Xie Zhuo said that it was inconvenient to take Kaixin to school because of the cold weather, but when Da Bao and Xiao Bao were sitting on the bicycle, looking longingly at the puppy, he couldn't help but pick up Kaixin and put her in his arms.
Kaixin had just finished eating and was about to lie down for a while when a large hand grabbed her belly. Before she knew it, she was stuck to the male owner's sweater.
It struggled to climb upwards, finally finding a sliver of light, then pushed its head forward...
At first, Da Bao didn't realize what his third uncle had done, but when he saw Kaixin emerge from the second button of Xie Zhuo's cotton-padded jacket, his eyes narrowed with joy.
"Are you happy now?" Xie Zhu put on his scarf.
"I want to too," Xiao Bao said, a little envious as he saw Kaixin nestled against Xie Zhuo's chest.
“You can’t do that,” Xie Zhuo said without turning his head. “You still think you’re a kid? You’ve crawled in here, and Uncle San’s clothes can’t even be buttoned up.”
Xiao Bao was taken aback.
A few seconds later, she chuckled and said, "I also want happiness to get into my clothes."
“That won’t do either,” Xie Zhuo said, straddling his bicycle. “If you catch a cold from all this, your third aunt will scold me.”
Standing to the side, Xu Yan listened to his nonsense, raised her hand and slapped his arm, saying reproachfully, "I want to scold you right now."
"Go ahead and scold them," Xie Zhuo reached out and covered Da Bao and Xiao Bao's eyes, then kissed Xu Yan on the forehead. "Man Cang said the other day that there are candied hawthorns for sale in town. I'll buy some for you when we get back."
Before Xu Yan could say anything, the two kids on the bicycle started making a ruckus.
"I'll buy some for you too," Xie Zhuo said with a smile.
When Xie Zhuo arrived at school, the wind was even stronger, blowing against people's faces like being cut by knives. Kaixin initially showed her head, but later she shrank back into her clothes and wouldn't come out.
There weren't many students in the school to begin with, but today there seemed to be even fewer. Xie Zhuo led Da Bao and Xiao Bao all the way to the classroom, but they didn't see many students.
“It’s so cold today,” Xie Zhuo said, pulling the hats down on the two kids’ heads. “Are you two sure you want to stay at school?”
Da Bao took a step into the classroom.
Xiao Bao followed him inside.
Actually, the commune primary school originally had a stove, but a few years ago, some heartless person sneaked in and knocked it down, breaking off one of the stove's legs.
The school teachers had cleaned up the stove and placed some bricks under it, but because they didn't have money to buy coal, the stove remained unused and placed at the back door of the classroom.
Xie Zhuo watched helplessly as the two kids went into the classroom without looking back. He followed them in and handed them the thermos bottles he had prepared for them.
Just as I was about to say something, I heard a sudden commotion outside.
"A good dog doesn't block the way, you know?"
"Someone like you comes to school? Do you think a dog can understand human speech?"
"Look at these tattered clothes! Anyone who didn't know better would think they were beggars. Stay away from us, they stink!"
"..."
Xie Zhuo frowned and glanced outside. The noise was coming from a slightly off-center location, and he couldn't see anyone.
"Lin Dong!" Da Bao, who was wiping the stool, heard the noise, threw the rag on the table, and ran out.
"Third Uncle, quickly give me Kaixin!" Xiao Bao was a little anxious when he saw Da Bao run away. He struggled a couple of times before remembering that he had brought the puppy with him today.
Zhao Wenhu, who always bullies Lin Dong, is most afraid of dogs.
Xie Zhuo: "..."
Xie Zhuo certainly wouldn't give the dog in his arms to him. On one hand, it was too cold, and Kaixin was currently clinging tightly to his clothes, not even wanting to show its head. On the other hand, if Kaixin really went out and bit other children, then he shouldn't be the third uncle anymore; he should just go back to preschool.
"Let's go take a look," Xie Zhuo said, taking Xiao Bao's hand and following Da Bao toward the source of the sound.
The wind outside is getting stronger.
Xie Zhuo felt cold in the classroom, but at least the classroom blocked the wind. After coming out, the cold wind blew into his face and neck, so he immediately pressed the Lei Feng hat on his head down even further.
Xiao Bao ran forward anxiously, and if Xie Zhuo hadn't held him back, he probably would have tripped and fallen on the spot.
When the two children arrived, Da Bao was already there, standing next to a boy.
The boy was about the same height as Da Bao, and he was wearing a tattered cotton-padded jacket that he had picked up from somewhere. It was covered with patches, and in some places the cotton was sticking out.
A biting north wind blew, and a clump of dark cotton was swept away.
His whole body was covered in black footprints, and he really looked like a little beggar who had no one to take care of him.
"Lin Dong," Xiao Bao called out to the boy, letting go of Xie Zhuo's hand and running towards him.
Lin Dong heard the sound and glanced at Xiao Bao.
Xie Zhuo then got a clear look at the child in front of him.
Like Kaixin, Lin Dong hadn't grown any taller in over a year. Not only had he not grown taller, but his face was also red from the cold, with cracks in some places revealing visible red veins. His hair was very long and hadn't been washed much, sticking out in a messy, unkempt manner. Compared to the clean-cut child he used to be, he was simply...
If Xiao Bao hadn't called out to him, Xie Zhuo wouldn't have recognized him.
“Xie Zhan, Xie Jingyi,” a child standing opposite Lin Dong glared at Da Bao and Xiao Bao, “this is between us and that bastard, I advise you not to interfere.”
“Zhao Wenhu,” Da Bao was not afraid of this fourth-grade student who was a few years older than him at all. He had a cold face and glared at him. “The teacher said that we can’t bully our classmates. Why do you always bully Lin Dong?”
“The teacher said we shouldn’t bully classmates,” Zhao Wenhu said, “but Lin Dong is a bastard, born to be bullied!”
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