Fir-tree.
Qiao Tan Yuan ran to her bedroom. She locked the door, and sat on the floor. Her heart was racing. She couldn’t bear to hear Gu Jiao Wu talk about getting back together for Xiao Bao’s sake. He didn’t care about her, he waited until Xiao Bao’s birthday to come to Denmark. She laughed at herself for being disappointed he didn’t come for her.
Qiao Tan Yuan stood, changed into night clothes, brushed her teeth and laid on her bed. She wanted to sleep so she would be refreshed in the morning to give Xiao Bao a fun and a memorable first birthday.
Qiao Tan Yuan rolled around the bed for half a night, she couldn’t sleep. She looked at the clock on the wall, it was one in the morning. She couldn’t hear any sounds from outside, and a.s.sumed Gu Jiao Wu left. She got out of bed, unlocked her door and walked to the living room. She was surprised to see Gu Jiao Wu sleeping on the sofa. He folded his arms, and scrunched his face in his sleep. It wasn’t a chilly night, but he didn’t look like he slept comfortably. She would have woken him up if he didn’t look unusually gaunt like he hadn’t been eating or sleeping well for months.
Qiao Tan Yuan turned around, and she walked back to her bedroom. After tossing and turning on the bed for a long time, she finally slept. That night she dreamt about Gu Jiao Wu.
On the morning of Xiao Bao’s birthday, Qiao Tan Yuan woke up with a headache from lack of sleep. She walked to Xiao Bao’s bedroom, Xiao Bao was awake. Xiao Bao smiled when Xiao Bao saw her.
‘Mama,’ Xiao Bao called.
Xiao Bao’s smile brightened Qiao Tan Yuan’s mood. She carried Xiao Bao to the bathroom. Then she brushed Xiao Bao’s teeth, and washed Xiao Bao’s face before brushing and washing herself.
A while later, Qiao Tan Yuan held Xiao Bao’s hand and they walked outside the bathroom. The smell of breakfast startled Qiao Tan Yuan, she remembered Gu Jiao Wu came to her house last night.
Xiao Bao spotted her teddy bear on the coffee table, and ran baby steps to the teddy bear.
‘Bear, bear,’ Xiao Bao called.
Gu Jiao Wu was setting the table for breakfast. After he heard Xiao Bao’s voice, he walked to the living room.
‘Tan Yuan, Xiao Bao, come to the table and eat breakfast,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘I didn’t ask you to cook breakfast,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘Breakfast is cooked,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. He squatted in front of Xiao Bao and smiled. ‘Xiao Bao, happy birthday.’
Xiao Bao looked at Gu Jiao Wu for a long time. She thought he looked like the tall fir-tree from one of the books Qiao Tan Yuan read to her at bedtime.
‘Thank you fir-tree,’ Xiao Bao said.
Gu Jiao Wu was surprised Xiao Bao thought he was a fir-tree. What was Qiao Tan Yuan teaching Xiao Bao?
‘Xiao Bao, daddy isn’t a fir-tree,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Daddy is Xiao Bao’s daddy. Xiao Bao, say dada.’
‘Fir-da,’ Xiao Bao called.
Xiao Bao didn’t know why the fir-tree didn’t like being called a tree, and she thought fir-da was a strange name for a tree.
Gu Jiao Wu smiled, and he held Xiao Bao’s hands.
‘Daddy isn’t fir-da,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Xiao Bao, say dada.’
‘Dada,’ Xiao Bao called.
Gu Jiao Wu hugged Xiao Bao.
‘Xiao Bao is daddy’s good little girl,’ Gu Jiao Wu praised.
Xiao Bao didn’t like strangers hugging her. But she let the strange fir-tree hug her.
Qiao Tan Yuan should have been moved by the warm father and daughter moment, but she only felt weary. If Gu Jiao Wu’s motive was to take Xiao Bao back to the Gu Household, she wouldn’t let him take Xiao Bao.
Gu Jiao Wu carried Xiao Bao to the dining table.
‘Tan Yuan, today is Xiao Bao’s birthday,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘After breakfast, let’s take Xiao Bao out to play.’
‘Do you really think you’ll let me say no?’ Qiao Tan Yuan asked.
‘I think you’ll say yes,’ Gu Jiao Wu said and put Xiao Bao into the baby chair.
