Bei Yao didn't fully recover from her illness until August. Her four-year-old body strongly resisted the memories from her previous life. Whenever Bei Yao regained consciousness, she would write things in her notebook and hide it in the gap between the headboard and cabinet—a spot Zhao Zhilan never cleaned.
By early August, during the hottest part of summer, Bei Yao's memories finally stabilized. Her recollections stopped at third grade elementary level—the limit of this soft, small body. She vaguely knew she had been reborn and understood she must treat Pei Chuan well, but couldn't explain why.
At a third-grade comprehension level, when she retrieved the notebook again, she could no longer understand its contents. She recognized some characters but not others, yet the intense anxiety made her hide the notebook again.
During Bei Yao's illness, Zhao Zhilan and Bei Licai had been terribly worried. Bei Licai smoked a cigarette and said, "Let's hang red decorations and set off firecrackers to ward off bad luck for Yaoyao's fourth birthday." Zhao Zhilan readily agreed. In the 1990s, child mortality rates were much higher than in later years. Bei Yao was the couple's first child—born when preference for sons over daughters hadn't yet been eradicated. Though Bei Yao's grandmother disliked her, the couple cherished their daughter dearly.
Once Bei Yao recovered, she naturally had to return to kindergarten.
Now viewing the world through a third-grader's perspective actually suited her better—she was no longer restless, her clear eyes filled with newfound wonder and curiosity about the world.
Summer flowers bloomed abundantly along the path to kindergarten.
Bei Yao stared intently at the lotus flowers in the pond, eventually begging Zhao Zhilan to pick one for her.
Zhao Zhilan felt terribly conflicted. Their neighborhood wasn't fully developed yet—it was a demolition relocation area—and the lotuses seemed to belong to someone. She tried to scare Bei Yao: "These belong to others! If we get caught, they'll lock you up!"
Bei Yao's large eyes remained innocent: "Then we'll buy one."
"Alright, alright." Zhao Zhilan looked around and found the lotus owner. She spent fifty cents to buy a lotus flower with its seed pod still attached. Using a branch to hook the flower closer, Zhao Zhilan plucked it for her daughter.
Bei Yao knew fifty cents was significant—her New Year's red envelope had only contained one yuan. Zhao Zhilan only indulged her because she'd been ill.
Little Bei Yao was so short that Zhao Zhilan, still feeling sorry about the fifty cents, broke off an extra-long stem. Bei Yao carefully hugged the flower, which completely obscured her face.
At kindergarten, Teacher Wu had already arrived for work. She was even gentler than Teacher Zhao, having just taken half a month off for her wedding. Slightly plump Teacher Wu smiled with the genuine joy of a newlywed: "Yaoyao's flower is so beautiful! Come play games with the other children."
Teacher Wu led her inside while Teacher Zhao distributed Sandwich Dried Tofu.
Sandwich snacks were only distributed once a month—ordinary round crackers were given on other days. For the children, sandwich snack day was especially anticipated.
Clutching her flower, Bei Yao looked around.
The round table was surrounded by children. Each child who received a snack would first cherish it with a lick, then take a small bite. A single piece could last them ten minutes.
Her eyes immediately found Pei Chuan.
A snack sat untouched before him on the table. It might as well have been a piece of charcoal rather than the treat all children loved.
Through her childish understanding, Bei Yao sensed he had grown even thinner than a few days earlier.
The frail little boy wore dark blue summer clothes that hung loosely on his frame, as if empty underneath.He gazed out the window at the camphor tree, his pupils dark and deep.
Bei Yao walked in holding flowers, and he gave her a fleeting glance before turning his eyes back to the window.
Xiang Tongtong nibbled on her biscuit like a little hamster, her eyes lighting up when she saw Bei Yao. "Yao Yao! Your flowers are so pretty."
Bei Yao nodded.
Her almond-shaped eyes curved into a smile. "Tongtong."
Xiang Tongtong had been her kindergarten classmate and would continue to be her elementary school classmate.
"Can I have one of the flowers?"
"Sure." Bei Yao carefully plucked a petal from the outermost layer with her chubby little hand and handed it to her.
Xiang Tongtong sniffed it. "It smells so nice!"
Bei Yao knew she should be kind to Pei Chuan, but being so young, her resolve wasn't firm. This flower was originally meant for Pei Chuan, but now she couldn't bear to part with it. She looked at it again and again, deciding to enjoy it with Xiang Tongtong a little longer before giving it to Pei Chuan.
