4422 The Other Side 391
He and his sister running home and leaning over the kitchen stove, drooling over fresh beef.
Mu Qingcheng would urge them to wash their hands while she continued to prepare dinner with a smile.
When the hotpot was ready and served on the table, the two little guys would wolf down the food. They were not afraid of being scalded.
As Mu Qingcheng ate, she would suddenly stare at an empty seat at the table in a daze.
The table in the rental house was a typical eight-seater table. Each of the two children would sit on either side. With only three of them, one side of the table was naturally empty.
Mu Qingcheng would often get up, take out a bowl and pair of chopsticks, and place them on the table as if completing a pious ritual.
All the while, she longed too much to have her own family. The family she desired, had nothing to do with being rich and powerful. She only wanted a small family in which everyone was healthy and safe.
Occasionally, she would lean against the window sill and stare in a certain direction without moving.
Yun Shishi knew that her mother was waiting for someone.
A man.
She knew that this man was Xiao Jie's and her father.
But no matter how long she waited and yearned, he never did appear.
Sometimes, when she stayed by the window with her mother and gradually got sleepy, she would lean back on her mother's arm and squint, half-awake.
Then once, while she was in a daze, her mother suddenly ran out of the house. Through the dim light of the hazy afternoon, she saw, through the window, her mother throwing herself into the arms of a man.
The man was very tall and had a pair of lanky legs. He was dressed in a suit and leather shoes, but his every move gave others a sense of security.
This was something that Yun Shishi, who had always lived a wandering life, had never imagined. She struggled to raise her head, to look at the man's face, but then she woke up.
At that point, she looked out of the window in despair, not realizing that the scene she saw was just an illusion.
She couldn't help feeling disappointed.
When she turned around, she found her mother next to her, just like always. She rested her chin on her hand and looked out of the window, as if she would never get tired of looking outside.
Yun Shishi looked up at her mother and pouted sadly. "I had a dream just then."
"Oh? What sort of dream?"
"I dreamed of a man standing outside the door. Then you threw yourself on him and the two of you embraced each other…"
She would never forget the look on her mother's face upon hearing those words. The woman stared at the girl in shock, tears welling up in her eyes. Her heart ached so much that she pulled Yun Shishi into her arms. Suddenly, she broke down and felt herself choking.
"Mommy, is the person you're waiting for Daddy?" Yun Shishi asked curiously, "When will he come and get us?"
Mu Qingcheng could not hold back her tears when she heard that.
At the time, she vaguely realized, perhaps this man would not turn up in her lifetime?
The problem that she had deliberately ignored all this while was now before her again.
Could it be possible… that he'd never turn up…
"We won't get to see him…" Mu Qingcheng muttered to herself, seemingly trying to comfort her but also trying to convince herself. "I can't wait anymore. Mommy doesn't want to wait anymore…"
Eventually, those words came true. She never got to see him again.
…
With his back against the door, Gong Jie's heart suddenly palpitated.
Mother…
He couldn't bear to bring himself to recall her every frown, her every smile, or her voice.
Some things were best left in the past, unvisited.
