Since he could remember, little Lu Renzhi knew he lived a life adored by everyone around him. It was likely because he was so adorable; everyone around him liked him very much.
If he had to rank the people who loved him the most, he would say it was his grandma and grandpa. They would give him anything he wanted. Next would be his mom and dad, because sometimes they wouldn’t give him what he wanted, which he thought was mean. If he threw a tantrum and refused to eat, his mom would not let him eat.
Despite this, his favorite person was still his occasionally stern mom.
To little Lu Xiaoguai, his mom was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, even prettier than the actresses on TV. Moreover, she was authoritative and always kept her word.
His dad, on the other hand, had no principles and was overly flattering, constantly praising his mom. Little Lu Renzhi privately thought his dad’s flattery was beyond excessive, calling it “paint farts” instead of “rainbow farts” because of how colorful and exaggerated it was.
Even though he looked down on his dad’s lack of integrity, little Lu Renzhi decided to write an essay flattering his dad to earn some extra pocket money. He had heard that his dad had won a large sum of money with a similar essay praising his grandpa, which allowed him to buy a luxury car and pursue his mom, leading to his success.
Believing the path to success could be replicated, little Lu Renzhi immediately got to work. One day after school, he hurried back to his room with his small backpack, took out his essay book, and began writing seriously.
Shen Xingruo noticed his unusual behavior and checked on him a few times but didn’t find anything strange.
While watching TV, she peeled an orange and asked Lu Xingyan, “What’s up with your son today? He started doing his homework as soon as he got home.”
Lu Xingyan was also suspicious. “Are you sure? Maybe he’s writing a love letter to a little girl?”
Shen Xingruo replied, “I checked. It’s an essay book, and the parents’ group message confirmed that today’s Chinese homework is indeed to write an essay.”
They exchanged a glance, still not reassured. After all, little Lu Xiaoguai had never given them a moment of peace.
So, they took turns finding excuses to check on him several more times but found nothing unusual.
Meanwhile, little Lu Xiaoguai was so engrossed in writing his flattering essay that he didn’t notice his parents frequently entering and leaving the room.
After writing two hundred words of praise, he ran out of ideas and couldn’t think of any more good points about his dad. At nine o’clock, exhausted, he fell asleep on his desk.
Luckily, Shen Xingruo found him in time, preventing his drool from ruining the essay paper. She gently picked him up, while Lu Xingyan picked up the essay book to read.
The title of Lu Xiaoguai’s essay was “My Dad.” Lu Xingyan recalled that the assignment in the parents’ group chat was a semi-open topic where “My” could be followed by any subject.
Amid such a wide range of choices, Lu Xiaoguai had written about “My Dad,” which made Lu Xingyan feel both flattered and ecstatic.
“My dad is tall and handsome, barely good enough for my mom.”
Lu Xingyan:?
Something seemed off.
“My dad has good taste; otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen my mom, persistently chasing after her until he finally married her.”
The first two hundred words were full of compliments mixed with some odd logic. Lu Xingyan patiently read on.
The more he read, the more upset he became.
“Oh, it seems my dad doesn’t have many strengths. Praising him is really hard work, so let’s talk about my excellent mom instead!”
Lu Xingyan: ???
He could sense the barely contained excitement and joy from those exclamation marks.
Feeling a bit exasperated, Lu Xingyan decided to skip to the end.
He discovered that Lu Xiaoguai had not only completed the teacher’s requirement of four hundred words but had gone on to fill another page, reaching six hundred words just to praise his mom. The essay ended with, “I’ll stop here for now. My mom is just too wonderful!” It was clear that the writer had more to say.
At the very bottom, Lu Xiaoguai switched to another pencil and added a small note:
“If I had known, I should have written about my mom. Writing about her was much easier. I wrote 200 extra words. Teacher Yang, can you give me an excellent mark? I want to show it to my dad. Love you! Mwah!”
He even dared to use “mwah, love you” to sweet-talk his teacher into giving him an excellent grade. Lu Xingyan’s hair almost stood on end with anger. He immediately laid the essay in front of Shen Xingruo, demanding an explanation.
