Song Qiaoxi stood frozen, scanning the modest living room. Except for a half-empty cup of tea on the dining table, there was no one there.

“Bada, bada” she ran to the small bedroom on the west side which was as hot as a steamer. This was her room, when she looked around, she saw that there was no one inside either.

What about the bathroom? Could he be washing his hands?

Hurriedly running to the door, the bathroom door stood wide open, no one was there either.

Mom and Dad’s bedroom? It’s the last hope ……

With a sense of trepidation, she walked through the living room and pushed open the door to the master bedroom, but all that greeted her were neatly folded quilts resembling tofu blocks atop the meticulously packed wire cot.

She even squatted on the floor and tilted her head to look around at the bottom of the bed, even though she knew Chu Jin couldn’t hide there, she still insisted on confirming.

As expected, there was nothing.

Was Chu Jin really gone?

Who took him and why so hastily.

It made her a little regretful right then and there, if she didn’t go to preschool this morning, was there any chance she could have prevented Chu Jin from being taken away?

Her little brain was whirred with questions, yet Song Qiaoxi already knew at school that she was just merely a 6-year-old glutinous dumpling, so how could she rely on her own efforts to keep Chu Jin?

She was not the head of the family, she couldn’t dictate her family’s decision or compel her parents to keep Chu Jin.

It’s hard enough for them to raise a child, let alone, one that eats a lot.

What if they eat less in the future?

Still unable to resist, she rushed anxiously from the bedroom to the kitchen.

The sound of the kitchen hood stopped, and when she heard her mom’s footsteps, Song Qiao Xi held the beaded curtain at the kitchen doorway with her arms as soon as it was convenient for her to walk out of the kitchen.

“So well-behaved, thank you, my precious daughter, quickly wash your hands and go, eat, and take a nap, or else you’ll be sleepy in class in the afternoon.”

Mom gazed at her with relief as she held two bowls of cucumber and egg soup.

Seeing her mother carrying the bowl of soup, she carefully followed behind her mother’s back and asked anxiously, “Mom, where is Brother Chu Jin?”

“Chu Jin was picked up by his uncle. I’m busy and forgot to tell you. Go wash your hands quickly.”

Setting down her bowl of soup, her mom gestured to her, took the cup of tea from the table, and headed back into the kitchen.

“So, is he coming back? When will he be back? Where does Chu Jin’s uncle’s family live? Is it far from out our house…”

For the first time, she didn’t heed her mother’s words and obediently went to wash her hands but instead followed her mother reluctantly, bombarding her with questions as she trailed her into the kitchen.

As her mom washed the teacup, she glanced at her with surprise. “Chu Jin will be staying with his uncle from now on. Their house isn’t far from ours, he’ll be attending Teacher’s Training Primary School in September, so you two will be classmates and see each other every day.”

With that said, her mom wiped down the stove, tousled her hair affectionately, and smiled as she asked. “Why so reluctant to let go of your little brother? Mommy wrote down their house phone number, so you can call and invite him over to play.”

But what if Chu Jin’s uncle was not kind to him?

Song Qiaoxi couldn’t shake off her worries, hugging her mother’s legs, she buried her face on her mother’s waist and cautiously asked. “Mom, if Chu Jin’s uncle bullies him too, can we…can we bring him back home?”

Listening to her daughter’s muffled voice, Qiao Qin felt something was wrong.

Removing her apron, she squatted down and embraced Xixi in her arms. She notices her big round watery and expectant eyes, looking like she is about to cry.

Her heart softened instantly. She reassured her daughter. “Of course, if anyone dares so bully Chu Jin, we’ll have Dad and your Uncles Wang and Ding drive away the bad guys, and they’ll end up in prison. Chu Jin will live with us, our family won’t be missing a pair of chopsticks.”

With these words from her mom, Song Qiaoxi’s little heart, which was hanging in the air, was settled.

She nodded and leaned her head against her mother to act coquettishly, beginning to contemplate calling Chu Jin.

“Well, can we eat now, little glutinous ball?”

Mom kissed her cheeks and made a nose-scratching motion with her index finger.

At that moment, her stomach grumbled loudly.

The little glutinous ball buried her head like a quail as her face flushed with embarrassment…

“Go wash your hands, the buns are getting cold.”

At her mother’s urging, Song Qiaoxi nimbly ran to the bathroom to wash her hands.

