Chapter 473: It's a rare relief to leave now
Shen Hanxing paused holding the phone, his eyes sweeping over the two little guys making a mess in the living room.
Xunxun is putting a dinosaur toy on Qi Moxun's shoulders and playing the role of "dinosaur knight".
Chengcheng squatted on the carpet, painting large areas of blue on the drawing paper with a colored pencil, saying that he wanted to paint the sea of Country L.
The sunlight shone through the gauze curtains onto them, like a soft halo. This was the peace and stability she had been longing for for a long time, and she was reluctant to break it easily.
"Bringing a child...wouldn't it be too much trouble?"
There was a hint of hesitation in Chen Hanxing's voice. "It takes more than ten hours to fly to Country L. Xunxun and Chengcheng are still young. I'm worried they won't be able to acclimate to the local climate."
Han Lingcui smiled on the other end of the phone, her tone filled with excited anticipation.
"I checked. The hotel the organizing committee arranged has family suites. There's a children's playground downstairs. Plus, Country L isn't too cold or too hot this season, so it's perfect for taking children out."
"Besides, think about it, Xunxun has always wanted to see the real ocean, and Chengcheng always said he wanted to paint the scenery of different countries. This is a rare opportunity."
Before Shen Hanxing could reply, Qi Moxun's voice suddenly came from behind her. He had put down the "Dinosaur Knight" on his shoulder, walked over to her, and gently pressed her shoulder with his hand.
"Go if you want to. Children should see more of the outside world."
When Xunxun heard the words "the world outside", she immediately dropped her toys and came over, looking up at the corner of Shen Hanxing's clothes.
"Mom, are we going to a place with an ocean? Are there any jumping fish in Country L that Aunt Han mentioned?"
Chengcheng also stopped painting and trotted to the other side of Shen Hanxing, holding up the drawing paper.
"I can draw houses in Country L and ships in the sea!"
Looking at the two children's sparkling eyes, Shen Hanxing's hesitation gradually dissipated.
Qi Moxun took the phone from her hand and whispered into the receiver.
"Please pay more attention to the itinerary related to the competition. I will arrange the details of the trip and ensure that you and your child will not suffer any injustice."
After hanging up the phone, Qi Moxun rubbed Xunxun's hair.
"Tomorrow Daddy will take you to buy a new small suitcase, okay? Xunxun can put the dinosaur stuffed animal in it, and Chengcheng can also put your sketchbook and crayons in it."
"Yeah!"
The two children ran away cheering, and the living room became lively again.
Shen Hanxing turned around, looked at the tenderness in Qi Moxun's eyes, and said softly.
"Actually, I'm afraid... I've just settled down and I'm going out again. What if something happens again..."
Qi Moxun reached out and held her in his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"The case has been closed. Fu Jingheng can't make any trouble. Xuanyuan Pavilion has also said that they will help keep an eye on it. No one will bother us again."
"Just think of it as taking the kids on a trip this time, and accompanying Lingcui to participate in the competition. Don't worry."
His words were like a reassurance, Shen Hanxing leaned in his arms and nodded gently.
…
For the next two days, the Qi family's living room was again filled with luggage half a person's height.
Xunxun insisted on packing the dinosaur dolls by herself, and stuffed three dinosaurs of different sizes into the small suitcase. As a result, she couldn't close the lid and stamped her feet in frustration.
Chengcheng put small stickers he drew on each luggage bag, including the sun, a boat, and the crooked words "Xunxun" and "Chengcheng".
The afternoon before departure, the doorbell rang.
Shen Hanxing opened the door and saw Xuanyuan Ge standing at the door, holding two exquisite small boxes in his hands.
He was wearing casual clothes, less serious than usual and more gentle.
"I heard you're going to take Xunxun to Country L?"
Xuanyuan Ge walked into the living room and his eyes fell on Xunxun who was talking to a dinosaur toy, and a hint of tenderness flashed in his eyes.
"These are for the children. The seaside in Country L is very windy, so these two small ponchos are windproof, and this sun hat is also made of lightweight materials."
Shen Hanxing took the box and thanked him softly.
Xuanyuan Ge didn't stay long, but just walked to Xunxun, squatted down, and looked at the dinosaur in his hand.
"When we get to the beach, you can ask Auntie Han to draw you a picture of a dinosaur on the beach and show it to me when you come back, okay?"
Xunxun blinked and said, "Okay."
Xuanyuan Ge smiled, reached out to touch his head, then gently withdrew his hand and turned to speak to Shen Hanxing and Qi Moxun.
"Be careful on the road, and feel free to contact me if anything happens."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Looking at his back, Shen Hanxing whispered to Qi Moxun: "He seems to have really changed."
Qi Moxun nodded: "People always change, especially in front of the people they really care about."
The next morning, the group met at the airport.
Han Lingcui was wearing a simple white dress and holding a drawing tube containing sketches for the competition.
Seeing Xunxun and Chengcheng, she immediately walked over with a smile and took out two small badges from her bag.
"Look, this is the little dolphin badge from Country L. Pin it on your clothes."
Xunxun happily pinned the badge on her chest, while Chengcheng carefully put it into her small pocket, saying that she would draw it in her album.
When going through security, Xunxun held her small suitcase tightly, fearing that someone would take it by mistake.
The security officer asked him with a smile what was inside, and he raised his little face and spoke loudly.
"It's my army of dinosaurs! They're going to see the ocean!"
This made everyone around laugh.
For a flight of more than ten hours, Qi Moxun specially booked a business class ticket. The seats were spacious and the children could play in the empty seats next to them.
Xunxun was looking at the clouds outside the window excitedly at first, but soon she fell asleep in Shen Hanxing's arms, still holding the little dolphin badge in her hand.
Chengcheng sat quietly beside Han Lingcui, holding a picture album and painting the clouds outside the window.
Han Lingcui would occasionally lower his head to help him adjust the angle of the brush.
Qi Moxun sat next to Shen Hanxing, watching her gently pat Xunxun's back, his eyes full of tenderness.
He took out a small blanket from his bag, covered Xunxun with it, and whispered to Shen Hanxing.
"Get some sleep. You'll still have to deal with the jet lag when you get to Country L."
Shen Hanxing shook her head and held his hand.
"I'm not sleepy. Looking at you makes me feel at peace."
When we arrived in Country L, it was already afternoon there.
As I walked out of the airport, a breeze with the scent of sea water blew in my face, warm and fresh.
The car arranged by the organizing committee had been waiting outside for a long time. The driver was a local young man who spoke fluent Chinese. He enthusiastically helped them carry their luggage and said with a smile.
"The sea here is so beautiful, and there are fireworks displays at night. The children will definitely love it."
The hotel was just as Han Lingcui had described, with an elegant environment. The parent-child suite had two small beds with little dolphin dolls on them.
As soon as Xunxun entered the room, she jumped onto the small bed and rolled around with her doll.
"Mom, the bed here is so soft!"
Chengcheng ran to the balcony, looked at the sea in the distance, and shouted excitedly.
"Auntie Han, look! It's the sea! It's really blue!"
Han Lingcui walked over, leaned on the railing with him, and said with a smile.
"After we finish registering for the competition tomorrow, let's go to the beach, okay?"
Shen Hanxing nodded. It was the first time in a long time that she felt so relaxed.
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