32. Skyfall
(Timeline: Ranran is three years old, an age that even cats and dogs dislike)
Little Xie Shuyao, nicknamed Ranran, is three years old.
She inherited Chu Qingling's delicate facial features and naturally tearful eyes, and was as pretty as an angel. But only Xie Sui and Chu Qingling knew that beneath the skin of this little angel, there was a real little devil.
On a rare weekend morning, Xie Sui didn't have to get up early, and was sleeping soundly with Chu Qingling in his arms. Chu Qingling was a light sleeper, and in a daze, he heard the door being gently pushed open a crack, and a little head poked in.
"Dad...Xie Sui Dad..." Ranran said in a low voice while holding her favorite rabbit doll.
Chu Qingling woke up instantly and was about to stand up when Xie Sui grabbed her arm and pulled her back into his arms. Without even opening his eyes, Xie Sui mumbled, "Ignore her, sleep a little longer..."
However, the little girl outside the door saw that no one paid attention to her, so she began to use her magic sound to penetrate the ears.
"Dad! Xie Sui Dad! Get up! The sun is shining on your butt!"
"Ranran is hungry! I want some milk!"
"Xie Sui's father is a lazy pig!"
The sounds became louder and louder, accompanied by the "dong dong" sound of someone kicking the door.
Chu Qingling was helpless and pushed Xie Sui: "You go."
Xie Sui grabbed a handful of hair in annoyance, climbed up resignedly, opened the door with a murderous look on his face with messy hair, and looked down at the little kid who was not even as tall as his legs.
Ranran wasn't afraid at all. She looked up at her innocent little face, which was exactly the same as Chu Qingling's, and stretched out her short arms: "Hold me!"
Xie then gritted his teeth, bent down, picked her up, tucked her under his arm and walked towards the kitchen: "Drink milk, drink milk, all you know is drink milk, look at how fat you are."
"Ranran is not fat! Daddy said Ranran is the slimmest!" The little girl fluttered under his arms in protest.
After a chaotic breakfast, Xie Sui, hoping to finally have some peace and quiet, grabbed a newspaper and headed for the study. As soon as he sat down on the sofa, Ranran came running over, clutching her "makeup box" (actually, a few empty cosmetic boxes and a few harmless children's lipsticks that Chu Qingling had discarded and given her).
"Xie Sui's dad, Ranran will do your makeup!" Her eyes sparkled, full of passion for "creation".
Xie Sui's face turned green: "No!"
"Either, either!" Ranran started to act like a spoiled child, climbing onto his legs and trying to poke his face with the deadly Barbie pink lipstick.
When Chu Qingling came out of the kitchen, she saw Xie Sui, who looked like he had lost all hope in life, being chased by his daughter with a lipstick. She couldn't help but pursed her lips and smiled.
"Qingling! Take care of your daughter!" Xie Sui asked for help.
Chu Qingling came over, not to help Xie Sui, but gently said to Ranran: "Ranran, Xie Sui's father doesn't like to wear makeup. Can you help him put it on?"
Ranran looked at the handsome father Xie Sui (although his face was very sour), and then looked at the beautiful and gentle father Qingling. She decisively abandoned the former and rushed to the latter: "Okay! Apply it to Daddy!"
So, Xie Sui escaped the disaster by luck. Looking at Chu Qingling, who looked hopeless and had several lipstick lines drawn on her face by her daughter, and still had to smile and praise "Ranran draws so beautifully", he felt balanced in his heart, and even a little gloating.
In the afternoon, there was an even greater disaster.
Ranran dug out Xie Sui's treasured, signed, limited-edition jersey from nowhere and placed it next to her watercolor brushes. By the time Xie Sui discovered it, the priceless jersey had been adorned with several abstract, colorful "artistic creations."
Xie Sui's blood pressure instantly soared: "Xie! Shu! Yao!"
Ranran shuddered when she was yelled at, her little mouth pouted, and her tearful eyes were instantly filled with tears, which were about to fall out. She looked so pitiful.
Chu Qingling rushed over upon hearing the noise. Seeing the jersey, he was also stunned for a moment. He then protected his daughter behind him and frowned at Xie Sui: "Why are you being so mean to her? She didn't mean it."
