Chapter 77.2

When the plane landed in the capital, An An was the most excited. As soon as she disembarked, she raised her hand to ask for roast duck and to see some sights.

Having developed the habit of raising her hand in kindergarten, she would now lift it high whenever she wanted to express her opinion.

She was incredibly cute.

Jiang Rou deliberately asked An An if she had any money.

An An tilted her head and said, “You have money.”

Li Xiao chuckled lightly. “That’s our money, not yours.”

An An puffed up her cheeks and ran over to hit him. “You’re bullying people again.”

Li Xiao dodged to the side. “Where did you learn this habit? How did you learn to hit people?”

An An huffed, turning her back on him.

They took a taxi from the airport to a hotel near Li Xin’s school. Once in the car, Li Xiao started teasing An An again. She glared at him in anger, and he annoyingly reached out to pull her pigtails, which made Jiang Rou want to hit him. She swatted his hand away and said crossly, “You’re just asking for it.”

Li Xiao rubbed his nose and pulled his hand back.

An An, fuming, clung to her mother’s neck. “Mommy, hit him a few more times. Daddy is annoying.”

Li Xin, sitting in the front passenger seat, laughed.

The car finally stopped at the entrance of a five-star hotel near Beijing University. They had booked a standard room and a large bedroom.

Since Li Xin’s school had not yet started and it wasn’t convenient for her to go back, Jiang Rou decided she would stay with them for a few days and explore the city. Knowing Li Xin’s personality, Jiang Rou thought that even though she was studying at Beijing University, she probably didn’t get out much, possibly less than she did.

Li Xin stayed in the large bedroom, while Jiang Rou and Li Xiao had the standard room.

They had booked a deluxe standard room, with two large beds. As soon as An An entered the room, she happily threw herself onto the bed, then ran to the window to look outside, exclaiming, “Mommy, it’s so high here!” “Mommy, this is so beautiful!”

Jiang Rou first boiled some hot water, then spread out the bed linens she had brought, and after the water was ready, she cleaned the toilet and slippers in the bathroom.

Li Xiao looked at her in disbelief. “Is it really that dirty?”

Jiang Rou didn’t look up. “What do you know?”

She couldn’t help but mention, “Later, we’ll go out to buy some water. I heard that sometimes people use the hot water kettle in hotels to boil their underwear.”

Sure enough, when Li Xiao heard this, his expression changed instantly. “Is that true?”

“What would I gain by lying to you?”

Jiang Rou glanced at him with a half-smile on her face. “Forget it. At least you’re fine now. Just be more careful in the future.”

Li Xiao didn’t respond but his expression clearly showed his discomfort, as if he were quite grossed out.

Jiang Rou felt a bit guilty and lowered her head. When Li Xiao went on business trips before, she had forgotten to mention these things, mainly because they were common knowledge in her time, so she hadn’t thought much of it.

Since it was getting late and they were exhausted from the journey and the plane ride, they decided not to go out. They had dinner at the hotel and then went back to their rooms to sleep.

When they got back to their room, Li Xiao deliberately announced that he wanted to claim one bed for himself so that An An and Jiang Rou would sleep on the other bed.

An An, not understanding her father’s scheme and still upset with him from earlier, didn’t want to make things easy for him. As soon as Li Xiao said he wanted one bed, she immediately insisted on sleeping alone in the bed that her father wanted.

The father and daughter argued for a long time. In the end, with Jiang Rou’s mediation, An An successfully got her own bed. The little one puffed out her chest in victory—she gave her father a rebellious look, and then joyfully jumped on the bed she had won.

Li Xiao, feigning a sigh of sorrow, sat down on the other bed.

—o—o—o—

After Jiang Rou finished applying her skincare products and got into bed, she gave him a playful kick. “The show’s over. Go wash up.”

Li Xiao struggled to suppress his smile, turned around, and went to get his clothes and head to the bathroom.

An An, still happily, told Jiang Rou, “Mommy, I want to sleep by myself tonight.”

Jiang Rou looked at her smiling face and said with amusement, “Alright, you can sleep by yourself.”

An An nodded and, seeing her mother watching TV with the remote, hurriedly climbed up beside her and asked to watch cartoons about mice and cats. (Tom and Jerry lmao)

When Li Xiao came out of the bathroom, he saw the two of them snuggled up together watching TV. He feigned surprise and said, “Oh, so tonight I’m sleeping alone in one bed?”

As soon as he said this, An An anxiously shouted, “Mine!”

Then she ran to her own bed, collapsing onto it and not allowing anyone to come up.

Li Xiao shook his head helplessly, looking quite dejected.

He wiped his hair and sat down next to Jiang Rou.

An An laughed triumphantly.

Jiang Rou reminded her to cover up with the blanket. “The air conditioner is on, don’t catch a cold.”

An An obediently crawled into the blanket.

