120 Call Uncle Su Wei. I Feel Like Crying
Tutu hesitated. He accepted the glass of milk and crept inside his small toy tent.
“I will drink it here and go to sleep”
“Alright. I will make the bed for you.”
“Okay. Thank you”
When Xu Xiaoxiao went upstairs, Tutu sneaked into the kitchen. He found a small plastic zip-lock bag. He soaked the tissue in the milk and put it into the bag along with a little bit of milk. He then poured the rest of the milk down the sink.
He hid the bag in his toy tent. Before he hid it, he pretended to be playing with the small plastic zip-lock bag in front of the camera. Finally, he hid it behind his toys, put the glass on the mat and went to sleep in the small toy tent.
Tutu was scared and excited. He sent a voice message to Li Zekai before he fell asleep. “Jiejie, you have to come and play with me tomorrow morning.”
This was their secret code. The next step was for Li Zekai to pretend to cry and make a fuss to play with Tutu. Li Yanchen would then call Su Wei to tell him that his son was throwing a tantrum to meet Tutu. In the morning, they would go to Jinlin Garden Villa.
When he received the voice note, Li Zekai called Li Yanchen.
They weren’t sure if there was anything wrong with the milk powder she had given Tutu that day. But they wanted to be sure.
In Chenxin headquarters, Secretary Han waited for the boss to finish the call.
Li Yanchen had cleared out his day for the 10th of July for Lin Wan’s reunion.
In the Yungang High School group chat, everyone was lively. They sent photos and videos to share about their lives.
Luo Xi assumed that everyone would attend the reunion with their partners or spouses.
There were many outstanding graduates in their batch, including reporters, internet celebrities, and even university lecturers and researchers. They said that the reunion would be mentioned in a special column.
When a list was sent in the group chat with the names of the people attending, Luo Xi felt a sharp pain in his heart as he read Li Yanchen’s name next to Lin Wan’s.
At seven in the evening, Li Yanchen finally returned home. Li Zekai had been waiting in the courtyard the entire time. He was still waiting for his father to save Tutu. When he saw his father’s car stop at the parking lot, Li Zekai opened the door for him.
“Daddy!”
Li Yanchen got out of the car and carried his youngest son in his arms. “Why are you out here?”
“Auntie Lin and my brothers went to buy some Chinese bayberries. Grandma Huang wants to learn to make fruit tea. I am just waiting for you here.” Li Zekai’s hands were wrapped around Li Yanchen’s neck.
Li Yanchen was a little disappointed. He wanted to see Lin Wan the moment he got home. He had to go on a business trip tomorrow once again. ‘Didn’t she want to spend more time with me, too?’
“Dad, you should call Uncle Su Wei. I feel like crying.”
The man hooked his son and put him down. He took out his phone and called Su Wei.
“Brother Li!” Su Wei, who was just eating his dinner, picked up his phone.
“Uncle Su Wei, I’m Jiejie,” said Li Zekai, taking his father’s phone. “Tutu said that he has Ultraman toys at his grandma’s home. I heard it is very big. I have never seen it before. Please can I come see it? Please? Should I ask my father to take me to grandma’s house tomorrow? Please!”
Li Zekai put on a great whiny act. “Daddy said we shouldn’t bother you. He refused to call you, so I took his phone to call you. Please, don’t say no. I cannot wait.” He even added a bit of a sniffle.
Tutu vaguely heard someone sniffle on the phone. He pulled at his father’s hands. “Dad, is it Jiejie? Can I play with him tomorrow? I want to show him my Ultraman toy.”
“Aww, Jiejie, don’t cry. If your dad is busy, I can pick you up tomorrow, okay?” said Su Wei to comfort the child.
Li Zekai made an OK gesture to his father. “Uncle, I’ll pass the phone to dad. Please tell him you gave your permission. I don’t want to be scolded.” He passed the phone to Li Yanchen.