Shen Xingruo was puzzled.
After skimming through it quickly, she couldn’t help but smile.
Seeing Lu Xingyan’s darkened expression, she asked, “What’s the problem? I think his language skills are quite good. He just didn’t stick to the topic. It could easily be changed to ‘My Parents.’ For a second grader to write six hundred coherent words, it’s already quite impressive.”
She tucked little Xiaoguai into his small bed, making sure he was snug, and then added another jab at Lu Xingyan, “I think he chose ‘My Dad’ as the topic because he heard his grandpa mention that you once got a card for praising your dad in an essay. Your son is probably hoping for some pocket money.”
Lu Xingyan’s face darkened even more.
After leaving the room, he suddenly hugged Shen Xingruo from behind. Leaning into her ear, he mischievously whispered, “This is all thanks to your excellent teaching. Since he won’t praise me, you do it.”
With that, he picked Shen Xingruo up in his arms and carried her upstairs.
In the end, although little Lu Xiaoguai didn’t get any pocket money from his dad for his essay, he unexpectedly received a small sum from his mom.
Little Lu Xiaoguai was very satisfied. He saved up the money and bought a pair of music boxes as birthday gifts for his parents. Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo were deeply moved when they received them.
The relationship between little Lu Xiaoguai and his mom had always been harmonious, but there was one incident in third grade that caused a rift between them.
The trouble began when both Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo had to go on business trips, leaving Lu Xiaoguai in the care of Pei Yue. Pei Yue had no strict rules for Lu Xiaoguai, giving him whatever he wanted. Without his parents’ constraints, Lu Xiaoguai spent the entire month playing freely. He started hanging out with older boys at school, picking up some bad habits, and even secretly asked Pei Yue for money to buy various things.
When Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingru
When Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo returned, they discovered that Lu Xiaoguai had acquired several pairs of branded sneakers, over a dozen expensive yo-yos, and numerous new backpacks, clothes, and stationery items, most of which he didn’t even need.
A call to his teacher revealed that Lu Xiaoguai had lied about having a stomachache to skip school. Instead, he had been sneaking off with older boys to play at internet cafes.
Shen Xingruo was furious. With a stern expression, she confiscated all the extra items and made Lu Xiaoguai stand in the corner to reflect and write a self-critique.
Usually, Lu Xiaoguai was obedient to his mom, but this time he refused to listen. He sat on the floor, crying and yelling, demanding that Shen Xingruo return his things. In his tantrum, he even called her a bad woman.
Shen Xingruo, who usually never laid a hand on him, was pushed to her limit. She pried open his small hands and gave him two hard smacks.
Lu Xiaoguai cried even louder, “I don’t want you anymore! You’re a bad mom! I hate you! I want Grandma, not you! Waaaah!”
Children’s words can be incredibly piercing, often striking right at the heart without considering the feelings of others.
Between sobs, he continued, “What right do you have to control me? Other moms wouldn’t leave their kids alone for a whole month! You’re irresponsible and mean! You even hit me!”
Shen Xingruo’s eyes were red with anger. Pointing at him, she said to Lu Xingyan, “Take him to my parents’ house right now. If he doesn’t apologize, he’s not coming back. He can quit school and stay at home. Take him now, hurry!”
“I don’t need you to take me! I can go by myself, wah!”
Hiccupping and crying, Lu Xiaoguai stubbornly ran out. They lived near Luoxing Lake, and from the second floor, you could see the peacocks that Pei Yue kept. It wasn’t far.
Shen Xingruo didn’t stop him from running out, but Lu Xingyan followed his short legs closely, making sure Pei Yue took him in before heading back.
A day passed.
Two days passed.
Soon, a week had gone by.
Lu Xiaoguai nervously clutched his little shark plushie while eating, asking Pei Yue, “Grandma, does Mom not want me anymore?”
“How could she not?” Pei Yue rubbed her little grandson’s head and tapped his nose. “Your mom loves you the most. But this time, did you make a mistake? Shouldn’t you apologize to your mom?”
