Chapter 35: A Tiny Fried Egg
“Why?” Chen Yaoguang looked in shock at the woman who had lived her entire life as a meek, submissive person without an opinion of her own. A lifetime of hard labor had stolen the youth from her once-pretty face. Wrinkles crept across her skin, which had never known the touch of skincare products, and her sunken eyes were devoid of light.
Why would she do something like that? Didn’t she know that his brother, in his state, would wander off if left unsupervised?
But in that moment, a crazed look appeared in the eyes of this gentle woman, something he had never seen before. Chen Yaoguang felt as if the woman before him wasn’t his mother at all, but an unbelievable stranger.
“Why? You ask me why I did it? Your brother is my own flesh and blood! It pained my heart to see him like that!” his mother wailed, her frenzied state sending shivers down his spine.
“Then why would you still do it…?” Chen Yaoguang choked out between sobs. If she cared about his brother, why would she hurt him?
“I didn’t want to! But what choice did I have? Ergouzi from the east end of the village told your father he wanted your brother to marry into their family as a live-in son-in-law for their Third Silly Girl. He offered a dowry of thirty thousand yuan, and your father agreed…”
Third Silly Girl had suffered a head injury as a child and was left with an intellectual disability. Though she grew into a pretty young woman in her twenties, no man dared to marry her.
A roar filled Chen Yaoguang’s ears, and he fell heavily to his knees, his heart a wasteland of despair. The last shred of respect he had for his father was torn apart like a piece of paper, shredded into pieces, and tossed to the wind, leaving not even a speck behind.
“I believe your brother will get better someday. How sad would he be to wake up and find himself married to a simple-minded girl? I didn’t want your father to hurt him again, but what could I do? He never listens to me. So I steeled my heart and left the door unlocked. Whether your brother left or not was up to fate. It’s better that he’s gone. If he found a kind family to take him in, it would be a better life than he had at home…” But what if he didn’t find a kind family? What would happen to him then? His mother hadn’t considered that, or rather, she hadn’t dared to. All she could do was pray every day that her son was safe, fed, and warm.
“Mom!” Chen Yaoguang threw his arms around his mother. He knew the decision must have caused her unimaginable pain. They clung to each other and wept, their hearts filled with a bleak sorrow.
…
Snapping back from the memory, Chen Yaoguang found himself leaning against Lin Xia, his tears having soaked the front of his shirt.
“I’m sorry…” he said, embarrassed to be crying so much at his age.
“It’s okay.” Lin Xia handed him a tissue. “Are you still looking for your brother?”
“Yes, I never stopped looking for him. I thought I would never find him, but I’m so glad I finally did…” Chen Yaoguang said, the words tumbling out in a rush.
“So what are your plans now that you’ve found him?” So there is one person with a conscience, Lin Xia thought. It was truly a miracle that such parents could raise a kind-hearted child like this.
But even if they’d found the little hamster, what could they do? Lin Xia would never let him go back to that place to suffer. And then there was Chen Mingzong, who would be even more fiercely protective.
“My brother… is he… doing well?” Chen Yaoguang asked cautiously.
“He’s… doing very well.” Lin Xia had been about to mention the three years the hamster had spent homeless, but he stopped himself. There was no point in dwelling on the past. Telling him would only cause Chen Yaoguang more pain, so why bother?
“That’s good to hear.” Chen Yaoguang breathed a sigh of relief.
“He’s receiving free medical treatment now, and he has people who care about him. He’s getting better day by day, and he’s very happy,” Lin Xia said. As he spoke of the little hamster, a smile unconsciously lifted the corners of his mouth, mirroring the happy, smiling image of him in his mind.
Lin Xia’s words also carried a deeper meaning: he was telling Chen Yaoguang to drop any idea of taking his brother back home.
“I won’t tell my parents that I found him.” The intelligent young man understood Lin Xia’s unspoken message perfectly. It was fine; he had never planned on telling them anyway. “If my brother is happy, I won’t disturb his life. If he’s not doing well, I’ll drop out of school, get a job, and support him. I won’t take him home.”
After finally escaping that prison, why would he ever send his brother back? Chen Yaoguang wasn’t a fool. He wouldn’t push his brother back into a pit of fire. From the sounds of it, his brother was in a good place. In that case, he would stay away. Just knowing his brother was safe was enough to put his heart at ease.
“Kids shouldn’t talk about dropping out of school so easily. Study hard, and fulfill your brother’s wish of going to university,” Lin Xia said, gently patting Chen Yaoguang’s head. He couldn’t help but wonder why kids these days were always thinking about dropping out.
“My brother… does he remember anything from before?” Chen Yaoguang hoped his brother remembered him, but at the same time, he didn’t want him to remember the things that had caused him so much pain.
“No, he doesn’t remember,” Lin Xia answered, seeing the look of disappointment on the boy’s face.
“It’s better that way. He can’t get hurt if he doesn’t remember…” Chen Yaoguang’s voice was so low that Lin Xia could barely hear him.
“When the little hamster gets back, you two can get to know each other again. Just remember to call him ‘Brother.’” With these words, Lin Xia officially acknowledged Chen Yaoguang’s place as the hamster’s little brother. It was clear how much he loved and wanted to protect his older brother, and Lin Xia trusted that he would handle the situation well.
Still, that line about “I’ll drop out of school, get a job, and support him”… why was it that even though it sounded like something out of a teen drama, Lin Xia found it incredibly heartwarming?
“Okay!” Chen Yaoguang thought for a moment, processing who “the little hamster” was. When it clicked that it was his second brother, a huge grin spread across his face.
“Waaaah!” “Awooo!” Suddenly, Wang Ziyu and Bai Tuanzi, who had been watching the whole time, burst into tears, leaving everyone else completely baffled.
