Chapter 240 Ask her to be your daughter
After dinner, it was completely dark.
Night fell, enveloping the entire courtyard, with only the light shining from the windows, perfect for setting off fireworks.
The fireworks that Shen Zhaolin prepared were not the kind that were loud and boisterous, but rather the kind of sparklers that could be held in the hand, which Mao Mao had played with during the Lunar New Year.
A handful of sparklers were distributed to everyone. Shen Zhuoying, holding a box of matches, eagerly came over and said, "Sister, let me help you light it."
Mao Mao clutched the sparkler in her little hand, shook her head, and ran up behind her brother with her short legs.
Shen Zhuoying: "..."
Lou Yansui took the matches from his hand: "I'll take care of it."
He struck a match and lit the sparkler in Mao Mao's hand. The sparks hissed and burst into bright light, illuminating the little girl's surprised face and making her eyes sparkle.
Shen Zhuoying walked back dejectedly, unable to muster any enthusiasm to play with the sparkler in her hand.
It wasn't just the younger generation playing; even the elders, like Shen's parents, were watching from under the eaves.
Shen Zhuoxian mocked her younger brother: "Haha, Shen Zhuoying, you've got a sharp tongue."
Shen Zhuoying looked longingly towards the other side of the courtyard, where his little sister was playing with her third uncle, her face beaming with a sweet and adorable smile. Her third uncle patted her head, and she not only didn't mind, but even nuzzled her head against his palm. He watched with longing, also wanting to touch her.
But that was the youngest daughter of the Lou family, and her own brother was standing right next to her.
"I wish this were my little sister," Shen Zhuoying said to her mother. "Mom, can you give me a little sister?"
Before Sister-in-law Shen could answer, Brother Shen slapped him on the back of the head: "You wish!"
Shen Zhuoying: "Sigh."
His mother is not young, and his second uncle and aunt are about the same age.
He is the youngest in his generation, and his other older brothers are working or studying far away, so even if they have a little sister, he won't be able to see her.
unless……
"If only she were my third uncle's daughter," Shen Zhuoying muttered. "Then she would be my sister."
Thinking of this, he looked at Lou Yansui with envy.
How come that guy is so lucky?
Not only is he smart, but he can also be his third uncle's student, and even his younger sister is so cute?
How annoying!
Shen Zhuoying squatted in the corner playing with sparklers.
Not far away, Mr. and Mrs. Shen exchanged a silent glance and sighed in unison.
Mao Mao was completely unaware, happily playing with the electric sparkler. Shen Zhaolin even carried her on his back, letting her sit on his shoulders. As he ran around the courtyard, the electric sparkler in her hand turned into a streak of light that flashed through the air. Mao Mao giggled happily, and her tender little voice filled the spacious courtyard.
It wasn't until the gatekeeper announced that the Marshal's Mansion had come to pick them up that Mao Mao reluctantly stopped.
When I checked the time, I realized I was having so much fun that the minute hand on the clock had gone around several times.
"Uncle, I should go home now."
Shen Zhaolin felt a little regretful and took her hand, saying, "I'll see you out."
"Uh-huh."
The two walked out hand in hand.
"Mao Mao, thank you for coming to my birthday party today," Shen Zhaolin said gently. "I'm very happy today."
"Thank you for inviting me, Uncle. I had a lot of fun today too. Happy birthday!" Mao Mao said happily, "I'll invite you to come again next year on my birthday."
Shen Zhaolin Wan'er: "Okay, then I'll invite you to my birthday party every year from now on."
"OK!"
Lou Yansui: "..."
Is that how it was arranged?
As they spoke, the two had already reached the door.
The car was parked outside, and the back window was rolled down, revealing Lou Dashuai's dignified and profound face.
He actually came to pick up his daughter in person.
Mao Mao's eyes lit up: "Daddy!"
Lou Dashuai: "Hey!"
Lou Dashuai pushed open the back door of the car, walked quickly to his daughter's side, picked her up, and took her from Shen Zhaolin's arms: "Maomao, Daddy's here to take you home."
Looking at his empty palm, Shen Zhaolin smiled and gently said goodbye to Mao Mao: "Mao Mao, goodbye."
"Uncle, bye-bye." Mao Mao pursed her lips and revealed a sweet smile: "Uncle, I'll come to play with you again next time."
Shen Zhaolin's smile deepened: "Okay."
He thought for a moment, then looked at Commander Lou: "When is Commander Lou available?"
"I?"
“Yes, there is something I would like to discuss with you, Commander-in-Chief,” Shen Zhaolin said. “I would like to pay you a visit in person another day.”
"Discuss it with me?"
Lou Dashuai looked on with suspicion.
discuss?
What could he possibly say to Shen Zhaolin?
Could this person be complaining about the limited space in the newspaper and want to come to his door to yell at him?
Lou Dashuai snorted coldly: "No time."
Shen Zhaolin said good-naturedly, "When will the General be free? I will visit again."
Lou Dashuai: "I'm never free, I have nothing to say to you! Don't come looking for my Mao Mao to play with."
Mao Mao blinked: "Dad?"
Commander Lou: "Hmph!"
Without giving Shen Zhaolin a chance to say more, he immediately turned around, picked up Mao Mao, and got into the car. Mao Mao could only cling to her father's shoulder and wave goodbye to her uncle.
On the way home, Lou Dashuai kept asking questions.
Mao Mao didn't hide anything and chattered on about everything that happened to him that day.
Hearing her say how much fun she had with Shen Zhaolin, Lou Dashuai's face fell: "You're happy just by playing with him? What's so great about him? Is he better than Dad?"
Mao Mao blinked: "Dad is Dad, and Uncle is Mao Mao's friend."
How do you compare your dad and your friend?
Lou Dashuai was also comforted.
“That’s right, I’m Mao Mao’s father, so it’s definitely different.”
Lou Dashuai then said, "Then you should hang out with him less often in the future."
Why?
"What's so good about him? He even insulted me in the newspaper!"
"But Auntie said that Daddy did something wrong first."
"..."
Lou Yansui opened her mouth, looked up at the roof of the car, and then swallowed her words back.
Regarding the fact that Mao Mao and Teacher Shen have already made a promise for next year's birthday... I guess it's okay not to mention it, right?
...
Late at night, Shen Zhaolin finally arrived and belatedly opened his birthday present.
Unwrapping the delicate colored paper and bow on the outside reveals a fountain pen and a card inside.
He tried the pen; it felt great in his hand and wrote very smoothly. It was a gift he could use regularly.
When the card was opened again, it turned out to be handwritten by Mao Mao herself.
It read: Happy birthday, Uncle! May you be happy every day.
The handwriting was crooked and messy, with strokes flying everywhere. After writing those few words, there was no space left on the card. Even her signature was squeezed into two small, dark ink blots.
Shen Zhaolin couldn't help but laugh, his lips curving upwards.
Looking at the crooked handwriting, he could almost see Mao Mao lying on the table, pouting her soft little face, carefully writing a greeting card for him stroke by stroke.
Shen Zhaolin carefully placed the card inside a book and put it away in a drawer.
He looked up and his eyes met those of a photograph on the desk. In the photo, his young wife gazed at him tenderly.
He picked up the photo frame on the table and gently stroked the smooth photograph.
"You'll definitely like her too, right?"
“If we had a daughter, she might be just as adorable as you. She would also be tone-deaf, just like you, and her piano playing would be terrible.”
"You tell me... if we asked her to be our daughter, would she agree?"
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