Chapter 141 I Miss You
"Don't cry, sweetie."
Xie Chen looked at him and carefully reached out her hand, wanting to help him wipe away his tears.
Mu Yan seemed to suddenly get angry, turning her face away slightly in a bit of irritation.
Xie Chen sighed helplessly and reached out to pull him into his arms.
"Did it hurt? How about you hit me back?"
Compared to when they parted, Xie Chen seemed to be much taller than him. Now, holding him in his arms felt like hugging a giant Rilakkuma, effortless.
"You were gone for so long," Mu Yan choked back a sob, "and when you came back you hit me...you even threw away my tricolor cup..."
Xie Chen held him quietly, pressing him tightly against his chest, and gently patted his back, allowing him to vent all the grievances he had accumulated over the past few days.
"Last year and the year before, I thought you would come back for the Lunar New Year..."
"I'm sorry, I should have come back, but..."
Xie Chen wanted to explain, but no matter how he tried, it all seemed rather weak and unconvincing.
"I miss you......."
Mu Yan buried his head in his neck, his hair tickling him a little.
Xie Chen's heart skipped a beat. He gently touched Mu Yan's hair and whispered an apology.
"I...I'm fine now, you don't need to apologize to me..." Mu Yan said softly, "I know you were worried about me today, and you had important things to do to stay home for the New Year..."
“I’ve grown up. Even when you’re not around, I help Aunt He change light bulbs and move things…”
Xie Chen touched his hair again.
Xie Chen differentiated early and grew tall quickly; before he left, Mu Yan was only a little below his chest.
Now, Yan Yan has grown very tall, and he has to droop his head to bury it in his neck.
But Mu Yan was still very obedient. Even though he was only ten centimeters shorter than me when he stood up, he still obediently stretched out his hand when I said I was going to hit his palm.
"But...but you have to buy me another ice cream."
“Okay,” Xie Chen said, avoiding the slightly swollen area on his palm, and gently grasped his wrist. “Brother will take you to buy ice cream.”
“Brother,” Mu Yan sniffed, calming his breathing, “I’ll carry my own schoolbag.”
Xie Chen shook his head and slung his small backpack higher on his shoulder.
He and Mu Yan grew up together, and carrying Mu Yan's schoolbag had almost become a habit.
Not to mention his schoolbag, sometimes when Mu Yan fell asleep on the bus home, he would carry him home with him.
Xie Chen first met Mu Yan when he was ten years old in the winter.
This was the first time he had come to this unfamiliar city with his mother. The new house was a mess, with cardboard boxes piled up all over the floor, and there was hardly any room to step.
While He Qingyun was packing her luggage, Aunt Mu from next door came over with a bag of fruit to help.
The two adults seemed to have met once before when He Qingyun first came to see the house. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Mu Juanhua placed the fruit on the coffee table and then quickly began to help.
"Xiao Chen, don't just stand there like an idiot." His mother ruffled his hair. "Go and pour Aunt Mu a cup of tea."
Actually, the kitchen wasn't tidy either. The kettle was nowhere to be found. Xie Chen wandered around the kitchen, but he couldn't just rummage through the luggage. So, he came back somewhat helplessly and asked He Qingyun where he should get water.
They couldn't even get water to serve the guests. He Qingyun lowered her head and smiled somewhat embarrassedly. Mu Juanhua smiled and said she wasn't thirsty.
As the year drew to a close, not many small restaurants remained open. As dusk settled, Mu Juanhua naturally asked He Qingyun if she wanted to come to her home for dinner.
He Qingyun wasn't the type to trouble others, but now, just as Mu Juanhua said, it was getting close to the end of the year, and it was hard to find a place to eat outside.
She hesitated, thinking of asking Mu Juanhua to cook some rice noodles or something for her and her son.
Moving workers were coming and going, and the front door of He Qingyun's house remained open. Suddenly, a dark mass rolled to the doorway.
Xie Chen was startled, thinking it was some kind of little black cat or dog. But upon closer inspection, he realized it was a child wearing a black down jacket.
"Oh my baby," He Qingyun was startled by him, "Why are you here?"
"Mommy," the child said in a childish voice, "it's almost five o'clock, can I turn on the TV to watch cartoons?"
Mu Juanhua smiled, then looked at Xie Chen and asked him if he was hungry and if he wanted to go see an animated film with his younger brother.
“It’s almost the end of the year, and most restaurants are closed now,” Mu Juanhua said, turning to He Qingyun. “Don’t be shy, come to our house for dinner later. Please don’t be shy, we’ll just make you some noodles or dumplings…”
Xie Chen was past the age of watching cartoons, but as soon as the child came in, he tried to take his hand and watch cartoons with him. The child's hand was soft, and he whispered in Xie Chen's ear that he had hidden a bag of cookies that he could share with his brother.
Xie Chen, led by the child, carefully slowed his pace and went with him to his house, where they sat on the sofa to watch TV.
Knowing that the child's mother probably wouldn't let him eat snacks at this time, Xie Chen smiled and shook his head when the child found a big bag of cookies to share with him, saying that it was almost time to eat and he shouldn't eat snacks anymore.
