"Dad is acting really strange today. He won't play with Xixi!" Xixi hugged her big panda plushie and sat on the Persian rug in the living room. After a moment, she lifted her head and sneaked a glance at her mom, who was curled up on the sofa like a cat, reading a book.
Mo Fei was usually like this at home too—she liked to sit quietly by herself and let Xixi play on her own. She was willing to keep her daughter company, and if Xixi had something to say, Mo Fei would put down her book and respond gently. But sitting on the floor playing with toys like a child? That really wasn't her style.
{PS: In real life, plenty of adults are the same, and that's perfectly fine.}
Because of this, Xixi preferred being with her dad. He would play with her toys, act out roles with them, and tell her vivid stories.
"Mom said Dad is running a shop downstairs and won't let Xixi go find him," Xixi muttered to herself, her little mind wandering. "He must be sneaking down there to make something yummy, not letting Xixi have any. Xixi is so sad..."
Xixi was about to turn four today. She had her own thoughts and her own powers of observation. So she knew that when Dad ran the shop, he wasn't very busy—he often painted with Xixi! How could he be too busy to let her visit?
So, the little one's imagination ran wild, and she started thinking about other possibilities.
Xixi couldn't keep things bottled up. After grumbling to herself for a bit, her lively big eyes darted around, and she scrambled up from the rug to tug at her mom's hand. "Mom, I'm hungry."
Mo Fei put down her book and gently stroked her daughter's hair, saying softly, "Then Mom will make you a glass of milk, okay?"
But Xixi shook her head. "No, I want to eat a meal!"
Mo Fei felt a headache coming on. She stood up, walked to the kitchen, and opened the fridge. Seeing it packed with raw meat and fresh vegetables, she was at a loss. How was this fridge different from hers?
Mo Fei had two fridges at home. The one she often opened for snacks was in the living room, stocked by Aunt Zhu with her favorite treats, yogurt, and fresh fruit. Those were all ready to eat!
Now, everything in Yang Yi's fridge was raw, leaving Mo Fei, who had never lifted a finger in the kitchen, completely dumbfounded.
But Xixi knew what her mom was thinking. She pouted and said, "Dad put the good snacks in the cabinet by the TV, but Xixi doesn't want those."
"What do you want to eat?" Mo Fei asked, puzzled.
Xixi had been dying to say it: "I want to eat the yummy stuff Dad makes! Mom, can we go find Dad? He said he's right downstairs!"
Mo Fei frowned. She was just thinking of an excuse to calm Xixi down when she heard noise from outside. Mo Fei breathed a sigh of relief—thank goodness Yang Yi was back, or she'd be completely worn out by her daughter.
Xixi happily ran out of the kitchen first, then bounced up on her little legs for her dad to catch her. He picked her up, and she said a bit sulkily, "Dad, why didn't you pay any attention to Xixi this afternoon?"
"Uh, because Dad was doing something really big!" Yang Yi shot Mo Fei a look, signaling that everything was ready.
Mo Fei caught on and quickly turned back to the master bedroom, digging out the gift from her bag.
"What big thing?" Xixi's attention was immediately hooked by her dad's words. Forgetting to complain, she asked with bursting curiosity.
"This big thing is..." Yang Yi deliberately dragged it out, waiting for Mo Fei to come out.
"Oh, what is it?" Xixi cupped her dad's face with her little white hands, trying to turn it toward her, insisting, "I'm dying to know!"
"It's something Dad will take you downstairs to see!" Yang Yi said with a smile when he saw Mo Fei emerge.
"Alright, let's go see it quick!" Xixi wiggled her little bottom impatiently.
"Ready to go?" Yang Yi asked Mo Fei.
Mo Fei raised her jade-like hand to tuck a strand of windblown hair behind her ear and nodded.
It was already past seven in the evening. Though a faint afterglow of sunset lingered on the horizon, the sky had darkened, and the coffee shop inside was pitch-black, like a black hole.
Xixi had already gotten down from her dad's arms, but seeing this, she nervously pressed against his legs, grabbing his pant leg with one little hand and saying timidly, "Dad, I'm scared."
"Don't be scared. Once Dad goes in and turns on the lights, it'll be fine!" Yang Yi said with a slight smile.
But just then, he felt a tug on his shirt. He instinctively turned his head and saw Mo Fei's face, pale with tension, and her left hand lightly clutching a small corner of his shirt.
Uh, Yang Yi froze.
Was she scared too?
Mo Fei met Yang Yi's gaze and saw the surprise in his eyes. Her pretty face flushed, and she quickly let go, turning her head away.
"You're a grown-up, and you're still scared?" Yang Yi, clueless as ever, chuckled.
He really had no tact! Mo Fei shot him an annoyed glare, kicked him lightly, and said irritably, "Just open the door already!"
Little Xixi, being short, hadn't looked up and had no idea what was happening. She thought her dad was talking about her.
Grown-up?
Xixi said dazedly, "I'm three, but it's so scary!"
Mo Fei and Yang Yi, who had been playfully bickering, both froze at Xixi's words, then looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Opening the door, Yang Yi didn't flip the light switch. Instead, he pushed the main circuit breaker, and instantly, the coffee shop lit up like a flashbang had gone off.
Mo Fei and Xixi, caught off guard, were momentarily blinded. After a moment, they could see clearly.
"Wow!" Xixi gasped first.
Colorful fairy lights were strung up in front of the counter, twinkling. If the fluorescent lights were turned off, they'd look like little stars in the night sky!
Dangling from the fairy light wires were curled ribbons, with little triangular flags hanging at intervals. On the floor around them, Yang Yi had arranged balloons in various colors into borders—piles of four balloons forming triangles on one side, and stacks of eight balloons forming cubes on the other.
That wasn't all. The counter had been redecorated too, with rainbow stickers and small white balloons forming a sky-like pattern.
And inside the counter was a large whiteboard, with paper cutouts spelling out: "Happy 4th Birthday, Yang Xi!"
"So pretty!" Xixi couldn't fully read the words yet, but she recognized her name and ran over curiously to examine it.
"Xixi, today is your fourth birthday!" Mo Fei smiled softly, walking over to take the little girl's hand. "After tonight, you'll be four!"
"Is all this for Xixi's birthday?" Xixi had had birthdays with her mom before, but her memories were fuzzy. She just remembered it was never this grand, and she asked excitedly.
"Yes! Your dad has been preparing all day!" Mo Fei turned to look at Yang Yi.
She was seeing the results for the first time too. It wasn't overwhelmingly stunning, but every detail showed Yang Yi's thoughtfulness, and Mo Fei's eyes sparkled with emotion.