CHAPTER 388: CHAPTER 378: YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IN FAIRY TALES

Luo City Airport.

Having roamed about for over ten days, the couple finally returned home, carrying local products from Li City and their rolling suitcases, they eagerly hopped into a taxi to head home.

Having been apart for more than ten days, they really missed their daughter.

But Anya was having the time of her life at home, wandering the streets every day with Qin’s Mom.

"Did you miss Daddy?"

"Yes!"

She answered without hesitation, her eyes, however, drifted over to the bag in Qin Guanglin’s hand.

"Here, have some cake, flower cake, it’s fragrant... Call Grandma to eat with us."

"Grandma, Grandma." Anya wiggled her little legs to pull Qin’s Mom over.

"Nothing much happened these days, right?"

As Qin Guanglin pulled out local specialties they brought back, he casually asked.

"No, don’t get me started on how good we had it."

"No crying, no fussing?"

"Didn’t you see it all for yourself in the video calls?"

"Alright then."

Even though they were away enjoying themselves, they would still find time to video call Qin’s Mom to see their daughter.

The little money-eater always stayed on their minds.

Qin Guanglin and his wife didn’t take their daughter away as soon as they returned. They arrived in the afternoon, casually passed the time until evening, had dinner with Qin’s Mom, took a walk together, and then drove back to their place on Tonglin Road.

"Is it time to separate rooms now?"

The child was already over three years old. After Qin Guanglin finished his bath and came out with a slap of his feet, waiting for He Fang to wash the daughter clean, he suddenly thought of this issue.

As he spoke, he picked up his phone to check, and on the other side, He Fang was also pondering this question.

"I remember... it seems to start from the age of four."

Years had passed, and some things were no longer very clear.

Three or four years old didn’t seem to make much difference. Qin Guanglin read the experts’ suggestions online and turned to say, "Will you talk to her about it?"

"Separate now?"

"We could also wait a bit longer."

"Then let’s wait a little longer."

Anya skipped her afternoon nap and was already sleepy by then. After her bath, she lay between them, dozing off, unaware of what the two were discussing. She smacked her lips a couple of times, melting Qin Guanglin’s heart.

"How old should she be to start preschool?"

He turned off the bedroom light, leaving only the small bedside lamp on for illumination, and he lowered his voice to talk to He Fang in the night.

"Four years old is fine."

"That early?" Qin Guanglin still thought of his own childhood, where you go to major class and then directly to primary school; the idea of starting preschool at four was alien to him.

He checked uncertainly on his phone, and seeing experts say that kids could start at three was a shock to him.

"Preschool is basically about childcare, they don’t really learn any knowledge, it’s mainly to develop independence," He Fang explained.

"I’m not working anyway, I can take care of her myself, she doesn’t need to be independent so soon."

"Just because I said she can, doesn’t mean I told her to go now. Let’s talk about it when she’s five."

"Okay, that works."

Flying back from Li City wasn’t too much trouble, but the drive in between was exhausting. Both of them were tired and they whispered to each other, gradually falling silent.

A good night’s sleep.

...

Summer vacation wasn’t over yet, and He Fang had an abundance of time. Qin Guanglin, out of boredom, had already organized her teaching plans for the new term, and she was cooped up at home taking care of the child every day.

Qin Guanglin, now liberated, was immersed in painting. Each school break felt like heaven to him - meals were prepared, the child was taken care of, and all he needed to do was to wake up on time, paint after meals, rest by playing with his daughter, and occasionally dig out a nurse outfit from the wardrobe... ahem, and maybe even go to the gym for a workout at night.

The wind chimes hung by Qin Guanglin near the balcony door tinkled musically with each gust of wind, creating a crisp and pleasant sound that wasn’t annoying at all.

"Your godmother’s here."

Gu Xiaoqing, still with her clean and neat short hair in her thirties and unchanged in appearance, as sharp as ever, only now her femininity was more pronounced and it was hard to mistake her for a tomboy as before.

"Godmom."

Anya opened her arms with a childlike voice, asking to be hugged. Gu Xiaoqing, beaming with a smile, picked her up and rubbed her face against her, adoring her goddaughter immensely.

"She just had a bun, not even minding the mess." He Fang let Gu Xiaoqing in, bending down to tidy up the living room table.

"I was wondering why she was all greasy."

Gu Xiaoqing carelessly pulled out a tissue to wipe her face, then cleaned Anya’s little mouth a couple of times before kissing her again.

"Why are you still dressed like this? When will you put on a dress, hook up with a boy, get married, and have one of your own?"

"Tsk, what hooking up... Isn’t it good the way it is now? I have a daughter already, I have time, I have freedom - it’s great."

He Fang felt helpless; she used to think that Gu Xiaoqing was just young and would eventually change her mind about getting married, but now she was over thirty, a leftover woman, yet without the slightest sign of urgency.

"You... eh, you seem like that person, that... that person..." She scratched her head and said to Gu Xiaoqing, "The kind who likes cats but doesn’t keep one, and visits the cat house to get a cat ’fix’ when bored..."

"Haha, that’s right, I like them but don’t want to keep one." Gu Xiaoqing laughed as she tickled Anya’s cheek. "Ya is so adorable, but having one of my own wouldn’t be the same, constantly waiting on them... Isn’t feeding them a hassle?"

"It’s okay; she’s quite well-behaved."

"That’s good. A friend of mine chases her child all around the house with a bowl, and it takes forever just to coax a single bite in. Ya is much better behaved... Where’s Brother Qin?"

"He’s inside painting." He Fang tilted her head towards the studio and sighed, "Are you really going to keep living like this? If you don’t marry soon, nobody will want you."

"As if I want them to want me. How about you share Brother Qin with me?" Gu Xiaoqing joked.

"Even if I agreed, do you think he would dare?" He Fang gave a wry smile - it was impossible in every sense.

"Hey, if he dared, I might actually not want to share him anymore. I’m destined to be single, so just let me stay single."

"You should believe that there will always be someone who crosses mountains and braves thorns to come to you, take your hand..."

"Enough, enough, no need for that motivational talk, I’m full... *burp*"

Gu Xiaoqing was quite open-minded. After playing with Anya for a while, she took out a little dress she brought and put it on her. The pink dress made her look exceptionally cute.

"Why did you buy her clothes again..."

"You don’t know, I saw this outfit in that ’Love Nikki’ game, and it would cost over eight hundred yuan in the game, so I just bought it for Anya instead. Look, it’s perfect."

"..."

A woman in her thirties, still acting like a child. He Fang shook her head, "Stay for dinner tonight. Later, tell Brother Qin what you want to eat, and he can go buy groceries... Oh, right."

She stood up, grabbed two boxes of food from the corner, "These are from our trip to Li City the other day, they’re quite tasty, so I saved you two boxes."

"Just put them there." Gu Xiaoqing was still busy playing dress-up, squatting down to help Anya with her hair braids.

"Don’t forget to take them with you."