Chapter 371 Christmas Gifts
night.
Mao Mao dragged her little stool to the telephone, picked up the receiver and put it next to her head, slowly turning the dial with her little hands.
Before long, a voice came from the other end: "Hello?"
Mao Mao's little tuft of hair perked up and said energetically, "Auntie Bailey, I'm Mao Mao!"
Miss Bailey answered on the phone, "Oh, please wait a moment."
Mao Mao held the microphone and waited for a while. Soon, another happy little voice came from inside.
"Maomao!"
"Sophie!"
"Is your party over?" Sophie asked regretfully. "I wish I could have been there. It's a pity my kindergarten didn't catch fire."
Miss Bailey: "..."
Mao Mao was also disappointed: "Sophie, I wish you had come too! I could have introduced Zhao Zhao and Xuan Xuan to you; they're both my good friends. My party was so much fun! There was lots of delicious food, and we even played hide-and-seek. I won first place!"
The two little ones let out a long sigh over the phone.
"Mao Mao, why is it so noisy over there?" Sophie asked, puzzled. "Is your cat causing trouble?"
"hold head high?"
Mao Mao looked back.
In the small living room, Lou Dashuai was still banging on the table, while a group of people surrounded him, trying to comfort him.
Mao Mao turned her little head back: "It's not the cat, it's my dad. He's a little unhappy."
“Oh,” Sophie said knowingly, “A few days ago, Luna chewed up my daddy’s work files, and he barked even louder than Luna.”
"Yeah, my aunt said my dad will make himself feel better soon." Mao Mao shook her head: "So she told me to call."
"Mao Mao, tell me more about your party."
Mao Mao has so much to say.
Amidst the angry, noisy background, she held the microphone and chattered on about everything that had happened at the party that day. From the guests who attended, to her family members who made her look particularly proud, and the especially delicious snacks at the party.
Mao Mao, holding onto the table, said excitedly, "My brother even took pictures of us! He also said he'll throw another party for me next time. Sophie, come join me next time I throw a party! I'll send Allen an invitation too, since you two look alike."
The two little ones often talk on the phone, and Sophie had already heard her say that she had met a blond little boy at the hospital.
Sophie readily agreed: "Okay!"
Although they often call each other, when the two good friends get together, they chatter away and have endless things to say.
Only after the background noise about Lou Dashuai was calmed down, and Miss Bailey on the other end of the phone reminded Sophie to do her homework, did the two reluctantly say goodbye.
"Sophie, I'll call you again tomorrow."
“Okay,” Sophie said. “Mao Mao, Christmas is coming soon, and I’ve sent you a Christmas present.”
"Christmas?"
Mao Mao knows this too!
Last Christmas, Lou Hongjian had a large pine tree brought back and placed in the hall, covered with colorful lights, the star at the top twinkling. He also taught Mao Mao to hang a big red stocking by the door, so that when she woke up the next day, it was full of gifts.
According to my third brother, at Christmas, many people hold dance parties at home, exchange gifts, and dance all night long.
Mao Mao said happily, "Sophie, I'll prepare a gift for you too!"
"Thank you, Mao Mao. I will wait for the postman every day."
Mao Mao put down the phone, jumped off the small stool, and huffed and puffed as she carried the stool back to the corner. Then she ran back to the small living room.
"Mother—"
"Hey, Mao Mao!"
Lou Dashuai stopped her halfway and hugged her tightly.
"Mao Mao, if you need anything, you can ask your mother, or your father." General Lou affectionately patted his daughter's soft little face. "Daddy can do anything!"
Mao Mao obediently said, "I want to buy a present."
Lou Dashuai raised an eyebrow: "Buy a gift? For whom?!"
“I’m buying one for Sophie. Sophie said she’d send me a Christmas present, so I need to give her one too.” Mao Mao counted on her fingers, “And one for Mom, one for Grandma, one for my brother, one for Mom, one for Dad, one for the cat, one for Uncle…”
Lou Dashuai pressed her last two raised fingers back down.
"Buying gifts, good," said Lou Dashuai. "Thirteen gifts, we should choose carefully."
Mao Mao blinked and made a confused "hmm" sound in her little voice.
Thirteen portions?
Did she just count to thirteen?
Before she could count on her fingers again, Lou Dashuai said first, "Okay, Dad will go with you tomorrow and take you to the department store to pick out a gift."
Lou Fengju's eyelids twitched, and he reminded him, "Dad, you have a meeting tomorrow."
Commander Lou waved his hand dismissively: "Go!"
“I was going anyway,” Lou Fengju said, “but tomorrow’s meeting is crucial, and I alone won’t be enough.”
