Zhan Se's head throbbed with the problem posed by her son. Despite being enveloped by shadows in her heart, she had to muster a smile to handle her clever and tricky son.
"Your dad is busy with work; how could he accompany you every day?"
"Oh! Okay then." Little Thirteen seemed unbothered as he turned his head back and started fiddling with Ah Meow, flipping and turning her from belly to back, then from back to belly, vigorously scratching her belly, all the while sighing leisurely.
"Sigh! It's better for men not to grow up, there's so much trouble when you do."
The naive words of her son failed to cheer Zhan Se up for the first time. She smiled stiffly, muttering a few forgettable words, then sank back into her thoughts, contemplating her next steps.
Lost in thought, she hardly noticed when Little Thirteen, cradling Ah Meow, had returned to sit beside her, pursing his lips and staring at her intently with his big, dark eyes, his face completely free of the earlier playfulness.