Chapter 3, Chapter 3: Soft-hearted

Ten minutes later, in the living room

Dan Yan scolded her son in despair: "What did you do? I was only gone for a little while and you beat someone up like this, and you even broke the doll?"

Dan Qi panicked completely. He tried to stand up, but Dan Yan pressed him back down onto the sofa: "What do you want? Hmm?"

Meanwhile, Song Mingli and Si Chengjun were around Ying Shixue, while He Jie, at a loss, treated his scraped wounds and comforted him, "It doesn't hurt, young master, I'll put some medicine on it and it'll be fine..."

Some children are naturally quiet. Ying Shixue could barely even cry without making a sound. Tears slid down her cheeks and gathered at her chin, dripping onto her clothes. Even when she cried, she only cried for a short while. When others arrived, she became even more silent. Her nose and eyes were red, and she sat on the sofa without saying a word. Her right hand was being treated with medicine, and her left hand was tightly clutching the broken pieces of porcelain.

When they arrived, a servant picked up the broken porcelain pieces and put them in a small plastic bag. Shan Yan looked at them and said he would give them to him and find someone to repair them.

Unexpectedly, Ying Shixue seemed to be provoked again, snatching the bag of porcelain shards back and clutching it tightly to her chest, her red and swollen eyes staring at him warily and resistantly.

Although Shan Yan could hardly be called a friend to women and children, he had never been looked at with such hostility before. He immediately clutched his chest, looking heartbroken. He Jie quickly brought him over and sat him on the sofa, letting him hold the packet while she applied the medicine to his wound little by little.

Only when she lifted her clothes did they realize how badly she had been injured. It wasn't obvious at the moment, but it would definitely leave bruises later. He Jie was applying medicine while feeling extremely distressed. Si Chengjun clicked his tongue in his heart, nudged Song Mingli with his elbow, and whispered, "She's crying so pitifully, do you want to go and comfort her?"

Before he could finish speaking, Song Mingli's gaze was fixed directly on the porcelain shards.

Si Chengjun was stunned for a moment, but before he could take a closer look, Song Mingli had already looked away, his brows slightly furrowed.

Si Chengjun rested his index finger on his chin in thought, realizing that his nominal older brother still knew the key point: "Do you think this porcelain puppet can be repaired? There are a few craftsmen who specialize in this..."

At that moment, no one said that a porcelain doll was broken and that was that. After all, even the most tactless person knew that this was not just a simple toy. It could have accompanied a child from infancy to childhood through countless neglected and lonely moments.

Song Mingli: "He wouldn't take that porcelain doll to someone for repair."

After thinking for a moment, Si Chengjun agreed: "Then let Shan Qi apologize to him, and that'll be the end of it?"

Song Mingli didn't say anything more, and Shan Yan walked over with Shan Qi.

He Jie had already applied the medicine to him. Ying Shixue was almost stubbornly holding onto the few pieces of broken porcelain. The angle of her head turned was just right to show her long eyelashes wet with tears.

After settling the two children in, and spending most of the day in the lab, by the time they had almost finished one part of the experiment, it was already evening. Shan Yan took Shan Qi back first, and then Cheng Jun took off his rubber gloves and waved to him, saying, "Then I'm leaving too. I'll write the rest of the report tonight and send it to you."

Just a few seconds after he left, Chengjun returned: "Do you want me to recommend those skilled craftsmen to you?"

Song Mingli was washing his hands and didn't even look up when he heard this: "No."

“Okay,” Si Chengjun shrugged, “Anyway, he’s your brother.”

The footsteps faded away again. Song Mingli straightened up and frowned slightly as he looked at the closed laboratory door.

That evening, Ying Shixue sat on a chair by the bed, opening the medicine box in her hand.

Aunt He was going to continue applying the medicine to him, but he refused. He took some medicated wine to his room, and several hours later, he was about to apply it again before going to bed. On the bedside table, less than two meters away from the chair, were ceramic shards, repair glue, and tweezers that had not yet been put away.

I didn't feel anything when I hit the ground, but now, after some time, marks are starting to appear on my body. Because I'm young and have thin skin, the bruises look scary.

