Chapter 5: No One Came for Him
That shout was nothing less than earth-shattering. It exploded through the yard and echoed in Qi Wang’s ears for a long time.
The other children were drawn over by the commotion and looked on curiously, but their eyes were clean, without any other emotion in them. Only Qi Wang pressed his lips tightly together, the tips of his ears turning red.
“Lin! Huai! Xi!!” Qi Wang pronounced each word with exceptional clarity, as if he were forcing them out through clenched teeth.
Lin Huaixi turned to look at Qi Wang.
Although Qi Wang seemed a little fierce, his cheeks had not puffed up, so he probably was not angry.
And besides, he was doing this to protect Qi Wang!
Not only did he fail to tone it down, he declared heroically, just like the main character in a cartoon, “Qi Wang’s boy wife can only be me!”
Qi Wang’s face turned completely red.
He stormed out, already having guessed what game they were playing, and said urgently, “I don’t want to play house. I’m not being the dad.”
Lin Huaixi blinked his big eyes. “Then what do you want to be?”
The tips of Qi Wang’s ears grew hotter and hotter. Cornered by this soft, clingy little sticky rice cake, he blurted out without thinking, “Then I’ll be the grandpa!”
Lin Huaixi nodded, his smile innocent and lovely. “Then I’ll be your boy wife.”
“I’ll be the uncle!”
“I’ll be your boy wife!”
“I’ll be the aunt!”
“I’ll be your boy wife!”
After several rounds of this verbal back-and-forth, Qi Wang was so mad that he covered Lin Huaixi’s mouth. “Stop talking. Aunts don’t have boy wives.”
Lin Huaixi tried to speak, but his soft lips only rubbed against Qi Wang’s palm, and he could not get a single word out. All he could do was blink rapidly to express what he meant:
I insist!
Seeing this, Wang Xiaohu suddenly came up with a little scheme of his own: if he could not be the dad, then no one else could be the dad either.
His eyes darted about, and he stepped forward with a suggestion. “How about we play hide-and-seek?”
Hide-and-seek was one of their favorite games, and several children immediately raised their hands in agreement.
Lin Huaixi did not truly want to be a “boy wife.” He only wanted to protect Qi Wang. Now that everyone’s attention had shifted, he immediately left Qi Wang behind and walked over with a bright smile, huddling together affectionately with the other little dumplings.
Qi Wang’s words stuck in his throat. His chest felt strangely heavy, and his gaze followed Lin Huaixi’s retreating figure.
Now that he had gotten what he wanted, he instead felt a trace of unwillingness.
But no one paid him any attention anymore. The children had already finished discussing the rules and decided that Wang Xiaohu would cover his eyes and count first.
Qi Wang had no interest in joining such a childish game. Taking advantage of the moment, he returned to the reading hut and picked up his book again.
He sat there in plain sight without a care, which made him the first one to be found. Wang Xiaohu felt incredibly accomplished, jumped up and shouted, then ran off to find the others.
One after another, the children were found. Lin Huaixi was the last one.
Lin Huaixi was clever. In the middle of the game, he changed hiding places several times, deliberately hiding in spots Wang Xiaohu had already searched. That way, Wang Xiaohu would let down his guard and be less likely to find him.
But the other children had joined the search party too, running all over the yard. With nowhere left to hide, Lin Huaixi could only dash headfirst into the reading hut.
The moment he saw Qi Wang, his eyes lit up. He ran over with quick little steps and leaned close to Qi Wang’s ear to ask, “You haven’t been found either?”
He still remembered that there was something wrong with Qi Wang’s ear, so, risking being discovered, he deliberately raised his voice.
Qi Wang rubbed his aching ear, so annoyed he almost wanted to pinch Lin Huaixi’s soft little cheeks. “Can’t you tell left from right? This is my right ear!”
Lin Huaixi let out a small sound of surprise and lowered his head to look at his chubby little hands, wiggling his fingers as he used this strange method to figure out left and right.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Lin Huaixi said with a bright smile, making a solemn promise. “Next time I’ll definitely tell them apart.”
