Extra Chapter 10
Today, Baldy grew wings. His tiny wings are like little buds. If you don’t part the feathers on his back, you can hardly find those tiny wings.
The whole family gathered around Baldy. He Ruge looked at the wings, which had few feathers, with some concern. He never expected Baldy to be born bald, and now his wings were also bald.
“Guican, are your wings like this too?”
If Xie Guican’s wings are the same, then it might be a genetic issue in the family.
Xie Guican quickly shook his head in denial. Jokingly, he said his wings and head were the only two parts not bald.
How could he suddenly be accused of being bald?
This made He Ruge even more worried. Only Baldy himself felt good about it, still calling his wings “little bald”.
To help the wings grow feathers faster, every night after bath, He Ruge would brush Baldy’s wings with sesame oil. It’s said that sesame oil promotes hair growth. Xie Guican didn’t know if this was true; he just knew it made him crave chicken wings.
“With these wings, can I fly?” Baldy looked at Xie Guican brightly.
“Like how Papa flies.”
Xie Guican nodded and added, “But wings without feathers can’t fly.”
Baldy suddenly realized the seriousness of the problem. At such a young age, he understood the pain of being bald. But upon hearing that they could go to Earth, Baldy instantly forgot about the baldness issue.
—
Today we went to my spouse’s hometown. Baldy was excited partly because we were visiting the place my spouse often mentioned and partly because he didn’t have to do homework.
We didn’t have much time there, just one day, and we had a lot to do.
First, we visited an ancient temple. Baldy had a monk he admired in mind, but there were no little monks. Baldy couldn’t transform into a human form yet, so he couldn’t pretend to be a little monk.
The facial colors of the temple’s statues were slightly faded. Baldy wasn’t interested in the smoky interior; he liked the big tree in the courtyard adorned with red ribbons.
Each red ribbon had wishes tied to it by men and women of faith. Is placing hopes on such elusive things seeking solace or weakness?
Baldy insisted on tying a red ribbon himself. Eventually, our whole family wrote wishes and tied them to the branches. Baldy’s wish was written by me: to eat three ice creams every day.
Bobo’s wish, written by my spouse, was to sing favorite songs for the one he loves for them to listen to.
My spouse’s wish was for our loved ones to live worry-free in this lifetime.
In the temple, there was also a square pool with turtles about the size of Baldy. Turtles large and small were motionless on stone carvings. One big turtle stretched its neck and lifted its head to look at us.
Baldy excitedly howled, eager to play with that big turtle.
“Papa, can we keep this?”
Baldy wasn’t referring to the turtle but the red and black fish in the pond.
I said no. Baldy didn’t protest but sighed in disappointment, soon distracted by the shiny objects at the bottom of the pool.
The coins left by tourists on the pool floor looked like little stars. We saw our reflections on the water’s surface: Baldy waving his little paws, Bobo blowing bubbles, my spouse smiling, and finally, I saw myself.
I was smiling too.
The uphill path was tiring. Bobo definitely couldn’t walk, so I carried him up the mountain. When going downhill, Baldy complained of tiredness, so I carried him too. I noticed my spouse seemed tired too, so I carried my spouse on my back.
Under the scorching sun, a section of the mountain path lacked tree cover, and sunlight bathed us completely, the breeze felt like a heat wave.
Fuzzy Baldy rubbed against me in my arms, making me sweat. I asked Baldy not to move, threatening he would have to walk himself. Finally, Baldy stopped looking around, hooked his little paws onto my clothes, and stuck his tongue out at passing tourists.
Those two tourists stared at us, staring at Baldy, Bobo, my spouse, and then me, eyes dazzled and bewildered, but they didn’t look at the road and almost stumbled down the mountain.
I avoided them without looking aside, both cubs turning their heads in my arms, one resting on my left shoulder, the other resting his chin on my right shoulder.
That little rascal Baldy laughed as people stumbled, and Bobo worriedly gasped. When they saw they were safe, they breathed a sigh of relief.
I touched Bobo’s little head, Bobo and my spouse felt cool to the touch. In summer, I liked holding my spouse’s hand; his arm was soft and cool. Sometimes when it was too hot, my spouse would push my hand away, telling me not to touch him.
I used to not understand my spouse’s feelings until Baldy ran over and rubbed against me on a hot day. Then I understood how annoying my behavior was.
As we walked a stretch of mountain road, we saw a small vendor, cheap toys displayed on a small cart: bright yellow, deep purple, orange… Those colors caught Baldy’s attention.
An elderly person guarded an iron basin with black water boiling inside, brown eggs floating in it. My spouse said those were tea eggs.
As we approached, my spouse gently poked my waist, saying he wasn’t a child anymore and didn’t need me to carry him.
