"Is there anything you don't understand?" Yang Ze was also somewhat at a loss. Facing Wan Qiu, he couldn't find a way to communicate normally for a while.
Wan Qiu's gaze drifted from the large, brightly lit room to Yang Ze's face, and after a long while, he stammered, "Thank you."
Did Wan Qiu realize that this was all his bedroom?
So, are you happy? Do you like it?
But Yang didn't find the emotion he hoped to see, and Wan Qiu seemed to simply accept it.
"Do you want to take a shower now?" Yang asked.
Wan Qiu raised his head and nodded to Yang Ze.
He smelled of disinfectant, a smell his mother disliked.
The bathroom in the enormous bedroom is brightly lit, the lights illuminating the spacious area. Compared to natural and even sunlight, the meticulously designed lighting makes the entire space look like a jewel-carved house from a dream.
Wan Qiu's dark pupils stared intently at the bathroom.
So clean.
How can you clean it so thoroughly?
No matter how hard he tried, he could never make the mirror in his house this clean and clear.
If it gets dirty...
Can he recover completely?
Standing in such a place, Wan Qiu felt for the first time that his very existence represented filth.
Yang couldn't guess what Wan Qiu was thinking, but he could clearly feel Wan Qiu's tension.
Their hands, which had been clasped together, were stiff, Wanqiu's fingers like icicles hanging from the eaves.
Unconscious panic, yet unable to struggle.
"Press this red button to release hot water. If it's too hot, you can press this blue button to adjust the water temperature..." Yang tried to explain to Wan Qiu how to use the water in the bathroom, diverting Wan Qiu's attention. During the explanation, Wan Qiu didn't ask any questions. "Do you understand?"
Wan Qiu stood still, his eyes fixed on the place Yang Ze had told him about.
"Why don't we give it a try?" Yang suggested.
Wanqiu reached out and pressed the red switch for hot water.
The water cascaded down instantly, and Wanqiu took a step back, avoiding getting wet from the showerhead.
Wanqiu reached out to touch the fine, dense stream of water. The water was extremely gentle, as if it had lost all its power and wanted to gently embrace humanity with its warm body.
Suddenly, Wanqiu felt a sting on his hand and reflexively pulled it back. The water temperature had risen too high, and it was already scalding hot to the touch.
Yang was startled and instinctively opened his arms, but didn't touch Wan Qiu: "Did you get burned?"
Wan Qiu shook his head and looked down at his hands.
There wasn't even a red mark on his fingers.
Yang breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the water flowing from the showerhead that was already steaming hot in the bathroom, and asked Wan Qiu, "Do you know how to turn on the cold water?"
Wanqiu pressed the blue button.
“Yes, if you press it once, it will cool down a bit.” Facing his younger brother, who was clearly fourteen years old, Yang treated him like a stranger’s child.
Once the water reached a suitable temperature, the warm, gentle flow of water caressed Wanqiu's fingertips, and the sensation of her fingers being rinsed made her feel comfortable.
Wanqiu seemed more like she was unconsciously playing in the water than testing the water temperature; the child's bright eyes seemed to be reflected in the ripples of the flowing water.
Yang stared at Wan Qiu's profile and, as if possessed, said, "Wan Qiu, would you like your second brother to help you take a bath?"
Upon hearing Yang Ze's words, Wan Qiu raised her head, her clear eyes reflecting Yang Ze's image.
Yang felt that under those eyes, it was less like he was looking at Wan Qiu and more like he was looking at himself reflected in Wan Qiu's eyes; his emotions were laid bare by those eyes.
Yang thought Wanqiu would refuse, but Wanqiu nodded.
Yang was somewhat surprised.
He did want to get close to Wanqiu, but he didn't really intend to give Wanqiu a bath on their first meeting.
I was just asking, and I didn't expect to get a positive answer.
It seems that for Wan Qiu, wariness and shyness were only temporary, and he seemed to have really let down his guard very quickly.
Or rather, Yang realized that Wan Qiu's fear and wariness of him changed rapidly after Yang Xiaoyu trusted him.
