Chapter 19: The Child Who Recognized His Mama

◎ Xue Huiyu thought this was the purest and most innocent voice she had ever heard. ◎

The past couple of days, Xue Huiyu had actually already taught Pei Yuqi the correct way to hold chopsticks. She had always believed he was very clever and quick to learn, but at this moment, as she watched him awkwardly poke at the potato slices with chopsticks, she realized that Pei Yuqi still preferred to hold the chopsticks his own way. It was likely that he wouldn’t be able to use them skillfully for a while.

After all, children tend to be forgetful, and since Pei Yuqi had autism, which involved cognitive difficulties, Xue Huiyu patiently held his small hand, teaching him the proper way to hold the chopsticks.

“First, you need to align the tips of the chopsticks. Then, use your thumb, index, and middle fingers to hold them gently. Your thumb should be placed beside the nail of your index finger, so that your two fingers can grip the chopsticks and keep them steady. Now, where should the ring finger go…? The ring finger should be placed underneath the chopsticks, like this, with about a centimeter of space at the back of the chopsticks. The most important thing is that when picking up food, you only need to move the top part of the chopsticks…”

Xue Huiyu carefully demonstrated each step. Her large hand held his small one, and Pei Yuqi could feel the warmth of her touch spreading across his hand.

Unable to resist, Pei Yuqi quickly glanced at Xue Huiyu. Her profile was soft, and she had a faint, pleasant fragrance. His large, dark eyes brightened, and then, as soon as Xue Huiyu looked over, he hurriedly put on a serious face, furrowing his brows as if he was completely incapable of learning.

After Xue Huiyu repeated the lesson several times, Pei Yuqi finally managed to pick up a piece of potato after several failed attempts!

Watching him struggle and finally succeed in picking up a piece of potato and putting it into his mouth, Xue Huiyu, who had feared that the mashed potatoes might be too soft to let him succeed and hurt his confidence, immediately clapped her hands and cheered, “Good job, Pei Yuqi!”

Startled by Xue Huiyu’s bright smile, Pei Yuqi immediately lowered his head.

His ears turned bright red, and he quietly chewed the potato in his mouth.

Xue Huiyu looked at him expectantly, “Is it delicious?”

Pei Yuqi quickly glanced at her and silently nodded.

Seeing him eat another piece after finishing the first one, Xue Huiyu felt happy and said, “There were only a few vegetables in the kitchen, so I just made some potatoes and kidney beans and boiled an egg for you. But actually, I can cook many dishes. If you want anything, just let me know, and I’ll cook it for you. How does that sound?”

Pei Yuqi silently nodded. With his response, Xue Huiyu happily continued feeding him porridge.

Pei Yuqi’s small hands were also busy. After learning to use chopsticks, he began fiddling with the egg. While Xue Huiyu was feeding him porridge, he silently separated the egg yolk from the egg white…

Although Xue Huiyu was already happy just to see him eating, she noticed that he had started eating egg yolk a few days ago, so she was puzzled as to why he was now leaving it behind.

Seeing Pei Yuqi eating only the egg white in small bites, Xue Huiyu gently advised, “Pei Yuqi is a good child. Good children shouldn’t be picky eaters or waste food…”

Pei Yuqi paused for a moment. Xue Huiyu immediately added, “If you think the egg yolk is too dry, we can mix it into the porridge. That way, it won’t feel dry, and it will also provide more nutrition…”

As she spoke, Xue Huiyu mixed the egg yolk that Pei Yuqi had rejected into the porridge.

Seeing that Pei Yuqi didn’t show any signs of resistance, she mashed the egg yolk into the porridge, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it gently, and then offered it to Pei Yuqi’s lips.

Pei Yuqi hesitated for a moment, then took a bite. His eyes immediately brightened, and as Xue Huiyu fed him spoonful after spoonful of porridge, he finished it all up cleanly.

He even showed Xue Huiyu his empty little bowl, his hair sticking up in several strands, his big, beautiful eyes sparkling—just like when he had held out his empty bowl for her earlier… so adorably clueless.

So cute!

Xue Huiyu nearly couldn’t resist kissing him right then and there! Eventually, she couldn’t hold back and gently touched his messy little head with her hand…

This child hadn’t even combed his hair by noon…

Her motherly heart ached again. She quickly stood up to grab a wooden comb. However, as soon as she stood up, the corner of her shirt was tugged tightly.

Pei Yuqi was looking at her with his big eyes wide open, his little mouth pouting, turning into a pitiful little dumpling face.

“Are you afraid I’m going?”

