NMBJ2 - EXTRA 1

(Author: Cinderella) 

Winter in Beijing was getting colder each year. One morning, Zhao Pingjin looked outside the courtyard and saw it was raining, mixed with snowflakes, which hit the glass with a soft “plop” sound.

Several potted plants in the yard had a thick layer of frost on their leaves. The bare osmanthus tree stood alone, pointing to the sky, making one feel irritated just looking at it.

He fished out his phone from the bedside table, glanced at the weather in Beijing—minus 6°C—and then looked at Shanghai—0°C, a 5-degree drop from yesterday.

He furrowed his brow and got up to wash up.

When he finished getting dressed and walked into the living room, the housekeeper had already laid out breakfast: a bowl of thick, sticky porridge, several small dishes, a plate of tea eggs, and a few cute little pig-shaped red bean buns.

Tang Guo’er, his daughter, was already sitting in a highchair, holding a cup of milk and drinking it.

Seeing Zhao Pingjin coming over, she put down the cup and sweetly called out, “Daddy~”

Zhao Pingjin walked over, patted Tang Guo’er’s head. She smiled up at him, a ring of milk around her mouth, and her eyes curved like her mother’s.

Zhao Pingjin couldn’t help but kiss her head again.

As he scooped porridge, he said to the housekeeper, “Aunt Guan, it’s cold today, so make sure to dress Tang Guo’er warmly.”

The housekeeper agreed. Zhao Pingjin took a few sips of porridge and noticed something unusual. He looked up and saw that Tang Guo’er was staring at him with big, round eyes, expectantly waiting for him to speak. When she saw him look up, she smiled and asked, “Daddy, is it good?”

Zhao Pingjin smiled, “What trick are you playing now, little rascal?”

Tang Guo’er became a bit anxious and asked again, “Daddy, is it good?”

Zhao Pingjin smiled and nodded, “It’s good!”

Hearing his affirmation, Tang Guo’er jumped up excitedly from the highchair and gave the housekeeper a “V” sign. The housekeeper quietly made an OK gesture back.

Zhao Pingjin saw this but said nothing as he picked up a tea egg, peeled it, and casually asked, “Did Mommy say when she’s coming back?”

Tang Guo’er tilted her head, trying hard to remember, without noticing the housekeeper’s subtle glances at her.

Zhao Pingjin couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. She was only in kindergarten, and could count from 1 to 10, but whenever asked anything about numbers, she always answered with “300.”

Tang Guo’er thought for a long time, counting on her fingers, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5...”

Then, she looked up and seriously declared, “Three hundred days!”

Zhao Pingjin rubbed his forehead. He actually thought he could get some information from this little troublemaker? Crazy! Tang Guo’er was only in kindergarten, and when asked questions related to numbers, she always answered “300.”

Zhao Pingjin broke the tea egg in half, dipped it in some strawberry jam, and handed it to Tang Guo’er. He continued to coax, “Did Mommy say anything else?”

Tang Guo’er, innocent as ever, didn’t notice her father’s sly intentions and thought hard. “Mommy told me to be good, drink more water, eat more fruits, and tell Teacher Xu if I feel hot or cold.”

She paused for a moment, then remembered something, and whispered, “Mommy also asked if Daddy has been good about taking his medicine. Don’t worry, Daddy, I told her you’re very good!”

The voice of Tang Guo’er was soft and sweet, with a look on her face that seemed to say “You and I are allies.”

Zhao Pingjin couldn’t help but laugh, knocking her on the head, “Little rascal, hurry up and eat. You’re going to be late!”

Zhao Pingjin was drinking porridge, which Xitang had just recently obtained from an old Chinese doctor. It was a medicinal porridge made from several rare herbs, supposedly a royal secret recipe.

However, Zhao Pingjin, who was used to being picky, couldn’t tolerate the herbal taste at all. Xitang must have done something to get rid of that smell.

Yesterday, they had a quarrel over Xitang’s business trip, and neither of them was speaking to the other. Yet, she had still called the nanny to give instructions on how to prepare the porridge. As soon as he tasted it today, he knew what had happened.

He angrily thought to himself, thinking a bowl of porridge could placate him? Not a chance!

After breakfast, Tang Guo’er was bundled up by the nanny in a long pink down jacket that reached her ankles. She wore a matching wool beret, and the jacket’s hood was also fastened to her beret. She carried a large Barbie doll backpack filled with her water bottle, books, and sweat towel.

With all the layers of clothes, her arms couldn’t stay close to her body, and she could only stretch them out like little wings, looking like a clumsy penguin. Tang Guo’er stood at the entrance, waiting for Zhao Pingjin to put on his shoes. Zhao Pingjin bent down to look at her, and the hood of the down jacket covered most of her face, leaving only her big, shiny eyes and long eyelashes fluttering. She looked up at him expectantly.

Suddenly, Zhao Pingjin felt something soft in his heart, and he realized that being able to stay with them for the rest of his life was his greatest blessing.

As soon as he picked Tang Guo’er up to go outside, despite burying her entirely in his chest, the cold wind swept in from all sides. Zhao Pingjin had already told the driver to park the car directly at the door. With big strides, he rushed to the car, closed the door, and only then did Tang Guo’er poke her head out and say, “It’s so cold! Just like it is with Mom!”

Zhao Pingjin’s heart tightened. “Did Mom tell you she’s cold?”

Tang Guo’er nodded. “Yes! Mom said the wind there is so strong it’ll blow people away!”

After dropping Tang Guo’er off at kindergarten and arriving at the office, Zhao Pingjin anxiously signed a few documents, then slammed the pen on the desk, picked up the phone, and ordered the secretary to book a flight to Shanghai. He also asked her to have the driver bring over his wife’s down jacket and some warm clothes, and then take him to the airport.

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Pingjin felt like he was completely under Huang Xitang’s spell.