Auntie… Mama. But Huo Yinli called the adult in front of them… Mama, yet they weren’t supposed to call her that. But she was Wen Tingyin’s older sister, and also Huo Yinli’s older sister, so why couldn’t they call her that?
Wen Ruanqing was completely bewildered. Turning her head to look at Wen Si, she said, “Mama.”
“Mother.” Wen Si began to correct Wen Ruanqing again, explaining, “Two aunties, Sister Xiao Li’s mama.”
“Mama.” Wen Ruanqing repeated the only two syllables she could pronounce, her round eyes rolling as she looked left and right.
“It’s fine, this must be Wen Ruanqing.” Chu Qing proactively walked over and crouched down in front of Wen Ruanqing. Placing a hand on Huo Yinli’s shoulder, she said with a smile, “Xiao Li told me about you.”
“Ah.” Wen Ruanqing looked at Chu Qing. After a few seconds, she proactively extended her hands: “Want…”
She wanted a hug. Looking at Huo Yinli and Chu Qing, the two of them looked alike, but there were subtle differences. She didn’t like Huo Yinli, but at the same time, she had a good impression of Chu Qing.
“Alright, Auntie Chu will give you a hug.” Chu Qing deliberately emphasized her surname as she picked Wen Ruanqing up. Light—she was far too light. No wonder Huo Yinli had sent her a message hoping she could teach some magic to cure Wen Ruanqing.
The child was beautiful, making one’s heart soften just by looking at her. It was no wonder Huo Yinli liked her so much.
“A—” Wen Ruanqing let out a sound. Although she could stand steadily, her core strength wasn’t strong. Forcing her body upright, she stared intently at Chu Qing. After looking at her, she looked at Huo Lin, and finally, she didn’t forget to look toward Huo Yinli.
Oh? “Who are you looking at?” Chu Qing genuinely liked Wen Ruanqing. Holding the child, she walked toward the house. “Let’s go, come home with Auntie Chu!”
Huo Yinli immediately followed them, not forgetting to turn back and wave her hand: “Auntie and Wen Tingyin, come to my house.”
Standing to the side, Huo Lin nodded upon hearing this: “Go on in and eat.”
“Then I won’t stand on ceremony.” Feng Ye smiled as she took Wen Tingyin’s hand and walked inside: “Let’s go!”
The Huo family’s chef cooked quickly. After asking about dietary restrictions beforehand, they had started cooking. By the time the dishes were served on the table, it was only seven o’clock.
Huo Lin spoke very little; it was mainly Chu Qing who kept the conversation going. Feng Ye and Wen Si were both people who maneuvered through the business world, so making conversation was naturally no problem for them. Meanwhile, the three children sat to the side playing.
“Give you this.” Huo Yinli also had quite a few small plush toys. Remembering that Zhao Chi had given Wen Ruanqing a little sheep plush toy, she gave her a yellow duck.
“Duck-duck.” Huo Yinli handed the toy to Wen Ruanqing: “A little duck.”
“Little yellow duck!” Wen Tingyin liked little ducks; she had quite a few in her room as well. “Little sister, ducks go quack, quack, quack.”
Leaning against the sofa while holding the plush toy, Wen Ruanqing stared blankly at Wen Tingyin. After reacting, she began to laugh: “Quack!”
“Quack!” Wen Tingyin also called out: “Quack!”
Huo Yinli laughed and also called out: “Quack!”
Then, the three little ducks burst into laughter, tilting every which way.
“Alright, the three little ducks need to eat now.” Feng Ye walked over to take the toy away. Seeing that Wen Ruanqing had chewed the little duck’s head until it was soaking wet, she said with a smile, “You greedy little duck.”
She placed Wen Ruanqing into the baby chair and then handed her a bottle of milk: “Your dinner.”
Wen Ruanqing took it and began to drink. But suddenly, she realized these adults were quite wicked—the food they were eating smelled so delicious that her drool was about to flow out.
Slurp, slurp. “Ah—” Wen Ruanqing opened her mouth. She wanted to eat that too!
“Thank you for your hard work taking care of Xiao Li during this period.”
“There’s no need for such formalities, we are neighbors, we help each other out.”
“Ah—” Wen Ruanqing made another “ah” sound. Was no one going to look at her?
“We are also friends, the three children get along quite well.”
“Indeed, they are all very cute.”
“Ah—!” Wen Ruanqing put down her milk bottle. She was about to get angry!
Hmph! The return of Huo Lin and Chu Qing did not disrupt the pace of daily life. Wen Tingyin and Huo Yinli still had to go to school, and Wen Ruanqing would cry once every day.
Such was her love for her older sister.
The tail end of summer had completely passed, and autumn had arrived. The wind began to turn bleak. Watching the leaves slowly turn yellow, Wen Ruanqing curiously reached out her hand, wanting to catch them.
“Did you catch it?” Wen Si lifted Wen Ruanqing up, saying with a smile, “Can our little baby not catch it?”
Hearing the tone in Wen Si’s voice, Wen Ruanqing glanced at her, parted her lips, and called out, “Mother.”
By now, she could manage to call out both “Mama” and “Mother.”
Hehehe.
“Wen Si!” Huo Lin and Chu Qing came over to say goodbye. They had stayed for over half a month, using up all kinds of leave. After leaving this time, they feared they wouldn’t be able to return until next year.
Wen Si nodded, carrying Wen Ruanqing over. “Does Xiao Li know?”
“She knows. I always feel I owe that child too much; she is far too well-behaved.” Chu Qing’s eyes reddened slightly, but time waited for no one. Adjusting her emotions, she waved her hand at Wen Si and Wen Ruanqing: “I’m leaving!”
“Say bye-bye to Auntie.” Wen Si gently squeezed Wen Ruanqing’s little hand. “Auntie is about to leave.”
Wen Ruanqing was not very familiar with Huo Lin and Chu Qing either, because the two of them usually stayed in the research institute in Hai City.
She raised her hand and waved it: “Bye-bye!”
She didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but she suddenly felt a bit dizzy.
Huh? Wen Ruanqing felt a bit uncomfortable. She struggled a little; being held made her stomach feel very uneasy.
“Do you want to get down?” Wen Si set Wen Ruanqing down. Just as she was about to pluck a yellow leaf for her, out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed that small figure becoming unsteady and swaying. Her breath caught, and in the next second, she felt as if her heart had stopped beating. A sharp, urgent voice rang out:
“Little Baby!”