Chapter 5: The Little One Can See Her

◎ Can Mom Watch Fairy Tales with You? ◎

When Pei Wenyu opened the bedroom door, he happened to hear Pei Yuqi’s shrill scream. He immediately limped downstairs with his cane and found Pei Yuqi huddled in the corner of the bed, the blanket a mess on the floor.

Zheng Huiwen was softly comforting him and reaching out to hug him, but he avoided her.

Pei Wenyu paused mid-step and frowned as he stood in the doorway, asking, “What happened?”

“It seems like the young master had a nightmare and woke up like this,” Zheng Huiwen said, sounding troubled, though her heart was uneasy.

Earlier, when she had heard Pei Wenyu shouting early in the morning, she rushed in and slapped Pei Yuqi’s arm. She didn’t expect to hear the sound of Pei Wenyu’s cane coming downstairs right after.

Seeing Pei Wenyu standing there with a frown, staring at Pei Yuqi but not approaching, she feared Pei Wenyu might notice something was off, so she quickly stepped forward and said, “Mr. Pei, you should go ahead with your work. I’ll take care of the young master.”

Pei Wenyu nodded, not lingering, and it was clear that he didn’t even want to enter his son’s room. He didn’t care about his son at all!

Xue Huiyu, watching helplessly as her son fell back into the hands of the nanny, cursed his indifferent back angrily, “Pei Wenyu, you dog—son! Are you crippled or blind?! What’s the use of your eyes if you can’t see?! Are you blind?!”

After Pei Wenyu left, Zheng Huiwen gave Pei Yuqi a few more quiet scolds but didn’t hit him again, fearing Pei Wenyu might come back unexpectedly. She wiped his face and hands, squeezed toothpaste on his toothbrush, and let him brush his teeth by himself before heading downstairs to make breakfast for both Pei Wenyu and Pei Yuqi.

“Can you see me?”

While Pei Yuqi silently brushed his teeth, standing on a small chair, he occasionally heard an excited voice drift toward him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you just now. I didn’t know you could see me. I just wanted to say hello…”

Could it be that my blood-covered appearance frightened the little one?

Xue Huiyu had no idea what she looked like now because she couldn’t see herself in the mirror, but since her clothes weren’t stained with blood, her face shouldn’t be either… She could only helplessly wipe her face and cautiously speak.

“I’m not a bad person…”

“Really, really not a bad person…”

A young woman who had only appeared since yesterday and could now be seen floated in front of him, occupying his mirror. Pei Yuqi pretended not to notice and lowered his head to rinse his mouth, spitting out the dirty mouthwash onto her.

Just like yesterday’s blocks, the mouthwash passed right through her and fell into the sink.

Pei Yuqi: “…”

“I’m your mom, Xue Huiyu.” Unaware that her own son was spitting mouthwash at her, Xue Huiyu wiped her face clean. After making sure her face wasn’t deformed from the impact, she nervously introduced herself, “Your father probably never mentioned me to you.”

She gave a bitter smile and said, “I don’t know how I ended up like this… but I am your mom. I have photos of myself in my room. You can go check them. I look exactly the same as in the photos!”

Pei Yuqi, having finished brushing his teeth, lowered his eyes and stepped down from the small chair.

He had woken up early, with several messy tufts of hair sticking up on top of his head. The sunlight, like scattered gold, danced across his profile. Xue Huiyu felt that her son, standing before her, looked a bit adorably clueless.

At this moment, her excitement at the fact that her son could see her made her overlook the fact that, to a child, she was a terrifying presence now. Her mind was filled with thoughts of her son’s autism, how he didn’t like to speak, and how, if she didn’t take the initiative, he likely wouldn’t respond to her.

Children with autism need more patience and care, to help them let go of their anxiety and tension towards the outside world and gradually come out of their own world…

So, she made an effort to communicate with him, saying, “That auntie wasn’t nice to you. She hit you, scolded you, and even pricked you with needles. You must tell Dad about it! She also put something in your milk, but I will keep an eye on her from now on. If she ever puts anything in your milk again, just remind yourself and tell Dad. We’ll catch her in the act!”

Xue Huiyu was already dead and couldn’t stand up for her son, so all she could do was remind him to tell his father. Although Pei Wenyu seemed indifferent toward his son, he would surely be angry to learn his son was being mistreated and drugged.

But the problem was, why didn’t the child tell his father?

What was it that made their father-son relationship so tense?

The only thing Xue Huiyu could do now was keep an eye on Zheng Huiwen to prevent her from harming Pei Yuqi again. With that thought in mind, after reminding Pei Yuqi, she floated to the kitchen, folding her arms as she supervised Zheng Huiwen making breakfast.

The main dish was four pork dumplings, with a boiled egg on the side. It was beautifully arranged on a cartoon plate, with a bowl of apple chunks and a glass of milk beside it.

Xue Huiyu had to admit that Zheng Huiwen was a good cook. Every day, she could make delicious, nutritious meals, varying them in appearance, taste, and fragrance. Otherwise, her temper during pregnancy would have led to her dismissal long ago.

While Zheng Huiwen prepared the children’s nutritious breakfast, Pei Wenyu silently ate dumplings in the living room. He didn’t leave until the driver arrived.

Xue Huiyu, who had been watching Zheng Huiwen’s every move, floated over to Pei Yuqi when she brought him his breakfast and said, “The milk today doesn’t have anything in it, so you can drink it!”

Pei Yuqi hesitated, ignoring Xue Huiyu’s persistent murmurs. He poked the boiled egg in his plate with his chopsticks and, somewhat picky, took a bite.

“Aren’t you going to drink some water to moisten your throat?”