Commander Lou: "..."
While he hesitated, Old Madam Lou's cane had already tapped his leg.
The old lady said sternly, "Making a scene at home is one thing, but do you want to delay important matters? You're a grown adult, can't you tell what's important?"
"Yes, you can leave the task of buying a gift for Mao Mao to us." The First Madam took Mao Mao from his arms and said with a smile, "Your Christmas present is definitely on the way, isn't it, Mao Mao?"
Mao Mao nodded vigorously: "Yes!"
Lou Dashuai was unwilling, but with his daughter's clear, bright eyes watching him, he couldn't bring himself to renege on his promise.
He could only emphasize to his wife, "Thirteen servings! Remember, thirteen servings! You can only buy thirteen servings!"
The first wife was both amused and exasperated.
At night, Mao Mao lay in bed.
Xia Xiaoxiang was about to turn off the lights when she saw her counting on her fingers.
He stood up his little finger and then put it back together, counting from left to right and from right to left several times, but he couldn't get it right no matter how he counted.
"Mao Mao, am I going to turn off the lights?"
"oh."
Mao Mao pulled her little hands back under the covers, and once her mother lay down, she skillfully leaned against her.
Xia Xiaoxiang kept her eyes closed for a while, and could still feel her warm little body moving around beside her. When she opened her eyes, she saw that, in the moonlight shining in from outside, Mao Mao was holding her hands high and counting her fingers one by one.
"Mao Mao? What are you doing?" Xia Xiaoxiang asked, puzzled. "Aren't you going to sleep yet? Aren't you going to buy a gift tomorrow?"
Mao Mao held her little hand and said obediently, "Mother, I can't count correctly."
"What number is wrong?"
Mao Mao held up her fingers and counted them off one by one for her: "Grandma, Dad, Big Brother, Second Brother... Cat Cat, Sophie... Sister Zhang, Brother Sen Sen, Uncle Chen..."
She rattled off countless names in one breath.
I counted everyone I knew, almost including all the stray cats and dogs on the street.
She held up her ten fingers and then put them down. Mao Mao tilted her little head back and said with a blank look, "Mom, I've counted them over and over, but there aren't thirteen."
Xia Xiaoxiang: "..."
She held Mao Mao's little hand, cupping her fingers in her palm, a soft, squishy ball.
"Then you should buy more," Xia Xiaoxiang said. "Buy more, just in case, so no one is left out. If there's any left over, you can give it all to me."
"For Mother?"
Xia Xiaoxiang readily agreed: "Yes, give them all to me, I don't mind. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the department store, buy whatever you like, and I'll take care of any extras."
Xia Xiaoxiang patted her round little belly through the blanket: "Okay, you can go to sleep now."
Mao Mao closed her eyes contentedly and snuggled into her mother's arms.
Xia Xiaoxiang tucked the blanket into her head, feeling guilty as she thought: I bought too much... The commander probably won't find out who I prepared it for, right?
...
The next day, Mao Mao, carrying her little crossbody bag and wallet, went to the department store with her mothers to buy gifts, full of fighting spirit.
Her little purse was bulging when she left home, but when she came back, it was completely empty. She even had to ask her mother for money to buy candy. Her little treasure trove had turned into countless items, almost too many to fit in the cart.
Just like her mother said, she bought whatever caught her eye, especially in stores selling children's toys. She liked everything she saw, and her little hands flailing about in the air, almost emptying the shelves. The number of gifts she brought back far exceeded that of anyone Mao Mao knew.
It's okay to buy too much.
Are people willing to accept the extra gifts we bought?
Gifts of all sizes were piled up together. Mao Mao had been attending craft classes for several days in a row. The ladies helped her wrap them with colored paper and tie ribbons into bows. She sat at her little table while her mother scratched her head and did her homework. She sat next to her and carefully wrote a greeting card stroke by stroke.
She couldn't write the character for "birth" in "Merry Christmas," and her second aunt had to teach her several times before she finally learned it.
While Mao Mao was wrapping the gifts, Lou Dashuai inadvertently passed by several times.
"Mao Mao, which one is for Dad?" Lou Dashuai picked up one item at a time, then another: "I think these are all nice, Dad will like them all."
Mao Mao wrote the greeting card carefully, saying without looking up, "I can't tell Daddy now."
"oh……"
Lou Dashuai peeked at her writing greeting cards again.
"For the chef who cooks the best food..."
How come even the family cook received a gift?
Never mind, as long as those two guys don't have it.
"Ahem." Lou Dashuai asked indirectly, "Maomao, you bought so many gifts, did you buy several specifically for Dad?"
