Then she continued: "Once, I chased a little boy up a two-ter-high tree. There was a low wall next to it, so it was fairly easy for to climb up. But when the boy saw gaining on him, he pushed in a panic, and I fell from the tree, breaking my right leg. Before that, my grandma always let be free; she thought children should maintain their lively nature, that a little horseplay was perfectly normal. But that day, I really scared her. She heard crying from afar, saw lying on the ground and didn’t even pick up her favorite book that had fallen to the ground. She rushed to pick up and ran to the clinic near our neighborhood. She was in such a hurry that she sprained her ankle. So just like that, our family suddenly had two injured mbers. My mom was furious, yelled at , and almost hit , but grandma stopped her. Not only did she not bla , but she also blad herself, thinking she hadn’t taken good care of , which led to my injury. For the next few days, grandma was very upset. On the fourth night during dinner, she said she wanted to move to my aunt’s place. At that ti, I was very nervous and scared that she would really leave. I was the first to raise my hand in opposition, hurriedly making a bunch of promises, saying I would behave and not be naughty anymore. When I saw that she wasn’t speaking, I started crying and carrying on, not even letting my mom get a word in. Seeing this, grandma changed her mind. From then on, it seed to my parents like I had really beco obedient. Even after my leg fully healed, I didn’t run around wildly anymore. Instead, I sat quietly at my desk, diligently learning to paint from grandma. At that ti, only grandma and my sister understood my feelings. They both advised not to suppress myself, saying it was okay to play and have fun as long as I didn’t get hurt. Initially, I was afraid that grandma would leave, and because I wasn’t very mobile, I didn’t dare to be mischievous. I stayed at ho every day, listening to grandma tell stories and watching her write and paint. Though it didn’t seem particularly interesting to at first, my lively nature gradually cald down. Under grandma’s patient guidance, I learned to write calligraphy and developed a love for painting."
After saying that, Mi Jing glanced at Shen Lingxing, who was smiling at her, feeling a bit embarrassed, realizing she might have said too much.
"Should we pack up and head back?" she said, making a move to stand up, but Shen Lingxing held onto her shoulder, saying, "The story isn’t finished yet."
Uh!
Is he getting addicted to listening to this?
While Mi Jing was in a daze, Shen Lingxing turned to the dazed clerk at the counter and said, "Please bring us two cups of hot water."
"Oh, sure."
The clerk had been watching them and saw Shen Lingxing turning back around, so she responded quickly. In just two or three minutes, she brought over two cups of perfectly tempered hot water.
"Have so water and keep talking," Shen Lingxing said, handing a cup to Mi Jing before picking up the other for himself and taking a sip.
Hearing this, Mi Jing obediently drank half a cup of water, put her cup down, then picked up a photograph of a sprouting bean sprout and said, "This was one of my birthday gifts. It was given to by my cousin on my tenth birthday, the first year after grandma passed away. Since then, every year on my birthday, he sends a piece of photography to replace the ones grandma used to give . Grandma had two daughters. My mom and my aunt had a very close relationship, so our families spent a lot of ti together, and we cousins were also very close. My cousin has a passion for photography and is now a professional photographer. He has been in Africa capturing images of lions. I will introduce you when he gets back."
As she said this, Mi Jing paused and pointed to so of her newer paintings, saying, "These are the ones I painted for grandma, two each year; one for her birthday and one for her death anniversary..."
Ti passed as they continued talking. The door creaked opened, and the clerk quickly noticed and habitually greeted the visitor with a smile, saying, "Welco!"
Just as she said this, she recognized the visitors and was a bit stunned. Seeing the little girl in the man’s arms, she smiled and asked, "Xuanxuan, aren’t you going to kindergarten today?"
At that mont, in the corner, Mi Jing raised her head imdiately upon hearing the voice. Seeing the familiar little face and clothes, she jumped up, leaving Shen Lingxing behind as she quickly ran towards the man.
"Xuanxuan, co over to your auntie," she said, extending her arms. Xuanxuan, delighted at the sight of Mi Jing, stretched out her arms and leaned towards her as the man holding Xuanxuan cooperatively handed her over without a word.
"Auntie, it was a very handso uncle with long legs who brought Xuanxuan back," Xuanxuan said, wrapping her little arms around Mi Jing’s neck without any fear or timidity from being carried away, instead proudly sharing the news like she had found a treasure.
Uncle with long legs?
Hmm...
Mi Jing glanced at the man in front of her, her expression stiffening. She couldn’t agree with Xuanxuan’s opinion at all.
Where did this short man get those long legs?
But understanding that children have a different perspective from adults, Mi Jing quickly recovered and smiled at the man, saying, "Thank you for bringing my niece back safely. Would you like to stay for a drink?"
"No need to be so courteous. It’s my duty," the man politely replied, nodding at Shen Lingxing as he approached Mi Jing. "Mr. Shen, Chairman Ji has an urgent matter today and asked to tell you that he will invite you for dinner another ti."
"Okay," Shen Lingxing replied indifferently, guessing that Ji Dongquan probably didn’t want to run into Mi Jing, so he didn’t say much else.
Xuanxuan was found through Shen Lingxing’s connections, so it made sense that the man knew Shen Lingxing. However, hearing the term "Chairman Ji," Mi Jing’s heart skipped a beat, and she couldn’t help but think of Ji Dongquan. She called out to the man who was about to leave, "Wait, did you an Ji Dongquan? Is he the one who brought Xuanxuan back?"
The man’s face briefly showed so unease, but having considerable experience, he quickly composed himself. His boss had specifically instructed him not to reveal his identity. He couldn’t afford to lose his job, so he stayed calm and said, "Miss, you must be mistaken. Our Chairman’s na isn’t Ji Dongquan."
"Oh."
Although still curious, Mi Jing didn’t push further since the man denied it. She nodded and watched him leave.
As the man moved away, Mi Jing’s gaze followed. Suddenly, she noticed a car outside that she had seen at the civil affairs office. The sa color, the sa model, even the paint on the car was the sa. The familiar face she had glimpsed that day flashed in her mind.
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