“Sorry about that,” said Li Yanchen. “Jiejie has been making a big fuss about this. I told him that it isn’t appropriate, but he won’t listen. Are you sure it’s alright? Tutu only just got to stay there with you.”
“It’s no problem at all,” said Su Wei. “The children are very close and they like playing together. My mother doesn’t live far from here. I can pick Jiejie tomorrow on the way.”
“I don’t want to trouble you. You can send the location to me, and I can have my assistant drop Jiejie there. Would noon be okay?” asked Li Yanchen.
“You are too kind. My mom likes Jiejie. Tutu talks about him a lot. She will be too happy to see you all. How about this? You can all come over to my mom’s place tomorrow. I can take a day off from work tomorrow.”
“Will that be okay? There will be so many people.”
“That’s alright. My mother likes it when it’s lively. I will give her a call to inform her right now. It’s decided then.”
“Alright. Thank you,” said Li Yanchen and hung up.
Su Wei called his mother to inform her. Huo Meijun was overjoyed. She asked Su Wei what the Li children liked to eat.
“Are you sending Tutu back tomorrow?” Xu Xiaoxiao pretended to be reluctant.
“Yes. Apparently Jiejie is making a huge fuss to play with Tutu’s new Ultraman toys. His toys are at his grandmother’s.”
“How about I bring you here tomorrow night again?” asked Su Wei.
“Alright.” Tutu nodded happily.
After the meal, Tutu found the small plastic bag with the tissue and hid it in his backpack.
Lin Wan returned from the market with the Chinese bayberries. Li Yanchen told her about what happened on the phone. Lin Wan agreed to the visit to Tutu’s house for the child’s sake.
The next morning, Li Yanchen took a three-hour leave from work.
The Su family villa was located in the South of Yun City. The villas were very traditional and fancy.
Su Wei and Tutu were waiting for Li Yanchen and his family in the courtyard, while Xu Xiaoxiao had stayed back in Jinlin Garden Villa.
Su Mingsheng went to work before six in the morning.
Li Yanchen’s car had not even stopped properly when Tutu saw Li Zekai in the back seat and ran over.
Huo Meijun came out of the garden, knowing that there were guests.
“Hello, Auntie.” Li Yanchen took the lead to greet them, followed by Lin Wan and her three stepsons.
This was his first time visiting someone else’s house, so Li Yanchen had bought some fruits along the way. Huo Meijun patted Li Zekai’s head. “So, this is your friend! Go on in.” Tutu and Li Zekai ran into the house.
“Li Yanchen, right? Next time you come for a visit, you aren’t allowed to bring anything,” said Ho Meijun. “Is this Lin Wan? She is even prettier than when I saw her in the live stream!”
Lin Wan was surprised by Huo Meijun’s friendliness.
“Auntie, you’re too kind. You are even more beautiful.”
They walked to the living room together. Huo Meijun had them all seated and walked to the kitchen when she found Tutu taking out a small plastic zip-lock bag from his backpack.
“Tutu, what’s that? Is it dirty tissues?” Huo Meijun was about to throw the plastic bag in the trash can.
“No, grandma!” said Tutu. “Don’t throw it away. That is dried milk from the milk powder which makes you obedient.” Tutu took the plastic bag from her hands.
“What?” Huo Meijun asked, confused.
“It’s magical milk powder. When I was disobedient in Lan Village, Auntie Xiaoxiao would let me drink it, and I became obedient after that. Yesterday afternoon, I was disobedient again. Auntie Xiaoxiao made some milk powder, but I accidentally spilled a little, so I put it in a bag,” Tutu explained.
Huo Meijun had watched the live stream in the past. She had suspected that Tutu kept falling asleep because he was too tired. But now she couldn’t help but feel suspicious of Xu Xiaoxiao.
“Tutu, give that to grandma. I will keep it safe. I promise. You and Jiejie can go and play with your toys.” Huo Meijun passed the plastic bag to Lao Liu and whispered something in his ear. Lao Liu nodded, took the bag and left the house.