Ying Shixue held the hem of her clothes in her teeth, holding a bottle of medicinal wine in one hand and pressing the other hand against the bruises on her waist and abdomen. Her beautiful face was delicate and indifferent.

After a while, the massage was finally finished. Ying Shixue gently put the items back into the medicine box and stared blankly at the bedside table less than a meter away from the chair.

After it fell to the ground and shattered, he collected the three pieces of the bear pendant and the fragments in a bag. He borrowed repair glue and tweezers from the housekeeper, but after trying it, he found that even after using the repair glue to glue them together, a gap would still be left. Moreover, it was probably quite old, as the color of the ceramic surface had worn off, only showing the pale white of the clay itself.

Ying Shixue slowly exhaled, and after a moment lay flat on the bed looking at the ceiling above her head.

He thought to himself, "I need to find some new repair materials tomorrow..." before his vision completely disappeared into darkness.

at the same time,

Song Mingli was giving a report at his desk when his pen suddenly stopped at a certain point. He then remembered that he had left a crucial table in the lab during the day. He got up and pushed open the door to go get it. As he passed the first floor, he bumped into Uncle Feng, who was bending over and searching for something.

When Uncle Feng saw him, he stopped what he was doing and looked at him with a smile: "Young Master."

Song Mingli nodded, his gaze following the box he had just rummaged through. Uncle Feng handed him the items in his hand: "It's repair glue, tweezers, and things like that. The young master asked me to find them before he went to bed. He probably plans to repair that porcelain doll himself."

As Uncle Feng showed him the items, he kept rambling on, "I was thinking of finding some of these first, and then having the others sent over tomorrow, but..." Uncle Feng sighed, "That porcelain doll was so badly broken that I don't know if it can be put back together. When the young master came to me, his eyes were still red."

Song Mingli stood and listened, without saying a word.

Uncle Feng didn't seem to mind. He turned around and slowly closed the toolbox he had just rummaged through: "It's too difficult for a child to do this by himself... Young Master, I'll head back now."

Song Mingli stood there for a long time, watching his retreating figure.

That night, Song Mingli couldn't sleep soundly. In his dream, everything was bizarre and fantastical. Memories were like white fish swimming past him with a splash, then flying towards the surface of the water above his head.

Suddenly, the scene shifts to the luxurious yet understated living room of the Song family mansion. In the dream, five-year-old Song Mingli holds the dead little bird in his hands, crying uncontrollably: "Little Green, Little Green is dead..."

At that time, Song Qi, who was just over thirty and had a sharp face, spoke with barely concealed impatience: "You opened the bird's cage without permission and let it fly out."

Xiao Song Mingli choked back tears and sobbed, "But I clearly, I clearly closed the garden gate properly, how could the cat have gotten in...?"

The man seemed to have heard an extremely ridiculous joke, slammed the newspaper he was holding onto the table: "Birds can't be released, don't you understand? You're the one who ruined it."

"Waaah..."

Tears are the most useless thing.

Song Mingli didn't sleep a wink all night. His brows were furrowed and his forehead was covered in a fine sweat. His hands clenched and convulsed slightly, as if he were trapped in a long nightmare from which he could not escape. Finally, at some point, he suddenly woke up and sat up straight, the thin blanket slipping off his body.

He turned on the bedside lamp with heavy breathing, but the image of the child crying during the day inexplicably reappeared before his eyes once again.

Song Mingli closed his eyes and tried to readjust his breathing, but his brows still involuntarily switched between furrowing and relaxing. Half a minute later, unable to bear it any longer, the veins in his arm suddenly bulged, and he threw the cup in his hand against the wall. In the quiet night, there was a loud bang. The stainless steel cup rolled a few times on the ground and finally stopped at the foot of the bed. A cold glint flashed in the metal liner.

After a long while, he slowly exhaled and leaned against the headboard, looking quietly at his outstretched palm in the dim light.

Ying Shixue got up early the next morning. He carefully placed the broken ceramic shards into the open drawer, and then gently closed the drawer door, making sure the shards were not damaged in the slightest.

