☆ 33. I Want to See You

On April 11, the fourth day after Ji Qinghe and the others returned, Ji Qiao’s ashes were taken to the cemetery for burial.

That day, Fu Yuanshan and his sons also came to witness and welcome him back to where he belonged.

Some pains linger on, but the living must continue to live, and the future is always full of hope.

After burying Ji Qiao, Ji Qinghe took Qingyu to complete her household registration and then enrolled her in the Yuhong class.

Qingyu had attended the childcare class before. When Ji Qiao was alive, he was very indulgent and loving toward her. He often took her to the office before she started preschool, but the environment there wasn’t very good, and after she got sick twice, he stopped taking her.

At three years old, Ji Qiao personally taught his daughter and discovered her intelligence. No matter how busy he was each day, he would set aside time to spend with her, teaching her to recognize characters and memorize poems.

Qingyu started attending the childcare class at the age of four and had been going for a full two years by now.

Ji Qiao told Ji Qinghe that he would definitely get into college this year and return to the city, also preparing for Qingyu to be able to start first grade in the city in the second half of the year.

After Ji Qiao’s passing, Liu Fangling sent Qingyu back to her maternal grandparents’ home. What saddened Qingyu the most was not being able to continue her education.

Previously, the paperwork at Ji Qiao’s side was not completed, and Qingyu’s household registration had not been finalized. During the day, while Qiuqiu went to school, she could only go to the clinic with her grandfather, where she had nothing to do and spent each day in a daze.

Upon hearing that she could continue her studies, Qingyu was particularly happy and excitedly told Qiuqiu, “Sister, I can go to school too! We can go to school together in the future!”

Qiuqiu now has an older sister, which makes her much livelier than before. Hearing this, she jumped up excitedly, and surprisingly, Qingyu joined her in jumping around the yard, regaining the innocence and vitality that belonged to children.

To attend the Yuhong class, they needed to prepare some things, like a backpack, paper, and pens. These days, Ji Meng has been watching Qingyu learn to paint and noticed that she has even more talent than Qiuqiu and enjoys it more. She has always wanted to buy her a new set of painting supplies.

However, with the large shipments coming in from the collective every day, she had to monitor the sales situation and visit various places, which kept her so busy that she couldn’t even return for lunch. Day after day, this pushed her plans back.

On a rare day off, Ji Meng and Su Cheng took the two little ones to visit a department store.

Ji Meng’s investment in the collective had not yet been divided, but both she and Meng Ling received a decent salary from it, enough to cover their family’s expenses and still save a bit.

This was a rare opportunity to take the children to the department store, so she planned to buy them a bit more.

Recently, in order to attract customers, the department store had rearranged its displays, and upon entering, they could see many beautiful dolls dressed in lovely clothes.

Ji Meng remembered that Qiuqiu had given her doll to Qingyu and wanted to buy her another one. She asked the counter staff to find a doll that was similar in style to the previous one. This doll had a music box inside, pressing its belly would make it sing, and Ji Meng thought it was quite nice and intended to pay.

But then Qiuqiu, as if determined to be a stingy guardian, refused to let her. She grabbed Ji Meng’s hand and held onto her wallet, refusing to allow her to pay.

In other families, children cry when they can’t buy something, but in her case, she cried because her parents were wasting money on things for her.

The little girl said, “Mom, you can buy it for my sister. Qiuqiu has everything, so there’s no need to buy anything for me. Besides, we already have a doll at home. We don’t need another one. The dolls in our class were all made by Erhua’s grandmother, and we didn’t spend a penny. Mom, I already told Erhua that I’ll go to her house next week, and her grandmother will teach us how to make dolls.”

Since Ji Meng took over the collective, the family had never lacked clothes.

Today, Ji Meng had a rare day off and finally had some free time to stroll around with Su Cheng. She looked especially beautiful in a snow-blue long dress, with her hair styled in several braids tied up using a deep red silk headband. Standing together with Su Cheng, they were quite eye-catching.

Qiuqiu and Qingyu were like a pair of sister flowers, both dressed alike in deep red skirts with ruffled edges, embellished with lace trim. They wore white socks and small black leather shoes, and their hair was styled in multiple braids, giving them a very fashionable and striking appearance.

