The cafe was near Lin Xinyan’s neighborhood. After they arrived, Zong Jinghao realized that the street was lined with restaurants. Turning behind, he asked his daughter, “Which restaurant is it?”
Zong Yanxi leaned against the window as she checked out the street.
At that moment, Zong Jinghao saw a restaurant carrying a huge signage which displayed “Crab Casseroles”. However, he also spotted the car which was parked in front of the store. It was the same car that Qin Ya drove, and he guessed that Lin Xinyan and Qin Ya were at this restaurant too.
Just as he wondered how to persuade his daughter on a change of restaurants, he saw the two ladies exiting the place.
They had arrived earlier and were done with their meal by then. This was the time when it would start to get crowded.
Zong Yanxi yelled for her mother when she spotted her. Fortunately, the car windows were wound up and the car was soundproof too, and hence, Lin Xinyan could not hear her.
Zong Yanchen quickly nudged his sister, “Did you forget what Daddy said? We came here secretly. Mom can’t know about this.”
She suddenly widened her eyes in realization and looked at her brother. “I forgot about that!”
Meanwhile, Zong Yanchen seemed rather used to his daughter’s unorthodox behavior and remained silent.
Lin Xinyan got into the car and shortly after, they drove out of the parking spot.
At the same time, Zong Yanxi glued herself against the car window as she watched her mother’s car drive past them. Pouting her lips, she muttered, “If only we could let Mom know about this. We can then have a meal as a family!”
Zong Yanchen truly acted like the elder brother as he pulled his sister into an embrace. We will definitely live together happily ever after.
This was definitely not a good subject to bring up. Zong Jinghao did not want to talk about it when he was with his children. After all, he felt really bad about the situation.
He parked the car in front of the restaurant and opened the back door. As he carried his daughter out of the car, he could feel how big and tall she had gotten.
Zong Yanchen did not need much babysitting and got down the car on his own. In fact, it was the same for his sister. However, she was used to being coquettish in front of her father and enjoyed clinging to him. She liked that he would hug her, even though she was considered a big kid by now.
The restaurant was not a large place but the ambiance was wonderful. It was slightly crowded at lunch hour and they had some difficulties getting a seat. Luckily, there was still an empty spot in the corner and the trio settled down there. Zong Yanxi started to order off the menu. Naturally, she got the crab casserole and congee. She turned to tell Zong Jinghao, “Mom likes the congee here.”
Lin Xinyan’s palette was similar to Zong Jinghao’s, and they liked food with a mild taste. Initially, the kids followed suit but after a few trips with Qin Ya, they gradually grew to love spicy food too.
Zong Yanxi almost teared from the spice during their first time.
However, the dishes served here were not especially spicy. Only first-time patronizes would find it so, and one would slowly get numb to the spice.
Zong Jinghao stroked his daughter’s head and said, “Order whatever you want.”
The young girl flashed him a smile and asked obediently, “Can I get an ice cream after this?”
Normally, Lin Xinyan would not allow her to do so, especially since too much cold food would be bad for the stomach. In autumn, one might even get diarrhea from having too much ice cream. But it was summer now, which was the perfect time for ice cream.
A summer without ice cream would be meaningless, wouldn’t it?
Zong Jinghao lifted his daughter’s chin as he observed her features. She resembled Lin Xinyan more and more, especially in the eyes. They were sparkling and turned into an almond shape when she smiled. However, her nose and lips resembled his.
Zong Jinghao tried to reason with her, “Mom doesn’t allow you to eat too much ice cream because it’s for your own good. You have to be a good girl, alright? Let’s not have ice cream. We should stay healthy.”
Immediately, Zong Yanxi pulled a long face and she pouted her lips. “I only want a little bit of ice cream. Mom is already so strict with us. Are you going to take away that little happiness and joy left in us, Daddy?”
“You will be happy when you have ice cream?” Zong Jinghao frowned.
“Yes. It’s joy when you eat what you like!” Zong Yanxi jumped down from her seat and lay her upper body on his lap. Her chubby cheeks rested on his thighs and her small arms wrapped around his waist. Even though Zong Jinghao had no belly, her short arms still could not go around his body and she could only tug on his shirt and begged, “Daddy, please just satisfy us. Just a little bit of ice cream, please?”
