Children recover quickly, and by breakfast time, Bei Yao was feeling much better.
Zhao Zhilan had taken time off from the factory to care for Bei Yao. She worked at a garment factory, spending her days sewing clothes in front of a machine, earning a monthly wage of four hundred and thirty yuan—a decent income.
Breakfast consisted of a bowl of rice porridge and pickled vegetables, with only Bei Yao having a plump, white egg in her bowl.
Footsteps echoed from the stairwell, followed by a woman’s shrill voice calling from outside, "Zhao Zhilan!"
Zhao Zhilan shouted back, "I’m not going to work today—I took the day off. Go ahead without me."
The woman muttered, "You could’ve said so earlier," before swaying her hips and walking away.
Bei Yao looked up at her mother, whose face was visibly clouded with displeasure.
That woman was Zhao Xiu, who had grown up in the same village as Zhao Zhilan. Coincidentally, both women later married and moved to C City as neighbors, working at the same garment factory. Two years later, they became pregnant around the same time and gave birth to daughters in August. Naturally, people began comparing Zhao Xiu and Zhao Zhilan.
Yet, in every aspect, Zhao Zhilan fell short.
Zhao Zhilan’s husband—Bei Yao’s father—worked at a brick factory, a strenuous job with meager pay. Zhao Xiu’s husband, on the other hand, was an elementary school math teacher, respected and holding a dignified position.
Even that might not have bothered Zhao Zhilan so much, but the real sting came from comparing their daughters.
Zhao Xiu’s daughter, Fang Minjun, was half a month older than Bei Yao. Fang Minjun was delicate and lovely, lacking the chubbiness typical of her age. Instead, she was refined and graceful, like a little jade maiden. Everyone who saw her remarked that she would grow up to be a beauty!
In contrast, Bei Yao was completely overshadowed.
At four years old, Bei Yao had round cheeks and large eyes, but as a child, she ate a lot. With her hair tied in two little buns, she looked plump and adorably clumsy. Whenever Zhao Xiu saw little Bei Yao, she would cover her mouth and laugh, "What has Yaoyao been eating? Her little hands are a whole size chubbier than my Minmin’s."
Though seemingly a compliment, it was a veiled jab. Since Zhao Zhilan was overweight herself, Zhao Xiu was hinting at genetics.
Seeing her mother’s dark expression, Bei Yao sighed softly.
Her family had always been modestly well-off, but luck simply wasn’t on their side. In her memories, Fang Minjun’s family moved away during middle school, bought a new house, and a couple of years later, that property was demolished—earning them two replacement apartments. Fang Minjun’s family kept prospering, while Bei Yao’s family lent money to her uncle and remained poor.
There was only one area where the Bei family completely turned the tables—
By high school, Fang Minjun had grown awkward-looking, the "little jade maiden" now bearing sharp, unkind features.
Meanwhile, Bei Yao had blossomed like a tender leaf unfurling, stunningly beautiful and becoming the school belle of C City’s No. 2 High School.
But there was no way Bei Yao could comfort her mother with that. Even if she said she’d grow up to be beautiful one day, Zhao Zhilan would likely dismiss it as a child’s nonsense. Bei Yao had spent the previous night in a daze, pondering the sheer improbability of rebirth. Grateful for this second chance at life, she resolved to be an obedient four-year-old, staying by her parents’ side to care for them in their old age. Even if she never married in this lifetime, she would never again cause her parents the despair and hardship they endured for her in middle age.
She finished her meal obediently, and Zhao Zhilan gently wiped her mouth.
In her tiny, milky voice, Bei Yao said, "Mommy, I want to go to kindergarten."
Zhao Zhilan smiled. "Usually, I have to drag you out the door. Today, since you’re sick, you don’t have to go."
Though still unwell, Bei Yao insisted softly, "I want to go." Her eyes were earnest and glistening.Zhao Zhilan’s heart softened as she touched her daughter’s forehead. “Then we’ll go in the afternoon.”
