The Reluctant Bride Book II Chapter 139

Silver spoon.

‘Dinner’s cooked,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Think of letting me eat dinner as repaying me for cooking dinner.’

Qiao Tan Yuan couldn’t believe Gu Jiao Wu sat and ate calmly at the dining table. Did she ask him to cook dinner? She could order take away food or eat instant noodles, she didn’t need him to cook for her.

Xiao Bao’s crying snapped Qiao Tan Yuan out of her thoughts.

‘Xiao Bao, eat your dinner,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘Bear will sing for you after you eat dinner.’

Gu Jiao Wu gave Qiao Tan Yuan a warning look not to let Xiao Bao play without eating dinner.

‘Tan Yuan, eat your dinner and set a good example for Xiao Bao,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Qiao Tan Yuan forced herself not to look at Xiao Bao. She picked up her bowl of congee and ate.

Xiao Bao stopped crying when no one paid attention to her.

‘Mama,’ Xiao Bao called pitifully.

Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t dare look at Xiao Bao’s tearful small face.

‘Xiao Bao, be good and eat dinner,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Xiao Bao sniffed her nose. She picked up her baby spoon, and scooped congee into her mouth. Each time she scooped, a little congee splattered on the baby high chair table.

Qiao Tan Yuan couldn’t stand watching Xiao Bao struggle to eat, and she stood.

‘Tan Yuan, even if Xiao Bao spills food, you should let Xiao Bao feed herself,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘I… Xiao Bao is still little,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

Gu Jiao Wu scooped another bowl of congee for himself and Qiao Tan Yuan.

‘Think about it,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘If Xiao Bao only eats if you feed her, what will happen on the days you’re too sick to feed Xiao Bao?’

Qiao Tan Yuan sat down and she continued eating dinner. But she was too worried about Xiao Bao to register the taste of the dishes she ate.

Xiao Bao didn’t care if congee fell on her clothes or on the table. She kept feeding herself spoon by spoon.

When Xiao Bao almost ate all the baby bowl of congee, Gu Jiao Wu scooped soup into a clean baby bowl for Xiao Bao.

Xiao Bao finished the delicious congee. She thought the soup would taste delicious too. She picked up the bowl of soup to her mouth, and she slurped the soup into her mouth. But some of the soup dripped down her clothes.

Qiao Tan Yuan and Gu Jiao Wu pretended they couldn’t see how soaked Xiao Bao’s clothes were, and they let Xiao Bao to finish her dinner on her own.

After dinner, Gu Jiao Wu picked up Xiao Bao and he carried Xiao Bao toward the bathroom.

‘Tan Yuan, I’ll bathe Xiao Bao while you wash the dishes,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘I’ll bathe Xiao Bao,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said.

‘Tan Yuan, don’t worry,’ Gu Jiao Wu said. ‘I have a lot of practice bathing children.’

Gu Jiao Wu thought about the times he helped bathe his little twin menace nephews so bathing his daughter wouldn’t be hard for him.

Xiao Bao didn’t like strangers holding her. She stretched out her arms for Qiao Tan Yuan to hold her. But by the time Gu Jiao Wu took off Xiao Bao’s soaked clothes from the congee and soup, and put her in a warm bubble bath, Xiao Bao forgot about looking for Qiao Tan Yuan. Xiao Bao played with her water toys in the bath while Gu Jiao Wu gently washed her hair.

In the kitchen Qiao Tan Yuan was contemplating whether to tidy up the kitchen or let the chef tidy up the kitchen. Then she wondered why Gu Jiao Wu acted like they were still together. She wasn’t certain if Gu Jiao Wu only came to Denmark to celebrate Xiao Bao’s birthday. It didn’t matter what was Gu Jiao Wu’s ulterior motive, she loved living in Denmark with Xiao Bao and she wasn’t going to let him chase her out of her own house. She decided after Xiao Bao’s birthday, she was going to kick Gu Jiao Wu out of her house.

Half an hour later, Gu Jiao Wu carried Xiao Bao from the bathroom to Xiao Bao’s bedroom to look for Xiao Bao’s clothes.

In the kitchen Qiao Tan Yuan rolled up her sleeves to wash dishes, and tidy the kitchen, because she didn’t know if the chef would be well enough to cook and clean on Xiao Bao’s birthday.

After Gu Jiao Wu dressed Xiao Bao, he carried Xiao Bao into the living room to play then he walked to the kitchen to help Qiao Tan Yuan. As he expected, there were broken dishes on the kitchen floor. He suspected Qiao Tan Yuan hadn’t washed dishes in months.

‘Tan Yuan, I’ll sweep the floor,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

Gu Jiao Wu quickly tidied the kitchen floor.

‘I thought you would be used to this kitchen after living here for a couple of months,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘I don’t need your help,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘I can tidy the kitchen on my own.’

Gu Jiao Wu didn’t want to upset Qiao Tan Yuan so he walked back to the living room to play with Xiao Bao.

Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t want to give Gu Jiao Wu the opportunity to look down on her in her own house. She washed the rest of the dishes on her own then she walked to the living room. Xiao Bao was dressed in clean clothes, and Xiao Bao sat next to Gu Jiao Wu listening to the teddy bear sing songs. Qiao Tan Yuan turned around, and walked toward her bedroom because she didn’t want to cry after seeing how happy Xiao Bao looked playing with Gu Jiao Wu.

Qiao Tan Yuan didn’t know when Gu Jiao Wu stood behind her, he held her hand and led her to the living room. After he forced her to sit on the sofa next to him, he took out a tube of soothing cream.

‘Gu Jiao Wu…’ Qiao Tan Yuan called.

Gu Jiao Wu pretended he couldn’t hear Qiao Tan Yuan. He rubbed soothing cream on her swollen hands.

Qiao Tan Yuan pulled her hands out of Gu Jiao Wu’s hands. She didn’t know why he acted like he cared about her, but she wasn’t going to be fooled by him again.

‘Gu Jiao Wu, you’ve eaten dinner,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said calmly. ‘Now you can leave.’

Qiao Tan Yuan sat next to Xiao Bao in front of the coffee table, and she played with Xiao Bao.

‘Mama,’ Xiao Bao called. ‘Bear, talk, talk.’

Xiao Bao pressed the teddy bear’s hand.

‘h.e.l.lo there,’ the teddy bear said.

Xiao Bao laughed, and she pressed the teddy bear’s other hand to hear the teddy bear sing.

Gu Jiao Wu sat on the sofa, and he watched Qiao Tan Yuan play with Xiao Bao. When Qiao Tan Yuan looked at him, there was only weariness and anger in Qiao Tan Yuan’s eyes. But the moment Qiao Tan Yuan sat next to Xiao Bao, Qiao Tan Yuan’s eyes lit up and she smiled at Xiao Bao.

Qiao Tan Yuan sensed Gu Jiao Wu was staring at her. She ignored him, and played with Xiao Bao until half past nine, Xiao Bao’s usual bedtime. She carried the sleepy Xiao Bao to Xiao Bao’s bedroom, and she tucked Xiao Bao in bed.

Qiao Tan Yuan returned to the living room, Gu Jiao Wu was still sitting on the sofa.

‘Tan Yuan, sit here with me and we can talk,’ Gu Jiao Wu said.

‘I have nothing to say to you,’ Qiao Tan Yuan said. ‘Except I want you to leave. Xiao Bao is sleeping, you can see Xiao Bao on her birthday.’

End of Chapter 139