Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 137

Chapter 137

Listening to Shan Ling’s cheerful voice on the phone, Shen Qingyi’s mood brightened considerably.

Although she still ate and worked routinely every day, Shen Qingyi felt that the relationship between the two of them was closer than ever. She wanted to be glued to Shan Ling every moment, and after only a few hours apart, she would start to miss her frantically.

“You can get off work early today,” Shen Qingyi told Shan Ling. “Nuo Nuo is going to the Shen family’s place at 4:30 PM anyway. You can let her leave first, so we can go home earlier.”

What they would do at home was known only to the two of them.

Although Shan Ling wasn’t thinking as much as Shen Qingyi, she also really wanted to stop working. A little bird in the throes of a new relationship was very clingy and longed to fly back to her immediately.

“Then I’ll go back earlier today,” Shan Ling said, swinging her feet. “Will you come pick me up?”

“Yes,” Shen Qingyi chuckled. “I’m done with my work for the day. I’ve mostly finished the badly damaged pieces, and I plan to take a break. I won’t have to work so late every day after this.”

She said lightly, “We both need to take more time to go shopping.”

Shan Ling blushed, held her phone, glanced at Nuo Nuo scrolling on her phone with headphones on, and then turned away to whisper, “I want to spend more time with you too.”

These words made Shen Qingyi’s heart ache with longing. She felt that today was incredibly long. How was it only noon? She had been separated from Shan Ling for five hours now!

“Me too,” Shen Qingyi was afraid she wouldn’t hang up if they kept talking. She forced herself to sound composed and said, “I have one last little bit to finish. I’ll leave around 3 PM to pick you up. Tell Nuo Nuo to leave early.”

“Okay~”

After hanging up, Shan Ling relayed Shen Qingyi’s message to Nuo Nuo, which elicited a cold snort from her.

“You two are too much! You really don’t treat me like a person,” Nuo Nuo slumped back in her chair helplessly and sighed. “Fine, I’ll go straight to the Shen house. That way, I can teach the kid how to make coffee and still get home early.”

Shan Ling smiled warmly, linked her arm with Nuo Nuo’s, and leaned in to ask, “How is Jiaojiao’s coffee making coming along?”

“You’d be surprised, the little girl learns things incredibly fast,” Nuo Nuo said. “And I’ve realized that the education in rich families is excellent. The little girl has won awards for piano, calligraphy, dancing, and drawing. She’s beautiful and highly intelligent—practically a perfect, envy-inducing prodigy. She’s going to drive so many little boys crazy when she grows up.”

Nuo Nuo whispered to Shan Ling, “The little girl said that some kids in her class already like her. How old is she? Kids these days know so much more than we did. When I was in elementary school, I only knew how to play in the mud.”

Shan Ling also nodded in agreement.

Around 3 PM, the two packed up their things to leave work. Nuo Nuo took the subway to leave early, and Shan Ling stayed behind at the shop to wait for Shen Qingyi to pick her up.

Within fifteen minutes, Shen Qingyi’s car pulled up to the curb and honked twice. Shan Ling quickly grabbed her bag, ran over, opened the car door, and slid inside.

After Shan Ling was seated securely, Shen Qingyi pulled her closer, and they exchanged a warm kiss in the car.

Shan Ling casually tossed her bag onto the floor, held Shen Qingyi’s shoulders, and obediently lifted her head.

The moist, hot kiss carried a sweet flavor. Shan Ling slightly squinted her eyes. After the kiss ended, she asked curiously, “Did you drink milk before you came?”

Shen Qingyi paused for a moment, then pretended to be angry, pinching Shan Ling’s cheek and scolding, “I kiss you, and all you know is guessing what I just drank?”

Shan Ling covered her face and laughed: “Because it was very sweet.”

The little mountain sparrow’s directness caught Shen Qingyi off guard. She was stunned for two seconds before she burst out laughing, then pulled Shan Ling back into her arms and kissed her sweetly again.

That evening, the two had dinner out. They went to a seafood buffet, where Shan Ling ate until her belly was round. Shen Qingyi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at how much effort she put into getting her money’s worth.

After dinner, they walked for two hours with Shan Ling. Shan Ling picked out a professional handbag at the mall and bought it readily as a gift for Shen Qingyi.

On the way home, Shan Ling received a photo from Nuo Nuo—a picture of Shen Jiaojiao.

Shen Jiaojiao must have found an apron similar to the coffee shop’s. She was wearing a white shirt and black pants, with a neat ponytail, looking like a little barista seriously showcasing her work.

After only three days of learning, Shen Jiaojiao was able to make a complete little bear latte art. Although it looked a bit crooked and not perfectly round, it was very impressive for an 8-year-old.

Shan Ling saved the photo, forwarded it to Shen Qingyi, and then turned to her, saying, “Yiyi, look, Jiaojiao is already quite good. Let’s go to the school on Friday to support her.”

She still remembered the little girl’s request to bring a bouquet of spring flowers.

Shen Qingyi didn’t say anything for a while. After a pause, she nodded. “We’ll go together on Friday.”

Shan Ling’s eyes lit up. She smiled brightly: “Remember to buy a bouquet of flowers.”

“I will,” Shen Qingyi curled her lips and smiled, “I’ll buy her a bouquet of flowers.”

Time flew by, and it was soon Friday. The night before, on Thursday, Shan Ling had wanted to see Shen Jiaojiao’s training progress, but the little girl refused her righteously.

