"Are you spacing out because you think the teacher's explanations are too simple?" She had thought during the interview that Xu Chacha was a bit too smart.
She had seen many child prodigies, but most children with high IQs were likely to have some deficiencies in EQ. They were competitive and prone to excessive pride, and might even look down on classmates who were not as good as them. Xu Chacha, on the other hand, was completely different. She got along well with her classmates and was better at handling conflicts than some teachers.
Wang Fang could tell that Xu Chacha was different from many other smart children. She was unique but never used her uniqueness as a source of arrogance. Therefore, she blended in well with the other children without feeling like she was standing out from the crowd.
"It's alright," Xu Chacha replied rather conservatively, then smiled and changed the subject, "Is Teacher Fangfang praising me for being smart?"
"...I guess so."
Wen Mubai, standing to the side, secretly shook his head, not expecting that Wang Fang would be able to let this little rascal gloat over things with just a few words.
"Auntie, do you know Grandpa Lang?" Xu Chacha asked, looking up at her with her little eyes blinking curiously.
Wen Mubai nodded slightly, "Consider me half a teacher."
She heard that Lang Yueyue's condition had improved, so she came to visit her with Lang Shu. She didn't expect to run into Xu Chacha so coincidentally.
"Okay, I understand." Xu Chacha narrowed her eyes.
It's surprising how small the world is. I guess EV was able to persuade Lang Shu, this reclusive old artist, partly because Xu Yanshu also played a part in it.
...
They followed Lang Shu into room 0612, which was completely different from what Xu Chacha had seen before. The woman who had been lying on the bed spitting out orange seeds was diligently wiping the table with a rag, and the magazines and newspapers were neatly stacked on the coffee table.
"Mr. Lang, you've arrived." Aunt Miao put down her handkerchief and smiled as she approached Lang Yueyue, pretending to take her in. "Oh dear, our little darling has wet her pants again. Here, let Auntie change you."
Lang Yueyue glanced timidly at Lang Shu, but this time she didn't obediently reach out her hand to Aunt Miao.
In the past, whenever she showed the slightest resistance in front of Lang Shu, Aunt Miao would intensify her verbal abuse when the two were alone, slapping her head hard and calling her a little fool.
"You don't need to change." Lang Shu walked around her, picked up the child, and went to check his pants himself.
He was getting old, and with a child in his arms, he had some difficulty moving around. Wang Fang went over and said, "Let me do it."
Lang Yueyue didn't resist her too much. She was held quietly without crying or making a fuss. Wang Fang took her into the bathroom to change her pants. Outside, Lang Shu was confronting Aunt Miao.
"Did you bully Yueyue while I was away?" Although Lang Shu was old, he had a strong presence. His deep voice startled Aunt Miao, who trembled.
“How could that be? I’ve always treated her like my own granddaughter. It’s just that she’s a bit sensitive and often seems sentimental. How did it become me bullying her?”
"Grandma, why are you lying?" Xu Chacha blinked, tears streaming down her face. She pouted, her acting more convincing than anyone else's. "Chacha clearly heard you calling Yueyue a stinky mute. You were so mean! If you loved her, you wouldn't have been so mean to her."
Chapter 28
"Where did you come from, child? I've never met you before. How could you hear me swearing? This is nonsense." She smiled sheepishly and walked towards Xu Chacha. "Did someone make you lie on purpose so that your mother-in-law would lose her job?"
Xu Chacha didn't give her a chance to touch her, hiding behind Wen Mubai. "Grandpa Lang, I'm telling the truth. Yueyue wrote me a note saying she was very scared, so she hid in the toilet and waited for you to come out before she dared to come out. If you don't believe me, I can show you."
Her reminder made Lang Shu realize that Yueyue often came back from outside when he brought her meals. He also habitually took her to the public restroom when he took her out for a walk. Logically speaking, the VIP ward has a private bathroom, so it wouldn't be slow for her to walk back and use it.
It must be because I'm used to hiding in the outside toilets that I always subconsciously walk towards them.
"Look." Xu Chacha handed over the note she had put in her pocket. "Chacha didn't lie."
