6:28 AM.
Little Orange was pounding on the door, shrieking "Mami" and "Daddy," alternating between Chinese, Spanish, English, and French to greet her lazy parents still in bed.
The snow-white thin quilt was rolled into a cocoon-like ball. It shifted, and a furry head popped out first, squinting handsome eyes with a resigned sigh as he ran his fingers through his short hair. In the crook of his arm, a slender figure propped herself up, urging him, "Put your clothes on first."
The banging on the door was almost loud enough to break it down, but Little Orange stuck to their previous agreement—without permission, she absolutely, absolutely could not open the door herself.
"Dad—Mom—the sun is shining on your butts—!"
Chen Yi yelled back through the door, "It’s the weekend. Why are you up so early?"
"I haven’t seen you all night. I missed you so much, Mom and Dad." Little Orange switched to Spanish, sweetly pouring on the sugar, "I dreamed about you all night long, thinking of you the whole time."
Miao Jing’s heart melted, and she couldn’t wait to get out of bed and open the door, but Chen Yi tangled her up. Calmly, he replied to their daughter, "Didn’t you promise Oscar yesterday that you’d go biking and feed the squirrels with him this morning? And you said you’d greet Leo first thing when you woke up, and give Lola the delicious cookies you baked."
"Yes, I’m toooooooo busy!"
Little Orange stomped her feet at the door and dashed toward Meijisi: "Grandma, can we bake nut cookies together? I also need to call Leo, and then…"
The bedroom door fell silent.
Chen Yi’s arm wrapped around Miao Jing, pulling her back onto the pillow. Both wore faint, amused smiles. He winked at her, clicking his tongue triumphantly, "She’s gone."
"How do you manage to fool Little Orange every day?"
"Exploit the enemy’s weaknesses to buy yourself some time." He propped his head on his arm, fingers stroking her cheek. "Waking up to see my little sister has grown so beautiful."
Her clear, bright starry eyes were just as before, but time had completely stripped away her youthful aloofness. The relaxed elegance in her brows and eyes spoke of a smooth, contented life, blending mature charm with an ethereal grace.
"Who’s your little sister?" She wrinkled her nose, bumping it against his. "Shameless."
"Haven’t you called me ‘brother’ enough?" He grinned mischievously, his expression turning a bit lewd. "How about something not suitable for kids?"
He leaned in to kiss her soft, rosy lips, their tongues entwining. The snow-white thin quilt slipped down to their waists, revealing his robust, well-proportioned shoulders and back. The beautiful, smooth muscles along his spine tightened into defined lines, his smooth wheat-toned skin and muscle contours exuding a powerful, sensual appeal. That handsome face radiated the mature, dashing charm of a grown man.
The thin quilt was pulled up, enclosing them in a private space where all sounds were muffled, ambiguous, and hazy. The plain white bed curtains swayed gently like rippling water.
The timing was perfect—Little Orange’s attention was diverted for only half an hour. When she knocked again, she was allowed in. She found her dad lounging on the balcony, a cigarette held lightly under his nose. Little Orange knew this habit of his and climbed onto a stool to scale his broad back, hanging onto him.
"Papa, you can only smell it, not smoke it. Smoking men stink."
"You little rascal, what do you know about what smells good or bad?" Chen Yi tapped her nose. "Did you bake the cookies?""It's in the oven. Is Mommy taking a bath? Mommy smells so nice, and Teacher Luna at kindergarten smells nice too. She loves rose perfume the most. When I grow up, I want to wear perfume too, orange-scented..."
"Alright, alright." Chen Yi hugged his daughter and led her into the bedroom, pulling a T-shirt over himself. "Where do you want to go today? Mom and Dad will accompany you. We'll go to Chinese class first, then play soccer, and have pizza for lunch, okay?"
"I love watching Journey to the West, but I don't like learning Chinese. None of the kids at kindergarten understand when I speak Chinese." Little Orange sat on the sofa, staring at her father. "Dad, when are we going back to China?"
"When you're a little older."
"But what about my friends? What about our home? When will we come back? Why do we have to go back?"
"We have a home in China too. It's where Mom and Dad grew up and lived."
"Did you and Mommy know each other since you were little, like me and Oscar? Mommy calls you 'brother' too. You got married and had a baby. Will I have to marry Oscar, and Leo too..."
"Stop right there." Chen Yi covered Little Orange's mouth. "You're still a child. You can't get married. Oscar and Leo are just your good friends. Girls can't just marry anyone."
Last year, Little Orange started at an international kindergarten. She became inseparable from her friends, playing and roughhousing with them every day. The thought of leaving brought tears to her eyes, as she couldn't bear to part with her little companions.
The return to China was scheduled for after Little Orange graduated from kindergarten, just in time for the start of elementary school there.
Returning to Tengcheng—after so many years abroad, it remained the one place that left the deepest impression and held the most significance for the two of them.
They would also cherish the memories of the years spent on this foreign soil—the vibrant, passionate, and chaotic days, every landscape they had seen, every joy they had experienced, the diverse people they had met, and the myriad experiences they had lived through. They hoped these memories would be reflected in Little Orange's clear, innocent eyes, and that she would grow up with an open-minded, cheerful, and colorful personality.
Little Orange adored Gino's family, loved Grandpa Pierre, enjoyed visiting her dad's company and factory, admired her mom's cool work with cars, loved the street dances and performances, cherished the small animals at the farm and the bamboo shoots in the mountains, delighted in dashing into the heavy rains of the rainy season, reveled in the warm yet refreshing seawater, and basked in the praise from other children.
When people asked if she would forget Bogotá and the life here, she, still so young, patted her chest and declared she wouldn't. She buried strands of her hair and fingernails in the soil, saying her DNA would remain in South America. Miao Jing and Chen Yi helped her bury treasures—small wooden boxes containing her beloved toys and keepsakes collected by her parents. One box was entrusted to Pereira, who had been with her since childhood; one was buried under the tree at home; one was placed by the stream at the farm; and one was hidden in the coconut grove by the sea. If they ever returned, they could dig them up again, like Ali Baba finding the key to the treasure cave.
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