Chapter 30: “All the Other Kids Can Do It, So Can I.”…

Chapter 30 "All the other kids can do it, so why can't I...?"

Song Tan returned to her room. About half an hour later, she heard movement from her daughter's door, followed by footsteps descending the stairs, then ascending, and finally the sound of the shower running in the outside bathroom.

Another half hour passed, and the light beneath the door extinguished. Then came the sound of footsteps descending the stairs again.

Song Tan put down her script and turned off the light to sleep.

But sleep eluded her. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Ji Fuxi leaning in for that kiss.

She touched her cheek—the warmth of his touch still lingered, burning hot. Her ears flushed red again.

She didn’t dare overthink the meaning behind that goodnight kiss. Whether it was because of Xiao Chu or something else, he had kissed her.

As an actress, kissing scenes were part of the job. There had been plenty five years ago, and earlier this year at the film set, she’d had two with the male lead.

But this was different. On set, it was just work—with so many people watching, all she cared about was how to make the scene look good, how to portray the heroine’s emotions.

Even as the male lead kissed her, her mind was already racing to the next scene. But earlier tonight, her mind had gone completely blank.

Song Tan pulled the covers over her head, trying to suppress the odd flutter in her heart.

She chalked it up to inexperience and the natural reaction any girl would have after being kissed.

He wasn’t someone she disliked, nor was this work. Having no reaction at all would’ve been abnormal.

The nightstand clock’s second hand ticked on, and the scene in her mind replayed over and over.

As the night deepened, she finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.

As sunlight crept past the blackout curtains, the alarm rang—6:30 AM.

A slender, fair hand slipped out from under the covers and silenced it.

Aqi was the first one up. He nudged the door open and jumped onto the bed, pulling at the blankets.

Song Tan fought him off, muttering, "Fine, fine, I’ll get up and make your owner breakfast, okay?"

Aqi left, satisfied.

Still bleary-eyed, the woman sat up before suddenly remembering something and lying back down.

Today was Saturday. Song Chuqing didn’t have school.

What time was call time…? 8:30, right? She could sleep another twenty minutes…

Afraid she’d sleep in, Song Tan set another alarm for twenty minutes later.

But in what felt like a blink, the alarm rang again.

This time, there was no time to laze around.

Once she’d freshened up, she headed downstairs but paused at the door to change clothes—now fully awake, she remembered there was a man in the house.

Downstairs, she was surprised to find two insulated bags of breakfast on the dining table.

Song Tan glanced around but saw no one. She stared at the small room for a while—no movement.

Was Ji Fuxi gone?

She knocked on the door, but after several tries, there was no response. Had he really left this early? she wondered. Weren’t they supposed to have no plans today?

Then she turned and saw a man in workout gear walk in through the front door, his face slightly flushed, brow damp with sweat. His white T-shirt clung to his chest, damp and hugging his toned frame.

Song Tan’s mind flashed back to last night’s brief goodnight kiss and silently averted her gaze.

Looking outside at the bleak sky, she suppressed a shiver.

It was late February. Though it wasn’t snowing anymore, the temperature was still around 10°C…

Working out in this cold? Hardcore.

But… maybe when it got warmer, he could take Xiao Chu out. Otherwise, Song Chuqing would turn into a little chubster under her care.

Ji Fuxi walked to the kitchen for water. After a few sips, he glanced at her, his voice rough from the workout. "You needed me?"

Song Tan cleared her throat. "No, I saw breakfast on the table and wanted to ask about it."

"I had it sent over. Breakfast’ll be here at 7 every morning. Is that time okay?"

"Sounds good."

Ji Fuxi set down his cup and gave her a look. "Gonna shower first."

"Mm." Song Tan began unpacking the breakfast. "Might as well wake Xiao Chu too."

"Alright."

After a moment’s thought, she added a warning, "You’ll have to be patient."

Entering the girl’s pink-themed room, Ji Fuxi quickly understood what she meant.

Song Chuqing wasn’t just a restless sleeper—she was a nightmare to wake up.

"Nooo! No school! Sleep!" The little girl clung to her blanket, eyes shut, but her legs flailed under the covers.

Ji Fuxi said patiently, "Breakfast first, then back to bed."

"Not hungry."

"Xiao Chu."

"Not eating!"

Song Chuqing buried her face in the blanket, voice muffled and annoyed. "Daddy, stop it!"

"……"

Whatever. It was Saturday—letting her sleep in a bit longer wouldn’t hurt. Ji Fuxi left and went downstairs.

Seeing him return alone, Song Tan already knew what had happened. She walked to the staircase and shouted up, "Song Chuqing!!"

Two minutes later, a groggy little girl, hair tangled and feet bare, clutching her stuffed panda, sleepily trudged into the dining room.

Song Tan almost laughed. She took off her hair tie and loosely gathered the girl’s hair. Softly, she asked, "Did you brush your teeth?"

"...No."

"Go brush your teeth." Then—

"Socks and shoes first."

Song Chuqing placed her little panda on the chair, then sat on the small stool by the entryway. She rummaged through the drawer for her tiny socks, put them on, and switched into another pair of cotton slippers before clomping down to the first-floor bathroom, where she kept her toothbrush and toothpaste.

