It was only a matter of minutes before the chubby Little Baozi boarded a bus.
Having boarded the bus, this incredibly smart Little Baozi didn’t go find a seat, but instead, after twirling around the bus, he sat down close to a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties or fifties, and had not said a word throughout, leading everyone on the bus to assume the Little Baozi was the man’s grandson or some relative.
Now successfully on the bus, it finally set off, and Ye Xiaobao stared out the window because he had never ridden this route before and was afraid of missing his stop. All the way, in addition to paying attention to the scenery outside, his little ears stood straight, not missing a single word from the broadcast announcing the stops.
"Fenghua Road, next stop, City Number One People’s Hospital!"
At last, it was almost time!
He rubbed his sweat-dampened little hands, and a sigh of relief lengthened inside his tiny chest.
"Little friend, why aren’t you getting off? Wasn’t that your mom just now?" Just as he was happily waiting, suddenly, someone beside him struck up a conversation.
Ye Xiaobao turned his head, only to realize that it was the middle-aged uncle whom he had sat next to when he first boarded the bus.
Yes, when he first boarded, the uncle noticed him sitting by his side and was about to ask, but he had pretended to shift closer to the lady standing beside them, making the uncle think he was her child, to avoid any danger that might arise from too many questions.
What? Had that lady already left?
Turning his head to check, Ye Xiaobao saw that the lady was indeed gone, and immediately, his little brain started whirring rapidly: "No, my mom’s sitting up front. We are getting off at the next stop."
"Really? Where is she?"
"Right there, the one carrying a sister on her back," he pointed purposely at a lady with an infant on her back who was also sitting ahead.
The middle-aged man glanced over and fell silent...
So she had a child and was carrying another, no wonder!
Having finally dealt with these troubles, the bus broadcast announced that City Number One People’s Hospital stop had arrived, and upon hearing this, Ye Xiaobao hurriedly stood up from his seat.
But because he stood up too quickly and he was so small, when the bus came to a stop, he lost his balance and his tiny forehead forcefully struck the handrail in front of him, causing tears to nearly burst from his eyes from the pain.
"Little friend, are you okay?" At the critical moment, it was the uncle sitting next to him who caught him.
With tears in his eyes, Ye Xiaobao rubbed his forehead and after a long moment, he shook his head, still holding back tears, and then stubbornly followed the crowd off the bus, arm braced against the handrail.
He was a man, he had to protect his mother. If he fell, he would get up; if he got hurt, just rub it a bit and it would be fine.
Finally off the bus, he lifted his head to see the familiar skyscraper with the familiar large characters on top. The red swelling on his forehead was still there, but his little face immediately broke into a smile.
Mom, don’t worry, I’ll definitely tell Uncle that you’re not a bad person!
Ou Mucen’s condition had improved a lot. That day in Japan, Ji Chengzhi and the local doctors had discussed his treatment plan, and after changing his medication, his condition had basically stabilized by the third day.
However, once back in China and no longer needing to fly, Ji Chengzhi had stopped the potent medication and switched to gradual treatment.