While Xiaxia was talking, she had already run to the balcony outside and started arranging the places for her little turtle and goldfish.
The rent was within Chu Qing's acceptable range, and the landlord, seeing that they didn't seem difficult to get along with, took them back to his home and took out a rental contract that he had prepared in advance.
"Dad, will we be living here from now on?"
"Yes, I'll take you to see the kindergarten in a couple of days. In a little over a month, our Xiaxia will be a child in the junior class."
Chu Qing then wiped the sweat from her forehead and pulled Xia Xia's sun hat down a little.
I noticed that his fair skin was a little red from the sun. He walked to the bus stop by the roadside and stayed there for a while, regretting that he hadn't brought a parasol with him when he went out today.
On the day of the move, Chu Qing hired a professional moving company. She was busy from morning till night. After seeing the moving company staff off, Chu Qing sat down in a chair and closed her eyes wearily.
Xiaxia, who had just come out of her room, saw this scene, hugged Chu Qing's neck from behind, and pressed her head close to her father's so that her face would touch his. She said in her soft, childlike voice:
"Dad, you've worked hard."
Chu Qing opened her eyes, looked at Xia Xia who was so close to her, leaned in and kissed him, and whispered in reply:
"It's not hard work, just a little tiring. How about we order takeout for dinner tonight?"
"Okay, I want to eat noodles."
Chu Qing didn't want to go grocery shopping at this time. She would come back, tidy up the kitchen utensils, and prepare dinner. She took out her phone, picked out a restaurant with good reviews, and ordered two bowls of beef noodles.
In the past few days, he wrote his resume based on the original owner's conditions and sent it to several different companies. Three of them contacted him for interviews.
We also asked the landlord to inquire about the kindergarten, and it turns out Xiaxia can attend. Everything that needs to be done for the foreseeable future has been arranged.
When there was a knock on the door, Xiaxia moved a stool over to stand on, and only opened the door after confirming that it was indeed the delivery guy outside.
"Thank you, Uncle."
"Dad, come and eat."
They hadn't had time to buy a dining table for the living room yet, so the father and son made do by placing the lunchboxes on the stools.
Xiaxia's portion didn't have chili peppers, and after eating about half full, her little eyes involuntarily fell on her father's bowl.
"Dad, what are you eating? Give me some to try."
Chu Qing picked up a little noodle and fed it to him. Xia Xia only chewed it a couple of times before he started to convulse from the spiciness. He then grabbed the water cup his father handed him and took a big gulp.
"Ugh, it's so spicy."
It took Xiaxia a while to recover. She wiped away the tears that had come from the spiciness with the back of her hand, sniffed, and obediently ate her portion.
On the first night in the new rented apartment, Chu Qing was worried that Xia Xia might not be used to it. After taking a shower, he saw Xia Xia standing at his door with a small pillow in her arms, so he squatted down and hugged her.
What if Dad is scared?
"Xiaxia will sleep with Daddy and protect him!"
Xiaxia patted her chest and rolled around happily as she crawled into her father's bed.
Meanwhile, Wei Yutang had been on a business trip abroad. Before returning, he was preparing to buy a gift for Xiaxia. He picked up a toy, but his peripheral vision was drawn to a coat in the window of a shop across the street.
The beige long coat looked very gentle, and the moment he saw it, he pictured Chu Qing wearing it.
After returning home and resting for one night, I planned to deliver the items the next day. However, after knocking on the door, a strange young woman opened it after a while.
"Hello sir, who are you looking for?"
Author's Note:
There will be two updates today, with the second one at 9 PM.
Chapter 8
Upon seeing this strange woman, Wei Yutang's heart leaped into his throat, and for a moment he even doubted the relationship between her and Chu Qing.
"Hello, I'm looking for Chu Qing."
"Who is Chu Qing? Was he the previous tenant? He moved out a long time ago."
"Oh, thank you."
Wei Yutang turned and entered the elevator. His heart, which had been pounding, gradually calmed down as the elevator doors closed. He then took out his phone and called Chu Qing.
"Hello, who is it?"
"Xiaxia, you've moved?"
Xiaxia instinctively covered her phone when she heard her father's familiar voice. The dog sneaked into the living room and glanced into the kitchen, only feeling relieved when it was sure that its father was busy and wouldn't come over to spy on what it was doing.
"Yes, Father. Dad only cooks two meals a day now, saying he wants to save the money for Xiaxia's kindergarten education, sob sob."
They did indeed only cook two meals a day. Chu Qing took Xia Xia out to eat breakfast, but Xia Xia made it sound as if they could only afford two meals a day because they didn't have enough money.
To make her act of playing the victim seem more authentic, Xiaxia pinched her thigh to make her voice sound like she was crying.
"Waaah, Father, the place where Xiaxia lives with Daddy now requires climbing stairs, and it's so tiring!"
The little guy, who kept chattering away, only revealed his true intentions when he heard the pain in his father's voice.
