CHAPTER 206: TWIN 911.

When Mei Mei came down for breakfast, she was surprised to see Jingzhe with a shiny black eye and ruffled hair. He looked like he had been in a fight and obviously, he was the loser.

"A Zhe, what happened!" She exclaimed in horror. "Who beat you up like this?"

Around the table, people snickered.

Madam Feng cleared her throat, warning Jingzhe not to say the wrong thing. Unfortunately, she forgot about the one with the itchiest mouth in the house, her very own granddaughter Jun Mingzhu.

"It was grandma Feng." Mingzhu reported like a parrot being questioned at gun point. "She beat daddy because he wanted to give money this much money." She spread her arms out to prove that the money was so much. "And he said he would run away with me and you, mommy. And he...."

Jingzhe put a soft bun on Mingzhu’s mouth. "Dear, at breakfast the mouth should be used for eating."

His actions earned him more snickers.

"Mingzhu has a loose tooth." He loudly and quickly told Mei Mei.

Very fast, Mei Mei turned her head to her daughter. "My baby, you are going to lose your first tooth." She squealed and instead of sitting down, she rushed to Mingzhu’s side. "Show mommy."

Mingzhu showed off the wiggly tooth with the same joy with which Meow Meow once showed off her pregnancy. Mei Mei continued to squeal through a closed mouth. She had waited for that gap toothed era and it had finally come.

She needed to buy a camera as soon as possible and stat taking professional pictures that would make an appearance at Mingzhu’s eighteenth birthday. She would give her daughter the same night of beautiful, memorable embarrassment her mother had given her.

Some of those pictures had been turned into memes and to date, they haunted Mei Mei.

"I have made alterations to Mingzhu’s food menu." Madam Feng told Mei Mei.

Mei Mei took a seat between her father and great great grandmother. Chen mama gave her a physically printed copy of the new menu and a pen so that she could make alterations as she wished.

The food on the list included; Mashed potatoes, yogurt, applesauce, mashed bananas. oatmeal, all soft porridge, scrambled eggs, cheese cubes, soft noodles, smoothies, soft bread, soft cakes, soft cookies, soups ans stews {only tender vegetables and meats}, rice, soft beans, soft fish, shredded chicken, ripe fruits, pudding, frozen yogurt.

"Mommy, grandma Feng said we cannot eat chocolate caramel popcorn anymore." Mingzhu informed her in a childish voice that was layered with dozens of complaints.

Mei Mei shook her head, "Baby, you cannot eat popcorn anymore but I can."

"But it’s not fair." Mingzhu whined.

Mei Mei shrugged. "When I said we were not filial, you were very quick to separate yourself from me. It works both ways young lady. I am not part of the popcorn ban."

Mingzhu immediately turned to Jingzhe. "Daddy, do something."

"This brings back memories." grandma Jun said, laughing slowly. She could not count how many times Mei Me had also turned to Muyang whenever she failed to get her way with Chi Lian. The apple had really not fallen far from the tree.

Madam Feng suddenly had an idea that she shared with everyone. "I could research a softer popcorn that us tooth friendly. I think there are some on the market."

"If you are talking about rice cakes or puffed corn snacks, she doesn’t like them." Mei Mei said.

She served herself some soup dumplings and then winced. She placed them back in the bamboo steamer and looked around the table for something else that was not crab.

She saw more dumplings, steamed buns, and again, more dumplings. It was like they were having a dumpling feast this morning. But, she was not in a dumpling mood so, she opted for soy milk and pastries, serving herself muffins and pancakes.

"Has everyone packed up for Sea city?" Grandma Jun suddenly asked.

They were leaving for Sea city in two hours. By this time, most flights were already fully booked, airports were crowded. Bus terminal, subways, roads and even the sky lanes which were leading out of the city were already over crowded.

The sooner they left the city, the earlier they would arrive at their destination and settle in early enough.

Mingzhu was the first to raise her hand. "I have already packed but mommy has not. I saw Noodles sleeping in her suitcase."

Mei Mei bit into a savory croissant and she said through a mouthful of pastry, "That is my pet case. We have private planes and space ships, I can take my pets if I want to."

Mingzhu gasped. For her, this meant she could take her aunt Jun Meow Meow and all the other pets. She had been worried that they would miss her when she was not around.

Breakfast continued, with random conversations that somehow always brought them back to Mingzhu’s shaky tooth. Jingzhe did his pilot muffin act for Mingzhu. He did it at breakfast with different foods all the time and yet Mingzhu never got tired of it.

After breakfast, Mingzhe arrived, looking to have a word with Mei Mei outside. They too their conversation to the backyard, away from Mingzhu’s sharp ears.

Mingzhe sat down in the swing and rifled his hand through his long black trench coat "It has been a while since you last sent me a 911 text. I had to fly back from Sea city because I was worried that I would be too late and find you dead or half dead." He handed her a black box.

She guessed that it contained jewelry.

"Congratulations on your divorce." He chuckled and looked at her curiously. "Now what possessed you to wear that white jumpsuit which looked an awful lot like a wedding dress?"

She laughed like a menace that liked to start trouble. "I did not wear a white wedding dress on the day I got married. I figured I could do it on the day of my divorce but I thought the dress would be too much so I opted for a jumpsuit."

"Well at least you looked beautiful." he told her.

She batted her eye lashes playfully. "Thank you brother, for the gift and acknowledging the fact that I am the most beautiful Jun in the family."

Mingzhe had said no such thing and he would never say it. If he made that mistake, she would never allow him or anyone to forget it. "Don’t put words in my mouth. Let’s talk about your 911. What is the emergency?’

Mei Mei joined him on the swing and said, "I need a prison riot."