Chapter 1 01 Who is your father?
The winter solstice arrives, bringing a chill to the air.
During recess at Jiamu No. 3 Middle School, the corridor outside the classrooms was noisy, with a group of students peeking into the office.
The transparent glass window reflected four middle-aged men and women, swords drawn and poised to strike, along with the principal, who was frantically trying to break up the fight.
"It's all your little bastard's fault for harassing my daughter time and time again. She's about to take the college entrance exam, and now look what's happened. Even if your little bastard dies a thousand times, it wouldn't be enough to compensate my daughter!"
"How can you talk like that? What do you mean by 'dead'? Watch your mouth! If your daughter were really as obedient as you say, how could she have gotten pregnant so easily? I don't think your daughter is any better than you!"
"You old slut, you dare to turn the tables on me? I'll smash your mouth open!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a sharp cry of pain rang out, signaling the smashing of a glass, and the situation quickly spiraled out of control.
Amidst the sounds of their brutal punches, the principal cried out in panic, "Stop! Stop! Ouch! My purple clay teapot!"
"No, no, call the police!"
The students, eager for a good show, were so excited that their faces turned red, and they all pressed against the windows, watching with great interest.
They only dispersed after the school bell rang and the other teachers reprimanded them.
The farce in the office spread throughout the entire school without a second thought. For the first time ever, the last class meeting was not taken up, and the homeroom teachers of each class walked into the classroom with somber expressions.
A lesson in ideological education is essential.
Mr. Lu, the homeroom teacher of Class 5, Grade 12, stood on the podium and spoke with spittle flying: "The school has explicitly banned dating for your own good. Look, those two in Class 2 next door are the negative example. Next June, when all the other students are going to take the college entrance examination, they will be at home changing diapers. Their lives will be ruined."
“Students should do what students should do. You’re only seventeen or eighteen years old.” Old Lu paused, his gaze involuntarily falling on a figure by the window. He frowned and added, “Anyway, no matter how old you are, dating is strictly prohibited in high school, no exceptions.”
Inquiring gazes from all directions cautiously focused on the man, following Old Lu's words.
The boy in the corner seemed oblivious, radiating an aloof indifference that kept everyone at arm's length.
The loose school uniform draped over his body outlined the boy's tall and straight figure. He had fair skin and features like an ink painting, but his brows held an unyielding indifference, making him the most conspicuous even sitting in the last row.
Pei Yiyan is an unspeakable oddball in Class 5 of Senior Three.
Apart from Qiu Ming, who is fearless and has a long life, no one dares to mess with him.
As soon as the school bell rang, the noisy Class 5 scattered like birds and beasts. In winter, it gets dark early, and the area outside the teaching building was already pitch black.
"Brother Yan, come on, let's go to my house for dinner. My mom cooked a big pot of brown sugar glutinous rice balls."
Qiu Ming, who had just returned from the restroom, casually hooked his arm around Pei Yiyan's shoulder and dragged him outside.
"I'm not going."
The boy's voice carried the chill of winter. He tightened his shoulder strap with his long fingers, broke free from Qiu Ming, and stepped outside.
Qiu Ming chimed in, "You haven't forgotten what day it is today, have you? It's the Winter Solstice, a day for eating tangyuan (sweet rice balls) to symbolize family reunion."
As soon as he said it, Qiu Ming realized something was wrong, abruptly stopped himself, and looked guilty.
Pei Yiyan's emotionless, dark eyes suddenly looked over.
You have such a sharp tongue, always bringing up things you shouldn't talk about!
Qiu Ming pursed his lips tightly, his ingratiating smile making his expression clear and innocuous.
After a moment of eye contact, Pei Yiyan calmly looked away and said in a relatively gentle tone, "I don't eat tangyuan. Please thank Auntie for me."
Huh, that's it?
Qiu Ming snapped out of his daze and relaxed his shoulders with a sigh of relief.
The other person had already disappeared from sight, so he quickly caught up: "Hey, Brother Yan, wait for me!"
Pei Yiyan and Qiu Ming live across the hall from each other. When Qiu Ming isn't playing basketball, the two of them walk together. Most of the time, Pei Yiyan finds Qiu Ming too talkative, so he pretends to be off school and going to his part-time job to get rid of his noisy follower.
