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Qin Yinong basically goes home once a month. If the filming schedule is too tight and there’s not much free time, it is still possible for her to go back every two or three months. Ningning doesn't get to see her frequently, and is shy, so every time they meet, it would take her awhile to get used to her again.
Qin Yinong praised her pretty dress, kissed her cheek, and put her in the child seat in the back.
The kid put her soft warm little hand in her hand, and Qin Yinong held her with one hand, eyes steadily looking forward. She felt that Ningning was looking at her. But as soon as she turned her face to meet her gaze, Ningning's face would flush with tension, her head lowered, her chin nearly digging into her chest.
After a few times, Qin Yinong stopped looking at her, and just let those big eyes twinkling like water grapes watch her.
The child’s name is Qin Jianing, which means kindness and peace. Qin Jianing probably inherited her biological mother’s natural talent for learning, and has shown exceptional intelligence since an early age. Other children are still learning to call people at one year old, developing late and can’t speak yet. Meanwhile, she already knew some simple phrases, the letter cards stacking up into piles at home.
Kids usually enter kindergarten at the age of three, but elite kindergartens can relax the conditions. The child was just two and a half years old and was learning too fast, her independence ability far exceeding other children. There were only two elderly people in the family, which may not be good for the child’s growth. Qin Yinong and Ji Shulan collectively decided to send her to kindergarten ahead of schedule to see if she could adapt to the group life, and pick her up if she couldn't.
The feedback from the teacher was that she adapted well. Little kids can look at faces from a young age, and Qin Jianing has good genes and is very pretty. She was very popular with children in the class, so they let her continue attending.
There was only one problem. There were many parent-child activities in the kindergarten, but people like Qin Yinong are destined to have no time to make an appearance for their kids. Ji Shulan was too old, her legs were crippled, and her physical strength alone couldn’t handle much. Usually it would be parents with their children, so for an old lady to attend would feel out of place as well.
Feeling guilty, Qin Yinong touched Ningning's soft hair sideways. Ningning hid shyly, looked at her grandma, and couldn't stop smiling with joy. When Qin Yinong withdrew her hand, she pursed her lips again, looking a little disappointed.
Ji Shulan said: "Pat her again."
Qin Yinong didn't see Ningning's expression, and said puzzled: "Huh?"
Ji Shulan motioned to her with her eyes.
Qin Yinong touched Ningning's head again.
Ningning resisted hiding this time, looked at her brightly, and called again, "Mom."
Qin Yinong's heart was filled with infinite tenderness, and replied in a soft voice: "Ningning."
Ningning's legs swung restlessly in the child seat, her patent leather shoes kicked, both hands stretched towards Qin Yinong, her eyes were urgent, she seemed to want to be held. Qin Yinong shook her head, and said solemnly: "No, Qin Jianing, get out of the car and we’ll hug."
Ningning flinched.
Ji Shulan couldn’t help but remind her: “Don’t keep a stern face, it will scare your kid.”
Qin Yinong raised her eyebrows: "Am I keeping a stern face?"
Ji Shulan stared: "It's stiff!"
Qin Yinong touched her nose in a hesitant manner, quickly adjusted to a gentle and amiable face, and smiled: "Mom meant that it’s not safe in the car. If it brakes suddenly and mom can't hold you, you will fly out. You’ll be hurt."
Ningning looked blank, her vocabulary was not enough for her to understand such a long and slightly complicated passage.
Qin Yinong went on to explain: "Do you know what it means to fly out?" She simulated a sudden brake, and threw out the pillow in her arms. Once it hit the back of the driver's seat and bounced back, she pointed at the battered pillow, and said sympathetically, "That’s you."
Ningning trembled.
She may not be able to understand everything, but Qin Yinong is an actress, and her emotions are 100% in place. The child could understand her meaning, in short, she would be very miserable.
Ji Shulan's lips twitched.
Afterwards, Ningning didn't dare to move again as she sat in the child seat. Ji Shulan asked her if she wanted to drink water. She nodded, holding the children's water cup in both hands to drink obediently, and looked at Qin Yinong again.
Qin Yinong knew that she was scared just now, and gave a gentle smile.
Ningning handed the water glass over and whispered: "Mom, drink water."
Qin Yinong took a sip from her straw and looked at her bright eyes: "Thank you, baby."
The little girl blushed again, lowering her thick long, doll-like eyelashes and did not speak. Her patent leather shoes gently swung up in the air, and then fell again.
When the car stopped at the villa, Qin Yinong lifted her out of the car. Ningning lay on her shoulders, and whispered in her ear, "Mom, go slow." Qin Yinong slowed down and turned around, waiting for Ji Shulan with her inconvenient legs.
They have dinner early at home. Aunt Fang was cooking in the kitchen. Qin Yinong squatted to change Ningning's shoes. Ningning ran to the kitchen with her short legs, pulled the door strenuously, and said hello politely: "Grandma Fang, I'm back."
Qin Yinong glanced over, sat on the sofa and turned on the TV. After finding "Peppa Pig", she paused and waited for Ningning and Aunt Fang to finish talking.
Ji Shulan was a little tired, so she told Qin Yinong to call her to eat, and then went back to her room to rest. She pressed her hand on the switch on the wall, and the light above her head flashed a few times quickly, before suddenly turning off.
"Dudu." Ji Shulan walked out of the room and called awkwardly.
On the sofa, two faces, one big and one small, were turned at the same time, the same eyebrows long and delicate, like jade, as if they were carved out of a mold, one big Qin Yinong and one little Qin Yinong.
Ji Shulan couldn't help but flinch.
Big Qin Yinong turned to her side and asked: "What's the matter?"
