Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Aren’t you pretending anymore?
That was the first side.
None of the children at the orphanage liked him much. As a child, Jiang Yuxia was incredibly beautiful, with dark, cat-like eyes and thick, curled eyelashes, even more delicate than the dolls in the window display. Everyone loves beautiful things. Even the cafeteria attendant would give him extra meat when she saw him, and the volunteer brothers and sisters who looked after them would often bring him a candy or two from home.
At that time, he had no concept of fairness. By the time he realized it, no one wanted to play with him anymore. Only Xiaopang would come to him during meal times.
Oh, and Qin Zhixing, he is like an umbrella to him in the orphanage.
But he started junior high school this year, and after entering junior high school, he had to start boarding and could only come back once a week. Jiang Yuxia counted on his fingers and realized that he hadn't seen him for five, six, seven or eight days.
After the little brother and his mother sent him to the orphanage, the director was very angry and gently twisted his ear. He knew it was because she was worried about him, and he didn't feel any pain.
When the dean was chatting with Zhou Boye's mother, Zhou Boye excitedly asked her to take him to see his dormitory.
Jiang Yuxia thought, what's so good about it, but if he wants to see it, then take him to see it.
There were ten people living in one dormitory. The beds were bunk beds made of wood and iron, painted dark blue. There were five beds in one dormitory, just enough for ten people.
The cement floor was a bit bumpy from age, but it was easy to sweep with a broom and clean up any dirt. The white walls were also stained yellow here and black there, but the lighting was bright, so it didn't feel particularly depressing.
As soon as Zhou Boye stepped into the dormitory, nine pairs of eyes looked at him. He looked so out of place in his branded clothes.
No one spoke, but he just stood there, completely separated from their world.
Zhou Boye was stunned for a moment and held Jiang Yuxia's hand tightly.
Jiang Yuxia didn't notice his emotions. She pulled him to her bed and pointed to the upper bed in the corner and said, "This is my bed."
The bed was simple, with a straw mat and a small, crooked floral quilt that he had tried to fold into a tofu block but failed.
"You're going to sleep in the bed? How do you get there?"
Jiang Yuxia pointed to a bare railing embedded next to the bed and said, "Step on this, then grab the railing above and push hard, and you'll be up."
He demonstrated as he spoke, jumping up on his short legs. Zhou Boye frowned, "You're too young to sleep on the bed."
Jiang Yuxia was not even half the height of the bed.
Jiang Yuxia remained silent, because he didn't know how to explain to him that beds weren't assigned, but rather fought for. Only older children could get the lower bunks. There were too many children in the compound, and there were dozens of dormitories like this, row after row. The director's wife was already so consumed with making sure they had enough food to eat that she didn't have the energy to worry about these trivial matters.
He twisted the corner of his shirt with his fingers and said, "I like the top bunk. It's cleaner."
Zhou Boye pursed his lips. Before he could speak, his mother's voice came from outside, "Aye, we are going home."
Jiang Yuxia lowered her eyes and looked at Zhou Boye. She scratched her index finger with her nails and smiled slightly. "Then...goodbye."
Zhou Boye pondered for a moment, then grabbed the railing and stood on the bare iron rod. He took out two candies from his pocket and placed them in Jiang Yuxia's palm. "Be good, brother will come to see you next time."
Jiang Yuxia blinked and said, next time, and next time.
His black hair fell softly in front of his forehead. He nodded, his expression cold, but the tips of his ears turned red without any expression. "Thank you."
Jiang Yuxia held two candies and walked Zhou Boye to the door of the orphanage. The car lights were very bright. Jiang Yuxia stood there and watched the car completely disappear. His long eyelashes spread in front of his eyes, slightly obscuring the expression in his eyes.
The dean patted his shoulder and said, "Xia Xia, let's go."
Jiang Yuxia didn't move. She tugged at the corner of her aunt's clothes with her little hands, raised her head and asked softly, "Auntie, why don't I have a home?"
