"I'm going to sleep too!"
"Really?" Lu Chuanbai imitated the sly smile of the Big Bad Wolf and got into the quilt to tickle the two kids. "Then I'll tickle you awake! Hahaha!"
"Don't tickle me!"
"We're going to defeat the Big Bad Wolf!"
After the three of them had a good time on the bed for a while, they collapsed exhausted and lay quietly looking at the ceiling.
"Dad, are you in a bad mood today?"
Xu Yiyi, who was sleeping in Lu Chuanbai's arms, suddenly craned her neck to ask him.
Xu An'an, who was also sleeping in Lu Chuanbai's embrace, blinked her big eyes and asked him too.
"Did bad guys bully Dad? An'an can go and beat them up!"
Xu An'an made a ferocious face, waved her fists, and bared her little teeth in a cute, fierce way.
Hearing the two kids' concern for him, Lu Chuanbai felt warm inside. He hugged the two kids tightly, and his voice was as mellow as a century-old red wine, with a captivating magnetism.
"Thank you, Yiyi and An'an, for your concern. Dad is in a better mood now."
"Can you accompany Dad to visit someone tomorrow?"
Xu An'an tilted her little head and asked Lu Chuanbai, "Who are we going to visit? Is he important to Dad?"
Lu Chuanbai kissed Xu An'an on the forehead and said with a touch of grief in his tone, "It's someone as important as you two. You'll know when we get there tomorrow. Go to sleep quickly."
The next day, Lu Chuanbai woke up early. But in order not to wake up the kids sleeping in his arms, he didn't move even though his arm was numb from being pressed. Feeling the kids' even breathing, Lu Chuanbai felt extremely at ease and happy.
Ding-dong!
At that moment, the doorbell rang, breaking the warmth of the moment. Lu Chuanbai had no choice but to put the kids down gently, then rolled over to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, Xu Qingqing rushed forward without caring about her luggage and hugged Lu Chuanbai tightly, wrapping her legs around his waist.
A chill hit him, and then Lu Chuanbai was enveloped in a warm embrace.
Lu Chuanbai looked up in surprise and found that it was actually Xu Qingqing.
Xu Qingqing looked a bit haggard, with dark circles under her eyes. But her eyes were shining brightly, just like a cat's little light bulbs.
Before Lu Chuanbai could ask a question, Xu Qingqing blurted out a long string of words.
"I received your call last night. I thought that if I didn't stay by your side, I wouldn't be a good wife. So I asked Teacher Wang for leave and came back to accompany you. How are you feeling? Have you had breakfast?"
Hearing that Xu Qingqing had specially flown back to accompany him, Lu Chuanbai felt like he was about to be overwhelmed by happiness. He hugged Xu Qingqing with one hand and pulled her luggage into the house with the other, then closed the door.
"I just woke up. I haven't had breakfast yet." Lu Chuanbai put Xu Qingqing on the sofa. His eyes were soft and full of longing as he leaned over and kissed her.
"Thank you. Thank you for coming back to see me."
Xu Qingqing hooked her arms around Lu Chuanbai's neck, her eyes full of coquetry. She tilted her head up to deepen the kiss.
"Who asked me to be a good wife?"
The kiss between them was filled with missing and yearning. It wasn't earth-shattering, but it was like a gentle stream.
Xu Qingqing felt her lips going numb and finally released Lu Chuanbai on her own initiative. She wiped her lips.
"Where are the two kids?"
Lu Chuanbai pointed upstairs. "The two kids are still sleeping. You must be hungry. I'll go cook for you."
"Okay." Xu Qingqing followed Lu Chuanbai into the kitchen. Her eyes were full of tender affection. "It's Saturday today. Let's go out and have fun. Go out and relax."
"We haven't accompanied the kids for a long time."
As she said that, Xu Qingqing took out her phone and wanted to look for some fun places. Lu Chuanbai tied on an apron and reached out to block Xu Qingqing's view. He asked softly.
"I have a place I want to go. Can you and the two kids accompany me?"
Hearing that Lu Chuanbai had a place he wanted to go, Xu Qingqing immediately agreed and turned off her phone.
"Sure! I'll go wherever you want to go!"
Lu Chuanbai was amused by Xu Qingqing's serious look. He gently ruffled her hair, and his eyes dimmed a bit. "I want to take you all to visit my mom. I haven't been to her grave for a long time."
Xu Qingqing knew that Lu Chuanbai must still be affected by what happened yesterday. She also felt resentful towards his stepmother.
If she had had some bottom line in her actions, Lu Chuanbai wouldn't have ended up in this situation. At least his mother would still be by his side!
The more Xu Qingqing looked at Lu Chuanbai, the more heartache she felt. She hugged his waist tightly, using her actions to comfort him.
"We should go. I've already gotten the marriage certificate with you, but I haven't visited her yet. The two kids should also go and meet their own grandma."
"Okay."
Hearing Xu Qingqing's understanding words, Lu Chuanbai felt that he loved her even more. He gently pulled Xu Qingqing's hands away.
"Before we go, let me fill you all up first."
While Lu Chuanbai was cooking in the kitchen, Xu Qingqing gave him some space and ordered four bouquets of flowers online.
Xu Qingqing didn't just choose white chrysanthemums like people usually do when sending flowers to deceased relatives. Instead, she chose a variety of flowers.
Xu Qingqing thought that the deceased must not want to only receive chrysanthemums over there. At least the flowers should be more colorful.
When Xu Yiyi and Xu An'an woke up and found that there was no one beside the bed, they ran out of the room on their little feet to look for Lu Chuanbai. As a result, they saw Xu Qingqing sitting in the living room.
"Mom!" Xu An'an shouted in surprise and happily ran downstairs to find Xu Qingqing.
"Mom, you're back!" Xu Yiyi's eyes were also filled with excitement. She happily threw herself into Xu Qingqing's arms.
Xu Qingqing hugged the two kids and had a good time with them. Then she told them about Lu Chuanbai.
Xu Qingqing's voice was very gentle and patient. "Yiyi, An'an, today we're going to visit Grandma who has passed away with Dad. You must say some comforting words to Dad to let him know that he still has us by his side."
"Do you understand?"
The two little kids nodded half - understandingly. Xu An'an nestled in Xu Qingqing's arms and whispered to her, "Mom, does 'pass away' mean that we'll never see her again and she doesn't exist in the world anymore?"
The kids were still too young to understand the real meaning of death.
Xu Qingqing told them in a more euphemistic tone, "We'll never see her again, but it doesn't mean that she doesn't exist in the world."
"Because Grandma will always live in Dad's heart and in our hearts, right?"
"Okay." Xu An'an nodded in a daze.
Lu Chuanbai came out with the baked bread in his hands. Xu Qingqing whispered to the two kids, "Go and hug Dad. Thank Dad for making us a delicious breakfast."
"Okay."
The two kids slid off Xu Qingqing like they had oil on their butts. Each of them hugged one of Lu Chuanbai's legs.
"Good Dad, thank you for making us breakfast this morning!" Xu An'an pouted her lips. Her mouth was as sweet as honey. "I'm going to give Dad a sweet kiss."