Liam was a little out of breath, and his neck flushed slightly. Hearing this, the corner of his mouth twitched. As if he were choking, he coughed violently.
"Ah," Mr. Smith didn't react. He looked at Liam's face, and his expression became complicated. "Ashley, you said this is your father."
Ashley was scared to death and made up a lot of images of being abused by everyone after being debunked, which was like the end of the world to her. She was not strong enough to speak anymore but nodded.
Staring at Ashley's expression, Jacob suddenly bowed his head and laughed loudly.
The little girl's eyes were round and big, covered with wet tears, red all around her eyes, and her cheeks were smudged, looking awkward and pitiful.
Her appearance blocked what Mr. Smith wanted to say.
‘The person who was called as "father" by Ashley stood with "Ashley's elder brother". They were obviously of the same age and wore the same volunteer costume.
But according to Ashley, he and Ashley did look a little alike.’
Mr. Smith thought to himself.
Although he didn't know why she lied, he couldn't bear to ask any more questions. He raised his hand and touched his bald head. "You may take care of the wound first."
The school set up tents at two corners of the playground, under which sat Red Cross volunteers and school doctors to prevent students from being accidentally injured.
Liam barely calmed down and said with a straight face, "Ok."
Then he walked in the direction of the tent with Ashley on his back.
Mr. Smith said a few words with Jacob. Because of the presence of her brother, he was relieved, and then went elsewhere to observe the situation of other students.
The two walked in front in silence.
After dozens of seconds, Jacob followed.
Ashley lay on Liam's back, her heart being carried all the time, neither up nor down.
She couldn't help looking in the direction of Jacob, her expression like a cry for help.
The next second, Liam said coolly, "What did you just call me?"
Ashley immediately withdrew her eyes and dared not speak.
"I'm your father."
"…”
"Did you break your leg or your brain?"
Originally because of the falling and the pain, Ashley did not want to say a word.
Just forced to deal with the teacher's affairs, she felt relaxed a little bit, and now she had to accept Liam's accusation.
There was an astringency in her throat, and grievances swept over her.
"Why do you keep scolding me? You've been scolding me all day."
At this moment, Ashley felt that she had become the most pitiful person in the world. She pursed her lips hard and tried to hold back her cry, but she could not help it. "I'm going to tell Dad. Leave me alone. I don't want you to carry me."
"…” Liam shut up at once.
Two seconds later, he said, "You sprained your ankle. How can you go if I don't carry you?"
"I can walk by myself." Ashley pedaled her uninjured leg and wanted to come down. "I want to go by myself. I don't want you to carry me."
Liam looked back and said impatiently, "Would you please listen to me?"
"No." Ashley's tears were still falling. She stared at him. "Why should I? You keep scolding me. You've been scolding me all day."
Liam's said softly. "Brother is just kidding."
This softening attitude was of no use.
As soon as Ashley was in a bad mood, her words just popped out, "You don't like me so much. Why didn't you ask Mom to get rid of me before she gave birth to me?"
"…”
Liam frowned. "What are you talking about?"
His final voice went up and the volume rose slightly as if he couldn’t believe what she said.
This tone made Ashley pause for a few seconds.
She looked at Liam in a daze, then blinked a few seconds later, and fell out of a long string of bean-sized tears, "You scold me again."
“…”
It was still a long way from the tent.
It was like Ashley was going to shed all her tears for the rest of her life.
Jacob listened to the conversation between the two, as well as the cry that he had never heard before. He scratched the skin under his eyes and shouted, "Liam."
Liam, "What?"
He came forward and glanced at Ashley. "Let me take her."
Hearing this, Ashley's cry weakened a bit and looked up at Jacob.
The meaning of this reaction was particularly obvious.
Liam tilted his head slightly and asked respectfully, "You want him to carry you."
Ashley stopped crying completely and fixed her eyes on Jacob.
"…”
Although she did not give an affirmative response, the reaction told everything.
Liam breathed and said, holding his humiliation, "Fine."
Then he let Ashley down without saying a word.
After Ashley stood firm, Jacob squatted down and carried her up.
Ashley lay on the back of Jacob, looked back at Liam, wanting to say something, but because she was still angry, she quickly took back her sight.
Jacob adjusted his posture, stared ahead, and casually asked, "Where else does it hurt except your foot?"
Ashley sniffed and whispered, "My hands."
"And?"
"The knee is a little bit, too."
"Well, don't cry." Jacob said, "Brother will apply the ointment to your wounds later."
Ashley nodded silently.
From this point of view, Ashley could only see his side face.
The hat he gave her just now, which was returned by her because of the game, was now on his head.
They were so close that she could smell the faint smell of tobacco on him.
The sun shone from the other direction.
Half of his face was exposed to the light, his hair glowed and his lips pursed.
The top half of his face was in the shadow, his narrow and long eyes were slightly closed, and the bridge of the nose was straight.
Her facial features were sharp. Ashley couldn’t tell if he was happy or not.
Soon, as if noticing her sight, Jacob suddenly called her, "Kiddo."
Ashley immediately withdrew her eyes and pretended that she had done nothing.
Without waiting for her to reply, Jacob said, "Take off brother's hat."
"
Ashley obediently did it. "And then?"
Jacob's tone was loose, "And then put it on your head."
Ashley was stupefied.
He seemed to notice her daze, so he subconsciously turned back.
He looked at her silly expression, raised his eyebrows, smiled, and said, "I’m good."
To the tent.
Jacob put Ashley on a chair.
Not many people were injured, most of them were suffering from heatstroke.
Liam called the school doctor and asked her to take a look at Ashley's injury.
