Chapter 42 Not Superman
After the birthday party, Mianli seemed like a different person.
She often stares blankly during the day, no longer acts coquettishly towards adults, and her favorite kisses and hugs no longer work.
Food no longer tastes good, and even my favorite caramel cookies have lost their appeal.
Seeing that he was depressed, Zhuo Can tried various ways to cheer the little guy up, but with little success.
I can still find ways to divert my attention during the day, but it’s even harder at night.
Mianli must sleep in his arms. His sleeping position, which used to be able to rotate 360 degrees during the night, has now become extremely well-behaved, like a doll.
Not only does he not move at all when he's asleep, but he can also be woken up by the slightest noise.
There were several times when I cried loudly in nightmares, screaming in extreme fear, "No", "Don't go", "No...!"
Zhuo Can couldn't wake him up, and was so anxious that he was sweating all over. He could only hold the child tightly in his arms.
He gently patted His back, repeating over and over again, "Don't be afraid, Lili is at home. No one would dare to hurt you."
The word "home" seemed to have touched a sensitive nerve in the child, making him cry even more sadly.
Zhuo Can was extremely worried, but he didn't know what he could do.
After a long time, Mianli finally opened her eyes tremblingly, and murmured as if she was afraid to confirm his existence: "Cancan...?"
Zhuo Can breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, I'm here."
Mianli sobbed, clutching his collar with her small hands, and stubbornly repeated, "Cancan won't leave... Cancan won't leave..."
Zhuo Can hugged Him tighter: "Okay, I won't leave, I won't leave, don't be afraid."
Mian Li imitated his words: "I won't leave, I won't leave..."
The references were a bit confusing, and I didn't know whether I was talking to myself or to him.
But my old father was very sad.
It all started with a birthday party.
Zhuo Can kept thinking about what details he had missed that day.
He had the impression that everything was perfect; he ate the cake smoothly and played the game without any problems.
Could it be that something bad happened in a corner that he didn't see, causing Xiao Mianli to have this reaction that was almost like post-traumatic stress disorder?
Zhuo Can frowned and called each person one by one to ask, "Did anyone else come that day? Was there anyone... uh, someone we didn't know or weren't familiar with? Was there anything strange?"
Tao Yingjia, who had been staying in the attic with Mianli, shook her head and said, "We had a lot of fun. Lili and I made a lot of snowmen."
Qi Rui was present the whole time: "I have no impression. The little guy ate the cake and then went to play with Jia Jia. He didn't come downstairs until Mr. Lu came. He should not have come into contact with other people in the meantime."
"Most people had left when I arrived that day," Lu Song said.
Lu Song remembered that he came alone that day. When he arrived, he saw that most people had already gone home, and it felt a bit deserted.
So no one could figure out what went wrong.
The old father's intuition told Zhuo Can that there must be a fragment in everyone's seemingly complete memory.
This missing part must be related to the abnormality of the sleeping ritual.
Because it is too perfect, it seems weird.
Just leaving out Mian Li, it was difficult for him to find the problem with the gods' affairs on his own.
The usually cheerful and laughing little kid became worried, and even the nursery teacher noticed it.
When Zhuo Can came to pick up Mian Li, Teacher Min quietly asked the little guy what was wrong.
Zhuo Can smiled bitterly: "I want to know too."
If he could know who the culprit was who made the little guy unhappy, he would chase him to the ends of the earth to "take revenge".
*
What comforts Zhuo Can is that Mianli still has some happy moments like before: playing with Tao Yingjia.
The two children sometimes quarreled, but they rarely fought and got along harmoniously most of the time.
The old Lili and Jiajia factions had long been abolished. The two of them no longer played with other children and squeezed into their own little corner.
Sometimes I take little Taomian with me, but more often I think a one-year-old baby is too childish, so it’s just the four-year-old and the three-year-old.
Only in front of Tao Yingjia, Mianli is still that unruly little kid, who can temporarily forget the shackles on his tender little body.
He is a young seedling that needs to be watered with a lot of love, and Tao Yingjia is his last spring of sweet water.