The child gave a somewhat disappointed "oh" and said he would listen to his brother.
Xie Chen smiled, patted his head, and said, "You're such a good boy."
Perhaps the child was thinking about it and getting a little angry, but when the background music started playing at a crucial moment in the cartoon, he suddenly stood up, wobbled, and pushed open the door to a room.
"Go to the restroom?" Xie Chen initially thought. But after a long time, he didn't seem to hear the sound of flushing.
"Xiao Bao," Xie Chen said, before even asking his name, choosing a nickname that most children use, "What's wrong? Are you going to the bathroom or to your room to get something?"
Xie Chen didn't hear what the child said. He frowned slightly. It wasn't convenient for him to just push open the door to the child's house, nor was it good to just ignore him.
He hesitated for a moment, but still pushed open the door the child had just gone through, following the direction from which the sound had come.
That's the kitchen in the child's house.
The water in the pot was boiling and was almost ready to boil. The child was standing on a small stool with a bag of frozen dumplings next to him.
Although it was almost obvious what he was doing, Xie Chen still didn't react immediately when he heard the sound of water about to boil.
This child, who is not even as tall as his chest, is cooking dumplings for himself.
Almost instinctively, he swiftly grabbed the child by the waist, lifted him off the small stool, and immediately turned off the gas stove.
"What are you doing?" Xie Chen instinctively snapped at him, "Don't you know this is dangerous...?"
The child seemed to realize that he had done something wrong and carefully touched his nose.
"I thought my brother wasn't eating cookies because he was hungry and wanted to eat a proper meal, so I wanted to make you dumplings..."
Xie Chen glanced at him, somewhat speechless.
"No matter what, Xiaobao shouldn't play with fire."
The matter ended with Xie Chen calling in an adult. Gas was too dangerous, so Mu Juanhua lightly tapped Mu Yan's palm with a ruler for the first time.
She had never taught Mu Yan how to use the gas stove, and she didn't know when he had secretly learned it by watching her cook. Mu Yan had never been hit before; she had only patted him a few times, and he cried until his eyes were red and swollen, making it impossible for anyone to hit him.
She couldn't bring herself to do it, but gas was a serious matter, so she hardened her heart and scolded the child, telling him to learn a lesson and never play with the gas stove by himself again.
The rent for this apartment is cheap, and it's very close to the restaurant where Mu Juanhua works. The only downside is that there haven't been any playmates of similar age to Mu Yan in the neighborhood.
Now that He Qingyun and Xie Chen have moved in, Xie Chen, who is five years older than Mu Yan, has unexpectedly gotten along very well with him. Now even this problem has been solved, and Mu Juanhua is very happy.
After knowing Mu Yan for a while, Xie Chen realized that Mu Yan wasn't a particularly outgoing or sweet-talking child, but he was surprisingly cheerful and enthusiastic in front of him, always calling him "brother" this and "brother" that.
The schools in this area are not far apart, and from elementary to junior high school, going to and from school with Mu Yan has almost become a habit.
He and Mu Yan were forced to separate when he went to military school for high school.
Mu Yan is a beta, and the capital's No. 1 Military Academy doesn't offer many specializations for betas, only logistics specializations like fighter jet maintenance and medical care.
These professional benefits are no different from other majors, and they are safe and easy. They are almost all reserved for the children of the rich and powerful. Therefore, ordinary betas like Mu Yan, who have no background, have almost no chance of getting into the First Military Academy.
Xie Chen had originally attended a top high school here. A week before he received his admission notice from the Capital's First Military Academy, he had a minor disagreement with Mu Yan because he had lost a love letter that someone else had given to Mu Yan.
There's nothing really going on normally, but there are always rumors in the Northern Theater Command that war is coming. Not long ago, he had assured Mu Yan that even if the admission notice came, he wouldn't go to military school.
Before the two could even begin to speak, the admission notice was reissued, and the teacher called to say that there had been a problem with the admissions office and they hadn't been able to contact him.
Xie Chen boarded the school bus to the military academy. Just before the bus started moving, Xie Chen followed his comrade's gaze and looked out the window, where he saw Mu Yan with red, tear-filled eyes behind He Qingyun.
His mother and Aunt Mu waved to him, and Mu Yan stood behind them, gently wiping his eyes.
Xie Chen waved goodbye to the three of them. He Qingyun and Mu Juanhua waved back, but Mu Yan turned her face away slightly, as if she was still angry.
Xie Chen doesn't regret going to military school. If he hadn't gone to military school, when Aunt Mu is sick and needs money, he wouldn't be able to run around and find a few officers he knows to help her family with the medical insurance procedures.
His only regret was that when he left... he hadn't had a chance to comfort Mu Yan.
"...Are you still angry about me going to military school?"
Mu Yan shook his head, his eyes reddening again at the mention of the matter.
"I know you're worried about me," Xie Chen said softly. "I know you're not angry because I threw away the love letters someone else gave you..."
"I'm sorry for making you worry... Shall we go buy ice cream now?"
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