Very few parents would immediately reply after the teachers sent updates on their children. On the first day, Pei Qiqi’s mother sent him there, after paying a year’s tuition and leaving, she never went to the kindergarten to see Pei Qiqi again. If even the parents didn’t care about the child, why would the teachers treat him well? Pei Qiqi had always been a quiet child, not the type to win teachers’ favor.
At first, the teachers would deliberately skip him when handing out afternoon snacks: an apple, a carton of yogurt. After doing this a few times and confirming that Pei Xu wouldn’t make a fuss, they simply omitted him every time snacks were distributed. After all, his mother didn’t care about him either. She never sent a single message to the teachers. Eventually, there was no morning milk for Pei Qiqi, no chicken wings at lunch either.
His bed was moved by the teachers to the coldest corner, and his little pillow and blanket were the dirtiest because the teachers never washed them for him. Clean Pei Qiqi turned into a dirty little boy, and the other children didn’t want to play with him. Over time, Pei Xu, who had always been quiet, became the dirty child disliked by both teachers and classmates in the kindergarten.
Pei Yi still remembered the day he rushed to the kindergarten. Pei Xu was squatting in the sandpit, a broken plastic bucket beside him, his hand holding a small shovel covered in dirt. When Pei Qiqi heard the noise and turned around, his face and neck were very clean.
His dark, heavy eyes shifted when he saw Pei Yi, and his mouth moved as he quietly called out, “Uncle.”
Pei Yi rushed over and hugged his thin, frail body. When he leaned in close, Pei Yi could smell the musty odor of sweat on Qiqi. A four-year-old child, even if independent, had limits. Pei Qiqi was clean by nature. Since the teachers wouldn’t help him, he washed his face and bathed himself. But he couldn’t get his clothes clean. He could only mimic the teachers’ actions, soaking the clothes in water, then struggling to pull them out and spread them on the ground, waiting for them to dry so he could wear them again. He knew his mother didn’t want him anymore. He had become an unwanted orphan.
Hearing this, Tang Dou was furious: “How could those people do that? That’s too much!”
Pei Yi choked up. “Qiqi actually stayed in a place like that for over four months. I’ve failed Qiqi. I’ve failed my brother.”
His brother’s death was devastating for Pei Xu, and it was no less so for Pei Yi.
Tang Dou patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Qiqi still has you. He’ll get better.”
That day, Pei Yi brought people to smash that kindergarten completely, then filed a police report and a complaint. Within less than half a month, the kindergarten went out of business. The principal and the teachers involved were also prosecuted for child abuse. Once all the evidence was gathered, they would surely receive the punishment they deserved. As for Pei Qiqi’s mother, Pei Yi felt hatred.
But his most important task now was to take good care of Qiqi and help him grow up well. By now, the sun had fully risen, beginning to bathe the earth in golden light. Su Youli had ridden every single wooden rocking horse in the play area. He grabbed one by the ears and dragged it a little closer to Pei Qiqi. He scrambled up onto it with his short legs, then lay draped over the horse’s back.
The little one was making quite a bit of noise. He had never seen such a skilled little brother before. That little brother seemed to have been squatting there for a very long time. The little one gave a mental thumbs-up, thinking that if the little brother ever played the statues game, he would definitely be the best. Imagining this, Su Youli swung his little legs gently on the rocking horse and started giggling quietly to himself.
Pei Qiqi naturally heard the sound. Not only was this little squirt riding his rocking horses, but he was also laughing at him in his space. Pei Qiqi shot him a cold glance.
“Ah.” Startled by the sudden look, the little one covered his mouth, his eyes blinking.
Is the little brother angry?
Su Youli looked toward Brother Xiao Tang for help, but Brother Xiao Tang seemed busy. He climbed down from the little rocking horse, clasped his small hands together, and slowly, hesitantly tried to get closer. After just a few steps, the little one seemed intimidated by Pei Qiqi’s aura and didn’t dare move any further.
“Little brother, I’m sorry.”
The apologetic voice reached Pei Qiqi’s ears. He gripped the small stick in his hand. Turning, he saw a little white curly-haired boy standing in the sandpit, looking very scared of him. Pei Qiqi remembered how, back in kindergarten, the other children loved to steal his things. Even a tiny stone could be snatched away.
Their expressions were very different from this little curly-haired boy’s. Those children were smug, flaunting their theft of his belongings, then ruthlessly throwing them away so he could never find them again. This little curly-haired boy hadn’t stolen anything from him. He had just played on his rocking horse for a bit and said sorry.
Pei Qiqi shifted his body direction, still squatting, now facing Su Youli. His dark eyes stared at him. Su Youli was quite scared by the stare, but… Su Youli was a very polite child.
So he mustered his courage and, standing in place, said again, “I’m sorry for riding your little rocking horse.”
Then, his little hands rummaged around in his jacket pocket and finally pulled out a candy that Second Brother had given him that morning before going to school. His meaning couldn’t be clearer. The way children made up with each other was by exchanging candy. Pei Qiqi pressed his lips together tightly, tilting his head slightly, as if trying to figure out what this little curly-haired boy wanted.
Was he… wanting him to help unwrap the candy? He turned his head back, unwilling to help. Su Youli’s arm was getting sore. The little brother hadn’t accepted the candy and was still angry. The little one had never dealt with such a difficult social situation before. His face flushed with anxiety, his small hand crinkling the candy wrapper. He was about to step forward when he realized his foot wouldn’t move.
The sand was new, brought in by Pei Yi—soft and dry. So the little one’s foot had sunk in. Su Youli wiggled his toes, struggled to squat down, and tried to pull his foot out like pulling a carrot. But, but… it wouldn’t come out.
The little one sniffled and called out, “Brother Xiao Tang.”
Brother Xiao Tang, help!
Save Youyou’s leg!
Pei Qiqi, focused on drawing with his stick, had sharp ears and heard a “plop.” It was the sound of something small hitting the ground. He glanced over—it was the little curly-haired boy’s candy. Pei Qiqi didn’t understand how a child could be so delicate. Just because someone wouldn’t unwrap his candy for him, he threw it away.
What a temper.
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