House Dad's Literary Life

Chapter 361: Xixi Helps Her Mother

In the evening, when Mo Fei returned home, her face was a bit dark and she seemed to be emitting a smoky scent. Yang Yi didn’t think much of it, he just curiously asked, “Doesn’t Xiaojuan close the windows when she drives? With the New Year approaching, I guess there are fireworks everywhere. Look at how smoky you are, like you just crawled out of a battlefield.”

He also kindly brought Mo Fei some hot water and gave her a towel to wipe her face.

Mo Fei felt a bit guilty and quickly used the act of wiping her face to cover it up. She was afraid that Yang Yi would ask her what she had done in the afternoon, and as someone who couldn’t lie, she might unintentionally reveal the truth.

“Um, Yang Yi, when are we going back to your family’s home?” Mo Fei asked nervously, “My work has been arranged, and I can leave at any time.”

Yang Yi knew that Mo Fei was under a lot of pressure when she kept asking about his family. He gently patted Mo Fei’s back and smiled, saying, “In a few days, when I’ve bought everything, we’ll drive back home with Yang Huan. You should also take a good rest, you’ve been tired for a month. And don’t be too nervous, my parents won’t eat people.”

He also made a little joke to help Mo Fei feel his confidence. However, Yang Yi himself was not sure, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been busy buying so many things and creating a long list for the trip back home.

“What do you mean by eating people? Is there a big bad wolf again?” Xixi, who had just enthusiastically helped her mother carry her coat to the bedroom, came out. She just heard half of her father’s words, and the little girl immediately straightened up her chest with a strong sense of justice and said crisply, “Papa, I’m not afraid of the big bad wolf, I’m a hunter!”

After saying that, she hurriedly ran back to the bedroom. When she came out again, the little girl was holding a long toy gun and ran out coolly.

“Papa, look, I’m a hunter!” Xixi held the gun with both of her small hands, making a shooting gesture. Her posture was not standard, and although she had a serious expression and was trying to act tough, she probably wouldn’t scare the big bad wolf. Instead, she might be able to turn the big bad wolf into a husky with her cuteness.

This toy gun was actually bought by Yang Yi for the children of his relatives. When Xixi saw it, the little girl took it over. When Yang Yi told Mo Fei about this, Mo Fei complained that he had educated their daughter from a well-behaved girl into a tomboy who played with swords and guns.

Yang Yi was distracted and couldn’t help but smile, saying, “Weren’t you Little Red Riding Hood? How did you become a hunter?”

“I’m also Little Red Riding Hood! But I also like being a hunter, hunters can defeat the big bad wolf!” Xixi hugged the toy gun and explained seriously.

……

In the evening, while Yang Yi was writing in the study, Mo Fei and Xixi, who had just taken a bath, were talking in the bedroom.

“Mama, come in too, it’s comfortable here!” Xixi crawled under the blanket, covered her head with the blanket, then twisted her body and poked her head out, revealing a pair of big eyes, and said in a muffled voice.

It had been a while since she had slept with her mother, and the little girl looked particularly excited.

Mo Fei lifted the blanket and sat next to her daughter. The little girl mischievously draped her right leg over her mother.

Because she had something to discuss to Xixi, Mo Fei didn’t mind the little girl’s impolite behavior. She slightly turned her body, propped her arm as a pillow, looked at the little girl’s side face, and softly asked, “Xixi, in a few days, we are going to go to grandpa and grandma’s house, are you nervous?”

Xixi turned her head, looked at her mother, and giggled, not quite sure why she was so happy. She casually replied, “Not nervous, why would I?”

“Because it’s your first time going to grandpa and grandma’s house, your first time meeting grandpa and grandma! We don’t know them, we don’t know if they will like us!” Mo Fei inadvertently revealed a bit of worry.

“Mama, are grandpa and grandma¹ the same as grandpa?²” Xixi was a bit bored, she poked her little head out of the blanket, pushed the blanket away with her arm, pressed it on her belly, and then asked curiously.

