Madame Qin giggled and then smiled " How cute, usually people give first meeting gifts in a formal setting and to the children"s parents."
Little 4th squinted his eyes at his friends "F irst they want to steal my big sister"s time, then her food, now they want to take her money by asking for gifts?! What a bunch of gold miners. " Little 4th began to wonder if he should find new friends with better characters.
If the others in the room were to hear little 4th"s thoughts they wouldn"t know whether to laugh or cry. He was so protective of his big sister that he was even inventing injustices that she was suffering at their hands.
Madam Qin: "Xiuying you"ve met Jie"er over there who is sitting with his head in a book."
Li Xiuying briefly glanced over and nodded.
Madam Qin: "Okay little ones. Now that introductions are complete. Let"s discuss the itinerary for today. "
Jun Wen: "Zhen said we"re going on a picnic. "
Li Xiuying nodded.
Gou Sheng: "What have you prepared?"
Li Xiuying: "Picnic food."
Gou Sheng: "Like what? Is there a set menu? Which restaurant did you acquire the food from?" Whenever he went on a picnic with his family there would always be at least 3 menus from very carefully selected restaurants for him to choose from.
Li Xiuying smiled a little: "Suprise."
Madame Qin: " Sheng, why don we let your sister Xiuying tell us what she has planned?"
Little 4th muttered under his breathe whilst looking at this shoes: "She"s my big sister. When did he become related to her."
Li Xiuying: "National park, near the flower entrance. I will send the location by Pin."
Madame Qin: "Wonderful. Little 4th will go with Xiuying. Jie"er and I will take the others. "
Little 4th perked up like a wilting plant finally getting watered " well-done mommy, I forgive you for earlier."
Lee HuiQing pulled Jun Wen"s sleeve and whispered in his ear.
Jun Wen was perplexed: "Are you sure?"
Lee HuiQing nodded.
Jun Wen: "Auntie Qin, little Hui would like to travel with Zhen."
Madame Qin: "Is that okay with you Xiuying?"
Li Xiuying: "Yes."
Madame Qin: "Well now that"s sorted. Xiuying remember to pin me before you set off. Butler Mu, Xiuying will need 2 car seats. Jie"er let"s go." She ignored the betrayed expression little 4th was throwing her way.
Li Xiuying looked curiously at the quiet little bun before her. She was intrigued to find out why he had chosen to travel with her. She tentatively put her free gloved hand out for Lee HuiQing to hold.
Lee HuiQing looked at the extended hand before him, he peered at little 4th"s hand holding Li Xiuying"s other hand. He then slowly placed his hand in Li Xiuying"s.
Li Xiuying was equipped with her two buns and led them to her car.
Gou Sheng gestured with his head towards Lee HuiQing. Jun Wen shook his head and shrugged, he didn"t know what Lee HuiQing wanted either.
The Tu Residence
Tu Nianzu was sitting at his desk ferociously typing away on his laptop. There were books, journal articles, empty cups of coffee strewn about all over the place.
Qilin lent on the door frame sipping on his cup of coffee: "Well someone is certainly working hard."
Tu Nianzu grunted in response.
Qilin: "It"s a beautiful day. I think I"ll go out for a stroll. Why don"t you join me when you"re finished?"
Tu Nianzu looked up at Qilin with his bloodshot eyes.
Qilin smirked, this was the first time he had seen his nephew so stressed. He strolled away leisurely, feeling smug after winding up Tu Nianzu.
Li Xiuying: "Another 20 minutes."
Lee HuiQing gathered his courage: "Do you have any knowledge about maxillofacial th-urgery?"
Little 4th was surprised Lee HuiQing had actually taken the initiative to directly speak to someone who was a stranger to him.
Li Xiuying glanced at Lee Huiqing in her rearview mirror: "Some."
Lee HuiQing: "Can you operate on me?"
Li Xiuying: "For?"
Lee HuiQing scrunched up his face: "For my lithp 1 . It isn"t fitting from my family."