Lang Shu took the note and recognized the crooked handwriting on it.
'Waiting for Grandpa'
'She won't let me hit her, I'm scared.'
The old hand holding the note trembled. Lang Shu never expected that the maid he hired to take care of Lang Yueyue had been bullying the child all along.
He felt panicked and guilty, resenting himself for listening to a few recommendations from so-called acquaintances and trusting Aunt Miao so much, ultimately becoming an accomplice in harming his own granddaughter.
"Get out of here!" The old man was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged, and he looked like he wanted to devour someone alive.
This was the first time Wen Mubai had ever seen him so angry. Worried that it would frighten Xu Chacha, she quickly covered her ears.
"Hmm?" Xu Chacha tilted her head back, her soft bangs parted to the sides, and her dark eyes under her eyebrows met Wen Mubai's gaze with a puzzled look.
Wen Mubai mouthed to her, "It's okay."
Xu Chacha actually wanted to enjoy the scene of the villain being exposed a little longer, but her guardian wouldn't allow it. Seeing that both of them were getting emotional, Wen Mubai picked Xu Chacha up, opened the door, and put her on a bench in the corridor outside.
Xu Chacha propped herself up on the stool with both hands, her little face drooping. "Auntie, why do people always bully children?"
Wen Mubai thought she was remembering things from the past, so he gently patted her head and said softly, "That's why God arranges for parents to be with every child, to protect them from harm when there are bad people around."
Xu Chacha nodded thoughtfully, her slender legs dangling idly in the air. "I see."
“Yes.” Wen Mubai continued, “Just like you have your parents to protect you, Yueyue has her grandfather to protect her.”
Xu Chacha looked up at her, her tone innocent, "Chacha understands the reasoning, but Auntie, aren't you a Buddhist? Why are you telling me stories about God?"
"..." Wen Mubai.
Why does she have to talk so much?
The farce ended with Aunt Miao bursting out of the door in tears. As she ran past, she glared fiercely at Xu Chacha, only to be stopped by Wen Mubai who raised his hand to protect her and gave her a cold look.
"There are surveillance cameras in the hospital corridors, don't worry. As long as we find any clues, we'll meet at the police station next time." She said these words, which sent chills down Aunt Miao's spine, in a calm tone.
"Why do you rich people have to go against an old woman like me?"
Wen Mubai's smile was sarcastic, his lowered brows revealing sharp eyes. "This is nothing."
Only after Lang Yueyue's psychological diagnosis and evidence investigation are completed can we begin to pursue the matter further.
...
Lang Shu coaxed Lang Yueyue to eat, but she didn't seem to have much of an appetite, and her eyes kept drifting towards Xu Chacha.
Wen Mubai noticed and patted Xu Chacha on the back, "Go keep your sister company."
Xu Chacha ran over excitedly and sat down next to Lang Yueyue. She held the strip of paper she had torn from her homework out of boredom, rolled it into a five-pointed star little by little, and then gently pinched it with her fingers, and the five-pointed star immediately expanded into a three-dimensional shape.
"Ah...ah!" Lang Yueyue, with the mashed potatoes Lang Shu had just fed her still in her mouth, pointed at the star in Xu Chacha's hand and babbled.
Lang Shu glanced at it and nodded, "Grandpa saw it. If you like it, I'll buy it for you later."
"This is for you." Xu Chacha placed the paper star in Lang Yueyue's hand. "With the star by your side, Yueyue, you won't be afraid anymore. They say on TV that the stars will keep orbiting the moon and won't leave for a very long time."
Lang Yueyue played with the star for a while, then her eyebrows relaxed and she gave Xu Chacha a sweet smile, using sign language to communicate with her.
Lang Shu helped translate, "She said thank you."
Xu Chacha waved her hand, "No need to thank me, I'm happy to play with you too."
Lang Yueyue chuckled again and took the initiative to reach out and hold Xu Chacha's hand. Her small hands were very cold, but they warmed up in no time when Xu Chacha held them.
Wang Fang originally thought that since the matter had been resolved, she should send Xu Chacha home as soon as possible, otherwise her parents would worry if she went home too late.