Qi Wang suddenly had a bad feeling about this. He only gave a snort through his nose and did not answer.
Lin Huaixi still wanted to say something, but just then Wang Xiaohu’s voice came from the yard. He was calling for him.
Like a startled little rabbit, Lin Huaixi nearly jumped into the air. He dashed about the room in a panic, trying to find somewhere to hide.
But the teacher was afraid the children would bump into things, so the room had been tidied up well. The cabinets were all pressed against the walls, and the center of the room was completely open. You could see everything at a glance.
Left with no other option, Lin Huaixi could only hide behind Qi Wang.
He tried his best to make himself smaller, curling up into a tiny little ball. His soft face was buried against his knees. From Qi Wang’s angle, all he could see was the fluffy brown hair on top of his head.
“What are you doing here?” Qi Wang put down his book and was about to leave.
Lin Huaixi hurriedly grabbed the corner of his clothes, slightly lifted his head, and looked up at Qi Wang with wet, shining eyes. In a small voice, he pleaded, “Qi Wang, can you help me?”
“Please?”
Qi Wang kept a cold expression. His tone was stiff, his attitude firm, looking every bit like he was about to refuse.
…
One minute later.
Qi Wang stretched out his arms, gripping both sides of his clothes, using his body and his shirt to make a little shelter for Lin Huaixi.
At that exact moment, Wang Xiaohu came looking. Standing in the doorway, he stared at Qi Wang’s strange pose and tilted his head in confusion. “What are you doing?”
Qi Wang did not know either why he was doing something this absurdly stupid. He was silently stewing in anger at himself and did not want to speak.
Wang Xiaohu was in a hurry to find Lin Huaixi, so he did not dwell on the matter and ran off again.
Qi Wang immediately let go and turned to glare at Lin Huaixi.
Terrified of being found by Wang Xiaohu, Lin Huaixi had curled himself into a tight little ball. His soft, pretty face was pressed against Qi Wang’s back, squishing out a small ring of flesh. Even his long, thick eyelashes were trembling uneasily, and he did not dare breathe too loudly.
Qi Wang reminded him, “He’s already gone.”
Only then did Lin Huaixi let out a long breath. He peeked out from behind Qi Wang and was just about to thank him when Wang Xiaohu suddenly ran back again and spotted him at once.
“Xixi’s here!”
Lin Huaixi was so startled he nearly jumped, but before he could hide again, Wang Xiaohu and the other children who had caught up grabbed him.
Qi Wang watched their retreating backs, then lowered his head and returned to his book.
The room was quiet again, but Qi Wang could not keep reading. His nose twitched twice, and he caught a sweet milky scent in the air. It was what Lin Huaixi had left behind.
Just how many little bunny cakes had he eaten for him to smell like that too?
Qi Wang found himself lifting his head. Through the little window across from him, he could see Lin Huaixi’s figure.
Lin Huaixi was running all over the yard. Under the sunlight, everything about him looked soft and pale, and the ears on his hat bounced up and down, making him look like a real little rabbit.
Without realizing it, Qi Wang picked up his book and walked outside.
He used to like being alone, sitting somewhere quiet and reading. But now he carried his book and sat beneath the pear blossom tree instead. There was sunlight, floral fragrance, and a gentle breeze, and the moment he looked up, he could see Lin Huaixi and the others.
—
Lin Huaixi played wildly all afternoon and worked up a sweat all over. Teacher Xiao Xu was worried he might catch a chill, so she helped him change into a clean, fresh outfit.
Children did not actually have endless energy either. After changing clothes, Lin Huaixi was so tired that he fell asleep. When he woke up again, he was in Grandma’s arms.
Still bleary-eyed, Lin Huaixi looked around, then tilted his head up at Grandma and asked in a sweet, childish voice, “How did I get home?”
Seeing that Lin Huaixi was awake, Grandma smiled and set him down.