It was the weekend, and the department store was crowded. As soon as they entered, they became the focus of many people’s attention.

Qiuqiu’s action attracted even more attention, customers coming in frequently glanced in their direction, and some even forgot to shop and gathered around them.

Ji Meng had never minded being watched, but under the current circumstances, to be honest, it felt a bit uncomfortable.

Especially since Qiuqiu had openly said in front of the sales clerk that she wanted to learn how to make cloth dolls, which was quite rude.

In the past two years, the service attitude of the department store has improved a lot, but they are still working for the government. They can’t help but get annoyed when customers suddenly refuse something they’ve taken and say unpleasant things.

If it weren’t for Ji Meng and her group’s good looks and nice clothing, making them seem like people with status, the salesperson’s disdain might have been even more apparent. Now, there were no eye rolls, but the salesperson’s expression was still not good.

Ji Meng felt very awkward, it was her suggestion to take the doll, and she hadn’t communicated this well in advance, so she couldn’t get angry. She tried to persuade Qiuqiu:

“Baby, the dolls we make will be fabric ones, different from this one. Girls can have many dolls, so buying one won’t be a problem.”

“No, I don’t want it! It’s too expensive!” Qiuqiu almost dangled from her mother’s hand, shaking her head vigorously. She didn’t want it.

Qiuqiu’s dreams had never faded, in her dreams, she had done all sorts of dirty and tiring work just to have something to eat. Earning money was really hard, and even though her father had returned and her mother was a bit easier, she didn’t want to waste anything.

Now that she had an older sister, and her parents were back in love, they would soon have little brothers or sisters, meaning there would be even more people to support at home, all needing money.

A doll costs dozens of dollars, which is really too expensive for her. When her mother bought one earlier, she didn’t know the price and was just happy about it, but now that she knew, she absolutely wouldn’t accept it.

She was already prepared to earn money and support herself.

She had already made plans with Fangfang and Erhua to learn how to make dolls from Erhua’s grandmother, and then have Fangfang’s dad help them buy scrap fabric to make dolls to sell for pocket money.

But she couldn’t tell her parents about this yet, she wanted to give them a surprise.

Ji Meng had no way to persuade Qiuqiu to spend money, so she turned to look at Su Cheng and asked him what to do.

Su Cheng couldn’t do anything about it, when this daughter got stubborn, she sometimes wouldn’t listen to anyone. Besides, he thought knowing how to save was not a bad thing—if she didn’t want it, then so be it.

However, since his wife had come to him to solve the problem, he couldn’t be completely without ideas.

Su Cheng glanced at Ji Meng, who was struggling with Qiuqiu, whose hand was already red from being pulled. He reached out to pry the child off and paused for a moment before saying to Ji Meng:

“If she doesn’t want it, then forget it. Let’s buy something for Qingyu this time. We can save this for her, and if she wants something later, we can get it for her then.”

When Ji Meng heard this, she thought it was a good idea.

“Okay, then this time, Mom will remember. If you want something next time or have any requests, Mom can satisfy you once.”

Qiuqiu was happier hearing this than if she had received a gift. She immediately nodded vigorously, “Yeah, Qiuqiu understands. Thank you, Mom.”

After saying this, Qiuqiu thought of the suggestion coming from Su Cheng and turned to look at her dad: “Thank you, Dad. Qiuqiu really likes you and Mom. You are truly the best parents in the world!”

Qiuqiu’s words were like honey mixed with sugar, incredibly sweet.

Ji Meng felt her heart melt, she wasn’t angry anymore and couldn’t suppress her laughter. She couldn’t help but look at Su Cheng, her eyes glistening with joy, as if to say, “Look, our daughter is so wonderful!”

Su Cheng gazed at her sparkling eyes and the radiant smile on her lips, feeling a stir in his heart. Without caring about their surroundings, he reached out and took her hand gently, squeezing it lightly.

His movements were subtle, but with the two children watching and being outside, where there were still people looking for trouble, Ji Meng’s face turned red. She quickly pulled her hand back and gave him a gentle glare before turning to Qiuqiu and Qingyu and saying:

“Qiuqiu and Qingyu are also the best and most obedient treasures in the world!”