After meeting Tao's parents at Qi Rui and Xiao Hui's wedding, Zhuo Can would meet Tao's father every time he came to the daycare to pick up his child, and they would chat for a while.
When they parted, Zhuo Can rode his small electric scooter worth two or three thousand yuan, while Tao's father drove a nice car worth tens or even millions of yuan.
Zhuo Can has a good attitude and doesn't feel unbalanced.
They were not originally from the same world. If it weren't for Mian Li, even if he got married and had children in the future, he wouldn't have sent them to such a high-end daycare center.
Because of the appearance of Mianli, the trajectory of life has taken a slight turn.
Money is just a material thing, as long as it is enough for you to spend, it's fine.
But the encounter with the little god is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Mianli sat in the basket of the car, and Tao Yingjia lowered the window.
The two children stayed together in the nursery class for the entire day and were still reluctant to leave each other.
Mian Li waved his hand: "Bye~"
Tao Yingjia also tried hard to wave at Him: "Goodbye!"
"See you tomorrow!"
"Yeah! See you tomorrow!"
The nonsense, which sounded meaningless to adults, lasted for a full ten minutes.
Seeing that the child's marathon farewell had finally come to an end, Zhuo Can and Tao's father both breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhuo Can smiled at Tao's father and rode forward first.
After riding for a while, Mian Li felt uneasy and stood up again, waving his hands frantically: "We agreed that we must see each other tomorrow, tomorrow too!"
He stood up so suddenly that even the car became unstable and shook several times.
Zhuo Can was startled and quickly pushed him back: "I have to buy you a child seat tomorrow and tie it up."
In the past, Mianli would have refused, saying that he was a powerful little god and didn't need such childish things.
But today, Mianli actually sat back obediently, facing forward, and became melancholy again.
This child, who is only old enough to be counted on one hand, has experienced all kinds of hardships, so what is he feeling melancholy about?
Zhuo Can asked him, but he didn't say anything and sighed heavily.
His back is only about one meter tall, but he looks so deep.
As summer arrives, the evening wind is scorching hot. Zhuo Can feels hot even in his short sleeves. The little god can regulate his own body temperature and doesn't care whether it is over 30 degrees.
Mortals feel envious.
Is there any way to get a little coolness?
Zhuo Can wanted to cheer him up, so he asked, "Do you want some ice cream?"
Mianli nodded.
Zhuo Can went to a small shop to buy ice cream and parked his electric bike on the side of the road.
He ordered two chocolate-covered ones, one with raspberry mint flavor and the other with sea salt cheese flavor.
The packaging is nice and the taste sounds novel, I'd give it a try.
Zhuo Can paid the money and walked back with the ice cream.
At first glance, Mianli was lying on the basket, with his little hands supporting his cheek, staring at the red, green and yellow floor tiles in a daze.
It is heavy and full of young thoughts.
It turns out that God can also be so sad.
*
Fortunately, children’s worries come and go quickly.
Zhuo Can was prepared for a long battle and counseling for the child's psychological problems, but after a few days, the sleeping ritual was restored.
It’s still the same as before, I am the only one in the world, Mian Xiaoli is the best in the world.
Zhuo Can felt like a funny character in a cartoon. Just when he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he was choked by the next bite.
His worries did not end there, he noticed something else.
——Mian Li’s magical power seemed to have declined.
The word "decline" is used because they have not completely disappeared, but some of them still remain.
But even this part is very unstable.
No one can tell which of His original powers remain and which are gone.
For example, today He used some method to climb up the closet, and when He came down He jumped without thinking.
You know, He could originally fly.
Whether in another world or here, as long as He needs to land, the clouds will appear automatically and wrap Him up safely without even a second of delay.
From birth till now, there has never been any mistake.
But today, they are all gone.
Mianli fell straight down from the roof like an ordinary human being.
This was the horror movie scene that Zhuo Can saw as soon as he entered the room. His heart was about to jump out of his throat. He rushed over in one step and caught the little fairy in time and accurately, even better than a goalkeeper.
