Luzhou Moon - Chapter 162
"Let's chat with the cloth tiger." Dad brought the cloth tiger and placed it on the bed, but Xiaoyu was still sobbing, and Mom sat silently to the side wiping away her tears.
The father sat between the mother and daughter, head bowed, and sighed, "Do you want me to cry too?"
Little Fish wanted to crawl to her father's side, but her mother rushed ahead and hugged him, her tears staining his sleeves. Little Fish pouted, but didn't dare to protest, so she just lay on her father's lap.
...My father is mine, and no one can take him away.
The weather is getting warmer, the sun is shining brightly, and the wind often comes to visit the mountains. To comfort Little Fish, Mother said she would take her to fly a kite.
"Is it really okay?" Little Fish had already taken off her bulky cotton coat and put on a brand new floral dress made by her mother.
"Sure, let's go today." Mother is actually very beautiful when she's not angry, just like she is now.
So the three of them went up the mountain to fly kites. The big yellow dog, who was supposed to be left to guard the house, insisted on coming along, and the whole family set off in a "grand procession".
The warm sunshine shone on Xiaoyu, making her very happy. She skipped and hopped all the way, seemingly having long forgotten the sadness of the past few days. When they reached the mountain, her mother held the string and ran against the wind for a long time, but the kite wouldn't fly. It either spun on the ground or fell down after a short while. It was only after her father went over and taught her that she finally managed to get the swallow flying in the blue sky.
"Little Tang, bring Little Fish over!" Mother happily ran through the wind, not at all like an adult.
Father chased after the little fish with his hands, while the big yellow dog barked in response. The swallow kite flew higher and higher among the white clouds until it became a small black dot, hanging motionless in the sky.
"Oh no! The kite has flown away!" Little Fish exclaimed in surprise.
Her father squatted down in front of her, smiling, and said, "No, it's because it flew too high, and we couldn't see it clearly."
"But didn't the swallow kite fly away last year?" Little Fish hadn't forgotten what happened last year. Her mother pulled the string too hard, and the swallow kite flew away in a flash, never to return.
Mother turned back, unconvinced, and said, "Isn't this year's one prettier than last year's?"
"Hehe... It's not as nice as last year's." Little Fish scratched her head, only daring to speak when she hid behind her father. Because last year's was made by her father, while this year's was made by her mother.
The afternoon sun slanted through the mountains and forests. Mother was washing fruits and vegetables for Father and daughter by the stream in the distance. Father sat leaning against a big tree in the shade, the big yellow dog curled up and dozing, and Little Fish played with the flowers and plants next to Father.
There were clumps of grass nearby, and among them, strange plants aroused the little fish's curiosity. Those "flowers" had white heads, were fluffy, and looked like they would fall off if touched.
Little Fish tugged at her father's sleeve and asked sweetly, "Daddy, what's that?"
Father glanced at it, then bent down and said, "That's called a dandelion."
"Puff, puff, puff..." the little fish repeated, reaching out to grab it, but as soon as it exerted force, the white fur on it "poof"ed and scattered into the wind.
The little fish was so anxious that she grabbed at the handles wildly, but only one or two tiny white hairs stuck to her palms. She held the bare rod and pouted.
"Like a swallow kite, it flew away and disappeared!"
Father took off his shoes, stretched out his foot, carefully twisted off a stalk, and handed it to her.
"Little fish, speak softly, or you'll fly away again."
Little Fish quickly covered her mouth, held her breath, and gently accepted the dandelion. "The dandelion Daddy picked is so big! The white flowers are so beautiful! Each one seems to be nodding and smiling at Little Fish in the sunlight."
The little fish held the dandelion aloft, turned to its father, and whispered, "Where did the dandelion fly off to?"
Father bent his knees and sat down beside her, lowering his voice as he said, "Fly to the mountains further away, and then you will slowly grow up and give birth to little dandelions."
"Oh, so that's how I came to be too?" Little Fish looked at her father curiously.
"Hmm..." Father smiled slightly, his eyes shining, "Little Fish is also a dandelion, she will grow up slowly."
"Daddy..." Little Fish leaned against him, carefully touching his sleeve. "I want to grow up. When Little Fish grows up, Daddy will have hands."
At this point, she suddenly stopped talking nervously and looked towards the stream. Seeing that her mother seemed not to have heard her, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Don't tell Mother," she timidly tugged at her father's sleeve.
Father turned his head and said gently, "Mother isn't angry with you, don't be afraid."
"Then why won't she let me ask?"
Father looked up and thought for a moment, then lifted his leg and pulled Little Fish to his side, whispering, "That's because Father was born without arms, and Mother was afraid Father would be sad."
Little Fish stared at him in surprise, as if pondering a very important question. After a long while, she finally asked, "Did Father not have hands when he was born?"
Father nodded and bent down to touch her little face.
"So don't ask any more questions, it will upset your mother." He said calmly, watching his mother's retreating figure.
The little fish seemed to understand, but she still nodded firmly.
While eating fruit, she was reluctant to let go of the dandelion, so her mother had to hold it for her. Unexpectedly, a gust of wind came, the dandelion shook its head in the wind, and the little white fluff flew away in a hurry.
But this time, Little Fish wasn't in a hurry. She puffed out her cheeks, blew another breath, and lifted up the remaining little white fluff.
"That way they can fly together and go to other places to grow little dandelions!" She waved goodbye to the dandelions with a beaming smile.
Golden sunlight bathed them. Mother had her arm around Father's shoulder, while Little Fish lay on Father's lap, her face turned to watch the dandelions soar higher and higher. They chased each other in the wind, seemingly weak and powerless, yet their unwavering and pure dreams would propel them into the azure sky.