Ignoring either of the two children at home was a failure in education. Ji Meng had read a lot of educational news while living in the modern world, so she paid special attention to this. Therefore, whether she was buying something for Qiuqiu or praising her, she always included Qingyu. The two sisters were a team and were indeed both very understanding.

Children love to be praised by adults.

When Qiuqiu and Qingyu heard Ji Meng’s words, their similar little faces broke into smiles.

“Okay then, if we don’t want the doll, let’s not shop around here anymore. We’ll go straight to the third floor to buy things for Qingyu.”

Now that they had confirmed they didn’t want the doll, Ji Meng wasn’t embarrassed anymore. She apologized to the salesperson and said to the two children.

However, Qingyu’s current state was even more serious than when Qiuqiu was that age. She was reluctant to spend money and didn’t dare to spend it. Whenever the family had something to eat, she wouldn’t even dare to eat more.

Before Qingyu returned, Ji Meng had arranged for someone to make several outfits for her, and Qingyu felt she had already spent a lot of money from her aunt. So when she heard her aunt say she wanted to buy something for her, she quickly shook her head and refused:

“Qingyu doesn’t want it, Qingyu doesn’t lack anything.”

“That’s not okay! We’re out today to buy things. And also, Qingyu, we have school tomorrow! We need to buy school supplies. You can’t go to school empty-handed, can you?”

When one child wants nothing and the other child also wants nothing, it really feels unsatisfying.

What’s the point of earning money if you don’t spend it? Ji Meng firmly believes that money isn’t meant to be saved, and she doesn’t need to save it right now.

“Let’s go buy a backpack first. Aunt will buy you one just like Qiuqiu’s, okay?” Ji Meng said directly to Qingyu without worrying too much.

“Great! Yes, yes! Mom, buy a backpack for my sister just like Qiuqiu’s! That way, Qiuqiu and my sister will be like twins!”

Before Qingyu could respond, Qiuqiu was already clapping her hands in joy.

She was willing to buy something for her sister.

Most importantly, her sister could have the same thing as her, just like twins.

Qiuqiu’s classmate has a round mother who had a second child before the family planning policy came into effect, and they had a pair of twins who supposedly look exactly alike.

When Qiuqiu found out, she came home and asked if she and her sister were twins.

After receiving a denial from her parents and even her grandfather, the little girl cried for a long time. It seemed she had become obsessed, and Qiuqiu began to look for similarities between herself and her sister.

Striving to be a pair of sisters who are not twins but better than twins is currently Qiuqiu’s biggest wish at the moment.

She even shouted to Ji Meng: “Mom, you have to buy me and my sister the same things in the future! Clothes, pants, shoes, I want to be just like my sister! I want to be twins with my sister!”

Ji Meng indulged them in all of this and smiled as she replied, “Alright, from now on, I’ll prepare the same things for you both.”

After saying that, she turned to Qingyu and asked, “Qingyu, how about it? Is it okay to buy a backpack just like Qiuqiu’s?”

Having the same things as her younger sister, just like twins, was a temptation Qingyu couldn’t refuse, especially since Qiuqiu was holding her hand and looking at her with an excited expression.

Qingyu bit her lip, then finally mustered the courage to nod, “Okay, thank you, Aunt.”

“Great! Then let’s go to the third floor now.”

Seeing Qingyu nod, Ji Meng was very happy, at least the trip wouldn’t be in vain. She smiled and, taking one child in each hand, headed for the third floor.

So, the family went to buy Qingyu a backpack just like Qiuqiu’s, the same little leather shoes, the same art supplies, and books…

Ji Meng and the two little girls were in charge of buying things, while Su Cheng was responsible for carrying them. He rarely expressed his opinions unless Ji Meng asked him something.

Su Cheng wasn’t a talkative person.

The most time he talked was during the evenings when he was alone with Ji Meng. Otherwise, he would only speak up when it was necessary, especially when managing their daughter.

It was a rare weekend, Ji Meng didn’t have to finish her class, and Ji Qinghe also agreed to close the clinic early today.

So, after buying the items, Ji Meng took the children to the nearby supply and marketing building to buy a bunch of food, including some vegetables and meat, planning to have a small family dinner that evening.