"Oh my dear, please don't climb so high again!!"
He is no longer young and his heart is fragile, so he cannot withstand such intimidation.
Mian Li not only did not reflect on himself, but also turned the tables and said: "Li Li is not the ancestor, Li Li is the god!"
It seemed as if clearing his name was a big deal, far more important than almost falling just now.
“…Is this the point?!”
Mianli was very angry.
Zhuo Can surrendered: "Okay, okay, whatever you say is what it is."
Just when I thought the issue was over, Mian Li asked again, "What are ancestors?"
Zhuo Can: "Uh, just... just a very important person."
"Okay then." Mianli understood completely and nodded generously, "Lili can be your ancestor."
Zhuo Can: “…”
It seems like you don’t understand at all!
But Mian Li was not wrong. As far as the current situation was concerned, he was really his little ancestor.
More precious than our ancestors.
It was obvious that the power of the little god was fading.
It was also obvious that the little god himself was unaware of this and his habits remained unchanged.
That's the problem.
Someone must be watching Him all the time and helping Him correct various things that ordinary humans would do in order to prevent Him from accidentally hurting himself.
In order to provide better protection and help the little fairy adapt to the stage of losing his divine power, Zhuo Can gritted his teeth, gave up his performance bonus, asked for half a month's leave from the company, and kept a close eye on him around the clock.
The nursery teachers are very responsible, but with so many children, it is impossible for the teachers to take care of everything, so omissions are inevitable.
Special circumstances require special treatment.
When Zhuo Can was working from nine to seven, he missed Qi Rui because of Ming Li, who was sometimes sent to Qi Rui's home and sometimes to the nursery class.
Now that he is with her every day, Mianli feels bored staying at home all day.
In short, I am not satisfied at all.
The old father did everything he could, and first asked Qi Rui to bring Zhizhi and Taotao over.
The little fairy has been going to daycare recently and hasn’t played with the cats for a long time.
As soon as the cats were in position, a fight between the three of them broke out, and the whole house was filled with flying fur.
Poor Zhuo Can, he sneezed one after another and his nose turned red.
This was not enough, so Xiaohui was asked to contact Tao Yingjia's parents and ask Jiajia to come and stay for two days.
Zhuo Can didn't tell Mian Li in advance because he wanted to give him a surprise.
While the little fairy was busy chasing the cats up and down, someone knocked on the door.
The kid and the two cats stopped and looked at Zhuo Can, their eyes saying, why don’t you open the door?
Zhuo Can said, "Kamisama, my hand hurts. Could you please open the door for me?"
Originally, the little fairy could open the door by just waving his hand, but now he has to do it himself.
Mianli rode on Zhizhi, stood on the back of the big doll, and turned the handle tremblingly.
The door opened and Tao Yingjia stood outside carrying her small suitcase.
The older boy bowed politely, "Hello, Brother Xiao Zhuo. Hello, Li Li. Excuse me, may I come in?"
Mian Li was surprised and happy, and rushed towards him with a "Wow!"
The two children almost fell to the ground.
Zhuo Can looked at the two children playing and fighting, feeling happy but also a little disappointed.
Children always have to grow up.
He comforted himself.
*
Tao Yingjia's mother specially bought two new one-piece pajamas, Lili's is a pink and white bunny, and Jiajia's is an orange bear.
After putting on the hat, the rabbit ears and bear ears can actually move.
The two little animals lay side by side, covered with a small quilt, and said good night to the adults together.
So cute.
They always cuddled together during nap time in kindergarten, and now was no exception.
It's summer now, and it's quite hot if we keep sticking together like this.
In the middle of the night, Mian Li was half asleep, his eyes were not even fully open yet. He broke free from Jia Jia Bear's hug and wanted to get up to open the window.
The little fairy was very agile and even though he was still asleep, he used his hands and feet to climb up to the windowsill flexibly.
Then he stepped on Taotao who was sleeping soundly.
The tabby cat whimpered and its fur stood on end. Just as it was about to fight back, it saw Mian Li push open the window and stick half of his body out.