While they were talking, a chubby hand reached over and snatched the biscuit in front of Pei Chuan.
Pei Chuan abruptly turned his head.
He stared expressionlessly at Chen Hu.
Chen Hu swallowed nervously, then raised his fist defiantly. "What's it to you! You can't beat me anyway."
It wasn't like Pei Chuan was going to eat it, so what was wrong with him having it? Besides, Pei Chuan's biscuits always ended up in his stomach, and nothing bad had ever happened.
Thinking this, he quickly licked the biscuit while the teacher wasn't looking. Seeing Pei Chuan still glaring coldly at him, Chen Hu felt both guilty and angry.
Fang Minjun wore an expression of pride that didn't suit her age. "His biscuit is dirty, Chen Hu. You shouldn't eat it."
Chen Hu's face flushed with embarrassment.
He threw the half-eaten biscuit toward Pei Chuan, deciding he didn't want it anymore.
Minmin was right—Pei Chuan wet his pants, so his biscuits were definitely dirty.
The cream-filled biscuit missed its mark, skimming the edge of the table and landing beside Pei Chuan's wheelchair.
Pei Chuan's pale hand suddenly gripped the wheelchair, pushing it toward Chen Hu. Then he grabbed Chen Hu by the collar and dragged him closer.
Chen Hu was stunned. "What are you doing, mute?"
Ever since Pei Chuan lost the use of his legs, he had stopped talking to the other children.
At first, they still called him Pei Chuan, but now they simply called him "mute."
Chen Hu, being stout and sturdy, wasn't about to take it lying down. He shoved Pei Chuan. The frail boy's chest was pushed backward by the little bull-like Chen Hu. Pei Chuan's dark eyes were hollow and lifeless as he grabbed Chen Hu's arm and bit down hard.
"Waaah..." Chen Hu burst into tears from the pain.
Teacher Wu was the first to notice something was wrong.
She hurried over to pull the children apart.
The kindergarten descended into chaos.
Bei Yao, still holding her flowers, suddenly caught Pei Chuan's gaze. He was biting Chen Hu's arm, sweat beading on his forehead, and he was looking at her through the crowd of children.
When Bei Yao looked back, he closed his eyes, but his mouth remained clamped shut, as if he intended to tear a chunk of flesh from the chubby boy.
Chen Hu cried and hit Pei Chuan's head repeatedly.
Pei Chuan seemed like a robot without any sense of pain, biting down even harder the next moment.
Teacher Wu couldn't pry him loose. She had to pinch Pei Chuan's jaw forcefully. "Pei Chuan, let go!"
The children, witnessing such a scene for the first time, were all terrified.
Blood trickled from the corner of Pei Chuan's mouth—no one knew whose it was.
Teacher Wu grew frantic.
Oh my god, she was squeezing a child's cheeks this hard and still couldn't make him let go. Teacher Zhao rushed into the room, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest at the sight.
She gently stroked Pei Chuan's head. "Xiao Chuan, let go, okay? Teacher is here, I'm right here..."
Pei Chuan opened his eyes and slowly released his bite.Teacher Wu quickly pulled out Chen Hu's arm. There was a deep bite mark on Chen Hu's arm, bleeding slightly.
The two teachers exchanged a glance, their faces turning pale.
Teacher Wu picked up Chen Hu to comfort him, while Teacher Zhao hurried off to notify the parents.
On this August day, Chen Hu cried so hard that snot bubbles formed.
The children were terrified, all keeping their distance from Pei Chuan.
Xiang Tongtong, tears in her eyes, said, "He's scary, he bites people."
Bei Yao, holding a lotus flower as tall as herself, noticed that no one was paying attention to Pei Chuan. Pei Chuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and silently stared at the biscuit that had already been crushed on the ground.
Chen Hu, sobbing uncontrollably in the teacher's arms, cried, "Teacher, go, go..."
"Alright, alright, the teacher will carry you out."
Fang Minjun's face was pale. When Pei Chuan and Chen Hu had fought, it had happened right beside her. She barely held back her tears—because her mother had told her that the Hong Kong star was a cold, elegant beauty. As a "little jade girl," she couldn't cry.
Now she didn't dare sit near Pei Chuan either and ran straight out of the classroom.
