Grown Up

"Then I'll bring it to you next Monday?" Zhi Ying immediately regained her spirits.

Zhi Ying had left the doll in the villa on Lugu Mountain, so she had to go there over the weekend to retrieve the doll.

"Okay." Jiang Wei agreed in a low voice.

…

On Thursday, Father Zhi and Mother Zhi came back from their business trip. Zhi Ying was sitting in the living room doing her homework, when she heard the sound of keys rattling outside, it seemed that the people outside the door were in a hurry.

"Ying Ying, we're back!" Lin Xiuyu called as soon as she entered the door, which didn't fit her elegant temperament at all.

"Dad, Mom." Zhi Ying put down her book and stood up to take things from her dad.

But she was immediately blocked by Lin Xiuyu, "Didn't you injure your knee? Don't move around."

"Oh, it's all healed." Zhi Ying didn't care at all.

"What's all right, let mom see." Lin Xiuyu gave Father Zhi a look and briskly told him to put the things away by himself.

Zhi Ying was forced to sit back on the sofa. After Lin Xiuyu asked which knee it was, she began to roll up her daughter's trousers to check.

Even after a few days, the large bruise had not completely dissipated, and the traces on it could still be seen clearly.

"Mom, it doesn't hurt anymore," Zhi Ying said guiltily when she saw that her mother had turned silent.

"It's already like this, if Xiao Wei hadn't told me about it, wouldn't you have never told us?" Lin Xiuyu scolded, dissatisfied by her Zhi Ying's behavior.

Zhi Ying immediately explained, "But I'm already healed, and, besides, Jiang Wei gave me some medicinal oil.

"Lin Xiuyu nodded, "Xiao Wei is not bad."

Father Zhi came over after putting away his things, and rubbed Zhi Ying's head, "Little Girl, you should learn to cherish your body, we can't watch over you forever."

"Oh." Zhi Ying has never refuted her parents' words, but it was another matter to listen to them.

"Where is the medicated oil? Dad will apply it," Father Zhi asked, looking at the residual bruising on his daughter's knee, and his eyelids couldn't help but twitch.

Zhi Ying pointed to the locker, "I put it in there."

"Ying Ying, are you going to the capital to participate in the winter camp in December?" Lin Xiuyu asked as she sat beside Zhi Ying and watched as Father Zhi squatted down to apply medicine to his daughter.

Zhi Ying tried her best to ignore the burning sensation of the medicated oil on her knees and nodded, "Mhm, it'll last about a week."

"Grandpa called last time to say he missed you, why don't you go to the capital and stay at Grandpa's house... Lao Zhi, be more gentle!" Lin Xiuyu saw Zhi Ying frowning, and immediately patted on Father Zhi's hand.

"Hey, the medicated oil needs to be applied with pressure." Father Zhi retorted.

Zhi Ying, who had also heard Jiang Wei say this, couldn't help but also nod, "Dad is right."

Lin Xiuyu didn't know whether to cry or laugh, "Mom is worried about your pain though."

"It's okay." Zhi Ying sat on the sofa and was very obedient.

"I know you are obedient." Lin Xiuyu also sighed a little when she looked at her daughter, who had already grown up so much. Zhi Ying was a very good child except for her little hobby of picking up strange junk and always not going to bed on time.

Because of Zhi Ying's knee injury, the meals she ate were very nutritious. Zhi Ying was taken care of very well, but Father Zhi also became fat from it.

Over the weekend, Zhi Ying went to Lugu Mountain. Father Zhi drove her there, Zhi Ying was not allowed to take the bus.

"What did you leave in the villa, dad can help you get it. You don't have to go there yourself." Father Zhi asked, sitting in front.

Zhi Ying leaned against the window looking at the scenery of the passing mountains, "I put it away carefully, Dad, you may not be able to find it."

Whenever Zhi Ying made some dolls, she would put them in a box. However, the box was not big, it could hold two dolls at most. Zhi Ying's previous dolls were basically given to children she didn't know, but there was still a doll in a box that had been left untouched for many years.

When they arrived at the villa, Father Zhi accompanied Zhi Ying in, and then he came back out to water the green plants outside the house.

Zhi Ying walked into her room and found an exquisite but slightly old box from the top of her bookshelf.

It was covered with a thin layer of kraft paper to keep out dust, and the box was clean upon unwrapping it.

This box could be said to be the best thing Zhi Ying has taken care of. Except for the natural aging over the years, everything else was intact.

There was a soft cloth cushion inside, and a ceramic doll was placed in the middle.

Zhi Ying half squatted on the ground, stared at the box for a long time, finally closed it, and then walked downstairs directly with the box.

Father Zhi had just come in after watering the plants.

"All done?" Father Zhi asked after putting away the things in his hand.

Zhi Ying nodded and walked out with Father Zhi.

"This box... what are you taking it out for?" Father Zhi asked as he caught sight of the box in his daughter's hand, very surprised.

"What's the matter?" Zhi Ying was confused, and opened the box to reveal the blue coated doll inside, "I'm giving this to a friend, and this box happened to be packed together with it."

Father Zhi looked at Zhi Ying in surprise, "You used to treasure this box, don't you remember?"

They had never seen the contents of the box, but Zhi Ying especially treasured this box when she was a child, and no one was allowed to touch it.

Zhi Ying lowered her head and looked at the exquisite box in her hand in doubt, "Me? I treasured it? I don't remember."

"Your mother bought this box in a handicraft store in Yangzhou before, and you asked for it. Afterwards, no one in the family could touch it." Father Zhi recalled, "At that time you were still young, only six or seven years old. Your mom touched it once, and you were super fierce about it."

"Me?" Zhi Ying couldn't imagine her fierce appearance at all, and in her memory she still hadn't lost her temper with anyone yet.

Father Zhi smiled, "Ying Ying is grown up now, so you may not remember."

While reminiscing about Zhi Ying growing up, Father Zhi also forgot to ask about the doll in the box.