Is this the brake?
Wan Qiu squeezed the brake lever; the feeling of the pedal being restrained was quite unique.
Once you press the pedal and the wheels start turning, the rest is very easy.
Wanqiu rode a tricycle for the first time, and the feeling of moving forward quickly was very smooth and effortless.
The attempt to turn was successful.
Wanqiu was completely captivated by the brand-new experience.
When Wan Qiu used to watch other people's tricycles, he couldn't even imagine what it would feel like to ride one.
Now he has a tricycle.
Yang Ze and Chu Yigui's eyes followed Wan Qiu as he rode his tricycle back and forth, moving left and right.
Yang felt a strange, subtle emotion, one that he couldn't quite put into words.
Is it being moved? No, it's more like being touched.
but……
In Yang Ze's view, Wan Qiu should be very happy, but he didn't smile.
Does it mean you can't laugh?
Or is it that their intelligence is too low to express joy?
Wanqiu rode his tricycle back to his front door, then suddenly braked and stopped at the door.
Wan Qiu raised his head, his bright eyes reflecting the evening glow like flickering candlelight, his cheeks flushed slightly.
Looking at Yang Ze, Wan Qiu pursed his lips into a thin line: "Thank you, Second Brother."
Wan Qiu's peripheral vision consciously glanced at Chu Yigui, who was standing quietly not far away. Chu Yigui gently touched the corner of her lips with her finger, pulling it slightly to make the corner of her lips turn up.
With this simple action, Wan Qiu seemed to see what Chu Yigui had taught him during the day.
Wan Qiu smiled.
Wan Qiu smiled, though the curve was slight and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.
"Thanks."
I thanked them again, with a smile.
"I'm glad you like it." Yang had never imagined what kind of smile a child would have when receiving a gift they wanted.
Yang received a reward he never imagined—Wan Qiu's smile.
This is a beauty that needs no filters or enhancements. The dull fog that separated them from their world is penetrated by sunlight and washed away by rain. The world strives to present its beauty to humankind.
Is Yang happy?
Maybe.
Looking at the unfamiliar smile, it seemed as if nothing could be remembered in my mind, my gaze busy etching everything in front of me into the oil painting of my memory.
——
This is Bai Yusheng's tenth year as the Chu family's steward. It was also during the period when he first took office that the Chu family's third child, Chu Wanqiu, went missing.
He spent a period of time in the Chu family that felt like walking on thin ice; the thick atmosphere and the deathly silence made even breathing seem like it was the wrong time.
All of this gradually improved after Chu Yigui arrived.
To be honest, most of them watched Chu Yigui grow up. Apart from a few long-time residents, almost no one would remember Chu Wanqiu.
Chu Yigui is a very good child.
All the servants in the Chu family thought so.
Humility, politeness, excellence, and good looks—these are all reasons why Chu Yigui has won over everyone.
Bai Yu had overheard some maids talking about the three young masters of the Chu family, each of whom possessed certain qualities that made them the dream lovers of many women.
So when Chu Wanqiu suddenly returned, he seemed like an outsider, completely out of place.
It wasn't exactly disrespectful; when people learned that the child had intellectual disabilities, they felt more sympathy than anything else.
Aside from... I'm more or less worried about Chu Yigui's situation.
After all, even the name "Yi Gui" was chosen in the hope that the lost Chu Wanqiu would return.
Chu Yigui, who impressed and sympathized with them, seemed to have no other thoughts about it.
Chu Yigui was as outstanding as ever, seemingly without any flaws or negative emotions.
"Uncle Bai, please keep an eye on my brother. He just got back and might not be very familiar with the place yet," Chu Yigui said to Butler Bai.
“Yes, young master, we will be more careful,” Butler Bai replied.
“My brother’s way of thinking is a little different from ordinary people, so he needs to pay more attention to even the smallest things.” Chu Yigui said casually, revealing the kindness in his character. “Thank you for your hard work.”
Butler Bai's feelings were subtly complicated: "Young Master, you..."
