The man quickly finished what he was saying, set down his bowl, and hurried to the kitchen to make a steamed egg for his daughter.
As he left, Tang Yuxin reached out and gazed down at her own hands. They were tiny, with short, slender fingers like miniature chicken feet. Her skin was as soft as cotton. Biting her finger, she carefully climbed down from the bed and went in search of a mirror, according to fragments of memory she had.
The rural home they lived in was self-built. The only mirror was a large one embedded above the wardrobe. She ran to the mirror but was not even half its height yet. The three-year-old child reflected in the mirror was her.
Big eyes, small face, and hair tinged with a dry yellow hue.
Her hand reached to touch her face and, simultaneously, the child in the mirror did the same. Then, she pressed her face against the mirror.
Had she returned? Was she back home?
"Xinxin…" Unable to find his daughter inside the house, Tang Zhinian was panicked. Where did the child go? Could she have wandered to the toilet on her own?
"Xinxin?" Putting down the bowl in his hand, he was preparing to search for his daughter when he turned around and saw Tang Yuxin standing in front of the mirror. Both her tiny hands clung to the mirror, standing there barefoot, her feet stark against the floor, neither socks nor shoes on.
"Why aren't you wearing your shoes?" Walking over, Tang Zhinian gently picked her up and placed her on a chair. He then wiped her small feet with his hand. His rugged face bore an unwavering expression of love for his little girl.
Tang Zhinian was a big, strong man with a kind and honest demeanor. His biggest pride in life was his daughter, Tang Yuxin. Seeing how fragile and endearing she was, he was certain she would grow up to be a beautiful young woman.
"Daddy will get the egg for you," he teased, touching her cheek before standing up to go to the kitchen. Little did he know, as he turned away, Tang Yuxin's typically cheerful eyes turned dark, devoid of any light. Suddenly, two big tears squeezed out of her eyes. She quickly wiped her face clean with her sleeve and reached down to touch her soft and tender toes.
A three-year-old child. Yes, that's it—a three-year-old child.
Not long after, Tang Zhinian returned, looking much younger than he would be in thirty years. His back was straight, his waist unwrinkled, and his hair was black. He labored in the fields to support his family. There was nothing wrong with earning a living by the sweat of one's brow.
He squatted down, took the spoon, and began to feed his daughter.
Tang Yuxin ate her food bit by bit without being as fussy as she used to be. She remembered how picky she was as a child, rejecting this and that dish, yet her father always pampered her, preparing all kinds of delicious food for her. Yet, ever since her parents divorced, she ended up living with her mother, Sang Zhilan, and she had to correct all her spoiled tendencies because of her younger yet more spoiled stepsister, Wei Jiani. Every good thing, be it food or clothing, always went to Wei Jiani first, and she ended up wearing Wei Jiani's cast-offs.
If she was the princess before going to the Wei Family, then it could be better said that she was truly a princess when she had a father.
For her, there are too many unreliable people and things in this world. Even her biological mother planned her entire life, leaving her to wonder whom she could rely on or trust. Therefore, after her divorce, she lived alone. At that point, she realized that the one who loved her most in the world was not her mother, but her father, whom she had always despised for being ugly, poor, stupid, and incompetent.
A dad is a real dad, but a mother might belong to someone else.
"My little Xinxin is behaving so well today." Tang Zhinian gently pinched his daughter's small face. His rough fingers brought a touch of sincerity. Tang Yuxin cracked a smile. Her wrinkled eyes looked incredibly beautiful as she forcefully swallowed the tears that were threatening to fall.
She wouldn't cry, yes, she wouldn't cry.
Now that she's seen her dad, she will fulfill in this life the filial piety she couldn't fulfill in her past life. The mistakes she made in this life, she would make up for in this life. The people she feels guilty towards, she'll repay herself.
Tang Zhinian was pleased. His daughter was exceptionally obedient today and she wasn't picky about food anymore; she finished a whole bowl of eggs. Previously, she rejected so many things: she wouldn't eat eggs that were too soft or too firm, she wouldn't eat without soy sauce, she wouldn't eat anything that was broken. Today's carefully steamed eggs were still somewhat broken, but thankfully, she didn't complain and ate them all.
Only after Tang Zhinian wiped his daughter's little feet clean with his own sleeves could he manage to find her shoes to help her put on. Although he, Tang Zhinian, had little to his name and was buried in the busy farmwork from dawn till dusk with little hope of providing his daughter with a comfortable life, he gave everything he had to raise her. Other children wore homemade clothes, sometimes with patches; it was a common sight in these austere times.
However, Tang Zhinian never let his daughter wear patched clothes. He bought her clothes from the town, saving food from his own mouth to provide for his daughter. No matter how hard life got, even if he had to go hungry, he would never allow his daughter to suffer. Regardless of others favoring sons over daughters, his love for his little Yuxin was unquestionable. Even her name was given by the village's primary school principal.
When Tang Zhinian reached out to carry his daughter, Tang Yuxin gently shook off his big hand. "Dad, Xinxin can walk by herself." No matter what, she was an adult. Inside, she was a thirty-something year old soul with the life experience of three decades. She couldn't possibly let her father carry her, although she was currently very young, very young indeed.
"Alright," Tang Zhinian chuckled, ruffling his daughter's head, "Has my Xinxin grown taller?"
Tang Yuxin started to follow her dad, taking small short steps behind Tang Zhinian. Her legs were too short, her steps too small, but Tang Zhinian always matched her pace, fearing she might fall.
When they got outside, Tang Yuxin squinted her eyes against sunlight, shielding them with her small hand. The warm light fell like raindrops on her face and her onion-like petite fingertips.
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