Challenges and Growth
On July 3, 2016, when Xiaofeng's fourth uncle Jiang Tao rang the doorbell, she was holding Lucas in one hand and a bottle of milk in the other, and hurriedly opened the door.
"Fourth Uncle!" Xiaofeng's eyes lit up and he excitedly handed Lucas forward, "Hurry and hug him!"
Uncle Si carefully took Lucas and asked softly, "Will this little guy cry?"
"No." Xiaofeng made a face at Lucas, "Call me grandpa."
"Grandpa..." The soft and sticky childish voice was like a small candy ball, instantly sweetening Jiang Tao's heart.
Xiaofeng trotted off again to pick up Oscar, who was still playing in the tub. The little guy was holding the shower head in his little hand, carefully pouring water over his hair. The water dripped down the brim of the shampoo cap, and he giggled and used his other hand to catch it.
Seeing his mother coming over, Oscar immediately put down the shower head and slapped the water excitedly: "Mom..."
"Come on, put on your clothes." Xiaofeng unfolded the bath towel.
Oscar slid down the side of the bathtub and dove into the towel. Xiaofeng hugged him and smoothed his wet hair: "Call me grandpa."
"Grandpa, hold my brother." The little guy said in a baby voice.
Fourth Uncle smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits: "Oscar, do you want grandpa to hold you?"
Oscar immediately kicked his legs in Xiaofeng's arms and waved his arms: "I want grandpa to hold me!"
"Okay, Grandpa will hold one in each hand."
As soon as Xiaofeng finished making the milk, the two little boys immediately burrowed into the silk quilt, clutching the bottles. Like two little animals fighting for food, they gulped down the milk and used their chubby hands to pull the bottles away from each other. As the bottles arced in the air, milk dripped down their bulging cheeks, and Xiaofeng frantically fumbled to wipe them with tissues.
"It's too much for one person to take care of two people, right?" asked the fourth uncle.
"It's okay. Brother Zhou Yang was supposed to come over, but something happened on his way out and got delayed." Xiao Feng turned around and threw the tissue into the trash can. "They're both pretty well behaved, but if one cries, the other will cry too."
"Twins are all like this, they have telepathy." Fourth Uncle looked at the children, "They really look like Wen Feng."
"Yeah, exactly the same."
"How do you tell the difference between the older brother and the younger brother?"
"Look at their hair. Lucas has a small bald spot on the left side, and Oscar has a small bald spot on the right side."
"Did you shave it yourself?" Fourth Uncle couldn't help laughing when he saw the children's uneven hair.
"They refused to go to the barber shop no matter what. No matter how much I tried to coax them, it was useless. When the older brother started crying, the younger brothers would follow suit."
"Wenfeng was like this when he was little, too. He'd get mad at anyone who touched his hair," Fourth Uncle recalled. "One time, the kindergarten teacher thought his hair was too long and wanted to cut it, but he ended up running around the classroom holding a small stool and finally hiding in his locker, refusing to come out. No one could persuade him, until Wenqing coaxed him out."
"If only those two brothers didn't know me, one is a business elite, the other is a basketball star, both have bright futures..." There was a hint of melancholy in Xiaofeng's voice.
"Life isn't about what ifs; it's about looking forward."
"Yes, Fourth Uncle. Once I get my diploma, I'll go back to the team for training, okay?"
"You're welcome back anytime."
"I knew Fourth Uncle loved me the most!" Xiao Feng instantly changed her tone to a coquettish one. At this time, the doorbell rang, "It's Brother Zhou Yang."
Hearing the name, the two brothers put down their bottles and slid down from the bed. Xiaofeng protected their little heads and walked downstairs, holding one in each hand.
When they reached the stairs, the two little guys let go of Xiaofeng's hands, held onto the railing, and moved down step by step with their little butts sticking out. Their serious looks were particularly adorable.
"Uncle!" Lucas, like a little cannonball, rushed to Zhou Yang first, his limp little body crashing into his arms. Before Zhou Yang could recover from the warmth of this "little marshmallow," Oscar also bounded over to him. He stumbled back a few steps at this double sweet shock, but his smile crinkled the corners of his eyes as he quickly opened his arms and scooped up both little ones.
