26
Chu Qinghuai encountered some problems with his cooperation with the orchard in S City. In order to ensure the smooth progress of the work, the people there said that he needed to be present in person. Therefore, he could not stay at home these days, and even when he went out, he was in a hurry.
Before leaving, he was very worried that Zhong Wan wouldn't be able to take care of the two children, and kept asking, "What will you do?"
Zhong Wan didn't think it was a big deal and laughed, "What do you mean, what should I do? I'm an adult. Do you think I can't take care of these kids? They'll be well-behaved. You go about your business and don't worry about us."
Chu Qinghuai looked worried and told the children, "Listen to your mother."
"Dad, where are you going?"
Little Mumu hugged his leg, smelling the scent of their impending separation, and was reluctant to let him go.
Chu Qinghuai explained, "I'm going to make some money, I'll be right back."
"Can I see you tonight?"
"I'm afraid not."
Chu Qinghuai told her that she would see him in three days at most, and Mu Mu's eyes turned red with sadness.
The other little girl, Xiaohe, was even more dramatic when she heard that her father was leaving. She clung to him and said, "Daddy, take me with you. I'll help you with your work."
"No, children can't work. You should stay home."
Chu Qinghuai had no choice but to hold her in his arms and said earnestly, "Eat well and sleep well. I'll be back soon."
After hugging Xiaohe, he hugged Mumu and Caicai. Time had dragged on for a long time, so he had to leave and said his final goodbye at the door.
"Are you alright on your own?" Zhong Wan was the one who was most worried about her family.
Chu Qinghuai hadn't been on many business trips before, and the time he spent apart from Zhong Wan was less than a day. The thought of not being able to sleep in the same bed with her at night made him feel very uncomfortable.
"You're being a bit long-winded. Let's go. I'm sure I can handle it. The kids are so easy to take care of." Zhong Wan pushed him down the stairs.
Chu Qinghuai kept turning back to look at them, saying, "If all else fails, take them to the noodle shop. I've already spoken to Sister Lin and the others."
"Okay, okay, I know."
Zhong Wan waved to him, "Be careful on the road."
"..."
After seeing him off, Zhong Wan should think about what to have for lunch.
"Dad's not home, is there anything you want to eat?"
Although Chu Qinghuai usually cooks for the family, it doesn't mean Zhong Wan can't cook. It's just that she spends all day making cakes and doesn't want to touch anything related to work when she gets home.
She's off today, so it's a good opportunity for her to show off her cooking skills and make some delicious food for the children.
Zhong Wan sat on the sofa, three furry heads huddled up to her phone as she searched online for various meals suitable for children.
"Mom, what are you looking at?"
Xiao He rested her chin on her left forearm. She couldn't read, but she could appreciate the colorful pictures, so she asked, "Mommy, can we eat this little flower?"
She called all the colorful, unfamiliar things "flowers".
“Hmm—” Zhong Wan swiped the screen, “Let me take a look.”
Cai Cai sat on her lap, pointing with her little finger, "I want to eat this."
"What is that?"
Zhong Wan clicked on the spot he pointed to, zoomed in, and saw that it was instant noodles, the kind of deluxe instant noodles that looked delicious.
"Instant noodles."
She had heard before that kids love junk food and can quickly pick out instant noodles and fried chicken from a bunch of delicious options, and it turns out it's true.
Theoretically speaking, babies shouldn't eat instant noodles at this age, but practice is very different from theory. It's okay if they eat it once in a while, since they've never tried it before. At worst, we can just omit the seasoning and add more vegetables to the instant noodles.
At this point, Zhong Wan became much more lenient with the children's diet.
She asked Mumu and Xiaohe, "Do you want to eat it?"
Everyone nodded in agreement; children are always eager to try things they haven't tasted before.
"I'll make you instant noodles for lunch. I hope your dad won't be angry with me when he finds out."
"Yay!"
Cai Cai danced with joy; he was very happy.
-
Chu Qinghuai was very busy and only had time to video chat with Zhong Wan in the evening. He looked thinner on the screen. Zhong Wan pouted and said, "You've only been gone for two days. How come you've lost weight? Have you not been eating properly? Even Xiao He knows to eat more. How can you set a good example?"
The other person lay on the hotel bed, a smile spreading across their face, their eyes curving into small crescents. "I'm having some trouble adjusting to the new environment; the food here doesn't suit my taste."
"What should we do then? We can't just not eat anything."
"It's okay, I'll be back the day after tomorrow."
Zhong Wan promised him that she would cook for him herself.
"Sure, I'll wait."
Chu Qinghuai noticed that Zhong Wan was also lying alone in bed and asked curiously, "Why is it so quiet today? Where are the others?"
"I forgot to tell you." Zhong Wan adjusted her position and laughed twice. "The children aren't home; they went to stay at Sister Lin's house."
Chu Qinghuai raised an eyebrow: "You've been having so much fun and going crazy while I was away? You don't even want your own home anymore?"
"Sister Lin's son is on holiday. The three kids hadn't seen their older brother before, so they played with him all afternoon. When I went to pick them up, they didn't want to leave. Then Sister Lin suggested that they stay at her house. I have to go to the store early tomorrow morning to work overtime and won't have time to take care of them, so I'll just stay there."
Chu Qinghuai felt relieved and chuckled, "If you can't even sleep well at your own home, how can you expect to behave at someone else's house?"
