The two chatted idly at the kindergarten gate. Su Yao inquired about Xu Qingzhu's recent situation, and Liang Shi answered her questions one by one. Then, in return, he asked about her health. Su Yao said that everything was fine.
While they were chatting, Rainbow and Shengyu started playing cat's cradle.
Rainbow was initially very reluctant, but Sheng Yu kept poking at her and insisted on playing with her. Since she was bored while waiting there, she had no choice but to play along.
While Liang Shi was chatting with Su Yao, he saw Sun Meirou.
Sun Meirou stood at the school gate looking around, but even after all the kindergarten children had left, she still hadn't received the bell.
In her anxiety, she saw Liang Shi and immediately ran over to ask, "Shi, did you take Lingdang away?"
"No," Liang Shi said. "I haven't seen her since I got here. Second sister-in-law, didn't you receive her?"
"No." Sun Meirou sighed. "She really didn't want to come to school today, but I insisted on bringing her. I'll go ask her teacher."
Only after asking did I find out that Lingdang was lying in the classroom and refused to come out no matter what I said.
Sun Meirou immediately went to the classroom to look for someone, while Liang Shi also saw Gu Xingyue, who was about to leave work.
Gu Xingyue wore a sky-blue long dress with a cardigan over it, and her long hair was tied up with a scrunchie, an outfit that was not much different from her usual attire.
Liang Shi wanted to call out, but he saw Yang Jiani across the street.
Gu Xingyue didn't even glance at her, and walked straight towards Yang Jiani.
At that moment, Gu Xingyue felt to Liang Shi like a soulless doll displayed in a shop window, at the mercy of others.
Liang Shi, who had already extended his hand halfway, awkwardly withdrew it and didn't dare to greet him again.
She watched as Gu Xingyue walked to Yang Jianni's side. Yang Jianni, wearing a dark red cheongsam, touched the top of Gu Xingyue's head, smiled at her, and led Gu Xingyue into the car.
After Gu Xingyue got into the car, her gaze met Liang Shi's through the car window.
Rainbow tugged at Liang Shi's sleeve, "Sister Liang, when we get home, I have something for you."
"Did Teacher Qi give it to you?" Liang Shi asked.
Rainbow glanced at Sheng Yu, then shook her head. "No, she's mine."
"What is it that I can't know?" Sheng Yu pouted, looking displeased. "Are you hiding something from me?"
“Yes,” Rainbow said. “Everyone has secrets.”
Sheng Yu huffed, "Hmph! I'm not playing with you anymore."
Rainbow immediately put away the flower rope, expressionless: "Okay."
Sheng Yu: "?"
"Wow! You've gone too far!" Sheng Yu complained, "Sister, look at her!"
Rainbow frowned. "Why do you have to call me 'sister' too? Didn't you call me 'auntie' last time?"
Liang Shi: "..."
Sheng Yu said matter-of-factly, "Of course, she's my sister's wife, so I should definitely call her sister. You should call her aunt."
Rainbow said coldly, "Sister Liang is still young, of course you should call her sister. It was you who was impolite last time, that's why you called her auntie."
"I didn't!" Sheng Yu sneered. "She's already married to my sister, so I was forced to call her sister, but she's clearly my aunt's generation."
Rainbow retorted, "How are they 'aunties'? Sister Liang and Sister Xu haven't had babies yet."
Sheng Yu: "Even if they have a baby now, she can only be the older sister."
Rainbow: "You shouldn't have called her 'Auntie' last time."
Sheng Yu: "I already shouted, what are you doing? Are you going to hit me?!"
Rainbow: "Never mind... um..."
Ranibow hadn't finished speaking when Liang Shi covered his mouth.
Squatting between the two women, Liang Shi felt like she was being sandwiched between two layers of dough, with one woman saying something to the left and the other saying something to the right, making her ears hurt.
Moreover, when the two of them argued, it was Liang Shi who felt as if he was being stabbed in the heart.
They're even more ruthless than the neighborhood committee ladies who pressure people to have children.
Liang Shi covered Rainbow's mouth and whispered in her ear, "Don't argue with children, and just nod if you can."
Rainbow nodded obediently, while Sheng Yu put her hands on her hips and said, "Hmph! You naughty child!"
Rainbow looked at Liang Shi innocently, her eyes saying—see, she's the one who bullied me.
So Liang Shi flicked Sheng Yu's forehead again, "Don't bully people."
Sheng Yu covered her forehead, puffing out her cheeks angrily: "Waaah, you hit me! I'm going to tell my sister that she'll never let her be friends with you again!"
Liang Shi met her gaze, not backing down, and said, "Go ahead and sue. I'll take you to my house tonight, and you can sue me all you want."
Sheng Yu's eyes lit up: "Where do you live?"
Liang Shi: "..."
Su Yao, standing to the side, chuckled helplessly, "How can you talk to your older sister like that? You're so spoiled."
Sheng Yu stuck her tongue out at her and asked from the side, "Mom, can we go to my sister's house tonight?"
Su Yao hesitated, but Liang Shi immediately said, "Of course you can! Tomorrow is a day off, so you can go play with your sister tonight. I'll cook you a big meal tonight."
Su Yao looked at Liang Shi cautiously, her eyes full of hope, but she asked uncertainly, "Is it okay? Will it bother you?"
“Mom.” Liang Shi smiled gently, “What are you saying? As long as you don’t mind that our house is small, you can stay there tonight. It’s a good opportunity to get to know Zhu Zi better. She may not say it, but she misses you.”
