52
After some time, Chu Qinghuai's fruit shop began to take shape. The shop was basically completed, all the necessary permits were in order, and customers started coming to patronize his business, most of whom were customers he already knew.
His shop wasn't in a great location; you couldn't find it without careful searching. But his strength lay in the fact that in this industry, business is basically built on referrals from customers. As clever as Chu Qinghuai was, he used his trustworthy face to add many people on WeChat and pull them into a group. He would frequently post promotional activities in the group, making a fortune through high volume and low margins.
Just when his business seemed to be getting better and better, a tricky thing happened recently.
Now the children are all by his side, and he takes care of them every day. Naturally, the three children are very close to him. Although this father sometimes doesn't express his love and even says he's annoyed with them, the children know in their hearts that their father actually loves them very much.
One day, Chu Qinghuai had just finished handing over the goods to the delivery person, checking the quantity and price, and was bending down to sort the newly delivered fruit while the children were playing next to the cashier. Suddenly, Mumu came over, put one hand on the box, and grabbed her father's pants with the other. Chu Qinghuai thought she wanted to play with him, so he said, "Wait a bit, baby, Daddy will play with you after he's done with his work."
Mu Mu remained silent, her eyes fixed on his hands as he carefully arranged the round, golden oranges on the shelf.
"dad."
Chu Qinghuai didn't notice that her voice sounded strange at first.
"What's wrong, baby? Are you hungry or thirsty?"
"no."
"Does that mean you miss your mom?"
No, not exactly.
Mumu remained in one position, staring intently at Xiaochengzi, her lips pursed.
"Dad, could you please not bring the oranges in?"
Upon hearing the child's words, Chu Qinghuai almost thought he had misunderstood. He paused, unsure whether to put down or pick up the orange he was holding.
What does that mean?
He turned his head and saw his fair-skinned daughter with red eyes, clutching his clothes with extreme insecurity, as if she was so sad she could hardly breathe. "Daddy, I don't want you to sell the oranges." It made her feel like her father would sell her one day too.
She could sense through her spiritual energy that several varieties of oranges in the shop were sweeter and tastier than her original form, yet her father was going to sell them to others. Did that mean her father would also sell her?
Having been immersed in the fruit shop for so long, Mumu, being naturally intelligent, already understood what "buying and selling" meant. She knew that her father's job was to "sell" delicious fruits to others, earn money, and then use that money to buy new clothes and snacks for her mother and the others.
It would be a lie to say Chu Qinghuai wasn't surprised. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, followed by a headache. After a few days of peace, he had almost forgotten that his child wasn't a completely pure human. His eldest daughter was a sweet and fragrant orange spirit.
It's no wonder she had such thoughts. Chu Qinghuai sells oranges to customers every day, which in the child's eyes is practically selling her out.
But he really didn't know how to explain it; the little girl's sad appearance broke his heart.
"You are my child, how could I sell you?"
Chu Qinghuai told her that she was overthinking it, that it was absolutely impossible, and that selling children was illegal and would get you arrested.
Mumu sobbed, "But, but I can also conjure up little oranges."
This means she is not a normal human infant in this world.
Chu Qinghuai: "You're afraid your dad won't want you, right?"
Mumu nodded, pouted, twitched her nose, and said, "Scared~"
"I won't abandon you. How about this: we'll give all the oranges in the shop to the uncles and aunts, the grandpas and grandmas in the neighborhood, and Mom's colleagues. Then Dad will never sell oranges again, okay?"
"Ah." Mu Mu wiped away her tears. After understanding, her red eyes curved slightly, and she felt much better. She clearly agreed with her father's suggestion. "Okay."
She's a spoiled little girl who can accept her parents, younger brother, and younger sister eating oranges at home, or even oranges she conjures up herself, but she doesn't want her father to sell oranges to other people. This is probably some kind of strange possessiveness.
Chu Qinghuai thought about it and agreed. Not selling oranges was indeed the best way to solve the problem at the moment. For Caicai, who was allergic to green vegetables, the whole family could stop eating green vegetables, so why couldn't they give up selling oranges for Mumu?
He was actually quite pleased that his daughter could earnestly tell him what was wrong with her. That's the right thing to do; if you're unhappy, talking about it will make you happy.
"Then go and call your younger siblings over, and we'll pack these oranges together and give them to others later."
"good."
Mumu was satisfied and beamed with joy. She ran off to call Caicai and Xiaohe, her skirt fluttering slightly with each step, like a lively little butterfly.
...
That evening, when Zhong Wan saw Chu Qinghuai return with nearly a burlap sack full of oranges, she was stunned and asked worriedly, "What happened? Were they returned?"
"no."
He told Zhong Wan the whole story, then spread his hands and said, "Our baby's thought process is quite unique, isn't it? This is the first time I've felt the cuteness that belongs exclusively to Orange Spirit."
