Chapter 56: No Matter How Difficult It Is
In the end, Mianli got the qualification.
Mother Tao helped him put on a small apron, a children's style, with a fat orange cat embroidered on the belly and a butterfly perched on the tip of its nose.
Mianli thought of Qi Rui's ragdoll cat.
Although Zhizhi is not orange, she has also done stupid things like trying to catch a butterfly with her claws but ended up scratching her nose.
The child's attention shifted from the cat to Cream.
Tao Yingjia had helped her mother do this before, holding her hand from behind and teaching her the movements.
The smaller one looked very focused, holding a bowl that was bigger than his face and stirring the cream in circles.
The ingredients are almost ready. The cream is used for decoration and it smells extremely sweet.
The boy tried to concentrate on his "work" so as not to be tempted to steal a bite.
Although He appeared to be fully focused, He was actually thinking about other things.
He had only come into contact with a few human women, and each one was very nice.
Whether it’s Xiaohui, Teacher Min, or Mother Tao.
They are all very gentle, like the gentle breeze and drizzle, and the warm spring sunshine.
Cancan is also very gentle. Although she may complain, she is always attentive to Him.
Mianli thought, what is the difference between them?
Why did Tao's mother look different from others when she held Him?
Could it be that because she is the "mother" and everyone else is not?
Is this what it feels like to have a mother?
Since the birth of the little main god, he has only had the father god and Oriel who is almost like a nanny, but has never had a mother goddess.
Of course there is no mother.
Young God has been wishing for a mother since he was very young.
But since it kept failing, He no longer considered it a wish.
After the preliminary work for the cookies was completed and they were put into the oven waiting, Mianli told Tao Yingjia this important matter.
Jia Jia was helping him take off his apron, carefully undoing the butterfly buttons at the back of his waist. "Well, if you want, my mother can be your mother too. But I have to ask her first."
He's happy to share his toys and snacks with his doll, so it would be okay if he shared his mom, right?
Jiajia held her little apron in one hand and held Xiao Mianli's hand in the other as she went to find her mother.
Mother Tao was a little surprised when she heard this request.
But I soon understood.
She did not know the origins of the little god, nor did she know the inside story of his "non-human" nature. She only knew that he was an orphan with an older brother who had just recently graduated from the category of "big kid".
After becoming a mother, you will have many times more compassion for your children than other people.
The younger siblings in the family were always pampered and loved, receiving the best honey in the world. In comparison, the adorable yet lonely little Mianli was truly heartbreaking.
She squatted down again, her eyes level with the children, and looked at Mianli with a serious expression: "If Xiaoli is willing, it's fine. However, this matter still needs to be discussed with Mr. Zhuo. After all, he is your guardian, and you need his approval. If he feels it is inappropriate... then, Xiaoli will only call me mom in our house, okay?"
The restrictions sound a bit complicated, but children of this age only catch the last sentence of what they hear.
Tao Yingjia was the first to cheer: "Then my mother is also your mother——!"
Mianli blinked, seemingly not reacting yet.
Mother Tao was looking at him with a smile.
The little fairy was unusually nervous. He opened his mouth, but a syllable was stuck in his throat, about to come out.
"M..."
But, but why can’t I shout out?
He wanted to call out "Mom" so much, but why did he think of the distant look of Father God at this moment?
What else is there beneath those layers of icy indifference?
What is it that He cannot understand?
The little boy hesitated for a long time and didn't say a word.
Despite strong desires, overcoming psychological barriers is not as easy as imagined.
Tao's mother anticipated this outcome and pinched his soft little face. "It's okay, sweetheart. You're just a little kid. The most important thing is to be happy. Don't force yourself. When you're ready, you can do it anytime."
This sounds very philosophical.
Mianli understood the last sentence and nodded in confusion.
This passed like this. After the cookies were baked, Mother Tao put the different flavors into different plates and called Father Tao, who was working in the study, to eat together. She also packed some for Mianli to take home to Zhuocan.
Tao Yingjia gave all the caramel flavor to Mianli, and then dipped some in cream for Tao Mian to taste.
Tao Yingjia always calls Mianli a doll, but in Mianli's opinion, little Tao Mian is the real big doll.
Mianli also wanted to feed Tao Mian some biscuits, so Tao's mother brought some soft biscuits specially for babies. She found it very interesting to watch the children taking care of the younger child, so she took out her cell phone to take pictures.
"Come on, little ones, look at the camera—"
Mianli turned his head and looked into her eyes, which were filled with smiles.
Her eyes were a dark brown, almost black.
Very similar to Cancan, it is the most common eye color for humans of this race.
When being looked at by such eyes, there is pity and warmth.
Completely different from God the Father.
The blue of God the Father is very light and looks very cold.
The snow-capped mountains or glaciers that never melt all year round, whether it is love or hate, all the emotions in the world are frozen in them, and there will be no redemption forever.