“What’s wrong?” / “What’s wrong?” Li Hao and Lin Xia rushed to comfort them.
“It’s so touching!” Wang Ziyu hated how easily he cried over things, but he couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.
“Awoo!” So touching! Bai Tuanzi’s tender heart was also moved, and he buried his face in his papa’s chest and sobbed.
“You don’t understand, this just reminds me of Fat Cat’s Search for His Family…” Wang Ziyu sniffled as Li Hao gently patted his back.
“Awoo!” An’an remembers watching that with Brother Ziyu!
The corner of Lin Xia’s mouth twitched. He made a firm decision to keep Bai Tuanzi far, far away from Wang Ziyu. Kids were so easily influenced!
After some comforting, Wang Ziyu and Bai Tuanzi finally stopped crying. The morning had been eventful, and just like that, it was lunchtime again.
“Time to order takeout!” Lin Xia announced, and no one was more excited than Wang Ziyu.
He picked up the stack of menus and read them out one by one.
“Sister Fan’s Broth Rice, Boss Yang’s Fast Food, Farmer’s Homestyle Stir-fry… which one should we get?”
“Awoo!” Broth Rice! An’an wants meatballs!
“Two orders of Broth Rice, with fish balls, beef balls, and exploding beef balls…” Lin Xia recited the order like a pro.
“You got it, esteemed customer!” Wang Ziyu chirped in a high-pitched waiter’s voice, efficiently taking down the order. “And for esteemed customers Li and Chen?”
“‘Esteemed customer’?” Li Hao liked the sound of that. It made him picture Wang Ziyu at some fancy ancient teahouse, waving a silk handkerchief and wiggling his hips. “Come on over, esteemed customer~”
“What’s on your mind?” / “Feeling good?”
“Esteemed customer Li?” Wang Ziyu looked up at Li Hao and let out an annoyed humph. How dare he be daydreaming during the sacred moment of ordering food.
“Anything is fine. I’ll have what you’re having,” Li Hao said. He wasn’t a picky eater; he was happy to eat whatever Wang Ziyu chose.
“Okay! Yaoguang?” Wang Ziyu was delighted by Li Hao’s easy-going attitude. It meant he could steal extra bites from his bowl later.
“I’ll have the same as Brother Lin,” Chen Yaoguang said, still a bit reserved.
“Alright, five orders of Broth Rice it is!” Wang Ziyu called Sister Fan’s to place the order.
Half an hour later, an electric scooter zipped to a stop in front of the pet shop.
“Sister Fan’s Broth Rice!” a soft, milky voice called out from the doorway.
“Come on in, Xiaobao,” Lin Xia said as he walked to the door. He saw a little boy, about six years old, grunting as he climbed off the scooter. His father handed him two takeout bags, and he toddled inside.
The driver then grabbed the other three bags and followed him in.
“Thank you, Xiaobao!” Lin Xia took the food from the little boy’s hands.
“You’re welcome!” Xiaobao replied politely, wiping sweat from his brow. He’d been helping his dad with deliveries all morning.
“Hey, Xiaolin!” He Chen said with a smile, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead.
“Chen, you and Xiaobao should come in for a drink of water,” Lin Xia offered. They ordered from his place so often that they had become friends.
“Sure.” Seeing his son wiping away sweat, He Chen didn’t hesitate.
“Do you have more deliveries to make?” The Spring Festival holiday wasn’t over yet, so students weren’t back in school. It shouldn’t have been that busy.
“Only two more left,” He Chen said with a rare note of relief.
“How about some orange juice?” Lin Xia offered. When both father and son nodded, he poured them each a glass.
“I’m leaving Hebao Dan here to play this afternoon. Thanks for the trouble!” He Chen downed his juice in one gulp, said his piece, and rushed off to finish his deliveries.
“I can’t do anything with him. I told him I’d help him finish his route first, but he just wouldn’t listen,” He Xiaobao sighed with the air of a world-weary adult, his pint-sized seriousness utterly amusing.
Because He Chen was friends with Lin Xia, he often left his son, whose nickname was Hebao Dan (Fried Egg), at the pet shop to play. Whenever they ordered Broth Rice, they got their food plus a tiny Fried Egg delivered.
“Awoo!” Brother Xiaobao! Bai Tuanzi was thrilled to see his little friend. Over the many days he’d been left at the pet shop, he and Hebao Dan had developed a deep friendship.
“An’an!” The two friends, who hadn’t seen each other in a while, shared a happy hug. Lin Xia brought out some fruit and pastries for their little guest.
“Thank you, Uncle Lin.” Hebao Dan thanked him and sat down obediently to eat. Bai Tuanzi joined Lin Xia for his own lunch.
After eating, Bai Tuanzi eagerly pulled Hebao Dan upstairs.
“Awoo!” Brother Xiaobao, transform!
“Okay.” Hebao Dan transformed instantly. In just a few seconds, a small puppy emerged from the pile of clothes on the floor.
“Woof?” What are we playing today? a majestic little wolf-dog barked happily.
“Awoo!” Anything! Bai Tuanzi was always excited to see his friend transform into a similar form.
That’s right, Hebao Dan was also a young Otherkin. He Chen had recognized Bai Tuanzi’s identity the first time he saw him. He had kindly revealed his son’s identity to Lin Xia so the two children could play together. It turned out to be the right decision; Bai Tuanzi and Hebao Dan had hit it off immediately.
The dog and the tiger could play without fear of being disturbed. The second floor was off-limits to regular staff, so there was no danger of Hebao Dan’s identity being discovered.
Lin Xia brought some juice up for them and then went back downstairs to work.
Recommended Reads