"If I don't sleep well, Sister Lin will send me a message. At worst, I'll just pick them up and bring them back."
With the children not home and their chatter gone, Zhong Wan felt a little uneasy. She video-chatted with Chu Qinghuai for a long time until he was so tired he started yawning. She quickly said, "Go to sleep, get some rest. Buy some good food for us tomorrow, don't lose any more weight, you hear me?"
"Okay, you can go to sleep now."
"OK, goodnight, I'm hanging up."
"..."
Lin Jiang and Chen Yuzhen live a bit far from the noodle shop. Today, their son came home for the holidays and stayed there. It was the first time for the three children to visit, and they found everything fascinating.
Chen Yun is a high school student who lives in a dormitory. He can only come home once every two weeks. In the afternoon, he carried his luggage to the noodle shop. He had just entered the door with great interest when he found his parents playing enthusiastically with three little kids. He was so frightened that he thought his parents had secretly had a second child behind his back. He retreated to the door and then came back in.
"Did I go to the wrong place?"
"Xiaoyun's back? School got out early today. I was thinking of picking you up," Chen Yu said.
Chen Yun was speechless. School always ended at this time. He raised his chin and asked, "Where did this kid come from?"
The three of them looked like triplets, fair-skinned and tender, just like children on TV.
"Your Aunt Xiaowan and Uncle Qinghuai's family."
"Huh? When did they have a child that big?"
Lin Jiang told him not to make a fuss, "Don't ask too many questions, he's just a kid."
The three children were curious about the older brother standing in the store. Mumu cleverly asked, "Auntie, is this your child?"
"Yes, this is my older brother. This is the first time you've met him."
Mumu covered her mouth and laughed, "Auntie, your child is so big."
She thought it was a baby about the same age as herself.
Xiao He wasn't shy at all. She walked over to Chen Yun, circled around him, and made a cute expression that made Chen Yun unable to resist touching her face: "What's your name?"
"I am a little lotus flower."
Lin Jiang added from the side, "This is Aunt Xiaowan's youngest daughter, Xiaohe. The one who was just talking to you is her eldest daughter, Mumu, and this one..."
Cai Cai had already hidden behind her, but Chen Yu pulled him out and hugged him on her lap, laughing, "Why are you embarrassed? This is Cai Cai, the second baby."
Cai Cai was very shy. It was rare for him to see an older brother of the same gender as him. He wanted to play with him, but he was too embarrassed to say it.
When Zhong Wan came to pick up the children later, the three of them were already having a great time with Chen Yun and had no desire to go home. Zhong Wan pretended to say, "Then you can stay at your brother's house, and I'll go alone?"
They didn't agree, only saying, "Let's play a little longer, let's play a little longer."
Lin Jiang and Chen Yu tried their best to persuade them to stay: "Let them sleep here. It's rare for them to be so happy. You can come and pick them up tomorrow."
Zhong Wan was worried about disturbing Chen Yun: "It will disturb Xiao Yun. These three are disobedient at night."
Chen Yun didn't care at all, "It's okay, Aunt Xiaowan, they're quite fun, no trouble at all."
After much deliberation, and with the persuasion of the three, Zhong Wan decided to leave the child behind and go home alone.
It's quite relaxing not having to take care of the kids.
-
That evening, Mumu, Caicai, and Xiaohe were all bathed and smelled nice, lying in bed. Caicai had already developed a one-sided friendship with Chen Yun and was clamoring for a brother. Chen Yun even said, "How about letting him sleep in my room tonight?"
Lin Jiang disagreed: "Forget it, with your sleeping posture, don't kick Cai Cai off the bed again."
She asked Zhong Wan and found out it was almost bedtime for the children, so she sent her son back to his room and told him, "Go play by yourself, they need to sleep."
Chen Yun was happy to be free and went back to his room to play games on his phone.
The three children, not being at home, felt a little insecure in the unfamiliar environment. Xiao He nestled next to Mu Mu and whispered, "Sister."
"I miss my mom."
Mumu patted her back, just like Zhong Wan usually does, and said, "I miss my mom too."
Although their aunt's house is very big, they still prefer to sleep with their parents.
After the initial novelty wears off, the three children will probably never want to stay at someone else's house again.
The somber atmosphere arrived quickly, but fortunately, Zhong Wan had already guessed that they would miss home. While video chatting with Lin Jiang, she suggested, "Sister Lin, if they don't go to sleep, you can put on an episode of an animated film."
This is the trump card.
Lin Jiang listened attentively, and when Cai Cai couldn't hold back her tears, he immediately turned on the TV in the room and played the animated film that Zhong Wan had mentioned. As soon as the opening music started, he held back his tears.
Two minutes later, the three of them were huddled together against the pillows, covered with soft blankets, holding baby bottles, drinking and watching cartoons. Lin Jiang took a picture and showed it to Zhong Wan, who commented, "They really know how to enjoy themselves."
The cartoon acted like a lullaby; the more they watched, the sleepier they became. They smacked their lips on the straw, their eyelids drooping as if they couldn't keep them open. Finally, Xiaohe surrendered first, falling asleep on Caicai's shoulder and snoring softly. Meanwhile, Caicai, whose mood had returned to normal, suddenly became excited again, and without noticing, a small piece of green vegetable fell out and landed under her.
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