He ate the egg white in small bites, leaving the yellow yolk behind.

Xue Huiyu frowned, murmuring softly, “The nutrients in the egg yolk are really rich… good children shouldn’t be picky…”

Pei Yuqi ignored her and poked another dumpling with his chopsticks, but the woman beside him continued, “Son, you’re not… not sure how to use chopsticks, are you?”

Pei Yuqi curled his lips and poked another dumpling with his chopsticks. After eating two bites of the apple, he put down his utensils.

Xue Huiyu, concerned, said, “Is that all you’re eating? No wonder you’re so skinny… You should eat a little more.”

Pei Yuqi took another couple of sips of milk, but the woman kept talking. Frustrated, he covered his ears, hoping she would stop.

“Don’t ignore me…”

Pei Yuqi pulled the blanket over his head, hiding himself.

Seeing her son hide so tightly, unwilling to interact with her, Xue Huiyu realized he didn’t want to talk to her and felt deeply dejected. “Now, you’re the only one who can see me, and I can only talk to you… Won’t you talk to me? Maybe in a few days, I won’t be here anymore…”

Mom…

“Son, are you sleepy and ready for a nap?” After chattering for a while without any response, Xue Huiyu, afraid to disturb his sleep, quietly closed her mouth.

Xue Huiyu was right. Pei Yuqi had reached his nap time, but wrapped in his blanket, he quietly curled up in the corner for an hour. The words “Mom” kept swirling in his mind, making it impossible for him to fall asleep.

But he didn’t dare to move or turn over.

When the room outside was quiet again, Pei Yuqi poked his little head out from the blanket.

She was still there…

But she was just watching him, not approaching or speaking.

Pei Yuqi felt a little awkward and even started to feel restless.

Pei Yuqi had a fixed routine, and when he didn’t do something at the usual time, he would feel uneasy.

It definitely wasn’t because the woman who had been talking to him just moments ago was suddenly ignoring him.

It was because he hadn’t had his proper nap, which made him feel uncomfortable.

Thinking this, Pei Yuqi ignored everything else and got out of bed.

Following his usual routine, he picked up the fairy tale book he hadn’t finished reading the night before and sat on his little chair to read quietly.

During the nap time, Xue Huiyu took a moment to reflect on her earlier excited behavior.

To her son, not only was she a strange mother, but she was also a ghost… A presence so terrifying that even an adult would be scared to talk to her, let alone a three-year-old…

Realizing that everything she did could scare him, Xue Huiyu carefully shrank into a corner.

But when her son sat down to read his fairy tale book, she couldn’t help but float over. She carefully leaned her head toward him and whispered, “My little son is so amazing. He can recognize characters now. Can Mommy read the fairy tale with you?”

Pei Yuqi didn’t actually know many words; he was just looking at the pictures. Xue Huiyu quickly noticed that he was flipping the pages much faster than he could read, so she softly asked, “Do you want Mommy to read it to you?”

Ignoring Pei Yuqi’s reaction, Xue Huiyu started reading aloud, “Little Red Riding Hood met a wolf as soon as she entered the forest. The wolf said, ‘Hello, Little Red Riding Hood! Where are you going?’… Oh, you turned the page! Mommy hasn’t finished reading yet…”

Pei Yuqi paused his page-flipping, pursing his lips in a defiant, clearly angry manner. A little thundercloud seemed to hang above his head, but Xue Huiyu found it so cute her heart melted.

She had always been shy, but now that she was a ghost, what’s the harm in being a little shameless?

She didn’t know when she would disappear, so she wanted to spend her last time with her little son.

“Little Red Riding Hood said, ‘I’m going to Grandma’s house. Grandma is sick, and I’m bringing her some delicious cake and wine.’…”

For children who reject the outside world, it’s important to judge their preferences based on their behaviors in daily life and listen carefully to their inner world.

Then, one must try to create an environment that makes them feel comfortable and at ease.

Xue Huiyu read the fairy tale word by word. Her voice was naturally pleasant, and when she read the story, she did so with deep emotion, using a rhythmic tone, and complemented her narration with hand gestures. She made the entire story come to life. Gradually, Pei Yuqi, who had been pouting and sulking, began to slow down his page-turning. He waited until she paused before flipping the page, and his little ears, which had been tucked under his high-collared shirt, quietly appeared, looking cute and quiet.

“Howl~” Xue Huiyu made claw shapes with her hands near her face and deliberately howled at Pei Yuqi.

Pei Yuqi, who had been listening intently with his ears perked up, was suddenly startled by the howling sound so close to him. His big eyes, which had been dull, widened in shock, like a frightened little rabbit. But he quickly recovered and pretended to be calm as he turned the page.

“Howl~”

Pei Yuqi: “…”

Seeing her son look at her with a look of “poor thing” in his eyes, Xue Huiyu mumbled, “You’re not cute at all.”

She continued reading aloud, “The wolf suddenly leapt from under the covers and swallowed Little Red Riding Hood in one gulp…”

When Pei Yuqi heard that Little Red Riding Hood had been eaten by the big bad wolf, he unhappily bit his finger. Only when he heard that both Little Red Riding Hood and Grandma had been saved by the hunter did he silently breathe a sigh of relief.

After finishing Little Red Riding Hood, Pei Yuqi flipped to the next page and started Snow White.

He looked up at Xue Huiyu with his big, sparkling eyes, clearly hoping she would continue reading the story.

But Xue Huiyu didn’t start a new fairy tale. Instead, she rested her chin on her hand and looked at him, asking, “I’m curious about something… Today’s Monday, and you’re already three and a half years old, why haven’t you started school yet?”