When they could finally go out, she saw that the pouts on the two babies' faces were almost tangible.
She coughed twice, pretending nothing had happened. Then she slung her bag over her shoulder, took the two babies by the hands, and headed out.
When they reached the ground floor, they happened to run into Wang Dabao, a new friend the two babies had made in the neighborhood. Seeing the two babies, Wang Dabao wriggled free from his grandma's grasp and happily rushed over.
"Xuanxuan, Xuxu, where are you going? Are you going to play with sand? Can I play with you?"
Yuan Xiaoxuan put his hands behind his back and said with a straight face, "Sorry, Wang Dabao. I can't play with you today."
Wang Dabao looked disappointed, sucking his finger. "Why?"
Yuan Xiaoxu said with a beaming smile, "Because we're going to see our daddy with mommy!"
Wang Dabao looked up at Xu Zixi, his mouth hanging open stupidly, and drool dribbling down the corner of his mouth.
"Your mommy is so pretty!"
Yuan Xiaoxu said, "Our daddy is also very handsome!"
Wang Dabao nodded and said, "I've seen your daddy! He's really handsome. He's even more handsome than the uncles on TV! But he's blind, though. Xuanxuan, Xuxu, you're so pitiful to have a blind daddy."
Kids at this age don't know how to consider others' feelings. They just say whatever comes to mind.
But Yuan Xiaoxu got angry! He scowled and said seriously to Wang Dabao, "My daddy is not blind! My daddy is really awesome! He can walk around with his eyes closed. He can even build blocks and play the guitar. He's better than your daddy!"
Yuan Xiaoxuan also said angrily, "Humph, just you wait. When I grow up and become a doctor, I'll definitely cure my daddy's eyes!"
Wang Dabao was scared by their serious little expressions and shrank behind his grandma, stammering, "Why are you so fierce? I didn't do it on purpose. It was what my grandma said when she was chatting with grandpa."
His grandma was standing right there. Hearing this, she couldn't help but smile awkwardly. She said to Xu Zixi, whose face had instantly turned cold,
"The kid is just being childish and talking nonsense. I hope you don't mind."
After saying that, she pulled Wang Dabao out from behind her and said, "Hurry up and apologize to auntie, Xuanxuan, and Xuxu!"
Wang Dabao didn't know what he had done wrong. He pouted aggrievedly and said, "Grandma, I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I apologize? It was you who said it. You should be the one to apologize."
Xu Zixi said, "Wang Dabao is right. Kids at this age don't know anything. They learn everything from their parents. It's not the kid who should apologize, but you, Grandma Wang. After all, it's the adults' fault if they don't teach the kids to respect others, especially those with physical disabilities. Also, I'd like to make one thing clear. Although the kids' father has an eye disease, he's more awesome than anyone else. My kids are proud of him, and his eyes will definitely regain their sight. So they're not pitiful at all."
Grandma Wang's face turned a bit ugly after being confronted like this. Wasn't it just a comment about a blind man? Was it really necessary to be so fussy? Did it mean that people weren't even allowed to talk about the disabled when they saw them on the street?
"Grandma Wang doesn't want to apologize? I won't force you. But from now on, I won't let my kids have any contact with Wang Dabao. I don't want them to have friends from a family with such bad values. Come on, Xuanxuan, Xuxu. Let's go see daddy. How about we go watch a movie with daddy today?"
The two babies were overjoyed and quickly said, "Okay! Okay!"
After saying that, they ignored Wang Dabao and his grandma and walked away briskly, holding the two babies' hands.
Wang Dabao hugged his grandma's leg and wailed, "Waaaaah, Grandma, why don't you apologize! I want to be friends with Xuanxuan and Xuxu. Waaaaah!"
Xu Zixi led the two babies into the building opposite and took the elevator to the top floor. When the elevator door opened, she saw the very familiar door. Xu Zixi suddenly felt as if she had gone back to the time when she had just woken up in this world and Yan Yancheng had suddenly barged into her sight.
A hot - spring trip seemed to have brought everything back to square one.
She smiled, ignoring the faint sense of loss in her heart. She reached out and rang the doorbell.
A moment later, the door opened from the inside, and Yan Yancheng appeared behind it. As soon as Yuan Xiaoxuan and Yuan Xiaoxu saw him, they rushed over and sweetly said, "Good morning, daddy!"
"Good morning, Xuanxuan, Xuxu." Yan Yancheng grinned and lovingly stroked the two babies' heads. Then he said to Xu Zixi, "Zixi, do you... want to come in?"
Xu Zixi didn't say a word but took a step forward and walked into the room.
Yan Yancheng could hardly contain his excitement. He took the two babies by the hands and followed her, making small talk, "Have you had breakfast? Do you want something to drink? ... I forgot I don't have anything here. But just tell me, and I'll have Wei Shu buy it and send it over right away."
Xu Zixi ignored him completely. With her hands behind her back, she looked around the place he was living in, as if she were visiting an exhibition.
"Buying this apartment must have cost you a fortune, right?"
It was obvious that he had bought this apartment in a hurry because the wedding photo of the previous owner was still hanging on the living - room wall and he hadn't taken it down.
Yan Yancheng paused for a moment and said cautiously, "It wasn't that much. Just about five million."
"How much did you pay for the apartment in the old city?"
Yan Yancheng said, "That one wasn't expensive. Only about two hundred and fifty thousand."
"What about the seaside villa in the south of the city?" Xu Zixi asked.
"That one was more expensive. It cost fifty million..." Yan Yancheng said.
Fifty million. That was two twenty - five millions. Xu Zixi turned around and glared at him angrily. "I think you're the real fool."
Yan Yancheng was stunned. "What does 'fool' mean?"
"It means you're a sucker!" Xu Zixi said.
Yan Yancheng was taken aback by her words and looked a bit aggrieved. Xu Zixi looked around and asked, "Are you living here alone? Where's Wei Shu?"
"He's downstairs... on the sixteenth floor. They rented an apartment." Yan Yancheng said.
Xu Zixi frowned. Could he take care of himself living alone?
As if they were on the same wavelength, Yan Yancheng said, "Don't worry. I only need to walk through this room once, and I'll remember all the routes and the positions of the obstacles. I won't bump into anything."
It must have taken countless times of training to develop such a reaction. Remembering Wang Dabao's innocent words just now, she finally looked at his blind eyes again and felt a twinge in her heart.
At this moment, Yuan Xiaoxu had been waiting for a long time for Xu Zixi to mention the movie. He couldn't hold back and said,
"Daddy, mommy is wearing the flowery dress you gave her today. She even put on lipstick when she went out! Mommy also said that we're going to watch a movie together!"