Chapter 82: Extra 3
They decided to adopt a girl.
Four or five years passed in a flash. Qiao Xi was thirty this year. Although her appearance hadn’t changed much over the years, her thinking had shifted significantly. Before, when she was younger, she leaned more towards enjoying life recklessly and couldn’t be responsible for a child. Now, with age, she had matured a lot while still enjoying life.
This was a decision made together after careful consideration. Initially, considering issues like education and blood relations, they had rejected the idea. But after repeated deliberation, they decided to adopt.
They didn’t plan to have a child themselves through IVF. Firstly, it was too harmful to the body. Secondly, deep down, they still couldn’t accept it; it involved a lot of suffering and many trivial problems to face.
However, deciding was one thing; implementation was difficult. The adoption process was very complicated, requiring a series of reviews and approvals. The process was long, as the country’s adoption policies had always been strict. Successful adoption wasn’t easy. Fortunately, their financial conditions were good. In terms of work, Fu Bei’s position at Jiang University and her various outstanding contributions to the industry were a major advantage. The process went without major issues. During this time, Qiao Xi and Fu Bei were also preparing for the child’s arrival, decorating the nursery and adding children’s supplies.
The adopted child was just over two years old, unsteady on her feet and not speaking clearly. She was an orphan, thin as a bean sprout, and extremely timid. The first time she saw Qiao Xi and Fu Bei, she was so scared she hid directly behind the door, thinking something bad was going to happen.
It took the director a while to coax her out, but she was still afraid, not daring to look at them.
The director told them privately that the child was sent here before the New Year. When she arrived, she was skin and bones; she had actually gained some weight now. The conditions of the welfare institute were limited; the care they could give the child was limited, which was already very good.
Qiao Xi and Fu Bei exchanged a glance, feeling quite touched. She tried to coax the child over to hold her. The child resisted a couple of times at first, then let her be, obediently lying in her arms.
After completing the formalities, they took the child away. There were still household registration and other matters to handle later.
Because Fu Bei’s information was submitted during the review and the application was in her name, strictly speaking, Fu Bei was the child’s guardian. The child took Qiao Xi’s surname, named Qiao An. Fu Bei chose the name. Originally, Qiao Xi wanted the child to take Fu Bei’s surname, but this person insisted on using Qiao Xi’s surname.
Qiao Jianliang was incredibly satisfied with this, grinning from ear to ear. Grandpa Fu wasn’t very happy but didn’t say anything.
Little Qiao An wasn’t very adapted to the new life, always dazed, loving to shrink into corners, looking at them timidly.
Qiao Xi had quite an affinity, often coaxing the child. Fu Bei’s personality was just like that, especially when working at home, her expression simply serious, so much so that Little Qiao An wasn’t very close to her.
After being raised at home for a while, Little Qiao An gradually gained weight, changing from sallow and thin to fair and clean. The little dumpling was born cute, with big, bright black eyes, well-behaved and likeable. She liked clinging to Qiao Xi, following behind her every day. If Qiao Xi took a step, she had to follow.
The little dumpling didn’t talk much, often grabbing Qiao Xi’s leg, then reaching out, calling in a milky voice: “Hug…”
Given her big reaction initially, Qiao Xi thought it would take a long time for her to adapt. Unexpectedly, she became close so quickly. After all, she was a child who didn’t understand much yet; she was close to whoever treated her well.
Qiao Xi picked her up, helping to tidy her hair, asking softly, “Hungry?”
Little Qiao An didn’t answer, wrapping her arms around Qiao Xi’s neck, pressing her face into the crook of her neck, obediently motionless.
Fu Bei, still working on her project on the living room sofa, paused her hands, glancing over subtly. She happened to catch Little Qiao An looking this way. The adult and child met eyes, neither speaking. Little Qiao An hugged Qiao Xi tightly, staring over there unblinkingly.
Fu Bei lowered her eyelids and continued working.
Raising a child isn’t easy; just feeding and drinking is enough to keep adults busy. Before deciding to adopt, the two had prepared themselves mentally for crying, fussing, and torment. Who knew Little Qiao An would be unbelievably well-behaved? Not only did she never fuss, but she also ate obediently, sought adults when needing the toilet, and knew to go to bed as soon as it was past nine in the evening.
These were all taught by the welfare institute. With too many children there, they couldn’t attend to everyone, so eating and sleeping were taught from the first day of entry, saving a lot of trouble.