Mao Mao lowered her head and carefully wrote the blessing stroke by stroke, her chubby cheeks chubby. "Mmm, okay."
Anyway, she bought a lot, so Dad can have as many items as he wants.
Lou Dashuai was satisfied and strolled away with his hands behind his back.
He had a lot of items, while those two guys didn't have any. Haha.
They rushed to send out all of Mao Mao's gifts before Christmas.
Then, Mao Mao had one more thing to do every day.
Every morning after breakfast, she would wait for the postman in the yard!
The first gifts to arrive were from Sophie, wrapped in pretty colored paper and tied with bows—there were several of them! Mao Mao asked her brother to read the greeting cards for her; not only were there ones from Sophie, but also from Miss Bailey and Mr. Langdon.
Lou Yansui: "They all wished you a happy holiday... Oh, Miss Bailey said that the one wrapped in blue paper wasn't a Christmas present, but a snack that Mr. Langdon and Sophie made together, and that you should eat it quickly. Although it's cold now, it can't be kept for too long."
"Mao Mao, do you want to open your present now?"
Mao Mao opened and ate the pastries, and placed the remaining three gifts under the Christmas tree in the hall.
There, quite a few gift boxes were already stacked up.
This year, Lou Hongjian decorated the hall again, with pine trees almost as tall as a story, and the space beneath them nearly overflowing with gifts. They're just waiting to be opened on Christmas Day.
After Sophie's gift, other people's gifts arrived one after another.
Most of the gifts came from kindergarten children, colorful gift boxes, some wrapped crookedly. There were also gifts from Mao Mao's older friends, and even Grandpa Zhou sent a gift after receiving his own Christmas presents. One day, I woke up to find several more gifts under the pine tree, their fragrant aroma wafting through the wrapping paper.
Christmas Day finally arrived, and the pine trees were almost buried under gifts.
Not only the Marshal's Mansion, but the streets were filled with Christmas cheer. This Western holiday had long since spread from foreigners and become a promotional tactic for department stores. Nowadays, many families were holding Christmas balls today, and the Marshal's Mansion had received many invitations, including one from the family of Dean, the general manager of HSBC. But the Lou family didn't attend any of the balls.
In the evening, after nightfall, the Lou family shared a Christmas dinner that combined Chinese and Western cuisine. Lou Hongjian brought out a gramophone, and melodious dance music echoed in the hall.
Wearing a brand-new little dress and leather shoes, Mao Mao waved her little hands and followed the adults around and around.
When they got tired of dancing, everyone sat down under the pine trees to rest and look for gifts with their names on them.
There are more than a dozen people in the family, and each person received at least a dozen gifts, especially Mao Mao, who was almost overwhelmed by the number of gifts.
She opened one of the boxes, and her little voice exclaimed with delight, "Allen gave me a box of chocolates!"
"Xuanxuan gave me a storybook!"
"Mom gave Mao Mao a new sweater!"
"..."
Mao Mao opened another gift box and took out a small horse doll: "This is..."
“It was a gift from Dad.” Lou Dashuai interrupted, “Maomao, Dad gave you more than just this pony; it’s a real pony. It’s in the racecourse, and you can see it when you go there. When the weather gets warmer, Dad will take you horseback riding.”
"Wow!"
First wife: "Mao Mao is so young, she can't ride a horse yet."
"I'll teach her, I'll teach her step by step." Lou Dashuai was thrilled just thinking about it.
The first wife glared at him but didn't say anything more to stop him.
Judging from how General Lou had been reluctant to even push the swing aside before, it was obvious that he wouldn't let Mao Mao ride a horse alone.
"Riding horses?" Mao Mao's eyes sparkled, and she nodded vigorously: "Mao Mao likes riding horses."
Lou Fengju patted her head: "If Mao Mao likes it, then your older brother will take you horseback riding more often in the future."
“Me too.” Lou Yansui followed closely: “Mao Mao, I can take you too.”
"OK!"
Lou Dashuai cleared his throat and continued, "Maomao, Daddy has another gift for you."
"On New Year's Day, Dad is going to give a speech in the square."
"Dad booked the best spot at the hotel over there in the square. You can see Dad giving his speech from there."
"So, are you surprised? Do you like it?"
Mao Mao cheered, "I love it!"
Lou Dashuai nodded in satisfaction: "Yes, I knew you would like it."
Others: "..."
Lou Hongjian turned to his second brother and complained, "Only Mao Mao is as cooperative with Dad."
Lou Heming: "Keep your voice down, Dad's glaring at you."
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