Upon hearing this, Baldy interjected, “Papa, when I grow up, I’ll carry you instead!”
Perhaps from kindergarten, Baldy would occasionally burst out with, “Papa, when I grow up, I’ll take care of you guys.”
I told Baldy, “Daddy’s earnings will last a lifetime; you don’t need to take care of me.”
Baldy exclaimed, somewhat bewildered, “Then what am I supposed to do?”
I said, “Just be good and don’t make me angry.”
Baldy quickly claimed he was the most obedient and simultaneously coaxed me for a plastic yellow duck and a tea egg.
Bobo didn’t ask for anything, instead pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat off me and my spouse. Baldy, with his mouth full of egg yolk, hesitated upon seeing this but soon used his paw, flavored with tea egg, to help wipe the sweat.
As I looked at the tiny Baldy in my arms, I pondered what he would be like when he grew up. During this period, I had read quite a few parenting books in my spare time. The books said children would go through puberty, and even the most well-behaved kids would become rebellious during adolescence.
I didn’t quite believe that.
I felt Bobo would never provoke me, but Baldy might just drive me crazy. Adolescence requires adult guidance, preferably without resorting to violence.
But with my spouse around, no matter how angry I might get, my spouse would surely intervene.
We could play the “good cop, bad cop” routine.
Playing “good cop” and “bad cop” was a local saying from my spouse’s hometown. My interpretation was one wielding a big stick, the other a carrot, and together they would effectively discipline someone.
My spouse explained it originated from opera performances where actors changed facial masks (bian lian), switching from a white mask one moment to another color with a flick of their hand.
Upon hearing this, Baldy immediately exclaimed, “Papa can change faces too! One moment laughing, the next moment becoming fierce at me!”
He sounded so aggrieved, as if he were standing up for himself.
Looking at Baldy, I wondered if he would really challenge me when he reached adolescence. What do children think during adolescence?
I didn’t know because I hadn’t experienced these stages myself.
My childhood, adolescence, and adulthood had no transitional periods, rushing forward like pulling up seedlings to encourage growth.
The word “adolescence” sounded like the green of spring, a time when everything rejuvenates, flowers are budding but not yet blooming, and young animals run on endless grasslands.
My heart was hardened, wrapped in layers of thorns, and very few things could penetrate and reach me. Baldy and Bobo were like seeds, taking root, sprouting, and growing in my heart.
Seeds need light and water. My spouse was like light, and although I once thought I couldn’t provide them with water, even the driest emotional sea could squeeze out a drop or two for those in my heart.
If the seeds I watered in my heart grew into thorns, they might hurt me.
But looking at Baldy’s current silly appearance and Bobo’s obedient nature, I felt I was overthinking. Baldy was preparing to share a half-eaten tea egg with us; we refused, and Baldy happily enjoyed the treat himself.
Baldy is simple; his happiness is simple, and his sadness is simple too. He is always happy, able to be delighted for a long time by patting his head, or thrilled all day by eating an ice cream. Being around him seems to infect me with his joy.
Thinking this way, raising Baldy also has its benefits. Just as caring for houseplants freshens the air, raising Baldy yields happiness.
When we reached the foot of the mountain, Baldy didn’t want me to carry him anymore. He jumped down by himself and dashed ahead. Watching the fluffy little ball run ahead, I worried he wouldn’t stop and might tumble down.
Luckily, he didn’t fall. Baldy was tough and shrugged off the fall.
My spouse had some matters to attend to and parted ways with us at the foot of the mountain.
Baldy and Bobo were easy to handle, especially Baldy. Sometimes I wondered if he’d been sold and was now helping someone count money. A passerby tempted Baldy with food, and Baldy sniffed, turning his head wherever the food was moved.
Normally, besides ice cream, I didn’t withhold snacks from him. Why was Baldy acting so helpless?
He just lived too well, born into a sweet life without lacking anything. He knew everyone around him liked him, and he knew that by being cute, he could get a lot.
He had never encountered bad people, never had a childhood filled with malice.
That’s good.
He would grow up happily forever, always being a cheerful Baldy.
I would always protect him until he grew up and stood on his own.
Everything I never had, he would have.
That’s good.
№914
Speaking of returning to our hometown, my favorite anchor also returned to theirs, so there’s no updates. OP, you’re awesome for not missing any updates! Here’s a gold star for you~
№915
When Baldy and Bobo enter adolescence in the future, the theme of the posts should be “My rebellious kids are breaking my heart,” hahaha!
№916
I’m curious about what experiences OP had before. It seems like OP is someone with many stories!
№917
What are tea eggs? Are they delicious? *slurps*
№918
Actually, some kids are quite well-behaved. Maybe OP’s little ones will always be those precious babies who stay well-behaved.