Shen Jiaojiao said on the phone that Shan Ling and Shen Qingyi should come directly to the school the next day to see everything, as this was a period of secret training.

Shan Ling found it amusing and told Shen Qingyi about it. Shen Qingyi couldn’t help but chuckle, calling her wise beyond her years.

On Friday morning, Shen Qingyi got up early. School opened at 8 AM. The little stall owners had already set up their stalls on Thursday, waiting to open the next day. So, they needed to get up early to attend Shen Jiaojiao’s Open Day event.

Before leaving, Shen Qingyi called the florist. She had ordered a bouquet the night before, mainly consisting of daisies, baby’s breath, and sunflowers—a bright and cheerful combination perfect for giving to a child at this time.

Shan Ling specially dressed them up. She even brought the handbag she had bought for Shen Qingyi a couple of days ago and wore the diamond bracelet Shen Qingyi had given her.

Perhaps because they left so early, the road was not congested. However, the school entrance was already jammed with traffic. They could see colorful balloons rising high above the school from a distance.

Seeing the standstill traffic, Shen Qingyi parked the car further away. But even parking far away, the congestion was severe. By the time they finally found a parking spot, it was already 8:30 AM.

“There are so many people,” Shan Ling looked at the crowd at the school gate and sighed, “Are there always this many people in big cities?”

“Today is Open Day; most of the people here are probably parents,” Shen Qingyi took the newly purchased bouquet from the back seat. She also saw several parents on the street carrying flowers, both large and small, but all brightly colored.

The bustling streets were filled with smiling parents. Shen Qingyi and Shan Ling, walking in the crowd, did not stand out too much.

The weather was excellent today—sunny and pleasant, with warm temperatures. Security guards at the school gate didn’t stop people from entering; they were sitting there chatting with parents. Older students served as volunteers, guiding parents to the school activity area.

The “activity area” was actually the school’s plastic track and field area, which was now completely packed with people.

Along the track were numerous stalls selling everything: snacks, toys, and crafts.

The stalls were made up of one or two tables pushed together, with a small distance separating each one as a boundary. The stall owners were dressed neatly, enthusiastically greeting the visiting parents.

In the center of the field was a huge open-air stage, and scattered around were a few tents. These were the “shops” with a larger space. Shen Jiaojiao’s coffee shop was one of these red tents, with a handcrafted sign bearing three big words: “Coffee Shop”.

Shan Ling spotted the little girl behind the counter wearing a brown apron right away. Shen Jiaojiao was dressed in a white shirt with a neat ponytail, seriously making coffee for a parent and a student. She seemed to be politely asking them something, then skillfully operating a machine.

“A machine?” Shan Ling wondered, “How does she have a coffee machine?”

Shen Qingyi also saw it and said, “Nuo Nuo lent it to her. A batch of new equipment just arrived a couple of days ago, and she asked me if Jiaojiao could use it. I agreed.”

Shan Ling was surprised: “You didn’t tell me.”

Shen Qingyi smiled, holding the flowers and leaning closer to Shan Ling: “I wanted you to see it in person. It wasn’t anything important anyway.”

As the two walked toward the coffee shop, chatting and laughing, Shen Hongjun, seated at a makeshift table, caught sight of Shen Qingyi’s beaming smile.

He knew that Shen Qingyi hadn’t smiled so happily in many years.

Shen Hongjun’s face darkened. He took a sip of the coffee his little daughter had made and stared intently at Shen Qingyi, complaining to his wife, “Why is Yiyi smiling so happily? She never smiles at me like that.”

Tao Wanyue rolled her eyes, busy taking photos of her coffee with her phone.

Shen Jiaojiao had brewed the first cup of coffee for her, and it even had a very cute little bear design on top.

Although the little bear was a bit crooked and its eyes were uneven, it didn’t matter. It was a little bear coffee made by Shen Jiaojiao herself—the cutest in the world!

Shen Qingyi and Shan Ling didn’t notice Shen Hongjun until they were closer. Their brilliant smiles instantly disappeared.

This made Shen Hongjun even more upset.

She was so happy attending her sister’s event with her girlfriend, but as soon as she saw him, her face went straight?

Did he owe her money, or was he blocking her path?

Shen Qingyi looked at Shen Hongjun’s stern face. She and Shan Ling exchanged a look, and she walked up to the man, holding Shan Ling’s hand.

“Dad, Aunt Tao,” Shen Qingyi greeted the two. Holding the flowers in one hand and Shan Ling in the other, she introduced Shan Ling to the two elders: “This is my girlfriend, Shan Ling.”

Shen Hongjun’s expression was grim, and he remained silent, making the atmosphere awkward. Finally, Tao Wanyue stepped in to smooth things over, smiling as she told Shan Ling, “Xiao Ling, I often hear Jiaojiao talk about you. She was mentioning today that you were coming to see her.”

Shan Ling smiled warmly in response: “I’m also really looking forward to trying Jiaojiao’s coffee.”

Tao Wanyue smiled and told her, “Then you need to be ready to pay. This little girl won’t let us drink coffee for free. It’s 20 yuan a cup, and she’ll only make it after you pay.”

“I heard that all this money is going to be donated to children in the mountains, so it’s a contribution.”

“Indeed.”

Tao Wanyue nudged Shen Hongjun with her elbow, prompting him to greet them.

Shen Hongjun finally spoke, albeit reluctantly: “You’ve come. Just sit anywhere.”

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