Xiao Bao looked up with bright eyes and shook his head. "Mommy, there's no need to buy a new one. I'm almost done fixing my toy car!"
Chen Momo was a little surprised. "Really?"
"Of course it's true!" Xiao Bao replied.
He placed the toy car on the table and pressed the remote control with his chubby little hands. Sure enough, the toy car moved!
Chen Momo was amazed. The toy car had taken quite a fall, and she had originally thought it was beyond repair. To her surprise, her son had actually fixed it!
"Xiao Bao, tell Mommy, how did you fix the toy car?" Chen Momo asked softly.
"I followed a video tutorial!" Chen Xiaobao said proudly.
The realization dawned on Chen Momo. No wonder her son had been staring so intently at the iPad over the past few days. She had assumed he was watching cartoons or playing games, but he had actually been watching a repair tutorial for his toy car.
It seemed her son was far more hands-on than she was. At the very least, she knew she could never fix a broken toy car herself.
"You're amazing, Xiao Bao." Chen Momo patted her son's head. "How about Mommy takes you out for a walk?"
Chen Xiaobao nodded obediently. "Okay!"
Chen Momo changed her son into a pair of little white sneakers, a green striped T-shirt, and white shorts. She tucked the hem of the T-shirt into his elastic waistband, making him look much neater.
"Mommy, am I handsome?" Chen Xiaobao checked himself in the mirror, then tilted his little head up to look at Chen Momo expectantly.
Chen Momo smiled and rubbed his head. "Very handsome."
Xiao Bao immediately replied sweetly, "Mommy is so pweety too."
"Alright. Mommy is pretty and Xiao Bao is handsome, okay?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Is Mommy prettier, or is Snow White prettier?"
"Mommy, you're so funny. Snow White is fake. She can't compare to you."
Chen Momo was speechless. Well, who would have thought that her son would be so hard to fool at such a young age? She had originally planned to ask him if he wanted to marry Cinderella or Snow White when he grew up.
Mother and son went downstairs hand in hand. As they walked out the gates of the residential area, they happened to see a group of older women enthusiastically doing a square dance. The song currently blasting from the speakers was Phoenix Legend's "Little Apple."
The streets were bustling with people coming and going—some were grocery shopping, some walking their dogs, and others chatting on benches. No one had the slightest realization of the impending disaster.
Suddenly, the sound of two people arguing caught Chen Momo's attention.
"Are you trying to steal my dog?"
"I'm not! I just thought this little dog was cute, so I gave it a hug."
"Liar! You clearly wanted to steal my dog!"
"I really didn't..."
A heavyset middle-aged woman and a teenage girl were in a heated argument. The young girl's face was pale with anxiety as she continuously tried to explain herself to the older woman. Seeing that she wasn't getting through, the girl looked as though she was about to cry.
It turned out that both the middle-aged woman and the young girl were residents of the Dongfang Garden District. The middle-aged woman owned a pet Pomeranian. She had taken it out for a walk after work but carelessly let go of the leash. The young girl, whose name was Xu Xiaoka, saw how adorable the Pomeranian was, picked it up, took a few photos, and posted them on her social media.
The middle-aged woman misunderstood, thinking Xu Xiaoka was trying to steal her dog, and began berating her. Feeling wronged, Xu Xiaoka was on the verge of tears. Several bystanders were watching the commotion, but no one stepped forward to mediate.
Chen Momo stood there for a moment. She wasn't one to meddle in other people's business, so she had no intention of intervening. She planned to lead her son away, but when she turned her head, she froze.
"Xiao Bao?"
Xiao Bao was gone!
Chen Momo's heart leaped into her throat!
As she frantically looked around for him, she suddenly heard a milky little voice drift over, "What a cewt wittle doggy."
Chen Momo looked toward the source of the voice. She saw her son crouching on the ground, his little bottom sticking in the air, intently studying the Pomeranian.
The white Pomeranian also widened its pitch-black eyes, staring back at Xiao Bao. A cute child and a cute pet—the scene was simply too endearing.
The attention of the bystanders was completely drawn to Xiao Bao and the Pomeranian. They began showering him with praise.
"Whose child is this? How is he so gorgeous!"
"Look at those big eyes! He inherited all the best features!"
"He's so adorable! My heart is melting!"
Chen Momo was left utterly speechless.
The middle-aged woman's attention was also drawn to Chen Xiaobao. Seeing such an adorable child, she couldn't bring herself to stay angry.
She had recently been preparing for pregnancy and had gained quite a bit of weight. Naturally, her mood had soured along with it, making her prone to losing her temper over the smallest things. But just looking at Chen Xiaobao completely extinguished her anger. She thought to herself how wonderful it would be if she could have such a cute child in the future.
"Auntie, the wittle doggy is so cewt!" Xiao Bao looked up with sparkling eyes, his smile entirely innocent and naive.
Seeing Xiao Bao's radiant smile, the middle-aged woman's heart melted. She couldn't help but bend down, her tone softening considerably as she spoke to him.
"Little guy, do you like Auntie's doggy?"
Xiao Bao nodded vigorously. "I love it!"
Then, acting like a wise little adult, Xiao Bao added, "Auntie, don't fight with the big sister. You'll scare the wittle doggy!"
Hearing this, the middle-aged woman burst into a laugh. "PFFT."
"Alright, Auntie won't fight with the big sister anymore." She then turned to the young girl. "Forget it. I'm in a good mood today, so I won't hold it against you. But next time, don't just touch other people's dogs, understand?"
The girl apologized profusely, then smiled at Xiao Bao. "Thank you, little brother."
Chen Momo quickly stepped forward and pulled her son to her side, explaining apologetically, "I'm so sorry. We just moved into this neighborhood, and I was planning to take him for a walk around the area."
With that, she hurriedly took her son's hand and led him away. This child, he really was wise beyond his years!
After walking a fair distance away, Chen Momo found a bench, sat down, and began to scold her son with a stern face.
"No more meddling in other people's business from now on, understand? Do you know how worried Mommy was when I couldn't find you?"
When she had turned her head and seen him missing, she had been terrified. Her son was her life. If anything were to happen to him, she wouldn't be able to go on living.
Chen Xiaobao knew he had made his mommy angry. He lowered his head, his long eyelashes casting faint shadows over his little face.
"I unnerstand. I won't run off anymore."
Only then did Chen Momo's anger finally subside.
Seeing that his mommy was no longer mad, Xiao Bao explained with a serious expression, "Mommy, I just didn't want the auntie and the big sister to fight. My teacher said that if everyone gives a little love, the world will become a beautiful place."
Chen Momo sat there, utterly speechless once again.