Chapter 2: Family Photo
There wasn’t many changes in the house. Due to presence of a little kid, drawings and toys were scattered all over the place, causing the house to be in a bit of a mess.
Aunty
Zhang could not bear to look at the miserable state that Chen Xi was in and
immediately asked him to shower upon entering the house.
Upon
wearing the clothes left behind by him 5 years ago, Chen Xi felt that it was
surprisingly quite a comfortable fit.
After
he hurriedly took a cold shower, Chen Xi formally sat at the side of the sofa
and dazingly watched aunty Zhang playing with the child.
All
these years, the child was brought up by aunty Zhang, that’s why the kid always
follows her around. When Chen Xi saw this, he felt really envious, hoping that
the child would also be this close to him
“Nian
Nian come, tell papa your name.”
The
small girl blinked. Her watery big eyes was filled with doubt, as if she did
not understand why aunty Zhang would ask such a question. Hence, she replied in
a childish tone, “Wasn’t my name named by papa?”
“It’s
your mama that named you, that’s why your father didn’t know. Mama said that
she wants you to tell papa. See, your papa is back, hurry and tell papa your
name.”
The
small girl tilted her head to one side and thought for a while. After that, she
looked at Chen Xi and hurriedly said, “My name is Chen Nian!”
After
saying her name, she snuggled into the arms of aunty Zhang, feeling a bit
embarrassed.
Aunty
Zhang patted her small head and helplessly said to Chen Xi, “This sily child
wanted to see her father, yet now that her father is here, she’s too shy to
see…”
Chen
Nian.
Does
it stands for yearning?
“Okay.
Nian Nian, grandma has to cook. You go and play with papa, okay?”
“No,
I want to play with grandma.”
Chen
Nian shook her head, both of her hands were grabbing onto aunty Zhang, not
willing to let go.
“Be
a good girl. If grandma did not cook, then we won’t have anything to eat for
dinner. Tell papa to play with you.”
Aunty
Zhang knew that this was time for father and daughter to communicate, hence,
she carried Chen Nian and placed her by Chen Xi’s side.
The
little kid was very obedient. Upon seeing that aunty Zhang is really going to
cook, she did not ask to grandma to play with her anymore.
After
aunty Zhang left, the small kid sat on the sofa. Her slim legs was hanging off
the sofa, gently swaying back and forth. Her watery big eyes stared straight at
Chen Xi, no one knows what she was thinking off.
Chen
Xi looked eye to eye with Chen Nian, suddenly he felt at a lost.
He
don’t even know how to face his daughter!
Would
she be frightened by a papa appearing out of nowhere?
However,
the thoughts of the child were evidently different from that of an adult.
Chen
Nian gazed at Chen Xi for a while. Suddenly, she adopted a crawling position
and slowly crawed towards Chen Xi. She actively opened her arms and childishly
said, “Papa, hug.”
Chen
Xi immediately turned over and wanted to carry Chen Nian, however, he was
afraid that he would be clumsy and hurt the child. Hence, he could only rigidly
strected his arms under her arms, bit by bit trying to carry her up.
At
this time, Chen Nian pounced over and hugged his neck while laughing, “Papa is
so silly!”
While
gently hugging the petite figure in his arms, Chen Xi felt that he was living
in a dream.
The
small kid sticked her head towards Chen Xi and pouted, “Other kids have papa
and mama. Only I don’t have. Papa can you not go anymore?”
Chen
Xi paused.
Looking
at the foreign yet familiar child in his arms, a warm feeling started to swell
in his heart.
After
500 years of grinding, his heart had become as sturdy as , however, under the
gaze of anticipation of his daughter, it had turned into a stick of
Hence,
Chen Xi could not help but kissed her on the forehead and firmly said with
warmth, “Papa won’t go, I won’t go anywhere. Next time, wherever Nian Nian is,
papa will be there!”
“Pinky
promise!”
“Okay!”
Chen
Xi gave a huge laugh and sticked out his pinky, making a promise with the small
kid.
Next,
the small kid thought of somethimg and immediately jumped down from his knee.
Chen
Xi don’t dare to block her so he could only carefully follow behind her,
preventing her from falling down.
The
small kid rushed out the living room and ran towards the master bedroom.
She
was only a little more than 4 years old, her height was shorter than the door
handle. Hence, when she was opening the door, she could only raise both her
arms and hanged herself from the door handle. After that, she lifted her legs
and used her body weight to pull down the door handle.
Chen
Xi nervously followed behind her.
Upon
entering the room, he saw that its furnitures were still about the same as that
of 5 years ago.
As
if it remained untouch.
The
small kid ran to the bedside desk and carried the photo frame that was on the
desk with both her hands. The next moment, she returned in front of Chen Xi and
raised the frame high up in the air, as if wanting Chen Xi to take a look.
Chen
Xi lowered his body and carried his daughter. After seating on the head of the
bed, he took the frame from her hands.
In
the photo frame, a couple was sweetly leaning against each other.
Just
like all the couples that were in love, they returned to the spot where they
first met on a sunny afternoon, and left behind a beautiful memory.
“This
is papa, this is mama.”
The
small child happily pointed at the poeple in the photograph.
Perhaps
today was the most number of times that Chen Xi has zoned out in a day.
When
he saw the girl that was lying in his arms in the photograph, he felt as if
everything happened just yesterday.
It’s
just that this yesterday to him, was a whole 500 years.
And
to her, it’s also a full 5 years.
5
years, is enough to change a girl into a woman.
“Papa
is back. When will mama be back?”
The
small kid hugged the frame and asked with anticipation.
Children
are pure and sensitive, she was actually clear as to why people would laugh at
her, calling her a wild child.
Grandma
often said, papa mama are overseas. They are very far away, hence, they could
not come back and see her.
She
was always waiting, waiting for her own papa and mama to come home. Then, she
could be like other kids, going to the zoo with papa and mama.
Now
that papa is back, mama should be back soon?
“soon,
soon…”
Chen
Xi gazed at his daughter’s big watery eyes and said with confirmation, “Nian
Nian don’t worry, mama will be back soon. If mama didn’t come back, then papa
will bring you to find her, okay?”
“En!”
The
small kid heavily nodded her head and snuggled into Chen Xi’s embrace with a
face filled with joy. She then pointed at the photo frame and asked, “Papa,
when mama return can you put me in too?”
Put
me in?
Chen
Xi touched his daughter’s tender face and seriously replied, “Okay. When we
find mama, we will take a family photo and put Nian Nian inside.”
“And
grandma!”
“Okay,
not a single one will be left out.”
…
After
one farewell, two lands are connected
Knowing
that only three four months have passed, yet it felt like five six years.
With
no mood to play Guqin, can’t even expressed my feelings in the letter,
Nine
beads bracelet, broken in the middle. 10 miles away from the pavilion, I desire
to look through.
100
thoughts, 1000 yearnings, 10000 boats could not contain his resentmemts.
Even
10000 languages and 1000 words could not fully explain, bored to death while
leaning against a pillar
Gazing
at a lonely goose on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month, mid-autumm festival,
the moon is round yet we are not round.
Half
of the 7th month, burning the essence to ask the heavens,
6th
month, the sky is burning, poeple fanning themselves, yet my heart feels so
cold.
5th
month, the pomegranate was firey red, yet it was met with cold rain falling
onto the flower petals.
4th
month, the loquat fruit has yet to turn yellow, I desire my heart to recover from
the mess.
Hurrily,
the peach tree flows with the water on the 3rd month.
Floating
gently, the string of the kite broke on the 2nd month.
Ee,
love ah love, I hope that in the next life, you be wife and I’ll be the
husband.