Su Youli, who hadn’t seen any children his age in days, didn’t leave. He sat on the steps of the flowerbed, occasionally turning his head to glance at the child still drawing in the sand. Pei Yi had gotten up early to check on the child in the children’s room, but found nothing. Pei Xu was no longer in the room.
At first, Pei Yi thought Qiqi had just gone downstairs for breakfast. After all, Qiqi was a very independent child. He could use chopsticks to eat by himself at age two and didn’t need anyone to accompany him while sleeping. It wasn’t until he had searched the entire villa, his voice hoarse from calling out without finding Pei Xu, that he began to worry and expanded his search area.
“Qiqi—”
The man ran over with a worried expression, spotting Pei Xu squatting alone in the sandpit, silently doodling with a twig.
After several minutes of anxious fear, he couldn’t help himself: “I called you so many times, why didn’t you answer me?”
Pei Yi was already exercising great restraint, but his voice was still a bit loud. Anyone could hear the helplessness, worry, and a hint of anger in his tone. Compared to his agitation, the boy squatting on the ground merely turned to look at him, then silently turned back to his own business.
Pei Yi looked at the small, crouched figure, his eyes suddenly turning red. “Qiqi, please don’t do this anymore, okay? Your uncle gets very worried about you like this.”
The twig paused for a moment, then resumed its movement.
“Play a little longer, then go home. Once the sun comes out, it’ll be too hot,” Pei Yi said to the small back.
Only when he saw Pei Xu give an almost imperceptible nod did Pei Yi turn to leave. As he turned, he noticed the big and little figures sitting on the steps of his flowerbed. The new neighbors. Pei Yi took a deep breath and returned to his usual smiling demeanor.
“Hello.”
Tang Dou stood up, feeling a bit awkward after witnessing the scene. “Hello. We were just passing by. Youyou wanted to look at the flowers. We’ll be on our way.”
“No, no, please come in and sit for a while,” Pei Yi invited warmly.
Tang Dou was already preparing to leave with Su Youli, but at this, he looked down at the little one. Tang Dou and the little one had both heard what happened in the sandpit. Going in now might not be appropriate. Tang Dou wanted to refuse, but the little one was clearly very interested in the boy named Pei Xu.
Remembering that he hadn’t played with any children his age in days, Tang Dou bent down. “Youyou, would you like to go see the garden at the uncle’s house? He’s inviting us to visit.”
Su Youli looked at Pei Yi, then at the child not far away, and nodded. As soon as the little one entered the garden, he became more talkative.
“Brother Xiao Tang, that’s a dandelion! And that’s an apple tree. I know that one…”
The pure, innocent childish voice and the adorable physical gestures unique to a child this age made Pei Yi envious. When would his Qiqi ever smile like that? Tang Dou led Youyou by the hand and followed Pei Yi to Pei Xu’s playground. His territory invaded by a strange child, Pei Xu frowned and gave a warning glance at the little one sitting properly on the small wooden rocking horse.
Su Youli’s body trembled, and his small hands gripping the horse’s ears froze. A wooden rocking horse was his least favorite toy. Whatever, play with it then. Pei Xu withdrew his gaze. The two little ones kept a distance from each other, each playing separately, not disturbing the other. After confirming that Pei Xu truly wouldn’t act aggressively, Pei Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
“You seem very nervous,” Tang Dou observed.
“Qiqi rarely plays with children his age,” Pei Yi sighed.
Pei Yi nodded and sat on a bench in the garden. The household staff had already brought breakfast out. Pei Yi’s breakfast was Western-style, like bread slices. When he offered a portion to Tang Dou, Tang Dou said he had already eaten.
“Can you not eat this? I can have them make some Chinese-style breakfast. There are still dumplings that the auntie made yesterday. If you don’t mind…”
Tang Dou accepted his goodwill with a smile. “No need to go to the trouble. I really have eaten.”
“Alright.” Pei Yi lowered his head and began to eat, occasionally keeping an eye on Pei Xu.
“May I ask your name?”
“Tang Dou.”
“And what’s that little one’s name? I heard you call him Youyou? Which ‘you’?”
“The character with a ‘bao’ radical on top and ‘you’ underneath.”
Over by the toys, the little one got off the blue wooden rocking horse and climbed onto a yellow one. Even without anyone playing with him, he could have fun on his own.
Pei Yi looked envious. “Youyou is so adorable.”
Tang Dou wasn’t sure if he should say it. That child named Pei Xu had been squatting in the same spot for over half an hour now.
“I’m Youyou’s nanny. I just graduated with a PhD, specializing in child psychology.”
Pei Yi was filled with respect. “That’s amazing!”
“Not really,” Tang Dou hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to speak. Pei Yi seemed like a very nice person, but it was clear he either had little experience with children or Pei Xu refused to be cared for. In this hot weather, he was still wearing thick black long sleeves and pants.
“I hope you don’t think I’m overstepping, but with Qiqi’s situation, have you considered taking him to see a psychologist?”
Pei Yi’s movements stiffened, and he immediately sat up straight. He spoke with difficulty, “You noticed.”
His gaze swept over the motionless Pei Qiqi. Pei Yi’s voice was strained as he continued:
“Qiqi is my nephew. My brother passed away in a car accident six months ago. Qiqi’s mother remarried very quickly after my brother died. Her new family wouldn’t allow her to bring the child, so she… she placed him in a full-time daycare kindergarten…”
Tang Dou was also surprised. He hadn’t expected little Qiqi’s background to be like this. Tang Dou was a sensitive and thoughtful man. Hearing little Qiqi’s story, he looked at the lonely little boy with genuine sympathy in his eyes.
“His mother kept the news of my brother’s death from me. Two months ago, my work abroad ended, and I thought I’d come back to visit my brother and Qiqi. I never expected…”
He never expected to return only to find his brother’s gravestone and his nephew gone. Pei Yi went to find Qiqi’s mother, furious. Afraid he would cause a scene, the woman finally told him the address of the full-time daycare where Qiqi had been placed. Recalling painful things was like ripping open a wound that was just beginning to heal. Pei Yi would never forget the day he found Qiqi.
Most of the children in the full-time daycare had parents who were busy, had no elderly at home to help care for them, and had limited financial means, unable to afford nannies or housekeepers. That’s why they sent their children there. The daycare teachers had been very good at first, taking careful care of the children.
Knowing that parents would be worried for the first two weeks after sending their children there, they would frequently send videos of the children playing and eating at the daycare to build the parents’ trust.
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