Born in the 1980s, she was remarried and became a stepmother; a cold, rough man doted on her, pinchi

Chapter 122 Xinyao, waiting for her mother
In a corner of that bustling German city, Jiang Man stood by the window, gazing at the bustling streets outside, her heart filled with longing for her hometown thousands of miles away.

In a few days, it will be her daughter Xinyao's second birthday. This should be a warm moment for the family to sit together and celebrate with laughter. But now, Jiang Man is stuck in a foreign country because of work.

Jiang Man's fingers gently traced the photo of Xin Yao on the table; it was taken during her last trip back to China.

In the photo, Xinyao's chubby little face is filled with an innocent smile, and her big eyes are like bright stars, as if they can illuminate every corner of Jiang Man's heart.

As she watched, Jiang Man's eyes gradually welled up with tears, and feelings of self-reproach and longing surged into her heart like a tide.

"Xinyao, Mommy really wants to be by your side, to blow out the birthday candles with you, and to eat the sweet cake with you."

Jiang Man muttered to himself.

Upon learning that Xinyao's birthday was approaching, Jiang Man began preparing to return to China.

She opened the flight booking app on her phone early in the morning, her eyes glued to the screen, her fingers constantly swiping, not missing a single flight information.

Every day, she refreshes the page countless times, hoping to find a plane ticket to her hometown.

However, fate seems to love playing tricks on people. For several days in a row, she saw the message "tickets sold out".

Every time Jiang Man saw those words, it felt like her heart had been hit hard by a hammer, and her disappointment grew stronger.

"How could this happen? Why can't I even buy a plane ticket?" Jiang Man muttered anxiously to herself, her fingers turning white from the excessive force.

She tried contacting customer service at various airlines, her voice trembling with urgency: "Are there any tickets left to the neighboring city? My daughter's birthday is coming up soon, and I really want to go back."

But the replies she received were always frustrating. The customer service representative told her in a polite but helpless tone that flight tickets were in short supply recently and they were unable to provide her with a ticket.

Left with no other option, Jiang Man decided to change her strategy. She started paying attention to various flight booking platforms and even joined some flight-buying groups, hoping to find a glimmer of hope from other channels.

She kept asking in the group: "Does anyone have a flight ticket from Germany to a neighboring city for sale? The price is negotiable."

However, each inquiry went unanswered. During those long and agonizing days of waiting, Jiang Man's heart grew increasingly heavy.

She often had trouble falling asleep at night, lying in bed with Xinyao's adorable image constantly appearing in her mind, imagining her disappointed expression on her birthday without her mother by her side.

Tears streamed down her face silently, soaking her pillow. Seeing no hope of returning home, Jiang Man decided to send Xin Yao her blessings and care in another way.

In her spare time, she wandered through the streets and alleys of Germany, searching for a suitable gift for Xinyao. She went into shop after shop, carefully selecting each item.

In a toy store, she saw a delicate plush bear with round eyes and a black nose, which looked very cute.

Jiang Man picked up the teddy bear, gently stroking its soft fur, imagining the heartwarming scene of Xin Yao falling asleep while holding the teddy bear, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

"Xinyao will definitely like this teddy bear."

Jiang Man said softly, and without hesitation put the teddy bear into her shopping basket. Next, she went to a maternity and baby store. Among the shelves, she carefully selected various clothes and supplies suitable for Xinyao.

She picked up a pink dress, decorated with cute floral patterns, made of soft and comfortable fabric.

"Xinyao will look as beautiful as a little princess in this dress."

Jiang Man said with a smile. In addition to clothes, she also picked out some educational toys for young children, picture books, and snacks that Xinyao likes to eat.

While choosing a gift, Jiang Man kept thinking about Xin Yao.

She thought of Xinyao's happy smile when she wore her new clothes, the focused look on Xinyao's face when she played with her new toys, and the satisfied look on Xinyao's face when she ate snacks. Every image warmed her heart, but also made her miss her daughter even more. After buying the gifts, Jiang Man went to the post office with bags and packages. She carefully placed each gift into a cardboard box and wrapped them carefully with bubble wrap, afraid that they might be damaged during transportation.

Her hands trembled slightly as she filled out the express delivery form, carefully writing down her home address and Xinyao's name.

"I hope these gifts can be delivered to Xinyao soon, to give her a surprise."

Jiang Man prayed silently. The moment she handed the cardboard box to the post office worker, a strong sense of loss suddenly welled up inside her.

She realized that while these gifts could represent her feelings, they could not replace her being by Xinyao's side in person.

As she thought about it, Jiang Man could no longer hold back her tears, which welled up in her eyes. She walked to a corner of the post office and began to sob silently.

People around her cast strange glances, but Jiang Man couldn't care less about them at the moment. The grievances and longing in her heart were like a flood that had burst its banks, and she couldn't stop them.

Just then, Jiang Man's phone rang. She picked it up and saw that it was Qin Yishen calling. She quickly wiped away her tears, composed herself, and answered the call.

"Hey, Yi Shen." Jiang Man's voice was slightly hoarse, with a hint of sob in it.

"Man'er, what's wrong? Have you been crying?"

Qin Yishen's voice was full of concern and worry. Jiang Man could no longer hold back and poured out all the grievances and helplessness in her heart: "Yishen, I can't buy a plane ticket and I can't go back to celebrate Xinyao's birthday. I bought her a lot of gifts and sent them back, but I still feel so sad. I miss Xinyao so much, and I miss you all so much."

As she spoke, Jiang Man started crying again.

“Man’er, don’t be sad, I understand you. It’s not your fault, there’s nothing we can do if we can’t get the plane ticket. Xin Yao will definitely like the gift you bought. You need to know that you work hard outside for our family and to create a better life for Xin Yao.”

Qin Yishen gently comforted Jiang Man.

"But I still feel sorry for Xinyao. On such an important day as her birthday, I can't be by her side."

Jiang Man said with self-reproach, “Man’er, Xinyao is still young. She may not understand the meaning of a birthday, but she knows that her mother loves her. When you come back, we will celebrate a bigger birthday for her together, okay? And don’t worry too much. You’ll be back in less than half a year. Xinyao and I are waiting for you. During this time, I will take good care of Xinyao and make sure she is happy every day.”

Qin Yishen's words were like a warm current flowing into Jiang Man's heart. With Qin Yishen's comfort, Jiang Man's emotions gradually calmed down.

"Yes, Yishen, thank you. I feel much better with you here. I will work hard and try to go back as soon as possible."

Jiang Man said firmly, "Okay, take good care of yourself over there, don't overwork yourself. Call me anytime if anything happens."

Qin Yishen gave his instructions.

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Man looked out the window at the sky, her heart filled with anticipation for the future.

She knew that although she was far away from her family at this moment, the love between them had never diminished in the slightest.

A few days later, Jiang Man received a photo from Qin Yishen.

In the photo, Xinyao is holding the plush bear she bought, wearing a pink dress, and her face is beaming with a happy smile.

In front of Xinyao was a beautiful birthday cake with two candles on it.

Qin Yishen told Jiang Man that although Xinyao didn't quite understand why her mother hadn't come back, she was overjoyed when she saw the gifts and kept pointing at Jiang Man in the photos, calling out "Mom."

Looking at the photo, Jiang Man smiled with relief. She knew that although she couldn't be by Xin Yao's side in person to celebrate her birthday, her love had been conveyed to Xin Yao through the gift.

"Xinyao, wait for Mom."