Extra Story: Parenting Version
By the time they were 10 years old, Ai Jia[1] and Ai Fu[2] were already the huge headache for Jiahui’s classmates.
Yi Wenze had long stopped acting much and withdrawn behind the scenes since past years. Jiahui still diligently worked as an earnest screenwriter so the duty of accompanying that little overlord pair for breakfast naturally fell onto Yi Wenze.
One morning when Yi Wenze wasn’t home, she finally wanted to act like a proper mother for a meal with them. Going downstairs, she discovered the two busily competing to peel eggs. Practically snatching over each other to peel four eggs clean and only one remaining that they both ogled… Just as the siblings were about to reach out, Jiahui directly took it herself.
“Mom.” The two simultaneously turned to her still blurry and smudgy eyes before exchanging another look. They seemed rather helpless.
“Let me see what you guys peeled?” Jiahui adopted a very approachable bearing.
They simultaneously pushed their plates over. Peeled neat and clean without any flaws.
Jiahui secretly sighed. Indeed her own dear kids, even peeling eggs so proficiently. Self-sufficient without needing adults whatsoever. After an internal bout of praise, she finally started on the egg in her hand too, casually asking, “You two were peeling so eagerly earlier. Is it always like that with Dad too?”
What she was actually more curious about was if Yi Wenze truly competed with them everyday over this too.
The siblings exchanged another look. Ai Fu[2] indifferently glanced at Jiahui, “Dad said before leaving, the one who peeled the least eggs has to be responsible for washing dishes.”
Jiahui mmm-ed, continuing to peel the shell.
Tiny egg fragments scattered the table until she finally accomplished her dismal task.
Only after biting into it in her mouth did she notice the two gleefully watching her.
“What’s wrong?” She desperately tried recalling if she had done something incorrectly?
“Mom, you shouldn’t have gotten up early,” Ai Jia[1] blinked her big eyes and profoundly sighed, “You lost.” Though sympathizing, the smile at the corner of her lips gleefully watched Jiahui’s misfortune. After Jiahui reacted and understood what her dear baby meant…
So for once she got up early only to become the scapegoat.
The family had an aunty helper on workdays but the moment weekends arrived, Yi Wenze never allowed the aunty’s presence under the name of training that little overlord pair. She could only resign herself to watching the two finish eating and cleaning the entire table of things.
Only after completely washing up did she run back into the bedroom and making a call behind closed doors. His side contained loud rustling winds as if on set, “What is it? Up this early?” As he spoke, he swiftly entered a car. “Did they wake you?”
Jiahui deeply sighed, “No. I suddenly got the notion of accompanying them to eat breakfast so I got up early.”
Yi Wenze’s voice held laughter as if already guessing what happened. “Then what?”
“Then your egg peeling rule set up my still sleepy mind as their scapegoat.”
He chuckled. “Sorry for troubling wife with housework.”
Jiahui hugged the phone aggrievedly. “When will you be back?”
“Probably night.” He calculated the time before gently asking, “Something the matter?”
Jiahui sullenly kept mum. What could be the issue? Outwardly he seemed so gentle around her. But those little overlords only feared him and utterly unafraid of herself. Very cute below age 5 but increasingly unmanageable past that…
Ah…why do youngsters nowadays hit their rebellious phase so early?
They talked a little longer before hanging up. The children had arts classes in the morning so after seeing the teacher out, she directly crawled into bed to continue sleeping. She actually wanted to accompany Ai Jia and Ai Fu watching them play piano but ever since age 7, the pair had solemnly announced during one late night talk the need to respect their learning process and not supervise them.
So according to Yi Wenze’s parenting method of absolute respect and allowing their natural development, she could only comply.
By her next alarm sounding, the piano had long gone silent outside.
Going downstairs to cook lunch, the two rare obedient lambs quietly sat waiting for her on the sofa.
Jiahui was somewhat bewildered, “What’s the matter?”
Why her sudden ominous feeling? Their personalities were truly far too identical to Yi Wenze.
In a household with one sinister[3] person, there’s an eaten-up-to-death[4] happiness. But three sinister ones[3] absolutely spelled disaster. Traps all around. She had just climbed up from one trial pit only to step into one even deeper… This was Jiahui’s greatest realization after 5 years.
“Mom, we need to seriously talk with you.”
Jiahui exhaled in relief and promptly smiled while sitting on the sofa, “Alright then. Want to eat lunch first?”
Ai Jia also smiled, “No need. Reducing fat.”
……
Okay. She needed to respect the kids’ willpower. Though the girl did admittedly have some baby fat.
Ai Fu drank some iced water and got straight to the point. “We both want to change names.”
Jiahui blanked momentarily. “Why? Aren’t your names quite good?”
Ai Jia adopted an unbelievable expression. “Mom, don’t you feel my name heavily overlaps with a certain famous somebody? As Yi Wenze’s daughter, how can I share the exact name with others?” After she finished, she felt her tone was too overbearing and swiftly smiled sweetly instead, “What do you think, Mom~?”
Jiahui shuddered. She seriously deliberated over this issue.
She had actually already judiciously doubted it before. But Yi Wenze insisted on their names back then.
