Good Baby C16

Chapter 16

When they walked into the room, they saw An’an lying comfortably in bed, wearing pajamas and fast asleep. Sitting next to him, Li Datao gently poked his soft cheek.

The sleeping An’an felt itchy from the poke, furrowing his small brows and burrowing deeper under the blankets, seemingly a little annoyed.

Li Datao, fearing that he might suffocate himself, pulled the blanket down to expose his head.

Since An’an started kindergarten, Fan Chunxiang hadn’t been trimming his hair like before. After a few months, she gave him a cute watermelon-shaped haircut. His dark, soft hair made him look very well-behaved.

The weather had been getting colder day by day, and the first snowfall had arrived in the small city.

No matter how many times he had seen it, An’an still found it fascinating. He stood there, jumping around as if it were the first time he had seen snow.

He loved everything living, and in An’an’s eyes, even the snowflakes had life.

Fan Chunxiang heard the sound of him hopping and came out to take a look. She wiped her hands dry and found the hat she had sewn for An’an, placing the tiger-head cap on his little head.

Before the New Year, Li Datao sold off all the scrap materials he had accumulated, making quite a bit of money. The whole yard began to look empty.

The spot where the scrap materials had been piled up was already selected, and he planned to rent it after the New Year to start a new big project.

Now that they had a plan for the future, they just needed to wait for the right time to work hard. With direction, everything felt less tiring, no matter what they did.

This year, their family also unusually bought fireworks and firecrackers, celebrating like other families.

The fireworks blossomed in the night sky, and the New Year’s Eve dinner table was full of fish, meat, and alcohol. Since An’an was too young to drink, Fan Chunxiang heated up some milk for him.

An’an, who could only hold the cup with both hands, stood up and clinked glasses with his parents. On the TV, the Spring Festival Gala was playing, while outside, the sounds of fireworks and firecrackers echoed occasionally.

This year, Li Datao and Fan Chunxiang gave An’an red envelopes that were thicker than in previous years, so much so that the envelopes were almost about to burst.

An’an stuffed the red envelope into his pocket and, as a habit, patted it with his hand, saying a crisp “Thank you.”

This year, An’an rarely felt sleepy. He stayed up with his parents to usher in the New Year. At 11:50 PM, Li Datao went to the storage room to bring out the fireworks and firecrackers he had bought earlier.

According to the customs here, after midnight, it would be the first day of the New Year, and they were supposed to welcome the God of Wealth.

Since starting his business, Li Datao had begun to believe in these customs. If they were useful, that was great, but even if they weren’t, it was just a way to enjoy the festivities and give himself peace of mind.

……

In the summer before An’an was about to enter the senior kindergarten class, Li Datao finally saved enough money to buy a house.

At that time, house prices had just started to rise and weren’t too expensive yet. Moreover, since their city wasn’t very developed, Li Datao, used to living in a small courtyard, bought a spacious three-bedroom, two-living-room, two-bathroom house.

Additionally, there was a study room, a toy room, and two very spacious balconies.

Unless something unexpected happened, this would be the place they would live for the rest of their lives. Li Datao even took a week off to choose this place, the one he was most satisfied with.

The renovation would take some time. Li Datao didn’t know much about this and, with his usual busy work schedule, didn’t have the time to oversee it.

However, Fan Chunxiang was very eager to take charge and was meticulous in learning all the relevant knowledge. She paid attention to every detail, ensuring everything was done beautifully.

That year, Li Datao and Fan Chunxiang spent their last Spring Festival in the old, run-down small courtyard where they had lived for half their lives.

An’an didn’t know about the family’s situation but felt that his mother had suddenly become as busy as his father. She no longer had as much time to spend with him.

Suppressing his sense of loss, he quietly comforted himself, telling himself that he was now a big child and couldn’t be clingy like before.

Once the renovation was completed and the house had been furnished for two months, Li Datao specifically spent money to consult on the best day to move in. On an auspicious day, he and An’an moved into the new house.

Before, Fan Chunxiang had been very frugal, but that was because their conditions didn’t allow for much spending. She saved money so that their lives could improve.

Now that their family’s situation had improved, she slowly understood the concept of letting go. Most of the old items were thrown away and replaced with new ones.

The new house had great lighting, and the decoration was beautiful, especially An’an’s room, which was perfectly suited to a child’s tastes.

Until today, Li Datao and Fan Chunxiang had kept the new house a surprise for An’an. They had been waiting for this moment to give him the big surprise.

“Is this… our home?”

An’an stood at the door, not daring to step inside. His eyes were wide open, and his mouth was agape.

The house was just too beautiful. It was something he had never dared to imagine before, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he was dreaming.

He pinched his soft arm with his right hand, and the pain made him wince.