Lu Xiaoguai puffed out his cheeks, looking troubled.
Just then, Lu Xingyan arrived.
Lu Xiaoguai almost jumped off the couch to rush to him but hesitated and instead clung to the edge, timidly calling out, “Dad.”
His dad responded coldly with a mere “Hmm,” ignoring him afterward.
Sneaking glances at his dad, Lu Xiaoguai grew more anxious.
When Lu Xingyan gathered some things and was about to leave, Lu Xiaoguai couldn’t hold back any longer. He ran up, clung to his dad’s leg, and with teary eyes, asked, “Dad, do you and Mom not want me anymore?”
Lu Xingyan looked down at him for a long moment before he could no longer keep a straight face. He gently pried Lu Xiaoguai’s little arms and legs off and then picked him up.
“Weren’t you the one who said you didn’t want Mom and Dad? Do you know how sad you made Mom?”
Lu Xiaoguai looked at him with a pitiful expression, staying silent.
“Mom started crying as soon as you ran away. Have you ever seen her cry before? Tell me, did you hurt her feelings?” Lu Xingyan ruffled his hair. “Remember what Dad told you? Mom is the only girl in our family; she’s our little princess, right? You didn’t protect our little princess and made her sad. Doesn’t that make Dad sad too?”
Lu Xiaoguai’s tears began to flow as he nodded vigorously. “Dad, I’m sorry. Can you take me home to see Mom?”
Lu Xingyan patted his back. “Will you apologize to Mom and promise never to lie or compare yourself with other kids about money again? Can you do that?”
“Yes, Dad, I will!”
Lu Xiaoguai nodded quickly and even kissed his dad.
During the week that Lu Xiaoguai “ran away from home,” Shen Xingruo acted as if nothing had happened, going about her daily routine as if she didn’t have a son. However, she unknowingly lost weight. She felt an unprecedented sense of failure in raising her child. She was conflicted, torn between hoping that her little troublemaker would come back on his own and wanting to check on him and unconditionally forgive him, feeling she was the one to blame for everything.
Several nights, she woke up in the middle of the night and went to the window, looking out at the house where Pei Yue and Lu Shan lived.
During the day, she met up with Ruan Wen.
Both being mothers, their conversation naturally revolved around their children.
Ruan Wen’s and He Siyue’s child was now in fifth grade and, like He Siyue, was outstanding at school. Since first grade, he had been the class monitor and had recently won a city-level award for being an exemplary student, making him a model student in every sense.
But Ruan Wen had her worries too. While her child was outstanding academically, there was one issue—being a bit too mature for their age. In fifth grade, they started talking about love, leaving both Ruan Wen and He Siyue at a loss. Despite their earnest attempts to reason with their child, they dismissed them as outdated and intrusive, claiming that their love life didn’t affect their studies. Ruan Wen and He Siyue refrained from scolding, fearing it might trigger rebellious behavior. Unsure of how to handle the situation, they kept it to themselves, only daring to discuss it quietly with Shen Xingruo.
Shen Xingruo couldn’t offer much help, but knowing that everyone struggled with parenting somewhat eased her anxiety.
When she returned home, Lu Xingyan hadn’t arrived yet. She planned to open her laptop to work on her public accounts when she heard the familiar sound of a sports car outside. Shortly after, Lu Xingyan walked in carrying a large gift box, which seemed quite heavy. After placing it in the living room, he took a sip of water and casually said, “You’ve been feeling down these past few days, so I got you a gift. Open it and see.”
Shen Xingruo stood up and walked into the living room. “What is it?”
Lu Xingyan, busy drinking, didn’t answer.
She casually untied the bow on top and noticed another knot beside it, so she crouched down to untie it carefully. When she finally opened the lid of the gift box, she was taken aback. A child wearing a magic cloak and a pointed hat suddenly stood up, wrapping their arms around her neck and burying their face against her.
“Mommy! I love you!”