"I'm also very worried about my brother." Butler Bai's words of comfort were interrupted by Chu Yigui, but he couldn't say them out loud. "My brother must be very confused. He must need help in many ways, and I am very willing to help him."
Butler Bai didn't continue, but just watched Chu Yigui's departing figure.
Compared to Chu Wanqiu, who will be pampered now and for a long time to come, Butler Bai is more worried about Chu Yigui, who seems to have been overlooked during this period.
Regardless, he was a fourteen-year-old boy, and he should have been more immature, impetuous, and willful.
However, Butler Bai would pay attention to Chu Wanqiu, just as Chu Yigui said, he was a child who was completely unfamiliar with this place and had been brought back from another family.
Walking through the quiet corridor at night, Butler Bai was conducting his final patrol of the mansion before leaving work.
Wan Qiu should be in his room now. Butler Bai passed by and stopped, but the soundproof bedroom made it impossible for him to know if Wan Qiu needed help.
However, on the second time I passed by, I found that the door was open.
It must be Wan Qiu who has come out.
Not hearing Wanqiu call for help, Butler Bai guessed that Wanqiu might need assistance.
Butler Bai searched everywhere but couldn't find Wan Qiu.
After asking around and getting information from the servants, Wanqiu asked them for directions to the storage room.
What are you going to the storage room for?
Butler Bai hurried toward the storeroom. Luckily, he found Chu Wanqiu, who was near the storeroom but had clearly gotten lost.
"Third Young Master... Wanqiu." Knowing Chu Wanqiu's comprehension, Butler Bai called Wanqiu by name directly, "May I ask what you are doing here?"
Under the dim streetlights in the pitch-black night, Butler Bai saw Wan Qiu look up at him.
"I'm looking for scissors," Wan Qiu said in her childish voice.
What do you need scissors for?
Although Butler Bai wanted to ask, it was not his duty as a butler to inquire about his master's private affairs, even if the master had some intellectual problems.
"The scissors aren't here. Please come with me," said Butler Bai.
Butler Bai walked ahead, subtly observing Wan Qiu behind him, seemingly unintentionally.
Wanqiu's steps were very light. The child, who had not been specially trained, walked quietly as if stepping on cotton.
Intellectual disability does not mean the absence of emotions and a sense of existence. Before welcoming Wanqiu back, Butler Bai had done some research. Although children with low intelligence behave differently, they are not as insignificant as Wanqiu, who seems to be non-existent.
If he hadn't turned around and seen the slender figure following behind, he would have thought that Wan Qiu had unknowingly blended into the night.
"Wanqiu, which kind of scissors do you need?" There are many kinds of scissors in the storeroom, each with different uses. Butler Bai guessed that Wanqiu had learned about the storeroom from the gardener.
Finally, a new pair of silver scissors was placed in Wan Qiu's hands.
Butler Bai noticed that after Wan Qiu took the scissors, he turned the sharp end of the scissors around and held the tip with his hand.
But Wanqiu's hands seemed a bit small for the scissors, making it difficult for him to grip them. He used both hands to protect the tips.
"I will return it soon," Wan Qiu said.
Butler Bai said, "After you're done using it, just leave it at the door, and someone will pick it up for you."
Butler Bai noticed that Wan Qiu was looking up at him. Wan Qiu didn't speak immediately, but Butler Bai felt intensely observed and even offended by the gaze.
Fortunately, it only lasted a few seconds.
Wan Qiu lowered his head again: "I understand."
Butler Bai choked up for a moment, his tone making it sound as if he were giving Wan Qiu an order.
I subconsciously wanted to say something in rebuttal, but I didn't think there was anything wrong with the conversation we just had.
It was a strange, unspeakable, uncomfortable feeling lingering in his throat.
Butler Bai escorted Wanqiu back home until Wanqiu closed the bedroom door.
Chu Yigui's words resurfaced in his mind.
—It's always good to pay attention to even the smallest things.
