Chapter 6: Woodcarving White Swan
The night was as dark as ink, and the narrow alleys of Nan'an Village were filled with a damp chill. Yu Hao stood at the mottled wooden door of Luo Xin's house and knocked gently. The door creaked open, and warm yellow light poured in, outlining Luo Xin's slender figure. She stepped aside, her voice so soft that it was almost drowned out by the wind. "Come in, we've been waiting for you to eat." The aroma of braised fish mingled with the sweet fragrance of rice. Luo Xue looked up from her homework, her eyes lighting up. "Uncle Yu!" She bounded over and grabbed Yu Hao's sleeve. "Mom made your favorite fish today!" Yu Hao stroked her hair, which was as soft as her mother's. He took off his cold-weathered coat, and Luo Xin took it naturally, hanging it on the hanger. On the dining table, three sets of bowls and chopsticks were neatly arranged. The fish, sprinkled with emerald green scallions, was glistening. "I'm starving, but Mom insisted on waiting for you to join us," Luo Xue said as she started eating, tucking into her rice. Luo Xin poured a bowl of rice for Yu Hao and placed it on the table, laughing, "Don't listen to her nonsense. She just sees something delicious and becomes a glutton." "Huh..." Luo Xue grimaced. "If you're hungry, just eat more. No need to wait for me." Yu Hao added charcoal to the iron stove and sat down at the table. "No, it's just that you arrived just in time for dinner." Luo Xin placed a piece of fish belly in his bowl. "Mom's partial. I want some too." Luo Xue pouted, looking up at Luo Xin. Yu Hao and Luo Xin exchanged a glance and smiled. "Okay, okay, kid." Luo Xin placed a large piece of fish in her daughter's bowl. "Eat yours." "Hehe," Luo Xue said with a big bite and a playful smile. "Mom's fish is still the best." "If it tastes good, eat more," Luo Xin said happily. The room was dimly lit and warm, the fire roaring. "What's going on in the village..." Luo Xin's chopsticks trembled slightly as she picked up her rice. "Are you okay?" The fish melted in her mouth, its sweetness spreading across her tongue. Yu Hao chewed slowly, as if swallowing his answer. "We'll get to the bottom of this." Luo Xue suddenly put down her chopsticks, her eyes sparkling. "Uncle Yu, I heard there was a murder in the village. Is it unsafe here at night?" Yu Hao held her clear gaze, a little hesitant to meet it, perhaps overcome by guilt for not protecting the village. He consoled her, "No, the village is still safe. Go home after school and don't wander off. We police will solve this case as soon as possible." "Uncle Yu will protect us..."
The night was as dark as ink, and the narrow alleys of Nan'an Village were filled with a damp chill.
Yu Hao stood in front of the mottled wooden door of Luo Xin's house and raised his hand to knock lightly.
The door soon opened with a creak, and warm yellow light poured out, outlining Luo Xin's slender figure.
She stepped aside, her voice so soft that it was almost drowned by the wind, "Come in quickly, we're waiting for you to come and have dinner."
The aroma of braised fish wafted into the house, mixed with the sweet fragrance of rice.
Luo Xue looked up from her homework book, her eyes lighting up. "Uncle Yu!" She bounded over and grabbed Yu Hao's sleeve. "Mom made your favorite fish today!"
Yu Hao rubbed her hair, which was as smooth as her mother's hair.
He took off his cold coat, and Luo Xin took it naturally and hung it on the hanger.
On the dining table, three sets of bowls and chopsticks were neatly placed, and the fish was sprinkled with green chopped green onions, glistening with oil.
"I'm starving, but mom insisted on waiting for you to come and join us." Luo Xue had already started eating, munching on rice and talking as she did so.
Luo Xin served Yu Hao a bowl of rice, placed it on the table, and said with a smile, "Don't listen to her nonsense. She just becomes a greedy cat when she sees delicious food."
"Huh..." Luo Xue made a face.
"Eat more if you're hungry. No need to wait for me." After adding charcoal to the iron stove, Yu Hao sat down at the dining table.
"No, it's just that you arrived just in time for dinner." Luo Xin picked up a piece of fish belly and put it in his bowl.
"Mom is partial to me, I want one too." Luo Xue pouted and looked up at Luo Xin.
Yu Hao and Luo Xin looked at each other and smiled.
"Okay, okay, kid." Luo Xin picked up a large piece of fish and put it in his daughter's bowl. "Eat yours."
"Hehe." Luo Xue took a big bite and said with a smile, "The fish that mom picked up is still the best."
"You kid, if it tastes good, eat more." Luo Xin smiled happily.
