However, fate couldn’t bear to make Fu Xiaotang wait another ten or eight years. Recently, Xiao Min had been acting strangely, sometimes whispering secrets with a mysterious smile, or arranging all her dolls in a row to introduce them to a new friend. Fu Xiaotang thought it was just gifts from some aunt or uncle, given how adorable Xiao Min was, making everyone want to give her their heart. One day, Xiao Min ran over with her doll, “Mommy, when is Daddy coming back?” Fu Xiaotang frowned; Xiao Min often asked this, the poor child, her father was truly hateful. Fu Xiaotang lifted her daughter onto her lap, wiping the sweat from her forehead, “Xiao Min misses Daddy?” Xiao Min’s big eyes blinked, and Fu Xiaotang was about to give the usual response about Daddy being far away and soon to return. But before she could, Xiao Min asked, “Why doesn’t Daddy come back?” Her small eyebrows arched, strikingly similar to Fang Junxie. Fu Xiaotang gently said, “Daddy has very important work, and when he finishes, he’ll come back to see Xiao Min.” Every time Fu Xiaotang said this, Xiao Min would nod and mutter to herself, “Okay, Xiao Min will be good, and Daddy needs to come back soon to see Xiao Min.” Then she would go off to play by herself. But this time, Xiao Min shook her head and softly explained to her mother, “Daddy got badly hurt. He’s afraid Mommy and I will be sad, so he won’t come back until he’s fully recovered.” Because Xiao Min sometimes pointed at the sky and said, “Mommy, Father of Ultra flew away, back to M78 Nebula,” Fu Xiaotang didn’t take Xiao Min’s words seriously. Xiao Min sighed with a tone of understanding and heartache, saying, “Last time when Gugu bit my leg, Mommy was so sad and cried for days. Daddy’s injury is much worse, so of course, he wouldn’t dare come back.” Gugu was a colorful chicken kept by Aunt Zhang, the cook at Zhang Rong’s place, always strutting around the yard, pecking at strangers. Xiao Min, who was not much taller than the chicken, once tried to touch its vibrant feathers and got a nasty bite on her knee. Fu Xiaotang couldn’t help but pinch her daughter’s nose, teasing, “Says who? I was just annoyed by you. You’re just a little thing, can’t even walk steadily, yet you want to touch chicken feathers, more reckless than any wild boy!” Xiao Min pouted in mock anger for a while before asking, “Mommy, are you still mad at Daddy?” Fu Xiaotang thought for a moment and said seriously to Xiao Min, “If he has a good reason, I won’t be mad.” “What counts as a good reason?” Xiao Min tilted her head, pondering. “Does what I just said count?” Fu Xiaotang shook her head, “If he comes to tell me himself, then I’ll consider it.” “Can’t I tell you?” Xiao Min looked wronged, extending her white, tender finger in accusation, “Mommy, you’re biased!” Fu Xiaotang hugged her daughter and kissed her, “One person does the deed, one person takes the responsibility, you can’t stand in for him.” Xiao Min pouted, not fully understanding, “Then I’ll go tell Daddy to come give you a good reason.” Fu Xiaotang was both amused and exasperated, “Sweet Xiao Min, tell Mommy, who taught you to say these things?” Xiao Min shook her head, “It wasn’t an auntie…” Suddenly, she covered her mouth, “Oops, can’t say, can’t say, we made a pinky promise. I didn’t tell about Grandpa smoking, or Auntie Lan and Uncle Thirteen giving me candy.” Fu Xiaotang looked at her with a sideways glance, “Oh, so Xiao Min has been keeping so many secrets from Mommy?” Xiao Min hung her head, feigning guilt; usually, this would make her mother hug her and say how adorable she was. But this time, when Xiao Min peeked up, she saw her mother looked angry. In Xiao Min’s whole world, nothing was more serious than her mother being angry. Xiao Min quickly threw herself into her mother’s arms, wrapping her little arms around her, “Mommy, don’t be mad, Xiao Min will be good. Xiao Min will tell you everything Daddy said, okay?” Fu Xiaotang’s heart skipped a beat; she finally sensed something was off. “Xiao Min,” Fu Xiaotang’s voice trembled slightly as she asked cautiously, “Have you seen your Daddy?”
Suddenly, Xiaomin’s eyes lit up, and she spread her arms towards Fu Xiaotang’s back, calling out crisply, “Daddy!” Fu Xiaotang felt as if she had been struck by lightning, a buzzing sound filled her head, and she could no longer hear any sounds around her. She was like a fool, without even the strength to turn her head. Then, with light footsteps, someone approached, extending arms to embrace both mother and daughter. The scent was so familiar, even after four years, it remained as clear as ever, and everything in her memory surged back vividly. “Xiaotang,” the person whispered in her ear, “I’m back.” Fu Xiaotang suddenly remembered a long time ago, perhaps the night of the “Dance Battle” at Heaven on Earth, when she finished her last dance in her underwear, trapped in an endless darkness. Even though she knew that what awaited her was light, where could she find the courage to stand before the world in such a state? Before she could feel fear, a pair of warm hands firmly grasped hers. “Xiaotang, it’s me.” “Azun? Are you here?” “Not afraid, I knew you would come.” “Good girl.”
(End)
