What Do You Mean, Daddy?

The siblings arrived at the outdoor playground, but they did not play around like the other kids.

The atmosphere around them was very lively with younger kids running around to play. Their laughter echoed in the air. 

A lot of them were wearing their hospital gown. However, the smiles on their faces were quite bright.

The children were just happy playing with their friends and being accompanied by their families. 

Tang Chen took his little sister to a bench on the other side to sit down. 

The shady trees behind them were blocking the sunlight from them. 

The twins did not speak for a long time but were sitting quietly while watching the children at the playground playing around.

After a while, Tang Chen turned to look at his little sister. He wanted to discuss with her about something but was finding it hard to bring up the topic, knowing that his little sister was looking forward to looking for their father.

Tang Chen clenched his small hands into fists.

He had pondered over this matter well. 

No matter how painful his words are going to sound, Tang Chen will have to tell his little sister what he has in mind.

He loved Xiao Xiao very much and did not want to see her hurt. 

Tang Chen did not want for his little sister to experience what his friend had experienced.

Xiao Xiao is a good girl. She had suffered a lot due to her health. As her elder brother, Tang Chen only wanted to see his little sister living healthily and well.

He inhaled a deep breath, deciding to speak.

Tang Chen turned to his little sister again and spoke, "Xiao Xiao!"

"Elder Brother!"

The twins spoke at the same time.

They looked at each other again before finally smiling at each other.

"Elder Brother." Tang Xiao giggled. 'Did you have something you wanted to tell me?"

"Un." Tang Chen nodded. The look on his face turned gentler when he saw his little sister's smiling face. "Xiao Xiao, you have something to tell me too?"

The little girl smiled brightly and nodded. 

She scratched her neck and spoke, "Then... Elder Brother—"

"No. Xiao Xiao, you should go first." Tang Chen had a serious look on his face. "You're a girl. So, you have to go first."

Tang Chen guessed that the matter that his little sister wanted to tell him was more important as compared to what he was about to discuss with her.

Anyway, the discussion might take a while.

Tang Chen was prepared that it would take a while to convince his little sister that they should not look for their father anymore.

For that, it was better for him to speak last.

The light in Tang Xiao's eyes lit up. "Then, I will talk first." The little girl looked excited. "Elder Brother." She leaned closer and whispered. "I have a little secret."

Tang Chen looked at his little sister inquiringly. "A secret?" He observed Xiao Xiao's face for a while but the smile on her face did not give him any clues. "What sort of secret?"

"Elder Brother, guess who did I just met earlier this week."

"Who?" Tang Chen was curious to know who did Xiao Xiao see to make her smile this brightly.

Tang Xiao leaned closer to her elder brother and cupped her hand at her mouth. "It was Daddy."

Tang Chen pulled back and stared Xiao Xiao up and down. For a while, he wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him.

Xiao Xiao... Did she just tell him that she saw their father?

Tang Chen inhaled a deep breath to calm down. "Xiao Xiao, what do you mean, Daddy?"

"It's our father." Tang Xiao smiled. 

The little girl was happy when she recalled her meeting with her father. She failed to see that the look on her elder brother's face was not right.

"Elder Brother, I saw our Daddy," Tang Xiao said. "He was right here. At the hospital. He came to accompany his nephew to get a vaccine shot." 

Tang Chen frowned. He did not care about the reason their father was coming to the hospital. He was worried about his little sister. "Did he recognize you?"

Xiao Xiao shook her head. "He did not know who I am. Elder Brother, he had never seen us before. How can he recognize me?" She lowered her gaze and started to swing around her legs. "But I recognize him very well."

The father that she longed to meet might not recognize her. However, Tang Xiao could see that he was a kind person. He was just like the father that she had expected to be.

Tang Xiao told her brother how she met her father that day, starting by how she had helped return the appointment card to him. She shared with her elder brother about their brief exchanged. 

She told her brother that they might have a younger cousin called Yu Yu. The little boy was adorable and nice.

Tang Chen took a moment to calm down. "Xiao Xiao, could it be that you are mistaken? How can you be sure that it was our father?"

"Didn't I tell you before? Mommy had shown me a photo of him in the past," Tang Xiao said. "The moment I saw him, I immediately recognized him. Elder Brother, he looked almost the same as in the photograph." She tilted her head to one side and stared into Chen Chen's eyes. "Now that I think about it, Elder Brother, you have the same eyes as Daddy.

Chen Chen looked worried.

He could tell that his little sister was excited after she saw their father. However, Tang Chen did not know if he could share Xiao Xiao's joy. After all, he felt that it was better for them not to look for their father.

Tang Chen came to the hospital wanting to convince his little sister that perhaps, they should not look for their father anymore. 

But looking at how brightly Xiao Xiao was smiling, Tang Chen did not have the heart to bring up the discussion.

He did not want to see Xiao Xiao sad.