Fan Chunxiang nodded, and Li Datao gently pushed An’an’s shoulder, signaling him to go inside.

Once the initial hesitation passed and An’an realized that this was indeed their home, he excitedly ran around to explore every room. He only returned to the living room sofa when he grew tired.

Li Datao was in the kitchen, boiling water with a kettle. He glanced over at them sitting on the bright, spacious sofa in the living room. All the hard work felt worthwhile after seeing this scene.

People need something to strive for in life.

Without An’an, Li Datao might still be the person scrounging for scraps to barely fill his stomach.

One never knows what they can achieve unless they push themselves hard.

An’an loved the new house, which was close to his kindergarten. However, he still occasionally missed the old small courtyard where he had grown up.

He missed the grass that occasionally sprouted from the corner, the unknown wildflowers, or the big, fat wild cat that would sometimes wander into the yard.

He wondered if the grass would be pulled out by someone else, or if a mischievous child would pick the wildflowers.

He also wondered if the fat tabby cat, which was too big for him to carry, knew that he had moved, and whether anyone would secretly feed it or if it might starve outside.

When Fan Chunxiang noticed her son’s thoughts, she occasionally took him back to visit the old yard, cleaning it up every week.

An’an couldn’t let go of the place where he had grown up, which was also the home where Fan Chunxiang and Li Datao had lived for half their lives.

Li Datao’s business was getting better, and he no longer had to rush around every day like he did before.

When he started collecting scrap materials from others, he realized that not being able to read was a hindrance, so he spent a lot of time gradually learning how to read.

Through hard work, he had been rising higher and higher.

When people have money and their conditions improve, they start to gain more confidence. Those who knew Li Datao before said that he had become a completely different person, probably because he now had the confidence that came with financial security.

At An’an’s kindergarten graduation ceremony, Li Datao even bought a suit to wear. Fan Chunxiang also bought a new outfit, and both of them were very prepared for the occasion.

An’an, wearing his kindergarten uniform, sat on a small bench, waiting for his parents to come.

The wait felt a little long, and since all the kids around him were lively and curious, it didn’t take long before the place sounded like a flock of little sparrows chirping away.

Sitting properly with his small hands on his knees, An’an had a little friend leaning in with a fluffy head beside him.

“Xie Shi’an, is your dad or mom coming?”

An’an thought for a moment before replying:

“They will both come!”

Even when their family was at its poorest, Li Datao and Fan Chunxiang never failed to be with An’an. How could they possibly miss such an important event like the graduation ceremony?

The little friend pouted upon hearing this, crossed his arms, and mumbled:

“You’re lying. It’s definitely your mom who’s coming. I’ve never seen your dad.”

“Hmph~”

An’an snorted and turned his head to the side, not planning to argue with him.

Just then, the teacher announced that the parents had arrived. An’an, who had been sitting obediently, suddenly stood up and looked around eagerly.

“Look! My mom and dad!”

When he saw the familiar figures, An’an felt proud in front of his friends. He raised his nose in a haughty way, eagerly waiting for his parents to come over.

At the graduation ceremony, there was a segment where the children expressed their gratitude to their parents by hugging them.

Among all the children, An’an was the quickest to react. He jumped off the stage and ran down with his little legs, almost leaving a trail behind him.

He rushed over to give his mom a big hug and then turned to hug his dad.

Fan Chunxiang looked at An’an, dressed in a fitting school uniform, smiling at her, and her mind was filled with the memory of a few years ago when she had held his little hand and sent him off to kindergarten.

At that time, An’an was still small, always happily following the teacher, and now, in the blink of an eye, he had grown so much.

The three years An’an spent in kindergarten had been the most turbulent three years for their family.

After the ceremony, since the kindergarten was nearby, the three of them walked home together. Walking on the sidewalk, cars passed by on the road.

In these three years, this small city had also developed rapidly.

There was no time for Fan Chunxiang and Li Datao to lament the passing of time, as their little chatterbox, holding one hand of her father and the other of her mother, had captured both of their attention.

“Mom, I graduated from kindergarten~”

“Next semester, I’ll be a first grader!”

“I’ll study hard and make lots and lots of money!”

“When I grow up, I want to be a research scholar. That PhD person who was reported in the news yesterday was so cool, I want to be as amazing as him when I grow up.”

An’an’s voice still had a bit of babyishness, but he was seriously talking about his future. The little boy seemed to be shining, glowing with ambition, and incredibly bright.

After some time of learning, Li Datao was already able to read lips and could roughly guess what An’an was saying. He began to gesture with his hand, asking why An’an wasn’t collecting scrap with his dad.

“Wake up early, do research in the morning, and in the afternoon, collect scrap with dad.”