Chapter 124: A Promise to Go to the Concert Together (Please Subscribe)

"Brother!"
"Brother Qing!"

On the first floor of the small shop, Yang Qing was busy making jianbing guozi (savory crepes) when he heard the two little ones calling out in their milky voices.

"Hmm? What is it?" he asked with a curious smile, not even turning his head.

"Brother, Xi'er and Sister Jin'er don't have tickets! They can't go to the concert with us. What should we do?" Little Qiu'er's tiny voice was filled with hope.

"Hmm..."

Yang Qing hummed softly as he quickly finished a crepe and let Tan Jin'er take over. He looked at the two expectant little toddlers, thought for a moment, and said, "Then I'll call Brother Wang Ming and ask if he has any more tickets. If he does, we'll buy them, okay?"

"Okay!"

The two little ones jumped up and down with joy, their chirping voices filled with excitement. At this moment, they looked at Yang Qing with pure adoration; in their eyes, he was an all-powerful hero.

Yang Qing patted their little heads, took out his phone, dialed Wang Ming, and put it on speaker.

"Hello, Brother Yang? Is something up?"

A moment later, the call connected. Wang Ming's voice came through, and he sounded quite busy. Yang Qing immediately said, "Are you busy? If so, carry on, and we can talk when you're free."

"No, no, I'm just coordinating the stage setup. It's not that busy. Tell me what you need, Brother Yang."

Yang Qing: "I just wanted to ask if there are any extra tickets for your sister's concert. I want to buy three more for Xi'er and the others."

"Oh, is that all?" Wang Ming laughed. "The tickets sold out a week ago, but don't worry. Just bring the little cuties over at 6:30, and I'll add some extra seats for you. That's three people, right?"

Yang Qing paused, then said with some embarrassment, "Adding seats—is it a hassle? If it's too much trouble, forget it."

"Forget it? What do you mean?" Wang Ming sounded almost offended. "It's just adding a few seats, what trouble could that be! It's settled! Three, right?"

Yang Qing: ...

He felt embarrassed by Wang Ming's insistence. Although they were close, this situation was... well...

As he sighed with gratitude, he was about to speak when he felt little Xi'er tugging at his pants. She said in a tiny voice, "Brother Qing, there's also Dudu and Niannian."

Before Yang Qing could respond, Wang Ming’s voice came through the phone: "Is that Xi'er? Haha... add Dudu and Niannian too? That makes five, then. I've got it, brother. Go thank your brother!"

"Hiahia... Thank you, Brother Wang Ming!"
"Hee hee, thank you, Brother Wang Ming!"

The two little ones chirped their thanks happily at the phone.

"You're very welcome, you cuties. See you tonight!"

"Okay!"

After Wang Ming hung up, Yang Qing looked at the two leaping, joyful little ones and shook his head with a smile. "Alright, go upstairs and tell your little friends. Tell them to come to the shop at 5:30, and then we'll all go to Sister Ying's concert together."

"Yay!"

***

The two little ones held hands happily and headed upstairs, climbed onto the small sofa, and began making calls on their children's smartwatches. They had recently added the numbers for little Niannian and Dudu’s mother.

At that moment, little Niannian was sitting on her sofa, legs dangling as she watched a cartoon, when her watch suddenly rang.

"Hello? Is that Qiu'er?" Niannian answered quickly, her tiny voice filled with anticipation.

"Hee hee... Niannian..." Little Qiu'er happily told her about going to the concert today, and Niannian agreed joyfully.

After finishing the call with Niannian, little Xi'er couldn't wait to call Dudu's mother. The call connected, but there was no sound on the other end.

"Hello? Hello? Is anyone there? It's Xi'er! Hello~~"

Little Xi'er called out, but still, no one answered. Her little face fell, and she said, "Qiu'er, is Dudu not there?"

"I don't know," little Qiu'er said, shaking her head sadly.