Earlier, when she had seen how soundly he was sleeping, Grandma had not had the heart to wake him, so she carried the little dumpling all the way back.
Lin Huaixi was not heavy, but carrying him all the way home was still a burden on her arms. Grandma’s hands and shoulders ached, tingling with a needle-like numbness.
Even at such a young age, Lin Huaixi was already very thoughtful. Before his eyes were even fully open, he started massaging Grandma’s arm with his little hands, doing it quite seriously from fingertips to wrist.
Feeling that soft little touch on her hand, Grandma’s eyes filled with affection. She reached out with her other hand and stroked Lin Huaixi’s fluffy hair. “It’s okay, Grandma isn’t tired.”
Lin Huaixi did not stop. Instead, he tried hard to recall how his mother massaged people, earnestly acting as Grandma’s number one little massage therapist.
He had no strength and knew nothing about pressure points, so the effect of the massage was almost negligible. But Grandma enjoyed being cared for by her precious grandson, her heart sweet with happiness, and somehow her hand gradually stopped hurting.
“Grandma, do you feel better now?” Lin Huaixi asked after finishing the massage, tilting his face up.
Grandma did not overlook his hard work. She lightly hooked his little nose with a finger. “Much better. Thank you, Xixi.”
Having received positive feedback, Lin Huaixi felt quite accomplished too.
“Dinner’s ready! It’s all Xixi’s favorite food, so hurry and wash your hands!” Grandpa had just finished making dinner and called them over with a smile.
After dinner, Grandpa played some games with Lin Huaixi for a while, and then it was time for bed.
Wearing loose, soft pajamas, with freshly washed fluffy hair, Lin Huaixi curled up beneath the soft blanket, clutching the corner of it with one little hand and gazing at Grandma eagerly, hoping she would tell children’s stories a while longer.
Seeing that Lin Huaixi was not sleepy at all, Grandma said, “Close your eyes, Xixi, and I’ll tell a little more.”
Lin Huaixi nodded and obediently closed his eyes.
Grandma continued reading the fairy tale, intending to lull her grandson to sleep. But when she lowered the book, she saw that although Lin Huaixi was honestly keeping his eyes shut, his eyeballs were darting around busily beneath the lids.
Grandma let out a sigh. “Xixi, you still don’t want to sleep?”
Lin Huaixi opened his eyes and said softly, “I want to remember all of it so I can tell it to Qi Wang tomorrow.”
Grandma’s brows lifted slightly. “Looks like Xixi really likes Qi Wang.”
Lin Huaixi nodded hard. “Qi Wang is my good friend. I’m also going to protect him and not let bad people bully him!”
At the words bad people, Grandma vaguely sensed something and quickly asked with concern, “What bad people?”
Lin Huaixi showed a troubled expression. He thought for a long time but still could not manage to say a complete sentence.
Grandma did not press further, worried that it would only increase Lin Huaixi’s mental burden. Instead, she gently guided him. “Does Xixi think Grandma is amazing?”
“Amazing.”
“Then if anything happens, you must tell Grandma, okay? Grandma will help you chase the bad people away.” Grandma rolled up her sleeves as if she were really about to go fight some villains.
“Okay~” Lin Huaixi answered sweetly.
Only then did Grandma feel reassured. She gently patted the blanket and sang a hometown lullaby she had known for many years.
Lin Huaixi’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Just before drifting into sleep, he forced his eyes open and looked toward the little window by the bed.
From there, he could see the second floor of the house next door. There was a small window there that belonged to Qi Wang.
The little window was completely dark, already swallowed up by the silent night.
Lin Huaixi burrowed deeper into the blanket, thinking that he hoped Qi Wang would have a good dream too.
The dim yellow light went out, and a light rain began to fall outside.
A damp chill spread through the air, seeping into the body. It was not bitterly cold, but it made hands and feet go cold all the same.
The rain fell all night, and Qi Wang waited all night too.
But no one came to take him home.
