Good Baby C13

Chapter 13

Li Datao could not hear any sounds, but he could see the changes in An’an’s lip movements. He could feel the carefulness with which An’an used a handkerchief to wipe his sweat.

Holding An’an’s small body, which faintly smelled of milk, Li Datao gently rubbed his nose against the side of An’an’s face.

An’an seemed to feel a bit ticklish and shrunk his neck, hiding further into his father’s embrace.

In front of the temple, there were two ancient trees. The sunlight passed through the gaps in the large trees, casting flickering light and shadow on Li Datao’s shoulders. The dancing light spots caught An’an’s attention. His small hand opened as if he wanted to grasp the light in his palm.

Even when they entered the temple gates, An’an was still staring at the big tree.

Their purpose for coming this time was to find peace of mind. After entering the temple, they first bought incense and then set An’an down, holding his hand as they walked inside.

The threshold of the temple was a bit high for An’an. He originally wanted to reach out and let his mother carry him, but when he met his mother’s gaze, he vaguely understood that he couldn’t be carried. He made an effort to climb over it.

It was said to be one of the most effective temples in the country, with many worshippers coming and going every day. An’an, imitating his parents, knelt on a mat.

He was still young and only knew how to follow their example.

Li Datao and Fan Chunxiang would silently pray once in their hearts every time they bowed.

They didn’t ask for An’an to be rich or successful. They only wished for him to grow up safely and healthily.

Behind the temple was a place for praying and drawing fortunes. They did not tie red ribbons to make wishes but stopped in front of the monk who was drawing fortunes.

This monk had a kind face. He handed the bamboo tube containing the fortune slips to them, and just as An’an was standing there with his hands in his pockets, he was suddenly pushed forward by the force behind him.

Turning around, he saw it was Fan Chunxiang. She pointed to the items on the table, and An’an understood. He took a bamboo slip from inside and handed it to his mother.

Fan Chunxiang took his little hand and handed the bamboo slip to the monk. She clasped her hands together and bowed slightly in a devout manner.

The monk carefully examined it, then softly recited:

“Spring rain lasts long, joy comes with the first clear sky; the jade rabbit and golden rooster gradually shine; old matters fade away, new matters proceed, just take a leap over the dragon gate.”

“Benefactor, this is an excellent fortune. All the misfortunes the little benefactor encountered before have passed, and the road ahead is smooth. Just move forward.”

Fan Chunxiang came all the way here not for this matter. She didn’t care whether her child was successful or capable, but she couldn’t speak and express her thoughts, which made her anxious and her face flushed. Sweat was starting to form on her forehead.

“Benefactor, don’t worry, I can read a little.”

Fan Chunxiang gestured, asking if An’an could grow up safely.

“Rest assured, benefactor.”

After saying this, the old monk clasped his hands together and chanted a Buddhist mantra, smiling as he welcomed the next worshipper.

Fan Chunxiang was still in a daze, instinctively leading An’an to the side to avoid blocking the path of others.

Although there was no direct answer, that statement could be seen as an indirect promise. Once she calmed down, she communicated with the visibly anxious Li Datao using gestures. From now on, they wouldn’t need to worry about this matter.

On the way down the mountain, An’an was still being carried by his father. He lay on his father’s back, swaying, gradually feeling sleepy.

As soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, An’an seemed to have some strange intuition and opened his eyes.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes, instinctively wiped his mouth to check for drool, and sighed in relief when he found none.

Before this, this matter had been like a heavy stone pressing on the hearts of Fan Chunxiang and Li Datao. Now, they could finally relax.

That evening, they even picked a nice-looking restaurant and the three of them went in to order food.

When it was time to pay the bill, Li Datao didn’t feel any reluctance. Such good news—that their son would grow up well—was certainly worth celebrating.

On the way back to the hotel, they saw a vendor selling balloons. Li Datao hurried over and bought one for his son, tying it to An’an’s jacket button.

The balloon floated on its own, and for An’an, this toy was especially novel.

That night, while lying in bed in his pajamas, he still wanted to sneak out from under the covers when his mother wasn’t looking, just to play with the balloon a bit more.

After this, they planned to return home. Li Datao had to go back to continue collecting waste, and they could not get used to living in this big city.

They packed their things and checked out of the hotel before heading to the same station they arrived at.

An’an carried the little backpack his mother made for him, with the balloon tied to it.

He didn’t want to let his parents carry anything heavy, so he didn’t ask to be carried. He ran towards the station by himself, but a security guard stopped him at the entrance.

“Little boy, you can’t bring the balloon inside.”

An’an instinctively stopped, looked up at the balloon, then stepped back and hid behind his mother.

None of them had thought that the balloon couldn’t be taken into the station, and they were stopped right there.

