Dusk fell, and the old electric fan in the preschool classroom creaked, stirring the last of the day's heat. Children were picked up by their parents one after another, each neatly stacking their wooden chairs on the desks. Only Duo Duo Xu remained in the back row, holding a watercolor brush and carefully painting a golden rose.
Her deskmate, Minglan Hua, was secretly sticking celebrity stickers on the cover of her Pinyin textbook—more diligently than doing her homework. Suddenly, she leaned over like she was showing off a treasure, slapping the prettiest sticker onto Duo Duo's Chinese character notebook: "Duo Bao, look! This is for you—we can share the same idol!"
Duo Duo stared at the dazzlingly handsome man on the sticker, tilting her little head in confusion: "Who is this? He's even more handsome than the prince in the cartoon."
"My godlike idol, Jinren Xu!" Minglan's eyes lit up like little lightbulbs as she gestured excitedly, "He's amazing at singing and dancing, and he's so handsome in costume dramas that even my mom has a crush on him! My mom said she's been following him since she was a kid—almost twenty years!"
Duo Duo stretched out her chubby fingers, counting seriously: "If your mom followed him when she was little, he must be older than her. By seniority, you should call him uncle, and I should call him grandpa!"
Minglan pouted anxiously, slapping the desk to retort: "What's seniority got to do with anything? Looks are everything! Look at his face—so tender you could squeeze water out of it. He's clearly the most handsome brother in the universe!" Duo Duo laughed at her, and when she looked back at the sticker, she had to admit—he was indeed a little more handsome than her vain dad.
"How is it, how is it? Isn't he super handsome? From now on, he's your idol too!" Minglan looked proud, as if saying "My taste is impeccable."
"But my idol is Einstein..." Duo Duo was about to explain how great Einstein was when Minglan's mom called from the doorway. Minglan, as if hit by a fast-forward button, grabbed her backpack and rushed out, not even having time to say goodbye. Duo Duo tried to peel the sticker off her notebook, but the paper was too thin—she was afraid of tearing a big hole, so she gave up. Now, "Brother Jinren Xu" and "Grandpa Einstein" printed on the notebook sat side by side, creating a strangely funny scene.
Half an hour had passed since school ended, and Duo Duo was still alone in the classroom. Her homeroom teacher, Teacher Chen, walked over gently, her voice as soft as cotton: "Duo Bao, is dad coming to pick you up today, or mom? Did your parents stand you up again?"
"I don't know." Duo Duo's voice was soft, her little brows furrowed slightly, "Dad was shouting 'Buy buy buy' in his live stream today, his voice is almost hoarse; mom was singing, dancing, and blowing kisses in another live stream, thanking everyone for sending big planes and yachts—she's so busy she can't even touch the ground."
Teacher Chen suddenly realized: "So your parents are online streamers?" A child nearby asked, but another girl, Jingyi'er, interrupted: "My mom says streamers don't work—they cheat people out of money for rewards! My brother was tricked out of tens of thousands!"
Teacher Chen immediately explained: "Streamers are also doing legitimate work, earning money through hard work—they shouldn't be discriminated against." The students nodded obediently, and Duo Duo looked at the teacher with a grateful smile. The little girl, not yet six years old with pigtails and two sweet dimples when she smiled, made Teacher Chen's heart ache.
Teacher Chen called Duo Duo's dad, Xugang Xu, who was in the middle of a live stream selling goods. He only asked his assistant to reply that he was on the way. After waiting a while longer, Teacher Chen turned off the classroom lights and held Duo Duo's little hand to wait at the school gate.
"Duo Duo is so pitiful, no one came to pick her up!" Jingyi'er stood next to her mom's Mercedes, making a face at her.
"You're pitiful too." Duo Duo replied seriously.
"How am I pitiful?" Jingyi'er pouted.
"The big bird feathers on your shoulder are almost falling out—they're all bare." Duo Duo said sincerely, "The big bird is unhappy, so bad things will happen to you."
"That's nonsense!" Jingyi'er turned her head proudly, still muttering: "My family has a big car, Duo Duo has no parents who love her..." Before she could finish, there was a loud crash—a car rear-ended their Mercedes, and the trunk deformed instantly.
Jingyi'er's mom screamed and demanded compensation, while Jingyi'er cried, accusing Duo Duo of cursing her. Teacher Chen's face darkened: "Jingyi'er! Superstition is wrong, and you mustn't falsely accuse your classmates!" Jingyi'er's mom quickly pulled her to apologize, and Jingyi'er sobbed out a "sorry."
Just then, a black Bentley pulled up. An uncle assistant got out and apologized to Teacher Chen: "Sorry, teacher, the boss was stuck in traffic while handling a big order—we're late."
Teacher Chen's tone was serious: "Please tell your boss that no matter how busy he is, he can't neglect his child." When she asked where the child was being taken and learned that Xugang was still live streaming, no one was home, and Duo Duo was being taken to the studio, she became even angrier.
Duo Duo quickly pulled Teacher Chen's hand: "Teacher Chen, my family is very poor. If dad doesn't make money, I can't eat KFC—don't blame him." Teacher Chen looked at the Bentley in front of her, then at the serious little girl, filled with confusion—this child was worried about not being able to afford a family bucket?
Duo Duo had no concept of wealth or poverty. She just thought she had fewer clothes and toys than her classmates, so she assumed her family was poorer than Minglan's (who lived with a single parent). Her biggest wish was to eat a KFC family bucket on the weekend.
When they arrived at Xugang's loft studio in the downtown business district, uncles and aunts immediately surrounded her, lifting her onto the sofa and piling snacks around her. Everyone knew this little girl had a golden mouth—she could bring good luck and ward off misfortune, making her the studio's little darling.
"Don't crowd Duo Bao—let her rest and do her homework." The assistant took Duo Duo to a partitioned desk, telling her to speak up if she was hungry. Duo Duo saw a kangaroo yawning on the assistant's shoulder and gently touched its nose: "Don't doze off, or your owner will have bad luck." The kangaroo nodded obediently.
Soon, the assistant received a call and excitedly announced that his wife had given birth to a daughter. Everyone congratulated him, and Duo Duo smiled and joined in. When she saw a baby kangaroo poking its head out of the mother kangaroo's pouch on the assistant's shoulder, her heart was filled with joy.
From the studio came Xugang's exaggerated voice: "Folks! This is the best in the world—sour, sweet, and so delicious you can't stop eating!" Duo Duo peeked over and saw her dad vigorously promoting black garlic. Curious, she picked up a clove from the coffee table, peeled it, and the pungent smell made her retch and slump onto the sofa.
A young lady quickly handed her water: "Little ancestor, don't eat this—I threw up for hours after eating one." When Duo Duo learned that each clove of black garlic only cost a few cents and her dad was eating it just to sell the product, her heart felt sour—dad was so pitiful, eating something so disgusting for just a few cents. Her family really was poor.
At ten o'clock in the evening, Xugang finished his live stream. Seeing Duo Duo asleep on the sofa, he took off his suit and covered her with it, asking the staff: "Has her mom come to pick her up yet?" When he learned that his wife was too busy leading fans in an all-night game to come, he rolled his eyes and called to question her—but his tone gradually softened.
His wife suggested sending the child to Xugang's parents' house. Xugang's face turned pale instantly. His mother had passed away a long time ago, and he hadn't contacted his short-tempered father in years—his father didn't even know he had a granddaughter. If he sent her there abruptly, getting his legs broken would be the least of his worries. Duo Duo, woken up, rubbed her eyes and looked at her dad—frustrated yet helpless.