"Brother, can't you sleep?" Chu Yigui's voice came from another bed not far from Wan Qiu, particularly clear in the quiet night. "Are you alright?"

"Hmm." Wan Qiu pulled her hands back under the covers. She felt a little embarrassed at being caught not sleeping at night.

"Brother, do you need to read to me too?" Chu Yigui asked.

"I'm not a child anymore." Wan Qiu turned over, facing Chu Yigui. In the dim moonlight, Chu Yigui's face was completely hidden in shadow. "Little brother, can't you sleep? Do you need me to read to you?"

Chu Yigui smiled.

The laughter was clear and bright in the dead of night, and Wan Qiu could vaguely sense Chu Yigui's emotions through it.

I am happy.

"Will we definitely be abandoned?" Wan Qiu suddenly asked.

Chu Yigui stopped laughing and asked softly, "What?"

"If someone gets a serious illness, will they definitely be abandoned?" Wan Qiu repeated her question.

Chu Yigui was silent for a moment this time, then said, "Not necessarily."

Wanqiu's eyes shone faintly in the moonlight.

"There are also parents who love their children very much and do everything they can to treat and care for their children, or accompany their children who can no longer survive until the end."

In this world, the love that everyone receives is certainly not equal.

Chu Yigui's voice was calm as she narrated.

My younger brother was also abandoned.

That's why I'm here.

Wanqiu lay in bed, thinking about the future that appeared in his memories.

He will be abandoned again.

It was a very, very long time later.

But this time, he didn't seem so scared.

He knows a lot now.

Perhaps I can take care of myself, or perhaps I can come to a welfare home.

He already has so much, so he can give it to others.

Wan Qiu crawled out of his bed, slipped on his new slippers, and stood by Chu Yigui's bedside.

Chu Yigui seemed to understand and opened the covers.

Wan Qiu crawled into Chu Yigui's bed, and Chu Yigui covered Wan Qiu with the blankets.

The two boys leaned against each other.

Wan Qiu leaned against Chu Yigui: "I will protect my younger brother."

When all the things that should be feared no longer bring fear, Wanqiu is willing to pass on this sense of security to the people he loves.

Although it was only a little bit.

In that quiet corridor.

He saw Chu Yigui's fear.

Wan Qiu caught a faint, almost imperceptible scent, like a tiny whiff leaking from a sealed box.

Don't be afraid, don't be afraid.

Wan Qiu patted Chu Yigui's chest repeatedly.

My brother is here.

Chu Yigui seemed to smile.

It was still that same happy laugh.

It seems like something funny happened and made them laugh.

Although Wanqiu didn't find anything funny.

It's always good to smile more.

——

When Wan Qiu woke up in a daze, Chu Yigui had just sat up.

"Did I wake you up, brother?" Chu Yigui patted Wanqiu's blanket. "If you're sleepy, you can sleep a little longer."

Chu Yigui got out of bed and began to get dressed.

Wanqiu tried his best to wake his drowsy mind from his daze and looked out the window at the still dark darkness.

This was before Wanqiu's usual wake-up time.

"So early," Wan Qiu murmured, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"It is quite early, brother, don't worry about it. Just come down after you wake up."

"What are you going to do?" But Wanqiu had already sobered up; he always sobered up very quickly.

"I have to make breakfast for a lot of people, so I have to get up quite early." Chu Yigui finished dressing and smiled at Wan Qiu. "My cooking skills are pretty good, and the children always look forward to my cooking."

Wan Qiu recalled the food that Chu Yigui made at home, food that rivaled that of a professional chef.

Is it for the sake of these children that they are learning?

"I want to help too." Wan Qiu went back to her bedside to find clothes.

Chu Yigui glanced at it and waited for Wan Qiu to come to the side.

They were in staff dormitories, which had bathrooms for washing and cleaning.

As Wan Qiu followed behind Chu Yigui, he looked through the glass of the corridor at the pitch-black sky and the light that had been on all night.

Inside the kitchen, the chefs had already begun preparing the ingredients for breakfast, and Wanqiu was assigned to wash the vegetables.