Shen Xingruo was stunned for a few seconds, during which her little darling had already planted kisses all over her face, leaving her covered in drool. The pointed hat on his head had loosened during the enthusiastic movement, tilting backward, and his hair was a mess, making him look like a little madman.
Seeing that Shen Xingruo was still processing what just happened, the little one cuddled up to her, apologizing and acting spoiled.
“Mommy, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I won’t spend money recklessly anymore, and I won’t lie to my teacher again.”
“Mommy, I already called Teacher Yang, and she forgave me. Mommy, will you forgive me too? You’re the best mommy in the world, and I love you the most!”
He had grown up a bit since then, sounding a bit shy when saying nice things, his voice soft as he snuggled into her embrace.
At that moment, Shen Xingru felt her heart melt, holding onto Lu Xiaoguai, tears streaming down inexplicably.
Lu Xingyan tilted his head, smiling. Then he squatted down, took a tissue, and wiped her tears. “Mommy loves you too. Mommy’s sorry, and I won’t leave you alone for so long again, okay?”
Shen Xingru’s voice choked up a bit. Lu Xiaoguai couldn’t help but pout, nodding while quietly sobbing.
Lu Xingyan pulled them both into his arms, teasing, “Alright, Lu Xiaoguai, I told you to be careful with the cake, but as soon as you saw Mommy, you rushed out and messed it up.”
Lu Xiaoguai’s eyes turned red like little bunny eyes. “Daddy, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. So what are we having for dinner?”
Shen Xingru kissed him. “Mommy will cook noodles for you, okay?”
Lu Xiaoguai hesitated but nodded. Lu Xingyan chuckled, “Alright, don’t poison him.”
He scooped up Lu Xiaoguai, and then took Shen Xingru’s hand. “Let’s go, we’re going out for a feast.”
Lu Xiaoguai’s eyes lit up, and he immediately cheered.
Late at night, Lu Xiaoguai was fast asleep in the middle of the big bed, while Lu Xingyan was in the bathroom, helping Shen Xingru apply an eye mask.
“Why were you crying? I’ve hardly seen you cry before,” he said, gently pressing with his ring finger and pulling apart another piece. “I remember when you were pregnant with him, you were quite sensitive and sentimental. Hey, are you pregnant again?”
Lu Xingyan was just speaking casually, but Shen Xingru suddenly remembered that her period seemed to be a week late.
She opened her eyes, staring at Lu Xingyan. He felt uneasy under her gaze and hesitantly asked, “No, it couldn’t be true, right?”
Shen Xingru recalled picking up a flyer from a gynecological hospital a few days ago, only to find a pregnancy test kit tucked inside.
She quickly ran out to fetch the test strip and took the test.
…
She was indeed pregnant.
Back in bed, they lay on either side of Lu Xiaoguai, still a bit dazed.
After a while, Lu Xingyan couldn’t help but reach out and touch her belly. “Do you think this time it might be a girl?”
Shen Xingru replied, “The test strip isn’t always accurate.”
Lu Xingyan said, “Let’s go to the hospital tomorrow to check… But I think, it’s true.”
Shen Xingru felt the same way.
Suddenly, Lu Xiaoguai rubbed his eyes and asked drowsily, “Mommy, are you having a little sister?”
Lu Xingyan pinched his nose. “Do you like having a little sister?”
Lu Xiaoguai nodded. “Then we’ll have one more little princess in our family.”
He added, “But a little brother is okay too. I’ll love whoever mommy gives birth to.”
Shen Xingru and Lu Xingyan exchanged a glance and chuckled.
Outside the window, the moonlight was serene, and a gentle breeze carried the fragrance of flowers and plants. The cobblestone path on both sides, illuminated by English-style courtyard lamps, emitted the same warm yellow glow as it did many years ago when Shen Xingru first stepped into Falling Star Lake.
At that time, Shen Xingru didn’t know that this would be her forever home.
The three of them, together with the fourth member who hadn’t fully grown in her belly yet, embraced each other and drifted off to sleep.
Branches in full bloom, a full moon in the sky—this was all they needed.