Chapter 94: Third Wheel

She even wanted to go back and kiss his big brother?

Shao Xi snorted and couldn’t help but say, “You were praising me just now, and now you’re thinking of my big brother.”

Mu Jingzhe clicked her tongue. “What kind of words are those?”

She boldly touched Shao Xi’s head, very much cherishing this opportunity. There wouldn’t be many more opportunities to stroke his head. When he grew up, she wouldn’t have a chance to do so anymore.

“Alright, let’s stop fooling around. When can I see your work? I don’t even know what you wrote this time. You said you would let me see it as soon as you finished writing.”

“You’ll see it tomorrow. From now on, the winners’ works will take turns being published in the children’s newspaper. The first-place winner’s essay will be published tomorrow.”

“So your work will be published in the newspaper? Our Little Xi is really impressive. Wait till I buy a hundred… no, a thousand copies!”

The corners of Shao Xi’s mouth kept curling up, but he cautioned her. “1,000 copies is too much. If you buy so many, other people won’t be able to buy and read it. Also, it’ll be hard to carry so many copies home.”

“But we have to give some away and keep some for our collection. We have to buy more. When school reopens, the school will surely publicize it and keep a few copies for future students to see.” Mu Jingzhe pondered it for a moment. “But you’re right. Let’s buy a hundred copies then.”

In the future, Shao Xi would definitely have more work.

They were talking happily, so they didn’t notice the hostile, envious gaze of Chubby Boy while his mother dragged him out.

Mu Jingzhe and Shao Xi were about to leave when they happened to meet the old man with the camera. The old man was the bespectacled little girl’s grandfather. When he saw them, he greeted them and even asked if the mother-and-son duo wanted to take a photo together.

Mu Jingzhe thanked him profusely. She hugged Shao Xi and raised the trophy for the camera.

“Little Xi, smile!” Their smiles were captured by the camera.

The bespectacled little girl congratulated Shao Xi. Mu Jingzhe was so grateful for their help that she took a bunch of hair ornaments out of her bag and gave them to her. “Take them and wear them.”

This was a beautiful encounter.

Before leaving, Shao Xi and Mu Jingzhe went to the washroom and saw Chubby Boy at the top of the stairs again.

Chubby Boy was being scolded by his equally chubby mother, who was twisting his ear, calling him a disgrace, and asking him why he hadn’t won first place. “Why didn’t you get first place? Didn’t I tell you that other than first place, everything else is meaningless? It’s useless for you to get second place. No one looks at the second-place winner.”

Shao Xi and Mu Jingzhe looked at each other and felt that he was a tad pitiful. Then, they heard Chubby Boy shout, “I’ll win next time! I’ll definitely beat that country bumpkin.”

When Mu Jingzhe heard this form of address, she felt that she had pitied him for nothing. She frowned and ignored them.

She had wanted to tell the parent not to twist his ear like that, for it was bad for the child and she might accidentally damage his ear.

However, when she heard him call Shao Xi a country bumpkin, she was displeased. Parents and children like them probably wouldn’t heed her words, and she would only attract trouble by meddling.

“Let’s go, Little Xi. Don’t mind the people who slander you. They’re only slandering you because they’re inferior to you.”

Who would care about the person who lost to them if they won?

Shao Xi was at first a little unhappy. After all, that boy had called him a country bumpkin. The clothes he wore and everything he used had been given to him by Mu Jingzhe, and he was already very satisfied. However, when he heard Mu Jingzhe’s comforting words, he cheered up. “Alright, I’ll beat him every time in the future!”

“It doesn’t matter if you win or not. It’s good to have an opponent, but one’s greatest opponent is oneself.”

Shao Xi listened to Mu Jingzhe and saw that she was holding his shoulders as if she was protecting him, as though they were truly mother and son. He nodded obediently.

“Mm, I’ll listen to you, Mommy.”

Only then did he realize that this was how his younger sister, Little Bei, had felt when she had gone out alone with Mommy.

