Not to mention 100,000 yuan per word—even 10,000 yuan per word was beyond her reach.
She was just an ordinary person burdened with a mortgage, without the means to pamper Tao Tao like that. If Tao Tao ever turned out like Zhen Zhou, it seemed she'd be completely powerless.
Without much contact with the outside world, Tao Tao, even in human form, was still a bird at heart. Once she started school, making new friends and absorbing the influence of society, her personality would undergo countless changes, slipping out of Lou Yuzhu's control.
On the first day of sending her beloved bird to school, Lou Yuzhu's emotions were a rollercoaster. She hoped Tao Tao would grow up quickly but also feared she might rebel.
"Miss Zhen Zhou, try not to share what you've told me with others." Lou Yuzhu, slightly disheartened, offered her advice.
She had no right to interfere in others' choices or judge Zhen Zhou's character. After all, who doesn't like money? Receiving millions, a mansion, and a luxury car sounded appealing to anyone.
Sensing that Zhen Zhou wasn't the type to grasp subtle hints, she added, "You might not see it as an issue, but rumors can be deadly. If your colleagues learn about your relationship with President Lu, you'll likely face unnecessary trouble at work."
Society was inherently unfair, and Lou Yuzhu, having come to terms with this reality, let it go.
Parrot people loved tilting their heads—it was a sign of their focus.
Zhen Zhou smiled faintly, her expression tinged with a captivating warmth. "Thank you," she said softly.
* * * *
At noon, Lou Yuzhu received a message from Tao Tao's teacher on WeChat.
It included a video of Tao Tao eating lunch. The day's meal was half a bowl of pumpkin seeds, half a bowl of millet, a head of lettuce, and half an apple.
In the video, the girl lay on her desk, poking at the apple with a fork, her small face filled with distress, as if the meal were inedible.
[Teacher Wang: Tao Tao's mom, your little bird is a bit picky! The fruits and veggies are prepared according to nutritional guidelines. If she avoids fruit long-term, she might develop a vitamin deficiency.]
[Teacher Wang: Tao Tao learned many new words this morning! Her new deskmate likes her a lot—they even exchanged hair clips. Just giving you a heads-up! (heart gesture emoji)]
Tao Tao was indeed picky about apples.
Lou Yuzhu enlarged the photo Teacher Wang sent later. The fishtail braids she had styled with purple beaded flowers before school now featured a hollow Morandi-style star clip in place of one of the original accessories.
Another photo, which didn't show the faces, depicted someone with twin pigtails and long, straight hair—purple bead flower on the left and a star clip on the right.
Lou Yuzhu zoomed in and out of the two pictures repeatedly. This little one… had she already made a friend? They even exchanged hair clips. It seemed like a close friendship. Was the next step sharing food, bird-style?
She couldn't quite determine whether to feel happy. Her emotions were complicated; she might have underestimated Tao Tao's capacity to adapt and learn.
Teacher Wang then sent her a few pages from Tao Tao's writing practice notebook. It was filled with simple characters, written in a childish but neat hand.
After just one morning, Tao Tao could already write...
* * * *
In the afternoon, Lou Yuzhu hadn't finished work yet, so she asked Fu Ye to pick Tao Tao up from school.
When she got home and opened the door, she saw Tao Tao bathing—not as the plump, palm-sized little ball she once was, but splashing in a cup, nibbling at her feathers, and fluttering her wings.
When Tao Tao saw her return, she chirped excitedly, "Chirp chirp! Coo coo!"
"Fu Ye said you were very well behaved at school. Did the teacher give you a little blue flower?" She petted the top of Tao Tao's head, gently ruffling the crimson feathers.
Tao Tao hopped out of the cup, her feathers still wet and rendering her unable to fly. Step by step, she waddled to the desk, burrowed into her backpack, and pulled out her notebook with her beak, dragging it to her owner.
The cover bore [Lou Tao Tao] and [Grade 1 - Class C] with a five-petal blue flower sticker beside it.
Some parrots were afraid of red items, so the school had switched to blue badges.
"So impressive!" Lou Yuzhu cradled the little bird in both hands, rubbing her nose against Tao Tao's damp chest feathers. "Tao Tao is such a good baby. Kiss, kiss, kiss."
She mussed the bird's chest feathers, making a mess of them. But instead of enjoying the affection, Tao Tao immediately lowered her head to groom herself, meticulously straightening every feather her owner had ruffled, like a little OCD bird.
Lou Yuzhu: "…"
She hadn't yet adjusted to Tao Tao's changes. The little bird shook off some droplets of water, splattering them on her face. Before she could react, the feathery troublemaker had already hopped away, padding back to her room.