"Is Wanqiu unable to take a bath by himself now?" Yang Ze asked.
Wan Qiu blinked, seemingly puzzled by Yang Ze's question, but replied, "I will."
Yang remained silent.
Why would you let yourself bathe him?
Was it because he asked?
Looking at Wan Qiu, who was standing there watching him, Yang tentatively asked, "Do you want your second brother to help you take off your clothes?"
Wanqiu was looking at him, and his image was always reflected in those clear eyes. Wanqiu nodded again.
Staring at Wan Qiu, Yang Ze's expression was complicated. He bent down and asked, "Raise your hands?"
Wan Qiu obediently raised his hands.
Wan Qiu's obedience is enough to confirm Yang Ze's guess—Wan Qiu would never refuse any request.
Yang asked Wanqiu to take off his clothes simply to check if Wanqiu had any wounds and to treat them in advance, as soaking wounds in water would hinder their recovery.
Wan Qiu was only wearing a very thin summer garment, and after taking it off, his body, with his ribs almost clearly visible, was exposed in front of Yang Ze.
In Yang Ze's hands, Wan Qiu's clothes hung limply between his fingers, the remaining warmth of Wan Qiu's body even less than the temperature of his palm.
Looking at the thin, scarred body, Yang felt as if he had been suddenly choked.
Silence and darkness, like black thorns, pierced his flesh and bound his bones.
Wan Qiu's body still bore many traces of medicine that had been applied, and the smell of medicine and disinfectant lingered. Because of his extremely thin body, Wan Qiu's head looked very large, as if his body could barely support its head.
Fourteen years old.
Yang clearly remembered Wanqiu's age.
But how could this be the body of a fourteen-year-old?
"Are there any open wounds?" When Yang Ze found his voice again, he felt his throat was dry, and a strange emotion deep in his heart made him dizzy.
What does "open wound" mean?
Wanqiu didn't understand and didn't speak.
Yang's voice was lower than before: "Wanqiu, turn around."
Yang was unhappy.
Wan Qiu keenly noticed that Yang Ze's mood had changed from not being very happy to being unhappy.
Why? What can be done?
They couldn't run away, but they didn't know how to fight back.
Wan Qiu tried hard to come up with an effective solution, but he couldn't.
He simply spread his arms and spun halfway around in front of Yang Ze.
Wan Qiu's eyelashes trembled incessantly, concealing his nervousness.
"Is this injury recent?" When Wan Qiu reached behind him, Yang noticed a rather obvious scar on the outside of Wan Qiu's arm, which appeared to be an open wound.
In other areas, there were more bruises and scars.
Wan Qiu looked down at the almost healed wound, which was from a car accident some time ago. The bleeding wound from that time had now almost completely recovered. He replied, "It was from a car accident."
Yang looked at Wan Qiu, whose largest scar still bore the marks of messy sutures, indicating that there were quite a few scars, some of which had even once threatened Wan Qiu's life.
Yang Ze wanted to touch the scars, but his hand remained suspended in mid-air; he didn't even have the courage to touch them.
"Wanqiu." Looking at the slender Wanqiu with her back to him, without those eyes staring at him, Yang Ze found the courage to say what he dared not say before, "Do you still remember your second brother?"
How many people can remember memories from before the age of five?
Why ask such a question? Is it because you hope Wanqiu will remember, or because you are afraid Wanqiu will remember?
Wan Qiu blinked.
He turned around to look at Yang Ze.
Yang Ze's eyes were very dark, as if they were filled with thick, unyielding ink.
Wanqiu couldn't determine what kind of answer Yang Ze wanted.
Not knowing how to answer Yang Zecai, who wanted to hear it, Wan Qiu, filled with displeasure, chose the safest approach: to remain silent.
"Sorry, Second Brother, I won't ask anymore." Yang covered his eyes, or rather, he wished he could cover his face.
He didn't want his expression to make Wanqiu nervous.
“There are no wounds, go wash.” Even after hearing about Wan Qiu’s situation, Yang Ze found that he couldn’t really stand in front of Wan Qiu normally. “Second brother is waiting for you outside. If you have any pain or can’t wash, you can call me in.”