Wanqiu tried to wash the vegetables with her hands as soon as the water from the tap was icy cold, but was stopped by the chef next to her.

"Hot water will be ready soon. It's too cold; don't let it freeze you," the chef said.

"Hmm..." Wan Qiu nodded, watching the water accumulate in the sink and the water level slowly rise.

“Now we have hot water. Before we had hot water, my hands would get cold and hot all the time when I cooked in the winter,” the chef said to Wan Qiu.

The chef was a gray-haired but still robust man with a rather muscular build and a loud voice.

“We didn’t have such good conditions before. The food wasn’t good, and there wasn’t much social donation. It’s only in recent years, with rapid development and more people knowing about charity, that things have gotten better.”

The chef quickly prepared the dishes while talking to Wan Qiu.

Wanqiu imitated the chef's movements and quietly improved her efficiency in preparing the vegetables.

"What was it like when my younger brother was here before?" Wan Qiu asked curiously.

The chef thought for a moment: "Xiao Chu was adopted, about seven or eight years ago. I think Xiao Chu was just abandoned at the gate of the orphanage, right?"

As the chef spoke, he glanced at Chu Yigui, who was chopping vegetables.

Chu Yigui did not look up, but simply replied, "Mm."

“It wasn’t so good more than ten years ago. My wife and I ran a welfare home together. There weren’t many people there, and the funding from the government was limited. We were all struggling to make ends meet. It was unrealistic to expect us to eat well or live in nice houses.”

The chef said he and the dean were husband and wife. He wasn't a professional chef; he just cooked ordinary home-style dishes for everyone.

The chef said that those were tough times, and the children had a tough time too.

“When my wife and I saw Xiao Chu, we thought he was a sick baby. Generally speaking, no one would abandon a healthy baby boy.”

Wan Qiu realized that there were indeed more girls than girls in the orphanage.

"But Xiao Chu has really helped us a lot. This child has been well-behaved and sensible since she was little, and she has always helped us take care of the other children."

Wan Qiu sat on a small chair, watching the chef ramble on about Chu Yigui's past.

Does that mean that for the younger brother, the chef and the director are actually his parents?

Wan Qiu looked at the chef, who appeared older than Chu Jianshu, but had a kind face.

Is that why my younger brother always comes back to visit?

Wan Qiu listened to the chef's rambling and looked at Chu Yigui.

Chu Yigui was quick and efficient, and had already started cooking, filling the air with the aroma of food.

"Actually, quite a few people have come to adopt Xiao Chu, but I don't know why they always end up returning her."

The chef's voice suddenly pulled Wan Qiu back to reality.

She was adopted, but then returned to her family?

"Are the vegetables here ready? I might need them." Just as Wan Qiu was about to ask, Chu Yigui stood in front of the two of them.

Wan Qiu immediately got busy chopping and washing vegetables, so busy that he forgot to think.

Once the dishes were ready, the chef prepared to serve them. Wan Qiu saw that Chu Yigui had washed her hands, and Wan Qiu immediately followed suit.

"I need to wake the children up for breakfast. Brother, would you like to come along?"

Wan Qiu followed behind Chu Yigui and saw Chu Yigui skillfully wake up each child, dress some of the children who couldn't take care of themselves, and help them wash up.

As all the children were woken up, the quiet winter day gradually brightened with the rising sun, and the noisy sounds echoed again in the orphanage.

Wanqiu is not a professional caregiver; most of the time she just stands by and does nothing.

What Wanqiu does most often is play with the children.

While playing games, Wan Qiu held the girls' hands and guided them to dance ballroom dances.

Under the envious gazes of the other children, Chu Yigui also stood up and followed Wan Qiu to teach as well.

Chu Yigui always gave extra care to the children who sat on the sidelines and couldn't participate.

Wanqiu sat on the children's foam board, perfectly blending in with the activity.

The kind of joy that children can understand, Wanqiu can also understand.

Wanqiu also found the toys that the children found interesting fascinating.