At night, Qiao Xi chatted with Fu Bei about the child’s growth. She was quite responsible and cared about Little Qiao An, spending a lot of thought and energy on the child recently, barely paying attention to Fu Bei. Fu Bei didn’t react on the surface, putting down the things in her hands and asking, “Already asleep?”
Qiao Xi nodded. “Just fell asleep. Ran around outside today; should be quite tired.”
Pulling the person to sit by the bed, Fu Bei said, “I’ll take care of her tomorrow.”
“Finished your work?”
“Almost; just a bit of follow-up left.”
Qiao Xi smiled and agreed. Coincidentally, there were customers at the shop tomorrow. She didn’t pay much attention to Fu Bei’s expression, thinking the other party was concerned about her, failing to see the jealousy.
The next day, Fu Bei acted as if she had nothing to do, bringing the child over to deliver food after eleven, coming again after three in the afternoon, and waiting in the shop to pick her up after five.
Qiao Xi hadn’t finished yet, saying without looking up, “You guys go back first. I need another half hour; will leave later.”
Fu Bei didn’t leave, holding the child with one arm.
Little Qiao An wanted to be close to Qiao Xi again, twisting her little body, wanting to get down. But Fu Bei didn’t let her, holding her down. Little Qiao An patted her shoulder, whispering, “Want down.”
Because there were many things at school recently, Fu Bei had no time to take care of the child, so Little Qiao An wasn’t very close to her. Still relatively unfamiliar until now, usually seeking only Qiao Xi for help with anything.
Fu Bei still didn’t let her, only saying in a low voice, “Can’t go. Mommy has to work; no time.”
Qiao Xi looked up, seeing Little Qiao An staring at her unblinkingly. Smiling, she coaxed, “Will come find you later, okay?”
Little Qiao An pursed her lips, obedient after all, stopping her fidgeting. Fu Bei hugged the child’s back, saying to Qiao Xi, “I’ll take her out for a stroll.”
Leaving workspace for Qiao Xi, undisturbed. Qiao Xi was busy, giving a hum, hurriedly burying her head in work.
Fu Bei took the child out for a couple of laps, looking around casually. Having stayed in the welfare institute for a long time, Little Qiao An had little contact with the outside world and was still shy with strangers. Fu Bei’s height and looks were outstanding, and holding a fair, tender milk dumpling made her even more conspicuous in the crowd. Passersby always stole glances at them, and some wanted to tease Little Qiao An from a distance. Little Qiao An was a bit nervous, constantly hiding in Fu Bei’s arms.
Feeling the soft little ball in her arms, Fu Bei lowered her eyes.
Little Qiao An hugged her like she usually hugged Qiao Xi, calling out very constrainedly and softly, “Mama…”
These forms of address were taught by Qiao Xi; rarely called usually. Fu Bei was stunned, lips almost pressed into a line, thoughts unknown. After a while, she raised her hand to protect the child in her arms.
There were exceptionally many people on the street today, bustling and lively everywhere.
**
When Qiao Xi finished and came out after closing the shop door, she didn’t see the two. Just as she was about to call Fu Bei, she inadvertently glimpsed Fu Bei squatting under a streetlamp not far away, feeding water to Little Qiao An. After feeding, she thoughtfully wiped the child’s mouth.
Actually, since bringing Little Qiao An home, their lives had changed quite a bit. As expected, Qiao Xi thought she wouldn’t be able to adapt, but it turned out Fu Bei was the one unadapted, as the child took away a lot of Qiao Xi’s energy.
Qiao Xi was thinking of finding a time to talk to this person; now it seemed unnecessary.
As soon as Little Qiao An looked up, she saw Qiao Xi at the shop entrance. Immediately leaving Fu Bei, she ran over unsteadily, reaching out her hands and calling fawningly, “Mommy!”
Qiao Xi exchanged a glance with Fu Bei first, then bent down to hug the child.
At night, after coaxing Little Qiao An to sleep, the couple seized the opportunity to be alone in the bathroom. Qiao Xi leaned in to kiss the corner of Fu Bei’s lips, asking, “What’s wrong these past few days? Feeling like you’re not very happy.”
Fu Bei turned off the water in passing, hugging her tightly, denying, “No.”
“Clearly yes; haven’t smiled once,” Qiao Xi said.
At such times, Fu Bei still chose not to answer, mouth very tough. How could Qiao Xi not understand? She had seen it long ago.