Back at the table, her mother had sliced the chicken legs and dipped the sauce into her enamel plate. The boiled chicken slices were crispy, the meat was smooth and tender, and it tasted delicious when dipped in a slightly sweet sauce.

Although it was called crab meat buns, the filling consisted of fresh pork and dried shrimp. These buns were plump, wrinkled, and beautifully steamed. With each bite, the soft outer layer gives way to a smooth and juicy filling, leaving her little mouth shining brightly after each bite.

Song Qiaoxi devoured three palm-sized steamed buns and also nibbled on a chicken leg.

She barely managed to eat half of the bowl of egg drop soup before realizing that her little tummy was protesting.

Back in the orphanage, their teacher prohibited wasting food, instilling in them the value of not leaving anything uneaten. Song Qiaoxi had developed a habit of finishing her meal.

Faced with unfinished soup, she hesitated as she clutched the enamel bowl tightly, prepared to force it down when a large hand appeared before her eyes.

“If you can’t eat it, don’t eat it.”

Mom said lightly, taking the bowl away and raising her head to signal that she could go wash her hands.

Seeing that there were still egg splatters floating in the bowl, Song Qiaoxi blurted out heartily, “But that would be a waste of food!”

Mom reached out and nudged her head, “Silly daughter, leaving behind what you can’t finish isn’t wasteful. Forcing yourself to eat what you can’t stomach, now that’s wasteful. Isn’t it better to save it for later when you can enjoy it properly?”

It was the first time she’s heard such a perspective. Furrowing her brow, she pondered for a moment, finding her mother’s words surprisingly reasonable.

Recalling a time at the orphanage when she forced herself to eat despite lacking appetite, leading to illness, and had to stay in bed for two days before she got well.

So, at home, if you couldn’t eat anymore, you could ‘waste’ food?

Still, breaking old habits was challenging. Clasping the tabletop with her chubby little hands, she rested her chin on them and said with difficulty. “Mom, could you save it for me until tonight? I’ll definitely finish the soup at dinner.”

Mother Qiao Xin looked at her daughter’s moist, wide eyes, and couldn’t close her mouth in shock.

Her family, Xixi, has not been herself since she came back yesterday and has become exceptionally sensible and obedient, almost like a new baby.

Could it be that the year-long “love education” she’d insisted upon finally paying off?

When Xixi was born, both Qiao Qin and her husband were focused on their careers, leaving little time for taking care of their child. They had entrusted Xixi to her parents who were retired teachers, assuming they would provide an adequate upbringing. However, when Xixi returned from her grandparents’ home during the capital holiday, she became spoiled and unruly, lacking discipline.

Qiao Qin had thought things through carefully at the time. After all, her parents were both intellectuals and retired teachers, so how could they fail to provide proper discipline to their granddaughter?

Who would have imagined that the elderly couple, who had been strict with their children throughout their lives, would end up spoiling their granddaughter into a mischievous “little devil”? After returning home from her grandparents’ house, despite being a young girl, she exhibited quite a temper. She would chatter away using childish slang all day long, driving everyone in the compound crazy every holiday.

Last year, she and her husband believed they had only one more year until Xixi would start primary school, so they took Xixi back from her grandparents’ home. However, her grandparents missed their granddaughter and visited their house every day to offer their opinions on how to discipline the child. And every holiday, they insisted on Xixi returning to Taicheng.

It’s easy to imagine that the rules they had just established were often disregarded in the blink of an eye, and any progress in education seemed to vanish overnight. Despite their daughter’s mischievous behavior, Qiao Qin and Song Jianguo persisted in their approach of not resorting to hitting or scolding, always hoping that love would eventually influence their “little demon”.

At this moment, Qiao Qin felt a sense of pride and excitement, believing that her efforts over the past year had not been in vain.

She looks at the curly hair on her daughter’s forehead, her chubby face resembling a small apple, and her big watery eyes blinking earnestly, appearing serious yet adorable expression.

Inwardly, she sighed with relief thinking XIxi was no longer “spoiled” she once was. Now, she truly resembled a little angel.

Recalling the comments people often made about Xixi being fat, Qiao Qin couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed. After all, a 6-year-old with a baby fat was undeniably adorable. Qiao Qin herself had been chubby in her childhood, only slimming down in her teenage years, and even during pregnancy, she only gained belly fat.

That’s why she was not worried about Xixi’s appearance. Her maternal instincts led her to believe that her daughter resembled a foreign star, Xiu Lan, and she was convinced that Xixi would grow up to be a little beauty.