When he came downstairs, breakfast was already laid out on the table. As usual, Aunt He was at the table and set out the tableware for him when she saw him come down. The difference was that there was a strangely shaped flower on the table.

When Aunt He saw him looking over, she smiled and explained, "Butler Feng brought these over this morning. The weather has been too hot lately, and these flowers are delicate. The gardener couldn't handle them, so Butler Feng asked him to move them indoors and take care of them for a few days."

Ying Shixue looked at the flower; its shape was elegant with long stems, and its pale petals were translucent like crystal. The well-trimmed branches and leaves were covered with water droplets, clearly indicating that it had been well cared for.

Ying Shixue looked on, and for some reason suddenly felt a little lost. He pursed his lips and lowered his eyelashes. Aunt He looked at him, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, clapped her hands: "Oh dear, look at my memory! Uncle Feng asked me to tell you this morning before he went out that the small shovel and sandpaper you asked him to find yesterday have already been called, and they should be delivered this afternoon..."

“However,” Aunt He hesitated, “the repair of ceramics takes time and is delicate work. If you make a mistake, all your efforts will be wasted. I do know a master craftsman who is good at this. If you trust me, I can take it outside to be repaired. I estimate it will be fully repaired in no time.”

Ying Shixue slowly tightened her hands, which were hanging at her sides, and stared directly at the person in front of her. Aunt He touched her hands somewhat awkwardly, but still had that smile on her face.

After a long while, Ying Shixue finally turned around, went upstairs, and two minutes later came running back down, handing him the carefully preserved bag: "Please!"

"Oh, oh," Aunt He took it, "Alright, don't worry, young master."

The next few days went by as usual. Si Chengjun and Shan Yan continued to come over every now and then to do experiments together. Si Chengjun was fine, but Shan Yan would feel guilty every time he saw him and would come over to say a few words to him, showing him some strange little toys that he had found somewhere. These included, but were not limited to, a car that suddenly turned into a dinosaur, a water gun shaped like a pig with the nozzle in its mouth, and a flat cartoon character with recessed eyes, etc.

It has to be said that these little toys, like the man himself, are bizarre and unreliable in appearance. When Shan Yan first took them out, Si Chengjun's eyes twitched as he looked at the frog with its wide-open mouth and heavy dark circles. He wondered to himself whether this was a gift or a scare tactic. What child with normal aesthetic sense would like something like this...

Then he stared at the child, whose face was so beautiful it seemed unreal, for a few seconds, intently looking at the frog. Just when he thought the child was about to reach out and throw the toy away or turn and leave, Ying Shixue suddenly took the frog and held it in her palms. Her long eyelashes drooped, leaving a small shadow on her lower eyelids.

"......Thanks."

Dan Yan was also taken aback, as if he hadn't expected him to be so accommodating. He gave Si Chengjun a smug and extremely annoying smile, as if to say, "See? I told you kids would like it." Then he excitedly squatted down to teach him how to play: "Look here, there's a little stick behind the frog's butt, you just twist it a few times, and it can jump..."

After twisting it, Shan Yan pinched the little frog and put it on the ground. Sure enough, the frog croaked and started jumping. Shan Yan laughed loudly. Si Chengjun looked away from the squeaking frog, speechless, thinking that Shan Yan was really good at making mistakes. Suddenly, his gaze stopped when he saw another person.

At some point, Ying Shixue also squatted down on the ground, her arms wrapped around her knees, causing her clothes to billow forward, revealing her even thinner and more slender back. From this angle, only a small patch of her soft, snow-white cheek could be seen on the side, yet it inexplicably made people feel that she was looking at him intently.

Shan Yan was enthusiastically demonstrating the three ways a frog can jump with the toy, while Si Chengjun stared at the smaller profile of Ying Shixue, and suddenly a vague, dreamlike feeling arose within him.

...Actually, he probably longed for someone to always be by his side.

