She laughed as she took out an ice cream cone, a bit melted, but still good to eat.
Xiaocong quietly smiled, his fair little face like a fluffy cloud that made one want to bite into it.
Lin Xinlan did indeed bite him playfully, and he shyly covered his face, letting out a crisp laugh.
Tearing off the wrapper, Lin Xinlan pulled over his small hand, placed the ice cream in it, and guided his hand to his mouth, signaling him to take a bite.
But Xiaocong refused to eat first, stubbornly bringing it toward her lips, "Mommy, you first."
He couldn’t see her face, so he didn’t aim properly, nearly smudging the ice cream on her face. Lin Xinlan quickly grabbed his hand and directed it back to his mouth.
"Baby first, after you eat, Mommy will eat."
"There are many more here, eat this one first, and Mommy will put the rest in the freezer. How about we eat one each day?"
At the mention of plenty more ice cream, Xiaocong cheered up, "Okay."
Mother Lin brought over the dishes and saw the two of them, mother and son, taking turns nibbling on the ice cream.
Xiaocong was all smiles; when he laughed, he resembled an angel clothed in white wings, his smile pure and clean, irresistibly endearing to anyone who would want to embrace him and forever cherish his laughter.
And he would only laugh when he was with his mom.
Mother Lin looked at Lin Xinlan, her eyes filled with the same tender love. The hearts of parents are alike everywhere; everyone cherishes their own children deeply.
"Xiaocong, stop eating ice cream and have your meal. Otherwise, later on, you won’t want to eat again."
Hearing his grandmother’s voice, Xiaocong hurriedly said, "I will eat, I will eat a lot."
His mom liked it best when he ate a lot, so he wanted to eat plenty to make her happy.
Lin Xinlan and Mother Lin exchanged a glance and both smiled.
During the meal, Xiaocong wanted to sit close to Lin Xinlan. Although he couldn’t see anything, he still clumsily picked food for her from memory.
"Mommy, eat this, and this, and this..." He stood on the stool and seriously picked out a lot of dishes for her.
Each time he reached for something, Lin Xinlan would push her bowl closer, worried that he might accidentally drop the food on the table.
Before long, her bowl was piled high with food like a little mountain.
Seeing the little guy exert himself for so long without eating a bite, she felt a pang of pity, "Xiaocong, you eat too, otherwise it’ll get cold."
She placed some boneless chicken and vegetables in his bowl.
"Mmm, I’m eating, Mommy should eat too." Xiaocong settled back into his seat, held his bowl firmly, and with a prepared spoon, scooped up some food and chewed it carefully.
When he ate, his movements were always meticulous, as though he was a born noble, graceful and natural.
Even though he was blind, there was not the slightest hint of clumsiness.
This was how Xiaocong was different from other children his age and was also his greatest strength.
Lin Xinlan affectionately patted his fuzzy head and served some dishes into Mother Lin’s bowl: "Mom, you should eat more too."
"Alright, you eat more too." Mother Lin chuckled heartily and also loaded up her daughter’s bowl with food.
Xiaocong’s eyes darted about, he stood up, blindly reached into a bowl with his chopsticks, picked up some food, and called out childishly, "Grandma, I’ll pick food for you too."
"Oh, our Xiaocong is so thoughtful."
Mother Lin hurriedly caught the food with her bowl and praised him, laughing.