The wind on an early summer night is light and gentle. Mian Li has not yet woken up from the heat in his sleep. He just feels that the wind is so comfortable and he wants to feel it more.
He leaned forward again, and Taotao bit the corner of his clothes, whimpering, "What are you doing! Come back quickly!"
The shout woke Tao Yingjia up, who rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he saw.
Fortunately, the boy's body reacted faster than his brain, and he grabbed Mian Li tightly before he fell: "Li Li——!!"
Mian Li was awake now, his eyes were dazed and helpless: "Jia Jia..."
Tao Yingjia was half lying on the bay window, holding on to Him with both hands, and he himself was in danger.
"I won't let go! You have to hold on!"
Although he said that, his arms were so sore and his hands hurt too.
Mianli weighs much less than a normal child, only the weight of a cat.
But even if it was a cat, it would not be easy for a four-year-old child to hold it in such an emergency situation.
Taotao couldn't help here, so she hurried to find Zhuo Can.
Tao Yingjia was so anxious that he was sweating profusely.
In fact, he didn't know what would happen if Mianli fell from such a height, or if Mianli and himself fell together.
He only knew that he must not fall.
Mian Li wanted to summon clouds and mist like before, but they couldn't come out no matter how hard he tried.
God the Father...
God the Father sealed His ability to fly.
The child's face turned red, but he still couldn't exert any strength.
A light golden light flickered around him, dim like a firefly.
Tao Yingjia burst into tears before him, crying and shouting, "No, no... you can't let go! I, I will definitely save you!"
He had never wanted to grow up so badly as he did at that moment.
If you were an adult, you wouldn't be unable to do anything.
Just as Zhuo Can in the next room was awakened by Taotao's paw and was trying hard to understand the cat's anxious intentions, Tao Yingjia reached his limit. Not only did he fail to pull up Mian Li, he was also dragged out of the window by gravity.
Am I going to die... Am I going to die?
If I die, will my parents be sad?
Who will protect my sister in the future?
The boy couldn't think of an answer, so all he could do was hold the smaller one tightly in his arms.
They fell quickly downstairs. No one saw this in the quiet night, and no one noticed that the two children fell as lightly as leaves.
The living being's instinct for survival will override everything else.
At the critical moment, the little god's golden light broke through the seal and was forcibly activated.
But they did not gather clouds, instead they summoned the flowers downstairs.
Zhuo Can's face turned pale and his heart stopped as he clung to the windowsill and looked down. The scene he saw was that countless plants in the garden downstairs had grown several meters high, layer upon layer, tightly entangled together, forming a flawless web.
The two children were held steadily by the sea of flowers.
Seeing that they had miraculously survived, the adults upstairs felt their knees weaken and they fell to the ground.
A second later, he jumped up and ran downstairs.
The fragrance of flowers...
The rich, floral fragrance, which they had never experienced before, overwhelmed the two children.
The vines gently bent down, and the sea level of the colorful flowers gradually receded, carrying the children back to the ground.
Mianli and Jiajia lay in the moonlight, among the flowers, feeling dizzy.
Tao Yingjia blinked in disbelief: "We...are alive?"
His eyes widened and Mian Li chuckled.
The little fairy put his hands behind his head, as if he didn't take the tragedy that almost happened seriously at all, and was quite proud: "Li Li is really awesome, right~?"
Tao Yingjia hugged Him and sighed, "I was scared to death just now."
This was an ordinary yet extraordinary summer night adventure when little Tao Yingjia was four years old.
When asked about their dreams, children of the same age, especially boys, always say they want to be Superman or Oman.
If asked why, just say that this way we can defeat monsters and save the world.
Tao Yingjia always thought they were childish.
He is a very pragmatic kid and has long known that Superman and the like are all scams.
He wants to be a great scientist, preferably an astronaut, and explore the wonders of space.
Until this night, under the clear and cloudless night sky and countless flowers looking down at them, Tao Yingjia also wanted to be Superman.
In this way, the sleeping ritual can be protected.
The author has something to say:
Title from Wei Chen's "Fen // SHEN Lover"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
