Before he could finish speaking, Little Orange entered the café, waving at Miao Jing: "Mama."
Miao Jing beamed and opened her arms to Little Orange.
Chen Yi handed their daughter over to Miao Jing. Earlier, when passing by a flower stall, Little Orange had insisted on buying a few blooms—she wanted sunflowers for herself, a double-layered rose for Miao Jing, and a carnation for Auntie Si Nan.
"Little Orange is so thoughtful."
Dinner was Chen Yi's treat. They went to a Sichuan restaurant and chatted about returning to China—work, life, food, entertainment, and all sorts of topics. They agreed that if the couple ever went back to China, they must reunite there.
"Do you two have plans to return to China?"
"Not at least for now," Miao Jing smiled, her gaze sweeping over Chen Yi. "Maybe someday in the future."
Si Nan returned to China to visit family at least once a year, but Chen Yi and Miao Jing hadn't been back since moving abroad. Having traveled to nearly every country in South America, they had grown somewhat unfamiliar with life back home.
Wherever Miao Jing went, Chen Yi followed. If she didn't mention returning, he wouldn't think of it either.
After dinner, it began to rain. Little Orange had already fallen asleep in Chen Yi's arms. They parted ways at the restaurant entrance. Chen Yi's car was still parked near the café. Si Nan took an Uber and left first. Waving goodbye, she glanced out the car window and saw Miao Jing take off her coat to cover Little Orange, then open a floral umbrella to shield Chen Yi's shoulders. Standing on her toes, she wiped raindrops from his forehead. He wrapped his other arm around her, said something, and leaned in to kiss her. The kiss was quickly hidden by the umbrella, leaving only the sunflowers and rose peeking out from Miao Jing's bag, their petals dampened by the drizzling rain.
Come to think of it, ever since Little Orange became aware, their kisses had become as stealthy as a spy's—timing and location had to be carefully considered, along with their daughter's mood.
Little Orange didn't like Daddy kissing Mama, nor Mama kissing Daddy, but she loved it when both parents kissed her at the same time. Once, she sneaked into the bedroom at night and saw her parents playing their kissing game, completely oblivious to her presence. That time, she cried so loudly that Chen Yi ended up awkwardly carrying his blanket to sleep on the sofa.
As Little Orange grew older, she became more mischievous. Now able to run and jump, she often caused trouble without warning, with a sly, troublemaking streak. The first time she was truly punished was when she used kitchen scissors to cut off a lock of Auntie Meijisi's hair. Chen Yi spanked her bottom while Miao Jing stood by, watching indifferently. Furious, Little Orange ignored everyone for a whole day, playing with her toys in her room. Eventually, she discovered her parents had gone out on a date without her, feeling deeply betrayed.
The baby playpen in Chen Yi's office could no longer contain her. She began causing chaos everywhere—using Chen Yi's cup to water plants, dropping chocolate into guests' tea, clinging to Gino's arm and refusing to let go so she could go out and play.
For a while, Chen Yi and Miao Jing decided not to bring her to the office anymore. The neighborhood had plenty of children to play with, and she could have fun at home. But even at such a young age, Little Orange had her own opinions. Whether she went or not wasn't up to Chen Yi—she wanted to play at the office. Clinging to Chen Yi's leg like a koala, she smeared tears and snot on his pants, completely unfazed by her father's furrowed brow and grim expression.How could an amusement park compare to the fun of being by Dad's side? There were all sorts of people to meet—bearded uncles carrying guns, strange grandfathers smoking cigars and wearing sunglasses—and they could visit enormous warehouses and factories full of peculiar objects. Dad would buy her ice cream and all kinds of flavored candies.
The final compromise was Chen Yi's nod of agreement, but from then on, Little Orange could only sleep with Pereira at night and wasn't allowed to enter her parents' room without permission.
Happy lives are largely similar. The family of three went on vacation to the Caribbean, with Chen Yi and Miao Jing taking Little Orange to the Andres Islands and staying at the same hotel as before.
Little Orange was carried everywhere by Chen Yi, her clean feet never touching a single grain of sand. Clinging tightly to his neck, she refused to be put down, her legs splayed out like a split. Miao Jing laughed uncontrollably, pulling out her phone to capture the contrasting expressions of father and daughter. Eventually, the two carried Little Orange into the glass-blue sea, her small frame floating on Chen Yi's shoulders. Overjoyed, she exclaimed in Chinese, "This is so much fun!"
Exhausted from play, they returned to their room where the child slept soundly on the bed. The couple nestled together on the balcony to chat. This day happened to be Miao Jing's 28th birthday, while Chen Yi would turn thirty on Christmas Eve. They had known each other for exactly twenty years.
The first decade had been marked by barriers and separation, with both believing they would never look back.
Yet the second decade had already brought them Little Orange, reliving old dreams by this seven-colored sea.
"Little Orange is talking in her sleep," Miao Jing turned her head, quietly listening to the sounds from the room. "She still loves playing in water so much, she got overexcited today."
Chen Yi understood the child's murmurs: "She says the fish here are beautiful."
"Chen Yi, we're not doing too badly as parents, are we?" She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Did you know? When I was pregnant, I sometimes had nightmares. I was afraid if we had a boy, you'd beat him for being too mischievous. If we had a girl, I feared I might abandon her due to unknown difficulties. People say genes replicate, that some things are carved into our bones... But thankfully... thankfully..."
"Then have you heard this saying?" He patted her head. "I control my fate; it's not up to heaven."
That year, Chen Yi's luck was flourishing—his career expanding rapidly, partly thanks to Little Orange. Seeing how happily she played with neighborhood children, he imported numerous novel toys from China, coinciding with a retail channel that moved large shipments before Christmas.
Seizing the momentum, Chen Yi established a separate trading company right next to Miao Jing's office building, with his window directly facing her office pantry.
Occasionally, when Miao Jing passed by the pantry, she could see Chen Yi holding Little Orange, waving at her through the window. Perched excitedly on his shoulders, Little Orange would form a big heart with her hands for her mother.
The ones she loved were right within reach.
In the end, she was fortunate to have grasped what she truly wanted.
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