There was no way he could resist his daughter, as long as she acted cute in front of him. He could not bear to see her pouted lips and sat her on his lap. In a helpless manner, he told her, “Well, alright then. But just a little bit alright.” He was definitely going to spoil her.
“Alright!” Zong Yanxi agreed immediately. It did not matter how much ice cream she could eat, as long as she could have some.
Very quickly, the dishes were served. Zong Yanxi ordered about five to six specialties and the waitress informed them, “We offer rice here. Would you like to order some?”
“We don’t need rice.” Zong Yanxi waved her hands dismissively.
She never liked to pair these dishes with rice, but immediately after she said that, she looked towards her brother and father and asked, “Do you guys want rice?” Of course, she had to take care of their needs too.
Her brother shook his head. I don’t even know whether we can finish all this food. The crab casserole is filling enough. What more, Yanxi ordered the largest serving.
The crab casserole was offered in three sizes and could be chosen based on the number of patrons. The small serving was sufficient for one adult and two kids, but Zong Yanxi ordered the biggest serving available.
Similarly, Zong Jinghao did not want rice. He wanted to try the congee that his daughter claimed Lin Xinyan liked a lot. Furthermore, there were other dishes too and there was just not enough stomach for rice.
During mealtime, Zong Jinghao tried a bowl of the congee which melted right into his mouth. The grains were extremely well-cooked and the prawns were fresh too. It was indeed a delicious dish.
After a bowl of congee, he noticed his daughter’s face getting oily. With a slight frown, he pulled out a piece of napkin and wiped her face with it. “I will peel the crab for you.”
Meanwhile, Zong Yanchen was in a similar predicament. There were food bits all over his mouth as he told his father, “This is only good if you do it yourself!”
The crab casserole was served with the shell in it. Apart from the crab roe, there was also flesh in the legs.
“No, I want Daddy to peel it for me.” In front of Zong Jinghao, she wanted to be a needy baby.
Zong Yanchen glanced at his sister and twisted his lips. He remembered that it was her who said that it was best eaten when one peeled the crab on one’s own! Now, she changed her mind. I hope that Mom is pregnant with another sister. Otherwise, Yanxi is going to be spoilt so badly and she will never grow up!
If Mom has another daughter, Daddy will have to share some of his love with my new sister!
Yanxi won’t be this spoilt then.
Zong Yanchen continued to pray for his dreams to come true. This was the only way for his sister to grow up. Otherwise, she would always act like an immature child in front of Zong Jinghao.
After the meal, Zong Jinghao got them each a serving of ice cream. When they were done, there was not much time left and he quickly sent the children back to school. Before they stepped back in, Zong Yanxi asked him, “Are you coming again tomorrow?”
Zong Jinghao nodded. He would be around the neighborhood for a few days anyway.
Naturally, Zong Yanxi was ecstatic. She planted a huge kiss on his cheeks before entering the school with her brother. Her mood was obviously elevated as she just had a sumptuous meal with her father and even some ice cream!
Zong Jinghao only headed for the car after he made sure the children entered their classroom with their teacher. As he started the engine, the phone in his pocket rang. It was a call from Su Zhan. He had missed the latter’s call earlier since his phone was switched off on the plane.
After arriving in C City, he switched on his phone because Guan Jing needed to contact him regarding work and he could not go off the grid.
That day, Su Zhan and Shen Peichuan stayed at the office for a long time before bumping into Guan Jing in the evening. It was only then did they know that Zong Jinghao was not in B City.
Zong Jinghao did not hide this fact intentionally. When he picked up the call in Country Y, the two buddies heard “C City”. Guan Jing knew about this too since he was the one that purchased the plane ticket.
“Where are you?” Su Zhan asked.
Shen Peichuan was busy with work and he had to perform well this time. Since there was no time for him to travel, Su Zhan got bored and decided to look for Zong Jinghao instead.
After all, there was not much to do at his law firm and he had time on his hands. He wanted to find out more, especially to get an answer on whether Zong Jinghao really found Lin Xinyan.
Coincidentally, he wanted to ask Lin Xinyan about Qin Ya too, and hence, here he was at C City.
