With a 'click', the shutter sounded, and the image in the camera was captured.
Sweetie was stunned at first, then said with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance, "Ahhh, how embarrassing! Uncle, don't take pictures!"
"It's all filmed now." Cheng Baidong said with a smile, "It's not embarrassing, it's quite cute."
"Really?" Sweetie asked expectantly.
Cheng Baidong: "She's really cute. You can ask my aunt if you don't believe me."
Sweetie turned to look at Fang Qiao: "Auntie..."
Fang Qiao smiled and nodded emphatically, saying, "It really is cute, and it's also very memorable. When you grow up and see this photo again, you'll definitely smile knowingly."
"Okay, okay then." Sweetie reluctantly accepted, but still felt incredibly embarrassed. She was almost six years old and couldn't even lift a cat... Waaaaah...
No! She can't give up!
Sweetie tried for quite a while longer.
Unfortunately, the chubby orange cat was too heavy. Even though Sweetie managed to pick him up, her arms couldn't support him, so she had no choice but to return him to Chen Yan.
"Little Orange, you need to lose weight!" Sweetie squatted down, brushing Little Orange's fur while trying to save face for herself. "You're so fat, be careful no female cat will like you!"
Little Orange showed little interest in this, even opening its mouth wide to yawn, and glancing sideways at Sweetie as if to say: Little female cat? What are you doing? Do you have any dried fish to eat?
He stretched his legs forward, stuck his butt out, and after a big yawn, he took a running start and "whoosh" jumped onto the low wall next to the corner gate a few meters away.
Chen Yan immediately chased after her: "Little Orange, don't run around, go back to the clock shop."
The little orange cat meowed in response, then jumped along the low wall to the roof next to it and quickly disappeared.
Even though the cat is gone, we still have to go to the clock shop. Sweetie can't change what she said just because the cat's not around; otherwise, Chen Yan will definitely hate her if he finds out she lied.
Fortunately, the clock museum is not far ahead; just go through a side gate and turn left.
When I got there, I found that the clock shop was closed and not open to the public, and there was a young man standing at the door with a straight posture.
The young man had regular features and a resolute gaze.
Although he was dressed in civilian clothes, his resolute and awe-inspiring demeanor made Cheng Baidong immediately realize that he was a military man with a high position of power.
Upon seeing the man, Chen Yan's face instantly lit up with a bright smile, and she quickly ran towards him, calling out, "Dad!"
Chen Yan's father responded, a smile appearing on his serious face.
He ruffled Chen Yan's hair, put his arm around his shoulder to keep him close to his side, and then said to Cheng Baidong and his group, "I'm sorry, the clock shop will be closed during the Spring Festival."
Cheng Baidong nodded slightly to indicate that he understood, then turned to Fang Qiao and said, "Let's go."
"Okay." Fang Qiao nodded and said to Tian Tian, "Tian Tian, we should go now. Say goodbye to your brother."
Sweetie waved goodbye to Chen Yan obediently, saying, "Goodbye, brother."
Chen Yan pursed his lips and curved them into a warm smile: "Goodbye, little sister."
After leaving the palace garden where the clockwork museum was located, Tian Tian asked Fang Qiao if she could get a cat.
"Auntie, I want to get a kitten that's about the same size as Little Orange, is that okay?"
Fang Qiao shook her head: "Not for now."
"Temporarily?" Sweetie sensed the hope in Fang Qiao's words and asked, "Auntie, does 'temporarily not' mean 'later'?"
Fang Qiao nodded.
Sweetie's eyes lit up: "When can we do that in the future?"
Fang Qiao thought for a moment and said, "After moving to the new house, our current place is too small, and there's not enough room."
Sweetie excitedly asked, "Auntie, Auntie, can I get a cat after we move to the new house?"
Fang Qiao nodded and said, "Okay, but you're the one who'll be raising the cat, so you'll be responsible for taking care of it and won't be able to bother your parents anymore. Feeding it, bathing it, cleaning its litter box—all of that will be your job. The cat is a life; you can't just give up because it's hard work, understand?"
"Of course!" Tian Tian patted her chest and assured, "I'll take responsibility for the cat I want to raise! Don't worry, Auntie, I'll definitely take good care of the cat after it comes home!"
"Then it's a deal, Auntie, you can't go back on your word! Pinky promise! For a hundred years, no exceptions!"
Sweetie pointed to her little finger, wanting to make a pinky promise with Fang Qiao.
Fang Qiao smiled and hooked her little finger with Tian Tian's finger, then pressed her thumbs together and said, "Okay, Auntie promises not to go back on her word."
After leaving the Forbidden City, Cheng Bodong went to a nearby state-run photo studio to return the camera he had rented, redeem his deposit and ID, and also to have the photos taken that day developed.
Cheng Baidong's three-inch photos were a bit small, so he had all of them printed as five-inch photos.
After paying the money and agreeing to pick it up two weeks later with the receipt, I left the state-run photo studio.
At noon, the family had a simple meal at a nearby state-run restaurant. In the afternoon, they went for a walk in Jingshan Park behind the park, and then went ice skating at Beihai Park. They didn't return home until it got dark, accompanied by the sound of firecrackers along the way.
Back home, the little Vermilion Bird immediately flew to Fang Qiao and circled around her: "Sister Qiao, where did you go? Why are you so late? I was so bored at home all by myself."
Fang Qiao turned and glanced at it, then laughed, "Regretting not going along?"
"No way! It's freezing outside. I only flew out for a short while and my head is covered in frost. I don't want to go out and freeze." The little Vermilion Bird said proudly, "I just didn't eat lunch and I'm a little hungry."
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