Wanqiu sat in front of a girl with facial deformities, and the two of them stacked blocks together.

There's no set pattern; it's more like a tacit agreement—whoever puts up a block will cause the already rickety building blocks to collapse.

The girl kept her head down the whole time and didn't say a word.

The caregiver on the side looked at them with some surprise.

When Wanqiu's last stack of blocks caused half of the tall block tower to collapse, Wanqiu was bewildered.

His hand was still hanging in mid-air, and he looked completely lost.

But the girl laughed.

Her deformed face revealed no expression, but her laughter was quite evident.

After laughing, the girl placed another block on top of the remaining blocks that hadn't fallen.

Wanqiu also picked up a piece and started placing it on the surface, and the game restarted.

This game lasted a very long time.

During dinner, the caregiver said to Wanqiu, "That child really likes you."

A sense of bewilderment pervades the ages.

“When other volunteers came before, she would stay in the corner, neither playing with nor talking to anyone.”

The other caregiver nodded and said, "That child doesn't really pay attention to us either. It seems you're quite likable."

“The child’s face is a bit scary at first glance, and volunteers will inevitably look at her with a different eye. You don’t do that.”

Wanqiu raised his head.

Scary?

"Very scary?" Wan Qiu looked at the girl in the corner again; her thick black hair always hung down to cover her face.

That appears to be a deliberate obscuring.

It's not scary at all.

Wan Qiu unconsciously stroked her cheek.

He doesn't actually remember what he used to look like; he's never looked in a mirror or seen his own face.

He only remembered that his hair had fallen in front of his eyes, and he could barely see the light.

Back then, he would even feel a burning pain in his eyes from the light.

During that period, many people who saw him said he was a monster.

Wan Qiu closed his eyes and recalled his past self. In his mind, it was as if he had drawn random lines with a watercolor pen, which ultimately created a terrifying monster hidden in the darkness, crawling on the ground and emitting a foul stench.

"Maybe I'm scarier?" Wan Qiu murmured unconsciously.

The caregivers exchanged a glance and suddenly laughed.

"How could that be? You're very cute and beautiful," the caregiver said to Wan Qiu with a smile.

"Yes, you studied dance? You have a great presence too!"

The caregivers were talking amongst themselves, and while they were speaking the truth, there was undoubtedly an element of flattery in their words.

The Chu family now provides the majority of funding to the welfare home, and their relatively high salaries are also thanks to the Chu family.

"Everyone likes you a lot, no wonder you're Xiao Chu's brother," the caregiver said.

"They're very patient too."

Wan Qiu suddenly received praise from the caregivers and kept looking at the caregivers who were chatting.

Wan Qiu pursed her lips, vaguely realizing that perhaps she looked good now.

Just like my older brother said, I'm becoming more attractive through learning.

but……

Wan Qiu looked at his hands.

I can still vaguely recall those memories from the time when we were called monsters.

"Brother?" Chu Yigui's voice came from the side while Wan Qiu was in a daze.

Coming to his senses, Wanqiu looked up.

Chu Yigui was standing beside him without him noticing.

He didn't even hear himself speak, and he didn't know how much he heard.

Wan Qiu felt that Chu Yigui probably had some questions she wanted to ask.

In the end, Chu Yigui said nothing.

As Wanqiu lay down that night, he vaguely felt that the days had passed quickly.

Watching the gala with the children, the beautiful TV programs and the joyful atmosphere, filled with the aroma of candy and fruit, and the red lanterns and "Fu" characters decorating everywhere for the New Year, all etched joy and happiness into Wanqiu's memory.

"Brother, it's time to go home tomorrow." Chu Yigui's voice rang out in the darkness, from another bed.

"Won't my younger brother be reluctant to leave?" Wan Qiu wondered. If this were his younger brother's home, he definitely wouldn't be willing to leave.

“They’ll come back again,” Chu Yigui replied.

“I will come with my younger brother again.” Wan Qiu turned over, wrapped herself in the blanket, and looked in Chu Yigui’s direction.