Raising a child has pros and cons. One more person adds more vitality; the home is definitely warmer. Two people are ultimately a bit lonely. But at the same time, there are many troubles, possibly even widening the distance between the two. Therefore, how to handle it is crucial.
That night, they went to sleep quite late. They dared not make too much noise even when talking, afraid of waking the child next door. Fu Bei didn’t hug Qiao Xi, secretly competing with the child all along.
The next day, Qiao Xi woke up late, failing to rise early as usual. By the time she woke up, it was already high noon, and she was alone in bed.
Outside, someone was cooking in the kitchen, while the little dumpling sat obediently on the sofa watching cartoons.
Hearing the door open, Little Qiao An perked up instantly, turning around and shouting, “Mommy, you’re awake.”
Waking up when the sun was high, thinking of last night’s events, Qiao Xi felt a bit ashamed. Composing her expression, she went over to sit next to her. Glancing at the kitchen first, then tidying Little Qiao An’s collar, she suddenly realized the child might not have had breakfast yet, so she asked, “Hungry?”
“Not hungry; ate already,” Little Qiao An shook her head. Her speech was still a bit unclear, her voice very milky. “Mama made food-food.”
While speaking, she squeezed towards Qiao Xi, probably wanting a hug.
Qiao Xi hugged her naturally, smiling. “Good girl—”
Little Qiao An didn’t sit directly on Qiao Xi’s lap as usual but stood leaning in her arms, nuzzling her small face against the crook of her neck. Her behavior was a bit strange. While Qiao Xi was puzzled, she heard the little one say softly, “Mama said you were uncomfortable and needed to sleep longer. Is uncomfortable being sick?”
This was the excuse Fu Bei used to stall the child in the morning, to prevent disturbing Qiao Xi. Unexpectedly, Little Qiao An took it to heart, believing it true. Having been sick before, she roughly understood what uncomfortable meant, worrying about Qiao Xi all morning.
Hearing this, Qiao Xi knew what was going on. Instantly a bit embarrassed, her face inevitably heating up, she turned her head awkwardly, pretending to be serious as she replied, “Mmh, a little bit uncomfortable.”
A child over two years old isn’t sensible, unable to distinguish true from false, let alone knowing how much “a little bit” is. Only knowing being sick means pain and discomfort, she nuzzled harder, probably feeling a bit distressed, expressing her emotions.
Deceiving such a young child, Qiao Xi felt strangely awkward, looking uncomfortably towards the kitchen again.
Coincidentally, Fu Bei came out carrying a dish. Because she was cooking, she had rolled up her sleeves for convenience, revealing her forearms.
Qiao Xi was about to call out when she happened to glimpse this scene. Seeing Fu Bei’s beautiful hands, she was suddenly captivated, unable to help but take a couple more looks. Her lips moved, intending to say something, but upon seeing Fu Bei, she suddenly forgot what she was going to do, swallowing her words back.
Instead, Fu Bei set the dishes and chopsticks, looked into her eyes, and said, “Come eat.”
Qiao Xi reacted a beat slow, still immersed in appreciating someone. Before she could respond, the little dumpling in her arms answered first: “Right away!”
Usually, Qiao Xi often responded like this. Every time Fu Bei looked for her, she would say “Right away.” Over time, Little Qiao An learned it, especially after her relationship with Fu Bei advanced by leaps and bounds these past two days.
After speaking, Little Qiao An hesitated, raising her hands for Fu Bei to hold her. Fu Bei acted as if she didn’t see, not holding her. How could Qiao Xi not understand this person’s twists and turns? She carried the child directly to the high chair, and the family began to eat.
Fu Bei served soup for both of them—first for Qiao Xi, then for Little Qiao An.
Little Qiao An picked up the bowl and drank the soup. Afterwards, she would cover her face with a napkin, wiping it like washing her face, considering it wiping her mouth.
Qiao Xi couldn’t help chuckling. Turning her head, she found Fu Bei staring straight at her, so she held it back.
**
Children are very good at imitating and learning, especially imitating adults’ behavior.
Sometimes Fu Bei would kiss Qiao Xi, but considering the child’s presence, it usually wasn’t too intimate. Unexpectedly, Little Qiao An still learned it. Little Qiao An liked kissing Qiao Xi recently, often planting a kiss on her face unexpectedly. Children are innocent; she would even make a mwah sound while kissing.
Qiao Xi didn’t think much of it, until one time she accidentally overheard Fu Bei “educating” the child seriously.
“You can’t just kiss Mommy randomly anymore.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s my wife.”
