Word of what had happened at kindergarten that day quickly reached Xu Shu’s ears.
She knew her little girl was mischievous, but she never expected her to misbehave at kindergarten.
On her very first day, she’d already caused so much trouble.
Xu Shu decided to teach her daughter a good lesson.
So, when little Jiang Xian—who had been heading straight for the fridge to sneak a snack as soon as she got home from kindergarten—discovered a lock on the fridge, she was in for a shock.
Because she’d misbehaved at kindergarten, there were no ice creams for her today.
The little girl’s eyes widened in disbelief.
The sky has fallen!
“I’m sorry!” The little girl clasped her hands together and meekly admitted her mistake.
Xu Shu: “Apologizing won’t help.”
Jiang Xian blinked her big, teary eyes and looked at Xu Shu pitifully.
Seeing that her mom remained unmoved, she rolled her eyes, suddenly put her hands on her hips, and said in a grown-up tone: “ “Mommy, I’ll definitely be a good girl at kindergarten from now on, and I’ll even protect the other kids. Can you let Xianxian give you a kiss? I’ll give you a kiss!” As she spoke, she stood on tiptoes and planted a smacking kiss on Xu Shu’s cheek.
Xu Shu was nearly moved to laughter by her adorable expression, but she kept a straight face and said, “ “No, this was a pretty big mistake. You need to learn your lesson.”
Jiang Xian pouted, on the verge of tears, but suddenly remembered something. She immediately stopped looking upset, ran to the sofa, picked up her little frog bag, opened it, pulled out a bear-shaped cookie that had been partially eaten, and obediently held it out to Xu Shu: “ “These are the cookies Teacher Duoduo gave Xianxian. Xianxian saved them especially for Mommy. Mommy, please have one!” That soft, sweet voice was enough to melt anyone’s heart.
Seeing her daughter’s adorable, ingratiating expression, Xu Shu’s anger melted away almost instantly. Yet she felt that her daughter’s temperament needed a little discipline, so she forced back a smile, put on a stern face, and said, “You eat it yourself. Mommy won’t have any!”
“Okay!” The little girl deflated like a punctured balloon, her head drooping almost to the floor.
Does that mean Mom won’t like her anymore?
“Next time, you can’t bring Frog to school to scare the other kids, understand?” Seeing her daughter’s pitiful expression, Xu Shu’s heart softened after all, and she didn’t continue scolding her. However, the agreed-upon punishment still had to be carried out.
“How many problems have you done?”
The little girl, who ultimately didn’t get her ice cream, could only pop the small cookie in her hand into her mouth. She crunched it, then let out a sigh just like a grown-up.
Sigh!
Frog is so cute—why don’t the other kids like him?
The little ball of energy, having missed out on her ice cream, sat alone and dejectedly in front of the doghouse.
The dog next to her, blocked from its bed, could only lie at her feet.
Ning Wanwan came out from next door and, spotting the little girl and the dog in the yard, chuckled. “Xianxian, why are you sitting by yourself at the door?”
“Auntie Wanwan!” The little girl lifted her head and greeted her listlessly.
Ning Wanwan still loved seeing the little girl full of energy. Smiling, she waved at her. “Come on over to Auntie’s house. I’ll get you something yummy.”
“Is there ice cream?” The little girl’s eyes instantly widened into two sparkling gems, shining brightly as she stared at Ning Wanwan.
Actually, there wasn’t any.
They’d just moved, and since that little rascal didn’t eat ice cream, they didn’t have any in the house.
Ning Wanwan smiled. “Auntie doesn’t have any ice cream at home, but I can make fruit slushies. Would you like me to make you a fruit slushie?”
The little one blinked her big, curious eyes and asked, looking puzzled, “What’s a fruit slushie? Is it yummy?”
Her childish tone and innocent expression made it impossible not to tease her a little.
Ning Wanwan: “It’s super delicious!”
“Wow! I’m so excited!” The little girl’s eyes lit up again. She scrambled to her feet and scampered off toward the neighbor’s house on her little legs.
Seeing this, the dog beside her let out a “Woof!” and sprang to its feet with a “Whoosh—,” wagging its tail as it followed.
The little girl and the dog dashed off toward the house next door.
Ning Wanwan led the little girl inside, ruffled her hair, and pointed to Shen Yan, who was sitting on the sofa reading a book. “ “Go play with Yan Yan for a bit. Auntie’s going to make you a delicious fruit smoothie.”
“Okay!”
Jiang Xian nodded her little head, scampered over to Shen Yan, took off her shoes, and nimbly climbed onto the sofa. Sitting down next to him, she asked, “ “Yan Yan, what are you looking at?” As she spoke, she craned her neck as far as she could to peek at the book in his hands.
“Whoa—”
But the moment she looked, she saw a terrifying image. Her little face turned pale instantly, and she hurriedly covered her eyes with her tiny hands.
That scared her so much!
Little Shen Yan was holding a book on human anatomy, and what the little girl had seen was an illustration of a dissected heart.
After the initial shock, the little girl cautiously parted her fingers. Realizing it wasn’t quite as scary as she’d thought, she finally removed her hand completely and asked, blinking her big eyes, “Yan Yan, what are you looking at?”
Shen Yan: “I’m looking at a heart. Everyone has a heart; it’s a very important organ in our bodies.”
“Do I have one too?”
He nodded.
“Right here.” Shen Yan raised his hand and pointed precisely at the spot on her chest.
Jiang Xian couldn’t help but reach out and touch it.
“Thump, thump…” It felt like there was a little rabbit in her chest. Jiang Xian’s eyes widened in surprise. “It seems to be moving.”
“You fool!” Shen Yan lifted his head and gave her a look. “If the heart stops moving, you’ll die!”
“Oh!” Jiang Xian nodded, not quite understanding, then moved closer to him, her nose almost brushing against the page. Her grape-like eyes reflected the strange structures, and her long eyelashes fluttered twice. Suddenly, her little finger pointed to a crease in the illustration, and she said in a soft voice, “It looks like a butterfly here.”
“It’s not a butterfly, it’s the mitral valve,” Shen Yan corrected.
“What’s this?”
“The left atrium.”
“Then, what about this?”
“This is a blood vessel.”
“……”
Jiang Xian looked at him with admiration. Yan Yan knows so many things!
“Is Yanyan going to be a doctor when he grows up?” Mom had said that doctors can save lots and lots of sick people.
That’s so cool!
“No.” The anatomy book snapped shut with a “snap.” Shen Yan used the corner of the book to push away the little ball of energy’s forehead as it leaned in, the reflection of the book casting a cold, hard blue glow on his cool little face.
He had no intention of saving anyone.
“Xianxian and Yanyan, it’s time for slushies!” Ning Wanwan appeared in the living room holding two bowls of slushies.
“I’m coming!”
The little girl shot up from the sofa, her chubby little hands braced against the cushion as she prepared to slide down. But she lost her balance and “thud”—she fell, rolling across the carpet like a plump, golden bun.
She rolled all the way to Ning Wanwan’s feet.