"Mm," Chu Yigui replied.

Wanqiu felt happy here.

But Wanqiu also knew that not all the children here were happy.

Those unhappy feelings were secretly spreading in every corner.

Not all the children who were always around Chu Yigui were happy.

During this time, Wanqiu also saw other volunteers come to the welfare home to celebrate the New Year with the children.

They brought pretty clothes, stationery, books, and candy.

Wanqiu could see all the children smiling happily, their little hands outstretched as they surrounded the person who brought the gift.

Every child seemed cheerful.

Everyone was smiling.

Joy surrounded them.

The joy and excitement they showed when they received the gift was incredibly genuine.

It was so real that Wanqiu wondered if what he saw wasn't happiness, but just his own illusion.

Even children who are always in the corner and don't care about anything can express gratitude and joy.

She's somewhat similar to Chu Yigui from before.

People seem to be better at immersing themselves in 'unhappiness' while still smiling.

Why is this happening?

If he understands, can he also understand Chu Yigui?

Wanqiu was in a daze, lost in thought, and eventually drifted off to sleep.

In his dream, he saw Chu Yigui.

He's become more mature, more handsome, and his shoulders are broader.

At first glance, she looks like a perfectly proportioned mannequin displayed in a shop window.

Even those eyes looked as if they had been painted with colorful brushes and exquisite painting skills, making them incredibly lifelike.

Wan Qiu and Chu Yigui planned to leave the orphanage after dinner that evening.

Wanqiu carefully carried a pile of bowls and plates to the kitchen.

I heard the caregiver's voice.

"Are those two children from the Chu family leaving? Wan Qiu is quite cute, but she seems a bit dull. Is it because of her personality?"

"I heard from the dean that he seems to have some psychological problems, but it's not very obvious. I've seen so many abnormal people that I think he's quite normal."

"I think he looks much more normal than Xiao Chu."

The caregiver's voice made Wan Qiu stop in his tracks, staring blankly ahead.

“You hate Xiao Chu?” one of the caregivers said.

"Xiao Chu is actually a good person, but a little too good. Sometimes it can be quite creepy."

“I heard from the older folks here that when Xiao Chu was sent back, it was because the adoptive parents said they couldn’t get along with Xiao Chu normally. I guess they felt the same way you do.”

"Maybe, but it's really easy with Xiao Chu around," the caregiver said with a smile. "He also brings so many things, I hope he comes often."

The sound of water washing dishes mingled with the crisp sound of metal bowls and chopsticks striking Wanqiu's nerves.

Are you leaving?

"I will miss you all."

Goodbye, brother.

A group of children surrounded the two, saying goodbye one after another. Many of the well-behaved children showed reluctance to part.

"Come on in, okay?" Chu Yigui nudged the children.

They were dressed neatly and ready to go out.

The caregivers led away several children who didn't want to leave, leaving only the director behind.

"Please be careful on the road. The roads are slippery due to the snow. Remember to tell the driver to drive slowly. Thank you so much for your help these past two days."

The dean smiled gently, took Chu Yigui's hand, and patted Wan Qiu's shoulder.

"You don't need to come out with us." Chu Yigui stopped the dean from seeing them off, and took Wan Qiu's hand with one hand. "Goodbye, Dean."

When the door was opened, the cool air suddenly blew away the warmth that had been spreading over the two of them, and Wan Qiu squinted his eyes.

Chu Yigui reached out and tugged at Wanqiu's hat, then led Wanqiu into the small courtyard.

Wanqiu turned around and saw several small heads pressed against the glass, watching them under the bright light.

Noticing Wanqiu turn around, he waved happily.

When Wan Qiu was watching, Chu Yigui also stopped.

The driver's car was still waiting at the entrance, its lights flashing.

They stood under the lights.

They must be feeling very awkward right now, Wan Qiu thought.

Chu Yigui started walking again, and Wan Qiu followed.

As Wanqiu got into the car, she looked back, but the children were no longer there.

