A middle-aged woman emerged with several bags of garbage, pausing in surprise at the sight of Fu Yinxiu and Little Jingshi still in pajamas.
Her gaze held suspicion tinged with curiosity as she glanced behind them towards Ming Yutong's closed door, though there was nothing visible through it.
Fu Yinxiu remained silent, his expression icy and forbidding enough to deter the neighbor from striking up a conversation. She could only resort to surreptitiously observing Little Little Jingshi, brimming with gossip.
Fu Yinxiu carried Little Little Jingshi expressionlessly into the elevator.
***
Meanwhile, as Ming Yutong stirred eggs in a bowl, she hummed a tune happily. Even with Fu Yinxiu around, nothing could dampen her good mood.
She had never imagined that one day she would have the chance to make breakfast for her son herself. Although she had never given up hope of finding him, she had mentally prepared herself that she might never see her son again in this lifetime.
But now, fate had allowed them to reunite.
Life hadn't always been kind to her, but sometimes, it wasn't so bad either.
At least she had found her son again, giving her the opportunity to cherish him, to shower him with as much maternal love as she could cautiously offer. She felt deeply grateful for this.
This was the first time she was cooking for Little Little Jingshi, and she put her heart into it, not rushing through the breakfast.
She beat the eggs thoroughly and sifted them finely, ensuring there were no air bubbles left.
Then, she sprinkled a pinch of fresh green onions in the middle, surrounded by a thin ring of black sesame seeds. She covered the bowl with plastic wrap and steamed it.
She sliced the toast into triangles, spread blueberry jam on one pair and strawberry jam on another, soaking them in milk before gently frying each side in a skillet until golden brown and crispy.
She mashed boiled potatoes into a puree, shaping them into balls and carving out holes in the center to stuff with small cubes of cheese, coated them with breadcrumbs, and pressed them into round cakes in the frying pan.
In a small dish, she squeezed in salad dressing, ketchup, and condensed milk.
She then cracked an egg, beat it, and layered it in the pan to make an omelet, which she cut into squares and wrapped in seaweed strips.
From the refrigerator, she retrieved thin slices of ham and fried them until they were lightly golden.
She prepared many dishes, not intending for Little Little Jingshi to finish everything. She just felt that opportunities to cook breakfast for him like this were rare.
So she made a little extra, wanting him to taste as much of her cooking as possible.
If possible, she even wanted to use this morning to make up for all the breakfasts of the past seven years.
She made thick corn soup using a food processor, remembering that Little Jingshi liked it, and also prepared hot milk.
After preparing these breakfasts, she placed them all on a tray, neatly arranged, looking particularly attractive.
Yesterday evening at the mall, she also bought many children's tableware, in various beautiful shapes, including cartoon shapes that children love.
Now placed in the newly bought tableware, it looked really nice.
Ming Yutong smiled at the tray, looking forward to Little Jingshi's reaction.
She liked the sparkle in his eyes, his big smile.
With such happiness, Ming Yutong carried the tray to the dining room and carefully placed each dish. Her smile never faded from her lips, even Fu Yinxiu couldn't wipe it off.
Ming Yutong hurried to the bedroom, saying as she pushed open the door, "Little Jingshi, it's time to eat."
But when the bedroom door swung wide open, Ming Yutong froze.
There was no trace of Fu Yinxiu or Little Jingshi in the bedroom. The bed was messy as if someone had just gotten up.
But they were gone.
Ming Yutong panicked and went to the bathroom, where the light wasn't on. Knocking on the door and asking yielded no reply from Little Jingshi.
When she opened it, indeed, it was empty.
She hesitated for a moment, then rushed to the foyer.
Fu Yinxiu's luggage bag that had been placed at the door was also gone.
The cartoon slippers she bought for Little Jingshi at the mall last night were scattered at the entrance, one sole facing upwards.
It was clear they had left in a hurry.
Perhaps Fu Yinxiu forcefully took Little Jingshi away, but Little Jingshi wasn't willing and struggled at the entrance.
Ming Yutong walked back to the dining room in dismay and received a call from Little Jingshi.
Little Jingshi was now sitting in the car, still sulking with Fu Yinxiu.
With his little mouth pouted high, he made a loud "hmph" at the back of Fu Yinxiu's head, prompting Feng Yinxiu to give him a cold glance in the rearview mirror.
Although his gaze was on the rearview mirror, it seemed to reflect back onto him.
Little Jingshi immediately felt intimidated.
He took out his phone and deliberately said loudly, "I'm going to call Tong Tong. She was cooking in the kitchen, and we sneaked away. If she can't find me, she'll be very sad!"
Fu Yinxiu scoffed, "So melodramatic."
Little Jingshi wasn't at all defeated by Fu Yinxiu, raising his little chin proudly, "You left, Tong Tong won't be sad, but she cares a lot about me."
Fu Yinxiu gripped the steering wheel tightly again, exerting force repeatedly.
Ha!
Even a child knew that Ming Yutong didn't care about him!
Little Jingshi didn't realize that he had stabbed himself in his father's heart. He dialed Ming Yutong's number.
Ming Yutong still looked dazedly at the full breakfast table, which she had prepared with such love and anticipation.
At this moment, her phone suddenly rang. She picked it up and saw the screen read: Little Cutie Jingshi.
Ming Yutong hurriedly composed herself and answered the phone, hiding her sense of loss, "Little Jingshi."