Chapter 113 (Extra)
Xiao Fu’s family dog turned out exactly how Chi Wang expected—plump as a semi-truck.
Well, not quite that hefty, but compared to most cats and dogs, it was big enough. Luckily, dogs are naturally active and get plenty of exercise, so at least its weight was somewhat under control. If it had been a lazy dog, it probably would’ve ballooned into a perfect sphere by now.
Chi Wang was genuinely worried the poor thing would eat itself to death, so he hired someone to take Xiao Fu’s dog on daily walks. Xiao Fu himself had no time—he mostly let the dog roam free, and occasionally tossed a ball around with it. That was about as much effort as he put in.
When Chi Wang and An An went to Xiao Fu’s house—naturally, Xie Siheng came along too. Otherwise, Xiao Fu would keep Chi Wang there forever. Besides, since Chi Wang’s office was on the way to Xiao Fu’s, it’d be easy to find excuses to stay.
With Xie Siheng there, at least the visit length was kept under control.
That was when Chi Wang got to see An An “riding a horse.” Xiao Fu hoisted the child onto his shoulders, letting him sit around his neck. An An grabbed two handfuls of Xiao Fu’s hair, calling out, “Giddy-up!” Xiao Fu let out a hearty laugh.
Chi Wang: “….”
The semi-truck of a cat in Xiao Fu’s house was now seven or eight years old and even lazier than before. On seeing Chi Wang arrive, it just flopped over on its back, belly up in greeting, nothing more.
Chi Wang had a feeling this fat cat would die of laziness one day. He picked up the cat by its legs and gently wobbled it; its jiggly belly sloshed around like it was filled with water.
All in all, with Xie Siheng present, they managed to have dinner and make it back home afterward.
Once home, An An collapsed onto the sofa, telling Chi Wang, “Dad, I wish school would start sooner.”
Chi Wang asked knowingly, “Why’s that? Other kids don’t like going to school. But you do?”
An An said, “Uncle is too clingy, and Grandpa and Grandma are also too clingy.”
Chi Wang teased, “Isn’t it good to have people fuss over you? Don’t you like Uncle and Grandpa and Grandma?”
An An cast him a deeply resentful look, crawled over on all fours, then climbed onto Chi Wang’s lap, wrapping both arms around his neck. Leaning in close, he whispered, “I do like Uncle and Grandpa and Grandma, but it’s tiring.”
Chi Wang held back a laugh. “How is it tiring? You look so happy every day.”
An An: “…”
Without another word, An An chomped down on Chi Wang’s shoulder. Chi Wang gave a theatrical yelp: “Ow—ouch, ouch!” Alarmed, An An let go, looking baffled. “But I didn’t bite down hard.”
That’s when he noticed a smear of blood on Chi Wang’s white T-shirt. His eyes went wide, and he panicked: “Dad, you’re bleeding!”
Chi Wang: “Huh?”
He twisted around and saw a fresh bloodstain on his shoulder. Stunned, he quickly caught on, then pressed An An’s chin. “Baby, open your mouth. Let me see.”
An An blinked but obediently opened wide.
An An had a row of lovely, neat baby teeth. Right now, his upper front tooth was loose and bleeding a little.
Chi Wang’s voice shot up. “An An! Your baby tooth is coming out! Hey, Sheng Sheng! Come quick—An An’s losing a tooth!”
Xie Siheng hurried over and pulled An An’s mouth open for a look. He reached in, about to yank the tooth out with his bare hand, and An An got a fright. He toppled off Chi Wang’s lap and tried to bolt, but Chi Wang grabbed him just in time.
“You can’t run off. That tooth needs to come out,” Xie Siheng said firmly.
“No way!” An An tried to tickle Chi Wang, who wasn’t on guard and burst into laughter, loosening his grip. Taking the chance, An An vaulted over the sofa back. But before he could get away, Xie Siheng seized him, scooping him into his arms.
An An clamped a hand over his mouth, mumbling, “I don’t want my tooth pulled.”
Chi Wang sat up straight and pulled him into his arms, warning, “If you don’t pull it, the new tooth won’t grow in. Then you’ll have no front tooth, and you’ll look really funny.”
An An asked, “When will the new tooth grow in?”
Chi Wang: “Uh…”
He glanced over at Xie Siheng, who said, “About three months. In three months, your new tooth will come in.”
An An frowned. “That’s so slow.”
Quietly, Xie Siheng said, “If we don’t pull the old one, the new tooth could rot under the gum.”
An An’s eyes widened in horror. At last, he withdrew his hands and said meekly, “Then… Dad, you do it.” He clung to Chi Wang’s arm, pointedly calling him “Dad,” as if giving special instructions.
Chi Wang said, “If you let me pull it, you should know I have a heavy hand.”
But An An still clung to him, giving Chi Wang’s cheek a pitiful little kiss, hoping he’d be gentle.
That gesture made Chi Wang’s heart melt. “All right, all right, I’ll do it.”
He didn’t know why An An trusted him more than Xie Siheng for this, especially since it was obvious that Xie Siheng was more experienced. But he couldn’t let down this show of faith.
So Chi Wang fetched a thin piece of string and carefully tied it around An An’s tiny, white front tooth. He was just about to yank it when An An leaned forward, gazing at him with wide, apprehensive eyes.
Chi Wang couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. “Baby, stay still. Are you scared of the pain?”