Mo Fei felt a bit helpless and had to explain to her, “Grandpa and grandma, they are your Papa’s Papa and Mama, in English, they are also grandpa and grandma. But Mama’s Papa and Mama, you should call them grandpa and grandma in China, do you understand?”³

Xixi nodded her head in a somewhat confused and half-understanding manner.

“Xixi, Mama needs a small favor from you!” Mo Fei didn’t plan to beat around the bush anymore, otherwise, she would be completely sidetracked by Xixi.

“Okay! I love helping others! Those who are willing to help others are good children!” Xixi recited the words of her kindergarten teacher.

“But Mama, wait a minute!” Xixi pushed the blanket down with all her might, then stretched out her little feet. She was probably too excited and felt hot all over. Xixi rubbed against the cool back of the blanket before smiling contentedly.

“No, you have to cover yourself properly, or you’ll catch a cold!” Mo Fei couldn’t spoil her in this matter.

After a lot of fussing, Xixi was willing to cover a corner of the blanket on her little belly, with her feet still exposed.

“Xixi, when we return to Grandpa and Grandma’s house, you need to talk to Grandpa and Grandma a lot, okay?” Mo Fei said softly.

“Okay! What should I say to Grandpa and Grandma?” Xixi asked curiously.

“You need to introduce yourself to Grandpa and Grandma, and then tell them about the things you do at home and in kindergarten. Pick some fun things to tell Grandpa and Grandma.” Mo Fei didn’t really want Xixi to say anything specific, she just thought of what Yang Huan had told her before, thinking that XiXi might be more likely to win the elderly’s hearts.

“Then can I tell Grandpa and Grandma about my good friends?” Xixi counted on her fingers, looked at the ceiling, and said while thinking, “I have many good friends, Xin’er, Qiqi, Chen Shiyun, Zhaoyu…”

“Mm, you can say all of that!” Mo Fei nodded.

Xixi suddenly thought of something, and her eyes lit up. She turned around and said, “Then, then can I say to Grandpa and Grandma, ‘I wish you a prosperous new year’ and ask for a red envelope’? Little aunt said we have a lot of relatives, and I can get lots and lots of red envelopes!”

Thinking of this, Xixi felt like she was about to burst with happiness!

Although Xixi only understood the meaning of money in the past year, the joy of receiving of red envelopes, for the past Xixi, had nothing to do with money. However, Xixi didn’t get many red envelopes before. There’s no such custom abroad, only her grandparents and mother gave her red envelopes.

“Mm, you can, but you need to pay attention to etiquette. You can’t just ask Grandpa and Grandma for a red envelope as soon as you meet them, you need to build a good relationship with Grandpa and Grandma first. And when you get the red envelope, don’t look at how much money is inside. Give it to Mama, Mama will help you put it in your piggy bank!” Mo Fei said.

She didn’t want Xixi’s money, she was just worried that Xixi would care about the money inside. Mo Fei could guess that there wouldn’t be much money inside, but if Xixi rashly said it, it would cause others to be unhappy.

Xixi’s words also reminded Mo Fei that she needed to prepare a lot of red envelopes, and then during the Spring Festival, give them to the children. She couldn’t appear too stingy!

“Okay then! But Mama, you have to help me put it in! You can’t take mine…” Xixi hesitated for a moment and said somewhat uncertainly.

“Mm, anyway, Xixi, if your Grandpa and Grandma are unhappy because of something Mama or Papa did, you must quickly run up to them, coax Grandpa and Grandma, and say to them: ‘Grandpa and Grandma, please don’t be unhappy, okay?’ Then try to talk to them.” Mo Fei continued to advise.

“I know!” Xixi felt cold again. She rolled into the blanket, squeezed into her mother’s arms, and then giggled and said.

She was still happy that she could get a lot of red envelopes!