“Okay, mommy’s saving it for you, go wash your hands rinse your mouth, and take a nap.”

Planting a big kiss on her daughter’s cheek.

But since Qiao Qin doesn’t allow Xixi to eat leftovers, she agreed first to prevent any fuss from Xixi.

Relieved by her mother’s assurance, Song Qiaoxi obediently went to wash her hands and rinse her mouth before settling down for a nap on the small bed next to the large bed.

Gently lifting the quilt, which was folded like tofu blocks, she placed it neatly by the pillow. It had been folded by Chu Jin, and she wanted it to remain untouched for a while longer.

Mom didn’t have time to change the pillowcases and bed sheets.

The glutinous dumpling comfortably stretched out on the cot, thinking about how Chu Jin had slept on the same bed the previous night as she sheepishly buried her face into the pillow.

A faint unfamiliar scent filled her nostrils—a light, fresh fragrance that was oddly comforting

Was this the smell from Chu Jin?

The smell made her feel especially secure, and even the matter of parting ways with Chu Jin became more bearable.

Because she knew that the parting was only temporary, Chu Jin would come back…

The summer vacation of 1996 was unusually long for the school-age children in the compound, thanks to the addition of preschool classes.

The carefree childhood was like a white horse passing by, and the days when you just knew how to play silly and have fun were gone.

The first preschool class at Normal Elementary School officially closed on August 16th.

The children idle away and the parents have sprung to action.

They busied themselves with tasks such as buying deliberately larger size of school uniforms, and school supplies. They also wrapped books with calendar paper and tended to other miscellaneous matters.

Throughout this period, the glutinous ball has been fully adjusted to life in the compound of the 90s. Under her leadership, the “little trio” enjoyed newfound peace, even Wang Junyang and Ding Yi’s academic performance remained somewhat “lackluster”, at least, they were no longer causing trouble every day by racing around on their bikes.

Song Qiaoxi’s final grade was very excellent, with a score of 99 in Chinese and 100 in mathematics. Both parents were overjoyed.

During this period, she made several phone calls to Chu Jin’s uncle’s house, but either no one answered or his uncle said Chu Jin was unwilling to speak to her.

Each time, she hung up the phone disappointedly.

This makes her particularly eager for the start of school in September. As soon as school started, she could meet Chu Jin and ask him personally how he was doing.

It was not like he could ignore the living person in front of him, right?

With a mix of excitement and hope, she secretly wished that they would be assigned to the same class once school resumes, that would be great!

August 19th was a Monday, two weeks before the first day of first grade.

Dad had an urgent business at the editorial department and left early, riding his Mustang motorcycle to work.

Meanwhile, Song Qiaoxi sat on a small bench munching on sugar-fried cakes and sipping sweet soybean milk, her gaze fixed on the cartoon villain on the TV screen dressed like a lantern.

She had recently become engrossed in an animated film called “Alpine Girls”, which aired continuously on children’s television for a whole morning.

The filled depicted scenes of jumping goats, lazy dogs, and picturesque valleys, with Heidi living happily in the Alps with her grandpa and Peter.

She was incredibly curious about the flavor of goat’s milk and grilled cheese with bread. The snow-capped mountains in the Alps were breathtakingly beautiful, and she earnestly hoped to see them in person someday.

“Are you done eating Xixi?”

Mommy’s voice interrupted from the bedroom, prompting her to quickly finish her fritters and soy milk in one gulp.

She was so engrossed in watching cartoons that she forgot about going out with her mom today. Hastily responding, she said. “Yes.”

Upon hearing the bedroom door open, Song Qiaoxi widened her eyes.

Mom today, too, was so beautiful!

She wore a mint green-waisted dress, with a moist pearl necklace hanging around her neck, her long hair was clipped up with hairpins to reveal a long and fair neck, and it looked like she had been carefully dressed up, like a fairy.

Seeing a stack of red paper coupons in her mom’s hand, she curiously peeked over and gestured with her hand, “What’s this?”

“Shopping vouchers from Dad’s unit, today mom will take you to Ginza Department Store to buy stationery, have KFC for lunch, and in the afternoon, we’ll go to Normal Elementary School to get your school uniforms.”

Qiao Qin waved the shopping coupon in front of her daughter and couldn’t help but smile as she watched the glutinous dumpling’s eyes light up.

Sure enough, no one could resist the temptation of KFC.

End of chapter~