Chapter Sixteen
Three years later, end of summer.
Qin Song’s afternoon meeting went smoothly and ended early. He was in a good mood and went to pick up his wife. He drove Ting Ting to her parents’ house for dinner and also to pick up their son.
Ting’s dad earned another promotion and his workload was busier by the day. Ting’s parents moved houses, it had two bedrooms and a living room. Their new house wasn’t big but it was clean and had good ventilation. Under a giant tree in the courtyard in front of their house were gentle elderly ladies who sat on benches. Qin Song and Ting Ting’s little Shun Shun was the focus of everyone’s attention. Shun Shun’s stuck his bottom up in the air and excitedly performed folk dances, whilst the elderly ladies around Shun Shun used their fans to keep Shun Shun cool under the hot summer sun.
Qin Song rushed to pick up his precious son. He wiped the sweat off Shun Shun’s face and tossed Shun Shun in the air, which made Shun Shun laugh happily.
Han Ting Ting picked up Shun Shun from Song Song’s arms and put Shun Shun back on the ground. She thought the father and son pair were like each other, their middle names were both ‘play.’ ‘Shun Shun, where’s grandma and grandmother?’
‘They’re inside their living room undergoing special training,’ an elderly lady with two front teeth missing said. ‘Song Song’s mum lost again today.’
Before Qin Song’s family stepped inside the special training living room they heard a song being butchered. Qin Song and Ting Ting quietly exchanged a glance and decided they’d be brave and open the door. Inside the room, Ting’s mum and Zhang Yu both wore a red fabric around their waist and teaching each other to dance. The moment Shun Shun stepped into the living room he covered his ears and shouted a protest.
Ting’s mum saw Shun Shun’s parents were back from work and turned off the music, whilst Zhang Yu kept dancing to her own beats.
Ting’s mum pa.s.sed Qin Song a bowl of refreshing mung beans. Qin Song scooped a spoonful of mung beans into his mouth. ‘Mum, I heard you lost again today.’
Zhang Yu was dejected after being reminded of her disgraceful loss, she plopped herself on the sofa and stared at the floor. When she was Shun Shun’s age she started learning ballet and was known as the ‘artistic tree’ in school. In her life apart from her specialty in spending money she was good at dancing. So she didn’t know why she was beaten by a group of amateurs.
Han Ting Ting pa.s.sed a bowl of mung beans to Zhang Yu. ‘Mum do you need to beat them? The aunties from the opposing team have been dancing for five to six years and performed in public arenas too. Mum you just started learning the dance routine, each new dance takes time to get the hang of it.’
‘Of course I need to beat them!’ Zhang Yu said. She gulped down half the bowl of mung beans and burped. ‘After I master their best dance routine, I’m going to create a new dance routine that will defeat them.’
Ting Ting was speechless. Qin Song pulled her to the side. ‘Honey, can I give the neighbourhood aunties a secret funding to forfeit the dance compet.i.tion? At this rate there’ll be no one to look after our son. Your mum’s time is about to be monopolised by my mum.’
Han Ting Ting picked up her mum’s dance costume from the sofa and looked at the tag. Zhang Yu ordered customised dance costumes for the neighbourhood aunties from overseas and expressed delivered them to her mum’s house. Han Ting Ting felt that her mum, Zhang Yu and aunties used dance as a joyful way to pa.s.s the time in their advanced age. Song Song’s secret funding wasn’t going to be enough to bribe them to stop competing.
‘Song Song, don’t interfere. I’m happy as long as mum is happy. Shun Shun will be ok. Besides, mum isn’t going to be dancing all day,’ Han Ting Ting said.
On the weekend, Qin Song and Han Ting Ting’s mums were practicing in the courtyard in front of Ting’s parents’ house. Their mums and the neighbourhood aunties practiced a beautiful dance routine with enthusiasm. Ting’s mum was the princ.i.p.al dancer and Zhang Yu was the second lead dancer and they were both upbeat. Shun Shun was taken back to his parents’ home.
In the afternoon, Qin Sang invited Ting Ting for an outing. Qin Song stayed at home to play with Shun Shun. Apart from sleeping, the remaining time Shun Shun loved to play with his daddy more than with his mummy, whatever his daddy did he wanted to copy too.