As usual, there was a small stool in the first-floor bathroom. In fact, small stools could be found everywhere in this house—living room, kitchen, bathroom—anywhere Xiao Chu couldn’t reach, a small stool was provided.

Song Chuqing stepped onto the stool after taking off her slippers, grabbed her toothbrush, and squeezed on some toothpaste. The groggy little girl hummed as she brushed, "No job is too hard, only smart doggies, oh yeah~"

But less than half a minute later, she suddenly cried out, "Waaah! Mama!"

Song Tan was about to respond when the man in the living room hurried over, his voice full of concern, "What’s wrong?"

Song Chuqing opened her foam-filled mouth, whimpering, "Waaah, Daddy, I’m bleeding! It’s red, I’m bleeding…"

"Let me see."

Ji Fuxi held her steady with one hand to prevent her from falling while carefully cradling her face with the other. The little girl tilted her head obediently, not daring to move.

There was indeed a trace of blood near the gap between her front teeth—likely just gums bleeding.

With no experience in this, Ji Fuxi wasn’t sure how serious it was for a child. He turned and called out, "Song Tan."

Song Tan set down what she was doing and walked over. With one glance, she understood what had happened and reassured, "It’s fine, it’ll stop soon."

"Really?"

"Mhm, just brush more gently next time."

This was Song Chuqing’s first time experiencing gum bleeding since she started brushing her teeth, so she was still a little scared. She pouted up at the man still holding her, "Daddy, I don’t wanna brush anymore."

"I’ll help you."

Ji Fuxi took the toothbrush and bent down to brush the little girl’s teeth carefully—up, down, left, right, thoroughly and gently.

Song Tan watched from the side, feeling superfluous. Why did she suddenly feel like the third wheel?

So she quietly walked away. A while later, Ji Fuxi, who had just finished brushing his daughter’s teeth, came over and asked, "Should we take her to the hospital?"

"...No need. Your gums have never bled?"

Ji Fuxi remained frowning, his voice low, "There might be inflammation or something."

"..." Song Tan turned her head and saw the man’s tense, serious expression—just like last night when he worried Song Chuqing’s belly was too big.

Recalling her own flustered self from two or three years ago, she smiled faintly, "Don’t overthink it. Kids aren’t as fragile as you imagine. It’s probably not inflammation. She was worse when teething—she bit everything in sight. Back then, I was covered in bite marks."

Hearing this, Ji Fuxi’s frown deepened.

"Really, it’s fine. If you’re so worried, you can take her to the hospital." Song Tan poured out the freshly warmed milk and added with a chuckle, "If you can convince her to go with you, that is."

Like most kids in the world, Song Chuqing was terrified of hospitals and needles. Every time shot time came around, Song Tan had a headache just thinking about it.

Speaking of vaccinations, she checked the dates—there was one coming up soon.

Song Tan took out her phone to confirm: next weekend. She set a reminder.

After setting the reminder, she looked up again, "Alright, Ji Fuxi, let’s have breakfast."

"Are you sure it’s nothing?"

"It’s nothing, really, nothing at all."

If they kept talking about it, nothing would turn into something. Song Tan stepped past him and called out, "Xiao Chu, time to eat."

In the living room, Xiao Chu, who’d already forgotten about her bleeding teeth, responded loudly, "Coming!"

...

After breakfast, Song Tan left for work. With Daddy here, Song Chuqing wasn’t the least bit sad. She sat happily in Ji Fuxi’s lap and waved excitedly.

Normally, mother and daughter would exchange a goodbye kiss, but remembering last night, Song Tan decided to skip the ritual today, "Xiao Chu, be good for Daddy today."

"'Kay, bye Mama!"

"Bye-bye."

As the little Audi pulled away, Song Chuqing looped her arms around the man’s neck again, "Daddy, what’re we doing?"

Last time, Zhong Chen had been here, but today it was just the two of them. Ji Fuxi carried her in, "What does Xiao Chu want to play?"

"Hmm..." Song Chuqing thought hard, and after a while, she finally decided, "Daddy, I wanna read books today."

"Okay."

When Xiao Chu said she wanted to read, she meant it—but today’s choice surprised Ji Fuxi. It wasn’t about space or a storybook, but *Three Hundred Tang Poems*.

And since Mama probably didn’t have a physical copy of this one, she asked specially, "Daddy, can you find it online for me?"

"Sure."

Ji Fuxi took some time to locate it and handed her the tablet, "Why this book, Xiao Chu?"

Song Chuqing tapped the tablet with her tiny finger, her face set stubbornly as she huffed, "Because everyone else knows poems, so I wanna learn too."

Yesterday in class, Teacher Xiao Qing had taught them an ancient poem, and many of the other kids already knew how to recite it—even Pei Qiu!

It made her so mad, so she decided she had to learn too. She was going to become the best at reciting poems!

Ji Fuxi couldn’t help but laugh at her reasoning, his eyes crinkling.

He hadn’t been this competitive as a child—she must’ve gotten that from Mama.