The wide roadside was bustling with people, and the area near Jiamu No. 3 Middle School was lined with vendors pushing their carts, creating a down-to-earth and lively atmosphere.
The peak time for vendors to do business is between 6 and 7 p.m., when school lets out.
The cold wind howled, and beside the unnoticed trash can, a small, mushroom-shaped figure stirred.
Hua Xi hugged herself tightly with her two lotus-root-like arms, rested her chin on her knees, and looked up expectantly.
The cold air carrying the aroma of food made her hungry, and her stomach rumbled like thunder.
I'm so hungry.
The little dumpling bit its short radish finger, unconsciously swallowing its saliva.
He patted her little head, shook his head and mumbled, "Daddy will be out soon. Be a good girl and wait for Daddy. Daddy will take you out for a big meal."
After calming herself down, Hua Xi's round eyes sparkled, and she continued to act like a little mushroom.
Time ticked by, and just before Hua Xi was about to faint from hunger, the familiar scent of grass enveloped her nose like fine threads.
The scent was getting closer and closer.
Hua Xi perked up, looked closely, and finally saw the boy with a gloomy face, tall and thin figure, carrying a schoolbag.
The little dumpling suddenly lit up like a light bulb that had been turned on.
She jumped up, her small, limp body swaying from side to side, then burst forth with power from her feet, shooting forward like a little cannonball.
Pei Yiyan lowered his head and came out through the side door, slowly turning into the fork in the road.
"dad!"
As Hua Xi ran, she waved her chubby little paws, her soft, clear voice calling out, "Daddy!"
The call, brimming with surprise and emotion, stood out even amidst the bustling streets.
His shout drew everyone's attention, but the young Pei Yiyan remained unmoved, continuing to walk forward with his head down, his eyes fixed straight ahead.
Hua Xi was getting anxious. Why was her father ignoring her?
Not only did they ignore it, they also walked faster and faster.
Xi Xi, with her chubby little face, decisively sped up.
A rapid series of clattering sounds came from behind him, and Pei Yiyan instinctively moved to the side of the road, unaware that it was aimed at him.
"Ouch."
A small head bumped into his leg, while his thigh was hugged by a pair of soft little hands.
Suddenly caught off guard and embraced tightly, Pei Yiyan froze.
Ouch, that hurts.
Hua Xi winced in pain, raised her hand to rub her forehead, and hunger quickly overcame the pain, causing her to ignore the minor injury.
Pei Yiyan lowered his head.
Suddenly, his eyes met a pair of big, watery eyes, and the unfamiliar little one in his arms jumped and hopped, shouting, "Daddy, I'm hungry, food!"
"?"
A new type of staged accident scam?
Pei Yiyan's lips twitched, and he coldly distanced himself: "You've mistaken me for someone else."
He is indeed the oldest high school student in the whole school, but he is only twenty years old. Does he look that old?
Having grown a generation older, the young man's expression grew increasingly cold and aloof.
Hua Xi didn't notice her cheap father's ever-changing expression, and tightly gripped the trouser leg of her long-term meal ticket:
"You're Xixi's dad! Daddy, Xixi has been waiting for you for so long, and I'm so hungry."
The food stall's lighting had a limited range, and the dim light made it difficult for Pei Yiyan to see Hua Xi's appearance clearly, but her large, glass-like eyes were exceptionally bright and clear.
Xi Xi's answer led Pei Yiyan to naturally assume that she was a lost little one who had gone hungry for a long time and mistook him for her father.
Xixi tilted her chubby little face up, her tone pitiful:
"Daddy, Xixi is hungry."
Pei Yiyan felt a chill run down his spine. He suppressed the urge to shake her off and irritably twitched his thigh, saying, "Who's your father? Don't make up stories. Let go."
"You're my dad."
Hua Xi tilted her head in confusion. Her father seemed to have become stupid and couldn't remember what she said.
Oh dear, the fire must have damaged Dad's brain.
After being upset for two seconds, Hua Xi immediately cheered up. It's okay, if Dad can't remember, she'll just call him a few more times.
On the bustling street, Xixi, acting like a loudspeaker, repeatedly shouted "Dad!"
Gradually, many condemning and disdainful glances came from the crowd, and people whispered among themselves.
"These students nowadays are really outrageous. Their illegitimate daughter is already so old, and they still don't want to take responsibility. I don't know what kind of education the school is giving them."