Yang closed the bathroom door and stood there, listening to the changing sound of the water.
Leaning weakly against the wall by the bathroom door, Yang Ze couldn't even let out a sigh.
He fled in a panic.
The wounds on Wan Qiu's body and his calm expression, as if he didn't care about them, seemed to be blaming him.
Those scars, left by who knows what, and by whom, all seemed to transform into dark, menacing fingers pointing at him, mocking, scorning, and accusing him…
'This is all your fault.'
'You caused all of this to happen to him!'
'Because you lost him!'
Wanqiu stood in the bathtub, feeling the warm water gently washing over her skin.
Why is this happening?
Is it because the showerheads are different?
Wanqiu looked up at the showerhead. The fine, dense showerhead had no blocked holes, and the water fell evenly and finely. Wanqiu blinked, as if he saw the showerhead as a blooming flower.
Wanqiu unconsciously tiptoed, wanting to get a closer look at the showerhead.
Suddenly, my foot slipped, I lost my balance, and instinctively fell to the side.
His subordinate was flailing his arms and legs unconsciously when he suddenly grabbed a safety handrail that was placed on the side. However, his other hand unconsciously pushed away the toiletries that were placed on the edge of the bathtub.
Things were scattered all over the floor with a clatter.
The moment Yang heard the sound, he suddenly opened the bathroom door. Wan Qiu was already kneeling in the bathtub, one hand gripping the safety handle.
The moment Wan Qiu looked up at Yang Ze, Yang Ze was startled to see that his eyes, slightly obscured by his wet, long hair, were filled with panic.
"Wanqiu..." Yang suddenly called Wanqiu's name, only to see Wanqiu suddenly close his eyes and let go of the safety handrail.
He curled up in the bathtub, his arms wrapped around his legs, his face buried in his arms, his whole body tense and curled up, as if resisting something that was about to happen.
Yang suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Toiletries were scattered all over the floor, blocking the way between the two of them.
It seems that, for Wanqiu, this place is evidence of his wrongdoing.
Wanqiu did not tremble; her slender fingers clenched tightly, hiding in a corner where the water could not reach her.
Yang opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't even make a sound.
Bending down, Yang Ze picked up the toiletries on the ground. For a moment, Yang Ze didn't even have the courage to look up at Wan Qiu.
However, a slender hand reached out from the bathtub and, in Yang Ze's view, picked up the scattered items.
Yang paused slightly in his fingertips, raised his eyes, and looked at the child in front of him.
Wanqiu's moist eyes seemed to be wary of something, her eyelashes trembling slightly, like a cat that had spilled its litter, cowering into a ball, yet wanting to salvage something, drooping her ears and snuggling close to her owner.
Even though she was frozen with fear, she still had to clean up the mess herself.
Yang even wondered if his actions of tidying up carried a silent threat to Wan Qiu.
"Does it hurt anywhere?" Yang asked again when he didn't get an answer from Wan Qiu.
Wan Qiu shook his head.
Yang looked at the safety handrail. Although it was installed just in case, he didn't expect to use it on the first day. He was actually quite relieved.
Yang reached out and patted Wanqiu on the head, but Wanqiu closed his eyes and became as stiff as a stone.
Water droplets from Wan Qiu's hair clung to Yang Ze's palm, and the coolness of the water seemed to seep into his heart through his hand.
"It's okay, keep washing."
Yang Ze's clothes were all wet with moisture, and the gray shirt stuck to his body, which felt unpleasant—a sticky, inescapable feeling.
Rather than affecting his body, it was more like something stuck in his blood vessels, causing blockages with every movement.
Wan Qiu returned to the flowing water, but secretly opened her eyes to observe Yang Ze.
Wanqiu's eyelashes were wet, and water droplets streamed down his face as the soft, tender boy was washed by the clear water.
What was washed away was only panic and fear, not trust.
"sorry."
Amidst the delicate, faint sound of water flowing continuously past his ears, Wan Qiu seemed to hear a sound even fainter than the flowing water.
