CH 96

Was he at fault back then? Maybe so.

After returning to Beijing, Rong Ting should have gone to kindergarten. In fact, with his aptitude, disposition, and academic progress, he could go straight to elementary school. It was just that elementary school started in the beginning of September, and only students over six years old were accepted. Rong Ting would be turning six this month and could only go to elementary school after school started in September this year. In the past few months, he had also been transitioning in kindergarten, allowing him to adapt to working as a community in advance.

Originally, Rong Ting thought that kindergarten was a place for little kids to run about and play. But after suffering a setback at the elite kindergarten interview, he didn’t dare to take it lightly. After all, modern kindergarteners were very clever; they might not necessarily be any worse than him at grasping every aspect of information.

On the first day of kindergarten, Song Yuan was even more nervous than Rong Ting.

She woke up very early today and began to check whether she’d forgotten to pack anything.

The kindergarten had issued water bottles and backpacks. Song Yuan saw Rong Ting wear the kindergarten uniform and couldn’t resist. She took out her phone and frantically took more than a dozen photos before barely restraining herself.

The uniform looked very nice, similar to a British school uniform style. Rong Ting clumsily put on the white shirt. Song Yuan crouched down and tied the tie for him. The girl’s uniform had a bow-shaped collar, which looked very Western. This made Song Yuan say enviously, “You wouldn’t know, all my uniforms from elementary school to high school were very ugly. I’ve never had this kind of manhua-like uniform. It’s the most common sportswear, and it’s also very big. Children nowadays are so blessed!”

But Rong Heng thought it was very uncomfortable. “I don’t think it’s very good-looking. It’s very strange.”

“You straight men have no sense of aesthetics. You look especially nice wearing this. Just like…” Song Yuan paused, tilting her head in thought, “just like a little prince.”

Rong Ting curled his lips. “I am the crown prince.”

“That’s in ancient times, this is modern times. Let’s go, George~”

“I’m not that pig!”

It was the year of the pig, and it was starting to get popular to call girl piglets Peppa and boy piglets George. When Song Yuan first teased Rong Ting and called him George, Rong Ting didn’t understand the joke. That was until one time they were shopping together. Rong Ting felt bored and sat in the store, waiting for her. The shop owner thought he was very cute and let him watch TV. Unluckily, the cartoon that was playing was Peppa Pig. After that day, whenever Rong Ting heard Song Yuan call him George, he would strongly protest.

Rong Ting’s kindergarten was not far from where they lived. Without any traffic, they could drive there in less than ten minutes.

Song Yuan brought Rong Ting inside the school, where a teacher with kindly features was already waiting by the entrance. This kindergarten had just opened, so there were many 3-4 year old babies wailing by the door and in the garden. Some were also throwing tantrums, refusing to go to school and insisting on going back with their parents. For a while, it was complete pandemonium.

There was a faint trace of impatience on Rong Ting’s face. Too noisy here. If he didn’t know that he was going to the big kid class, if he were to be in class with these crying children, he definitely would have immediately turned around and left.

“Then, Rong Ting, I’m going.”

Song Yuan thought that Rong Ting would be reluctant to part. Last night, she’d been thinking of how to comfort him if he threw a tantrum. Unexpectedly, he was cool and calm. On the contrary, it was her who felt a bit reluctant.

Rong Ting gave an ‘en.’ “Drive safely. Though I am not at home, you must eat on time.”

Song Yuan was embarrassed, feeling that she didn’t have the slightest dignity of a mother in front of Rong Ting now. Every night, she worried she’d be discovered playing on her phone by him. He was going to kindergarten, and she was free and unrestrained, but he still specially reminded her to eat on time. She got the feeling he was the parent.

The kindergarten teacher was amused, but she was also secretly relieved. She had heard the kindergarten principal mention Rong Ting’s circumstances, saying that he had been receiving an education at home, and had no experience interacting with peers in kindergarten. She’d thought he would also cry, throw a tantrum, and want to go back. She didn’t expect this kid to be so sensible.

Song Yuan looked back three times for every step. Finally, she stood outside the kindergarten for a long time…

Fortunately, the kindergarten teacher was very considerate. As soon as she got home that afternoon, she received a video on WeChat.

In the video, Rong Ting was obediently sitting in a chair, listening in class as seriously as the other little radish heads.

The teacher was also praising Rong Ting: “He’s really very obedient and sensible. Not noisy, and very well-behaved when eating and napping. And he’s very clever.”

Song Yuan watched the video over and over again, ten or twenty times. At first, she was very happy, but as she watched, she didn’t know why she felt an inexplicable sense of loss.

In the video, he sat properly, with a meticulous attitude.

It was just that he seemed to be unable to blend in with his classmates, and there was a sense of disconnect.

Was it because he was a little more mature, so he couldn’t talk with children his age?

When she picked up Rong Ting from school, she asked him whether he was happy in kindergarten. He said, it was alright.

Rong Ting’s sixth birthday was approaching. Song Yuan wanted to give him a good birthday. She still hadn’t reported to the company; she was waiting for Rong Ting to adapt to life at kindergarten before going back, so she still had free time. She planned to personally bake a birthday cake. Originally, when she first moved here, she’d bought an oven, which was normally used to make chicken wings. It was really a bit of a waste. Why not take advantage of this free time to learn how to bake?

