Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 134

Chapter 134

Having the label of “sexist” suddenly slapped on him made Shen Hongjun break out in a cold sweat. He immediately turned to look at his daughter, saying in a panic, “Jiaojiao, how could you think that? Dad has never thought girls were bad.”

Because there were many women in the family, Shen Hongjun tried his best to treat everyone fairly, fearing that people might say that an old man like him only married a young wife to have a son.

That would be a terrible injustice.

Shen Jiaojiao had no deep thoughts when she said that; she simply felt that Shen Hongjun’s words were uncomfortable to listen to.

“Sister Xiao Ling is so nice, pretty, and gentle, and she suits Sister so well. Why do you insist on her being a boy?” Shen Jiaojiao looked at her father and said, “Mom always said that you men only want a son to inherit the throne, but aren’t there queens in other countries?”

Shen Hongjun felt that if this conversation continued, the charge of “sexism” would be confirmed. He quickly covered Shen Jiaojiao’s mouth and said, “Daddy was wrong. Daddy thinks girls are very good too. Anyway, we don’t have a throne in our family, so boys and girls are the same.”

Shen Jiaojiao was interrupted just as she was about to speak. Shen Hongjun cut her off and told the driver, “Don’t go home yet. Go to the mall to buy new clothes for our little princess. Spring has arrived, so we need to buy dresses.”

He looked down, smiling at Shen Jiaojiao: “Is that okay, Jiaojiao? We’ll buy dresses. Girls are so much better than boys—pretty, obedient, and smart. Who in this world could be better than our Jiaojiao, right?”

Shen Jiaojiao was thrilled by the praise, and when she heard she could buy new dresses, she naturally forgot about accusing Shen Hongjun of sexism. She happily swung her little feet and said, “I also want to buy a bag. Mom says, a bag cures all ills.”

“Fine, fine, we’ll buy everything, we’ll buy everything.”

After moving the delivered coffee into the back kitchen, Nuo Nuo and Shan Ling thanked the renovation workers who had helped them and started unpacking the large cardboard boxes.

Nuo Nuo had promised Shen Jiaojiao to teach her how to make coffee, but she wasn’t taking it too seriously. She thought that for a child in the fourth or fifth grade, making drinkable coffee was enough.

“Kids probably like sweet things. We’ll prepare more sugar and milk later,” Nuo Nuo looked at the coffee, pulled out a packet to check the ingredients, and rubbed her chin: “Latte art might be difficult, though. She wants a little bear shape. I doubt she can master it in a week.”

It was good that she had ideas, but they had to consider the practical situation. With Shen Jiaojiao only studying for two or three hours after school each day, she could probably only learn a simple pattern; anything too complicated wouldn’t work.

As for what to teach, Nuo Nuo already had some ideas, depending on how well the little girl learned tomorrow.

Shan Ling was a bit curious. She had learned to make coffee, and with the machine’s assistance, and her own quick learning ability, it wasn’t difficult. But she found Shen Jiaojiao strange—why would she suddenly want to learn how to make coffee?

“She probably picked it up from the boss,” Nuo Nuo said. “Aside from everything else, isn’t opening a coffee shop a dream for many girls as they grow up?”

“That’s true,” Shan Ling agreed that Nuo Nuo had a point, and she sighed: “Then you should come in the afternoon tomorrow. There aren’t many customers anyway, and you have to work overtime for Jiaojiao in the evening.”

After confirming their work schedule, Shan Ling and Nuo Nuo packed up their things together, ready to take the subway home.

On her way home, Shan Ling stopped by the supermarket, bought some ready-made deli meats, and added a dish for dinner.

When she arrived home, Shen Qingyi seemed to have just finished her work. She was walking around the living room to relieve the soreness in her neck muscles. Hearing the door open, she walked over, naturally taking the deli food from Shan Ling’s hands, and said affectionately, “I figured you’d be back now. What did you buy?”

“I bought two sausages to slice up for dinner.” Shan Ling changed her shoes and took off her coat, then told Shen Qingyi, “Yiyi, your dad and Jiaojiao came to the shop today.”

Shen Qingyi froze upon hearing this, remaining silent for a moment before asking, “What did they come for? Isn’t the shop still under renovation?”

“It was for Jiaojiao’s school Open Day event next week,” Shan Ling leaned in and said, “She wants Nuo Nuo to teach her how to make coffee, using the time after school in the evening. Since the time doesn’t clash, Nuo Nuo agreed.”

“She can decide her own after-work matters,” Shen Qingyi said flatly. “Did they say anything else besides that?”

“No,” Shan Ling shook her head. “They left after Nuo Nuo agreed.”

They left so simply?

Shen Qingyi didn’t quite believe it.

She remembered being forced into a blind date by Shen Hongjun while eating at the Shen family home a month ago, and even being slapped in the end. Although the slap was partly her own fault, Shen Qingyi still held some resentment and was unwilling to see him for the time being.

Considering this visit, Shen Qingyi guessed that Shen Hongjun’s sudden appearance was certainly not just about finding a coffee teacher for Jiaojiao.

“Did my dad not say anything to you?” Shen Qingyi stared at Shan Ling and asked.

“Hmm?” Shan Ling looked at her curiously: “Was he supposed to say something to me?”

“Nothing,” Shen Qingyi said. “It’s fine if he didn’t say anything.”