Zhong Wan laughed for two minutes, charmed by her daughter Mengmeng's words, but her laughter quickly faded. She frowned, put her hands on her hips, and said, "Hmm—"
"She's a spirit, not a human child."
Chu Qinghuai immediately sensed what Zhong Wan was feeling melancholy about. As the couple's feelings for their children deepened, it also meant that they would become increasingly inseparable from their children. No one knew how devastated they would be when the day of separation truly arrived.
From now on, let alone oranges, they will probably feel a pang of regret and bitterness whenever they come into contact with anything related to citrus fruits, vegetables, flowers, etc., recalling this time that was even more beautiful than the beautiful one.
Zhong Wan completely agreed with Chu Qinghuai's approach and even praised him for his ability to adapt to changing circumstances, saying that the solution was simply ingenious.
So what if we don't sell oranges? As long as it makes the child happy, it's fine even if she never eats oranges again.
Motherly and fatherly love are truly great.
During the first month the children came to live with us, Chu Qinghuai would prepare dishes featuring green vegetables, and then make a separate dish of other vegetables for Cai Cai, because he felt it was impossible to completely give up his eating habits for someone else, since he genuinely liked them.
But one day, while scooping broccoli with a spoon, Cai Cai asked him, "Dad, why does Cai Cai eat differently from you?"
He replied, "Because you are allergic to green vegetables, you can't eat them."
"But why can't you eat broccoli like Cai Cai?"
The child's innocent and bewildered expression pierced Chu Qinghuai's heart. Cai Cai was right; he was also a family member. Why should he be treated differently? Why should he be isolated?
Since then, we've never had any green vegetables in our house.
There was only one precious little green vegetable in the house.
Everyone says that Zhong Wan is a strict mother with strict rules, forbidding her children from doing this or that. But she is also the person who loves children the most in the world. She respects her children's ideas, not by spoiling them, but by respecting them.
Everyone will grow up one day, and childhood only lasts a few years. We should be innocent and carefree, enjoy life, and be loved by our parents.
...
Many customers were shocked and somewhat absurd that Chu Qinghuai's fruit shop didn't sell oranges.
Why don't fruit shops sell oranges?
Chu Qinghuai told the truth: "My eldest daughter doesn't like it."
Okay, okay, you're a good dad.
Everyone felt that the usually calm Chu Qinghuai had gone mad and was spoiling the child too much. He let the child do whatever he wanted. It was one thing for the child to have minor squabbles, but when it came to work and making money, he actually let the child act up. It was really speechless.
His oranges have always been very sweet. A few years ago, when Chu Qinghuai was a supplier, oranges were the best-selling fruit. It's not hard to imagine that he would earn less money from now on. Some customers felt regretful, but Chu Qinghuai said without a care, "It's okay, my other fruits are also delicious."
Mu Mu had no idea about all the sacrifices he made for her, and she probably never will.
-
The children grew up quickly. Because Chu Qinghuai's cooking was so delicious, and because they ran around and basked in the sun every day, the three children grew taller in a flash, each half a head taller than when they arrived. Although they still looked small, their smooth and tender baby fat perfectly showed how well they were living with their parents.
Summer is almost over, and it's time to buy autumn clothes for the children. This is the first autumn that Zhong Wanchu and Qinghuai have spent together, and perhaps... the last. They both want to dress the children up beautifully.
That evening, Chu Qinghuai checked the expenses, while Zhong Wan took out her and his salary and allocated them to various categories. When she looked at the man's bank statements, she was surprised to find several similar amounts of money that had arrived at the beginning of the month, so she patted him and asked, "What is this money?"
Chu Qinghuai leaned closer and said, "Let me take a look."
The three transfers, each totaling over six thousand yuan, were made to him by others at the same time, without any notes.
Chu Qinghuai squinted, thinking for a long time, scrolling down until he saw that he had received the same digital transfer several months ago. Suddenly, as if he had regained a lost memory, he blurted out, "I know, it's a subsidy from the Bureau of Spirits. A few months ago, Officer Chen told me that the Bureau of Spirits was having cash flow problems and couldn't pay on time. Now it seems they have money again."
They had never used the money before and naturally assumed it should be left for the babies, so Chu Qinghuai said, "I'll transfer it to the card tomorrow."
"good."
Zhong Wan continued doing the accounting, taking notes as she went, and said, "Did Officer Chen say where the child's biological parents are? They've been investigating for so long, they can't have no leads at all."
"It would be better if they didn't." Chu Qinghuai pursed his lips, knowing it wasn't a good thing to say it, but that was his true thought. "If we can't find their biological parents, we'll raise them forever, which will fulfill my wish."
Zhong Wan swallowed, not daring to respond to him, though she thought the same thing.
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