Splashing in a cup wasn't enough. Tao Tao transformed into her human form, spreading her large wings as she sat before the full-length mirror, carefully combing her hair and feathers.
This grooming session lasted a full hour. She busily brushed her hair and feathers the entire time.
After a day at school, Tao Tao had become more vain than ever. Lou Yuzhu could sense the lingering excitement, as Tao Tao muttered incessantly to herself, still immersed in the school's atmosphere.
Feeling puzzled, Lou Yuzhu checked Tao Tao's backpack, finding the newly distributed textbooks. Upon opening one, she saw:
[Chirp chirp: angry]
[Chirp chirp: happy]
[Chirp chirp: thank you]
…
She silently closed the book.
Unable to find the hair clip Teacher Wang had mentioned, she wondered if Tao Tao had lost it while playing. Only when cleaning the birdcage did she discover the hollow star clip hidden inside a coconut shell.
Parrots often brought things they liked back to their nests—this showed how much Tao Tao liked her new deskmate.
When Tao Tao noticed her holding the clip, she immediately stopped doing her homework, looking at her nervously.
"Why that expression?" Lou Yuzhu frowned. "Afraid I'll throw it away?"
She placed the clip back into the coconut shell, muttering, "Who was it crying about not liking friends? Huh? Who said that? Little liar. Your new deskmate must be pretty, huh? All smiles after seeing a little beauty."
The girl suddenly threw herself into her owner's arms, grinning foolishly and nuzzling her.
Seeing Tao Tao's carefree innocence, Lou Yuzhu's heart softened. She hugged her on the sofa, running her fingers through her smooth, silky hair. "Was school tiring? Waiting alone at home for me to get off work before must've been boring, right?"
Parrots were lively, talkative creatures, and solitary confinement was bound to leave them lonely. No wonder Tao Tao had been buzzing with excitement all day after coming back from school.
The girl shook her head, nestling into her owner's arms. "Yu yu tired... Work is hard, earning money is hard."
Lou Yuzhu's heart melted. How sweet—her little bird even felt for her. She asked about school, and Tao Tao, now a little chatterbox, babbled on endlessly.
The changes were evident. From stuttering to forming fluent short sentences, Tao Tao had grown a lot in just one day at school.
Yet the rapid progress left Lou Yuzhu a little sad. Soon, she wouldn't understand what Tao Tao was thinking or what schemes she might have in her little bird brain.
If a pet became an independent thinker, would it still bring her comfort? Now, even a kiss on Tao Tao's little chest feathers earned her disdain for messing them up.
* * * *
After helping Tao Tao finish her homework, Lou Yuzhu ushered her to bed by 9 p.m., worried she wouldn't wake up on time for school.
But when she came out of the bathroom after her shower, the girl was still wide awake, her big eyes blinking, her little head filled with unknown thoughts.
Seeing her owner emerge, Tao Tao clutched her blanket tightly and softly murmured a new word she'd learned that day: "Yu yu, I want a goodnight kiss."
A kiss before bed, called a goodnight kiss.
Lou Yuzhu paused mid-motion, towel in hand. She stared at Tao Tao, whose face remained calm and collected. Feeling mischievous, she replied, "No."
She refused outright, curious to see what would happen.
How could the little parrot know her owner was teasing? She clutched the blanket, pitifully pleading, "Please, please, please."
"…" Lou Yuzhu's plan to tease her crumbled in the face of this sudden burst of adorableness. Her face turned red. "Who taught you that?"
Sitting on the bed, she pinched Tao Tao's cheeks. "You can't do that."
The girl buried her face in the pillow, peeking at her owner. After a while, she mumbled, "Just one goodnight kiss, pleeease. I'm begging you…"
Her soft, cotton-candy voice paired with a shy demeanor melted Lou Yuzhu's defenses. Clutching the corner of her owner's nightgown, Tao Tao's words were earnest, though she avoided direct eye contact out of embarrassment.
Lou Yuzhu wasn't much better off. Her face grew hotter than it had during her bath. Grasping Tao Tao's hand, she kissed the back of it. "There, happy now?"
The girl withdrew her hand and kissed the spot her owner had just kissed. Then, in the next moment, she pulled the blanket over her head and rolled around on the bed in excitement.
Watching the entire scene unfold, Lou Yuzhu's ears burned. A simple kiss on the hand had Tao Tao acting as though something monumental had happened.
"Cough, cough... Don't suffocate yourself." She tugged the blanket down and smoothed Tao Tao's messy hair. "By the way, what's your new deskmate's name? Do you like her that much? Am I still your number one?"