The lights in the house were dim and warm, and the fire was burning brightly.
"Things in the village..." Luo Xin's chopsticks trembled slightly as he picked up the rice. "Are you okay?"
The fish melted in his mouth, its sweet flavor spreading across his tongue. Yu Hao chewed slowly, as if swallowing his answer along with it: "The case will be solved."
Luo Xue suddenly put down her chopsticks and looked at her with sparkling eyes: "Uncle Yu, I heard that a murder happened in the village. Is it unsafe in the village at night?"
Yu Hao looked at her clear eyes, but he didn't dare to look directly at her, probably because he felt guilty for not protecting the village.
He comforted her, "No, the village is still very safe. Go home in time after school and don't run around. Our police will solve the case as soon as possible."
"Uncle Yu will protect us, right?" Luo Xue looked at him expectantly.
"I will."
"Then don't leave tonight, okay?" She tugged at Yu Hao's sleeve and shook him. "The bad guy hasn't been caught yet. You stay home and protect us, okay?"
The air froze instantly.
Yu Hao's chopsticks were suspended in the air, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Luo Xin's fingers twisting the napkin tightly.
"Xiaoxue," Luo Xin's voice was gentle but undeniable, "Uncle Yu has important work to do."
"But..."
"Go memorize some English words after dinner." Luo Xin interrupted her, turning to smile at Hao, with tiny wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes. "This kid is becoming more and more unruly."
The three of them were talking and laughing. Yu Hao, who had no appetite for several days, finally had a full meal.
After dinner, Luo Xue happily sat back at her desk and buried herself in her homework.
In the kitchen, the sound of running water was heard.
Yu Hao stood behind Luo Xin, watching her slender wrist appear and disappear in the foam.
"Recently..." He reached out to take the dishes she had washed, and felt her slight trembling when his fingertips touched, "Did something happen to you?"
Luo Xin turned off the faucet, and water droplets slid down her wrists into her cuffs.
When she turned around, tiny drops of water still hung on her eyelashes. "What could be the matter?" Her smile was like a carefully painted mask. "You, on the other hand, look rather grim."
Yu Hao shook his head, his voice warm and gentle, "I'm fine."
The two were silent for a moment.
"Or, you should stop working there." Yu Hao said suddenly.
He wondered if something had gone wrong at Luo Xin's job.
Many times, she only told him good news and not bad news. They both had the same mentality and didn't want the other to worry.
Luo Xin has worked in many jobs, including supermarket stock clerk, insurance salesperson, company clerk, and even a plasterer in a decoration company. It was not until now that he really took up this job, singing in a business KTV.
Although Yu Hao did not discriminate against her occupationally, he increasingly did not want her to sing and smile with him outside. He suggested it several times, but Luo Xin politely declined.
Luo Xin was startled, then turned around with a smile, "Why did you suddenly think of this topic?"
"Nothing, I just suddenly remembered."
"I remembered a line from a movie starring Cecilia Cheung and Stephen Chow." After a moment, Luo Xin turned her head, looked at Yu Hao, and said softly.
"What if I am willing?" Yu Hao's expression was serious, and he did not avoid the question.
Luo Xin smiled, a bright and comfortable smile.
She turned around and continued washing the dishes, and her hands seemed to slow down.
After a moment, Luo Xin said slowly, "But... I don't want to."
…
There was a moment of silence.
Although the faucet was clearly turned off, Yu Hao could still hear the sound of water dripping into the sink.
"Why?" Yu Hao wanted to figure out what went wrong between the two of them.
Luo Xin turned her back to him and shook her head. Yu Hao couldn't see her expression, but he saw her shoulders trembling slightly.
Luo Xin sniffed lightly, "No reason."
Yu Hao was speechless.
"Let me wash it." He made an excuse.
"No need. You can take a rest, or help Xiaoxue with her homework." Luo Xin refused without turning back, but his hands moved slower and slower.
Yu Hao stood behind her, stared at her back for a while, then slowly walked out of the kitchen and came to Luo Xue's side.
Although they have known each other for many years, Yu Hao doesn't know much about Luo Xin's past. He only knows that she dropped out of school in her sophomore year because of pregnancy and came to Nan'an Village. As for who the father of the child is and her past, Luo Xin was unwilling to mention it, and he never asked.
However, in his opinion, that is no longer important. Who hasn't been young? Who doesn't have a past that is hard to look back on?
Now that it's over, let it be.
Luo Xue's grades in the class are very good, which is also what Luo Xin is proud of, so he did his best to send her to Yucai Primary School.
Yucai Primary School, by the way, Yu Hao thought of a question.