The school doctor examined Ashley's ankle, took an ice pack and potion, and said, "It's nothing, not serious. Just put some ice on it and spray some medicine. Don't exercise these days. "
Jacob looked at her and said, "Don't need to go to the hospital."
"It's just a slight sprain." The school doctor said, "But just in case, you may go to the hospital to see if you have hurt your bones and muscles."
Liam, "We had better go to the hospital."
Ashley looked down at her slightly swollen ankle and said nothing.
Jacob took a bottle of saline and iodophor, squatted in front of Ashley, "Let’s deal with other wounds first, and then go to the hospital."
Liam walked over and said, "I got it."
Ashley just opened her mouth and said angrily, "No."
"…”
Liam stared at her and put up with his anger." OK, I'll get you a glass of water. "
Seeing this, Jacob looked at Ashley and smiled, "You trust me so much."
Ashley's eyes were still red. She lowered her head, laid her palms flat in front of him, and faltered, "My brother is so impatient, he would make me hurt."
Jacob said, "Little Ashley is afraid of pain."
Ashley nodded and felt that she was a little shameless, adding, "No one is not afraid of pain."
"Cool, but it might hurt a little bit."
Jacob lowered his eyes and unscrewed the lid of the saline bottle. "Can you bear it?"
Ashley immediately put her hands back and hid them behind her. "Can't you be gentle?"
"It hurts a little bit."
Looking at her vigilant and defensive appearance, Jacob could not help laughing.
Ashley was particularly determined, "No!"
"All right, then."
Ashley looked at him suspiciously, struggled for a long time, then slowly put her hands in front of him and said, "Brother, I will hold a grudge."
"Mm-hmm."
"Don't lie to me."
"Is it so serious?" Jacob paused and raised his eyelids to look at her. "Maybe I can ask someone else to help you."
"…”
"I don't want Little Ashley to hate me."
Ashley pursed her lips. "No."
In a playful tone, Jacob slowly poured saline into the wounds on her hands. "Are you still reasonable?"
"…”
The irritation of normal saline was not strong, there was only a little discomfort in the wounds, and it didn't hurt too much.
Ashley stared at his movements.
As if to distract her, Jacob said carelessly, "You are already in the second year of junior high school, but still so unreasonable."
Ashley frowned. "Although I told you before that I don't know how to be reasonable, I am a very reasonable person as a whole."
Jacob smiled again, "Really?"
After cleaning the wounds on her hands, Jacob treated the wound on her knee.
His tone made Ashley very unhappy. "Of course."
Jacob's expression was serious and attentive, staring at her wound, saying in an absent-minded tone, "Well, Little Ashley is a good girl."
Ashley looked at him and silently shut up.
"Right, you just told your teacher that your brother was your father."
Jacob bent the corners of his lips and suddenly mentioned the matter. "Do you think he will buy it?"
Ashley thought, "My teacher has never met my father."
Jacob, "Mm-hmm"
Ashley, "Then there is nothing to doubt."
Jacob screwed the cap of the bottle and said amusingly, "He wears the same clothes as me. "
Ashley noticed this point, her expression froze instantly, and after a long time she said, "Then why didn't you remind me just now?"
Jacob began to apply iodophor to her wounds but did not speak.
Ashley hesitated and asked, "If the teacher asks, can I say that you two are wearing parent-child costumes?"
Jacob raised his eyes and stared at her for a long time, saying meaningfully," Kiddo, do you have a conscience? "
"Ah."
Jacob said faintly, "Brother is so kind to you, and you help your brother bully me."
Ashley paused and didn't understand, "I didn't bully you."
Jacob pretended to be deaf.
Ashley blinked, a little at a loss, explained, "Brother, I think I am quite good to you."
This time, Jacob moved and put the hat on her head back on his head.
Ashley, "…"
She couldn't help saying, "You're kind of naive."
Jacob said faintly, "Well, you even scolded me."
Ashley said, "I didn't! And you are such a big man, how can I bully you?
Don't accuse me unjustly."
Jacob, "Give me your hands."
Ashley paused for a moment and held out her hands obediently.
He held her wrist, fixed it, then lowered his eyes and slowly smeared iodophor on the wound in the palm of her hand.
But completely ignored her words, as if he was really angry.
Ashley said, "Brother, why are you ignoring me?"
"…”
It was useless for Ashley to post a warm face for a long time, so she became a little dissatisfied. "You are so mean."
Seeing that he looked over in an instant, Ashley immediately changed her words. "No, you just like to hold a grudge, no, that is, well, you have a good memory."
"I have a good memory?" Jacob raised the corner of his eye slightly and finally began to respond to her. "Aren't you still scolding me for holding a grudge?"
"It doesn't mean that you don't understand it that…" Ashley paused and withdrew her words. "Of course it doesn't mean that."
"What does that mean?"
"I’m just praising you."
Jacob stood up, took a bag of wet paper towels from the side, and tore it open. "But brother doesn't like to hear this."
Ashley, "…"
‘Cool, he is really hard to deal with.’
Then, Jacob bent down slightly and approached Ashley, trying to wipe off the stain on her face. "Tell me something else."
Because of this sudden distance, Ashley retreated subconsciously.
Thinking that she didn't like people touching her face, Jacob stopped and handed her the tissue. "Clean it yourself."
Ashley was silent for a moment, did not take it, and leaned forward again.
The implication was clear.
Ashley took it for granted, "I can't see it."
Jacob smiled low and slowly wiped her face.
After wiping it clean, he didn't stand up immediately. Instead, he said, "Kiddo, do you think…"
Ashley inexplicably became nervous. "What?"
Jacob tilted his head and said, "I was like entertaining my own daughter?"