Chu Xia was feeling dizzy, but she kept an eye on Cen Huai’an. “An’an, where are you going?” she asked.

“The water ran out; I’m going to get more,” he replied.

“You can’t carry it. Wait until I’m better, and I’ll go.”

“I can do it,” Cen Huai’an insisted.

He ran to the water room with the bucket.

He was clever—he didn’t fill the bucket directly but used a ladle to scoop water into it.

When it was half full, he tested it and found he could carry it.

He put the ladle in the bucket, grabbed it with both hands, and slowly, with determination, walked back home.

Chu Xia watched him struggle down the hallway, his face turning red from the effort, but she didn’t go to help him.

When he finally brought the bucket inside, she asked, “Why did you carry it when it was so heavy?”

Cen Huai’an looked at the fire in the stove and said, “I thought I could do it.”

Chu Xia smiled. “You’re being stubborn.”

But that was just how Cen Huai’an was.

As long as he wasn’t stubborn in the wrong way, there was nothing wrong with it.

What Chu Xia didn’t know was that Cen Huai’an was thinking, “If I carry the water, Mom won’t have to, and she can rest and get better.”

Cen Huai’an saw that the fire was going, so he placed the clay pot on the stove, poured in water, and sat on a small stool to watch it.

Chu Xia told him to let the water boil on high heat and then simmer it on low heat until the water was reduced to one-third.

Cen Huai’an remembered her instructions well and kept his eyes on the pot.

When the medicine was ready, Chu Xia asked Cen Huai’an to wrap the pot with a towel and carefully bring it down.

“Very good. Now pour it into a bowl and let it cool.”

Cen Huai’an continued to simmer the next batch of Chu Xia’s medicine, watching the fire without getting impatient.

He also kept an eye on Chu Xia, noticing when her enamel cup was empty and immediately getting up to refill it.

Chu Xia’s body was starting to sweat, which meant she needed to rehydrate, ideally with an electrolyte drink.

But since they didn’t have any, she asked Cen Huai’an to add some salt and sugar to the water, which was better than plain water.

After drinking the medicine, Cen Huai’an changed the coal in the stove.

Chu Xia realized that a five-year-old could do many things.

She watched as Cen Huai’an replaced the coal in the stove with new briquettes, emptied the old ones into a metal bucket, and when it was full, took it out to dump the ashes.

He then sealed the stove properly.

He did everything perfectly, even more thoroughly than she would have, leaving everything neat and tidy.

Chu Xia felt even more tired and yawned, her face showing exhaustion. “An’an, can you go to the preschool on your own?”

Cen Huai’an shook his head and said, “Mom, I don’t want to go to school today.”

“Why?” Chu Xia asked weakly, sitting in a chair and struggling to keep her eyes open.

Cen Huai’an didn’t give a reason.

Instead, he ran into the room, grabbed his first-grade textbook, and said, “Mom, I can study at home.”

Chu Xia was too tired to think.

She vaguely thought, “Staying home is fine. It’s safer than crossing the street to go to school.” Then she lay down on the bed to sleep, telling Cen Huai’an to study quietly and not to run outside.

But even without her telling him, Cen Huai’an wouldn’t run out.

The consequences from the day before were too serious, and he would remember them for the rest of his life.

At first, Cen Huai’an sat inside reading, but after a while, he kept getting up to check on Chu Xia, reaching out to feel her forehead and then comparing it to his own.

Her forehead still felt hot, and since his mom hadn’t woken up, he couldn’t concentrate on reading anymore.

He had already memorized what his mom had taught him, and he was just reviewing.

He stood up, about to run out to find a doctor, but then remembered that his mom told him not to run around.

What should he do?

Cen Huai’an bit his nails in anxiety.

He saw some elderly people sitting and chatting in the courtyard below, so he ran over to them. “If I stay within the compound, it’s not running around,” he thought.

Cen Huai’an was usually a quiet and withdrawn child who didn’t like talking to strangers.

But now, he took the initiative to call out to the grandma he saw most often, Mrs. Chen, and asked her what to do since his mom had a fever.

Mrs. Chen liked to take advantage of others, but she wasn’t heartless.

She would help others in need, as long as it didn’t cost her anything.

Hearing that Chu Xia was sick, she asked Cen Huai’an, “Did she take any medicine?”

“Yes, she did,” Cen Huai’an replied.