Butler Bai stood at the door for a long time before finally knocking on Wanqiu's door again.
There was no response.
Nervousness made Butler Bai's heart race, and he knocked on Chu Yigui's door.
"What's wrong, Butler Bai?" Chu Yigui had already changed into his home pajamas, but even so, he still looked very distinguished. He was a very charismatic person.
The brief few minutes spent with Wan Qiu made Butler Bai's perception of the contrast between Chu Yigui and Wan Qiu even stronger.
Butler Bai hesitated for a moment and said, "The Third Young Master just borrowed a pair of scissors from me, but I don't know what he's going to do with them."
Scissors are common items, and you shouldn't think too much about them.
However, Chu Yigui frowned, seemingly deep in thought.
It seemed that the butler's repeated knocking alerted Yang, who was in the next room, and he opened the door.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Yang Ze stood at the bedroom door, looking in the direction of Butler Bai.
"My brother borrowed a pair of scissors, but I don't know what he's going to do with them," Chu Yigui said to Yang Ze.
Although borrowing a pair of scissors might not be a strange thing for an ordinary person, the object of that action was Wan Qiu.
Yang came out of the room and walked towards Wan Qiu's door: "Go and take a look."
As Yang Ze's tall figure passed by Butler Bai, an unknown pressure pressed down on Butler Bai's shoulders. Unexpected anxiety arose, and he wondered if giving Wan Qiu a pair of scissors was a mistake.
The closer Butler Bai got to Wan Qiu's room, the more obvious his unease became, and he couldn't help but quicken his pace.
Yang knocked on the door, but heard no response from inside.
"Second Brother, just open the door." Chu Yigui's voice came from beside him, and Yang didn't think much of it and just grabbed the doorknob.
The door opened.
Wanqiu did not lock the door.
Butler Bai glanced at Chu Yigui with surprise, but the person being stared at remained silent, showing no unusual reaction.
As the three entered the room, they were greeted by extremely hot air.
Wanqiu turned off the air conditioner and opened the French windows.
There are many mosquitoes on summer nights, and even with the best efforts to repel them, it is obviously impossible to be completely safe. With such a large window open, the small insects rushing in made Butler Bai squint his eyes.
Wan Qiu not only turned off the air conditioner, but also the lights, making the place pitch black.
The only sound came from inside the bathroom.
Yang quickened his pace and swiftly opened the door.
In the dimly lit bathroom, illuminated only by a single, extremely dim nightlight, the boy stood in front of the sink, the silver scissors in his hand reflecting the light of the nightlight, the reflected light momentarily dazzling anyone who entered.
The thin boy was emaciated, his cheeks were not plump, and his knuckles were even visible in the dim light.
At the boy's feet lay some black hair, and on the snow-white washbasin, there was obvious red blood.
The boy was backlit, his eyes, which seemed slightly larger than his face, staring at them, his features hidden in the darkness.
For a moment, Butler Bai froze, his mind went blank, and he almost fainted.
Chu Yigui suddenly turned on the bathroom light, instantly illuminating the dark space.
Yang Ze was clearly quite frightened at this moment, his mind was blank and he couldn't recover.
"What is your brother doing?" Chu Yigui asked in a calm tone.
Wan Qiu looked up, noticed the person, and subconsciously pointed the tip of the scissors in his hand at himself, while Chu Yigui was already standing in front of him.
Chu Yigui's hand enveloped Wan Qiu's hand, her fingers gently parting the gaps between Wan Qiu's tightly clenched fingers, as if she were drawing strength from Wan Qiu with such gentleness.
The scissors slipped from Wan Qiu's hand and fell into Chu Yigui's hand.
Chu Yigui pulled Wan Qiu's hand away and discovered very fresh, newly formed bloodstains on Wan Qiu's fingers.
"How did you get hurt?" Yang Ze's raised voice came first.
Chu Yigui released Wan Qiu and took the scissors to the other side.
