ManMan had always had a special fondness for the cars at home. As soon as he could walk, he would leisurely wander into the garage by himself. Even at around one year old, he loved to linger in the garage, especially in Jing Yi’s sports car. As a result, Jing Yi had no choice but to move several cars out to the yard so the little one could crawl around and play.
Later, when ManMan could express himself more clearly, he repeatedly asked to ride in his mom’s car. Occasionally, it was fine—he could sit in a specially designed child seat and enjoy the ride. However, sports cars are built differently, and the safety of the passenger seat isn’t as high as the back seat. Eventually, they had to buy a four-seater sports car so he could sit in the back with his safety seat. Still, he couldn’t forget the two-seater sports cars at home.
Speaking of this, ManMan’s cheeks puffed out even more as he resignedly climbed into his safety seat. While dutifully fastening his seatbelt, he complained about his mom’s unreliability.
“Uncle said he bought it for me, but Mom’s the one driving it, and there’s no little seat for me in the back!”
Oh, so her son had noticed that. Just as his dad had said, he was no longer easy to fool.
After checking that ManMan’s seatbelt was securely fastened, Jing Yi returned to the driver’s seat and patiently explained, “But you’re the one who said that car was no different from the others and refused to ride in it. Wouldn’t it be a waste to just leave it parked?”
“As for your little seat, it’s custom-made. Putting it in a car you don’t ride in would be a waste, wouldn’t it?”
ManMan tilted his head, seriously considering his mom’s words. It seemed to make sense, but something still felt off.
By the time they were almost home, ManMan was still frowning, trying to make sense of Jing Yi’s explanation.
“Mom, I have a question.”
She knew she couldn’t avoid it. “...Go ahead.”
“Mom, why did you buy a car I don’t ride in? Isn’t that a waste?”
“...Son, it’s because we bought it that you don’t ride in it.”
Even her older brother probably wouldn’t know how to respond to that. And it wasn’t a waste—she still drove it, after all.
“Can’t we sell it and buy a car that ManMan can ride in?”
Jing Yi didn’t want to discourage her son, but according to ManMan’s logic, they’d only end up buying a bunch of toy cars. The regular cars they bought were all driven by her, and she was already overwhelmed with the number of cars they had.
Jing Yi tried to appeal to his sense of whimsy. “That car was the first big car gift you ever received. Don’t you think it would be sad if we sold it so quickly?”
ManMan paused for a moment, his little face showing a hint of conflict.
“Mom, listen to me. It’s just a car. We shouldn’t get too attached to it.”
Jing Yi: “...Okay.” She had been naive to think he’d believe that—he probably stopped believing it by the time he was two.
As she parked the car, Jing Yi couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional. Her son was only three, and he was already so hard to handle. Some questions were better left for Shen Huaichu to deal with.
It seemed a review was truly necessary.
Jing Yi quickly tried to shift ManMan’s attention. She really couldn’t keep up with him anymore.
“By the way, Grandma Wang made your favorite cake today.”
Hearing this, ManMan forgot all about the car. He got out of the car, took Jing Yi’s hand, and headed straight for the Jing family home.
...
Recently, the Jing family dinners had been quite lively.
After finishing his meal, ManMan went over to Jing Zejun, who was pregnant, and as usual, softly chatted with the baby in her belly. He sat obediently beside her, careful not to bump into Jing Zejun’s large belly. Yet, Jing Zejun adored him even more for it, pulling him close and accepting the fruit Wen Qingyan handed over.
She took a bite, then fed one to her little nephew, showing how close they were.
The whole family watched as the little boy cheerfully recounted what had happened at kindergarten that day, their eyes filled with affection.
“...That’s all that happened at kindergarten today. Besides figuring out how to get everyone to play together, everything else was fine.”
When he mentioned how all the kids at kindergarten loved playing with him, his little expression showed just the right amount of helplessness, making everyone smile.
Ever since he learned that Jing Zejun’s pregnancy meant he would have a little sister or brother, ManMan had been acting like a proper big brother.
He looked at Jing Zejun’s belly and asked seriously, “Have you been good today? You mustn’t make Auntie Jing Zejun too tired. Your mom is working hard to carry you...”
His chattering little demeanor melted Jing Zejun’s heart.
She hugged ManMan and sighed, “When your little brother or sister is born, we’ll leave them to you. Then we’ll have the most thoughtful little helper.”
ManMan patted his chest confidently. “No problem! Leave it to ManMan!”
Seeing his confident expression, Jing Zeqian teased, “Oh, so ManMan isn’t saying Auntie ‘eats babies’ anymore?”
That had been ManMan’s reaction when he first heard the news of Jing Zejun’s pregnancy.
At the time, Wen Qingyan was overjoyed, holding Jing Zejun’s hand as he shared the good news with everyone. Everyone was thrilled, including ManMan, who had just learned he was going to have a little sibling.
He went up to Wen Qingyan, looked up with his soft, innocent face, and asked, “Uncle, where is ManMan’s little brother or sister?”
Wen Qingyan picked up his beloved nephew, his eyes still shining with joy. “They’re in Auntie Jing Zejun’s belly. In about eight or nine months, they’ll come out to meet you, and you’ll be a big brother!”
But instead of being happy, ManMan looked at Jing Zejun’s belly in shock, his round eyes filled with a hint of fear.
In a trembling voice, he asked, “Did Auntie eat my little brother or sister?!”
He hadn’t heard the rest of Wen Qingyan’s explanation—all he could think about was the words “in Auntie Jing Zejun’s belly.”
Wen Qingyan’s smile froze, and everyone else was stunned. A few seconds later, the room erupted in laughter.
Jing Zejun was laughing so hard she had to hold her waist, and Wen Qingyan quickly handed ManMan over to Shen Huaichu, who had come over, before carefully helping Jing Zejun sit down.
Later, they explained to ManMan in simpler terms that his little sibling hadn’t been eaten by his aunt but would be born in a few months.
ManMan didn’t fully understand the process, but at least he knew his aunt hadn’t eaten his little sibling.
He also realized everyone had been laughing at him, and now that Jing Zeqian brought it up again, his soft little face turned red with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance.
“Uncle, you promised not to bring that up again! That was when ManMan was little and didn’t understand!”
Jing Zeqian burst out laughing. “Little? I can understand calling two years old ‘little,’ but half a year ago is also ‘little’?”
ManMan proudly puffed out his chest. “Of course! Dad says every day I grow a little bigger. ManMan isn’t the same as before.”
Shen Huaichu looked at his son’s little face, his eyes filled with tender amusement.