They saw that their bus was about to depart, and there was no time to delay any further.

Fan Chunxiang had no choice but to reluctantly untie the balloon. The security guard, kindly, came to help but didn’t manage to catch it. The balloon instantly floated away.

Since An’an had learned that the balloon couldn’t be taken away, he hadn’t pouted, but when he saw the balloon float away, he couldn’t hold it back anymore. He cried out and ran to hug his mother’s leg.

Fan Chunxiang handed her bag to her husband, squatted down, and picked up An’an, rushing toward the station.

Fortunately, they managed to catch the bus, but while sitting on their seats, An’an was still very upset, crying and trembling.

When he noticed an aunt staring at him, An’an stopped crying and looked over, noticing the aunt frowning and looking uncomfortable.

He remembered what his mother had told him on the way, not to disturb others. He hurriedly covered his mouth with his little hand.

Having cried so fiercely earlier, there were still tears hanging on his eyelashes, and his body couldn’t stop lightly trembling. His eyes were wide open.

The middle-aged woman, who was feeling uncomfortable due to motion sickness, saw An’an like this and smiled gently, saying:

“Thank you.”

An’an shook his head to indicate it was unnecessary, and didn’t cry out loud anymore. Instead, he buried his head in his mother’s arms, trying to cry quietly.

It was the first time he got his beloved toy. Last night, he was so excited he couldn’t sleep, constantly thinking about where to tie the balloon when he got home.

Today, he just watched the balloon fly away, and the sadness was beyond ordinary.

Later, An’an cried himself out, and with the bumps from the bus, he fell asleep without them noticing.

Fan Chunxiang’s arm was sore. When she tried to adjust her position, she realized An’an was asleep, his small face still red from crying. Occasionally, he sniffled in his sleep.

In the small city where they lived, they had never seen such a beautiful balloon.

If they had, even though the balloon might cost five yuan, which was expensive for them, seeing An’an cry so pitifully, they would have bought it without hesitation.

But the problem was, they couldn’t even buy it there.

Li Datao held An’an’s little hand in his palm, both of them filled with tenderness.

They had been on the bus for several hours, stopping once at a service area where the driver told them to use the restroom or buy something to eat.

They wouldn’t arrive until the afternoon, and by then, it would already be past mealtime.

Fan Chunxiang asked about the prices at the service area. They were too expensive for her to justify buying, but she bought two sausages for An’an.

After a nap, An’an seemed to have forgotten about the balloon. He held one sausage in his palm, continuously poking at it with his finger.

The bus started moving again. Fan Chunxiang thought he might be hungry, so she peeled the sausage and handed it to An’an.

An’an sniffed it first, then, with a serious face, split it in half, handing one half to Fan Chunxiang and the other to Li Datao.

After making sure both his parents had some, An’an clapped his hands, leaned back into his mother’s embrace, and smiled with his eyes squinted.

Clearly, An’an was very pleased with the arrangement.

Everything in the service area was expensive, and Fan Chunxiang couldn’t bring herself to eat.

She bought the sausage for An’an, fearing that such a small child would go hungry, while she and her husband, as adults, could go without a meal for one or two times without issue.

But seeing An’an so happy, knowing his stubborn character, neither of them rejected him.

Once they finished eating, Fan Chunxiang took another sausage from her bag, peeled it, and offered it to An’an. This time, An’an didn’t attempt to share it. He obediently ate it all by himself.

After several days, they finally returned to their small city.

Although this city wasn’t as developed and many things couldn’t compare to the outside, Li Datao and Fan Chunxiang had lived here for decades, and they were very familiar with it. So, no matter how prosperous other places were, this place was still the best in their hearts.

They unlocked the small courtyard that had been locked for several days. The first thing they did was clean the house. An’an, wearing a small apron, wanted to help.

Before he could start, Fan Chunxiang handed him the hollow vegetables their neighbor gave them.

An’an instinctively took the small basket containing the hollow vegetables and ran into the kitchen. He grabbed a basin, sat on a small stool, and started picking the vegetables.

Since he could help, he had been doing these small tasks. His tiny hands plucked the vegetable leaves and placed them in the plastic bag to keep them organized for later.

After finishing the house cleaning, it was almost dark. The light in the hallway was dim. Li Datao, while sorting through waste in the yard, found a book that appeared to be in good condition.

Only the first page had a name written on it, and the rest was clean and neat.

Li Datao carefully checked it twice to ensure there was nothing inside before handing it to An’an.

Even after getting the accurate information from it and confirming that An’an would grow up safely, Li Datao still couldn’t relax.

He didn’t want the money that An’an’s luck might bring. He had the strength, and he could rely on his own hands to earn money and support his wife and children.