House Dad's Literary Life

Chapter 456: The Heartbreaking Disappointment

Under Grandpa’s strict insistence on fairness, her father couldn’t help call out the rhythm, and even the sound of her father’s clapping was drowned out by the waves of cheering from all around.

Xixi was a little flustered, but she still tried her best to remember her father’s guidance and, although she wasn’t very confident, called out firmly, “One, two, one, two…”

The little girl’s crisp voice was like a clear stream in the midst of the noisy surroundings. It wasn’t loud enough, but it was very clear.

At the start, all three teams were a little chaotic. Every child wanted to come in first, so they ended up moving at different speeds from their partners. As the ropes pulled between them, they bumped into one another, prompting a burst of laughter from the children watching nearby.

After all, Xixi and Lan Xin hadn’t received any special training, and Yang Yi’s last-minute instructions couldn’t make the two little girls develop much muscle memory. So, at first, their steps were out of sync as well, and they ended up bumping into each other.

Of the three teams, the first to adjust were the siblings Wang Xijun and Wang Xiyun. The two children should have practiced at home, and they also had enough understanding with each other. They quickly adjusted and began running forward with small steps.

“Come on! Xixi, Xin’er, come on!” Yang Yi clenched his fists anxiously and nervously from the side. He couldn’t help call out the rhythm, but he could still cheer them on.

It seemed that Xixi’s rhythm calls had taken effect, and Lan Xin gradually adjusted. The two little girls held hands and also began to catch up.

The third team was quite a bit slower. They were two little boys who were about the same height, but one ran fast while the other ran slowly. The two of them stumbled into each other, even tugging at each other in between, before falling sprawled out on the track.

Because they had first lost their balance and struggled for quite a while before falling, they didn’t fall very hard. Besides, they were wearing thick spring clothes, so it didn’t hurt at all. They just felt a little embarrassed, while the children nearby laughed loudly.

“I don’t want to play anymore.” One of the little boys burst into tears.

They had basically lost their chance of winning the championship. What remained was the competition between Xixi and Lan Xin and the siblings Wang Xijun and Wang Xiyun!

The siblings Wang Xijun and Wang Xiyun weren’t actually running very fast, but they were very steady. The older brother had his arm around his younger sister’s shoulder, while his younger sister held onto her brother’s waist. They ran step by step, showing a high level of tacit understanding.

Meanwhile, Xixi and Lan Xin tried their best to catch up, but Lan Xin wasn’t running very fast either. When they came back from the turnaround point, the little chubby girl had begun to pant.

“One, two, one, two…” Xixi looked ahead, her voice somewhat anxious, and without realizing it, her rhythm gradually became faster.

“Xixi, Xixi…” Lan Xin followed pitifully, but couldn’t help panting as she called out, “Slow down, slow down, okay?”

Xixi tried her best to stay in sync with her little friend, but at the same time, she was extremely anxious as she watched the opponents ahead.

The little girl didn’t know what else to say and could only call out the rhythm, but whenever she went a little faster, she could feel the pull of the rope. Since her partner couldn’t run fast, she could only slow down again.

It couldn’t be said that Lan Xin wasn’t trying. She was also doing her best to move her little chubby legs, but she simply couldn’t run fast!

At first, Xixi and Lan Xin’s team showed a good momentum in their pursuit, but gradually, as Lan Xin began to have trouble with her stamina, they slowed down. There was only that little bit of distance left, yet it seemed that no matter how they chased, they couldn’t catch up.

“Come on! Come on!”

During the final few meters, the children along the side stopped messing around. They seemed to have been infected by the “intense” atmosphere of the competition and, together with the parents, shouted their encouragement at the top of their lungs.

But unfortunately, with Mo Henian’s flag waving, the siblings Wang Xijun and Wang Xiyun were the first to reach the finish line, while Xixi and Lan Xin were a few seconds behind.

