The little one, who had been pushing her for half a day without waking her, looked anxious. Now seeing her daddy looking at her, a smile spread across her face.
Xu Wanzhi suppressed her displeasure at being disturbed. Propping her head with one hand, she looked at the child gazing up at her. She reached out and picked him up, sitting him on the stone bench beside her, forcing a smile and asking, “An’er, how are you here? Have you eaten lunch?”
An’er mimicked her, leaning on the table and seriously said, “Daddy, An’er doesn’t need medicine anymore!”
Seeing her daddy silent, An’er pouted, “Daddy hasn’t come to see An’er for a long time. The caretaker said An’er’s hair has grown long…”
Xu Wanzhi reached out and touched his head. Hmm, his hair was tied in a small bun, but she couldn’t really tell. “If daddy doesn’t come to see you, An’er can come see me. Who else would you talk to?”
“But before, when mommy came back, daddy would always carry me to mommy. Then mommy would hold An’er and tell stories, and daddy would pour tea for us.”
“So, why did you come find daddy? Have you seen your mother?”
“No, the caretaker said mommy went to the old master’s courtyard and told me not to disturb her.”
An’er’s eyes misted over, feeling somewhat aggrieved. He really missed his mommy!
Why wasn’t he allowed to go to grandpa’s courtyard?
Xu Wanzhi quickly understood his meaning but had no intention of explaining such matters to a child.
“An’er, are you hungry? Let’s go to the kitchen and see if there are delicious pastries.” She scooped him up, set him down, and held his small hand, leading him away. The child’s thoughts were immediately diverted, lifting his head and giving Xu Wanzhi a big smile: “Okay.”
Actually, she had no idea where the kitchen was.
Leaving the corridor, two tall women approached, bowing when they saw them: “Master, Young Master, the family head requests your presence.”
“Yay!”
Before Xu Wanzhi could respond, An’er answered happily, shaking her arm: “Daddy, hurry! We can see mommy now!”
