Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Although Shen Jiaojiao always kept Mrs. Tao Wanyue’s teachings in mind, the TV drama was simply too captivating, and a little girl lacked self-control. Coupled with the delicious bread Shan Ling baked, she didn’t realize the time until it was dinner.

“After dinner, I’ll take you back first,” Shen Qingyi told the little girl who was eating heartily: “Your mom should be back by this time.”

Shen Jiaojiao raised her head from her bowl and pleaded tearfully: “Jiejie, can I sleep here tonight? I really don’t want to go home.”

Shan Ling separated a chicken leg for Shen Jiaojiao and placed it in her bowl, saying, “If you don’t go back, won’t your mom worry too much?”

“But this is Jiejie’s home, Mom won’t worry,” Shen Jiaojiao whined, pleading with Shen Qingyi: “Please, Jiejie, it’s not safe for you to drive so late. Just let me stay and sleep over.”

“You have school tomorrow.”

“I finished all my homework. Grandma Jiang can just bring my school bag to school. It only takes her about ten minutes to get there from home.”

Shen Qingyi sighed. She looked at Shen Jiaojiao, then at Shan Ling, and told her, “I need to call your mom and ask.”

Shen Jiaojiao’s face instantly lit up with joy. She enthusiastically told her, “I can call Mom later! Thank you, Jiejie. You’re the best! Sister Xiao Ling is great too. Sister Xiao Ling’s food is truly the most delicious I’ve ever eaten!”

Shan Ling loved Shen Jiaojiao’s lavish compliments. She happily piled more food onto her plate, stacking the bowl in front of Shen Jiaojiao into a small mountain.

While Shen Jiaojiao called home, Shen Qingyi and Shan Ling cleaned up the table. Shen Qingyi told Shan Ling, “You and Jiaojiao sleep in the bed tonight. I’ll get a room outside.”

Shan Ling suddenly remembered that she was still publicly claiming to rent her own place.

“I’ll go stay outside,” Shan Ling told Shen Qingyi. “It’s strange for you to go stay outside. I can just say I went home. That way there are no loopholes.”

Shen Qingyi’s bright eyes stared at Shan Ling. She said helplessly, “Then I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Shan Ling smiled: “It’s no inconvenience at all. It’s all for the child.”

After she said this, both felt that something was a little strange.

Shen Jiaojiao came bounding over after hanging up the phone. She happily told the two women: “My mom agreed to let me stay here tonight! I can go straight to school tomorrow. She’ll bring my school bag and she asked me to thank Jiejie.”

Then, Shen Jiaojiao’s gaze settled on Shan Ling. She said affectionately, “Sister Xiao Ling, don’t leave today either. I just checked. Jiejie’s bed is huge. Can the three of us squeeze in together and sleep?”

Shan Ling paused slightly and glanced back at Shen Qingyi.

Shen Qingyi returned her gaze and said decisively, “Fine. Don’t go back today. Stay over.”

A strange tension filled the air, making Shan Ling inexplicably unable to speak. Even her ears started turning red.

They usually slept together, so why was she blushing and her heart racing when Shen Qingyi said it this time?

This wasn’t normal…

Shen Jiaojiao didn’t notice the ambiguous atmosphere between the two. She jumped with excitement and enthusiastically asked Shen Qingyi, “Jiejie, do I have pajamas?”

“Yes,” Shen Qingyi put down what she was holding and told Shan Ling, “Just leave the dishes and utensils in the sink for now. I’ll go find her pajamas first. I’ll wash them later.”

Shan Ling lowered her head and gently hummed in acknowledgement. She watched as Shen Qingyi dried her hands and took Shen Jiaojiao to the bedroom to find pajamas.

The noisy television, the sound of Shen Jiaojiao and Shen Qingyi talking—it all lingered in the cozy little apartment, giving Shan Ling an inexplicable feeling of home.

She looked at the dishes in front of her, picked them up contentedly, placed them in the sink, turned on the tap, and began washing them.

When they went to sleep that night, Shen Qingyi and Shan Ling still slept on opposite sides, but this time a little girl was placed in the middle. Shen Jiaojiao wore Shen Qingyi’s oversized nightgown, and the wide neckline exposed half her shoulder. Fortunately, the bedroom was warm, so she didn’t feel cold.

Little Shen Jiaojiao happily snuggled between the two of them, sleeping between the two pillows, pulling the blanket up, and closing her eyes: “Jiejie, turn off the light. I need to wake up early tomorrow.”

Click. Shen Qingyi turned off the light, and the bedroom plunged into darkness.

She didn’t lie down immediately but opened her phone to set an alarm. Unsure of what time elementary school students should wake up, she casually asked, “What time is class tomorrow?”

Shen Jiaojiao answered clearly: “Eight o’clock. Jiejie, just set the alarm for six o’clock.”

A six o’clock alarm…

Both Shan Ling and Shen Qingyi fell silent. They usually woke up after seven, closer to eight. Six o’clock was a significant challenge to their body clocks.

But for the child’s sake, Shen Qingyi hardened her heart and set the alarm for 6:30 AM. An hour and a half should be enough time for waking up, eating breakfast, and driving Shen Jiaojiao to school. She hoped they wouldn’t hit rush hour.

“It’s set,” Shen Qingyi lay down, resignedly pulled up the blanket, and told the other two, “Sleep now. We have an early start tomorrow.”

Shen Jiaojiao wondered, “Is six o’clock considered an early start?”

The two of them: “…”

It was truly good that children hadn’t seen the world yet. Adults simply couldn’t manage to wake up at that time.

Shen Qingyi decided that the next time Shen Jiaojiao stayed over, it definitely wouldn’t be on a Sunday.