—o—o—o—

At 9:30 PM, the lights were turned off for bed. An An, possibly exhausted, fell asleep quickly after the lights went out. Not long after, even breathing from the bed next to her could be heard. Li Xiao quietly got out of bed to check on her, tucking her blanket in securely before returning to his own bed and holding Jiang Rou.

He leaned down and kissed her, then smugly whispered into her ear, “She’s asleep.”

Jiang Rou pushed him playfully, “Aren’t you childish?”

Li Xiao chuckled lightly, “What’s childish about it? Otherwise, how could we both fit in the same blanket?”

He pulled Jiang Rou back into his arms, unable to resist: “The little one is getting harder to deal with.”

Though he said that, his tone betrayed an undeniable pride.

To him, a girl being a bit tough was a good thing, making her less likely to be bullied. His daughter, Li Xiao’s daughter, should have a bit of temper.

Jiang Rou was about to say something when Li Xiao leaned down and silenced her with a kiss. Then, the two of them shamelessly engaged in mischief under the blanket.

—o—o—o—

The next morning, Jiang Rou and Li Xiao slept in. An An, used to her parents sleeping late, did not disturb them. She got up by herself, turned on the TV, and watched cartoons, cleverly keeping the volume low.

The family spent a week in the capital, visiting the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven. They also enjoyed a lot of delicious food. An An took many photos, each with a joyful smile.

Sometimes she laughed in her dreams at night, though it was unclear what fun things she might be dreaming about.

On the third day, Jin Dayou came over and took them to try some delicious food hidden in a narrow alley. Li Xiao and the others had been eating at fancy hotels, which were good, but not particularly outstanding and were quite expensive. Jin Dayou’s recommendations, on the other hand, had a unique flavor.

After a week of sightseeing, on the last day, Jiang Rou and the others took Li Xin to school and also visited the University of Beijing. When An An went inside, she looked around with wide eyes and kept exclaiming, “Mom, this place is so beautiful!”

She innocently asked, “Mom, why didn’t you apply to this school?”

Jiang Rou replied, “…It’s not as simple as just wanting to apply.”

Li Xiao, who was about to yawn, burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Jiang Rou gave him a light glare.

Li Xin smiled and introduced them to her dormitory. With the school year approaching, there were many people on campus.

After touring Li Xin’s dorm, they went to see Jin Dayou’s. As a graduate student, Jin Dayou’s dorm was much nicer and even had a private bathroom.

However, his bed was much messier, and there was even a skeleton frame under the bed. An An, upon seeing it, hid behind Jiang Rou, frightened.

Li Xiao kicked at the discarded shoes with disgust. “Alright, there’s nothing much to see. The sheets look like they haven’t been washed in ages and have changed color.”

Jin Dayou awkwardly rubbed his nose.

Outside the door, Li Xin was stifling a laugh.

When they returned from the capital, both An An and Jiang Rou were about to start school. An An was entering the first grade, while Jiang Rou was starting her first year of graduate school.

On the first day of school, An An cheerfully told Jiang Rou, “Mom, we’re both starting first grade.”

Jiang Rou smiled and replied to her, “Yes, An An, from today you’re officially a primary school student.”

That day, as with every day thereafter, Li Xiao took both mother and daughter to their respective schools.

—o—o—o—

By the end of 2007, the winter had been particularly harsh.

In the south, there had been a severe snow disaster. On the eve of the New Year, Jiang Rou and Li Xiao, with An An, delivered several truckloads of supplies to the worst-hit areas. They were busy until the day before the New Year, and only then did the family of three return from the factory to celebrate the holiday.

This year, Li Xin did not come home, but the family managed to video chat with her.

On the call, Li Xin seemed to have just come out of the library, holding an umbrella as she walked and talked, the street lights abroad casting a blurred light on her face.

Jiang Rou frowned. “Why are you out so late? I heard it’s not very safe abroad.”

Li Xin rubbed her hands together. “The library has air conditioning.”

Not only had there been a snow disaster domestically, but also abroad, with some places experiencing power outages and freezing deaths.

Jiang Rou worriedly said, “Hurry back. Is it cold at night? If it’s really bad, buy a few more blankets.”

Li Xin shook her head. “It’s not cold. I bought six hot water bottles.”

Jiang Rou said, “That’s good. It’s New Year’s today, so go to bed early tonight.”

An An chimed in, “Happy New Year, Auntie.”

Li Xin heard this and her smile widened. “Happy New Year to you too, An An.”

At that moment, fireworks could be heard outside, and on the other end of the video call, fireworks were also lighting up behind Li Xin. Someone could be heard shouting in Chinese, “Happy New Year” and “Long live the Motherland.”

It was unclear which overseas student had done that.

Jiang Rou and Li Xin both laughed, feeling that despite the distance, they could still experience the festive spirit of the New Year.