Chapter 38
The woman's knocking drew Grandpa from inside the house; opening the door, he stepped aside and said, "You're here—she's in the bedroom."
The woman gave a soft grunt and walked straight in, expressionless. Seeing Lin Xiaoli and her son, Grandpa smiled and greeted them, "Back from grocery shopping with Wenjie?"
Lin Xiaoli smiled back. "And that lady is...?"
"Oh, Xia Ying's mom. Mother and daughter haven't seen each other in ages, so she's co for a visit."
After a brief greeting, Grandpa shut the door.
Holding Liu Wenjie's hand, Lin Xiaoli sighed. "So that really was little Xia Ying's mom? First ti I've seen her." She sighed again, unlocked the door, and said regretfully:
"Such a good child as little Xia Ying, landed with parents like that—really unlucky. Xiaojie, you'll have to look after her more from now on."
Liu Wenjie knew Xia Ying's mom and dad had divorced, but he didn't know the details.
"Mom, what happened to Xia Ying's parents?"
Lin Xiaoli considered. "I'm not sure exactly. I just know that after the divorce Xia Ying's mom remarried and her dad got a new wife too. Little Xia Ying ends up ignored by both sides."
She glanced at her son, feeling she'd just said sothing profound. "Do you understand what Mom just said?"
Liu Wenjie broke into a sweat. "Mom, I'm seven—I'm not stupid." What does she take for, Xu Feifei?
Lin Xiaoli chuckled. "Seven's not that big. When I was your age I was still playing in mud; I couldn't understand any of this. But society's changing fast, and you kids really are maturing earlier. Besides, my son is smart."
Liu Wenjie knew tis change, but Mom not understanding at seven probably wasn't about the era—it was a people problem.
Mother and son went inside. anwhile, the woman in the red dress entered the neighboring apartnt.
She strode straight to her daughter's bedroom, only to find the door shut.
She reached for the knob, hesitated, then knocked instead: "Yingying? Mom's here."
No sound from inside. Xia Ying's mom knocked again—still nothing—and finally opened the door, only to find it locked.
Annoyance flashed across her face and she called her daughter's full na: "Xia Ying! Why are you still like this? How old are you and still acting like a child?"
After closing the door, Grandpa hurriedly cautioned her, "Don't be harsh! Xia Ying's already scared of you. If you keep this up, when will she ever agree to see you?"
"Where am I..." Xia Ying's mom looked at Grandpa, words faltering as she saw the old man sigh and sit down on the sofa.
She was no longer the Xia family's daughter-in-law; she had no right to complain to her ex-husband's father.
Turning back to her daughter's door, she tried to soften her voice as much as possible:
"Yingying, Mom is telling you—sooner or later you have to face reality. You can't keep staying with Grandpa every day. He's getting on in years; how long can he keep looking after you?"
From the sofa, Grandpa muttered in protest, "My bones are still strong. I'm not even retirent age—of course I can look after her."
Xia Ying's mom ignored him and continued coaxing her daughter: "Co with Mom, all right? You'll et your new dad, and Mom's given you a little sister. If you don't want to talk to , you can play with her, okay?"
On the bedside table in little Xia Ying's bedroom stood a happy family photo of Mom, Dad, and Xia Ying.
Right now, little Xia Ying was curled up under the blanket, hugging her knees, sniffling and crying as she listened to her mother's voice.
Even with her eyes shut, tears kept sliding down the bridge of her nose.
In the end, Xia Ying's mom left empty-handed; she still hadn't seen her daughter's face.
Before leaving, Mom asked Grandpa, "Does Xia Ying want to go to her dad's place?"
Grandpa asked in return, "What do you think?"
Just as Xia Ying's mom was about to go downstairs, Grandpa suddenly added, "But compared to before, Xia Ying's beco much more cheerful these past two years. She's made a friend—that boy who was at the door just now. The two kids get along well."
Mom's steps slowed. "Really? That's progress indeed." She walked away talking to herself: "Maybe I shouldn't have given birth to this child back then; all I did was bring trouble on myself."
......
High noon, the sun blazing.
Liu Wenjie was napping at ho when he suddenly felt a tickle on his nose.
Slowly opening his eyes, he found a tiny hand gently touching the tip of his nose.
Once his pupils focused, he saw little Xia Ying's flustered face.
Liu Wenjie stared wordlessly at the brat standing by the bed. "Xia Ying? What were you just doing?"
Little Xia Ying apologized, "Sorry, Older Brother Wenjie—I woke you by accident."
Still feeling the itch on his nose, Liu Wenjie rubbed it. "By accident?" He touched his nose again. "Why do I feel it was on purpose?"
"N-no... I just thought Older Brother Wenjie's nose looked nice and wanted to poke it... I didn't an to wake you."
Liu Wenjie blinked. "How's that different from on purpose?"
Little Xia Ying hung her head and said nothing.
"Sorry... please forgive ."
Liu Wenjie studied the brat; she looked like the gloomy kid from a while back. So the unhappiness lately wasn't entirely because he'd been chatting with Xu Feifei.
He sat up and yawned. "Did my mom let you in? Where is she?"
"Aunt went back to her room to nap and told to play with you."
Liu Wenjie collected himself, feeling thirsty. "Go get a glass of water."
"Okay!"
Little Xia Ying scampered to the living room; she'd co so often over the years the place felt like ho. She knew exactly where Liu Wenjie's cup was, poured the water, carried it back carefully with both hands, and handed it to him in one smooth motion.
Liu Wenjie thanked her, took the cup, and gulped it down.
"Want more? I'll pour another."
He set the cup aside. "Go pick a grape—there should be so in the living room."
"All right!" Off she ran again, returning with the grape and handing it to him.
Liu Wenjie popped it into his mouth and asked, "So—shall we read?"
Usually Xia Ying would nod, but today she hesitated. "We could... or we could go downstairs to play."
Even a fool could tell the brat wanted to go outside. Liu Wenjie glanced at the scorching weather outside. "You really know how to make work."
[Childhood Sweetheart wants to invite you downstairs to play. Your choices are:]
[Instant Agreent – Reply: Of course! Reward: 1 raisin.]
[Intermittent Deafness – Reply: Let's read then. Reward: 1 slice of dried mango.]
[Cruel Rejection – Reply: Don't want to go downstairs. Reward: 1 pack of sunflower seeds.]
Damn, garbage rewards again—good ones aren't every ti. But Liu Wenjie had already figured out how to ga the system.
"Don't want to go downstairs."
[Congratulations, Host: 1 pack of sunflower seeds obtained.]
Little Xia Ying drooped, about to nod, when Liu Wenjie added, "But staying ho reading all day is boring too. I'll reluctantly accompany you downstairs for a walk—help you relax."
Answering the option but not following through is perfectly reasonable, right? My life, my call, stupid system.
System: "......"
Xia Ying hadn't expected Liu Wenjie to agree; she broke into a huge grin, visibly delighted. "Thank you, Older Brother Wenjie!"
Liu Wenjie felt around the blanket and found an unopened pack of sunflower seeds—perfect for the road.
He got out of bed and led Xia Ying to the TV stand in the living room. Inside a box were so loose bills—Lin Xiaoli's stash for her son to spend at will. He pocketed ten yuan and called toward the bedroom where his mom was fast asleep:
"Mom, Xia Ying and I are going out to play!"
From the bed, Lin Xiaoli opened her eyes groggily and mumbled, "Don't go too far—just around the estate, okay?"
"Got it."
"Bye, Auntie!" Xia Ying waved. The two little rascals headed downstairs together.
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