This was the first time Chu Jin had taken the initiative to talk, but Song Qiaoxi couldn’t hear anything.

Curious?

Of course, she was curious but she didn’t ask in the end.

Now that she was snotting and crying, she doesn’t want to talk to her little brother at a time like this since she must be ugly right now.

Only after a while did Song Qiaoxi feel better.

Just as she was about to call her mother if they could go home, a boy in a navy-blue bob bean suit poked his head with his face full of concern and yelled. “Boss Xixi! Let me buy you a little snowman to eat, if you eat it, you won’t feel sick, and next time I’ll take Mommy’s Night Paris perfume and spray it in the car, will you stop getting carsick then?”

The boy was her number one follower in the compound, called Wang Junyang, the son of the person who lent them the car. Uncle Wang’s son was also six years old this year.

Wang Junyang was taller than Song Qiaoxi, wearing a fashionable rich city boy style from head to toe, his narrow and long eye shape looked at her as he was about to imitate Chu Jin’s way of patting her on the back, looking like he also wanted to learn how to comfort her.

Seeing his actions, Song Qiaoxi felt weak and could only close her eyes in despair.

She remembered that Wang Junyang had a heavy hand, and clearly remembered that there was one time when they were playing catch the chicks, whenever he becomes the eagle, he could easily slap their playmates who were the chicks to the ground.

But his palm didn’t land on her back, so she opened her eyes again and saw Chu Jin’s cold face grabbing Wang Junyang’s wrist without saying a word.

Meanwhile, Wang Junyang looked like a loach, desperately trying to break free from Chu Jin.

Before Wang Junyang could stand up again, Uncle Wang saw them from the doorway and stepped up looking like he was about to enter a battlefield as he took big strides.

Uncle Wang grab Wang Junyang’s ear and pull him away from Song Qiaoxi, his voice was really angry. “Wang Junyang! Running away without finishing your homework for preschool, go, go home, and see how your mom will clean you up when she comes back!”

“Sister, is Xixi okay? Damn, I really forgot that this child gets car sick.” Uncle Wang’s other hand touched the top of Song Qiaoxi’s head and said to her mom.

“It’s fine, it’s fine, thank you so much for today, Uncle Wang, tomorrow I’ll make sweet and sour pork and send it over to you and sister-in-law.” Mother Song helped her up and quickly waved her hand to Uncle Wang.

“Don’t be polite, ai! It’s the old family Chu…… Ahem, that, I’ll take Yangyang back first, look at Xixi’s little face is pale, she’s been too much today, so get her to bed early to rest.”

Mother Song give Uncle Wang a wink, then put her hand on Chu Jin’s shoulder and squeezed it lightly, so Uncle Wang abruptly changed the subject before he quickly went upstairs with the grinning Wang Junyang.

“Come on, kids, let’s go home.” Mother Song’s voice permeated with warmth and firmness.

On the summer night of ’96, the street lights in the courtyard were dim, and various insects were having a carnival party under the lights.

Mother Song held Song Qiaoxi in her left hand and Chu Jin in her right as they walked side by side on the way home, and under the streetlight, three people’s long reflections appeared.

She had been looking for this road home for a long time in her dreams, and Song Qiaoxi was glad that she had finally found it.

As soon as they arrived at the door, they met her father holding toilet paper and preparing to go out.

He awkwardly scratched his head and smiled, “Wife, I see that the toilet paper ran out so it took a long time to rummage through the five-drawer cabinet ……”

“It is sooner for three autumns to come than wait for you, I’ll take Xixi to take a bath first.” Mother Song had an “I knew it” expression on her face as she took out two pairs of slippers from the shoe cabinet for Song Qiaoxi and Chu Jin, and latter obediently changed into them.

Pushing Song Qiaoxi to the bathroom, Mother Song did not forget to turn back and give instructions to her father. “Spoon a bowl of mung bean soup to cool off, put mantou and sausage too, then mix more sugar to the tomato, wash two cucumbers, and beat three eggs for me to fry.”

“Yes, sir!” Father Song smiles as he made a face at Song Qiaoxi before he went to the kitchen.

Not long after, Song Qiaoxi came out with her curly hair and steamy all over.

Mother Song changed her into a pink nightdress while the bow on her slippers was filled with water making a “chirp” sound every time she took a step.

After washing, she felt comfortable. She saw Chu Jin sitting on the edge of the sofa, drinking mung bean soup from a blue enamel bowl.

His eyelashes were like small fans casting a small shadow under his pale eyes, and as he breathed his lashes fluttered gently like butterfly wings.

How could there be such a good-looking boy that all she could do was gape foolishly?

“Chu Jin, come, Auntie will teach you how to adjust the water temperature.”

Mother Song’s voice made Song Qiaoxi shyly retract her eyes and lowered her head like a quail, then waited for him to enter the bathroom before sighing softly.

She then looks up at the slightly humble living room, this was the home in Song Qiaoxi’s memory.

According to the original book, in the year ’98, the compound redeveloped the unit they were living now to build new houses, after which the family moved to the other side of the compound.

There was not much description of the new home in the book, so there was naturally no visual picture in the mind.

But on the day of choosing a new unit, there was a big accident because the original owner acted like a demon at school causing her father to be called out and admonished by the teachers so he missed the time to choose a unit. In the end, he was only assigned to a unit that no one wanted, which made her mother sad for a long time.

From then on, unlucky incidents, both big and small have become common occurrences in the Song family since the original owner started going to school.

Bad luck seemed to haunt her family from then on. The original owner became increasingly uncontrollable, and her parents were too worried that they couldn’t sleep well, and this affected their career and the family fell to the bottom until they were completely torn apart more than ten years later.

Song Qiaoxi made up her mind to help her family avoid all bad luck.