Su Yao pursed her lips, still hesitant. Sheng Yu shook her arm, "Mom, let's go to my sister's house. I've never been before!"
Liang Shi patted her head, giving Su Yao a boost of confidence, "Mom, this is your daughter's home, it's perfectly normal for you to come."
Su Yao nodded and smiled, "Then I'll trouble you."
“No trouble at all,” Liang Shi said. “Zhu Zi and I just moved recently. Your visit would be perfect for a housewarming party and would bring some life to the place. We’d be more than happy to see you.”
After she finished speaking, she saw Rainbow lower her head dejectedly. Liang Shi leaned close to Rainbow's ear and whispered, "Do you want to come to my house tonight?"
Rainbow's eyes lit up, then dimmed again. "Forget it, it's too much trouble for you guys."
Liang Shi couldn't help but feel sorry for the child. This little kid wasn't worried about not having fun, but about causing trouble for others.
Early maturity is not necessarily a good thing.
Liang Shi hugged her and pulled her into his arms. "It's no trouble at all. Just think of it as visiting a friend's house. Your sister Xu asked me to buy a lot of snacks today, which is to invite you to my house another day. There's no time like the present."
When Liang Shi said these things to other children, he might worry that they wouldn't understand, but there was no problem at all when he said them to Rainbow.
Still retaining a childlike heart, Rainbow longed for exciting and curious places. Hearing Liang Shi's words, she couldn't suppress the smile on her face. "Okay then!"
After returning to China, she stayed with Zhou Li. Usually, when Zhou Li was busy with work, she would stay at home alone. When Zhou Li had time off, she would stay at home with Zhou Li. The farthest place they went was a park, and she didn't make any friends.
Liang Shi was the only adult who could communicate and talk with her on an equal footing, although he would occasionally marvel at how smart she was and wish she could be a child again.
To reassure Rainbow, Liang Shi called Zhou Li and told her that Rainbow was going to her house to play. If he went early in the evening, he would be sent back; if it was too late, he would stay at her house, and Liang Shi would send him back the next day.
Zhou Li hesitated, and said the same thing: "I'm causing you too much trouble."
Liang Shi then realized that the mother and daughter were of the same lineage.
Zhou Li has a somewhat rigid personality, which makes Rainbow a little cautious in his interpersonal interactions.
So Liang Shi taught her, "Did you see Sheng Yu? You should always ask yourself if you like something before considering whether it will cause trouble for others, okay?"
Rainbow hesitated, "That's because Sheng Yu has so many people who dote on her; they'd give her anything she wanted, even the stars and the moon."
“Then you are a lovely little girl too.” Liang Shi patted her head. “Little girls should be pampered. Me, your sister Xu, your mother, and Sister Ran all pamper you, don’t they? Don’t think so much like a little adult, or you’ll get gray hair.”
Rainbow: "..."
Before Rainbow could retort, Sheng Yu immediately jumped out, exaggeratedly covering her mouth: "What? White hair? OMG, Zhou Caihong, you're so scary."
Rainbow was so angry that she reached out and slapped her, and then Sheng Yu retaliated.
Liang Shi and Su Yao didn't pay any attention, and the two of them started fighting back and forth, but they were both careful not to hurt each other too much.
They made a fuss at the entrance for a while, but Sun Meirou still hadn't taken Lingdang out. Liang Shi, who was a little worried, told Su Yao to stay and watch the child while she told the security guard to go into the kindergarten to find someone.
As soon as Liang Shi entered, he saw Sun Meirou pulling Lingdang out. Lingdang's face was covered with wet tear stains, and her eyes were red, like an eggplant that had been hit by frost. She was being dragged away by Sun Meirou unwillingly.
"Lingdang," Liang Shi called out. Lingdang looked up, sniffed first, and then burst into tears upon seeing Liang Shi, "Auntie~"
The shout was so loud that it startled Liang Shi, who looked as if he had suffered a great injustice.
Liang Shi immediately ran over, glanced at Sun Meirou, and Sun Meirou could only sigh helplessly.
"Auntie." Just as Liang Shi squatted down, Lingdang hugged her neck, wiping her tears all over Liang Shi's clothes. "I don't want to go home, waah~"
Liang Shi patted her back and comforted her softly, "What's wrong, baby? Who bullied you?"
Lingdang cried so hard she could barely breathe, "I...I didn't hit anyone...They...they're framing me."
Liang Shi looked at Sun Meirou, frowned, and asked, "Who?"
Sun Meirou looked worried. "Guo Xinran."
Chapter 95
One look at the bell and you could tell she'd been crying for a long time. She looked pitiful, clinging to Liang Shi's shoulder, her tears and snot smeared all over his clothes.
Liang Shi didn't have time to ask Sun Meirou for details; he had to comfort Lingdang first.
"Don't cry, baby. Auntie will take you to play, okay?" Liang Shi coaxed her. "Rainbow and Sheng Yu are outside. Let's go play with them, okay?"
Lingdang shook her head, burying her face in her shoulder, "No~"
So pitiful.
Liang Shi didn't force her, since Lingdang's emotions had calmed down a bit.
She wasn't wailing as loudly as before; she was just sobbing intermittently.
Liang Shi felt sorry for him.
Fearing that the child would be upset, Liang Shi did not discuss the matter with Sun Meirou in front of her.
Liang Shi carried the bell to the outside of the kindergarten. Sheng Yu noticed her first and called out, "Liang Wenxuan!"