Qiuqiu cared more about food and was relatively more willing to spend on it.

At the supply store, the little girl was clearly less resistant, she didn’t oppose whatever her mom bought.

Whenever she saw something she and her sister wanted to eat and confirmed it wouldn’t be too expensive, she would even suggest it herself.

Ji Meng liked this about her and thought this was normal, after all, daughters should be raised well.

After a pleasant shopping spree at the supply building, it wasn’t too late, and it was almost time to start dinner, so the family headed home.

Whenever Su Cheng was home, he usually did the cooking.

Today was no exception. As soon as they got home, Su Cheng went into the kitchen to get busy with the dishes.

Ji Meng prepared snacks and fruits for the two little girls. Seeing them playing happily on their own, she didn’t interfere and slipped away to find Su Cheng.

In the kitchen, Su Cheng was wearing an apron and preparing vegetables.

His hands were long and well-defined, although calloused, his fair skin made his hands look sculpted, and it was pleasing to watch him work.

Just watching the vegetables in his hands as he flipped them around felt like admiring a beautiful painting.

In April, the provincial capital was engulfed in continuous rain, and the outside was far from bright, making the small kitchen even darker. Yet, with this person present, he stood out vividly.

When Ji Meng entered, her eyes were immediately drawn to him.

She couldn’t help but lean against the doorframe, staring at him in a daze.

Su Cheng had already sensed her arrival when he heard footsteps outside. When he noticed she was watching him, he waited for a while. Surprised that she hadn’t said anything, he couldn’t help but turn his head to look at her.

She leaned against the door, wearing a long dress with a crossover neckline that was cinched at the waist. The collar was low, and as she leaned at an angle, her deeply defined collarbones were fully revealed, the area beneath them showcasing a snowy white skin, subtly hinting at her cleavage. She didn’t have to do anything, just standing there made it easy to lose one’s senses.

He had always known she’s beautiful.

But men likely have a base instinct, as they grew closer, his possessiveness towards her deepened, even giving rise to a desire to control. He shamefully wished that her beauty, her goodness, could only be seen by him, and that she could only see him, wanting to keep her hidden away.

This thought had crossed his mind more than once these days.

Fortunately, having gone through certain moments and seeing the struggles women face through his daughter, he understood that women have their own aspirations. This realization allowed him to suppress those base thoughts and his arrogant masculinity.

Otherwise, he would surely frighten her, and they would not be able to go far.

“What are you looking at? Do you want to help?”

Ji Meng remained silent, waiting for Su Cheng to speak to her. In the end, this person just stared at her intently, not saying a word. She couldn’t hold back any longer and laughed, asking him.

With so little work in the kitchen, there was no need for help, and it wasn’t hard enough to get her hands dirty.

Su Cheng wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but he feared that if he did, she would turn and leave. He hoped she would stay here with him, even if just to watch him work in silence.

Usually, she was busy with work. After finishing, she had to spend some time with their daughter, and after dinner, she had night classes. Their free time together was limited.

During the passionate stage of a relationship, it always feels like there’s never enough time.

Su Cheng found himself in such a state, he didn’t want to see Ji Meng leave his sight at all.

After thinking for a moment, he said, “Can you help me pick some vegetables?”

“Sure!”

Ji Meng nodded with a smile, but as she walked to his side, she suddenly changed her mind. Instead of reaching for the vegetables, she wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her head against his back, and said,

“I feel like you don’t need my help with picking vegetables, maybe you need me to encourage you instead?”

What kind of encouragement was needed for picking vegetables and cooking?

It was just a flimsy excuse for not wanting to work.

But Su Cheng was particularly fond of this, being embraced by her felt like he had suddenly gained the whole world, and the satisfaction in his chest threatened to burst out.

He couldn’t help but lower his head and smile, responding in a good-natured tone, “Yes, I wish you could hold me like this forever.”

Su Cheng rarely smiled, but when he did, it was particularly charming and alluring. Just hearing the laughter in his voice was almost too much for Ji Meng to bear. She licked her lips, which were coated in a hint of honey-colored lipstick.

Recently, she had asked Meng Ling to procure some equipment to make the lipstick herself as a reward for the staff, and nearly every female employee in the collective had received one.