“Wah…” Yuan Yuan burst into tears when he realized that his father was about to leave. He kept crying as he stretched out his hand and kept smacking hard against the door.
He Xiyan was frying fish in the kitchen while Chen Jiahang was tending to the fire.
They were using a firewood stove, so they would need to make fire each time they wanted to cook. It was troublesome but the food cooked by a firewood stove was much more delicious than that were cooked using a gas stove.
“Jiahang, I think there’s a child crying outside,” He Xiyan said with a frown when she heard the sobs outside.
The sun had already set, so why would there still be children playing nearby?
Chen Jiahang had also heard the sounds of a child sobbing outside. He added more firewood into the stove, then he drew a basin of water, washed his hands and headed to the living room.
When he got to the living room, he could hear the sounds of someone knocking on the door in addition to the sounds of the child sobbing.
Chen Jiahang frowned. There was indeed a child crying and this child was also knocking on their door.
He quickly opened the door and found a child sobbing his heart out in front of their door.
Yuan Yuan stopped sobbing so hard when he saw that the door was finally open but he was still a little frightened and tears continued to stream down his face.
He looked up at this strange man who was as big as his father.
His father said that there was an uncle who lived in the house, an uncle who couldn’t speak, so he guessed that this must be that uncle.
Yuan Yuan wiped the tears from his eyes and tugged at Chen Jiahang’s pants.
Chen Jiahang didn’t know what to do. He froze on the spot and didn’t know what he should say to a child. He looked strangely at this child and guessed from his height and backpack that this child was probably around six years of age.
He had not seen this child before and this child didn’t look like the children from their village.
He Xiyan brought out the dishes that she had cooked.
“Jiahang, whose kid is that?” she asked as she looked at the door and saw a little boy standing outside.
She paused for a moment and stared intently at this child. This boy was an extremely beautiful boy with soft skin and rosy cheeks. His features were extremely well-defined and he looked even more beautiful than the child actors she saw on television.
“You…” He Xiyan started as she looked at the child. She didn’t know what was wrong with her but her heart started to race and she nearly dropped the food that she was holding.
Yuan Yuan looked at He Xiyan blankly and his hands balled into fists, then relaxed, then balled into fists again.
He only remembered his mother from pictures and while he saw the resemblance in this aunty, she didn’t look exactly like his mother. He did not remember his mother being this chubby.
Since his father said that was his mother, he guessed that this woman should be his mother.
Yuan Yuan didn’t say the word ‘mom’ but ran over and wrapped his arms around her legs.
He Xiyan’s body stiffened and the hand that held the dishes trembled, resulting in the soup spilling on the ground.
She quickly put the bowls and plates on the table before she bent down and looked at this boy. This child who she had no recollection of.
Their eyes met.
He Xiyan seemed a little dazed. She merely sensed a kinship with this boy.
She couldn’t help but stretch out her hand and gently place it on his shoulder.