Seeing the clear anxiety in Pei Yuqi’s eyes, Xue Huiyu’s heart melted. Her hand itched, and she pinched his soft, tender little cheek, her voice becoming gentle: “I’m not going anywhere, I’m not leaving this room. I just want to put the empty bowl away and then get a wooden comb to brush your hair… You haven’t brushed your hair today, right? And you need to change into a clean shirt…”

Pei Yuqi, whose cheek had been lightly pinched, covered his hot face, awkwardly but coolly nodding.

Xue Huiyu was amused by his mixture of trying to act cool and being shy. She teasingly said, “If you don’t want me to leave, then when others try to make me leave, you need to protect me~”

Xue Huiyu said this casually, but then saw Pei Yuqi cover his face and tilt his head, his eyes looking seriously at her. He nodded earnestly. Xue Huiyu froze for a moment.

As she was brushing his hair with the small wooden comb, she couldn’t help but think back to his serious little expression. Even though she knew he might not have understood what she said, and he couldn’t even protect himself, let alone protect her, she still couldn’t help but feel happy because of his response.

Although a three-year-old child needs to take a nap, Xue Huiyu, unable to resist, still gave the messy-haired Pei Yuqi an adorable mushroom hairstyle.

The rounded bangs revealed a small, delicate face like jade, his jet-black eyes clear and bright. Although his complexion was slightly pale, due to his previous illness, she could still see traces of the handsome, outstanding appearance he would have when he grew up.

Xue Huiyu was extremely satisfied.

The more she looked at her little one, the more she thought he was cute and obedient. The mushroom hairstyle made him even more adorable. After changing him into a fresh new set of pajamas, she couldn’t resist holding his little hand and gazing into his bright, sparkling eyes, saying, “Now, do you want to play a building block game together?”

Normally, Pei Yuqi would play with building blocks for a while after lunch before taking a nap. But this time, as soon as Xue Huiyu finished speaking, Pei Yuqi handed her a fairy tale book from the bedside, the page already turned to the part she had read to him the other day before he fell asleep—The Little Mermaid.

“Do you want to listen to a fairy tale instead of playing with blocks?”

Pei Yuqi nodded slightly, then grabbed his pillow and placed it behind his back. After Xue Huiyu adjusted his pillow, she was about to sit down on the chair by the bed, but the next second, a little hand gently tugged at her shirt.

Seeing that Xue Huiyu didn’t react, Pei Yuqi hurriedly pulled on her shirt again, gesturing for her to come closer to the bed.

Xue Huiyu blinked… was he asking her to join him in bed?

A couple of days ago, when she read him fairy tales, she had indeed lay next to him because he was holding the book and she could only see the pages if she lay beside him…

But now… she looked at her clothes—unsuitable for lying in bed—and then at the eager, hopeful look in Pei Yuqi’s eyes. She hesitated for a moment and then said, “So, I’m going to get in bed…?”

With that, she took off her shoes and climbed into the bed, even cheekily pulling her little one into her arms.

Startled by Xue Huiyu’s sudden move, Pei Yuqi blinked his eyes in a dignified manner.

“The little mermaid traded her voice for legs with the sea witch, but she had to make the prince fall in love with her and receive a true love kiss before the deadline, or else she would turn into sea foam on the morning of the prince’s wedding.”

Xue Huiyu continued reading The Little Mermaid to Pei Yuqi, but inside, she was feeling a bit guilty. She was afraid her overly affectionate actions might make him uncomfortable. However, Pei Yuqi didn’t make a fuss. After a while of looking a bit confused, he secretly glanced up at her twice.

Then, seeing her focused on reading the fairy tale, he quietly adjusted himself to a more comfortable position. His round little head gently leaned against her shoulder, his long eyelashes fluttering, and without realizing it, he nestled closer into her embrace.

Xue Huiyu was nearly overwhelmed by his cute little actions!

The soft, baby-like boy was completely wrapped in her arms, warm and soft, smelling faintly of milk.

He was just too thin…

“The prince didn’t recognize that the little mermaid was the one who had saved him. Even though she became the most beautiful girl in the palace, she was mute, unable to sing or speak. After the prince fell in love with her dancing, she kept dancing, even though every time her feet touched the ground, it felt like walking on sharp knives… But as long as it made the prince love her, she was willing to endure the pain.”

“Although the prince loved the little mermaid more and more every day, he had no intention of marrying her… He was about to get married to a beautiful princess from a neighboring kingdom.”

Xue Huiyu read the story aloud, and after just two paragraphs, Pei Yuqi’s expression had turned serious.

When Xue Huiyu read the part about the prince saying, “When I lay on the shore like a dead body, it was you who saved me! The prince tightly embraced his shy new bride,” Pei Yuqi furiously clenched his little fists, growling in indignation.