And guarding a family’s good life starts with her.

When school starts in September, she would be in elementary so she must be good with “five lectures and four beauties”, and not cause trouble to her parents.

The aroma of steamed red sausage wafted from the kitchen, at this time Mother Song instructed Chu Jin a few more words at the bathroom door before she closed the door and quickly walked into the kitchen to finish cooking.

Song Qiaoxi was the only one left in the living room and curiously touched the wall, the green paint felt cool and smooth to the touch.

Her eyes then swept around the light green refrigerator in the corner with a few wang-wang stickers crookedly pasted on the door, and a folding round dining table by the window.

A 20-inch color TV sits on a high-low cabinet to one side, on the screen, a chubby little boy was releasing pigeons and a familiar melody was ringing in her ears.

“Love is LOVE, love is AMOUR, love is RAK, love is ……”

Glancing at the Compass wall clock on the wall, she remembered that every Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. there was her favorite show, “Zhengda Variety Show”.

There was a small stool at the door of the kitchen, Song Qiaoxi took a look at the sofa near the front door and still chose to sit on the bench because it would be closer to mom and dad.

“I just found that Lao Wang and his wife inquired about Lao Chu and his wife after they pass, Chu Jin’s uncle went through adoption procedures to take the child away. And guessed what happened, he disappeared within a year with Lao Chu’s money and directly threw the child at the gate of the orphanage in the suburbs. What a piece of shit.”

Father Song’s voice reached through the kitchen door.

It was about Chu Jin, she pricked up her ears and quietly moved the small stool inside.

“Police Officer Chu and Sister Qiuyu are such good people, just what happened, ai…” Mother Song sighed. “It’s hard for the child, I remember Sister Qiuyu still has two brothers, don’t they care about him?”

“Don’t even mention it, Lao Wang has relatives who are neighbors with them. The first uncle works on a boat and is often not home, while his aunt doesn’t let the child go to school saying she did not spend his money and scolds the child every day. I guess she drives the child out today, did you see the child’s scar on his leg ……”

Father Song was cutting something as the sound of a chopping board could be heard so she had a hard time hearing what he was saying.

Mother Song: “What about his other uncle? Let’s contact him tomorrow, Sister Qiuyu is also an employee of the newspaper company if you can’t contact him, ask the head of your office to communicate with him. The child must not miss school, Chu Jin is one year older than Xixi, and he is already delayed for one year. Let the child live here first, it’s not like we are short of food to feed him.”

“Nh, I don’t know the situation with his second uncle but I will make a trip tomorrow. The kid called the police and saved our daughter, if he didn’t alarm the police… I am afraid Xixi’s…difficult to handle…”

With the faucet “clattered”, her father’s voice became intermittent, and since he began frying, the range hood was so loud that she could not hear her parents’ conversation.

The smell of scrambled eggs slipped out through the plastic beaded curtains, spewing a strong aroma, but Song Qiaoxi did not have any appetite at all, only feeling that her chest was stuffy.

If she were to go back to welfare now, she would never go back.

A child who has never had candy could live without candy for a lifetime because one doesn’t know how wonderful the sweetness was.

But once one could get used to the sweetness it brings, how painful it would be if it was taken away from you?

“It’s not even three volts¹ yet, and it’s already so hot.” [¹collective term for the first, middle, and last summers in summer]

Song Qiaoxi sits on the big bed covered with bamboo mats. While listening to her mother talking as she finds a clean quilt from the chest drawers and puts it on the small bed beside the big bed.

This was her parent’s bedroom which was facing north, while her small room faces west, so it was too hot to sleep in summer.

Her parents simply set up an adjacent small make-do bed beside their bed, for her to sleep on.

But since there was an extra child in the house today, so Chu Jin sleeps in the small make-do bed and Song Qiaoxi slept on the big bed with her mom and dad.

She already felt tired at the dinner table earlier, so listening to the regular “clattering” sound of the fan swinging near her head was even more effective than a lullaby, and couldn’t help swaying her head back and forth drowsily.

After going through so many things today, the six-year-old little dumpling couldn’t hold her body anymore and, in a daze she said, “Brother Chu Jin, good night.”

As soon as her head sticks to the pillow, she falls asleep.

Chu Jin on the small bed beside her folded his hand on his chest, unable to sleep even after Auntie Qiao turned off the lights.

He lay at an angle facing the bedroom door and could see a ray of light coming through the crack of the door, proving that the lights in the living room were still on. He could also vaguely hear Uncle Song and Aunt Qiao speaking in low voices.

How could he not guess what they were talking about, it had to be something to do with him.

This made Chu Jin somewhat regret accepting Uncle Song’s good intentions, feeling that he had caused trouble for his uncle and aunt.

He must not think about it for now, after all, he hasn’t had a good night’s sleep for a long time.

Tonight, he had a hot bath, a full meal, and soft sheets… it was all like an extra gift from God to him.

Closing his eyes, Chu Jin let himself be immersed in the darkness, and Song Qiaoxi’s even breathing in his ears together with the occasional murmur of a little kitten-like grunt.

The little girl slept so sweetly; she was so lucky to have such kind parents.

Suddenly Chu Jin heard a rustling sound and opened his eyes vigilantly only to find Song Qiaoxi kicking off the quilt and turning over to his side.

He smelled the clean scent of milk from the little girl and heaved a sigh of relief before closing his eyes again.

Chu Quin had a very, very heavy dream, in which he saw his father and mother, but they no longer recognized him.

He cried, “Mom, mom you take me away, please, I don’t want to be by myself …….”

Mom and Dad seemed unable to hear his voice, and as they walked further and further away, they quickly disappeared into the sky.

Despair, he crouched on the ground and cried when a faint milky scent surrounded him as he drifted off.

Was there someone gently tapping on his arm?

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