Chapter 34

The little one was secretly playing with her phone and still had the nerve to call her mom stingy.

Xu Ai really wanted to knock some sense into her, giving her an exasperated look.

“Playing with phones is bad for your eyes.”

She had already said this many, many times, and Nuo Nuo was tired of hearing it. Immediately, she replied, “I know, I know Mommy.”

With a pout, she continued playing with her toys.

Xu Ai looked at her daughter with disdain.

She deliberately provoked her, “You’re getting mad because I won’t let you play? Well, I’m not letting you!”

Nuo Nuo glared at Xu Ai and said, “Mean Mommy!”

Xu Ai laughed, “Alright, alright, Mommy is mean. You don’t have to play with Mommy.”

“If you don’t want me to, then I won’t!”

Mrs. Zheng watched the mother-daughter banter with a light smile on her face.

Though Nuo Nuo acted tough with her words, after a while, she followed Xu Ai around like a little shadow.

Xu Ai stared at the little one and asked, “Why do you have to follow me wherever I go?”

Nuo Nuo replied, “I want to stick with you! Not only now, but I want to stick with you forever and ever!”

Xu Ai surrendered under her daughter’s sweet words, saying, “Okay, if you want to follow me forever, then I can’t help it. You can follow me.”

Nuo Nuo immediately beamed, ran over, and hugged Xu Ai’s legs, cheerfully saying, “Hehe, Mommy, you’re the best mom in the world! I really like you!”

Looking down at her daughter clinging to her legs, Xu Ai’s heart melted completely.

The meaning of having a daughter is probably just like this: you give to her, and she returns your affection.

Xu Ai smiled, her expression filled with a bit of indulgence, and said, “Okay, okay, Mommy likes you a lot too.”

“Then Mommy, please don’t be angry with me, okay?”

Xu Ai didn’t understand, “When have I ever been angry with you?”

Nuo Nuo thought for a moment and replied, “It’s just that when I’m angry and ignore you, you must have been angry with me too. Now that I’m apologizing, you can’t be mad at me anymore.”

Xu Ai actually wasn’t angry at all. Hearing Nuo Nuo’s words made her both amused and exasperated. She picked up the little darling and gave her a kiss, saying, “Mommy wasn’t angry with you at all.”

Nuo Nuo happily hugged her mother’s neck, “If that’s the case, then that’s the best!”

Mrs. Zheng was very friendly toward both Xu Ai and her daughter. Xu Ai was quite satisfied with her day.

As for whether Sheng Zexi would come or not, Xu Ai didn’t really care. His arrival didn’t seem to have much impact on her.

Her gaze shifted to the little one beside her.

As a father, that dog of a man, Sheng Zexi, should really keep his word, right?

Before she knew it, it was dinner time, but Sheng Zexi still hadn’t appeared. Mrs. Zheng initially had some expectations, but as time passed and he hadn’t shown up, a flash of disappointment crossed her eyes as she said to Auntie Tan, “Let’s eat.”

Auntie Tan naturally understood what her young mistress was expecting. Since mother and daughter hadn’t returned for so long, it meant that the young master might still come.

When she brought the bowls and chopsticks to the table, she comforted Mrs. Zheng, “The young master must be busy with something. He’ll show up sooner or later.”

At this moment, Mrs. Zheng was enjoying dinner with her granddaughter and didn’t want to continue discussing such matters. She said, “I’m already very happy to have Nuo Nuo here to eat with me. Whether he comes or not doesn’t matter.”

Even if he came, he wouldn’t be too polite to her, so it might be better if he didn’t come at all.

Once dinner began, little foodie Nuo Nuo was naturally the happiest. While eating, she would recommend dishes to her grandma and mom, saying, “Mommy, this dish is delicious.”

“Um, this one is good too…”

“This one is also very tasty.”

Mrs. Zheng initially had no appetite, but seeing her little granddaughter enjoying her meal so much, her previously low spirits gradually lifted. She ate while serving her granddaughter, and before she knew it, her bowl was almost empty.

Mrs. Zheng didn’t usually have such a good appetite, but with her spirits lifted, Aunt Tan felt pleased too and remarked, “Madam usually eats little. It’s been a long time since you’ve eaten so much.”

Nuo Nuo tilted her little head and asked, “Auntie Tan, why doesn’t Grandma like your cooking since it’s so delicious?”