"I didn't mean to." The scissors Wan Qiu had used before were never sharp enough to cut skin with just a touch. Most of them were discarded, so dull that they couldn't even cut anything. "I just thought it was pretty."
These scissors are really beautiful—clean, bright, and sharp. Wanqiu was simply attracted to them.
"What's so interesting about a broken pair of scissors?" Yang Ze said angrily, picking Wan Qiu up and trying to find the first-aid kit in the room. However, the hot summer night air and the sudden swarm of small flying insects made Yang Ze turn around and leave the room first.
In the spacious and warm living room, Butler Bai brought out a first-aid kit, and after a simple disinfection and bandaging, heaven knows how Wan Qiu managed to cut such a large gash.
"What exactly did you just do..." Yang Zezhen felt complicated. He thought of the stray hairs on the ground and Wan Qiu's half-missing hair and bangs. His heart sank. "Were you getting a haircut?"
Wan Qiu lowered his head, clearly much more silent than before.
Her slender, uncut fingers kneaded the hair on the other side that hadn't been cut, and she explained, "Mom said my hair has grown long."
"But I can't let you cut it yourself. How could Mommy let you cut it yourself?"
However, Yang Ze's voice suddenly went silent halfway through.
Yang opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
Wan Qiu lowered his eyes, seemingly lacking even the courage to look up, fearing that he had once again displeased others.
"This is the only way I know how to cut it."
All the blame Yang had been uttering vanished at that moment.
He took it all for granted.
How could a child who makes a living by scavenging garbage possibly have the money to go to a barbershop?
It's likely that Wan Qiu has always been cutting his own hair.
Yang put several band-aids on Wanqiu's wound. The wound was a bit long, but at least the bleeding stopped.
Wan Qiu showed no sign of pain from beginning to end, which made Yang Ze hesitant to make a move.
Wan Qiu was very good at enduring pain, but the more he was like that, the less Yang dared to do it.
"Don't do that again," Yang said, somewhat agitated.
"Yes, San... Wanqiu, please don't do this kind of thing again. At my age, I'm really going to die young." The middle-aged man, Bai Yuyi, almost suffocated as he recalled the series of scenes that had just unfolded, expressing his fear.
This is definitely a punishment for his messy thoughts.
Yang noticed that Wan Qiu was watching them, and that very keen sense of observation returned to him once again.
Then he heard Wanqiu say, "I understand."
Got it? Got what?
Yang felt that Wan Qiu probably only knew the rule "don't cut your own hair," and he couldn't possibly think beyond the point of understanding why they didn't want him to do it.
How to teach?
Why teach?
What can he teach Wanqiu?
Yang Ze's hand touched the messy, frizzy strands of hair that Wan Qiu had cut off but hadn't yet started to trim.
Even though they could meet so easily, Yang felt that he and Wan Qiu were still living in two different worlds.
In a chaotic, mixed, and dirty world, Wanqiu painstakingly used his not-so-bright mind to figure out a survival strategy that suited him.
Meanwhile, the self who had always lived in another world saw, through Wanqiu's eyes, an arrogance that he had never noticed before.
Wanqiu is also trying to make a living. How can he teach Wanqiu like this?
He couldn't understand Wanqiu's efforts so far, so how could he expect Wanqiu, who had intellectual disabilities, to understand his feelings?
"Wanqiu, you..." Yang Ze wanted to say something.
However, his expression froze.
Wan Qiu had his eyes half-closed, seemingly staring down. His body was shivering, his head was bent, and his slightly long, uncut hair was hanging down, obscuring his eyes. His whole body was curled up like a boiled shrimp, intentionally or unintentionally protecting his chest.
Although Wanqiu did not tremble at all.
Yet his every move seemed to illustrate his instinctive defense against and fear of the pain that was likely to come.
Yang was familiar with this action; it was exactly the same as the one in the bathroom.
Yang Ze's hand was still beside Wan Qiu's cut hair. Wan Qiu did not dodge and let him touch her, only her tense body and slightly tilted head remained.
Yang Ze withdrew his hand.
