When it was time for the performance, two slightly older children went on stage to announce the acts. The boy wore a white shirt and overalls, his hair looking like it had been sprayed with hairspray, lying flat against his scalp. The little girl wore a white shirt and a red overall dress, her hair tied into two small braids with two red hair flowers. The show began, and the first to go on stage were the preschool boys. They carried red-tasseled spears and marched onto the stage in perfect formation, their little faces flushed, looking incredibly spirited and adorable.
Two young hosts announced, "Next, please welcome the kindergarten's senior class to sing 'I Love Beijing Tiananmen.' Let's give them a round of applause!" Thunderous applause erupted from below. The Gu family sat upright, waiting for their child to come out. Gu Yunxi's class's performance was in the middle. The sun was directly overhead, but no one complained of the heat. After all, entertainment options were scarce these days, and those who attended were all doting parents, so they didn't say anything. When the little ones came on stage, the audience couldn't help but laugh when they saw that they all had a large red dot on their foreheads and rosy cheeks. Xia Liang handed her second child to her mother-in-law and took pictures of her eldest child. Gu Yunxi's class wore school-made floral shirts and red skirts. After circling twice, she began to sing: "I love Beijing Tiananmen, the sun rises over Tiananmen." When the song ended, applause rang out again, and someone said, "Whose child is that standing in the very center? She's quite cute, no wonder she's standing in the middle." The Gu family didn't say anything, but they all silently straightened their backs, after all, the one standing in the center was their granddaughter.
After coming off stage, the little one went straight to the audience. Reaching her grandparents, she first touched her little sister's cheek before asking, "Grandpa, Grandma, did you see my performance?" Gu Weiguo picked up his eldest granddaughter and said, "Of course you saw it! Our granddaughter sang so well!" Hearing that her grandparents had seen it, the little one turned to her mother and Aunt Wu and asked, "Mom, Grandma Wu, did you see it?" Aunt Wu laughed and said, "Yes, yes, our little Yunxi sang even better than those on TV!" Xia Liang thought, "..." There was no need for that. After confirming that everyone had seen her performance, the little one watched the rest of the show in her grandfather's arms before going to participate in the park activities with her classmates. The Gu family went home after watching the show, and Xia Liang still had to take the photos to get them developed.
Unbeknownst to them, Gu Yanxiao had already arrived home and found the door locked. He was puzzled; it wasn't a day for work, so why was no one home? He went next door to ask, but the door was also locked. Turning to go outside, he saw his parents, wife, and daughter had returned. He went to greet them, took his wife's little daughter from her arms, and kissed her twice, saying, "Mom and Dad, where have you been?" Han Yulan, wondering why her son was back at this hour, said, "Yunxi had a kindergarten activity today, and we went to watch her perform. By the way, why are you back so soon?" Gu Yanxiao replied to Han Yulan, "This time I came back..." "He's going to military academy for three years, then I can come back more often." The Gu family wasn't unhappy at all. After all, their son had been in the army, serving his country, but he had truly neglected Xia Liang. No matter how much she and Old Gu did, they couldn't make up for it. Now that their son was back by their side, that was naturally a very good thing. As for where he would be transferred later, they would talk about that later. The family happily walked home. On the way, Gu Yanxiao asked again, "Where did you go? Why is no one home next door?" Han Yulan smiled and said, "Your eldest daughter is celebrating Children's Day today. She's performing on stage, and we all want to watch."
Knowing he had missed his daughter's performance, Gu Yanxiao was filled with regret. If he had arrived home a few hours earlier, he might have made it in time. Actually, it wasn't entirely his fault! He had rushed back as soon as possible, but the journey was too long, hence his late arrival. He still needed to think of a good way to apologize to his daughter. Once home, Xia Liang had Gu Yanxiao put their second child on the floor. The mat Xia Liang had specially made for Yunxi was still intact, and the younger child could still use it. The little girl, Yuanzhi, who could already crawl, crawled around on the mat without stopping for a moment. Gu Yanxiao sat beside his little girl, watching her, making sure she didn't crawl onto the floor.
Sure enough, when little Gu Yunxi returned home and saw her father sitting next to her younger sister's blanket, her little face immediately fell. She looked at Gu Yanxiao with displeasure and said, "Daddy, when did you get back? Did you know I was performing today?" Seeing his daughter's angry smile, Gu Yanxiao tried to appease her, "I'm sorry, baby. Daddy didn't know you were performing today. When I got home, your grandparents were already back. I only just found out. Please forgive me, baby?" Little Yunxi proudly raised her chin and said, "Okay! Since you didn't do it on purpose, I forgive you. But there can't be a next time, okay?" Hearing his daughter forgive him, Gu Yanxiao nodded happily, "I know, there won't be a next time." He then looked at his daughter crossing her arms, looking like a little adult. He felt gratified but also a little sad, a feeling of "my daughter is growing up," but he hadn't witnessed her growth. Thankfully, he was back now and could spend more time with them.
Although he had received his daughter's forgiveness, Gu Yanxiao still took his two daughters to the department store, wanting to give them some financial compensation. Before leaving, he had discussed with Xia Liang whether he could skip paying his allowance this month so he could take his daughters shopping. He only told his daughters that he was going to the department store after Xia Liang agreed. Xia Liang didn't go with them; she thought Gu Yanxiao also needed time alone with his children to nurture their relationship. Upon arriving at the department store, Gu Yanxiao, holding his younger daughter, said to his older daughter, "Sweetie, look around. Daddy will buy you whatever you like." Little Gu Yunxi's eyes lit up as she looked at her father and asked, "Really? You'll buy me everything?" Seeing his daughter's happy expression, Gu Yanxiao couldn't possibly refuse. He nodded and said, "Yes, I'll buy you whatever you want." The little one grabbed her father's hand and led him to the candy counter. Looking at the colorful array of candies, she felt her mouth water. Pointing to the White Rabbit milk candy, she said, "Daddy, buy me a pound, no, buy me ten pounds of White Rabbit milk candy! I want to eat my fill!" Gu Yanxiao was embarrassed. It seemed children shouldn't eat too much candy! What to do? But Haikou had already promised, and if he went back on his word, his daughter definitely wouldn't believe him anymore. He could only coax her, "Sweetie, let's not buy so much, okay? Look, there aren't even ten pounds in total, right? If we buy it all, other kids who want some won't get any. How about we buy one pound?" The little one thought about how she usually wanted candy but her mother wouldn't allow it, and felt sorry for the other kids who couldn't have any, so she said, "Okay, we'll buy one pound then." But then the sales clerk behind the counter said, "Sir, we also have a lot of White Rabbit milk candy. I can get it for you if you want." Gu Yanxiao: "..."
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