While speaking, Nuo Nuo stuffed more food into her mouth, leaving her lips greasy. Xu Ai took a tissue to wipe her daughter’s mouth.

Mrs. Zheng replied, “Grandma is old, so naturally, she eats less.”

Nuo Nuo retorted, “Grandma isn’t old! Grandma looks very young!”

Nuo Nuo’s sweet voice was like honey, melting in Mrs. Zheng’s heart, as if honey was melting in her heart’s field.

Mrs. Zheng laughed, the faint lines at the corners of her eyes disappearing, and she appeared much happier: “Okay, okay, Grandma is young! If you come to see Grandma more often, she’ll be even younger.”

Nuo Nuo focused on her food, saying, “I already promised you! I’ll come this weekend if I have time. I won’t lie to you.”

Xu Ai asked with concern, “So, will you be staying in the country in the future?”

Mrs. Zheng replied, “There’s nothing much to do abroad. It’s better to stay here where there’s more warmth in life.”

Xu Ai understood that people in China value returning to their roots, and besides, the living conditions here were sometimes more convenient than abroad.

After dinner, Mrs. Zheng took Xu Ai upstairs to try out the perfume she had brought back.

Xu Ai found several scents she quite liked. Although she felt a bit shy, she still decided to keep some.

Nuo Nuo also liked the scent of perfume. Seeing her mom trying it, the little one extended her small hand and said, “Mommy, I want to smell nice too.”

Even though her daughter’s pleading gaze was hard to resist, Xu Ai was firm: “Little kids shouldn’t wear perfume.”

Mrs. Zheng sprayed a little on the small one’s palm and smiled, “It’s fine, it won’t hurt a child to wear a little.”

After Grandma sprayed some on herself, Nuo Nuo immediately sniffed her palm, and her eyes turned into crescent moons as she happily exclaimed, “Mommy, this perfume smells so good! It smells sweet!”

Xu Ai looked at her helplessly.

Downstairs, things became lively. Nuo Nuo was quick to react, immediately running towards the door with excitement, “Daddy must be here to pick us up!”

Seeing her little one run so fast, Xu Ai worried she might fall, reminding her from behind, “Slow down!”

She followed her daughter out.

Mrs. Zheng stood in place, feeling both surprised and a little anxious. She glanced at herself in the mirror, tidied her hair and clothes, and then went outside.

Nuo Nuo had already reached downstairs and was picked up by her dad. She raised her little hand, which had just been sprayed with perfume, and asked her dad, “Daddy, smell this! Is my little hand fragrant?”

Nuo Nuo’s small hand was chubby, her palm white, and her skin smooth and delicate. Her little face wore a smile, radiating the innocence of a child.

Sheng Zexi cooperatively leaned in to sniff, detecting a sweet fragrance of gardenias.

He said, “It smells great.”

“It was Grandma who sprayed the perfume on me!”

Sheng Zexi looked up at the stairs.

Xu Ai came down as well, and not far behind her was his mother, whom he hadn’t seen in quite a while.

It had probably been more than a year since their last meeting. Her appearance remained somewhat blurry in Sheng Zexi’s mind.

However, she was still as beautiful as ever. Although she looked a bit haggard, her beauty hadn’t diminished.

Over the years, Sheng Zexi had been avoiding her; he would avoid meeting her at all costs. He shouldn’t have come today, but he still did.

Mrs. Zheng was also looking at her son. When their eyes met, Sheng Zexi avoided her gaze and turned to Xu Ai, asking, “What time are you going back?”

Xu Ai, who had just come down from upstairs, looked at him, puzzled, and asked, “Aren’t we going back now?”

Sheng Zexi replied, “If you want to stay a bit longer, that’s fine too.”

Xu Ai wanted to say that he was the one who least wanted to stay here, but she didn’t voice it. Instead, she said, “It’s getting late, we’ll head back after a while.”

Then she turned to Nuo Nuo, asking, “When do you want to go back?”

Nuo Nuo replied, “Let’s go back later. We’ll come see Grandma again next time during the holidays, okay, Grandma?”

Nuo Nuo looked over her dad’s shoulder at her grandma standing on the stairs.

Mrs. Zheng was still in a daze, unable to believe that Sheng Zexi had really come. Upon hearing the child’s words, she smiled and said, “Okay.”