"Wanqiu, have you been having fun lately?" Suddenly, Chu Jianshu's voice came from the front seat.

Wan Qiu was surprised: "Dad?"

"Look how reluctant you are to leave," Chu Jianshu said.

"Mmm," Wan Qiu responded softly.

"It's good that you're not having a bad time." Chu Jianshu started the car. He wasn't a talkative person, and asking this question was already an expression of concern.

Were you happy during your time at the welfare home?

Wanqiu didn't know whether she should use "happy" and "unhappy" to summarize it.

The miscellaneous tasks that Wanqiu had been helping with were complicated, but they were jobs that Wanqiu was very familiar with.

For Wan Qiu, the real gain was the time spent with Chu Yigui.

Wan Qiu looked at Chu Jianshu in the driver's seat.

Chu Yigui was once adopted, but was then returned to her family.

But her parents have always been Chu Yigui's parents.

Does that mean that Chu Yigui's parents and he get along very well now?

"Dad," Wan Qiu murmured.

"Hmm?" Chu Jianshu was driving on the empty night road when he glanced at Wan Qiu in the rearview mirror.

“It’s good to have a younger brother,” Wan Qiu said.

Wanqiu did not understand what anyone else was saying.

He didn't know what it meant to be 'soothingly good'.

He just felt that having a younger brother was really great.

It's really, really good.

Chu Yigui, who had been looking out the window, wavered slightly and looked down at Wan Qiu's reflection in the car window.

"Yes, Yi Gui is a very good child, and Dad thinks so too." Chu Jianshu said, driving with his eyes on the road ahead.

Chu Yigui listened; he was quite used to such evaluations.

I didn't feel praised as a result.

but……

Chu Yigui shifted her gaze from Wan Qiu's reflection to the real Wan Qiu.

After receiving Chu Jianshu's affirmative answer, Wan Qiu's expression was filled with undisguised joy.

Wanqiu returned home and was greeted by his family.

Yang Xiaoyu gave Wan Qiu, who had returned home, a warm and tender hug.

Yang Ze was also in the living room, where two cups of calming tea were placed on the coffee table.

With some time left before bedtime, Wanqiu was in the living room, telling her family intermittently about her time at the orphanage.

For example, his skill in stacking blocks is unmatched.

For example, he learned how to dress children.

For example, how the caregivers would praise him for being attentive and patient.

"Why is our darling so happy even when she's doing chores for other people?" Yang Xiaoyu couldn't help but laugh and cry at the end, and reached out to tap Wan Qiu's head. "When will you let other people do chores for our darling, and then our darling will be happier?"

Wan Qiu blinked, not believing there was any necessary connection between them.

"Did anything unpleasant happen?" Yang Xiaoyu asked.

Unpleasant things.

Wan Qiu thought for a moment.

“Some people say that sick children are terrifying,” Wan Qiu said.

It wasn't the caregiver who said it euphemistically, but rather the volunteers who came to the welfare home. Wanqiu heard that it was their first time visiting.

In contrast to the quick and nimble Chu Yigui, the clumsy one was cautious.

"Won't the baby find it strange?" Yang Xiaoyu still remembered when she went to the orphanage to adopt Chu Yigui.

Even though she was in a very bad mental state at the time, she still remembered many things very clearly.

Indeed, those are children who are different from ordinary people.

“They’re not strange.” Wan Qiu shook his head and argued with Yang Xiaoyu very seriously, “They’re not monsters.”

Chu Jianshu frowned and suddenly asked, "How do you know the word 'monster'?"

Wan Qiu wouldn't come up with an unfamiliar word out of thin air.

Chu Jianshu kept his eyes carefully observing Wan Qiu: "Someone told you that."

Wan Qiu subconsciously wanted to answer but suddenly stopped, as if he had thought of something and did not say anything.

Unable to conceal his true feelings, Wan Qiu almost directly confirmed Chu Jianshu's guess.

Chu Yigui, who had been sitting not far away, trembled slightly, as if she had thought of something.

"Who said that to you?"

Chu Jianshu asked.

His voice was cold.