Those few seconds were enough to hand the victory over to someone else…

Lan Xin supported herself on her knees, panting heavily, with no clear expression on her face. Xixi, however, stood there without moving. She looked at the delighted siblings Wang Xijun and Wang Xiyun, a trace of envy in her eyes, but her expression was blank and dazed, and her little figure looked somewhat dejected.

Yang Yi walked over while clapping his hands, feeling sorry for them as he called out, “It’s okay, you two did great!”

Mo Henian also saw this scene. Waving his flag, he called out, “Let’s give our applause to the champions of this competition! And these two little girls also did a great job just now. They chased all the way to the end. Although they lost, they have no shame in their defeat. Everyone, let’s give them a round of applause too, okay?”

However, no matter how much applause they received or how much comfort people offered, it seemed that none of it could get through to Xixi.

After her father untied the rope around her, the little girl, feeling a little down, leaned into her father’s arms. Her little hands grabbed the clothes on her father’s chest, fiddling with the buttons.

It was the first time Yang Yi had ever seen Xixi like this. Normally, she was everyone’s little source of happiness, and that sweet smile of hers was enough to lift everyone’s spirits. But today, the little girl seemed as though she wanted to cry but couldn’t bring herself to do it, looking as if she wanted to be strong even though she was hurting inside.

If she had cried, Yang Yi would have thought it was perfectly normal. Feeling sorry for her, he gently patted the little girl’s back and said, “It’s okay. We didn’t win this time. We can come back and try again next time!”

Lan Xin, on the other hand, was quite carefree. She opened her arms and called out loudly, “Uncle Yang, can you hug me too? My father and mother didn’t come.”

Yang Yi smiled and pulled Lan Xin into his arms as well.

At this moment, Xixi’s little friends all came over: Chen Shiyun, Nan Zhaoyu, Yang Luoqi, as well as Wu Yue and Chen Shiyun’s mother.

“Xixi, Xin’er, don’t be sad, okay?” Yang Luoqi said softly.

“That’s right, you two worked very hard just now. Auntie saw it all. You were really great!” Wu Yue said with a smile, clapping her hands.

“I’m not very sad!” Lan Xin said from Yang Yi’s arms, making a funny face at Yang Luoqi, and the few children all giggled.

However, none of this seemed to have much of an effect on Xixi. The little girl buried her face in her father’s arms, not wanting anyone to see her dejected appearance.

Perhaps because father and daughter were connected at heart, Yang Yi could more or less understand what his daughter was thinking. He entrusted Lan Xin to Wu Yue to look after, then carried Xixi to a quiet corner where no one was around and sat down on a stone bench.

“Are you still sad?” Yang Yi placed his daughter on his lap, gently lifted her little face, and asked softly, “It’s a competition. There will always be winners and losers.”

Xixi pouted, and the tears she had been holding back for a long time finally rolled down. Rubbing her eyes, her chest rising and falling, she said softly, “But, but I wanted to win.”

“Papa knows you wanted to win, and Papa wanted you to win too. That’s a very positive attitude.” Yang Yi first praised her before saying, “But winning and losing are common in competition. When we encounter failure, we can’t respond by being sad, unhappy, or crying. Instead, we have to think positively. We lost this time, so we lost, but next time I’m going to win it back. Don’t you think so?”

Xixi nodded, but she was still crying. She wiped away her tears as they continued to fall, looking like a little tear-streaked mess that was heartbreaking to see.

“Don’t rub your eyes with your hands.” Yang Yi caught the little girl’s hand and took out some wet wipes for children that he usually kept with him, then gently wiped her tears.

The little girl pouted, her tearful appearance showing how sad and wronged she felt. However, she was quite comforted when her father wiped her tears. Gradually, the rise and fall of her chest from sobbing became much calmer.

Yang Yi said gently, “Although you lost today, Papa still wants to praise you. Do you want to hear what Papa has to praise you for?”

“Yes…” Xixi pulled her father’s hand away, and her little head leaned against him affectionately. Then the little girl shifted her little bottom around, allowing herself to squeeze into her father’s arms and find complete support.