An An replied, “I’m not scared of pain. I just don’t wanna lose it.”
Chi Wang understood that An An truly meant it. He was different from other kids. When he tripped and fell, he didn’t cry or want anyone to pick him up. Even if he scraped his knees or wrists, he wouldn’t cry. Chi Wang and Xie Siheng had once worried he might share Chi Wang’s high pain tolerance, but it turned out An An did feel pain—he just didn’t want to cry about it.
Sometimes, Chi Wang found this kid baffling. At that age, wasn’t he supposed to be running around crying over every little thing? But An An never did—though it also made him easier to take care of.
Suddenly, Chi Wang pointed at the ceiling. “Wow, look at that huge spider!”
An An’s head jerked up. “Where?”
In that moment, Chi Wang gave a sharp tug, and the tooth popped right out.
An An froze for a second. He patted his mouth, only to find the tooth already gone. “Dad, you trick me.”
He gaped in shock, then clamped his hand over his mouth.
Chi Wang burst out laughing—“Hahahahahahaha!”—and Xie Siheng silently clapped a hand over his mouth to hush him.
An An shot him a reproachful look, and Chi Wang struggled to resume his “dad” persona. After prying off Xie Siheng’s hand, he cleared his throat. “Ahem, Baby, it’s normal to lisp a bit when your front tooth is missing. We have to accept it calmly. Don’t worry. Ha…ha—cough, cough.”
(Cracks up once.)
An An: “…”
Xie Siheng consoled him, “In three months, your new front tooth will be here. Just don’t go around licking your gums, or the new tooth might grow crooked.”
Obediently, An An said, “Okay, I won’t lick.”
Chi Wang tried to play it serious. “An An, it’s so early for you to lose a tooth. Most kids lose theirs at six, but here you are, losing yours at five!”
In a contemplative tone, Xie Siheng said, “It varies by child. Some start losing teeth at five.”
Chi Wang nodded. “I think I lost mine when I was six. My first one was a front tooth, too, and I had trouble speaking—haha.”
(Cracks up twice.)
A scowl formed on An An’s face, and he turned to leave. Chi Wang called after him, “Wait, An An, you’re supposed to put your baby tooth under the bed so your new one can grow in!”
An An paused. “F’ omgh…”
Chi Wang: “Hahahahahahahaha—”
(Cracks up thrice.)
An An’s face went cold. His big, pretty eyes narrowed, now every bit as intimidating as Xie Siheng’s when he was annoyed.
Chi Wang instantly dropped to his knees. “I’m sorry, Baby. Daddy has a low laugh threshold. Ahem, I’ll stop. Really, I’ll stop. I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”
An An reluctantly flashed a tiny grin, revealing the black gap in his front teeth. “It’s okay, Dad.”
Chi Wang: “Pfft—”
Xie Siheng covered his mouth again and, bending down, explained to An An, “When you lose an upper tooth, you place it under your bed; when you lose a lower tooth, you toss it onto the roof. In some regions, it’s a tradition to wish for healthy, straight adult teeth.”
The humor dropped from An An’s face; he nodded solemnly. Then, taking the tooth from Chi Wang’s palm, he cast one last aggrieved glance at him and walked away.
Chi Wang reached out helplessly: “An An, I’m sorry—”
But An An didn’t turn around. He only sped up.
Once the boy was out of earshot, Xie Siheng let go of Chi Wang’s mouth and asked quietly, “Is it really that funny?”
Chi Wang’s lips curled in a frantic grin. “I don’t want to laugh, but An An’s lisp is just too cute.”
Xie Siheng said, “You were laughing too loudly.”
Clearing his throat, Chi Wang tried to regain some fatherly dignity. “I know, I know. I promise I won’t laugh anymore.”
*
An An returned to his room and placed the fallen tooth under the bed. Worried that the housekeeper might sweep it away, he found a nice little tin box, put the tooth inside, and placed it neatly near the foot of the bed.
Finished with that, An An went into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. With his upper front tooth missing, his grin did look rather silly. No matter how he smiled, it still came off goofy.
An An: “…”
No wonder Dad had laughed—he looked so silly, he himself wanted to laugh.
Soon, Chi Wang noticed that An An was barely smiling anymore. At mealtimes, he just buried his head in his food without talking. And if he absolutely had to speak, he typed out messages on his phone.
—Yes, An An was only five, but he could recognize a lot of characters, so texting posed no trouble.
Chi Wang: “…”
He’s so young, yet he cares about his dignity so much?
Chi Wang recalled when he was six or seven and first lost his baby teeth. Grown-ups would tease him, but he never minded. As for kids his age, well… they were losing teeth themselves, so nobody cared.
That same afternoon, after lunch, Chi Wang tried to talk to An An in a playful tone: “An An, school starts in a week. What if your classmates talk to you? You’ll need to speak, right?”
An An gave him a disgruntled glare and mumbled thickly, “Dad bad.”
Chi Wang beamed—his face radiating youthfulness, barely looking like a father of a five-year-old. Which was fair, because he hardly acted like one. He’d promised Xie Siheng he wouldn’t tease An An, but here he was, doing exactly that. “Hahaha, how am I bad? An An, you’re wronging me. Should I write ‘tragedy’ on my thigh in protest?”
An An: “…”
An An said, “Bad Dad, I don’t want you laughing.”
Chi Wang retorted, “I’m not! I’m not laughing at you!”
An An: “…”