"I finally got this..." Xie Sui looked at Chu Qingling's protective look on his daughter's face, and her aggrieved expression that was exactly the same as her father's, and he felt so angry that he couldn't vent it.
"It's just a piece of clothing. I'll buy you another one." Chu Qingling's tone was flat, but his eyes clearly said, "Don't be mean to my daughter anymore."
Xie Sui: "..." Is this about clothes?! This is a matter of principle! ...Okay, what are principles in front of my wife and daughter? Can I eat it?
In the end, Xie Sui held the "artistically processed" jersey in frustration, while Ranran burst into tears and was held in Chu Qingling's arms and comforted softly.
At night, after finally coaxing the energetic little devil to sleep, Xie Sui and Chu Qingling collapsed on the sofa in the living room, feeling physically and mentally exhausted.
"This girl... is definitely here to collect a debt." Xie Sui concluded weakly.
Chu Qingling leaned on the sofa, closed his eyes, but with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth: "Yeah, just like when you were a child."
Xie Sui turned his head and looked at Chu Qingling's quiet profile under the soft light. Thinking of his subconscious expression when he was protecting his daughter during the day, the frustration in his heart suddenly disappeared.
He leaned over, hugged the person in his arms, and whispered, "Thank you for your hard work."
The days of raising a child were chaotic and often drove people crazy. But looking at that little face that blended the features of both of them, feeling the bustle and vitality of the house, and the person who would bear it all with him, Xie Sui felt that these "chaotic" days didn't seem so bad.
Of course, it would be better if Ranran could demolish less of the house tomorrow.
A single warm yellow wall lamp lit the living room, stretching the shadows of the two embracing, casting them across the wall in a tranquil and warm atmosphere. The day's chaos seemed to be filtered out by the night, leaving only the warmth of cuddling.
Chu Qingling leaned against Xie Sui's chest, his familiar, reassuring scent lingering on his nose. Fatigue gradually set in, and his eyelids grew heavy. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt Xie Sui stir slightly.
He opened his eyes slightly and saw Xie Suizheng cautiously reaching out and taking out a small box from the drawer of the coffee table. The box looked familiar; it contained the vitamin gummies he often ate.
"Open your mouth." Xie Sui whispered, his tone was unusually gentle, with a hint of coaxing.
An orange-flavored gummy bear was placed against Chu Qingling's lips. He paused for a moment, then instinctively took it in, the sweet taste melting on his tongue. He wasn't actually hungry; he was simply used to eating a candy when he was tired or feeling down. It was a habit he'd developed since childhood, one he'd barely even considered.
Unexpectedly, Xie Sui remembered.
"What's wrong with you..." Chu Qingling looked up at him, her voice a little unclear.
Xie Sui looked at his tearful eyes, which looked especially soft and moist in the dim light, and his heart softened. He gently brushed his thumb across the corner of Chu Qingling's lips, wiping away the nonexistent sugar crumbs, his movements as gentle as if he were handling fragile glass.
"Were you scared during the day?" Xie Sui was referring to the time he yelled at Ranran. He knew that although Chu Qingling was outwardly defending her daughter and arguing with him, she was actually very sensitive inside and was particularly afraid of sudden conflicts and loud noises.
Chu Qingling lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes casting a faint shadow under his eyes. He neither admitted nor denied. He simply leaned into Xie Sui's arms again, like a small animal seeking shelter.
Xie then tightened his arms, holding him tighter, his chin resting on the top of his head. His voice was low and apologetic: "I won't be so loud next time." He paused and added, "Even if that girl demolishes the house, I will try my best to... remain calm."
He said this with a bit of gritted teeth, but with full sincerity. For someone who was used to giving orders and had a bad temper to make such a promise was already a huge concession.
Chu Qingling listened to his awkward yet earnest promise, and the subtle wrinkles in his heart that had been caused by the day's conflict were gradually smoothed out. He raised his head and gently kissed Xie Sui's strong jawline.
"Ranran is still young and doesn't understand things." He said softly, "We will teach him slowly."
"Okay, I'll teach you slowly." Xie Sui followed suit, lowered his head to find his lips, and pressed a gentle and long kiss with the sweet scent of orange.
