“Great-Grandma, where did you go?”
Beibei wrapped her arms around the old lady’s neck. “These past two days, whenever I woke up, I couldn’t see Great-Grandma.”
At night she looked for Mummy, but during the day, it was Great-Grandma she sought.
“Great-Grandma had some things to do and went out. Tomorrow, starting tomorrow, when Beibei wakes up, she’ll see Great-Grandma again.”
The old lady said indulgently, “From now on, whenever Great-Grandma goes out, she’ll take our Beibei along. I won’t leave Beibei alone at home again.”
Beibei let go of Great-Grandma’s neck and asked seriously, “Is Great-Grandma telling the truth?”
“When has Great-Grandma ever lied to you? Great-Grandma loves you the most.”
Beibei smiled happily. “I like Great-Grandma the most.” Spotting Zhan Yue, she called out joyfully again, “Eighth Uncle, hug me.”
Zhan Yue took the little girl from the old lady’s arms and teased her, “Doesn’t Beibei like Eighth Uncle?”
“I do.”
“Is it the most?”
The little girl blinked her big eyes, looking at Zhan Yue. She seemed to struggle between telling the truth or a white lie, but in the end she told the truth. “Not the most, but I like all my uncles.”
Everyone laughed.
Mrs Shang teased her, “Beibei, tell Great-Aunt which uncle you like the most.”
“I like Daddy and Mummy the most, then Great-Grandma and Big Brother.”
“As for uncles, hmm, I like Second Uncle the most because I see him every day.”
With small children, whoever spends the most time with them is the favourite.
Second Uncle was there every day, picking her up, playing with her and making her happy. He was the most familiar and therefore the favourite.
Zhan Yue pulled a long face. “So Beibei doesn’t like Eighth Uncle the most. From now on, Eighth Uncle will squeeze out more time to play with Beibei, all right?”
The little girl nodded.
“A Ying, where are your grandsons?”
The old lady asked Mrs Shang as the two walked together towards the main house.
Beibei was carried by her eighth uncle.
“The older one is at kindergarten, the younger one went back to his mother’s family home with her. Only then do I get some peace. Beibei is still the easiest to look after. A little girl, so soft and sweet. Even listening to her ask endless whys feels pleasant.”
“Beibei does ask a lot of whys now. Only recently has her speech become clearer, and her little mouth just chatters non-stop.”
The old lady proudly praised her granddaughter for being articulate.
“Thank goodness she doesn’t take after her father. A Yin isn’t very talkative. She takes after Tongtong in being lively.”
Zhan Yue said, “Big Brother talks a lot now.”
“That’s only in front of family. When he was small, he spoke the least. If guests came, he would at most greet them, then sit quietly to one side without a word. He would only answer if someone asked him something.”
Mrs Shang smiled. “Zhan Yin was like that as a child. Beibei mostly takes after Zhan Yin in looks, but also a bit like Tongtong. She has gathered all the best features from her daddy and mummy.”
“Indeed, our Beibei will grow up beautifully.”
Once inside the house and seated, the servants brought hot tea. The old lady asked again, “Why don’t I see your Old Shang?”
“When he doesn’t have to mind the grandsons, he goes off fishing early. He’s obsessed with fishing now. If he doesn’t go for a day, he feels restless. Sometimes he even drags me along, saying he’ll fish and I’ll grill them, then we eat on the spot before coming home.”
Mrs Shang said with mock disgust, “The fish he catches are tiny little things. After grilling, you can’t even get two bites, such a waste of my effort.”