"Zhou Yang." Fourth Uncle followed Xiaofeng downstairs.
"Hello, uncle."
"To keep the kids company?"
"Yeah, take them shopping for some clothes. Children grow up fast. Have dinner with my uncle tonight."
"Okay," Fourth Uncle patted Xiaofeng's shoulder, "The door of the team is always open for you."
On the way to the mall, Zhou Yang and Xiao Feng chatted.
"Fourth Uncle wants to see you for something?"
"Just to see the kids."
"Nothing else?"
"Let me finish my studies and return to the team for training."
"Do you want to go back?"
"Yes. Brother Zhou Yang, will you support me?"
"Of course." Zhou Yang smiled, "Did you make an appointment with Xiao Qi?"
"Well, the store is busy today, the weekend, so I made an appointment with her and Uncle Ming to meet at the store."
"I'll treat you to milk tea later."
"Great! I've been craving this. I want it with red beans and glutinous rice..."
"Got it. A cup of bubble tea. You don't want milk tea, right?"
Both of them laughed.
As soon as they stepped into the store, the two little ones rushed to the toy section like little motors wound up. Lucas grabbed the colorful building blocks, while Oscar quickly hugged the singing construction truck, their big eyes sparkling as if they had discovered a treasure.
"Oh, my big silly girl!" Xiaoqi's clear voice came from behind the shelf, and she took two steps at a time to come forward.
Ming Hanmin wiped his hands and trotted over from the cashier counter: "Xiaofeng is finally back. The store always felt like something was missing when you were not here."
Xiaofeng smiled so hard that her teeth showed, and she jumped up and down on the spot: "I missed you guys so much!" She squatted down, pulled the child clinging to the toy to her side, and said softly: "This is Grandpa Ming and Aunt Xiaoqi."
"Hello, Grandpa! Hello, Auntie!" The two little baby voices were as clear as wind chimes.
Xiao Qi suddenly took out two bulging red envelopes from her apron pocket, her eyes curved into crescents: "Call me godmother quickly, and I'll give you a big red envelope if you call me godmother!"
Ming Hanmin was already happily picking out toys from the shelves. "Grandpa, how about giving you some toys?" Xiaofeng immediately raised her index finger and frowned, "You can only choose... one... one!" She deliberately dragged out the "one." Finally, Lucas refused to let go of the quacking yellow duck, while Oscar had a special liking for the orange ball.
The setting sun filtered through the private room's gauze curtains, casting a patch of orange light. Zhou Yang arranged two dining chairs into a makeshift goal, while Xiaofeng accompanied the children, taking turns playing soccer, constantly checking her watch.
"What's wrong?" Zhou Yang asked.
"Why hasn't Uncle Zhou come yet?" Xiaofeng pouted, feeling a little disappointed.
"He's shopping and will be here soon." After hearing Zhou Yang's explanation, Xiaofeng felt relieved and continued to play with the children.
The moment Zhou Yong pushed open the door, Xiaofeng, like a fledgling returning to its nest, rushed headfirst into his arms, tilted her head upwards, and whispered in his ear, "Can I call you 'Daddy'?"
Zhou Yong's eyes instantly turned red, his Adam's apple rolled, and he nodded heavily.
"Dad, I missed you so much. You're finally back." Xiao Feng's sweet voice attracted the twins. The two little guys stretched out their arms: "Dad..."
Xiao Feng wiped her tears and corrected him with a smile: "You should call me grandpa..."
Zhou Yong squatted down and took the two children into his arms: "Be good, this is a gift for you." He took out a dinosaur-shaped bubble maker from his handbag, pressed the button, and the melody of "Jingle Bells" mixed with rainbow bubbles poured out. The two children ran away chasing the bubbles, their figures appearing and disappearing in the bubbles, like two furry dandelions.
Xiaofeng caught a bubble with her fingertips and acted coquettishly: "Dad, you are partial to me. You didn't even prepare a gift for me."
Zhou Yong smiled: "I was negligent. My girl is still a baby, so of course she needs a gift. I will make it up to her next time."
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