“My dad goes out to work to earn money now, but he only earns a very small amount each day, and it's very hard work. He also has to endure being scolded by his bald boss.”
Xiaxia couldn't help but get angry when she thought about it. It was clearly the boss who was being unreasonable, yet he claimed that her father hadn't done a good job.
"Your dad went out to work?"
"Yes, that must have been very hard work."
A long time ago, Wei Yutang had suggested that Chu Qing find a job, but he was unwilling. Because of this, Chu Qing gave him a period of leisure.
Wei Yutang carefully recalled his last meeting with Chu Qing, and he remembered that Chu Qing was still in that hysterical state, completely different from the Chu Qing he had seen before.
Not only did he start treating Xiaxia well, but he also started going out to work, making Wei Yutang wonder if he had become a different person.
"Xiaxia, what is your father doing right now?"
"I'm making lunch. Dad said he's going to make cola chicken wings for Xiaxia."
The job Chu Qing found was relatively easy, with weekends off and a high degree of freedom. Apart from the low salary and a difficult boss, there was nothing wrong with it.
It just so happens to be the weekend, so I bought some fresh chicken wings at the supermarket to give Xiaxia a treat.
Where are you living now?
"Living, living in the place where Xiaxia doesn't lose her."
"Give the phone to your dad."
"No, Xiaxia will speak for you. Don't try to say anything to Dad behind Xiaxia's back."
Xiaxia hugged the doll her father had bought for her yesterday, refusing it without hesitation.
"Father, did you give Xiaxia's living expenses to Dad this month?"
"not yet."
When are you going to give it to me?
Hearing that Xiaxia hadn't received it yet, he got excited and sat up straight, pressing for answers. Wei Yutang glanced at the time and replied:
"Give it to me today."
"Could you give me more? Xiaxia is growing up and eats more..."
Xiaxia was like a little hamster, trying her best to snatch things away from Wei Yutang and hide them in her cheek pouches, just waiting for the right moment to spit them all out to her father.
"Okay, where are you staying now? I brought you some gifts from my business trip."
Wei Yutang originally thought that Chu Qing's influence on him would have decreased considerably after such a long business trip abroad, but to his surprise, it hadn't.
On the contrary, I miss them even more because we haven't seen each other for so long.
If it weren't for this, he could have had his secretary deliver the items.
"Is Father coming for dinner?"
"Um."
Xiaxia wanted to tell her not to take his cola chicken wings, since it was the first time her father had made them for her. She and her father each had half, and if she shared them with her father, it definitely wouldn't be enough.
But then she remembered that she wanted her father to give her more child support, and reluctantly replied, "I'm so sorry."
"Then, I'll go tell Dad."
Chu Qing took the phone from Xia Xia and, after learning Wei Yutang's purpose, told him where they were currently living.
The original owner and Wei Yutang knew each other in high school. They reconnected during college because of a high school reunion and often went out together.
Until one day, Wei Yutang unexpectedly confessed his love to the original owner of the body, and the two got together naturally, living a blissful life.
I don't know why Wei Yutang suddenly proposed breaking up. After the original owner found out that she was pregnant with Xiaxia and couldn't afford to support her, she went back to Wei Yutang and started her crazy money-grubbing spree.
Because Wei Yutang said he was coming over for dinner, Chu Qing thought of many things related to this in the past.
While slicing ginger, Chu Qing was somewhat distracted. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt a sense of disconnect from the original owner of his memories.
He was the best student in junior and senior high school. His homeroom teacher said he was a sure-fire candidate for Tsinghua or Peking University, but he failed the college entrance exam due to an unexpected incident and ended up in an ordinary university.
From the moment I broke up with Wei Yutang, it was as if a swan had shed its feathers and become no different from a pheasant, losing all its brilliance and becoming ordinary.
"Dad, cut less of this, I don't like it."
Xiaxia leaned against the door to remind him, drawing Chu Qing back to his senses. He glanced at the nearly finished cutting of ginger; he had only planned to use half.
"good."
Chu Qing forced herself to stop thinking about that unresolved past and focused on cooking. She called Xia Xia to help her get the plates, and watching him run around with his short legs calmed the anxiety in her heart.
After getting into the car, Wei Yutang told the driver the address and kept staring at the gift bag placed next to him the whole way.
Xiaxia's toys were bought casually by him, but he spent a long time looking at the coat he prepared for Chu Qing, as such a thick coat would be just right for that country.
However, it is still summer in China, and even Wei Yutang himself felt that the gift he bought might have been inappropriate for the time of year.
After arriving at the destination, he asked the driver to find a place to park and come back to pick him up in the afternoon. He then went up to the third floor according to the address Chu Qing had given him and knocked on the door on the right.
"Here it comes, here it comes."
Xiaxia quickly ran to open the door and saw her father, whom she hadn't seen in a long time. She jumped up and clung to Wei Yutang.