The first poem in the e-book version of *Three Hundred Tang Poems* was "Gǎnyù Shíèr Shǒu·Qí Yī (Feeling Encountered, No. 1)" by the Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Jiuling. Since Xiao Chu couldn’t read yet, she asked, "Daddy, teach me."

Ji Fuxi sat beside her and read aloud, "Orchid leaves in spring grow lush and bright, osmanthus blooms in autumn clear and bright."

Song Chuqing repeated after him, "Orchid leaves in spring grow lush and bright, osmanthus blooms in autumn clear and bright."

The words "lush" and "clear" weren’t commonly used, so her pronunciation was a little off, as if she were mumbling around the difficult words.

After reciting, she asked, "Daddy, what does it mean?"

Ji Fuxi couldn’t remember the exact meaning, so after a moment’s thought, he explained roughly, "It describes how orchid leaves thrive in spring, and osmanthus flowers are pure and bright in autumn."

Song Chuqing frowned in thought, then repeated, "Orchid leaves in spring grow lush and bright, osmanthus blooms in autumn clear and bright."

After two or three repetitions, she exclaimed happily, "I know it! Daddy, next verse!"

Seeing the effortless joy on his daughter’s face, Ji Fuxi couldn’t help but smile as he recited the next line, "So full of life and zest, each season at its best."

The little girl followed along, repeating the meaning after it was explained, until she had learned the entire poem.

Ji Fuxi started from the beginning to review with her, and after three or four repetitions, he took away the tablet and asked her to recite it.

Song Chqing was smart; she stumbled through it the first time, but by the third attempt, she was becoming more proficient.

After reciting it perfectly, the little girl jumped around on the sofa in delight.

Then she fell into his arms, looking up at him with a bright, soft smile, "Daddy, I want to call Mommy."

Holding her, Ji Fuxi picked up the phone beside him and checked the time; half an hour had passed, and Song Tan should have arrived.

He dialed the number, and just as the woman stepped into the dressing room, she answered, "What is it?"

The voice speaking into the phone belonged to the little kid, "Mommy, I can recite a poem for you!"

Song Tan: "?? What?"

"I can recite a poem now, Mommy, listen carefully."

Song Chqing recited each word carefully and earnestly:

"Encountering Feelings (No. 1)

The orchid leaves flourish in spring, the osmanthus blooms bright in autumn.

In this thriving vitality, they naturally form a fine season.

Who would have known that those who dwell in the forest, upon hearing the wind, would sit and admire it."

"Flowers and trees bloom by nature's call—why need a beauty's hand at all?"

Song Tan was speechless with surprise.

Whether it was cartoons or storybooks, Song Chuqing always preferred adventure stories, so Song Tan had never considered teaching her [reciting] Tang poetry.

She wondered if kindergarten had taught it, but then questioned why they'd start with something so difficult?

In any case, it was a good thing. Song Tan praised her: "Good job, sweetie!"

"Yeah! I'm so clever!"

After boasting to her mom, Song Chuqing couldn't wait to contact her little friends, so she handed the phone back to Ji Fuxi.

He thought for a moment but didn't hang up. "It's me."

Song Tan was still immersed in the surprise of her daughter reciting poetry and asked, "Did you teach her, or was it kindergarten?"

Ji Fuxi: "I guess you could say I taught her."

Song Tan chuckled lightly: "Since when do you know poetry? I don't even remember this poem."

"...I don't really remember either. I looked it up just now."

"I thought so." Song Tan felt proud just thinking about it: "How did Xiao Chu get so smart?"

Then she asked him: "Were you good at memorizing poems as a kid?"

"I never bothered with poetry."

"That means she inherited it from me. I was really good at reciting ancient poems when I was little, and all the neighbors praised me."

Ji Fuxi could almost picture the woman on the other end lifting her chin proudly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

The conversation was lighthearted as he got up to fetch water from the kitchen.

She'd specifically reminded him that the air inside was dry, so Song Chuqing needed to drink more water—and it couldn’t be cold, only warm.

After nine, the gloomy sky began showing patches of sunlight, and the temperature gradually rose.

Leaning against the kitchen island while waiting for the water to boil, Ji Fuxi lowered his voice and asked, "Starting work now?"

Seated in front of the mirror to begin her makeup, Song Tan paused, surprised by the sudden change in tone over the phone.

One moment they were just Xiao Chu's parents, the next, the atmosphere turned ambiguous.

She answered softly, "Doing my makeup."

"About what time will you finish today?"

"Earlier today, around seven."

Ji Fuxi glanced at his daughter, who was happily chatting with friends on the sofa, and his voice grew tender. "Want Xiao Chu and me to pick you up? We can eat out tonight."

It sounded like the most normal married-couple conversation—picking up his wife from work on Saturday, eating out together as a family to enjoy the weekend.

Perhaps it was the small heater Tao Tao had dragged in from somewhere, or maybe something else, but Song Tan felt a sudden warmth in her chest.

She answered after a pause, "Sure."

The call ended.

Wang Jie, listening nearby, teased casually, "Teacher Song, calling your husband so early?"

Song Tan held her phone and, after a pause of seven or eight seconds, replied, "Yeah."