Bei Yao glanced at the teacher comforting Chen Hu, her eyes lighting up. Her short legs carried her step by step to Pei Chuan. Then she placed the lotus flower in his arms.
"For you."
She turned to look at Teacher Wu patting Chen Hu's back at the doorway: "No pain, no pain..."
Bei Yao turned back, looked up at the little boy sitting in the wheelchair, and since she was only tall enough to gently pat his forearm, she comforted him in her soft, milky voice: "No pain, no pain..."
The blood at the corner of his lips wasn't fully wiped away, and an absurdly large lotus flower now rested on his lap.
The lotus's delicate fragrance, mixed with the little girl's milky scent, enveloped him. Her chubby little hand patted him gently, her bare forearm soft against his skin. It was like a tender dragonfly quietly landing in summer.
His head, where Chen Hu had hit him, still throbbed with pain.
He looked down at her. Her almond-shaped eyes seemed to hold a pool of clear water: "No pain..."
The sunlight was dazzlingly bright, burning one's eyes. He placed the lotus flower on the table, brushed away her small hand, and wheeled himself away from her.
Bei Yao watched the little boy's thin back with disappointment, then walked toward Xiang Tongtong.
The little girl Xiang Tongtong, her nose tip red, grabbed Bei Yao's hand and tried to pull her away.
In the classroom, the boy who played most with Chen Hu was named Li Da. Li Da shouted, "Pei Chuan is a dog!"
Immediately, several children nodded in agreement.
"My mom said biting people makes you a dog. Yaoyao, let's not play with him."
Bei Yao had large eyes and upturned eyelashes that fluttered when she blinked, making people want to pat her head. She shook her head seriously: "He's not a dog." She loudly told Xiang Tongtong and the other children, "His name is Pei Chuan. My mom said 'Chuan' means rivers, and rivers are very clean."
Pei Chuan lowered his gaze.
The little girl's voice was tender and clear, like a wind chime stirred by the breeze.
His leg was broken, and many people thought he was dirty.
The kindergarten children all remembered that incident with urination.
Actually, he wasn't dirty. He had been dressing himself for a long time. After using the toilet, he would carefully wash his hands three times. Pei Chuan was even more precocious than children his age—he could already solve arithmetic problems. But it seemed that having a broken leg made him a dirty existence.
When his father gave him his name, it meant "the sea accepts all rivers."
Though he couldn't fully understand what that meant, he knew it was a good name.However, even the most upright name had now been tainted by the severed legs, losing its soul.
~
Chen Hu’s parents arrived first—both his father and mother came.
The children were familiar with Chen Hu’s father, a burly, broad-shouldered man. His eyes widened like bronze bells as he pointed at Pei Chuan and shouted, "You brat! If anything happens to my Xiao Hu, I’ll beat you to death!"
Hearing this, Chen Hu burst into earth-shaking sobs, crying with immense grievance.
Chen Hu’s mother also shot Pei Chuan a glare before picking up her son to take him to the clinic.
Teacher Wu stood awkwardly to the side, apologizing, "I’m sorry, it’s our fault for not keeping a closer eye on the children. Please take Xiao Hu to get checked right away."
Only then did the couple leave with their child.
Half an hour later, Pei Chuan’s mother, Jiang Wenjuan, arrived. She had delicate features, her hair neatly tied up at the back, giving her a clean and efficient appearance.
She was a gentle-looking woman, and Pei Chuan took after her more. Though his handsome features resembled his mother’s, the traces of his father’s likeness added a deeper intensity to his contours.
On her way there, Jiang Wenjuan had already heard the details from Teacher Zhao.
Without a word, the woman walked over, first smiling at Pei Chuan, then bending down to gently stroke his head.
Bei Yao clearly saw the silent little boy’s eyes gradually light up with color.
It was like spring returning to the earth, withered trees sprouting tender green branches. Flecks of light brought hues to his pitch-black eyes. As she pushed his wheelchair away, Bei Yao heard the boy’s hoarse, barely audible voice whisper, "Mom."
He could speak—he was just a boy of few words.
Even at such a young age, children have a clear sense of boundaries in their hearts, like a scale weighing right and wrong.
Blinking her eyes, Bei Yao leaned against the doorframe, watching their retreating figures with longing.
When would Pei Chuan be willing to talk to her?
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