Is it because he is not obedient enough?
The soft and tender voice soon faded away in the night wind. Having caught a glimpse of happiness, how could one not yearn for it?
The aunt paused, squatted down and hugged him, ruffling his hair with her hands. "Because you are so well behaved, God gave you a bigger home. All of us are family."
The candy in her hand warmed up, and Jiang Yuxia smiled. The little person was so well-behaved that it made people feel distressed. "Then I will be even better. Aunt Dean, please don't leave me forever, okay?"
When he came back, it was already very late and there was no one in the bathroom. He didn't want to take a shower, but when he thought of the clothes Zhou Boye was wearing today, he climbed out of bed, took out clothes from the closet, and ran to the bathroom.
The huge bathroom was divided into small rooms, each with a door. This was what Jiang Yuxia feared the most, as if there were some kind of ghost hiding behind each door. Once you entered a room, they would pop out from the top or bottom, stare at you with a smile, and then swallow you up in one gulp.
He hesitated outside the door for a long time, until the aunt said that the lights would be turned off in half an hour. He took a deep breath, suppressed his fear, walked in, and turned on the water. The light above his head, which was not very bright to begin with, suddenly went out, and he heard a few strange screams in his ears.
Jiang Yuxia's pupils suddenly shrank. Even the hot water splashed on him could not cover up the coldness on his body.
"Click, click", messy footsteps sounded outside the door. Jiang Yuxia stepped back, staring at the door with his cat's eyes.
A vague, ethereal voice echoed in the large bathroom, as if someone was calling his name. Jiang Yuxia clenched her hands. At that moment, a hand reached out from under the bathroom partition. A faint shadow could be seen. In the dim light, a masked face suddenly appeared above the partition.
“!!”
In a panic, Jiang Yuxia tripped over something and fell to the ground with a bang. His vocal cords seemed to be stretched tight, and he couldn't make any sound due to extreme fear.
"Ha ha ha ha……"
"Look at how cowardly he is. Let him not share his candy with us."
"That's right. Yesterday, that old man in the cafeteria gave him some bread, but he didn't share any with us."
"Scare him to death!"
Seeing his appearance, the laughter of several children was heard outside.
At this moment, another voice came in, "What are you doing?"
"Hurry up, hurry up, someone is coming."
There was a flurry of footsteps, the light above Jiang Yuxia's head was turned on, and there was a knock on the partition. "Jiang Yuxia?"
Seeing no sound from inside, Zhou Boye became anxious and kicked the door, which was originally of mediocre quality, open. He saw him and softly called out, "Jiang Yuxia."
Jiang Yuxia was a little dazed, and Zhou Boye moved closer.
He then looked over blankly. The dim light reflected on Zhou Boye's bright casual clothes, making them look a little brighter. Tears slowly filled his eyes.
Zhou Boye: "Xia Xia..."
"Ah——" Jiang Yuxia suddenly burst into tears, wiping the tears from her face with her little hands, unable to utter a word.
Zhou Boye's eyes instantly turned red. He walked over, picked up the towel beside him, and wrapped Jiang Yuxia up. "Don't cry, they're gone."
Jiang Yuxia had been avoiding Zhou Boye's hand, but now she was holding it tightly. It was hard to describe what Zhou Boye's appearance at that time meant to Jiang Yuxia.
After the two returned to the dormitory, Zhou Boye glanced at the group of children gathered together and frowned slightly. Jiang Yuxia's eyes and nose were red from crying and she felt a little embarrassed. Only then did she remember to ask him, "Why are you back again?"
Zhou Boye: "I begged my mother, she couldn't persuade me, so she had to let me come."
Jiang Yuxia sniffed, feeling a little embarrassed for crying so hard just now. She didn't dare look at Zhou Boye, "Why did the director agree to let you live here?"
Seven-year-old Zhou Boye took the towel from Jiang Yuxia's hand. His small hands made the towel seem several times larger. "I said I came to see you, and she agreed. And my mother said she would support the orphanage."