Seeing how clingy Lang Yueyue was to Xu Chacha, she found it difficult to ask her to take her away. She could only send a private text message to Xu's mother, saying that she had some things to do with Xu Chacha today and would send her back later, so that she didn't need to worry.
Lang Yueyue stopped eating when she was about 70% full, pursing her lips.
Lang Shu wiped her mouth, his eyes full of heartache, "How can you eat so little? She didn't feed you properly at noon either."
Lang Yueyue shook her head, patted her stomach, and told Lang Shu that she was really full.
She jumped out of bed, grabbed Xu Chacha's hand, and ran outside.
Lang Shu didn't even have time to clear the dishes before he hurried after her, saying, "Yueyue, where are you going? Don't run so fast, your body can't take it."
Upon hearing his words, Lang Yueyue changed from running to walking, but she didn't loosen her grip on Xu Chacha's hand at all.
"Auntie." Xu Chacha turned around and reached out her hand. Wen Mubai got up, took her hand, and followed Lang Yueyue.
So one by one, Lang Yueyue pulled them into the elevator, then down to the first floor, and then took them back to the small flower bed where they had been exercising.
It's lunchtime now, and the children who were playing earlier have all been taken home to eat. Lang Yueyue pointed to the cherry blossom tree, indicating that she wanted Xu Chacha to come with her.
"Oh, I see." Xu Chacha guessed what she wanted to do.
"Aunties, come over here all the way," Xu Chacha directed them. "Hold hands and surround the tree."
Wen Mubai couldn't refuse her, so he could only nod in agreement. Lang Shu also went over and took Lang Yueyue's hand, but unfortunately, the four of them were not enough to surround the tree.
Lang Yueyue blinked and looked pitifully at Wang Fang standing to the side.
Wang Fang wasn't the kind of woman who could be swayed by a few glances. She waved her hand and said, "You guys have fun, I'm not joining in."
Xu Chacha pouted, "Teacher Fangfang isn't playing with us."
Wang Fang crossed her arms and said curtly, "No."
Xu Chacha stomped her foot and pleaded with her in a drawn-out tone, "Come on, come on, just for a little while, please, please, Teacher Fangfang."
"..." Wang Fang sighed inwardly, her back view looking as if she had aged ten years, but in the end she still let the coquettish girl get her way, "Just for a little while."
"Mmm!"
Wang Fang took their hands and finally opened the circle. Lang Yueyue's little face immediately lit up with a smile, and she pulled them along, jumping and spinning around like the other children.
Wang Fang was so dizzy from being shaken that she almost rolled her eyes and fell over.
Who is she, and where is she?
He just came to deliver some homework, so why is he now circling around the tree like an idiot?
It's Friday, and the teacher just wants to go home as soon as possible.
Lang Shu was old and couldn't take the strain. After playing with him for a while, he couldn't take it anymore and let go, panting. "Yueyue, Grandpa can't turn it anymore. You should rest too. You can't overdo it."
Although Lang Yueyue didn't have much fun, she still felt sorry for her grandfather and used sign language to communicate with him.
'Grandpa, go and rest. I'll play with Chacha.'
Seeing this, Wang Fang immediately let go of his hand, sat down on the chair next to him, looked down at her phone, and gave him an expression that said, "I'm working, don't bother me."
"Is Auntie tired too?" Xu Chacha shook Wen Mubai's hand.
"Want to play again?" Wen Mubai breathed a sigh of relief, displaying a self-sacrificing spirit of going all out to play. "If you want to play, Auntie will play with you again."
"Ah! Ah ah." Lang Yueyue shouted at her twice, then slapped her and Xu Chacha's hands apart and pulled Xu Chacha away.
The two of them squatted down by the flower bed. Lang Yueyue picked up a flower that had fallen into the soil, held it in her palm, and presented it to Xu Chacha.
Xu Chacha pointed to herself, "Given to me?"
Lang Yueyue nodded, her eyes blinking.
"Thank you, Yueyue." Xu Chacha blew the dirt off the flowers and tucked them into the breast pocket of her school uniform. "Does it look good?"