Living With a Temperamental Adonis: 99 Proclamations of Love

At eighteen months old, Little Sesame had already started to mumble her words. Even though her pronunciation was lacking, it was enough to communicate what she was thinking. Little Sesame was a particularly precocious child and would learn from the things that she saw.

One day, when Song Qingchun was making a bottle of milk for Little Sesame, she was accidentally scalded by the hot water. All she did was gasp a little audibly, but Su Zhinian, who was working in his study, managed to pick it up with his super-hearing. He rushed down the stairs immediately, and when he saw the red welt on Song Qingchun’s hand, he grabbed her hand to soak it under the running cold water. “Why you didn’t call for my help?”

It was rather hot when it happened, but it didn’t warrant Su Zhinian’s type of overreaction. Song Qingchun smiled and said, “It’s fine. It’s just an accident.”

Due to their physical contact, Su Zhinian knew it really didn’t hurt that much. He closed the faucet and grabbed a towel to wipe Song Qingchun’s hand dry. Then, as per his habit, he leaned down to kiss the part that was burned twice and asked with concern, “Does it still hurt?”

Song Qingchun shook her head and smiled sweetly. “Not anymore.”

Su Zhinian finally relaxed enough to turn and help Little Sesame with her milk. Little Sesame, who was playing in her toddler seat, saw this unfold and recorded it in her mind. She blinked confusedly.  Mommy was screaming from pain, so how come she can get better so soon with just a kiss from Daddy?

One day, in her hurry to rush upstairs, Song Qingchun tripped on the stairs, and similar to the milk incident, Su Zhinian, who was playing with Little Sesame in the living room, immediately rushed to Song Qingchun’s side to check up on her. He kissed the bruise that was forming on her arm twice and asked with concern, “Does it still hurt?”

After Song Qingchun shook her head and told him it didn’t, Su Zhinian finally allowed her to continue upstairs.

Little Sesame, at the time, was learning how to stand on her own. She held the coffee table as support as she tried to stand up. She saw this scene, and her dark eyes blinked twice. Her head titled to the side, and she thought, Why does Daddy kiss the spot that Mommy injured every time?

One day, Song Qingchun and Su Zhinian carried Little Sesame to the garden to play. Song Qingchun was bitten on the neck by an insect of some sort. The bite was slightly painful, and when Su Zhinian heard that thought in her mind, he leaned down to kiss the mosquito bite and asked, “Does it still hurt?”

Song Qingchun shook her head. “Not anymore…”

Little Sesame, who was playing a rubber ball on the grass, after witnessing this so many times, had an epiphany of sorts. Her heart surged with admiration, thinking, Daddy must be magical. He can kiss pain away…

One day, Little Sesame was down with fever. Song Qingchun and Su Zhinian brought her to the hospital to have a shot. When Song Qingchun carried Little Sesame to the doctor, Su Zhinian excused himself to use the toilet. Little Sesame was brave; she didn’t show any trace of fear when she saw the needle, but when the needle punctured the skin of her butt, her tears flew out immediately. Since the medicine needed some time to enter the system, the needle was stuck in her butt for quite some time. Little Sesame started wailing, and that, combined with the strong clamp her mother had on her to stop her from moving, made her yell, “Daddy, Daddy, my butt hurts…”

When Su Zhinian exited the bathroom, the needle was pulled out. Little Sesame was crying so badly that she sounded like she was choking on her tears. When she saw Su Zhinian, she immediately cried out, “Daddy, Daddy…”

Her eyes lit up with hope. Su Zhinian rushed to her side, and as he reached out to grab her, Little Sesame turned around and pushed her exposed butt right at Su Zhinian’s lips, grumbling, “Kiss, kiss, Daddy, kiss, no pain anymore…”