"

"No, baby." Qiao Tong hurriedly explained, "Mom thinks you are cute and your singing is very creative. Mom likes it very much, so I smiled."

Meiguo heard that Qiao Tong was praising her, so she sang even harder and more enthusiastically.

*

I waited and waited, and finally the weekend came.

It was as if Feng Ci, who had escaped from a coal mine, brought a lot of snacks to Meiguo, and the entire shelf was almost empty.

The child accepted them without hesitation, picked up a bag of taro-flavored potato chips, and ordered fiercely, "Open it for me."

Feng Ci immediately took it over, wiped the child's hands with a wet wipe, and fed Meiguo a piece of it.

“Is it delicious?”

Berry crunched her teeth, raised her toes and glared at him: "Super delicious, I'm going to hit you too."

Feng Ci decisively lowered his head: "I'll ask you to spit it out, okay?"

Because of this sentence, he resisted the urge to not wash his hair for two days.

Meiguo glanced at him, then looked away lightly: "I don't want it."

"It's okay." Feng Ci said firmly, "Come on."

"I don't want it."

Feng Ci: "What else do you want to eat? I'll go buy it."

"I don't want to eat." Berry waved her hand, and a magic potion bottle appeared on the table out of thin air. "But I can buy you a drink."

Message:...

So, he has to devote himself to the little witch's cause again, right?