"Xiaoxue." Yu Hao said in a low voice.
"What's wrong, Uncle Yu?" Luo Xue turned around with a smile on her face.
"Do you know a boy who also lives in the village and is in the same grade as you? His name is Sun Lei." Yu Hao suddenly wanted to know more about the introverted boy.
If I could get closer to him, could I break his inner demons and make him tell me what that man looks like?
Luo Xue asked doubtfully, "Huh? Uncle Yu, do you know him too? He and I are in the same class, and his grades are surprisingly good."
"Oh, I saw him a few days ago. I thought this little boy was quite interesting." Yu Hao sat down on the chair next to her.
Luo Xue put down the pen in her heart and turned around. "He's a very strange person. He seems to have no friends. He always reads and studies alone. I am the only one who talks to him occasionally. But he is really smart. I can't beat him in exams."
Yu Hao couldn't help but tremble in his heart when he thought of the troubled look on Sun Yong's face when he said his son was sick.
"Oh, you want to be friends with him?"
"I guess so. I don't know if he considers me a friend. I think although he is a little introverted, he is still a good person. If I ask him questions I don't know, he will patiently explain them to me." When he said this, Luo Xue smiled unconsciously, revealing the same dimples as his mother.
"Very good." Yu Hao was very pleased. Luo Xue was very popular in the class, but she did not ignore the introverted Sun Lei just because she had many friends.
This kindness, in his opinion, was a natural quality, just like her mother's.
"By the way, he gave me a wooden sculpture for my birthday last year. I don't know where he bought it from, it's really beautiful." At this point, Luo Xue carefully took out the wooden sculpture from the desk drawer. The wooden sculpture was wrapped in a transparent square box similar to crystal. "How is it? Beautiful, right?"
Yu Hao looked at it carefully.
An exquisite white swan, made of white wood, with lifelike carvings, each feather is clearly visible, especially the gooseneck held high, which exudes a fresh and natural beauty that is untainted by the mud.
"Beautiful, very beautiful." Yu Hao couldn't help but sigh. Sun Lei's carving talent can be said to be beyond compare.
"Yeah. I haven't seen it in any store, and I don't know where he bought it." Luo Xue carefully put away the wood carving and closed the drawer.
It seems that Sun Lei didn't tell her that he carved it himself. Children also have their own unique thoughts. Yu Hao didn't say it out loud.
"Well, you've made a good friend." Yu Hao said with a smile.
"I think so too." Luo Xue replied with a smile, looking at Yu Hao with her watery eyes, "Uncle Yu, guess what gift I gave him in return?"
"What gift?"
"Guess."
"Music box."
"Ah? How boring. How did you guess that?" Luo Xue pouted, feeling a little disappointed.
In fact, it was Luo Xin who asked him to help buy the music box. At first, he thought it was a gift from Luo Xin to his daughter, but later Luo Xin explained that it was a return gift from Luo Xue to a friend. Luo Xin didn't know which friend it was.
Now that I think about it, it must be this friend Sun Lei.
"Haha, uncle was just guessing randomly, but I didn't expect to guess it right at once." Yu Hao said the answer directly with some regret.
If Luo Xue guessed wrong a few times, would she be happier?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel annoyed by his straight male style.
"It's okay, it's okay." Perhaps sensing a hint of guilt on Yu Hao's face, Luo Xue quickly smiled and said, "This shows that Uncle Yu really understands me and my thoughts. Uncle Yu is the best."
Seeing Luo Xue's face showing a maturity beyond her age, Yu Hao felt indescribably touched. He smiled and patted her head, "Okay, hurry up and do your homework."
Outside the window, snowflakes began to fall again.
"By the way, Uncle Yu, can you help me with this math problem?"
"OK."
…
When leaving, Luo Xue was reluctant to let him go and insisted on seeing him to the door.
The little girl suddenly stood on tiptoe and whispered in Yu Hao's ear, "Mom had a nightmare last night and cried so hard...but she didn't let me tell you."
Yu Hao squatted down and looked into the girl's clear eyes. "Xiaoxue, take good care of your mother, okay? This is our secret."
"Okay." Luo Xue stretched out her hand, "Then let's make a promise and stick to it for a hundred years."
"What are you whispering about?" Luo Xin said with a smile.
"I won't tell you. This is a secret between me and Uncle Yu." Luo Xue pinched her waist and pouted.
…
Under the streetlight, Yu Hao's shadow was stretched out very long. Looking back, Luo Xin was standing at the door, holding her daughter's shoulders and waving to him.
Luo Xin cried, why?
Yu Hao also vaguely felt that she must have encountered something recently.
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