The next day, Shen Qingyi’s alarm rang at 6:30 AM. She forced herself awake, then dragged Shen Jiaojiao, who was still asleep in the blanket, out of bed.

“Go brush your teeth. I’ve prepared a new toothbrush and towel for you,” Shen Qingyi told the child whose eyes wouldn’t open: “Keep your eyes open and try not to run into the door.”

Shen Jiaojiao nodded groggily and fumbled her way off the bed.

Shan Ling also woke up, but she was so tired she tried twice and failed to get out of bed. Shen Qingyi’s head ached from exhaustion. Seeing Shan Ling like this made her feel both sympathetic and amused, and she even pitied herself for a second.

She once again firmly decided never to let Shen Jiaojiao stay over on a Sunday again.

“Don’t get up yet. It’s still early,” Shen Qingyi gently pushed Shan Ling, who was struggling to get out of bed, back down, telling her, “I’ll take Jiaojiao to school, and I’ll be back just in time to pick you up. Sleep a little longer. I’ll bring you breakfast.”

“Won’t that be too much trouble? Maybe I should go with you,” Shan Ling said with her mouth, but she kept the blanket tightly wrapped around her, her eyes still closed.

Shen Qingyi found this highly amusing. She rubbed Shan Ling’s soft cheek, leaned down, and said, “I’ll suffer the pain of waking up early alone. You keep sleeping.”

Shan Ling softly hummed in reply and fell back asleep the next second.

When Shen Qingyi left with a still half-asleep Shen Jiaojiao, the sky was just barely beginning to lighten.

Shen Jiaojiao fell asleep immediately in the back seat. Shen Qingyi was awake now. She couldn’t sleep while driving like Shen Jiaojiao, but fortunately, the cold morning air helped to clear her head.

The drive was not particularly congested, but the closer they got to the school, the harder it became to drive. A twenty-meter stretch took ten minutes.

Eventually, Shen Qingyi became so frustrated with the driving. She had never realized the area outside the school could be so congested. It seemed all the early-morning traffic was concentrated right here.

Finally, Shen Qingyi parked the car on the side of the road and walked with the newly awakened Shen Jiaojiao to school. On the way, she bought her two steamed buns and a packet of hot milk, which served as the little girl’s breakfast.

The streets were full of parents dropping off their children, of all ages. The youngest looked to be in first or second grade, and the oldest in fifth or sixth—all still little kids.

At the entrance, Shen Qingyi saw Tao Wanyue, wearing a dark green cashmere coat, a white sweater, and white leather boots. Her dark hair was styled in a bun on her head. Standing there, she looked calm and gentle from a distance, possessing the elegance of a wealthy madam.

“Mom~”

Shen Jiaojiao was happy to see Tao Wanyue. She ran over, holding the milk. Tao Wanyue’s eyes widened when she saw the milk in her hand. She quickly moved away from her daughter to avoid getting splashed.

“Why are you running?” Tao Wanyue scolded her daughter: “What if you fall?”

Shen Jiaojiao smiled happily, holding up the milk: “Mom, do you want some?”

Tao Wanyue shook her head. Only then did she look up at Shen Qingyi, who was walking over. She instantly resumed her gentle expression and smiled: “Yiyi, thank you for bringing Jiaojiao to school. Did she not cause you any trouble last night?”

“No, she sleeps very soundly,” Shen Qingyi said.

Except for liking to sleep sideways.

Shen Qingyi looked at the overwhelming number of students and parents nearby. This scene felt very unfamiliar to her. Since she had safely handed Shen Jiaojiao over to Tao Wanyue, there was no need for her to stay. Besides, she believed Tao Wanyue wasn’t eager to see her either.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back,” Shen Qingyi said calmly, hands in her pockets: “I need to get back to the shop.”

Tao Wanyue smiled warmly: “Okay, thank you, Yiyi.”

Then, she patted Shen Jiaojiao’s head and told her, “Say goodbye to your sister.”

Shen Jiaojiao obediently waved: “Goodbye, Jiejie. Drive safely. Can I come to your house next weekend too?”

Shen Qingyi’s expression visibly froze. She looked at Shen Jiaojiao strangely and told her, “Only on Saturday.”

“Okay!” Shen Jiaojiao was very happy and waved again at Shen Qingyi.

Under the watch of the mother and daughter, Shen Qingyi turned and left the school area. After getting into her car, she yawned and started the drive home.

Shan Ling woke up naturally at 8 o’clock. Shen Qingyi still hadn’t returned. She sat up in bed groggily, her hair a mess, looking like she had been electrocuted.

Last night was truly painful. That little girl, Shen Jiaojiao, actually slept clockwise.

She tossed and turned all night, sleeping at the head of the bed one moment and the foot the next. Shan Ling didn’t get a good night’s sleep because of the constant movement.

Yawning, she got out of bed and opened the curtains. She vaguely remembered Shen Qingyi saying she would bring breakfast back. Shan Ling changed the grains in the small bowl on the balcony and boiled a pot of water. She then went to wash up. Just as she finished, Shen Qingyi walked through the door.

Seeing Shan Ling in her nightgown, biting her toothbrush, Shen Qingyi somehow felt she resembled Xiao Pang. Xiao Pang always greeted her this way when she returned home, no matter what it was doing.

Why did she think of Xiao Pang again?

Shen Qingyi sighed internally. She held up the breakfast in her hand and told Shan Ling, “We’re having steamed buns for breakfast. Come eat once you’re done washing up.”

Shan Ling nodded. Biting her toothbrush, she was about to head back to the bathroom but was stopped by Shen Qingyi.

“Jiaojiao might want to come over again next week,” Shen Qingyi said with a touch of helplessness: “I think we absolutely cannot let her stay overnight again.”

Shan Ling paused, then nodded heavily in agreement.

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