After the kiss, both of them were a little breathless. Xie Sui leaned against his forehead and asked softly, "Are you still tired? Let me carry you back to your room to sleep?"
Chu Qingling shook his head, craving the tranquility of the moment: "Sit for a while."
"good."
Outside the window, the moonlight shone brightly, and all was silent. Inside the room, only the silhouettes of the two of them cuddled together and the sound of their gentle breathing filled the air. The day's bustle and "war" faded, leaving only the tranquility of their bodies warmly intertwined.
Ranran's snoring could be heard faintly from the small bedroom. Xie Sui held his lost and found love in his arms, and felt that life was perfect, nothing more than this.
The days of raising children are certainly chaotic and often make people feel overwhelmed.
But as long as it is late at night and the one you love is in your arms, all the fatigue and irritability will disappear.
And this is probably the most real, trivial, and moving form of happiness.
————
As the night deepened, Chu Qingling finally fell asleep in Xie Sui's secure embrace. The sweetness of the orange-flavored gummy still lingered on his tongue, along with Xie Sui's clumsy yet sincere comfort, soothing his nerves, which had been slightly tense from the day's conflict.
However, a three-year-old's biological clock is irrational.
The next morning, just as the sky was getting light, Xie Sui was still immersed in a rare, undisturbed deep sleep when he felt something soft hit his chest.
He frowned and opened his eyes, his blurry vision meeting a pair of sparkling, tearful eyes that looked exactly like the one in his arms.
Ranran had slipped in again at some point and was now lying on his chest, holding her tragically "harmed" rabbit doll in her hand. She was gently hitting him with it, with an expression that was a mixture of tentativeness and flattery on her little face.
"Xie Sui, Dad..." She said in a small voice, with the sound of a baby who had just woken up, "Don't be angry..."
Xie Sui: “…”
The grumpiness he'd felt from being woken up instantly vanished when he met his daughter's eyes, which were filled with the words "I know I was wrong." Especially when he saw Chu Qingling, who was sleeping next to him, also woken by the noise, and looking over at him with a slightly frown and sleepy worry.
Xie Sui sighed in his heart, resigned himself to his fate and picked up the little ancestor from his chest, letting her sit on his stomach.
"Yeah, I'm not angry." His voice was still hoarse with sleep, and his big hands randomly rubbed Ranran's hair that was curled up in sleep. "But Ranran, you can't draw on Dad's jersey, understand? It's very important."
Ranran nodded, not quite understanding, and stretched out her short arms to hug his neck, burying her little face in the crook of his neck and rubbing it, and apologized softly: "I'm sorry, Xie Sui Dad."
At this moment, the last bit of depression in Xie Sui's heart completely disappeared. He held his sweet and soft little daughter in his arms, feeling her wholehearted dependence, and felt that his heart was filled to the brim.
Chu Qingling looked at the father and daughter who had "reconciled" in an instant, the corners of her lips curled up slightly, she closed her eyes again, and her heart was at peace.
At the breakfast table, the atmosphere was harmonious. Ranran sat in her high chair, eating her porridge obediently with a spoon, even though it got all over her face. Xie Sui watched the financial news, occasionally reaching out to wipe her face.
"Where do you want to go today?" Xie Sui put down the tablet and asked.
Ranran immediately raised the spoon: "Amusement park!"
Xie Sui raised his eyebrows and looked at Chu Qingling. Chu Qingling nodded slightly, indicating that it was okay.
"Alright," Xie Sui said, with an air of "I really can't do anything to you," but with a hint of indulgence in his eyes, "Then let's go to the amusement park."
"Yeah! Dad Xie Sui is the best!" Ranran cheered and twisted excitedly on the dining chair.
Seeing their daughter's happy expression, Xie Sui and Chu Qingling smiled at each other. Last night's "war" seemed like just a trivial episode, quickly overshadowed by the trivialities and warmth of the new day.
This is their life, a mixture of noise and peace, troubles and happiness. And no matter whether it is chaos or the peaceful days, they are all precious because they have each other by their side, and are filled with the warmth of human life.
(End of [Rumble])
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