Qin Song looked into his son’s naive eyes and suddenly felt the urge to tease the kiddo. Qin Song placed his hands on his cheeks, Shun Shun copied him. Afterward Qin Song rubbed his cheeks and Shun Shun laughed happily whilst copying him. Then Qin Song pretended to hit his cheeks hard… Poor Qin Shun Shun was too young to think about consequences on his own, his chubby hands. .h.i.t his little chubby white cheeks hard. Shun Shun was shocked by the pain for a moment then immediately opened his little mouth to cry ‘waaa waaa waaa’ pitifully.
Qin Song rolled around the floor laughing loudly almost to the point of choking on his laughter. When Qin Song felt he laughed enough he noticed his son didn’t stop crying and was forced to coax his son. ‘If you stop crying, daddy will buy you ice-cream.’
The crying ceased. Qin Shun Shun widened his dark round eyes. ‘Promise?’
Qin Song nodded his head as a promise.
The Qin household’s little Shun Shun was infamous for his little chubby body and big appet.i.te. Shun Shun smiled brightly at the sound of ice-cream even though his eyes were teary.
The kitchen was meticulously kept tidy and clean by Ting Ting. The father and son pair sat opposite to each other on the floor next to the window. They put a tub of chocolate ice-cream in the middle and each person held a spoon to scoop the chocolate ice-cream. The sunlight through the window reflected off the white kitchen cabinet shelves and shone a warm orange light over the father and son who were eating happily together.
Qin Shun Shun licked his ice-cream spoon and smiled brightly. ‘Daddy, mummy said… little children that eat ice-cream will get a stomach ache.’
‘Um, mummy’s right,’ Qin Song said. He wiped the corner of his son’s lips that was smeared with chocolate ice-cream. ‘But if you eat a little bit it’s ok.’
Qin Shun Shun tilted his little chubby head to the side to remember what else his mummy said about ice-cream. ‘Mummy said, if little children eat a little bit… will rot teeth.’
‘Oh? Then you shouldn’t eat ice-cream,’ Qin Song said. He pinched his son’s little nose and hid the empty tub of chocolate ice-cream at the bottom of the rubbish bin. ‘Ok, we’re done eating. Later you can’t tell mummy. If you tell mummy she’ll hit your bottom and I won’t stop her.’
Qin Shun Shun licked his ice-cream spoon and nodded his little chubby head.
Unfortunately Han Ting Ting emptied the rubbish bin and discovered the father and son’s secret binge eating session. She washed her hands in the kitchen and nagged Song Song. ‘Why must you do that? When I punish our son not to eat junk food, you secretly take our son to the supermarkets to buy junk food and eat in the car. I said each week our son can only eat one scoop of ice-cream. You’re a heroic daddy, in one afternoon you let our son eat a large tub of ice-cream.’
‘Shun Shun didn’t eat it all, I ate it with him,’ Qin Song protested.
‘What? You want me to praise you?’ Han Ting Ting said. She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. ‘Usually the disciplinary role in a family belongs to the daddy. Why is it that in our family, I’m the one that has to discipline our son? While you get to pretend to be the good one taking our son’s side.’
‘That’s because Miss Han is an excellent teacher. You’re suitable to be the strict one,’ Qin Song said. ‘Between us there needs to be someone who should play the good cop. I know my wise, beautiful, kind and generous wife loves me and that’s why she gave me the good cop role.’
‘Stay away!’ Han Ting Ting scolded lovingly.
In the past Han Ting Ting used to blame her dad for being too strict and not as easy going as Tu Tu’s dad. After raising Shun Shun, she understood her dad’s perspective – her mum got to play good cop.
Song Song was like a sticky lollipop, once he was stuck to Han Ting Ting it was hard for her to get him off her. He carried her to their bedroom and she hit him gently. ‘Let me down. You’re hateful.’
Qin Song dismissed Ting Ting’s weak plea and rubbed her plump round bottom. ‘Mrs Qin junior you had a hard time disciplining our son. Let me your loving husband help you feel less burdened.’
Shun Shun’s bedroom door suddenly opened. He wore his cartoon pyjamas and there were yellow stains on his pants. He wiped the tears off his dark round eyes. ‘Daddy… mummy… I have a stomach ache… I p.o.o.ped in my pants…’
Han Ting Ting burst into laughter. She jumped off Song Song’s arms. She pushed Song Song forward to their son. ‘What good timing. You got a good opportunity to help me feel less burdened. Hurry up and go to the bathroom with Shun Shun.’
End of Chapter Sixteen