Ai Jia looked at Ai Fu. Intention very clear – it’s your turn.
Ai Fu merely faintly smiled, “Then I’m even more embarrassed. This name obviously suits a little girl more.” He finished and continued drinking iced water. As Jiahui watched him, she could only sigh how even that action was far too similar to Yi Wenze.
She carefully considered before speaking, “Actually I feel your Dad acted somewhat rashly here.”
Ai Jia’s eyes popped wide to exchange a look with her brother.
Ai Fu directly spat water out, “Dad picked these names?”
Jiahui nodded. Sweetly reminiscing the past, “Back then, your Dad tricked me saying I wasn’t pregnant yet. He took me to an isolated beach with no one else around for four weeks and proposed right there, directly telling me you guys’ names. I was crying rivers but only then discovered he had long arranged for both sides of the family and my friends to hide at the end of the beach which was our wedding venue…”
Ai Jia immediately stood up. “Mom, I’m hungry.”
Jiahui bewilderedly looked at her, “Weren’t we talking about changing names? I feel it’s good too, to give you freedom. After all, it’s a lifelong matter.”
Ai Fu also rose with his glass, “Just kidding earlier. Dad chose the names brilliantly.”[5]
The two headed straight for the dining room one after another. Implication very clear – topic finished. Mom, you can start making lunch now…
Ever since discussing this, the siblings became extremely well-behaved for the afternoon that even she started feeling unused to it. She had wanted to urge them work on assignments but they instead proactively locked themselves in the study without ever emerging until Yi Wenze returned home.
“Dear,” As Jiahui watched him change into home clothes, she said, “After I hand in this draft, can we bring them back to New Zealand for summer vacation?”
Yi Wenze mmm-ed. He began changing pants.
Though Jiahui was utterly serious initially, upon seeing him so nonchalant, her face still reddened some. Eternal scourge ah… A decade into marriage yet not aging whatsoever? Even more ruggedly masculine…[2]
Hearing her lack of response, Yi Wenze looked back at her, “Did they bully you today?”
……
As someone who’d been mom for over 10 years already, still being asked this was quite the blow to her ego. She vaguely mumbled, “Aside from the egg peeling in the morning, they were extremely well-behaved afterward.” The more she pondered, the more suspicious she became. “Especially after noon. They were simply unrecognizable from usual, so obedient I wanted to bite my own tongue wondering if I was dreaming.”
He walked over as Jiahui still reminisced the strange happenings of the day. By the time he carried her onto the bed, she finally reacted to him not even having changed clothes. Directly bare as much as decency allowed… She awkwardly wiggled, “I still need to check they finished their assignments.”
“It’s Sunday tomorrow. I’ll look over them.” He grinned harmlessly gentle.
She deeply sighed once more, “I feel like I’ve been mom for 10 years yet have no sense of accomplishment whatsoever while you’re far too omnipotent.”
Yi Wenze merely smiled and kissed her cheek, “Wife, your greatest contribution is giving birth to them.”
“Yeah,” Jiahui smiled while hugging his neck, extremely close against him. “But I basically did nothing those months.”[6] She was simply too happy then. Yi Wenze pushed away all work, accompanying her at home everyday. The two passed their days gazing at one another without ever tiring.
At first Qiao Qiao and Xiaoyu were unaware but upon discovering Yi Wenze perpetually home whenever they visited, they thoroughly caved before this perfect man. The crux being she didn’t even suffer any pregnancy discomforts. Blissfully eating her fill…merely thinking about it moistened her…[7]
The more she pondered, the more she felt she took too much advantage back then from directly skipping childbirth pains. She very softly whispered by his ear, “Or let’s have another?” She would definitely personally educate this one herself, absolutely make them listen to Mom.
Yi Wenze stilled before gently saying, “No need. Two are enough.”
But I want to seriously raise a kid myself…
She increasingly felt losing out and tenderly pleaded, “Now when I think about it, the pain was only half a day. Let’s have another, okay?”
He neither agreed nor denied, slowly kissing down from her forehead. Successfully sealing away all her words.
By next morning waking, he already warmed milk for her.
Cupping the glass with both hands, she suddenly recalled yesterday’s conversation topic again, “You never finished yesterday. Why did those kids suddenly turn so obedient?” Yi Wenze placed the laptop on his leg while sitting on her bedside, “I emailed Ai Jia at noon.”
Jiahui ah-ed, “Email? Since when did you father-daughter pair have this level of rapport?”
“It’s an agreement between us. For important matters, it must be said by email.” He smiled watching her drink milk and said, “Drink faster. Lunchtime soon.”
Jiahui oh-ed very curiously, “Why make this agreement?”
“She really likes text,” Yi Wenze gently explained. “This is quite similar to you. She likes writing her thoughts down before sending them to me.”
Jiahui oh-ed again. Jealously staring at him.
So that was why it’s said daughters resemble fathers more. Looked like she needed to scheme some little tricks with Ai Fu too or she’d lose out too much.
“What does that have to do with them suddenly better behaved?” She suddenly reacted this was actually what she wanted to ask.
“I told her she’s forbidden from bullying Mom.”
……
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