Museum.
‘Tan Yuan, you’re lucky I’m young and healthy otherwise you’ll be taking me to the hospital,’ Gu Jiao Wu teased.
‘You can sleep with no bedsheet tonight,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘OK,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘It’s late. Go and sleep off your panda eyes.’
Qiao Tan Yuan was careful last night not to make a noise, she didn’t think Gu Jiao Wu would hear her footsteps.
Gu Jiao Wu walked Qiao Tan Yuan to her bedroom.
‘Tan Yuan, are you sure you’re not hungry?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘Um, I’m full from Xiao Bao’s birthday cake,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘What about my goodnight kiss?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked and pointed at his cheek.
‘What?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘Tan Yuan, don’t be petty,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘It’s only one kiss.’
Qiao Tan Yuan kissed Gu Jiao Wu’s cheek, but he turned his face and kissed her lips. He pulled her close to him, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. It was their first kiss since they were separated. Neither of them wanted to pull away from the kiss.
A long time later, Gu Jiao Wu held Qiao Tan Yuan’s waist and he leaned his forehead on Qiao Tan Yuan’s forehead.
‘Tan Yuan, can you stand steady on your feet?’ Gu Jiao Wu teased.
‘What?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘Go to sleep,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘If you don’t then I won’t let you sleep tonight.’
Gu Jiao Wu let go of Qiao Tan Yuan, he knew he wasn’t going to get any sleep after their kiss because his bottom half was stiffer than Tan Yuan’s bedhead.
Qiao Tan Yuan ran to her bedroom, and she locked the door. She was lucky Gu Jiao Wu was a merciful monk, and let her escape otherwise her panda eyes would last another day. She patted her racing heart, and laid on her bed. She thought about what Gu Jiao Wu said before. The small part of her heart that doubted Gu Jiao Wu was asking why he waited months to show up on Xiao Bao’s birthday. If Gu Jiao Wu loved her, why didn’t he come for her sooner?
Later Qiao Tan Yuan fell asleep, and she dreamt she was happy to hear Gu Jiao Wu say he loved her.
The following morning, Gu Jiao Wu woke up first to cook breakfast for Qiao Tan Yuan and Xiao Bao. After Qiao Tan Yuan woke up, she went to see if Xiao Bao was awake. Xiao Bao was sleeping soundly in bed, because Xiao Bao had an eventful first birthday.
Qiao Tan Yuan walked into the kitchen, the sight of Gu Jiao Wu cooking in the kitchen reminded her of the good days they were together.
‘Morning,’ Gu Jiao Wu said and smiled at Qiao Tan Yuan.
‘Morning,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Do you need any help?’
‘No,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘I’m scared of your help.’
‘Then later I don’t need to wash the dishes,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘How did you sleep last night?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘Good,’ Qiao Tan Yuan. ‘How did you sleep with a bedsheet?’
‘Not good,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘I didn’t have you sleep next to me so I couldn’t sleep.’
‘What about the past months?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘Not good too,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘I wake up in the middle of the night missing you.’
Qiao Tan Yuan’s phone rang, and saved her from embarrassment. Her chef called in sick again. She hung up the phone, and she looked suspiciously at Gu Jiao Wu in the kitchen. It was too much of a coincidence her chef had been sick the moment Gu Jiao Wu arrived in her house.
Xiao Bao rubbed her sleepy eyes, and she walked outside to look for Qiao Tan Yuan and the strange fir-tree. The fir-tree was putting breakfast on the dining table. She ran baby steps to the fir-tree, and she smiled at the fir-tree.
‘Dada,’ Xiao Bao called.
Gu Jiao Wu put the last plate of cooked food on the dining table. Then he picked up Xiao Bao, kissed Xiao Bao’s cheek and put her in the baby chair.
‘Morning Xiao Bao,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu loved hearing Xiao Bao call him dada.
Qiao Tan Yuan ate breakfast, and wondered why Xiao Bao was smiling at Gu Jiao Wu while Xiao Bao ate breakfast. It was different to the times Xiao Bao cried whenever Gu Jiao Wu wanted to hold Xiao Bao.
‘Xiao Bao, do you want daddy and mummy to take you out to play after breakfast?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘Dada, mama, play,’ Xiao Bao said.
‘Tan Yuan, what do you think?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘OK,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
After breakfast, Qiao Tan Yuan was surprised Gu Jiao Wu drove her and Xiao Bao to the Hans Christian Anderson’s Museum.
Gu Jiao Wu carried Xiao Bao to the museum. Qiao Tan Yuan sensed strangers would have mistaken them as a happy family of three. Qiao Tan Yuan believed Gu Jiao Wu would be a good father to Xiao Bao, and a good husband to her if she married him again. But she was scared after Xiao Bao grew up, Gu Jiao Wu would have no reason left to want to be with her.
‘Tan Yuan, what’s wrong?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked. ‘Do you want me to take you and Xiao Bao somewhere else?’
‘No,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I haven’t taken our little monkey here before, because I was waiting for her to be a little bigger.’
‘Um,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Our little monkey needs to grow a little bigger to appreciate the museum. But I hope our little monkey will have a fairy tale life.’
‘I hope our little monkey will have a fairy tale life too,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘Tan Yuan, in my fairy tale for Xiao Bao, I hope Xiao Bao grows up with her mummy, daddy, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Gu Jiao Wu, don’t pressure me,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Last night you promised to give me time.’
‘Tan Yuan, I’ve given you months already,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘It’s been this long, can’t you understand my heart yet?’
‘Gu Jiao Wu, let’s take Xiao Bao around to play today,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘We can talk about us another day.’
‘OK,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Gu Jiao Wu was happy to hear Qiao Tan Yuan wasn’t going to kick him out of her house, and she wasn’t going to run away. He carried Xiao Bao into the museum, and Xiao Bao wanted to walk around to touch the fairy tale animal statues.
Gu Jiao Wu took many photos of Xiao Bao. Xiao Bao was photogenic, and she liked posing with the animal statues.
Qiao Tan Yuan watched Xiao Bao pout and smile whenever Gu Jiao Wu took a photo of Xiao Bao in the museum. Qiao Tan Yuan could see how happy Xiao Bao was to have her and Gu Jiao Wu in Xiao Bao’s life. It made Qiao Tan Yuan think about Gu Jiao Wu’s words. Even if she didn’t want to see Gu Jiao Wu, Xiao Bao was happier with more family members to love Xiao Bao. She missed her parents and little brother, and she knew they must miss her and Xiao Bao too.
End of Chapter 144