Bei Yao recalled her father’s words from the morning—that Pei Chuan hadn’t been picked up all night—and felt uneasy. But a four-year-old’s will was no match for an adult’s, so she had to obey Zhao Zhilan.
By afternoon, Bei Yao was successfully dropped off at kindergarten.
A few chinaberry trees stood at the entrance of Evergreen Kindergarten, emitting a foul odor when touched. Inside the courtyard, several plum trees bloomed, filling the air with fragrance every winter. In 1996, the kindergarten’s facilities were rudimentary, lacking even a slide.
Only two wooden seesaws stood alone in the yard.
Summer weather changed quickly. As the sun emerged, the hail melted and soaked the seesaws, rendering them temporarily unusable.
Teacher Zhao was organizing games for the children.
Teacher Wu wouldn’t arrive until next week, leaving Teacher Zhao alone and overwhelmed.
When Zhao Zhilan placed Bei Yao’s soft little hand into Teacher Zhao’s, Bei Yao glanced into the classroom. The children were playing "Drop the Handkerchief." Everyone was clapping and singing—except for one person.
Pei Chuan turned his head and met Bei Yao’s gaze.
His eyes were empty, devoid of anything.
But after a brief moment, he turned away, refusing to look at her.
Pei Chuan had been placed among the children too. Without legs, he was undoubtedly the most unique child in the kindergarten. Teacher Zhao pitied him, while the other children feared and disliked him. As such a contradictory presence, he seemed to become a burden to the entire kindergarten.
Thus, Pei Chuan stood apart from everyone else.
The children sang in their tender voices as Teacher Zhao smilingly settled Bei Yao among them. Bei Yao found herself facing Pei Chuan.
“Drop, drop, drop the handkerchief, gently behind a friend’s back. Don’t tell them, hurry, hurry and catch them, hurry, hurry and catch them~”
The handkerchief landed behind Chen Hu. The chubby boy didn’t notice until the other children laughed and stared at him. Only then did Chen Hu turn around, spot the blue handkerchief behind him, and bounce up like a little meatball to chase the culprit. But the child ahead had already returned to their spot.
Chen Hu grumpily became the next handkerchief dropper. As punishment, he sang a nursery rhyme taught by the teacher before continuing the game.
The four- and five-year-olds clapped in a circle: “Drop, drop, drop the handkerchief~”
Amid their innocent singing, the chubby boy’s eyes shifted slyly toward Pei Chuan in his wheelchair. Bei Yao’s heart raced. In her previous life, she hadn’t come to kindergarten that day, but starting the next day, Pei Chuan never spoke again. He even refused to attend kindergarten, becoming a completely silent boy.
What had he gone through?
The song continued as Chen Hu dropped the handkerchief behind Pei Chuan. At that moment, Teacher Zhao had taken a child with a stomachache to the restroom.
The entire group fell silent. Even as children, they instinctively understood: Pei Chuan had no legs—he couldn’t catch anyone.
Pei Chuan turned and looked down at the handkerchief behind him.
Chen Hu stuck out his tongue triumphantly. The children giggled at his comical expression.
Little Pei Chuan gritted his teeth, one hand gripping the low wheelchair as he strained to bend over.
Chen Hu pointed at him and laughed uproariously.
Bei Yao’s heart pounded wildly. Don’t pick it up… Don’t do it…
Cicadas chirped incessantly in the summer chinaberry trees.Pei Chuan clenched his lips tightly, painstakingly picking up the handkerchief. His eyes were dark and heavy, like a silent abyss.
Amidst the laughter of all the children, his thin arms strained to propel the wheelchair forward. Unfortunately, his legs had only been severed this year at age five, and he was still unfamiliar with the wheelchair. Each push of the wheels moved as slowly as a snail's crawl.
The children's exclamations urged him onward. He looked at no one, the blue handkerchief draped over his incomplete legs as he chased after Chen Hu ahead.
Cicadas chirped one after another.
