596. Understanding Daughter
“Come on, come on, it’s almost six already!”
“Shuqin got out of school at four-thirty…”
Even though Ning Chu had a blast at the hot springs and the pillows in the booth were super comfy, as they were heading home, she found herself anxiously glued to the window, watching the streets zip by.
Mom probably already picked up her daughter and was eating dinner by now, but from what Mom said, the little one wasn’t in a great mood and kept crying for her.
“Don’t rush; we’ll get a speeding ticket if we do.”
Wen Yang was as laid-back as ever, and as usual, focused intently on the road without even turning his head to respond.
Ning Chu knew she shouldn’t be anxious while driving, but when it came to her daughter, the worry bubbled over uncontrollably.
“It’s all Lily’s fault! I was ready to leave ages ago, but she insisted on chatting away!”
“Right, right, just make sure you didn’t forget Lily’s little gift?”
“I’ve got it… Should I bring a gift too? Otherwise, Shuqin might think we really ditched her for a whole day of fun.”
“Isn’t that the point?”
Ning Chu’s brow furrowed in frustration, hesitating as she nodded, “Well, yes…”
But isn’t that just being considerate of her daughter’s feelings?!
Before long, Wen Yang drove into an old residential community in the city center.
The moment the car parked, Ning Chu couldn’t contain herself any longer; she jumped out, hurriedly pressed the elevator button, and started doing a little anxious dance, staring intently at the descending numbers.
“Come on! The elevator’s almost here!”
Wen Yang tossed the car keys and sauntered into the building.
“Why do you seem so indifferent about our daughter?” Ning Chu rolled her eyes at him, makin’ it cute.
“It’s you who’s overreacting; what could Shuqin possibly do at Grandma’s?”
“It’s the longest we’ve been apart, you know! It’s almost a whole day!”
Ning Chu lowered her head, mumbled, “I know I’m being a bit too hasty, but I can’t help it; I feel anxious if I don’t see her.”
Wen Yang gave her little head a gentle rub.
No worries, in a few years, Ning Chu won’t care as much, just like how she once panicked when their daughter cried. Now, she can calmly watch Shuqin’s little tantrums without breaking a sweat.
Back in the day, just imagining that would be downright impossible!
They took the elevator up and arrived at Grandma’s door.
Ning Chu knocked lightly twice, and the unmistakable “pitter-patter” of tiny footsteps echoed from inside.
The door opened, and a pair of big, round eyes peeked through the crack, nervously scanning the outside. Once they saw Ning Chu and Wen Yang, their daughter squealed in joy.
“Daddy!”
She flung the door wide open, excitedly darting past Ning Chu to hug Wen Yang’s leg instead.
“……”
Ning Chu suddenly felt like all her earlier anxiety turned into dog food.
“Mom!” Their daughter grabbed her pinky finger, lips pursed in disappointment, “Where did you and Daddy go? Did you play without me?”
Seeing her daughter’s little pout, all Ning Chu’s earlier irritation vanished. She smiled and squatted down gently, answering, “We went to buy you a gift~”
“It’s your first day at kindergarten! This is a music box from Aunt Lily—pretty, right?”
She pulled out a snow globe from the bag and placed it in her daughter’s hands: “I also got you a super big teddy bear in the car; you can open it when we get back.”
“Wow!”
Their daughter squealed in excitement, hugging the snow globe tightly.
You’ve got to admit, kids are super easy to please~
“What do you say to Mommy for the gift?” Wen Yang teased from behind.
“Thank you, Mommy!”
“Come in and eat; did you forget to chat outside?”
Grandma’s voice chirped from inside, nudging them to remove their shoes and enter.
Sitting at the dining table, Grandma couldn’t help but beam at the family: “You and your daughter are just alike; both love to run around barefoot.”
Ning Chu silently turned, pulling out a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet.
These days, the house was often too quiet. Ning Chu married, Ning Yuan got his wife, and even though they all lived nearby, they barely saw each other more than once or twice a week. Meanwhile, Black Bean was off at university, only showing up during holidays.
This left Grandma nearly feeling like an empty nester, spending her days alone.
“Mom~ Did Shuqin cause trouble?” The family settled around the table, Ning Chu smiled and asked.
“A little mischief is good; otherwise, I’d be so bored at home.” Grandma sighed, “It only takes half an hour to drive over, and yet you don’t bring my granddaughter to see me more often.”
“Isn’t Shuqin starting school? We’ve got a ton of things to juggle.”
Wen Yang chimed in, “Work just kicked off at my company, so I’m swamped.”
The couple always had their excuses. Grandma rolled her eyes: “I’m thinking about moving in with your Uncle.”
“That’d be great! You two have been married for years; it’s high time you live together, plus you’d have someone to look after you.”
“But it’s far; I’ll think about it.”
While saying this, Grandma picked up her granddaughter’s bowl.
“Mom, don’t feed Shuqin; how old is she now?”
“She’s just over three years old! You want me to wait until she’s four or five to let her eat on her own?”
Ning Chu’s brows furrowed uncontrollably. This was why she didn’t want her mother helping with child-rearing, even if doing it herself felt like a breakdown waiting to happen.
“She’s in kindergarten now; the teachers won’t feed her.”
She shot a glance at her husband, who instantly agreed, “Mom, let Shuqin feed herself; she doesn’t need help at home.”
Grandma hesitantly put down the bowl and chopsticks: “What if she doesn’t eat?”
“She’ll just go hungry; it’s not like she’ll starve!”
Ning Chu was stone-faced on this subject. She absolutely refused to end up with a spoiled child.
“Just let it go for now.” She shifted the conversation, turning to their daughter, “Shuqin, did you have fun on your first day at kindergarten?”
“It was fun!”
“Did you miss Mommy and Daddy?”
“A little bit?”
“……”
Grandma burst into laughter: “When I went to pick her up, she wouldn’t let go of the teacher’s leg!”
Ning Chu wasn’t sure whether to be happy or sad, pouting her lips and asking, “Are you going back to kindergarten tomorrow?”
Suddenly, their daughter shook her head vigorously.
Wen Yang was baffled: “Wasn’t kindergarten fun? Why don’t you want to go again?”
“If I go, Daddy will bully Mommy!”
Grandma’s eyes widened, instantly alarmed, and shot a questioning gaze at Wen Yang: “What have you done to Ning Chu?!”
“???”
Both parents were stunned, but then recalled what happened last night.
Ning Chu’s cheeks flushed bright red as Wen Yang rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
Their daughter, all indignant, exclaimed: “Mommy hurt her foot while I wasn’t home all day!”
Wen Yang awkwardly tried to clarify, “Ask Mommy when I ever bullied her! Last night was just yoga practice… sort of.”
“Today I just accidentally twisted it…” Ning Chu covered her face, snickering as she added, “So understanding, already looking out for Mommy~”
“Oh~” Their daughter blinked, confused yet astounded.
Grandma had cottoned on, covering her mouth and giggling uncontrollably.