Just then, a burst of "baby talk" came through the phone. Xi'er and Qiu'er’s faces lit up, and they chirped in unison:

"Dudu!"
"&$??_~"

At Dudu's house, it had been her mother who answered the phone, as she had forgotten that Dudu couldn't speak. Hearing the little voices, she realized it was Dudu's friends and quickly found Dudu, who was helping mop the floor, and handed her the phone.

Soon, a harmony of "cute talk" and "baby talk" began. Dudu's mother stood by, watching with a smile.

After a while, the call ended. Dudu turned to look at her mother, put down the mop, and began to communicate rapidly using sign language. Her mother replied just as quickly. As they conversed, they seemed to disagree on something, and the speed of their hand signs increased. To an outsider, it looked like a dazzling, rapid-fire duel of mystical hand seals.

Little Dudu clearly couldn't win the argument against her mother. She stomped her feet in frustration, flailing her hands and letting out a string of baby talk: "&$????$&??$&#... Ma... Mama!"

In the middle of her anxious, milky roar, those two clear words emerged. Dudu's mother froze, staring at Dudu in disbelief.

Thinking she had won the argument, Dudu turned to go to her room to pack, but her mother suddenly hugged her. Dudu's mother knelt halfway, tears welling up in her eyes, and made a sign.

Little Dudu was stunned, then pointed to her own tiny mouth in disbelief. Her mother nodded firmly, looking at her with expectant, tear-filled eyes. Little Dudu nodded excitedly and opened her mouth to speak.

"&$??$&??..."

It was still baby talk. Dudu looked at her mother, confused, wondering if she had misheard.

But her mother didn't look disappointed; she continued to gaze at her with expectation, signing words of encouragement.

"??$&??&??..."

Dudu's baby talk came out again, but encouraged by her mother, she didn't stop. She babbled for nearly a minute, and though no clear words came out, she grew impatient.

As she continued, perhaps because of her frustration, two clear words slipped out: "Mama!"

Dudu herself froze. She had heard it, too, and felt how she had formed the sounds.

As her mother, sobbing with joy, pulled her into a tight embrace, Dudu said the words again, this time without any baby talk prefix: "Mama..."

Hearing her daughter say those two words clearly once more, Dudu's mother could no longer hold back. She hugged her daughter tightly and broke into loud, uncontrollable sobs of joy.

Little Dudu’s large eyes welled up with tears, her little mouth repeating over and over, "Mama... Mama..."

Happiness, joy, and profound emotion filled the space between the mother and daughter.

***

Today, Bai Lingyue was feeling very down. She knew it was her idol's concert, and she had been looking forward to it, but without a ticket, she felt helpless.

Originally, she was just a bit sad, but when she heard little Qiu'er and Xi'er talking excitedly on the phone, she froze. That was when she realized that they all had tickets, and she was the only one who didn't.

Loneliness, sadness, and disappointment washed over her, and her mood plummeted. Even so, she had to pretend she didn't care, forcing a smile and acting indifferent. She kept up this act for half the day. After lunch, she said she needed to study and locked herself in her room.

Jin'er, being sensitive, noticed something and mentioned it to Yang Qing. Yang Qing smiled and said, "It's fine. Let's wait for Xiaobai to come back. Let her deliver a surprise to her aunt."

"Okay." Tan Jin'er nodded, smiling. "You saw it earlier, so why wait for Xiaobai?"

Yang Qing winked. "Guess."

Tan Jin'er: ...

Around 4:30 PM, Xiaobai rushed into the shop with her school bag. She was about to bolt upstairs when Yang Qing grabbed her.

Xiaobai →_→: "Brother Qing, what are you stopping me for?"

Yang Qing smiled and handed her a concert ticket. "Go give this to your aunt. Tell her it’s a gift from you, Qiu'er, and Xi'er."

Xiaobai’s eyes lit up instantly. She grinned wide and laughed, "Got it!"