“Then it’s fine. Just wait for the fever to go down. If you want it to go down faster, wet a towel and put it on her forehead,” Mrs. Chen suggested, pointing to her own forehead. “If it gets hot, just change it. But if she’s already taken medicine, there’s no need to…”

Before Mrs. Chen could finish, Cen Huai’an quickly said, “Thank you!” and ran back home.

Watching him run off, Mrs. Chen’s squinty eyes widened a bit. “Wow, that wild kid even knows how to say thank you now. Chu Xia really has changed; she’s teaching her child well.”

In this aspect, Grandpa was very strict with her.

…..

“Do you feel better now?” Chu Xia asked as she gently rubbed Cen Huai’an’s head and had him move his waist.

Cen Huai’an was surprised—he really didn’t feel any pain anymore.

He looked at Chu Xia’s hand with confusion. Why did it work?

Chu Xia noticed his confusion and smiled. “Because Mom is a fairy from the sky. I saw An’an suffering, so I came down to save you.”

Cen Huai’an frowned, unsure whether to believe her.

He thought his mom might be teasing him.

“Then why didn’t you come to save me the moment I started suffering?”

“Back then, Mom hadn’t learned her magic yet. As soon as I did, I came down,” Chu Xia replied.

Cen Huai’an had a good memory, and since Chu Xia hadn’t yet come up with a good reason to explain her medical skills, she didn’t tell anyone, not even Cen Huai’an.

Seeing him sitting quietly, deep in thought with a frown, Chu Xia struggled to hold back her laughter.

After thinking for a while, Cen Huai’an asked, “Mom, can you make things appear out of thin air?”

Chu Xia shook her head. “No, I used up all my magic searching for you. Now, I can only do a little bit, like making your waist feel better.”

“Will you leave, Mommy?” Cen Huai’an asked again, staring at Chu Xia with wide eyes, his hands unconsciously gripping the blanket.

“Of course not,” Chu Xia replied confidently. “Without my magic, how would I go back? I’ll be your mommy forever.”

Cen Huai’an sighed with relief.

If Mom had no more magic, she couldn’t return to the sky, and she wouldn’t leave him.

He felt guilty for thinking this way but couldn’t help secretly wishing that Mom would stay with him forever.

He believed that Mom got sick because she lost her magic, so he resolved to protect her from now on.

Chu Xia watched as Cen Huai’an’s expression changed from doubt to full belief, barely suppressing her laughter.

Kids are so easy to fool, and they really do believe in fairies.

But one day, he would realize that everyone is just ordinary.

Still, who doesn’t have a time of innocence?

Even kids in the future believe in magical princesses and Ultraman.

Chu Xia’s illness lingered with a low fever for two more days before she fully recovered.

During that time, Cen Huai’an was exceptionally well-behaved and even learned how to cook porridge on his own.

However, whenever he needed to use the stove, he did so under Chu Xia’s watchful eye.

She didn’t let him handle fire when she wasn’t around.

On Thursday morning, after a heavy rainstorm the night before, the weather turned a bit cooler.

Chu Xia rummaged through her wardrobe and found only the summer clothes she had bought before, as well as the original owner’s clothes.

Except for the work uniform, every piece was patched up.

It seemed she needed to buy some new clothes.

“Mom, the tomatoes are sprouting!”

Chu Xia had planted some vegetables on the windowsill, with spinach sprouting first and growing well.

After that, cucumbers and beans began to sprout one after another.

Cen Huai’an wasn’t interested in the green onions and didn’t care whether they sprouted.

But he loved eating scrambled eggs with tomatoes, so he eagerly waited for the tomatoes to sprout.

Every morning, he would check on them.

Today, they finally sprouted, and Chu Xia could feel his joy.

She walked over to take a look; the tomato seedlings were still tiny.

It would be a while before they grew into full tomatoes.

However, she didn’t want to discourage Cen Huaian’s enthusiasm, so she said, “When the tomatoes grow and the first one ripens, I’ll make sweet tomatoes with sugar for you.”

This was another dish Cen Huaian had never tried, but everything his mom made was delicious, so he became even more eager for the tomatoes to grow.

Since it wasn’t very warm, Chuxia found an old coat and put it on Cen Huaian.

As he left the house, he kept looking down at the big, oversized coat.

It was an old hand-me-down from someone at his grandma’s house.

He didn’t like his grandma, and he didn’t like this coat, which was so big it could cover his entire body.

“Mom, can I not wear this coat?”

“No, it’s cold today. If you don’t wear it, you’ll get sick,” Chuxia said firmly without thinking twice.

She knew what he was thinking, so she gently touched his bald head and said, “Just wear it today. At noon, I’ll take you to buy new clothes.”