Wan Qiu tilted his head back, but the water droplets made him squint slightly, obscuring Yang Ze's expression.
Wan Qiu felt that Yang was a strange brother.
Although her whole body was radiating unhappiness, it seemed as if she was confined within that human-shaped frame, with no intention of letting it spread.
Yang turned his back, as if deliberately preventing Wan Qiu from seeing his face.
"Aze, Wanqiu, aren't you done showering yet?" Yang Xiaoyu suddenly pounded on the bathroom door, her clear voice breaking through the sound of running water inside. "Can Mom come in?"
"Xiaoyu." Chu Jianshu's helpless voice rang out from the side.
If Chu Jianshu hadn't been there, Yang Xiaoyu would probably have already broken down the door.
"Wanqiu, my darling, Mommy brought you several outfits. Come out and let Mommy try them on, okay?" Yang Xiaoyu pounded on the bathroom door, clearly determined not to give up until the door opened.
Yang sighed, also feeling relieved.
Yang pulled a white bath towel over Wanqiu and wrapped her in it. He had never realized that a bath towel could be so big.
Wanqiu peeked her little head out from under the soft white bath towel, and her beautiful eyes looked adorable when she looked at him.
Short, thin, and fragile.
Both the Chu and Yang families have excellent genes, and it's rare to see short descendants.
The thought that Wanqiu's condition was the result of long-term malnutrition made the idea of 'cute' seem like a mockery of Yang Ze's ignorance.
Wan Qiu emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a bath towel. His extremely thin body was hidden inside the towel, and at first glance, it was impossible to tell whether Wan Qiu was wearing the towel or the towel was wearing him.
Looking at Wan Qiu, who was clean and steaming, Yang Xiaoyu suddenly bent down and buried her head in Wan Qiu's neck.
Wan Qiu raised his head high, letting Yang Xiaoyu do such intimate things, his arms wrapped in a bath towel, as if the towel would fall off if he let go.
"Our darling, you smell so nice after your bath." Yang Xiaoyu looked at the slender shoulder blades inside the bath towel. "Mommy will try her best to raise you into a little pig."
Although Wanqiu didn't know what a miniature pig was, he knew what a pig was.
Pigs are animals that can be eaten.
Humans cannot be turned into pigs, nor can they be eaten.
This is an impossible task.
"Let me apply the ointment to you first," Yang Xiaoyu said, half-carrying Wan Qiu as she went to the sofa.
Chu Jianshu only looked at Yang Ze, who was in the bathroom, wiping his damp shirt with a dry towel after seeing Yang Xiaoyu pull Wan Qiu into the room.
"Is this child very noisy during bath time?" Chu Jianshu glanced at the well-behaved Wan Qiu and felt that she didn't seem like it.
"It was just an accident," Yang said.
"Go change your clothes, it's almost dinner time," Chu Jianshu suggested.
Yang nodded, but as he reached the door, he paused, turned back, and asked, "Dad, does Third Brother have any dietary restrictions?"
"It seems not now, that child eats everything." However, Chu Jianshu thought for a moment, "He likes fruit very much, so he might prefer sweet things."
"What about the annoying ones?"
However, Chu Jianshu sighed softly: "I'm not quite sure."
"Okay, Dad, I'm going to change my clothes."
Yang left, but Chu Jianshu remained silent.
As a father, he noticed the change in Yang Ze's mood.
Turn around and look at the two people applying medicine on the sofa.
Even the areas covered by Wan Qiu's clothes clearly showed that he inherited Yang Xiaoyu's fair complexion. However, probably because he had been scavenging outside in the summer without any protection, the areas exposed to the sun had become quite tanned.
Malnourished and thin, this child would probably be quite unattractive if it weren't for his exceptionally beautiful features.
The boy sitting on the sofa looked up, his bright and clear eyes, which were usually empty when facing them, were now filled with Yang Xiaoyu.
Even at fourteen, Wanqiu did not seem to possess the thinking ability that a normal personality should have. His instincts made him dependent on someone, and he seemed to be particularly dependent on the identity of 'mother'.