Seeing her about to walk away, Shan Ling quickly tugged her clothes and said, “Actually, he did say something; he just asked how my injury was healing. Other than that, he didn’t say anything else to me.”

Shen Qingyi looked at Shan Ling suspiciously. She naturally believed Shan Ling wasn’t lying, but she was still surprised that Shen Hongjun had let Shan Ling off the hook so easily.

She had originally assumed Shen Hongjun would suddenly appear and throw tens of millions at Shan Ling to tell her to leave.

Thinking this, Shen Qingyi told Shan Ling, “If my dad tries to talk to you again, you must tell me. Don’t overthink things by yourself, understand?”

Shan Ling blinked: “Yes, but why would he come to talk to me?”

She felt she didn’t usually have any contact with the Shen family. Apart from Shen Jiaojiao and Shen Qingyi, Shan Ling didn’t think there was anything about her that would warrant this man’s attention.

At this, Shen Qingyi squeezed Shan Ling’s nose in frustration and said fiercely, “Have you forgotten that you’re my girlfriend now? I told my dad about this when I went home last time, and he… doesn’t quite agree.”

“Is that so?” Shan Ling pondered for a moment, then wondered: “But I’m dating you, not your dad. Why does he disagree?”

Shen Qingyi: “…You have a point.”

Shan Ling reached out and grabbed Shen Qingyi, clinging to her sweetly: “Alright, Yiyi, don’t keep frowning all the time. You look unhappy every day. We’ll worry about your dad later. Let’s talk about us first.”

Shen Qingyi looked at her curiously: “What about us?”

“Dating, of course,” Shan Ling said seriously. “Have you not noticed that we haven’t been on many dates?”

“Dating?” Shen Qingyi thought about it and realized that was true.

It had been over a month since they got together, and aside from one trip to the antique shop, they hadn’t really done anything else date-like.

Shen Qingyi had been the one to initiate the relationship, but she hadn’t shown much affection since. She realized she hadn’t been considerate enough, and being called out by Shan Ling made her feel a little embarrassed.

“You’re right,” Shen Qingyi nodded. “We haven’t had a proper date. How about we don’t eat at home today? Let’s go out for a nice dinner and do some shopping.”

Saying this, Shen Qingyi planned to put the groceries aside, change clothes, and go out to eat with Shan Ling, but Shan Ling stopped her.

“Why are you so impulsive? I already bought the groceries. It would be a waste to eat out,” Shan Ling smiled and said, “How about tomorrow? You can pick me up after work, and we’ll go shopping and eat out.”

Shen Qingyi didn’t hesitate. She nodded and leaned in to kiss Shan Ling.

“Okay,” Shen Qingyi said. “I’ll pick you up after work tomorrow, and we’ll go on a date.”

The next day, Shen Qingyi woke up even earlier than Shan Ling.

She watered the flowers on the balcony, fed the birds at the buffet, went downstairs to buy Shan Ling’s favorite breakfast, and even thoughtfully did the dirty laundry.

After eating breakfast, Shen Qingyi drove Shan Ling to the shop. She checked the renovation progress, ensured everything was fine, and then reluctantly prepared to leave.

Shen Qingyi repeatedly cautioned Shan Ling to wait for her obediently after work before finally taking her leave, looking back every few steps.

Shan Ling sat on a chair, rubbing her cheeks. Fortunately, she was alone this morning. If Nuo Nuo or anyone else had seen them being so affectionate in broad daylight, she had no idea how much they would be teased.

The morning passed exceptionally slowly. Shan Ling kept thinking about Shen Qingyi, eagerly anticipating their evening plans, only to check the time and find it was just 11 AM.

Nuo Nuo arrived after 12 PM. She had ordered takeout before coming, and the food arrived just as she did.

“Xiao Ling, what’s wrong with you today?” Nuo Nuo looked at Shan Ling, who seemed distracted while eating. She asked curiously, “You’re usually the most enthusiastic eater, so why do you keep checking your phone? Is something important going on?”

Shan Ling looked up at Nuo Nuo and smiled: “I have a date planned with Yiyi tonight to go shopping. I’m trying to figure out where we should go.”

“Why does it have to be tonight?” Nuo Nuo wondered. “Wouldn’t playing all day be more fun?”

“But I have to work,” Shan Ling said. “And Yiyi has work to do too. Going out during the day would delay things. We both have time in the evening anyway.”

Nuo Nuo offered no comment. It was their date, and she was a single person, so she decided to just eat her takeout.

Shortly after 3 PM, Shan Ling keenly noticed that the sky was starting to darken.

Although the morning hadn’t been particularly bright, the weather now seemed increasingly gloomy, and the wind had picked up, making the little stall creak loudly.

“Is it going to rain?” Nuo Nuo skillfully checked the weather forecast on her phone. Seeing a prediction of rain within two hours, she exclaimed to Shan Ling: “It really is going to rain! We need to pack up quickly.”

Shan Ling nodded, and she and Nuo Nuo rose to move all the items into the shop.

Except for the tent, all the tables, chairs, and coffee were brought inside. Several renovation workers also looked at the weather and lamented that the rain had come so suddenly. Right after 4 PM, it began to drizzle.

The spring rain wasn’t heavy, but it was fine and dense. When the wind blew, it slanted into the shop.

Shan Ling watched the sky grow darker and darker. Some cars on the road even turned on their headlights, emphasizing the gloominess of the weather.

With weather like this, can they still go on their date?!

Support