plumnovel Chapter 21: Parting is somewhat sad
Chapter 21: Parting is somewhat sad
"Sizi, wake up, it's time to get up and go home!" Lin Fan called softly several times, but Sizi didn't respond at all, as if she was still immersed in her sweet dream.
Lin Fan was torn; he wanted Xiao Sizi to continue sleeping, but he also wanted her to get up and go home quickly.
He had only spent most of the day with Xiao Sizi, but he already felt an immense fondness for her. Now that he had calmed down and thought about it carefully, he could understand how anxious Li Shimin must be if he were to consider things from a father's perspective.
Thinking of this, Lin Fan had no choice but to harden his heart and gently reach out to support Xiao Sizi's shoulders, helping her sit up.
"So sleepy! I really need to go to sleep!" Little Sizi muttered to himself in his drowsy state.
Seeing how sleepy the little guy was, Lin Fan almost softened, but he still resisted the urge and gently shook the little ox.
"Get up, you can't sleep anymore. Doesn't Sizi miss your older sister, father, and mother?" Lin Fan called out to Sizi again and again.
"A-jie... Mother...!" Little Sizi raised her little hand, rubbed her eyes, and finally slowly woke up.
"Honey, you're so sleepy!"
"I'm sorry, brother knows you're sleepy, but you haven't been home for so long, your older sister and mother must be very worried about you. Sizi is such a good girl, she certainly doesn't want them to worry, right?"
"Yes! I really don't want my mother to worry!" Little Sizi tried to cheer herself up when she thought of her mother, her eyes red from rubbing them.
Seeing this, Lin Fan immediately took her little hand away: "Brother will take you to wash your face first, then you won't be sleepy anymore! Okay?"
Little Sizi nodded, clearly still a little sleepy. Lin Fan gently picked her up and carried her to the bathroom, then placed her on a small stool: "Sit tight, don't fall."
After saying that, Lin Fan turned around and filled a basin halfway with warm water. He took Xiao Sizi's special towel from the shelf, washed it in the water, wrung out the excess water, and then came to Xiao Sizi: "Come on, let your brother wipe your face!"
Little Si closed its eyes and tilted its head back to look at its rosy little face. Lin Fan couldn't resist giving it a gentle pinch.
"How's it going? You're not sleepy anymore after washing your face, right?"
"I'm not sleepy anymore!"
Lin Fan went out for a walk today and worked up a good sweat. He also got some water to wash Xiao Sizi's feet. As for taking a bath, Lin Fan felt that it would be inconvenient for a grown man like him to do so, even though Xiao Sizi is a child. So he gave up on the idea.
A moment later, Lin Fan took out a towel and dried Xiao Sizi's feet clean: "Okay, you're done washing. Brother will wash some fruit for you, and then I'll figure out how to take you home!"
"Okay!"
Carrying the little girl back to the living room sofa, Lin Fan took out a box of strawberries from the stroller and quickly washed them in the kitchen.
On the sofa, Little Sizi resumed his old habit, idly picking at his toes. Afterward, he habitually sniffed them: "Hehe, not bad!"
"What are you saying?" Lin Fan came out carrying strawberries and asked curiously after hearing Xiao Sizi's mutterings.
"You didn't say anything!" Little Sizi immediately withdrew her little hand upon hearing the voice, her expression as if she had done something shameful.
Lin Fan placed the strawberries on the coffee table, and Xiao Sizi was immediately attracted to them. Although she held a noble status in the Tang Dynasty, strawberries were not yet available there.
"Brother, can we eat this now?" Little Si couldn't help but swallow, staring intently at the strawberry.
"This was originally bought for you, why can't you eat it? Hey." Lin Fan said, picking up the box and handing it to Xiao Sizi.
Looking at the bright red strawberries in the box, Xiao Sizi looked eager to try them out. She raised her little hand, grabbed one, put it in her palm, and examined it carefully with curiosity.
"Stop looking and eat!" Lin Fan couldn't help but urge him.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Sizi picked up a strawberry and was about to put it in her mouth when she suddenly seemed to remember something and shoved the strawberry in front of Lin Fan: "Brother, first seven!"
"Shrimp, eat! There's plenty more here!" Lin Fan shook his head and pushed the little hand back.
"No way! My sister said that when it comes to food, we have to let others have it first!" Little Sizi stubbornly extended her little hand again.
Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Lin Fan took the strawberry and took a bite: "Okay, brother ate it, little Sizi, eat it too!"
Seeing Lin Fan eat the little rhinoceros and nod with satisfaction, he then picked up another strawberry, this time without examining it, and put it directly into his mouth.
The soft, sweet and sour taste of the strawberry instantly won over Xiao Sizi. After just one bite, she looked at the strawberry in her hand with a look of surprise and delight. Then she turned to look at Lin Fan and forgot to say anything for a moment.
Seeing the incredulous expression on Xiao Sizi's face, and her eyes darting back and forth, Lin Fan couldn't help but laugh.
"How is it? Is it delicious?"
"This is so good! Brother, what is this? It's so sweet!" Little Sizi couldn't help but wriggle her chubby body. She had eaten so many delicious foods that she had never eaten before today.
"This is called strawberry. Sizi, eat more if you like it!" Looking at Sizi's happy face, Lin Fan felt a sense of pride.
Little Si nodded, then devoured a strawberry in a few bites. She straightened up and picked up two more: "Time to eat! If we don't eat soon, we'll be done!"
Seeing Xiao Sizi hand him another strawberry, Lin Fan felt a warm feeling in his heart.
"Thank you, Sizi!"
"Not very generous." Little Sizi shook his head, looking absolutely adorable.
Before long, the whole box of strawberries was gone.
"Seven's good baby." Little Sizi patted his round belly with satisfaction.
"If Sizi likes it, I'll buy it for you next time I come!" As he said this, Lin Fan felt a little sad and reluctant to let Sizi go back soon.
"Okay, thank you, buddy! What happened to you, buddy?"
Xiao Sizi was very observant and noticed the sadness on Lin Fan's face.
Lin Fan quickly rubbed his cheeks and took a deep breath: "Brother is alright."
"By the way, Sizi, I have a question for you. Do you remember how you got here?" Lin Fan finally decided to get back to the main topic.
Little Sizi looked completely innocent, blinking her eyes: "I didn't know! I just wanted to eat something good, so I'll be right there!"
This… Xiao Sizi’s answer left Lin Fan momentarily unsure of the problem. The next second, as if remembering something, Lin Fan immediately asked, “Sizi, where’s your jade pendant? The one your mother gave you? Did you bring it with you when you came?”
"Put your belt on!"
Little Sizi suddenly remembered the jade pendant her mother had given her and quickly began searching for it beside her.
"Hey, where's my fish pendant? It's gone!" But after searching for a while, there was still no trace of the jade pendant.
"Are you sure Sizi brought the jade pendant with her?"
"I remember tying it! I put it here! What happened?" Xiao Si patted the sofa and scratched his head helplessly.
Seeing this, Lin Fan got up and carried Xiao Sizi to the side. Then he started rummaging through the sofa. After a while, he felt something in the gap of the sofa. He took it out and saw that it was the jade pendant.
"Phew, finally found it!" Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief. Although he also had a similar jade pendant, he was not sure if his had the same function as Xiao Sizi's.