Song Yuan knew that the kindergarten often had activities, and she’d also seen some of the sisters in the moms’ group chat post little desserts they’d made themselves on their Moments. She must give Rong Ting twice as much face! She couldn’t scramble something together at the last minute1, right? So when she was about to head out in the afternoon, she ran into Rong Heng, who had come to gift fresh fruit.

Rong Heng heard she was going to buy baking ingredients and silently came along.

Baking ingredients were generally found in supermarkets. If something couldn’t be found, it could be bought online.

Rong Heng didn’t try to chat with Song Yuan to increase his sense of presence. While Song Yuan was choosing a kitchen scale, Rong Heng curiously walked over to another shelf to see what there was. Just then, a young couple passed by, chatting casually about daily life–

“I read on Weibo that there’s a meteor shower2 next month. It’s said to be very spectacular. Hopefully you’re not working overtime then, so we can go camping and watch the meteor shower. I’ve never seen a meteor shower.”

“En, okay.”

Rong Heng paused in his steps, the smile on his face receding. He placed the bear-shaped cookie cutter on the shelf and calmly returned to Song Yuan’s side as though nothing was wrong.

Song Yuan bought many baking ingredients and started playing around with them at home. After studying the online tutorial, she began to sift the flour, looking earnest and focused. Her long hair was casually bundled up. The afternoon sun passed through the window and fell on her body, casting it in a faint golden glow.

Rong Heng was suddenly struck with a sense of gratification. It had been a long, long time since he’d seen her looking like this.

Carefully thinking back, ever since she had married into the palace and became empress, had she ever shown a sincere smile again? She was tense at all times, with never a moment to relax.

Was he at fault back then? Maybe so.

But if he were to go back to that time he might have made the same decision. That was then, and this was now. At that time he was unwilling to lose her, but now he had already begun to accept that she was like him, sober and clear headed. He felt she also wouldn’t regret her decision.

“Can you get the lemon juice for me?” Song Yuan turned her head and asked him. “The lemon juice is in the fridge. I read on the tutorial to add lemon juice and sugar to the egg whites on high speed.”

“Okay.”

Rong Heng brought her the lemon juice. As she took it from his hands, he said in a low voice, “I Have something for you.”

Song Yuan let out an ‘oh,’ looking in his direction. “What thing?”

Rong Heng took out a small box from his pocket and handed it to her.

Song Yuan didn’t dare to accept it. This was a brand for diamond rings, she was familiar with it. A box this small could only be for a diamond ring. How could she accept his ring, and what did he want to do by giving it?

Could it be that he was proposing at this moment?

Rong Heng let out a soft laugh upon seeing her vigilant look and opened the box in front of her. Inside was a diamond ring.

Song Yuan: “…”

“I didn’t know much about jewelry at first. I bought this diamond ring myself.” Rong Heng was a bit embarrassed, an uneasy look on his face. Such a look hadn’t been seen since he ascended the throne. Before sitting on that throne, he was a cultured and refined youth. In front of Song Yuan, he would occasionally act his age and become shy and annoyed and feel happiness and anger. After he took the throne, even in front of her, he wore a mask.

He always wanted her to completely bare her sincerity, but he was only willing to show her half of his.

But was there such a thing in the world? Offering half one’s heart in exchange for another’s whole heart?

Song Yuan also could not react upon seeing him like this.

“This ring isn’t expensive. I heard the sales assistant say that including the diamonds on the side, it’s only 0.3 carats3. In any case, it’s a long way from one carat. But the money for this ring came not from the Xie family, not from Xie Heng, but from my earnings.” Rong Heng lowered his voice, feeling a bit helpless and a bit vexed. “I spent a few days on a painting and had Sun Qiming go out to sell it. I told him that he wasn’t allowed to use the Xie family’s name, and he didn’t dare to go against my orders. The result is as you’ve seen; my painting was sold for less than 10,000 yuan, and it’s said this price is very high already. I don’t know the market prices here, but I have no reputation here, so the price should be reasonable.”

In fact, after he briefly looked into the market here, he felt that being able to sell at this price might have been the result of Sun Qiming’s incessant negotiations and bargaining…

Fortunately, the money from selling the painting allowed him to buy this diamond ring. Although the diamond was a bit smaller, at least he had achieved it.

“The market price of this ring is not more than 10,000.” Rong Heng looked at her. “I’d thought I could sell the painting for a good price and buy you a better diamond ring, but I didn’t expect this result. Now that I think about it, if I were just Ziheng, I would have had to work much, much harder to give you and Rong Ting a better life.”

“I bought this ring myself, with my own money. If…” Rong Heng gave a bitter smile. “Forget it, there’s no ‘if.’”

Song Yuan’s eyes were fixed on the ring in his hand. As she listened to his words, she felt dumbfounded.

What did he want to do?

[1] 抱佛脚: lit. to clasp the Buddha’s feet; short for 平时不烧香，临时抱佛脚 (never burning incense when all is well, but clasping the Buddha’s feet when one is in peril). To leave something to do at the last minute or to make a last-minute effort

[2] 宝瓶座流星雨: lit. Aquarius meteor shower. Specifically refers to Eta Aquariids, which peak during early May every year

[3] 1 carat can be divided into 100 points of 2 mg, so 30 points = 60 mg, or 0.30 carats

Cheese: that part with rong ting and not fitting in with kindergarten kinda made me sad tbh