4517 The Other Side 486
“Shall I read it to you?”
Jing Yang nodded lightly. He was happy enough to have her company.
The girl climbed onto the bed, moved herself closer to him, then opened the book before him. Upon flipping open the first page, a busy and colorful pop-up castle emerged from the page. Jing Yang had never seen such a gorgeous pop-up book. He was a little surprised.
There were movable parts in the pop-up castle. When one gently pushed or pulled a “mechanism”, two paper figures appeared . They were the king and the queen of the castle.
“This is the king, this is the queen.” After Yueyao gave an introduction in a formal tone, she continued, “Once upon a time, there was a king and queen who never had a child. They were very sad and distressed because of this.”
Jing Yang interrupted curiously, “Why didn’t they have children?”
“…”
This question stumped Yueyao.
“Oh, I know!” Jing Yang remembered that he had seen an advertisement before. “Were they infertile?”
Yueyao, on the other hand, was unfamiliar with this term. She cast a bewildered look at Yun Shishi. The woman almost burst out laughing.
Jing Qi felt very awkward sitting by the side. She felt rather exasperated that her son would ask such an idiotic question.
Blushing, Yun Shishi asked, “How does he know about infertility?”
“Uh… Through the gynecology hospital flyers that people give out on our way to the grocery store, advertisements on infertility on television… He recognizes some of the terms.”
“You can read at such a young age?”
“Yes. I’ve taught him pinyin since he was young. He likes to read. When he has nothing to do, he flips through the dictionary. He can read and write many words.”
“That’s amazing.”
Yueyao suddenly tugged at her mother’s sleeve. “Mommy, what’s infertility?”
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing.” Yun Shishi quickly changed the subject and said to Jing Yang, “Shall we let little sister Yueyao continue her story?”
“Alright.”
Yueyao turned around and flipped to the next page of the fairy tale book. Two pop-up figures appeared beside a river. Yueyao fiddled with a “small mechanism” and a fish emerged from the water.
Jing Yang was surprised again. He exclaimed and immediately perked up.
“Your wish will come true. Soon you will have a daughter!” As Yueyao narrated the story, she turned the page again. In the castle’s room, the queen was carrying a baby while the king came to her side.
“After a while, the little fish’s prediction came true. The queen gave birth to a very beautiful daughter. The king was so happy that he could not bear to part with her. He decided to hold a large banquet.”
Yueyao flipped to the next page, and immediately, an evil witch with bared fangs and brandished claws appeared.
“Not only did he invite his relatives, friends, and foreign guests, but he also invited almost all the sorceresses to send good wishes for his daughter. There were 13 sorceresses in all in his kingdom, and he only had 12 gold platters to serve dinner on, so he invited only 12 sorceresses, leaving one uninvited.”
Jing Yang nodded.
Yueyao continued, “After the grand banquet ended, many guests presented the little princess with their best gifts. One of the sorceresses gifted her with virtue, another gifted her with beauty, and the last gifted her with wealth. They gave her everything that the world wanted, all the good things and aspirations in the world.”