“Seeing this, the little mermaid, who had no words to express her heartbreak, danced her last beautiful dance for the groom and bride. She had given up her family, sacrificed her wonderful voice, and endured daily pain, yet none of this the prince knew…”

Xue Huiyu couldn’t understand what Pei Yuqi was saying as he whimpered, still unable to form proper words. He was probably expressing his outrage at the prince’s behavior… But when she read about the little mermaid kissing the prince’s face, throwing the knife into the sea, and leaping into the water to turn into foam, she saw Pei Yuqi’s eyes turning red with tears. He sobbed and buried his face in her arms.

At that moment, Xue Huiyu thought about Pei Yuqi’s future.

As a dancer, she naturally understood the importance of her legs, but her son… had been so ruthless and cruel that he severed Xia’s leg just to keep her by his side.

His unfortunate origin made him lack the capacity to love another, so his love for Xia had turned into something selfish and pathological. But at least right now, this child, at just three years old, still had a good sense of right and wrong.

He felt pain for the little mermaid who could not receive love, he cried for the little mermaid who turned into foam in the end… a three-year-old child already had such a strong sense of empathy…

So, as long as he received more love, his future would never turn into that of a cold-blooded, pathological villain.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry…”

She hugged Pei Yuqi, now a little crying bundle, and gently patted his back to comfort him.

“I haven’t finished the story yet…” Pei Yuqi couldn’t read, so Xue Huiyu, improvising, started to make up the story line by line. “When the little mermaid jumped into the sea, the prince, kissed by the mermaid, suddenly woke up. He had been cursed by the sea witch, which was why he couldn’t recognize her. When he saw the mermaid jump into the sea, he suddenly realized she was the one who saved him. He jumped into the sea, kissed the mermaid, and saved her from becoming foam. Eventually, the little mermaid received the true love kiss, turned into a human, married the prince, and became the queen on land.”

As soon as Pei Yuqi heard the story take a sudden turn, he stopped crying. Just when Xue Huiyu thought she had finally calmed the little crying bundle, he suddenly lifted his small head and, with lightning speed, planted a wet kiss right on her face.

Xue Huiyu was stunned, her face covered in baby saliva. “??”

Before she could react, an ecstatic Pei Yuqi kept gesturing at her with his hands, making soft, meaningless sounds.

“…Uh…uh…mua…heh…”

He struggled to speak, giving it his all.

But at that moment, his voice was hoarse and breathless, and all he could produce were these strange, disjointed sounds. His throat ached as he tried to form words, but no matter how hard he tried, the accurate sound wouldn’t come.

He was so frustrated, turning in circles, but Xue Huiyu could tell from his lip movements that he was trying to say something specific.

She couldn’t correct his pronunciation because she wasn’t even sure how to say that word herself.

But at this moment, her heart was racing with anticipation.

Her baby… recognized her… He recognized her!

After nearly a minute of “uh uh uh”, Pei Yuqi’s throat could no longer handle the strain and he began coughing violently.

“Stop, stop, don’t force yourself to speak,” Xue Huiyu quickly stopped him, her heart aching. “You haven’t been able to speak properly, so it’s hard to produce sounds. Don’t push yourself now, you could hurt your vocal cords. We can take it slow and practice later…”

The joy she had felt earlier was replaced by concern as she hurriedly poured a glass of warm water for Pei Yuqi and gently rubbed his back. However, Pei Yuqi didn’t listen to her advice. After drinking the water to soothe his throat, he seemed even more determined to master those two words, stubbornly practicing.

“Uh… uh… mua… uh… ma… uh… ma…”

After “mua”-ing for a while, Pei Yuqi finally pronounced the word perfectly.

He quickly kissed her face again, his bright, sparkling eyes locked onto her with an eager expression, waiting for her praise.

“Ma…ma!”

Seeing Xue Huiyu remain quiet, Pei Yuqi became a little anxious. He pointed at her with his little hand, repeating the word again: “Ma…ma…”

Then, he reached out and wrapped his little arms around her.

It wasn’t the soft, crisp voice of a child, but the dry, hoarse sound from Pei Yuqi’s throat—thin and light, but so scratchy that it was hard to believe it came from a three-year-old.

But at that moment, Xue Huiyu thought it was the most pure, innocent sound she had ever heard.

Her eyes filled with tears, unable to hold them back. The tears fell in rapid succession as she pulled her little one, who kept repeating “mama,” tightly into her embrace. Her voice was rough, as if it were mixed with gravel: “Mmm… mmm…”

“My good little one, congratulations, you got it right…”