Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?-Chapter 1040 - 1036: Duoduo’s Time

Shen Siyuan didn’t stay at home for long. Just like Grandma said, being around too long can become tiresome. Familiarity breeds contempt, after all, there is plenty of time later.

So in the afternoon, he returned to Bin Hai. However, he wasn’t idle; he and Ruan Hongzhuang, along with Taozi, went to the airport to pick up Ruan Xiangqian and his wife.

Meanwhile, as soon as Tang Tang and Xiao Ya got back, they were dragged into the bathroom by Mao Sanmei to take a bath. Without washing up, they felt like a lost cause.

As for Dou Dou and Duoduo, the two little ones each went back home.

When Duoduo returned home, she wandered around the house and found no one there, so she rode Yin Wind straight to the store.

Sure enough, she saw Mom and Dad stocking the shelves.

"Want me to help?"

Duoduo poked her little head out from behind the shelves.

"Duoduo, you’re back?"

Song Qingwei showed a look of delight, quickly put down what she was holding, and pulled her over for a hug.

Duoduo reached into her little pocket and pulled out a handful of wildflowers.

Though they showed signs of being squashed, they still looked as if they had been carefully tended to.

"For mom." Duoduo handed the neat bunch of flowers to Song Qingwei.

"Thank you, mmwah..."

Song Qingwei took it with a smile and kissed her on the cheek.

"What about mine? Do I have one?" Lin Jianming chuckled from the side.

"Shoo, shoo... What are you butting in for?" Song Qingwei gave him a disdainful look.

But hearing that, Duoduo dug into her pocket again and brought out an obviously opened piece of candy.

Lin Jianming took it and opened it to find the candy inside was wet and partially melted.

"Why is it all wet?" Lin Jianming asked curiously.

Duoduo said, "Great-Grandma gave me candy. I tasted them all, and this flavor was the best."

"So... So you spit it out and wrapped it up again?"

Duoduo nodded obediently.

Lin Jianming felt deeply touched, without a trace of dislike for his daughter.

Seeing him standing there dumbly staring at his daughter, Song Qingwei said with some amusement, "Hurry up and try it, see if it’s really as tasty. You aren’t disgusted, are you?"

"How could I be disgusted?" Lin Jianming cast an eye at Song Qingwei, hurriedly stuffing the sugar into his mouth.

"Oh, it’s really creamy with an orange flavor." Lin Jianming beamed.

Duoduo wriggled out of Song Qingwei’s embrace, rolled up non-existent sleeves, and said, "Let’s get to work."

"Haha, yes, with Duoduo’s help, the work will surely go quickly." Song Qingwei laughed.

The three continued stocking the shelves.

Just then, Lin Jianming suddenly said, "Right, Duoduo, there’s something I need to tell you."

"What?"

Duoduo, huffing and puffing while putting a large bag of items on the shelf, looked up with a small face.

"In a few days, Taotao will come to stay with us for a while." Lin Jianming said. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Duoduo scratched her head, feeling a bit puzzled, and asked: "Doesn’t he have school?"

"He’s on summer vacation now," added Song Qingwei.

"Summer vacation?"

"Yes, every summer students have summer vacations. Do you remember in the past when your brother had summer vacations, we would take you all out..."

Duoduo realized, she remembered that every summer, Mom and Dad would indeed take them to many places: The Great Wall, temples, and many beautiful spots. But she was too young then, and many details had faded from her memory.

"Then let him come; I’m very busy, no time to play with him." Duoduo put her hands on her hips, with the posture of a little adult.

The couple laughed at that.

"He’s a big kid too, doesn’t need you to entertain him every day. Play with him when you can, and otherwise, do your own thing."

"Okay, when is he coming?"

Just moments ago, she was full of disdain, but now looked eager, making it amusing.

"In a few days, his mom signed him up for a tutoring class that’s not finished yet."

Lin Jianming pondered, with uncertainty in his tone.

"Tutoring class?"

Duoduo, tilting her little head with a puzzled face, paused her work, "Why does he need tutoring? Is he not doing well in school?"

Actually, Lin Wentao’s grades weren’t bad; it’s just the current academic atmosphere is so competitive.

If you pause to play, others are still studying hard, and before you know it, you’re left behind, which means the wave of intense competition hits every household sooner or later.

Lin Jianming was mulling over how to explain this to his daughter when Song Qingwei smiled and said: "We don’t really know, you can ask Taotao yourself when he gets here, alright?"

"Okay!"

Duoduo responded crisply, immediately sticking out her little bottom, continuing to huff and puff as she stocked the shelves.

Her mouth, however, didn’t rest, arranging snacks neatly on tiptoes, and looking up at Song Qingwei with bright, expectant eyes: "Mommy, mommy, aren’t I super smart?"

"Of course!"

Song Qingwei tapped her little nose, speaking indulgently.

"Our Duoduo, if you go to school, you’d score 100% on every test!"

"Hehe, I knew it!"

Duoduo proudly lifted her chin, suddenly remembering something, and asked, "Oh, oh, when Brother Bo Bo was in school, did he ever score 100%?"

Duoduo’s words instantly drew Lin Jianming and Song Qingwei’s thoughts back to decades ago.

Lin Libo is nearly forty now, and memories of his school days are veiled softly.

But her question gradually brought those dusty moments into clarity.

Lin Jianming thought for a moment, shook his head helplessly: "Back then, your brother’s heart wasn’t in school, all he did was play."

"Exactly."

Song Qingwei took over, her eyes twinkling: "As soon as he grew older, he started secretly dating at school, making the teachers summon parents frequently in anger."

"Don’t even mention it! He put me in an awkward spot too many times!"

Lin Jianming slapped his thigh, with an expression of being amused and exasperated.

"Remember that winter? He got into a fight and had his head busted open, and in the end, we had to bail him out from the police station!"

...

They shared their accounts of Lin Libo’s youthful antics, and Duoduo was deeply engaged, her head bobbing with laughter.

"Heh, Brother Bo Bo is really silly!"

After listening, Duoduo put her hands on her hips, mimicking a little adult’s disdain.

"Next time I see him, I must ask about it and laugh at him properly!"

"Haha, yes!"

At first, Lin Jianming laughed along, but then his laughter quieted, turning into a long sigh.

Song Qingwei also fell silent, the couple exchanged a look, and their eyes filled with a faint melancholy.

They both recalled the image of Lin Libo’s youthful rebellion and at such moments, they missed Duoduo even more, feeling the days were increasingly hard to bear.