CH 19

Meanwhile, Dad Zhou came over and quickly read Aunt Hua’s message. He said brightly, “A bunch of snacks for a 400 yuan screen. So this was how the greatest entrepreneur of this century did business.”

Zhou Yuan looked up at his father, as if he was looking at a fool, and said, “Money isn’t as important as people.”

This retort made Dad Zhou feel as if the HP bar above his head had fallen all the way to zero.

He slapped Zhou Yuan on his shoulder, “Dude, your mom isn’t here, so tell me honestly. In what year were you reborn? Do you remember any lottery numbers? And what was I like at that time? I will definitely not say it out loud.”

Zhou Yuan stood up and picked up an apple. After taking a bite, he said, “Dad, please don’t indulge yourself in your imagination.”

Suddenly, he felt that something was amiss. He lowered his gaze and saw blood on the apple. A tooth was inserted into it.

He didn’t turn around and calmly trekked into the bathroom.

Dad Zhou was left speechless by his son’s behavior.

On the other hand, after reading Zhou Yuan’s message, Aunt Hua couldn’t help it and said to Uncle Hua, “Miaomiao’s tablemate is really good.”

Classmate Zhou Yuan had once again changed Aunt Hua’s views on ‘how smart a child could be.’

It’s no wonder why Mrs. Li told her that she could treat him like an adult. He spoke politely with poise and was generous enough to exchange a screen for snacks.

Uncle Hua responded, “It’s certainly rare for a kid so young.”

Zhou Yuan was certainly a great child, especially when compared to the two spoiled brats from his brother’s household. Those two made Uncle Hua believe that all kids were the same.

Uncle Hua’s words reminded Aunt Hua of something, so she asked, “By the way, didn’t your brother ask for your assistance to enroll his son into Miaomiao’s school?”

“I refused his request. I told him that the elementary school is quite strict. If they wanted to enroll their kid there, they had to live here permanently.”

Aunt Hua was taken aback and said, “No wonder why your mom once told me to register the name of your brother’s youngest son into our household registry, since we have no children of our own…”

Uncle Hua frowned, “You don’t have to worry about what my mom says. She’s always like that. She can’t wait to move all my belongings into my brother’s house.”

“With Miaomiao here, I don’t think that she will bring this up again.” Aunt Hua comforted him.

Uncle Hua nodded, “No matter what she says, don’t worry about it.”

There was still a monthly pension. Both of them were well-paid, especially Aunt Hua. In recent years, they bought a house and a car. They never had any major expenses, so they had quite a bit of savings.

They chatted for a while. Aunt Hua looked at Uncle Hua, who sat next to her, and noticed that he seemed a little unhappy. She realized that it must be because of what she had said.

In fact, Uncle Hua’s mother allowed his brother’s younger son to live in their household. It wasn’t just for studying. Although she didn’t explain things clearly, Uncle Hua was a sensible person who could deduce why she did that. This predicament brought him nothing but unhappiness.

Uncle Hua leaned over and kissed him on the face. Then, she leaned on him, “Miaomiao’s condition is getting better and better now. She told me a lot of things along the way today. She also raised her hand to answer questions in class.”

Uncle Hua stroked her head, “She’s going to get better and better in the future.”

Before Little Miaomiao departed for school the next morning, Aunt Hua asked her, “Would you like to take more snacks to school today?”

Of course, Aunt Hua didn’t mind that Little Miaomiao shared her food with Zhou Yuan. She just wanted her to eat some more.

Little Miaomiao looked at the food and recalled how Zhou Yuan helped her yesterday, so she took a bag of snacks and fruits with her.

After her arrival at school, she put all the snacks into Zhou Yuan’s desk once more.

Soon, Zhou Yuan arrived at school. Strangely, Zhou Yuan didn’t greet Little Miaomiao and directly sat down into his seat.

This perturbed Little Miaomiao. She remembered that she had left in a hurry yesterday without telling him that she would see him tomorrow. 

Could he be angry because of that?

Little Miaomiao whispered, “Good morning?”

Zhou Yuan hummed in response and handed her a note, “Miaomiao, good morning.”

Little Miaomiao froze for a moment, turned her head and saw Zhou Yuan catching up on his homework.

His face was taut, his lips were tightly pursed, and he looked a little unhappy.

Traces of anxiety and perturbation crept into Little Miaomiao’s heart. She squeezed her hand. She wanted to talk to him. But since he was busy, she dared not disturb him. So Little Miaomiao could only watch him from the side.

After Zhou Yuan completed his homework, he turned his head and saw Little Miaomiao staring at him.

Zhou Yuan was stunned for a moment and reflexively uttered, “What’s wrong?”

While he was speaking, Little Miaomiao’s gaze zeroed in on his missing front tooth…

Shock and dismay enveloped Little Miaomiao for a moment. Then, she quickly grabbed his hand. With tears cascading from her eyes, she asked him in a hushed voice, “Did they beat you?”

Once she got him, she would beg Aunt Hua to let Zhou Yuan stay in their house. She would share her food with him in the future…

Shock and dismay also engulfed Zhou Yuan for a moment. Then, a realization struck him. Little Miaomiao’s teeth should’ve fallen out before, but it happened at the same time as her beatings. She probably thought that she lost her teeth, because she was struck.

At first, he believed that his missing tooth would tarnish his image; therefore, he didn’t want to speak with anyone. But he didn’t want to see Little Miaomiao so sad and apprehensive, “Nobody beat me.”

Zhou Yuan took out a notebook and started to draw on it, “We are born with two sets of teeth.”

While speaking and drawing, he found it difficult to speak, because of the gap between his teeth. But, he still spoke soberly, “The bottom set is stronger, so when it’s time to come out, the top one will fall off naturally. I was eating when it did.”

Zhou Yuan didn’t mention that his tooth fell out while he was eating an apple, nor did he mention that his dad had teased him gleefully for an entire day. His dad still continued to tease him.

Little Miaomiao probably understood it. She breathed a sigh of relief and realized that Zhou Yuan knew a lot of things.

Zhou Yuan looked at the little girl’s adoring eyes, then turned his head to the glass window next to him. Then, he grinned…

It’s such a shame to be a child.