Even if he appears aloof, independent, and well-adapted, his unconscious instincts honestly reveal his true inner thoughts. He always holds onto the ceramic pendant that is the only thing that gives him a sense of security, and refuses to distance himself from everyone. Even though the owner resists developing feelings of dependence on people, all his reactions show that he longs for someone to get close to him. This feeling is something he himself is unaware of. In the end, he is just a child who has come to a completely unfamiliar environment all alone.

Meanwhile, Ying Shixue seemed to sense something and looked up at him instantly. Her eyes were wary and her face was sharp and beautiful. Si Chengjun stiffened for a moment and spread his hands in his direction to indicate that he meant no harm. Shan Yan seemed to realize something as well and stood up reluctantly. "Then we'll continue to look for your brother. Have fun by yourself. Your brother will bring you something fun next time he comes."

He was laughing like a wolf in sheep's clothing trying to fool children.

Si Chengjun resisted the urge to kick him, and grabbed his collar: "Then we'll be going first, Xiaoxue."

The once lively living room fell silent again in an instant, leaving him alone in the large space once more. Ying Shixue stood there quietly for a while before turning and leaving.

His schedule was always repetitive. When he went downstairs to get a drink of water after finishing his studies in the evening, he was suddenly called out again: "Young Master."

Ying Shixue stopped what she was doing and looked toward the source of the sound. Aunt He smiled and carefully took out a wooden box: "Young Master, the porcelain pendant from last time has been repaired and arrived this afternoon."

Ying Shixue's heart stirred. He pursed his lips, and when he put down the glass in his hand, it made a crisp sound as it collided with the table. He walked over, took the wooden box, and opened it.

Inside the box, on a dark brown velvet cloth, the ceramic bear sits neatly, with small black bean eyes and a chubby body. The originally broken bear paws and body have been carefully repaired and put back together. The places where the porcelain was hammered into place are made into several decorative flowers. It seems as if the broken pieces never happened, and it is smiling foolishly and honestly.

It's clear that the restorer put their heart into it. In addition to meticulously repairing the damaged areas, they also repainted and oiled the faded parts, and even reinforcing the ropes and chains with finer cords to make them more durable.

Ying Shixue gently stroked the bear's face, then suddenly said solemnly, "Aunt He, thank you. I never thought it could be repaired so well."

He Jie smiled and waved her hand somewhat embarrassedly, "Young Master, you flatter me." She seemed to still be hesitating about something, rubbing her apron with both hands, and after a long while she spoke, "The one who repaired this is a very famous ceramic repairman in Pingcheng. Actually, it was Butler Feng who told me to find him that day, but I know that it must have been the eldest young master's idea, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to arrange it so quickly and have someone repair it so diligently."

Ah... Ying Shixue paused, her hand still touching the ceramic bear, and looked at her in surprise.

He Jie gradually relaxed, as if lost in some distant memory: "I came here eight years ago. Back then, the young master" she looked at Ying Shixue and gestured, "was probably about the same height as you. The previous nanny was fired, so they hired me instead."

“I was also a little nervous when I came here. It was during the most turbulent period of the Song family’s handover. There were rumors going around that the eldest young master…” He Jie stopped talking, shook her head again, and smiled at him: “Look at me, I like to talk about these old things when I get older. You will know in the future that the eldest young master is not a difficult person to get along with.”

Ying Shixue held the porcelain doll she had lost but had found in her hand, and lowered her head without saying another word.

Meanwhile, on the second-floor side corridor.

Song Mingli stood with one hand in his pocket, his plain black clothes making him look straight. He looked down at the two people talking in the living room downstairs.

From here, you can basically see everything downstairs, but because of the limited view, people downstairs rarely notice this place.

Uncle Feng stood beside him with his hands clasped together, and said with a smile, "Finally finished repairing that little porcelain doll. Look how happy the young master is. He was so pitiful crying the day it broke. It really broke my heart."

Song Mingli didn't respond to him. He looked down at Ying Shixue and Aunt He for a while, then said, "...Tears are the most useless thing." After saying that, he turned and left, his still-young and slightly thin figure disappearing into the night.

Butler Feng watched his departing figure and the corridor return to silence. After a long while, he murmured, "But he still managed to win your heart."