Li Xiuying didn"t say anything and continued driving until she saw a sign indicating a turn off point for the service station.
She pulled into a parking s.p.a.ce and turned off the engine. She opened the pa.s.senger door and undid Lee HuiQing"s belt. She helped him stand outside.
Li Xiuying: "I"m going to need to examine you." She waited for Lee HuiQing to consent.
Lee HuiQing nodded his head once.
Li Xiuying took off her gloves and put some hand gel on her hands. She bent down: "Tongue out."
Lee HuiQing stuck his tongue out.
Li Xiuying "Mouth open say ahh."
Lee HuiQing complied.
Li Xiuying "Tongue up, the tip touching top of your mouth. Then mouth closed, puff out your cheeks."
Lee HuiQing puffed out his cheeks like a little squirrel.
Li Xiuying put her hand on Lee HuiQing"s left cheek: "Push your tongue against your cheek, where my hand is touching." She did the same on the right cheek. Li Xiuying finished off her examination of Lee HuiQing"s tongue and crude a.s.sessment of the nerve supply.
Li Xiuying: "May I call you HuiQing?"
Lee HuiQing nodded.
Li Xiuying: "Is there any change to your sense of taste? Do you have any difficulty swallowing?"
Lee HuiQing: "No."
Li Xiuying: "Any pain? Anything else you would like to tell me?"
Lee HuiQing shook his head.
Li Xiuying: "HuiQing, There is nothing structurally wrong with your tongue. The nerves that supply your tongue and face are also normal." She paused before continuing.
Li Xiuying: "There isn"t anything a surgeon can do in the case of a lisp. What I can do is give you the details of a speech therapist who may be able to help to decrease the prominence of your lisp, through various exercises."
Lee HuiQing looked down at his feet, he was incredibly upset and unreconciled. He had heard the same thing before. His parents had taken him to numerous surgeons and specialists.
Li Xiuying: "Take your time to think about it."
Lee HuiQing had tears in his eyes, this was his final hope. He had heard even the maids in his home make fun of his lisp when they thought no-one was around. His parents always looked at him with pity and his mother felt like it was her fault.
Li Xiuying put her hand on his shoulder: "I"ll book an appointment at Unity hospital for you and you can choose whether to attend."
Lee HuiQing just stared at the floor.
Li Xiuying: "In life, we must strive to reach contentment with ourselves. We should feel that we are more than adequate. You can not please everyone around you to the point of sadness. Others" opinions of you should not influence your opinion of yourself."
Lee HuiQing sniffed a little. He was carrying this burden with him for a long time. Sometimes he wished he was like all the other children his age because then he wouldn"t understand the hurtful words people said about him.
Li Xiuying gave him a thoughtful look: "So, what are we going to do now?"
Lee HuiQing knew Li Xiuying was asking more than about the drive to the park. She was asking what he was going to choose to do with regards to his situation.
Lee HuiQing also spoke with a double meaning: "I would like to move forward."
Li Xiuying quirked a smile " so intuitive ."
Li Xiuying put her gloves back on: "Let"s go." She placed Lee HuiQing back in his seat.
Zhou FengMian: "So you heard that Li Xiuying is taking some little kids to the park today? What time? Whose kids? Who else?"
Female voice: "The national park, near the flower entrance park at 2:00 pm they left just now Miss FengMian. Gou Sheng, Jun Wen, Lee HuiQing and our little miss RuiRui. I don"t know the exact location. Madame Qin and master Qin Jie. "
Zhou FengMian: "You"ve done well. I"ll send you some help so you"ll be able to aid your mother. Give auntie my regards."
The female voice was shaky: "Thank you, Miss. I will."
Zhou FengMian tapped her beautifully manicured nail of her index finger on her table. She smiled " Well today is the perfect day for a stroll in the park ."
She dialed a number on her phone.
Zhou FengMian: "h.e.l.lo, I"m in need of your services for a few hours. Just a quick separation then reunion of adult and child." lisp