He glanced at the group of kids in the dormitory and said in a louder voice, "My mom said that she won't support those who are disobedient and bully others. If they do, others will have delicious food and fun, but they won't."
The voices of the children who had gathered suddenly became lower, and soon they dispersed.
Funding?
Jiang Yuxia didn't quite understand what this word meant, but it should be a good word. He squatted on the ground, and Zhou Boye stood behind him, wiping his head with a towel. His body swayed from side to side with his movements.
After his hair was successfully turned into a messy mess, with each strand as if it didn't grow on the same head, Zhou Boye finally stopped, still feeling a little unsatisfied: "Okay, it's almost done, let's go to bed."
There's something a little funny about a seven-year-old taking care of a five-year-old.
Zhou Boye came in from home after taking a shower and wearing pajamas. Jiang Yuxia looked at him curiously. It was the first time he knew that there were special clothes for sleeping.
Seeing his curiosity, the little man Zhou Boye generously took off his clothes and gave them to him. "Try it? It's very comfortable."
Jiang Yuxia was thinner than him, and his clothes looked baggy on him, leaving only his belly slightly bulging.
Zhou Boye frowned and pinched his cheek. "Don't you usually eat? Why are you so thin?"
Jiang Yuxia puffed up her cheeks and patted her belly with her little hands. "Eat. Auntie said that if I'm thin now, I'll grow taller in the future. I should be very tall in the future."
As he spoke, he gestured with his hands to show how high "extraordinarily high" was.
Zhou Boye: "Then I want to be a little taller than you."
The two slept in the same bed. Jiang Yuxia opened his small flower quilt and gave half to Zhou Boye. He even sniffed it secretly himself. Fortunately, the quilt cover had been washed for him by the dean's aunt, so it was very clean.
The bed in the dormitory is not big, but it is still suitable for two small children to sleep on, although they are very close to each other.
The child fell asleep very quickly and fell asleep in a few breaths. The only sounds in the dormitory were the heavy and light breathing sounds, and the director's flashlight swept across each dormitory.
In the middle of the night, Jiang Yuxia suddenly woke up with cold sweat on his forehead. Maybe because he was scared today, he had a nightmare. In the dream, many hideous ghosts grabbed his feet and pulled him.
Zhou Boye noticed that he had sat up and woke up drowsily. He rubbed his eyes and asked before he woke up, "What's wrong with you? Did you have a nightmare?"
Jiang Yuxia nodded, her hand tightly grasping a corner of the small flower quilt. A rare hint of emptiness appeared in her big eyes, as if she had not yet recovered from the shock.
"Fly away, fly away." Zhou Boye didn't know who he was imitating, and patted his head gently. "Okay, I'm not afraid anymore."
The two held hands, but Jiang Yuxia kept their big eyes open in the darkness.
Zhou Boye thought for a moment, then took off a pendant from his neck and hung it around Jiang Yuxia's neck. "This pendant was obtained by my grandmother from the temple. I'm giving it to you. If you're scared in the future, hold it. It will protect you."
Jiang Yuxia reached out and held the pendant, which was in the shape of a "boat". Because it had just been taken off, it was still warm, as if it was made of jade.
Zhou Boye: "My nickname is Zhou Zhou, so the pendant is a small boat. What's your nickname?"
Jiang Yuxia: "I don't have a nickname."
He added, "Kids here don't have nicknames."
Zhou Boye pondered for a moment, "Why don't you call yourself Youyou, which means blessing. That way, all the Bodhisattvas in the world can bless you, and you won't be afraid anymore."
…
The tender child's voice seemed to still float in his ears. Jiang Yuxia lowered his eyes and looked at Zhou Boye, the temperature under his hands was burning hot.
After he responded, Zhou Boye paused slightly, and the next moment his lips slowly curled up. Perhaps because he was still running a fever, his voice was a little hoarse, and he chuckled softly, "Youyou, are you not pretending anymore?"
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