Chapter 47 (1/2)

Not long after Christmas, New Year 1998 arrived. Then, coming soon afterward, it was almost time for the Spring Festival.

As the time for the Spring Festival approached, Xiaotu’s father, who was in the military, had finally received some time off to return home to visit his family.

The day before Xiaotu’s father was set to return, Xiaotu kept rolling around in her bed, too excited to fall asleep.

Cheng Zhiyan was surprised as he watched Xiaotu tossing and turning in her bed. He couldn’t help saying, “It’s already ten o’clock at night. Why haven’t you gone to sleep yet?”

Xiaotu poked her little head up out of her blankets and looked at Cheng Zhiyan gleefully as she said, “Because Mommy said that Daddy is coming back tomorrow.”

“Then you should go to sleep early, so that you’ll be ready to pick him up tomorrow morning.” Cheng Zhiyan lay on his bed looking at her as he spoke.

“I’m so happy that I can’t fall asleep.” Xiaotu rolled over and sat up, still wrapped in her blanket. “Brother Orange Juice, I haven’t seen my daddy for a long time now. I can barely even remember what he looks like.”

“Doesn’t your mom show you pictures of him?”

“Yes, but I always feel like Daddy looks different in every picture…” Xiaotu pouted, then said in a sad voice, “Mommy always tells me that at night Daddy comes back to see me and he even kisses my cheeks, but she never wakes me up. If she had woken me up, I would’ve been able to kiss Daddy as well.”

“…”

Your mother is lying to you.

Cheng Zhiyan nearly blurted this out, but managed to suppress it in the end.

Now that it was winter it was very cold, and, even though the heater was turned up, one could still feel the piercing chill.

Cheng Zhiyan heard the wind blowing outside the window, and, after remaining silent for a little while, he suddenly asked Xiaotu, “Are you still having trouble falling asleep?”