Chapter 5: Delicate Little Requests

Chapter 5: Little Qian Qian’s Small Request

Lu Anzhi smiled gently.

Like him, Zhang Suxin was unprepared to face this relationship.

He was Qian Qian’s father, and Zhang Suxin was Qian Qian’s mother, but for now, their connection was only a matter of recognition—barely different from strangers.

So Lu Anzhi did not answer the homeowner’s question and instead said, “Let’s continue looking at the house.”

He lifted Qian Qian into his arms and teased with a smile, “Let’s see if daddy’s beard itches today?”

Qian Qian reached up with her small hands to touch Lu Anzhi’s cheek, grinning as she said, “It doesn’t itch.” Then she planted a soft kiss.

The homeowner couldn’t help but remark, “Your daughter is truly adorable.”

Lu Anzhi chuckled, “Yes, I think so too.”

He put Qian Qian down and continued inspecting the house. Zhang Suxin came over to hold Qian Qian’s hand.

The little girl was very curious about this new place, tugging at Zhang Suxin and following Lu Anzhi around, looking here and there, constantly asking simple questions. Zhang Suxin patiently and gently answered them.

“What’s that?”

“That’s a window.”

“Window what?”

“It’s a window.”

“Window what?”

“...Yes, a window.”

“And that?”

“That’s a cabinet.”

“Cabinet what?”

“That’s a toilet.”

“Mommy pee-pee.”

Both Lu Anzhi and the homeowner turned around, startled.

Zhang Suxin smiled sheepishly and explained, “We have a smart toilet at home. Qian Qian recently learned to press the flush button on the remote control and insists on flushing it herself every time. She just wants to flush.”

The little girl, unaware of the slight awkwardness she caused, was still searching for the flush remote.

The homeowner smiled and said to Qian Qian, “Little one, this isn’t a smart toilet. There’s no remote here.”

Qian Qian blinked her big, innocent eyes and replied, “Okay.”

Lu Anzhi stroked Qian Qian’s little head. Whenever she said “Okay,” it made her seem both adorable and obedient.

Her mother was intelligent and composed, so it was no wonder such a sensible little girl had been raised.

Lu Anzhi tried flushing the toilet, and the water swirled down.

The little girl exclaimed excitedly, “Oh, it’s flushing!”

At just over two years old, Qian Qian was indeed curious about everything, full of interest.

After inspecting the plumbing and electrical systems on the second floor and checking every corner to ensure everything was in order, Lu Anzhi went back down to the first floor.

The first floor was spacious and required less detailed inspection. Lu Anzhi mainly focused on checking the water and electricity.

The homeowner had good taste, and the shop’s basic decoration was well preserved. If possible, Lu Anzhi hoped to keep the structure intact and only add soft furnishings.

So he wanted to avoid changing the plumbing and wiring if he could.

Qian Qian, accompanied by Zhang Suxin, bounced around the empty room and soon spotted the piano that hadn’t yet been moved.

She ran to Lu Anzhi’s side as if to show off her knowledge and pointed at the piano, saying, “Daddy, piano.”

“Yes, piano,” Lu Anzhi replied, ruffling the hair that was already a bit tousled from upstairs.

Zhang Suxin, once a renowned young star in the music scene, naturally had a piano at home, so it was only normal for little Qian Qian to recognize it.

“Hehe,” Qian Qian smiled with pride.

Lu Anzhi asked, “Does Qian Qian know how to play the piano?”

Qian Qian tugged him toward the piano and said, “Daddy play.”

“All right, Daddy will play.”

Lu Anzhi didn’t want to disappoint the little one. He turned to the homeowner and said, “Sorry, could you wait a moment? It’ll be quick. Also, may I play this piano for a bit?”

The homeowner was very understanding. “No problem at all. Sir, you can play piano too? Then I’m all ears.”

Lu Anzhi smiled, “I can only play a few simple notes.”

He sat down at the piano bench.

As soon as he sat, Qian Qian struggled to climb onto the bench.

Seeing this, Lu Anzhi lifted her up and settled her beside him.

The bench was long enough for two people to sit side by side comfortably, especially since Qian Qian was so small.

Zhang Suxin also stood by the piano, curious.

Lu Anzhi surprised her a bit by knowing how to play the piano, though it was more of an unexpected detail than a true delight.

Right now, the greatest surprise Lu Anzhi gave her was that he was the mysterious author “Dora B Dream,” the one who had upset her a little just yesterday.

If they were strangers, knowing he was Dora B Dream might have prompted Zhang Suxin to voice more opinions or ask if he could revive someone named Xiayi.

But since there was now a complicated, indescribable connection between them, she hesitated to say much.

She wondered silently what kind of music he might play.

Lu Anzhi lifted the piano lid, placed his fingers on the keys, and began to play.

“Dun dun deng deng, dun dun deng deng, dun dun dun, dun dun dun…”

Simple, lively, and cheerful music flowed from his fingers.

Both the homeowner and Zhang Suxin were a little surprised.

It was clearly a children’s tune—simple, pleasant, and very enjoyable.

Generally, well-liked children’s music tends to be widely popular, since there aren’t many dedicated children’s songs in the world, but children keep coming in endless waves.

Yet neither Zhang Suxin nor the homeowner had ever heard this particular tune before.

“Do you like it?” Lu Anzhi asked Qian Qian as he played.

“It’s nice,” the little girl nodded, shaking her head and wiggling her small bottom, keeping time with the rhythm.

Lu Anzhi said, “How about Daddy sings it for you too?”

Qian Qian coquettishly replied, “Okay.”

The piece was short, and Lu Anzhi repeated it once more.

On the third time, he sang along with the music:

“Two little tigers, two little tigers, running fast, running fast, one has no ears, one has no tail, how strange, how strange...”

Zhang Suxin blinked in surprise.

She hadn’t heard the melody or the song before.

Where had he dug this up from?

Meanwhile, the homeowner was attentively making a note.

Since he ran a piano shop, he naturally knew how to play. Having children at home, he thought this children’s song would be great to take home and use to entertain his kids.

But little Qian Qian had no such thoughts; she just found it amusing and kept laughing, “No ears, no tail, hehe...”

At her age, she didn’t question why the tiger had no ears or tail—she simply enjoyed the sound and the fun.

After Lu Anzhi finished playing once more, the little girl shook his arm and said, “Play again, play again.”

Zhang Suxin picked up Qian Qian and gently persuaded her, “Qian Qian, be good. Daddy still has things to do. When we get home, Mommy will play for you, okay?”

The little girl obediently nodded and said, “Okay.”

(End of chapter)