Chen Hu deliberately ran slowly, clutching his stomach with laughter.
Pei Chuan veered off course. He couldn't control the wheelchair's direction, nor did he understand how to apply force properly. In this summer of his fifth year, he was like a trapped beast - irritable and desperate, driving the wheelchair in pursuit, stubborn and refusing to admit defeat.
The insensitive children all laughed at him.
Tears welling in his eyes, he wanted to grasp onto something. So he adjusted the wheelchair again and again.
Bei Yao stared at him with wide apricot eyes.
As people grow older, they forget many childhood memories. In her recollection, Pei Chuan was just a disabled youth without legs, and that was all. Her life had no place for him. If he hadn't become the "devil" and once protected her with an expressionless face, she might not have paid him any attention even if given another lifetime.
He was the devil to the world, but he was Bei Yao's benefactor.
Someone who had secretly loved her as his most precious treasure throughout his entire life.
She realized she had to do something.
When Chen Hu came bouncing and jumping over, Bei Yao clumsily turned and wrapped her arms around Chen Hu's legs.
Chen Hu shouted: "Bei Yao let go, what are you doing?"The little chubby boy pounded his chest and stamped his feet, trying to shake Bei Yao off."
The four-year-old girl's body lacked strength. The little fatso was like a small wild bull, and when he started thrashing about desperately, Bei Yao could barely hold on.
Bei Yao blinked, sticking to him like glutinous rice candy, half-sprawled on the ground tightly hugging the little chubby boy's legs to prevent him from leaving. No matter how strong the five-year-old little chubby boy was, he couldn't run circles while carrying this "little sticky rice candy.""
The kindergarten immediately descended into chaos.
The July summer was scorching hot. Bei Yao wore bean-green cloth shorts that barely reached her knees, her exposed calves nearly rubbed red by the ground.
Children's skin is tender. Her apricot eyes held a recklessly naive determination as she practically lay flat on the ground.
Still suffering from a fever, Bei Yao's small milky voice was somewhat hoarse: "Don't go!"
Chen Hu couldn't break free and nearly went crazy, finally bursting into loud wails.
Bei Yao was stunned.
She looked up bewildered at the sobbing little chubby boy, then turned to glance at Pei Chuan not far away. Why, why wasn't he coming over to catch him?
What should she do now that she'd made little Chen Hu cry?
Pei Chuan looked down at her holding the blue handkerchief. She happened to look up at that moment, her apricot eyes particularly brilliant in the summer sunlight, gazing up at him with helpless confusion.
Chen Hu wailed loudly, his voice shrill like a plucked rooster, crying until snot bubbles formed.
Pei Chuan looked at her damp eyes and at Chen Hu, whom she had trapped and was now stomping in frustration.
He pressed his lips together, threw the handkerchief on the ground, and without another glance at them, painstakingly pushed his wheelchair toward the door.
The handkerchief landed in front of Bei Yao. Still sprawled on the ground, maintaining her position of trapping Chen Hu, she didn't know whether to let go or not.
Chen Hu cried loudly, and the younger children in the kindergarten started crying along. When Teacher Zhao entered, she immediately saw this scene and hurried over to pick up little Bei Yao.
Pei Chuan had already reached the doorway.From inside came Teacher Zhao's voice coaxing the chubby child.
He stared at the doorway—it was already the second afternoon, yet his father and mother still hadn't come.
Behind him, chaos erupted.
Pei Chuan never once looked back. Though he never spoke, he knew many things. For instance, the kindergarten's universally acknowledged most popular children were Chen Hu and Fang Minjun.
Because Chen Hu knew how to be funny and lead everyone in play, while Fang Minjun was pretty and wore beautiful, delicate clothes.
And also, for example, the little girl who had just been watching him with sparkling bright eyes was the youngest girl in the kindergarten. She had only been brought to the kindergarten at the beginning of this month and lived in the same residential area as him.
She cried easily, was delicate, and prone to getting sick.
They all called her Yaoyao.
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