0128 Extra Chapter: I'll miss that one short night, but it's better than a lifetime.
Qi Yu didn't dare touch the girl in front of him. Her skin was so delicate that even a light touch would leave a red mark, while his palms were covered with wounds and scabs, which would inevitably hurt her.
He had just been kicked out by Aunt Qi's son. The burly man, whose fat jiggled with every step, grabbed him by the collar and threw him out. He then turned and went back into the house. Seeing a little girl on the mattress, he smiled contemptuously and threw the mattress out with her.
The January wind in Jingyang was biting cold, and he wrapped all his clothes around the little girl.
Qi Yu watched her grow from birth to this age, but he was still at a loss as to how to take care of her all by himself. The little girl, who couldn't walk yet, was on all fours on the mattress, sometimes using her head to help with the effort. She didn't show any discomfort or unhappiness with the change in her surroundings; on the contrary, she was always cheerful. Her smile was beautiful. After staring at him for a while, she stretched out her two short arms, asking for a hug.
His long, slender hands trembled as he nervously picked her up, his trembling fingers reaching out to touch the little girl's smooth face. The slightest touch made her grin.
But he couldn't control his strength, or the girl got impatient. After being touched for a while, she reached out her little hand and pushed away the man's big hand, making some cooing sounds.
He forgot where he heard it, but sometimes even mothers can't understand what children are saying. However, he was able to decipher the meaning from this string of indistinct babbling sounds.
"Stop touching me, I'm not happy."
The little girl blinked her puzzled big eyes and stared curiously at the person who suddenly laughed. She patted his face in the same way he did, and surprisingly, she could read a trace of concern on his little face. Qi Yu buried his head in her soft body and wrapped her little arms around his head.
Alright then, let's live on together.
Heading south, they settled in a dilapidated temple in Xijin. Qi Yu had never been to a place so far south before and didn't know what they used to keep warm in winter. The temple was drafty, and the cold wind felt like it was piercing his bones when it hit his skin.
He could only take off his clothes and press the little girl, whose face was blue from the cold, against his skin to warm her up. She hadn't eaten for a long time and didn't even have the strength to cry. She was making weak, sick kitten-like sounds.
He stole rice cakes from the Bodhisattva, mixed them with water, and fed them to her. The sticky paste got stuck in the child's thin throat, causing her to gasp for breath in pain, her little face turning purple. He laid her flat on the ground and knelt frantically beside her, at a loss for what to do.
Next to the temple, there was a small shed that a resident had built without permission. An elderly, hunchbacked woman lived alone inside. Every time she came out, she would sigh at them. Today, her sigh was particularly loud, and as usual, she threw down a large garbage bag.
Qi Yu heard the sound and ran out. The trash bag was closer to the temple than usual. Without hesitation, he went over and opened the bag. On it were two ripe bananas, their peels not yet completely black, and they were soft to the touch.
Overjoyed, he rushed back, mashed the bananas into a puree, mixed it with water, and fed it to her spoonful by spoonful.
Qi Yu's first job in Xijin was carrying cement on a construction site. The employer frowned at first because of his thin appearance, but when he couldn't find any more workers, he called him back. Seeing that he was homeless and had a child in his arms, the employer took pity on him and took him home, settling him in an empty carport in the yard.
The construction site pays wages daily. On his first day, he excitedly ran off to buy a bag of milk powder for the little girl. He borrowed hot water from the employer's house and brewed the milk. The little girl curiously craned her neck to look, and some milk droplets splashed onto her face. She blinked one eye and giggled at him.
Qi Yu shook the baby bottle, deliberately enticing her with his gestures.
"Do you want it? Do you like it?"
The little girl stretched out her hand with all her might, her brows furrowed in anxiety, her little mouth opening and closing repeatedly before finally uttering a single, clear word.
"want!"
It was the excitement of a new life sprouting green shoots. Qi Yu couldn't stop smiling. He leaned in and deliberately pressed his dusty face against her fair and tender little face. The little girl didn't mind at all and tilted her head to bite his face. She had grown a tooth on each side, which was very hard on his skin.
Qi Yu hurriedly picked her up, coaxed her to let go, and then put the bottle into her little mouth. She held the bottle tightly and sucked hard, occasionally taking it down and shouting "Want!"
He touched her gradually swelling belly, gently rubbing it, as if talking to himself.
"I'll call you Yao Yao, okay?"
"want!"
They laughed all night.
Later, Yao Yao grew a full set of white teeth and was no longer satisfied with just drinking milk powder. So Qi Yu took a week's salary from his employer and went to the small restaurant he had been craving for a long time, and extravagantly picked out four dishes to bring back.
She can talk more now, and during the day she can even help her employer, an elderly woman, stand guard in the yard.
Qi Yu's first time eating out was a failure. That evening, his little princess commented on the four dishes: one was too salty, one was too spicy, one was undercooked, and only one was decent, but the portion was too small.
Upon hearing this, Qi Yu quickly dressed and went to the market to buy some vegetables. He borrowed the stove from his employer, Auntie, and cooked some light dishes himself. Little Yao Yao, who was extremely hungry, lay on his back, biting his neck with her mouth open, and even stuffed her head into his collar, nibbling at his collarbone.
The employer, an older woman, liked Yao Yao very much and came over to take her in her arms, but the little girl clung tightly to her neck and refused to go over no matter what.
