"Mhm! Xunxun will eat more," declared Xunxun, clenching her fist with the determination to outdo her brothers and finish two bowls of rice.
Lu Qi and Lu Guang nodded hard. Compared to Xunxun, they were more solid, matured, and considerate. That had a lot to do with their early education in pre-school. Being the heirs to the family business and future protectors of their mother and sister, they had to do more and mature faster than other children. But boys from the Lu Family were naturally tough, so that wasn't a problem for them.
As they reached the door, Lu Yi put Xunxun down.
Lu Qi and Lu Guang quickly reached over to hold her hands, one on each side. Mama had taught them to do that, so that no bad people could steal their little sister away.
Lu Yi fished out the key from his pockets and unlocked the door.
When the door opened, a bone-chilling breeze made him freeze and shudder.
"Huanhuan?" he called into the house.
No replies.
"Huanhuan…?"
Still no replies. Was she out for groceries? But… He consulted his watch, a gift from Yan Huan that he always wore. It was nearly six. He always gets off work at five to pick up the kids, and they had never reached home past six. Not once had Yan Huan gotten the time wrong. And dinner was always served before seven, even when it was just the two of them.
Yan Huan loved the kids to bits; even if she didn't want to eat, she wouldn't make the children suffer along with her. Did something happen? Why isn't she home?
Lu Yi shepherded the kids through the door. Xiao Qi and Xiao Guang removed their shoes and went to fetch their miniature slippers. When Xiao Qi had put on his slippers, he picked up a pair of pink bunny slippers and placed them on the ground. That was for Xunxun.
Lu Yi hunkered down and brought Xunxun to his laps. He removed her shoes and felt her feet. They were warm. That was a good sign, which meant that she hadn't been cold on their way back.
After helping her into her slippers, he put her down and led her to the sofa.
"Stay here with your brothers, alright? Daddy needs to do something."
Xunxun blinked and pouted. She was a sensitive child, and she had sensed that something was off from her father's behavior.
"Papa, Xunxun wants Mama…" she pleaded with reddening eyes.
"Mama has gone grocery shopping to make dinner for our Xunxun," reasoned Lu Yi, squatting down. "Be a good girl and sit still, okay? Who was the little girl that promised to listen to her father?"
"It's Xunxun," admitted Xunxun, wiping her eyes with a small fist. She missed her mother a lot.
"Be good, then," said Lu Yi, giving her a last rub on the hand before standing up. He ordered Lu Qi and Lu Guang to watch over their sister, before heading to the balcony himself. From there, he could see the three sitting shoulder-to-shoulder and hand-in-hand, chatting merrily. He wondered what two-year-olds usually talk about. Before long, Xunxun was smiling and playing with her brothers.
Lu Yi took out his phone and called Yan Huan. No answers. He tried again.
Lu Guang heard something, and scuttled to his parents room. When he came out, he was holding a phone, which seemed out-of-proportionately large in his small hands. It was Yan Huan's phone.
He knew his father had a blue phone, and his mother a red one.
He raced to the balcony, phone in hand, with the two other children in tow.
Lu Yi had his phone pressed against his ears. Still no answers. Then he heard Yan Huan's ringtone. He felt a surge of relief. Yan Huan must be home.
"Huanhuan!" he said as he opened the door, only to find the three children staring at him. Xiao Guang had a buzzing phone in his hand. That was where the ringtone was coming from.
Lu Yi hung up and took the phone from Xiao Guang's hand. He stroked Lu Qi's face gently.
"Xiao Qi, go play with your little brother and sister. Daddy needs to do something."
Lu Qi nodded docilely, and led his brother and sister off to play.
Lu Yi checked through Yan Huan's call log. These days, her call logs were very limited, since not many people knew about her recent return. Even Liang Chen wasn't told about it. Most of her calls were to or from him, followed by his parents, Old Master Lu, Yi Ling, and Luo Lin. At a glance, he could recognize every caller.
On that day, she hadn't had any calls, other than the two he just made. That means Yan Huan didn't bring her phone out.
He made a call to Ye Shuyun.
"Mom, has Huanhuan been to your place?"
"Nope," said Ye Shuyun, watching television in boredom with Little Bean in her arms. Little Bean was an old cat now, and didn't like moving around much. Life was good for the cat, though. Cats have long lives, and with Little Bean's current standard of living, living for another five years wasn't a problem.
Once the kids left, the house had become drab and lifeless.
Lu Jin wasn't around either, and Little Bean had become the lonely old lady's sole companion.
"What's wrong?" asked Ye Shuyun, curious. "Is she not back yet? Where had she gone off to?"
"It's nothing," said Lu Yi. He didn't want to make any assumptions yet.
He hung up, then contacted Yi Ling and Luo Lin to see if Yan Huan had been to their places. Negative.
He didn't really need to make these two calls. Yan Huan wasn't the type of person to fool around elsewhere during dinner time. Moreover, she knew the kids were coming.. She didn't have any qualms starving herself or him, but she would never, never let the kids go hungry.
