Chapter 34: The Clingy Little Girl

“Are you hungry, little one? Let Mommy feed you first, all right?”
The food had been ready for over half an hour and Lu Feng still hadn’t arrived. Chen Lan decided she’d better let her daughter eat something first.

“No, I want to wait for Big Brother to eat together with us,” the little girl said, bracing herself on the chair and shaking her head.

“Do you like Brother Lu Feng very much?” Chen Lan asked, gently stroking her daughter’s head.

The little one nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes, yes! I like him!”

“Would you like to see Brother Lu Feng more often?”

“I would!” She nodded enthusiastically, her eyes full of anticipation as she looked at her mother.

“Then you have to be a good girl and listen, so that Brother Lu Feng will like you too and come play with you often.”

“I will, I’ll be good. That’s why I want to wait and eat with him.” The little girl answered with great seriousness.

A few more minutes passed, and finally there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it! I’ll get it!” The little one jumped down from her chair in excitement, ran to the door, stood on tiptoe, and reached for the handle.

When the door opened, Lu Feng came in and apologized, “There was a traffic jam. I’m not used to the city traffic yet, sorry I’m late.”

“It’s all right. Hurry and come eat; the food’s gotten a bit cold, I’ll go reheat it. Little one, bring your brother his slippers,” Chen Lan said, picking up the dishes and heading to the kitchen.

The little girl opened the shoe cabinet, took out a pair of slippers with cartoon characters on them, crouched to place them in front of Lu Feng, and said, “I picked these slippers! They’re Super Piggy! But you’re even better than Super Piggy, brother!” As she spoke, she reached to untie Lu Feng’s shoelaces.

Lu Feng quickly bent down, patted the little girl’s head, lifted her up, and then slipped out of his shoes, putting on the slippers.

Having just been coached by Chen Lan, the little one was especially well-behaved. As soon as Lu Feng picked her up, she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Lu Feng felt the little girl was especially clingy today. He sat down at the table with her in his arms, pinched her cheek, set her in a tall children’s chair, and finally had a moment to take in the apartment.

Since Chen Lan had found the place, Lu Feng hadn’t been back. In just a few days, it had grown much cozier and more welcoming.

“Brother, have some egg…”

“Brother, have some fish…”

Eager for Lu Feng to come play with her often, the little one was a bit too enthusiastic, constantly piling food into his bowl. Having just learned to use chopsticks, she watched him with innocent, expectant eyes, waiting to see him eat.

Her open, unguarded attempts to please him were obvious. Lu Feng could feel it, but he didn’t mind at all, because she truly wanted him there—every thought written plainly on her face.

Chen Lan, on the other hand, felt her daughter might be overdoing it. It was obvious she’d been taught by an adult, though she herself hadn’t gone into such detail. She only wanted her daughter to be closer to Lu Feng, hoping he would visit more often. It was her own selfish wish, so watching her daughter try so innocently to please someone left her a little ashamed.

“Don’t serve so much, little one, you’ll scare your brother,” Chen Lan said, patting her daughter’s head.

“Oh, doesn’t brother like these dishes?” the little girl asked curiously.

“I like them all. Being picky isn’t good,” Lu Feng replied, picking up his bowl and starting to eat.

“I’m not picky either! I just really don’t like bitter melon.” To prove herself, the little girl grabbed a slice of bitter melon and put it in her mouth, wrinkling her nose as she chewed, her face full of suffering.

“By the way, when the reporter came to interview me, I explained everything. The reporter promised to help clear things up for you, so you don’t have to worry.” Chen Lan had gone online to watch that video and was furious at the person who posted it.

“I didn’t take it to heart,” Lu Feng replied casually, taking a piece of braised pork and chewing thoughtfully. “This braised pork is really good.”

“If you like it, have some more.” Chen Lan, delighted, quietly slipped another piece into his bowl.

…

After dinner, Lu Feng looked around the apartment for something to do and noticed there was no television.

After eating and bathing, the little one could only pester him to play string games, or else she would talk to her little stuffed dog.

“Brother, can we go out and play? I really want to ride the carousel in the amusement park, but I’ve never been,” she said suddenly.

“It’s so late, what amusement park is still open?” Chen Lan broke off her daughter’s wild idea.

“How about we go shopping and buy a TV? The living room feels strange without a television,” Lu Feng suggested.

“Yes, yes! I want to watch cartoons! All the kids at kindergarten can watch cartoons on their phones, I want to watch too!” The little one jumped up, clapping her hands.

Chen Lan hesitated, mentally calculating her modest salary as she washed the dishes. If she was careful, she could afford a small TV.

“Mommy, can we go buy a television? Please?” The little girl leaned over the counter and pleaded.

“All right, as soon as I finish washing up,” Chen Lan agreed.

“I’ll help Mommy wash the dishes,” said the little one, reaching for the dishes in the sink.

“Don’t be silly, go keep your brother company in the living room. If your clothes get wet, I’ll have to give you another bath,” Chen Lan stopped her.

“All right.” The little one hopped out, ran into her room, took a long-hidden piece of milk candy from her little backpack, and hurried back to Lu Feng, offering it to him.

Lu Feng thought she wanted him to unwrap the candy for her, so he accepted it and peeled off the wrapper. The candy had gotten a little sticky from being hidden so long.

He held the candy to the little girl’s lips. She pushed it back to him, saying, “It’s for you!”

“Why give it to me? If you like it, you should eat it,” Lu Feng said.

“I like you, brother. I’m giving you my candy. Will you come play with me every day?” The little one gazed at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

Lu Feng was a little embarrassed. The girl was adorable and well-behaved, and if he had time, he’d gladly come visit—but it simply wasn’t possible to come every day.

“Hmm, every day might be hard. How about every week?” Lu Feng tried to negotiate.

The little girl wrinkled her nose, still hopeful. “Can’t it be a bit more?”

“I’ll come whenever I have time, is that all right?” Lu Feng was earnest, even though the girl was still too young to understand everything.

“Okay, pinky promise!” She held out her little finger, and after they linked pinkies, she scrambled onto the sofa and gave him another kiss on his right cheek.

Chen Lan, washing dishes in the kitchen, heard Lu Feng promise to visit every week. A strange joy welled up in her heart, as if she had received a long-hoped-for blessing.

Lu Feng cradled the little one’s cheeks and kissed her, then popped the milk candy into her mouth.

As the girl chewed her candy and bounced around on the sofa, Chen Lan couldn’t help but wipe the corners of her eyes with her sleeve at the sight of her daughter’s rare happiness.