When Chu Jianshu first met Wan Qiu, he also noticed how much Wan Qiu relied on Ning Qiaozhen.
Looking at his wife, who was overjoyed and clearly immersed in the joy of her lost child returning to her side, she had completely forgotten Wanqiu's unusual behavior.
Mom was very happy.
Wan Qiu kept watching Yang Xiaoyu. Yang Xiaoyu's joy was completely evident on her face, but she showed some displeasure when she was applying the medicine to herself.
Yang Xiaoyu's hand stopped on the most obvious wound on Wan Qiu's chest. The marks left by the sutures were still clearly visible on the wound. Her fingers touched the scar, as if she had traveled through time and saw the hideous, bloody appearance of the past.
"It must have hurt a lot back then, right?" Yang Xiaoyu's eyes were fixed on the scar.
Wan Qiu remained silent, not seeing any indication from Yang Xiaoyu's expression that he needed an answer.
But actually, Wanqiu didn't feel much pain.
I spent most of my time with a fever, feeling drowsy and lethargic.
Because his grandmother was taking care of him, Wanqiu felt that even though he was injured and had a fever, he was not sad.
"If you get hurt anywhere in the future, you must tell your mother, okay?" Yang Xiaoyu looked at the scar and thought that Wanqiu was still young. With rest and medication, the scar should fade to the point where it was no longer visible.
"Yes." Wan Qiu remembered.
"Come on, Wanqiu, wear this outfit and let your mother see it?" After applying ointment to all the scars, Yang Xiaoyu unfolded an outfit for Wanqiu.
Wanqiu took the clothes, but the clothes in his hands were soft and fluffy, made of a fabric that Wanqiu had never touched before.
Wan Qiu gripped the clothes tightly, her hand unconsciously tightening its hold.
Wanqiu's fingers have calluses from holding a pen for long periods every day, as well as from carrying pliers when he goes out every day. These thick, not delicate calluses seem to easily damage his overly delicate clothes.
"Do you want Mom to help you get dressed?" Yang Xiaoyu asked when she saw Wan Qiu's slow movements.
Wan Qiu looked up and saw that Yang Xiaoyu's expression was more playful than serious. He shook his head and put on his clothes.
The clothes were pure white, with a rather unisex design and a slightly fluffy appearance, which somewhat concealed Wanqiu's overly thin and prominent joints. The clothes were light and airy, and felt very comfortable against the skin.
“Our baby still looks so young, this is the perfect time for her to look adorable in these clothes.” Yang Xiaoyu’s gaze fell on Wan Qiu’s legs, which were covered by shorts.
She is slender and slightly curved, but not particularly attractive, with prominent knuckles. However, given her appreciation for beauty, she will surely become very beautiful in the future.
Those unsightly scars are still in Wanqiu's growth period and will gradually disappear with the help of medication.
Yang Xiaoyu felt upset whenever she thought about where these scars came from.
As Yang Xiaoyu remained silent, she noticed that Wan Qiu had sat down.
She didn't just sit down; she curled up her legs, her long, white sleeves covering her slender legs, seemingly intentionally concealing the scars on them.
Yang Xiaoyu was taken aback and looked at Wan Qiu again. Wan Qiu's exceptionally beautiful eyes had her eyelashes drooping slightly, as if she were feeling uneasy.
After a slight flicker, those clear eyes turned to look at Yang Xiaoyu.
In that instant, Yang Xiaoyu understood Wan Qiu's actions.
Wan Qiu noticed her emotions after seeing the scars and tried to alleviate her unhappiness by doing something he couldn't see.
Yang Xiaoyu suddenly realized that she was the one who truly influenced Wanqiu.
Yang Xiaoyu smiled wryly. After being a mother for so many years, this was the first time she had understood this principle so clearly.
"Come on, Mom will take you to eat." Yang Xiaoyu suddenly stood up, took Wan Qiu's hand, and walked towards the door.
Chu Jianshu rarely saw his wife so meticulous and patient in controlling her emotions.
The Chu family felt somewhat repressed.
This is because they, as parents, failed to provide a positive direction for the family.
Is it too late to change things now?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