"Tsk tsk, the lost generation."
Pei Yiyan's forehead veins throbbed, and he turned around to glare coldly at her.
He never cared about other people's gossip, but he was only twenty, a virgin, where would he get such a big child?
He cannot take the blame for something so unethical.
Pei Yiyan bent down and picked up the little one, his youthful and indifferent face full of impatience: "Shut up, stop yelling, I'm taking you to the police station."
Police station?
Xi Xi's little mind raced, and she smiled sweetly. Daddy is so nice; as soon as he arrives, he takes her to a new secret base to play.
emmm but
"Daddy, Xixi is so hungry, she wants to eat some fragrant dirt. Can we play again tomorrow?"
Pei Yiyan paused for a moment, then looked at the little girl in front of him who had caused him trouble.
He squinted and leaned closer. The little girl had a round head and an innocent look, clearly being pampered by her family.
If someone is so hungry they want to eat dirt, they must have been missing for a long time, and their family should have already reported them missing to the police.
Forget it, let's not rush to the police station. Let's get her to eat first, so she won't cry and make a fuss.
Pei Yiyan coldly put the little one down: "Come on, I'll take you to eat."
"Yay!"
Pei Yiyan planned to take Xixi out for a quick bite to fill her stomach before sending her to the police station. Letting her wander around alone would be tantamount to giving human traffickers a chance to meet their quotas.
Xi Xi, unaware of the boy's plans, stumbled along behind her father, humming a happy tune.
She is a three-hundred-year-old ginseng spirit baby who has just transformed into human form. She is three years old in human years and is still not very steady on her feet.
The boy, who had been walking briskly, slowed down and glanced back every now and then. When he saw her almost get hit by the crowd, he pulled her up without hesitation.
The little girl is so thin and small, is she even three years old?
What do such a small child eat? Has he/she grown teeth yet?
With a jumble of ideas flashing through his mind, Pei Yiyan arrived at the jianbing (Chinese crepe) stall with practiced ease:
"Two jianbing guozi, one spicy, one non-spicy."
The light from the light bulb on the stall shone around, and as Pei Yiyan carried two jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes) past his head, the light fell on Xixi's face.
Her face was dirty, as if she had come from some coal mine. In the December weather, she was wearing only a thin gauze dress and a pair of sandals.
Pei Yiyan frowned slightly but said nothing, casually tossing her a non-spicy jianbing guozi.
"Ah, it's so hot!"
The little one's hands were soft and delicate. The steaming hot jianbing guozi was burning Hua Xi through the plastic bag, making her cry out, but she was reluctant to let go. Her two little hands were busy moving it back and forth.
Pei Yiyan's lips twitched slightly as he reached out to stop him.
His eyelids drooped slightly, and the little one's ten fingers were already red from the heat. Xi Xi's eyes were filled with tears, and she raised her fingers and said coquettishly, "Daddy, blow on it."
Pei Yiyan raised an eyebrow and looked at her as if she were an idiot: "I'm not bragging."
"It's only been twenty years since I last saw Dad, and he's become so cold!" Xi Xi pouted unhappily.
"If you don't know to throw it away when it's hot, who can you blame?"
Pei Yiyan never considered the possibility that the little one's brain was not fully developed before the age of seven, and that he was naturally slow to react.
"Let it cool down a bit before you eat. Wait here for me."
"Don't follow me."
Pei Yiyan walked into a pharmacy on the street and came out carrying a bag of medicine. Across the street, a little guy stood motionless, like a small mushroom.
Pei Yiyan breathed a sigh of relief for no apparent reason and quickly went over.
In the small shop with the heating on full blast, a man and a child sat by the window.
The boy in school uniform lowered his eyebrows, his facial features were clear and superior, and he expressionlessly wiped the child's hands clean. Then he opened the packaging bag, dipped a cotton swab in burn ointment, and applied it to the reddened, radish-like finger.
After applying the medicine to Xixi, Pei Yiyan looked up and found that she hadn't touched a single wonton and was staring blankly at the bowl.
"What are you standing there for?" he asked coldly. "Don't you like it?"
Ugh, kids are so hard to deal with, especially picky eaters.
Pei Yiyan regretted his sudden act of kindness today.