Wan Qiu did not shut himself off. He was like water in a glass tank in front of him, waiting for any possibility to come. Whether it would be smashed and the water poured out, or heated and boiled again, none of this mattered to Wan Qiu. He simply accepted it helplessly.
Yang felt his hands pressed tightly against the glass of the tank, but all he could feel was a constant, intense chill emanating from the water.
He failed to warm Wanqiu's heart, but Wanqiu instead treated him coldly.
Perhaps it was because Yang Ze had been silent for a long time, or perhaps it was because Yang Ze had lowered his hand that was stroking Wan Qiu's hair.
Yang saw Wan Qiu open his eyes, which had been half-closed due to nervousness, and look up at him.
The thin, somewhat oddly shaped boy was observing him intently.
Looking at those lips that had turned somewhat pale, Yang heard a soft, timid voice from Wan Qiu.
"sorry."
Yang slowly opened his eyes wide.
What are you sorry for?
Why should I apologize to him?
What is this child thinking?
Wan Qiu's heartfelt apology only made Yang feel even more guilty.
"It's nothing, it's nothing." Yang Ze lowered his eyes, looking somewhat confused.
This was not the right time to make a decision, and he even lost the courage to speak to Wan Qiu.
"It's alright" wasn't said to Wan Qiu, but to himself.
It's alright, he just... hasn't had the chance to have more contact with Wan Qiu yet.
This apology was not a sarcastic remark, but a warning to himself.
Yang felt incredibly irritated. He reached up and pinched his brow. He didn't know how to communicate with Wan Qiu; he didn't have Chu Yigui's abilities.
Yang looked up at Chu Yigui, who had been standing silently not far away, but his younger brother showed no intention of coming forward.
and……
Yang Ze also did not want his relationship with Wan Qiu to always have to be conveyed through Chu Yigui. People's experiences and feelings are different, let alone having to go through another person to convey them.
Perhaps we should give Wanqiu some time to calm down and let him know that no one here will lay a hand on him.
Should we send him back?
However, the thought of Wanqiu's hot and humid room, infested with mosquitoes, was unbearable.
Why aren't you turning on the air conditioner or the lights?
However, Yang didn't even bother to ask that question.
"Butler Bai, go and take care of Wanqiu's room," Yang Ze said.
"It's already being handled," Butler Bai replied.
"How's it going?" Yang asked, looking up with a hint of weariness.
Butler Bai checked the situation over the walkie-talkie and said, "Because the Third Young Master didn't turn on the lights, there weren't many mosquitoes. We've turned on the mosquito repellent lamp and restarted the air conditioning; the temperature is just right now."
Yang sat next to Wan Qiu, but this time he did not rashly reach out to Wan Qiu.
"Go back to your room and sleep. You don't need to turn off the air conditioner. You can turn on the lights if you want and get a good night's sleep."
Wanqiu probably felt truly safe, like a turtle that had been hiding in its shell poking its head out and stretching out its limbs in a relaxed manner.
"Thanks."
Yang wanted to say something, but found that not a single word was appropriate.
In the end, he simply responded with a "yes".
Wan Qiu probably saw the approval on Yang Ze's face, so he boldly stood up, walked around the other side of the coffee table, and left.
Yang wanted to hear Wan Qiu's footsteps, but found that Wan Qiu's footsteps were too light, as if they didn't exist in the quiet night.
Butler Bai was somewhat helpless and asked, "Should we tell the master and madam about this now?"
"We'll know tomorrow." Yang rubbed his temples and looked at the first-aid kit on the coffee table. "Let Mom and Dad get a good night's sleep. You should go and rest too."
Butler Bai agreed and then left.
Yang slumped on the sofa, feeling frustrated and irritable from the sense of helplessness.
The clear water in the glass tank—he longed to embrace it, but the water wouldn't have the shape he could hold.
Forcibly touching the clothes will only cause them to absorb water, making them heavy and weighing you down. It will also take away the water that should be there, making the water no longer whole.
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