Chapter 317 Little Master
A few days ago, Zhou Anping called ahead of time to say that his family of three would come to celebrate Xiaoman's birthday.
Before leaving for school in the morning, Nan Zhiyi specifically instructed Sister Zhang: "Sister Zhang, Anping's family is coming over for dinner tonight, so please prepare a lavish meal."
Sister Zhang smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know. After Xiaoman wakes up and finishes his meal, I'll take him to the community service center for another look and see what we can buy."
"I have no worries about what you're doing. I'll try to be back as early as possible this afternoon."
Nan Zhiyi picked up her schoolbag and went out the door.
"Okay, sure," Sister Zhang replied from behind.
Nan Zhiyi kept her word. After school in the afternoon, she went to pick up the cream cake she had ordered in advance, hailed a taxi, and rushed home, arriving much earlier than usual.
When she came out of the bathroom after washing her hands, she saw Xiaoman leaning over the coffee table, staring at the cake box.
“Mom,” he heard footsteps, turned around, pointed at the cake, and asked, “Is this for me too?”
Nan Zhiyi touched the top of his head and ruffled it.
"Yes, this cake is specially made to celebrate Xiaoman's third birthday today. From now on, you'll be the little adult in the family."
Xiaoman frowned, seemingly trying to understand the meaning of "three years old" and "little adult." He held up three chubby fingers. "I... am I three years old?"
“Yes,” Nan Zhiyi pulled him into her arms and pointed to the calendar on the wall, “Look, today is your birthday. After today, you will be three years old. After summer, our Xiaoman will go to kindergarten and learn and play with lots and lots of other children.”
"Kindergarten?" Xiaoman's memory was suddenly awakened. "I know, Tiger used to go to kindergarten, and now he's in preschool!"
“Yes,” Nan Zhiyi agreed, “When you go to kindergarten, Mommy will go to university. After you finish school, Mommy will pick you up, okay?”
Xiaoman nodded solemnly and concluded, "I understand. I'm going to school, just like my mom."
The mother and son were chatting happily when there was a knock on the door from outside the courtyard.
Nan Zhiyi thought that Zhou Anping's family must have arrived, so she took Xiaoman's hand and said, "Come on, Xiaoman, Aunt Anping and Uncle Meng have brought little brother Lele. Let's go and greet them."
As soon as they stepped out of the room, they saw Zhou Anping and Meng Qingshan standing at the gate of the courtyard. Meng Qingshan was pushing a stroller with their four-month-old son, Meng Zhongyuan, lying inside.
Nan Zhiyi greeted them with a smile: "The door is open, just come in, why bother knocking?"
Xiaoman obediently greeted everyone, "Hello, Aunt Anping, hello, Uncle Meng." After greeting them, his attention was drawn to the stroller. He stood on tiptoe to look inside and commented with great seriousness, "Wow, he's grown up!"
Meng Qingshan was amused by him and bent down to ask, "Xiaoman, do you still remember little brother Lele?"
Xiaoman nodded earnestly: "I remember." Although it was only a vague impression, the little girl answered with great certainty.
Seeing that she didn't need to take care of her son, Nan Zhiyi took Zhou Anping's hand and walked towards the swing set in the yard.
In mid-May, the weather was warm and breezy, and the grapevines had already climbed all over the trellis, their green leaves providing a cool shade.
The two sat down on the swing chair, and the swing began to sway slowly.
Nan Zhiyi swayed a few times, feeling the gentle breeze on her face, and started a conversation.
"Your maternity leave... shouldn't it be over by now?"
Zhou Anping nodded and reached out to tidy up a stray strand of hair that had been blown across his forehead by the wind.
Since becoming pregnant, she had been taken care of by the troupe and assigned a relatively relaxed clerical position. Now, when the topic of returning to work came up, her face didn't show much anticipation; instead, she sighed.
"Even if I go back, it will probably be the same. I'll just stay in the office looking at documents and occasionally go to the rehearsal room to give some guidance to the newcomers."
As she spoke, she pressed her other hand against her waist, saying, "Look at my waist. After having a child, it's definitely not as firm as before; it's gotten a bit thicker."
Upon hearing this, Nan Zhiyi looked at her carefully.
Zhou Anping was wearing a loose dress. She was still slim, but compared to the extreme slenderness she had as a dancer, she did have a bit more of the fullness that comes with motherhood.
Nan Zhiyi comforted her, "No, I look about the same as before. Everyone is the same. After I gave birth to Xiaoman, I also felt that I was fatter here and rounder there. It will get better slowly."
She gently touched Zhou Anping's arm, changing the subject, "So after you go to work, will Lele be taken care of by Sister Zhao?"
"Yes, that's all we can do. We can't bear to part with him. Qingshan said he'll go home to see the kids if he's free at noon. I get off work relatively early, so I can spend more time with him."
"That's good too. Having someone to help out makes things easier."
After discussing the children and their recent situation, the two fell into a brief silence.
The only sounds were the rustling of the wind through the grape leaves and the faint voices of Xiaoman and Meng Qingshan talking in the living room.
Nan Zhiyi looked at Zhou Anping's slightly absent-minded profile and felt a sudden tightness in her heart for no reason.
They were childhood friends who had shared everything, but now, apart from their children and families, she couldn't find any new topics to talk about and didn't know what else she could talk to Zhou Anping about.
Zhou Anping seemed unaware of Nan Zhiyi's momentary lapse in concentration. Her gaze slowly swept over the small courtyard, and she sighed, "Time flies. I remember when you first moved to the capital, the roses and rose bushes in this courtyard were just a short clump. Only three years have passed, and they have grown so lush and green, with flowers blooming so vibrantly."
A gentle breeze blew by, carrying with it the rich fragrance of roses and wild roses.
Nan Zhiyi quickly shook off the inexplicable thought in her mind, took a deep breath of the fragrance of flowers, and replied with a smile: "Yes, it has been pruned and fertilized every year, and it is finally starting to look good."
She pointed to the small vegetable patch on the other side of the yard, "Do you remember when I lived in the mountains with the army, you came to my house and helped me pick green beans?"
When the old stories were brought up, Zhou Anping was taken back to the past by her words, and his face was filled with nostalgia.
"How could I not remember! The vegetable garden you cultivated back then was much more impressive than this one now. There were many kinds of vegetables, such as eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, and green beans, and they grew very well."
Nan Zhiyi laughed too, "It's all for Xiaoman's sake. This plot of land could have been bigger, but your fifth brother insisted on digging a sandpit for Xiaoman to play in, so he gave up half of it. Now we just grow some scallions, chives, and bok choy..."
Zhou Anping clicked his tongue twice and teased, "I never expected that our Fifth Brother would have such a tender side. He is so considerate to Xiaoman, he even sets aside a special area for him to play in the sand."
Nan Zhiyi smiled, and the faint sense of distance in her heart quietly dissipated.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com