Qiao Tan Yuan sat next to Xiao Bao. She was surprised to see toast, omelettes and cups of milk on the table. She thought the fridge was empty since last night.
‘The fridge is almost empty,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘We’ll buy groceries on the way home.’
‘Gu Jiao Wu, I don’t want to see…’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘Tan Yuan, we can talk later,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Xiao Bao was reaching for the toast. Gu Jiao Wu put a piece of toast, and scooped an omelette into Xiao Bao’s baby bowl.
Xiao Bao ate a bit of toast and omelette, it was delicious.
‘Mama,’ Xiao Bao called. ‘Egg, yum, yum.’
Qiao Tan Yuan smiled at Xiao Bao, and she reluctantly drank the cup of milk.
‘Tan Yuan, you should eat breakfast like Xiao Bao,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Qiao Tan Yuan gave in, and ate the toast and omelette. Xiao Bao was telling the truth, the bread Gu Jiao Wu made from scratch was delicious as the omelette.
Xiao Bao ate all her breakfast, and the fir-tree played with her in the living room.
Gu Jiao Wu didn’t hear dishes breaking from the kitchen while he played with Xiao Bao.
Qiao Tan Yuan washed the dishes then she walked to the living room. When she saw the tube of soothing cream on the sofa, she put her swollen hands behind her back.
‘Gu Jiao Wu, after we celebrate Xiao Bao’s birthday, you have to leave,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I don’t want to see you.’
Xiao Bao was busy playing with the new toys the fir-tree gave her that she didn’t hear Qiao Tan Yuan say anything.
Gu Jiao Wu stood in front of Qiao Tan Yuan.
‘Give me a good reason why you don’t want to see me,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Qiao Tan Yuan took a step back.
‘I… I don’t need a reason why I don’t want to see you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.
‘Then it’s settled,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Xiao Bao is our daughter. I’m staying here to be with our daughter.’
‘Gu Jiao Wu, who do you think you are?’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Do you think you’re being a loving father by showing up on Xiao Bao’s birthday, and giving her toys? You don’t have the right to be Xiao Bao’s father.’
‘Tan Yuan, I don’t think buying toys for Xiao Bao is a way to be a loving father,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘I only want to be spend time with Xiao Bao, and be by her side to watch over her. Tan Yuan, as for having the right to be Xiao Bao’s father, there is no perfect parent in the world. Parents make mistakes, and they learn from their mistakes to become good parents for their children.’
Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t refute Gu Jiao Wu’s truthful words. She was learning to be a good mother to Xiao Bao every day.
Gu Jiao Wu carried Xiao Bao in his arms, and he picked up the teddy bear for Xiao Bao. He was satisfied Xiao Bao was dressed in suitable clothes to go outside. Xiao Bao wore a pink dress and a cardigan. Although it was a warm day, he didn’t want Xiao Bao to catch a cold if it was windy outside.
‘Xiao Bao, do you want to go outside and play with daddy and mummy?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘Play, play,’ Xiao Bao said and smiled at the fir-tree.
Gu Jiao Wu carried Xiao Bao to a nearby Odense park. Qiao Tan Yuan locked the door, and followed them to the park.
At the park, Gu Jiao Wu showed Xiao Bao the rose bushes.
‘Xiao Bao, this is a rose,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
‘Rose, rose,’ Xiao Bao said and she tried to pick a rose.
Gu Jiao Wu held Xiao Bao’s stretched hand.
‘Xiao Bao, roses are for looking,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Xiao Bao and daddy can’t pick roses. Roses will make our fingers ouchy if we pick them.’
‘Rose, ouchy,’ Xiao Bao said.
‘Tan Yuan, where should we take Xiao Bao next?’ Gu Jiao Wu asked.
‘We can take Xiao Bao to the amus.e.m.e.nt park,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘If you’re tired, I can carry Xiao Bao.’
Gu Jiao Wu saw the driver parked the car he hired so he let Qiao Tan Yuan carry Xiao Bao.
‘Um, carry Xiao Bao to the car,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.
Qiao Tan Yuan carried Xiao Bao to the car Gu Jiao Wu pointed at. When the driver gave the car key to Gu Jiao Wu, she suspected Gu Jiao Wu had prepared everything for Xiao Bao’s birthday.
End of Chapter 140