She lowered her eyes and tried to conceal her smile, but her joy was still visible.
By the time she finished half of her porridge, Tuan Tuan had woken up upstairs.
He didn't have to go to kindergarten since it was the weekend, so Auntie Li thought he would sleep longer. She heard the sound of the Tuan Tuan when she was cleaning the staircase handrails on the second floor and hurried to wash her hands before entering his room.
"Tuan Tuan woke up so early today! Why didn't you sleep a while longer?" Auntie Li opened the curtain and asked him with a smile.
The sunlight entered the room through the window and lit up the boy's blue room. The golden sunshine was a bit dazzling.
When Tuan Tuan woke up, he didn't see his mother near him. He blinked his sleepy eyes and thought that he was probably dreaming again.
He always dreamed that his mother would live with him forever…
He was a little sad. He closed his eyes, stretched his hands, and rubbed his sleepy eyes. The backs of his hands were wet.
Putting his chubby hands on the bed, Tuan Tuan huddled up with his little butt, then sat back on the bed again.
Auntie Li took Tuan Tuan's favorite clothes from the wardrobe and put them beside the bed. Tuan Tuan obediently began to unbutton his pajamas. He took them off and climbed a few steps in his tiny white underpants and sat down at the edge of the bed. With his little fingers grabbing the neck of the t-shirt, he pulled the shirt over his head.
Tuan Tuan forcefully tugged his shirt and nearly lost his balance.
"Why didn't Tuan Tuan sleep a little longer?"
He suddenly heard that familiar voice that made him fuzzy inside. Tuan Tuan opened his eyes and looked at the door. Seeing Lin Nuan's tall figure right there was unbelievable. He rubbed his eyes without saying a word.
Lin Nuan sat beside the bed, grabbed Tuan Tuan's fleshy little arms, and put his arms together. She then pulled down his t-shirt and helped Tuan Tuan stand up to put on his trousers.
Tuan Tuan kept his hands on Lin Nuan's shoulders. He could smell the pleasant scent on Lin Nuan, and he hugged Lin Nuan's neck before his trousers were on properly. His chubby face was leaning against Lin Nuan's neck as he earnestly called out, "Mama!"
Lin Nuan smiled and responded, "I'm here!"
Tuan Tuan was so happy that he could leap in the air. It wasn't a dream; his mother was really there!
Lin Nuan felt her neck grow moist as Tuan Tuan held her neck tightly, and his small body was pumping.
Tuan Tuan said in a soft voice, "Mama, I want us to always be together!"
Lin Nuan understood Tuan Tuan and nodded. "Well! We'll be together all the time!"
After finishing putting on his trousers, Tuan Tuan suddenly retreated from the bed as he was going to put on his hoodie. He ran to open the wardrobe, squatted down, and pulled out a treasure chest from the bottom of the wardrobe. He took out the sweater that Lin Nuan bought for him—the parent-child matching outfit.
"Want to wear this?" Lin Nuan reached out and grabbed the sweater. She recognized it was from the family package outfit she had bought and felt fuzzy inside.
Tuan Tuan had been saving the sweater in his treasure chest, but he had no idea how to fold the clothes, leading to the wrinkles on the sweater.
Lin Nuan held his sweater and pondered. She looked up at Tuan Tuan who was stretching out his arms for her to dress him and said, "Tuan Tuan… let's wash the clothes first. We will take you out to play some other day. Would you like to wear them then together with your mom and dad?"
Tuan Tuan nodded his head vigorously with his hands behind his back.