Ji Shulan said, "The light in my room seems to be broken."
Qin Yinong got up: "I'll go take a look."
Ningning and Qin Yinong had stayed together for a while, they became more familiar with each other, so Ningning giggled and copied the nickname: "Dudu."
Qin Yinong smiled and patted her on the head: "Don't call me like that. Watch TV by yourself, and when I come back tell Mom what you saw."
Ningning nodded obediently: "Okay."
Qin Yinong stood up and walked to Ji Shulan's bedroom, and dragged a chair from the dining room over. The sky was not yet completely dark, so Qin Yinong asked Ji Shulan to open the curtains. She stood barefoot on the chair and lifted her head to remove the lampshade. The dust made her squint her eyes before looking in. It was U Type.
"Is there a U-shaped lamp at home?"
"Yes, I will get it."
Ji Shulan held the chair for her, watching her skillfully take out the old lamp tube, and said with a complicated mood: "Ningning’s looking more and more like you."
Qin Yinong's figure paused slightly, pulling away the long hair that was in the way in front of her, and said calmly: "Naturally, the genes are inherited from you." After a two-second pause, she said, "Or do you think she should look more like jiejie?"
"I didn't mean that." Ji Shulan's hands stiffened, and she faltered.
Qin Yinong lowered her head and reached out to her. Ji Shulan handed her the new lamp tube. Qin Yinong shook her hair on both sides, raised her face and fitted the lamp into the original place. She said in a calm tone: "She didn't have a father. She can’t be without a mother either, so isn’t it better for it to be me, it won’t make people doubt.”
"Then if you want to find someone to settle down with in the future..." Ji Shulan said worriedly. She was afraid that Ningning's existence would affect her love life.
Qin Yinong's expression was slightly startled, as if surprised that she was thinking about this, and immediately said coldly, "No."
"No what?"
"I won’t get married, or fall in love. Just live your life, don't worry about me."
Ji Shulan's face was ashamed, and she moved her lips, trying to say something.
Qin Yinong put on the lampshade, patted the dust off her hands, bluntly interrupted Ji Shulan's hesitation, and raised her chin slightly: "Have a look at the lamp."
Ji Shulan swallowed back her words and pressed the switch on in silence. The room was illuminated by the light gushing from above.
"Okay, you can take a break." Qin Yinong jumped down, moved the chair back, and washed her hands in the bathroom.
Sitting in Qin Yinong’s lap, Ningning happily told the story of the cartoon she had just watched: "Peppa is watching TV with her father, mother and younger brother, and the queen suddenly appears on TV! The queen wears a golden crown on her head. She said she would award medals to the people who worked hardest in the country..."
For a child under three years old, remembering the plot and using her own language to say such a long list of clearly organized words was nothing short of a miracle. Qin Yinong spent very little time with the kid and didn't know how she was able to develop such language skills. No matter how talented she is, that’s just outrageous.
When she asked Ji Shulan about it during dinner, Ji Shulan said she did nothing else, except telling her stories. When she asked Ningning, Ningning understood that she was being complimented. She straightened her back, and said gruffly, "I have to listen to it twice before I can say it."
Qin Yinong pretended not to hear her false modesty, and played along to tease her: "Wow, that’s no good, Mom could memorize it in one go when I was a child."
"Oh." Ningning didn't get the expected compliment, pouted, and petulantly poked the rice in her bowl with a spoon.
Ji Shulan said calmly: "Where? She lied to you, she was so dense. When she was taught to recite texts, she couldn't recite even after reading it ten times."
Qin Yinong: "..." Was it so exaggerated?!
Ningning blinked her black eyes, looking at Qin Yinong expectantly.
Qin Yinong pretended to be depressed: "Yes yes, Mom was dense when she was a child, and she was not half as smart as Ningning." But her biological mother could indeed memorize everything in one go.
Ningning sighed like a little adult, and in turn comforted her: "Mom, don't be sad, you’re smart now so it’s okay."
Qin Yinong coughed, nearly couldn’t hold her laughter in, and quickly lowered her head to prevent Ningning from seeing her expression: "Eat."
A family of three had dinner with Aunt Fang, then Ji Shulan cleaned up the kitchen with Aunt Fang.
Qin Yinong kept watching the cartoon with Ningning in the living room. It’s not good for the child’s eyes to watch TV for a long time, so she paid attention to the time on the phone and planned to keep it within half an hour. After watching three episodes for fifteen minutes, Ningning took the initiative to say: "Don't wanna watch anymore, I'm going to do my homework."
Qin Yinong brought out the Peppa schoolbag for her. Ji Shulan had already ordered a small stool and table tailored for her, so she could do homework in the living room. Qin Yinong glanced over to see if there was anything that needed her guidance, but Qin Jianing frowned in distress and coaxed her, "Mom, can you wait for me to play with you after I finish my homework?"
Qin Yinong: "..."
Where is her dignity as a mother?
Qin Yinong had nothing to do. After reading the scripts, she had no work for the time being. She opened a website on the iPad, clicked on a video clip in the favorites, and turned off the running comments on the screen to enjoy the video quietly.
She was so focused that she didn't even notice Ningning coming over.
"Who’s this?" Ningning pointed to Tang Ruoyao's face close up on the screen and asked curiously.
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The author has something to say:
Little friend Qin Jianing: Since you refuse to chase, don’t blame me for finding a stepmother for myself ﹁_﹁
Guess what Sister Qin would answer╰(*°▽°*)╯
Thanks to the little angel who voted for me or irrigated the nutrient solution~
Thanks to the little angel [a long list of readers]
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
translated by drew, edited by noba