He missed an opportunity to call mom.
Why, Mianli thought, even such a good mother Tao, and even Cancan, the best person in the world, who made Him willing to give up divine power to stay by His side - why can't they replace the Father God?
*
Before sending him here, Cancan said that he would go to see Lulu tonight.
Mianli had no idea what the adults were going to do and wasn't very interested.
Anyway, the adults always have their own things to do, so the children stay at other children's homes.
Since they have been running back and forth more frequently recently, Mother Tao prepared a set of cute one-piece pajamas for each of the two boys at Zhuo's and Tao's homes.
In the Zhuo family, there are little rabbits and little bears, and in the Tao family, there are little cats and little dogs.
The rabbit and the bear have ears, and the cat and the dog have tails, which swing back and forth and are very funny.
Now the cat Maoli and the dog Jiazheng are lying on the bed together reading picture books.
The children's bed is a single bed, but since the children are small, it is still spacious.
It wasn't just the two of them. Tao Mian was lying on the pillow in front, looking up and waving his little fists, babbling, and no one knew what he wanted to discuss with his brothers.
Tao Yingjia has long been curious about her expressive sister's inner thoughts, so she asked Mao Maoli, "Can't you understand what animals say? Then can you tell what my little sister is saying?"
As we all know, Kami-chan has the ability to read minds.
But He has never used it on young human cubs.
He stretched out his little finger, which was grasped by the baby's even smaller fist.
After a few seconds, the little fairy opened his eyes and shook his head regretfully: "I don't understand."
He can read the minds of humans and understand the language of animals, provided that what they say is meaningful.
And babies? Even the babies themselves probably don’t know what they are saying. They are just curious questions about the strange world.
Whether it is in childhood at the age of three or five, or later in school or work, feeling sleepy when reading may be a common human trait.
Before she had even turned half of the picture book, Mianli was already squinting her eyes and nodding her head.
Tao Mian next to him had fallen asleep long ago, using his thumb as a pacifier.
As the only "older" child here, Tao Yingjia feels that it is very necessary for him to take care of his two younger brothers and sisters.
It’s very simple to put away the picture book in Mianli’s hand.
It is also very simple to drag the small quilt over to cover the sleeping ceremony.
It was a big job to move my sister off the pillow without waking her.
The boy knelt beside the bed and hesitated for a moment, then got out of bed to seek help.
Mr. Tao followed him into the room and saw the two children sleeping in a mess on the small bed. He smiled and asked quietly, "You've always wanted a little brother. Does this count as having one?"
Tao Yingjia looked at Mianli's sleeping face, which looked like a red apple. "But he never called me brother."
Neither did Tao Mian, who couldn't speak.
It seems that he doesn't actually feel like a brother at all.
Mr. Tao asked, "What did He call you?"
Tao Yingjia: “…”
The boy thought about it and the most common answer he got was "Stupid Jia Jia".
Mr. Tao laughed heartily, then, remembering the children were still asleep, quickly covered his mouth and ruffled his son's hair. "Maybe you need to establish some authority in the future. You see, I'm not afraid of your mother."
Tao Yingjia wondered, is this really the case? It seems not at all.
He also recalled playing house in the nursery class, with Tao Mian being the baby and Mian Li and he being the father and mother respectively.
How strange.
But it also seems to be a very good feeling.
Mr. Tao picked up the baby and left the room, turning off the main light.
Tao Yingjia took off his shoes, lifted a corner of the quilt, crawled in, and lay down next to Mianli.
There is a night light at the head of the bed, which was given to her before the bedtime ceremony. Tao Yingjia cherishes it very much. Every night she has to stare at it for a while and think about the doll before she can fall asleep well.
Now the doll is right next to me.
Tao Yingjia imagined that she was holding Mian Li like a real doll during her usual lunch break, and the doll opened its eyes.
His eyes looked clear and not sleepy at all.
He asked suddenly, “What if one day I am gone?”
Jiajia really didn't expect to be faced with such a difficult problem right from the start, and subconsciously repeated: "What should I do?"
Mianli stared at him intently.
The doll's pupils looked even lighter under the nightlight, like priceless gems.
Normally there was mostly joy there, but now, there was a hint of indescribable sadness.
It is a pity in the world that a pearl is covered in dust.
Five-year-old Jia Jia doesn’t understand profound truths yet, he just hopes that his good friend won’t be sad.
He turned his head, met the doll's gaze, and answered with a serious look: "Of course I'll go find you."
Mian Li's confidence didn't change the cloudy sky. He continued to ask, "What if it's very, very difficult to find?"
Jia Jia still couldn't figure out why he asked such a question, but this time he didn't hesitate and was very determined: "No matter how difficult it is, I will come to you."