Xixi looked at her little hands that had just been coated with medicine and said, "It's hot, Xixi, wait until it cools down before you take it."
Pei Yiyan glanced at his phone screen. It was 7:05. He had spent half an hour playing with this little girl.
"If it's too hot, blow it to cool it down. I don't have that much free time to waste with you."
Xi Xi's eyes crinkled into a smile as she pushed the bowl in front of him and said matter-of-factly, "Daddy, blow on it."
Pei Yiyan replied without hesitation, "You wish." He paused slightly, then glared at her, "You're not allowed to call me 'Dad'."
He's not a great person; he just occasionally meddles in other people's business. He has no interest in being someone's father.
A hint of disappointment appeared on the little ginseng spirit's face. She pinched her cheek and tried to comfort herself.
Xixi, be good. Daddy's brain is fried, and he's not as gentle as before, but Daddy still loves you very much. Good baby, don't be angry with Daddy.
After this self-comforting, Xixi felt better and ate her meal obediently by herself.
However, her next move caught Pei Yiyan completely off guard.
The boy, quick as a flash, grabbed the child by the neck and demanded sharply, "What are you doing?"
She almost dipped her fingers into the soup bowl and burned off a layer of skin.
Xi Xi shuddered in fright, shrank back, and timidly said, "Time to eat."
Pei Yiyan laughed in exasperation: "You eat with your hands? Are you a successor of Iron Palm or an Indian orphan?"
"What person? Xi Xi is a ginseng baby." Hua Xi was completely confused and argued softly.
nonsense.
Pei Yiyan, with a displeased expression, shoved a small spoon into her hand: "Sit still, eat with a spoon, don't tell me you don't know how."
Wow, what a tiny water ladle! Xixi was delighted, touching and looking at it with great affection, as if it were a new toy.
Pei Yiyan's patience was almost exhausted, and he urged her again.
The undisguised disdain in her words made the little ginseng spirit feel a little wronged: "Mom and Dad didn't teach Xixi, so Xixi doesn't know how to use it."
Hua Xi hung her head, her long eyelashes trembling, looking wilted like an eggplant that had been hit by frost.
Pei Yiyan doubted that he had misheard, a hint of confusion flashing in his frosty black eyes.
"After Mom and Dad left, Aunt Huahua and Sister Mushroom took care of Xixi. They didn't like to go down the mountain to play, so we have been living in the mountains ever since."
Hua Xi's naive and lukewarm explanation.
Pei Yiyan could not hide his surprise. His eyelids twitched heavily, and he silently clenched his fists.
No wonder he was dressed like a little beggar; he had escaped from human traffickers.
The gloomy boy's few remaining consciences and his long-dead sense of justice were revived at this moment.
After reluctantly teaching Hua Xi how to use chopsticks and a spoon, Pei Yiyan took the child he had found to the police station to report the case.
Little did he know that before he could even file a police report, he would end up getting himself implicated.
"She's young and not very bright. How can you believe what a child says?"
"I don't know, she called me 'Dad' right away, and I've never been in a relationship before!"
The experienced police officers on duty exchanged glances, each understanding the unspoken message, and remained unmoved.
This morning, they had just responded to a police call about a fight between parents at Jiamu No. 3 Middle School. The reason was that two high school students were in a relationship and had premarital sex. The girl became pregnant six months later, and the girl's family was furious and demanded compensation from the boy's family. In the end, the two families couldn't reach an agreement and started fighting in the school office.
The policewoman who was unscrewing the yogurt bottle cap for Xixi couldn't stand it anymore and said in a reproachful tone, "Your file shows you're an adult. As an adult, you should be responsible for your actions. Running away won't help. It's so pitiful that such a young child has no one to take care of her."
Pei Yiyan's face had turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He glared at Xixi in a frenzy and asked angrily, "Tell me, why do you call me Dad? What makes you think I'm your dad?"
Hua Xi vaguely realized that her father had forgotten her.
Fortunately, before she went down the mountain, Aunt Huahua told her that her father might lose his memory, and the ginseng baby was only slightly sad before recovering completely.
The next moment, Xixi stood with her hands on her hips, head held high and chest puffed out, and everyone heard a happy shout:
"Daddy has seven stars on his butt!"
"My mom told me that."
Pei Yiyan's silence was deafening:
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