Shao Xi felt a little ashamed. Although he was a little selfish, it felt good to have his mother all to himself because it felt like his mother’s heart was with him when they were alone. It was completely different from when they were at home, where Mu Jingzhe had to split her attention between the five of them.

No wonder Little Bei was becoming clingier and clingier and liked her more and more every day. He felt the same way.

Besides, Little Bei was a girl. She might be even closer to Mommy when she went out with her alone.

Shao Xi’s hunch was right. Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei were indeed more intimate. Little Bei was young, and mothers tended to be more intimate with daughters, so there was no lack of hugging, piggybacking, and kissing.

Mu Jingzhe would kiss Little Bei every day, and Little Bei had also kissed her cheek before.

It wasn’t that Mu Jingzhe’s relationship with Shao Dong and Shao Xi wasn’t good, but it was impossible for them to be that intimate.

At this thought, Mu Jingzhe happened to let go of his shoulder. He tilted his head and secretly glanced at Mu Jingzhe. Seeing the mother-and-son duo walking in front of them, he couldn’t help but secretly want to hold Mu Jingzhe’s hand.

Before he could reach out, Mu Jingzhe raised her head and called out, “Ji Buwang!”

Shao Xi found himself grasping air. He pursed his lips and retracted his hand, then followed Mu Jingzhe as she went up to Ji Buwang.

He was a little annoyed. Why was Teacher Ji here again? Didn’t he have to go home or do anything to keep busy?

Ji Buwang was waiting for them at the door. Mu Jingzhe was puzzled. “Are you done? Did you go home?”

Ji Buwang nodded vaguely. “I’m done. Let’s go. I’ll treat you to a meal and do my part as a host. I know a private restaurant that serves excellent food, but the location is a little remote. Many foreigners don’t know about it. Only locals go there to eat.”

“Alright, sorry to trouble you then.”

“It’s no trouble.” Ji Buwang led the way and didn’t ignore Shao Xi. “Shao Xi, did you win a prize?”

Shao Xi replied disinterestedly, “Mm.”

Mu Jingzhe quickly added, “Shao Xi won the first prize and was the only elementary school student to receive a prize. The other prize winners were older than him.”

Her tone was unconsciously flaunting, just like the way other mothers bragged about their children.

Shao Xi could tell, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. His mood finally improved a little.

Then, he heard Ji Buwang say, “You’re so impressive. Congratulations.”

The corners of Shao Xi’s mouth arched slightly. Although his compliments were quite nice, he still didn’t feel very good.

Shao Xi felt like Ji Buwang was totally the third wheel his mother spoke of.

He was always sandwiched between him and Mommy. This rare trip for two had, due to his insistence to tag along, turned into a trip for three.

Third-wheel Ji Buwang was constantly around and kept staring at Mu Jingzhe and talking to her, attracting her attention. After a while, Shao Xi looked listless and couldn’t muster up any energy.

Even Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang sensed it. They thought that Shao Xi was hungry. “We’ll be there soon.”

When they arrived, Ji Buwang skillfully ordered several dishes and sighed with emotion. “I haven’t been here in four years.”

Four years had passed, and many things were now very different. However, the flavor of the food this restaurant served hadn’t changed.

It had been decades, but the taste had remained the same.

The food tasted really good. Mu Jingzhe was quite surprised and even told Shao Xi, “Let’s note down the address. We can bring Little Bei and the rest to eat here next time.”

“Mm.”

After they were done eating, Ji Buwang said that it was still too early to go back and suggested they walk around since they were already there.

Mu Jingzhe nodded. “Let’s go shopping then.”

She wanted to see what was popular in the city. If there was something suitable, she would buy it for the kids so that they wouldn’t be called country bumpkins again.

Although this city was still far from comparable to modern-age big cities, there were indeed quite a lot of people on the pedestrian streets in the city center.

Mu Jingzhe took Shao Xi’s hand. “Don’t let go, okay?”

Although Shao Xi wasn’t a toddler anymore, it would be bad if they got separated due to bad luck.

Shao Xi looked at his hand, which was being held, then at Ji Buwang beside him, and finally smiled. “Okay.”

Mommy only held his hand, not the third wheel’s!