Mian Li stared at him without blinking, then suddenly snuggled into his arms, hugging the boy tightly, her voice crackling with tears: "I must—I must!!"
Just like they made a pinky promise every day after school that they would “meet again tomorrow.”
On this night illuminated only by a night light, I made a promise that I would find you.
It was a promise between young children, as precious as pearls.
*
Children have their own worries, and adults have just as many.
Feifei's attacks not only did not cease, but became even more subtle. No one could tell it was him who was causing the trouble, and the company continued to decline.
Lu Song endured the pressure and did not lay off employees. He only temporarily stopped paying bonuses and promised to give everyone double compensation if they could get through this difficult period.
Although the employees trust the president very much, in such a precarious time, everyone is busy with their own affairs and how can they understand the difficulties of others?
Lu Song thought of many ways, including mobilizing resources from the head office, which is the main body of Xinyue Group.
However, the ability of gods and demons to control is far beyond the scope of humans, and the small company's indicators continue to decline. Before long, it can no longer even pay employees' salaries.
Meanwhile, senior directors refused to give up their interests.
Lu Song was surrounded by enemies on all sides.
He had no choice but to go to Zhuo Can's house on weekend nights, and discuss the important matters of livelihood with him when it was quiet at night.
Literally, the livelihood of all employees in the company.
Lu Song already had his own cup at Zhuo Can's house. He leaned on the lazy sofa, poured some happy water, but he just couldn't feel happy.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "How about... I sell some of my car and house to cover everyone's wages for the next two months?"
He grew up in a poor family and would not be as extravagant as the dandies born in wealthy families.
Apart from the necessary ones, they rarely purchase unnecessary luxury goods.
Now that I'm planning to open my warehouse to provide disaster relief, I can't find much to sell, only the most basic houses and cars.
Zhuo Can never imagined that one day he would hear his boss consider his employees so much.
He sat up straight, his eyes wide. "What are you going to do if the house is sold? What if it doesn't fill the hole?"
Seeing that her boyfriend was more anxious than the person involved, Lu Song felt very happy inside.
He comforted her, "It's okay, I have a place to stay."
He jokingly asked, "If I really go bankrupt, can Manager Zhuo take me in?"
Zhuo Can couldn't laugh.
Whether it is Lu Song or other people in the company, they are all innocent.
Whose fault is it?
The little god is innocent, so it's not wrong for me to want to protect him.
If you blame Feifei, Feifei also obeys Jiang Xiao.
Not to mention whether it was Jiang Xiao's order, even if it was, what's wrong with a father wanting his child who is stranded in a foreign land to return home?
Perhaps this is the kind of problem that exists in this world. Mistakes cannot find a clear starting point, but can plunge all those involved in the chain into the abyss of loneliness.
Although his own company was in crisis, Zhuo Can looked even more flustered.
Lu Song ruffled his hair and said, "Well, look at your bitter face. If someone didn't know you, they would think you were the first one to be laid off."
Obviously, Lu Song was the one who needed to cheer himself up, but he comforted himself instead. Zhuo Can rubbed his face, adjusted his state, picked up the Coke and toasted him: "Fire me, and then I will be the boss?"
Lu Song laughed heartily: "I think you can only be a boss's wife in this life..."
They changed the topic at will, from boring work to relaxing games, entertainment, food, drinks and competitions, and soon their mood became bright again.
There is indeed countless bitterness in reality, but the sweetness of life ultimately comes from trivial things.
That's what adult life is like.
We will repeatedly fall into setbacks and have to be self-sufficient and refill our hopes, or encourage each other, in order to keep going in this shitty life.
The two people in the living room put their worries aside for the time being and started rolling the dice to decide whose house to watch the game at next week.
Mian Li, who should have been asleep in the next room, heard everything.
He hugged his knees under the quilt and curled up into a very small ball.
The last time was when Zhuo Can was kidnapped.
This time it was Lu Song who was causing damage to the company.
So, what about next time?
Is it Qi Rui, whose career is booming?
Is it Xiaohui, who just got married and is planning to have a baby soon?
Is it Teacher Min who has a very good chat with the blind date and may even get married?
Is it the little Tao Mian who was chosen to star in the commercial and became popular on the Internet?
Or Tao Yingjia, who has been admitted to the elite primary school in advance?
As long as He doesn't return, the people around Him will live under the shadow of possible setbacks.
First came Oriel's warning, then the Father God himself came to the world, and then Feifei's invasion.
Whether it was assigned by God the Father or they acted on their own, their purpose was clear.
Ask Him to turn back and not be attached to the world.
There was no need to think about Mian Li's original refusal. How could he be willing to return to the cold and lonely temple?
You can be as firm as you can be at that time, because after all, you only have yourself to consider.
Now, when I think of the people around me, I feel shaken.
The child wondered, perhaps his previous stubbornness was wrong?
Should He really leave here?
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