"You have to have fun today, okay? And remember to have Daddy take pictures—Mommy wants to see them when she gets back. Mommy's a little sad because she can't be at our Xixi's first family party with friends from school."
Murphy was already in Yangcheng, about to head to the TV station soon. Since the show required a rehearsal and run-through in advance, she called early to chat with Xixi for a bit.
"I know! Don't be sad, Mommy—Xixi will miss you." The little girl obediently held her dad's phone and spoke to her mom.
Murphy was very busy. She quickly said a few final words to Yang Yi, telling him to take good care of Xixi and the other kids, then put away her phone and headed to the TV station with Mo Xiaojuan.
Yang Yi was actually quite busy too. He had driven early in the morning to the market to buy the ingredients for today.
Yes, driving... no longer jogging over hills and valleys to get groceries like usual. Even with his great stamina and strength, he couldn't carry everything back that way.
Guo Ziyi and Ding Xiang had already arrived, but Yang Yi didn't need their help with the food preparation—the chubby kid would only sneak bites, and Ding Xiang wasn't on Yang Yi's level. So he assigned them to set up the venue in the coffee shop downstairs.
It was a bit of a hassle. They had to move the big tables out of the booth seats to the back, clearing space for the adults to move around and socialize. More importantly, it was for setting out the food—Yang Yi planned to do a buffet-style setup where people could walk around and grab what they wanted. They also needed to leave enough seats for tired adults to rest and for the little ones to play.
As for the piano, Yang Yi decided to keep it for now. Guo Ziyi volunteered to act as a temporary pianist for Yang Yi, though Ding Xiang was skeptical—she thought Guo Ziyi's arms would be too sore to lift after moving all the stuff.
Upstairs in the kitchen, Yang Yi was busy preparing the food for the afternoon party, starting with some desserts and snacks since some needed to chill in the fridge for a while.
Xixi was playing with her kittens, but the little girl was especially excited today and couldn't sit still. Every so often, she'd patter over, poke her head in, and pretend to be very interested, asking, "Daddy, what are you making?"
"Making pudding—all kinds of pudding. Right now, I'm working on matcha pudding." Yang Yi was adding some matcha powder to the ingredients, stirring slowly to mix.
"Oh!" The little girl wasn't interested in how it was made—she was very interested in eating pudding—but for now, she just licked her lips and continued, "Daddy, when are Xin'er and the others coming?"
Yang Yi poured the mixed matcha pudding into specially bought pudding jars, placed them in a steamer with hot water, and lit the stove.
"Aren't they coming in the afternoon? They'll probably have lunch, take a nap, and then their parents will drive them over. It's still early!" Yang Yi wiped his hands and smiled at Xixi.
"Oh, I see? I really want to play with them already. Daddy, look, Xiaoguai is waiting too! I told her that lots of big sister's friends are coming to see her today!" The little girl pointed at the kitten in the living room, which was licking its paw and looking at her.
Yang Yi had banned the kittens from the kitchen. Sometimes, if they wandered into the dining room, he'd shoo them back, since those areas needed to be clean.
To keep them out of the kitchen, he'd even bought citrus-scented spray and used it near the kitchen entrance. Cats didn't like that smell, so Xiaoguai and the others, though they loved sticking close to Xixi, stayed far away from the kitchen.
"I see. So, have you thought about how you're going to entertain your friends this afternoon? Besides showing them the cats, what else do you have planned?" Yang Yi asked with a slight smile.
"I need to plan something? Let me think!" Xixi found something to do and stopped bothering her dad.
...
Finally, afternoon arrived. Outside the small Yang family building, luxury cars were parked everywhere. Springfield Kindergarten really lived up to its location near the wealthy villa community in Tingshan District...
"Yang Dad, I didn't know what to bring. Where I'm from, we usually bring red wine. It might not be the most fitting, but I'll leave it with you—you and your wife can have a candlelit dinner or something! Haha!" Lan Xin's father, Lan Zhoukai, was a real estate tycoon. Though not in a suit and tie, his casual clothes still exuded an air of distinction.
Of course, his build was also impressive—he definitely looked like Lan Xin's biological dad.
"This is great! I love this stuff!" Yang Yi laughed heartily as he shook hands with him.
Yang Yi was putting on a bit of an act, just like in his past life when he navigated big events on missions. The quiet coffee shop owner had completely transformed into a smooth socializer, chatting and laughing with Lan Zhoukai, then switching to a refined conversation with another kid's parent.
Red wine wasn't really a great gift, since Murphy had given up alcohol entirely. Even if they had a candlelit dinner, they wouldn't open it. But Yang Yi still accepted it with delight, leaving a good impression on Lan Zhoukai.
The adult world was indeed complicated, but the children's world was much simpler. As soon as Lan Xin arrived, she broke free from her father's hand and ran excitedly toward Xixi, who was talking with others. The two little girls hugged each other joyfully.
A group of little friends chattered away, full of lively noise.
Lan Xin's mom was a homemaker. She smiled at Yang Yi and said, "Our Xin'er comes home every day praising how well Xixi's dad cooks. Yang Dad, you've got to teach me a few tricks, or Xin'er won't like my cooking anymore!"
"No problem at all—we'll chat more later." Yang Yi laughed. Just then, another parent arrived with their child. He made an apologetic gesture, had Guo Ziyi come over to help entertain, and went to greet the new guests.
Ding Xiang was hardworking and capable, but she couldn't handle this kind of social setting. Guo Ziyi, on the other hand, seemed to take to it naturally, not at all like a sixteen-year-old. He grabbed a few glasses of juice and chatted and laughed with the guests, handling them well.
The newcomers were Yang Luoqi's family, but not her mom, whom Yang Yi had met before. It was a middle-aged man. The well-behaved Qiqi, unlike Lan Xin, stood shyly by his side and politely said, "Hello, Uncle Yang."
"Hello, you must be Yang Xi's dad? I'm Yang Luoqi's dad, Yang Guo. This is probably our first meeting—her mom usually picks her up, but she's busy today." Yang Luoqi's dad was older than Lan Zhoukai, who had married late for business. He wore black-rimmed glasses and had a scholarly air.
"Haha, yes, we're practically family from three hundred years ago! Nice to meet you!" Yang Yi shook his hand and laughed.
He didn't forget Yang Luoqi and nodded at the neatly dressed little girl. "Qiqi, you're finally here! Xixi has been talking about you all morning!"
"Really?" Yang Luoqi looked delighted, eagerly glancing toward Xixi and the others.