After the food was ready, they didn't disturb the old lady. They took the plates back to their little shed and ate their meal, one bite for you, one bite for me. Exhausted, they finished the meal and she had already snuggled into his arms and was dozing off.
Qi Yu gently patted her back and spoke to her, as if he were writing in a diary.
"I only found out today where all that cement was moved to. It's a huge courtyard that you can't see the end of, surrounded by a very long red wall. Outsiders can't get in. I heard that a very famous family lives there, although I've never heard of them. But they were all very nice. An old lady with gray hair even came out and poured me a glass of water."
Yao Yao fell asleep, and Qi Yu got up to put her on the bed. At first, the little girl was too temperamental and wouldn't even sleep on the bed. She just lay in his arms to sleep, as if this somewhat hard embrace was her home and her everything.
The cement to be transported to the red house was finally moved. The employer settled everyone's wages, giving him an extra sum as a token of appreciation for his work attitude. They suddenly became rich and were even able to rent a small house in Xijin.
Yao Yao didn't know what Qi Yu was busy with every day. She just didn't want to be home alone. She stared at him with her big eyes, her attitude firm.
Qi Yu then took her to work with him. No matter what others said about her, whether she was his sister, daughter, or young wife, he would just smile. His boss, who wore a loose-fitting suit, liked to tease her, calling her "Little Housekeeper" and even letting her count money, saying that the little girl's hands were chubby and good for making money.
Often they would sit in the room without turning on the lights, watching people come in one by one, some with tragic expressions, some trembling, some delirious, to sign and put their fingerprints on the document. The boss would then take a wad of cash from the safe and throw it in front of the person.
But sometimes they would leave, each carrying a stick, and they would draw two red lines on their faces with a pen. Whenever this happened, Qi Yu wouldn't take her with him. The boss would sit there, a cigarette dangling from his lips, shaking his bald head.
“You’re such a good girl, you didn’t cry. You can leave her with my little sweetheart. She likes children and will raise her for you.”
Qi Yu declined the boss's offer. She was obedient and never ran around or moved around. She just sat quietly in the empty room, swinging her little feet.
Until that day, a man covered in blood burst into the room.
He immediately spotted the little girl sitting on the safe. He propped himself up and collapsed to the floor. An adult and a little girl stared at each other silently until he recovered, picked up an apple from the table, and mumbled a question to her.
"Little friend, where are your parents?"
She didn't speak or answer, but her eyes kept looking back. Qi Yu pushed the door open and came in. He quickly ran over, picked up Yao Yao, and hid her in his arms.
The shop owner laughed behind the man, pulled him to his feet, and began to introduce him.
"Come on, everyone, come over here and let's get to know each other properly. This is our real boss, Jin Quan. Boss Jin, and this is the newest and most formidable guy I told you about, Qi Yu."
Their lives improved, and they rented a house with a bathroom. At first, Qi Yu was a little embarrassed when he bathed her, but he gradually became more skilled. Later, when she grew a bit older, he bought a bath towel to wrap around her waist. She was very active, and her little paws would always manage to pull the cumbersome towel off, and she would then lie on top of him.
Qi Yu tucked her under his arm, put down her clothes, and went into the bathroom. He skillfully turned on the water, prepared his things and placed them beside him. He then put the little girl, whose face was covered in dust from playing, into the bathroom. Her little legs kicked powerfully, and he grabbed her two ankles with one hand, which made her giggle again.
She's been incredibly active lately. I just helped her take off her pants and put them aside, and the little girl, wearing only her underwear, ran out barefoot. She stomped her feet on the floor with a thud, her laughter echoing all the way.
Helpless, the young man could only get up and chase after her. The two, one big and one small, chased each other in the living room. Her feet were wet, and she stumbled and ran around on the ground. Qi Yu chased after her, wiping the water droplets off the ground as he ran.
She was eventually carried back to the bathroom by her ankles, almost upside down. When she saw the tub full of water, she excitedly plunged in, splashing water everywhere in the small space, and even Qi Yu's clothes got mostly wet.
He pretended to be angry and put on a stern face. The little girl who was playing in the water immediately quieted down, floated over with a smile, hugged him, pouted her pink lips, and kissed his face with drool.
The anger that hadn't even existed vanished instantly. He magically produced a small bouquet of flowers, took her little hand, washed the petals clean, and then tossed them into the bathtub. The petals floated on the water, emitting an unadorned, natural fragrance, and her little hands splashed around in the water even more joyfully.
After her bath, the fragrant little pig snuggled in his arms, grabbing his collar and trying to squeeze inside. Qi Yu first put her on the sofa, threw the clothes he had thrown on the floor into the newly bought washing machine, and then dragged his tired body out. The little girl had already run to the open window and was grabbing a bird's head and stuffing it into her mouth.
The little baby's hands are always so quick. This time, she actually managed to grab the little bird that had landed on the railing. She held it tightly with her two chubby little hands, and even when the bird's sharp beak poked her face, she wouldn't let go. Qi Yu quickly ran over and, with a heavy heart, slapped her fair little hand. She finally felt the pain and let go, and started crying.
He held her in his arms and comforted her. The little girl instinctively threw herself against his chest and bit his nipple, even through a layer of wet clothes. He pulled himself away and saw her scrunched-up little face. Helpless, he could only lift his shirt and let her throw herself against his chest, pressing her favorite spot of skin against his nipple.
Qi Yu hallucinated on the 500th time he was bitten, and he was also able to have his milk sucked out.
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