Xu Chacha remembered the old woman's attitude earlier, and her words "stinky mute".
"Were you bullied?"
The girl replied a little slowly this time, but she definitely only knocked once.
"That old woman?"
"扣" is correct.
"So you're just going to stay in the bathroom and not come out?" Xu Chacha asked again.
"QQ" is not it.
“By the way, we can write and chat.” Xu Chacha handed her the pen again. “That would be quite fun, hahaha.”
The girl took the paper back and then stuffed it out a while later.
'Waiting for Grandpa'
Xu Chacha lowered her eyes, staring at her crooked handwriting, and felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
She could roughly guess what was going on. The woman was probably a maid hired by the girl's family, who had been bullying her in private. The girl could only wait in the toilet until her grandfather came for dinner before she dared to go out.
"Did you tell Grandpa?" Xu Chacha asked softly.
'She won't let me hit her, I'm scared.'
"Don't be afraid. Tell Grandpa, and that old woman will be driven away."
A few more suppressed sobs came from inside; this time, the note was passed very slowly.
'Fear'
Xu Chacha frowned, her tone becoming serious, "How about this, I'll stay with you until 5:30, and I'll tell your grandfather for you."
She knew that the girl couldn't speak, which must have caused her many inconveniences.
There was a moment of silence in the cubicle, then the knocking continued softly.
"Button" it up.
...
Xu Chacha was afraid that Wang Fang would worry if she hadn't seen her for a long time, so she went back and told her.
"Going to do what?"
"There was a little girl who was all alone and looked very pitiful, and I wanted to go and keep her company."
Wang Fang had finished explaining the homework, so she packed her things and stood up. "I'll go with you. Don't run around alone next time."
She said, "Why did Xu Chacha take so long to go to the toilet?"
"Thank you, Teacher Fangfang." Xu Chacha took her hand and gently squeezed it. "You're so kind."
Wang Fang said expressionlessly, "I'm your homeroom teacher. If anything happens to you, I'll also have to take responsibility."
"Goodbye, Lele." Xu Chacha said goodbye to Gao Lele. "You must get better soon and come back to school soon."
Gao Lele lay on the bed, her disability seemingly insignificant, diligently copying words until her wrists were practically burning. She managed to reply with a few spare moments, "Mmm, I'll drink more bone broth so I can recover faster."
Wang Fang said a few words to Gao's father before taking Xu Chacha's soft little hand and walking out.
Where is he/she?
“She’s hiding in the toilet, too scared to come out.” Xu Chacha pulled her toward the toilet. “The mother-in-law who’s bullying her is really fierce. Teacher Fangfang, you have to protect us.”
Wang Fang didn't say anything, and slowly followed her footsteps.
"Little sister, I brought my teacher with me. She's a really nice person. After learning about what happened to you, she said she wanted to come with me to protect you." Xu Chacha knocked on the door.
Wang Fang: ?
Has she lost her memory? When did she say something like that?
“Anyway, that old lady can’t see, and Teacher Fangfang and I are both here. Come out, the toilet will stink if you stay too long,” Xu Chacha said.
There was no response to the knocking, but after a while, the door lock was pulled open, and a little girl about the same height as Xu Chacha walked out.
The girl's timid eyes were glistening with tears, and her body was so thin that she looked like a piece of dry firewood that could be picked up with one hand.
She bowed to Xu Chacha and raised her hand to sign language.
Xu Chacha didn't understand what she meant, so Wang Fang, who knew a little, translated, "She said thank you."
Xu Chacha smiled sweetly and extended her hand to her, "It's okay, I'm happy to chat with you too."
The girl hesitated for a moment, wiped her hands on her skirt before taking her hand, and gave Xu Chacha a weak smile, looking so delicate that it was heartbreaking.
Wang Fang led the two little kids to the flower bed in the ward where patients kept watch, found a spot, and laid newspapers on it for them to sit down.
There is a large cherry blossom tree in the middle of the flower bed, but unfortunately it is not its flowering season in August, and there are only green leaves and flower buds on the branches.
Several children dressed in hospital gowns, just like the girl, were playing around the cherry blossom tree, holding hands and singing nursery rhymes.
"Aren't you going to play with them?" Wang Fang asked, looking at the two children.
Xu Chacha shook her head; she was already exhausted from playing with the children at school all day.
The girl looked at the children under the cherry blossom tree with her big eyes, and gently shook her head, pointing to her heart.
"You have a heart condition?" Xu Chacha took the chocolate back from her hand.
If you have a heart condition, you shouldn't eat foods high in fat or sugar.
Wang Fang asked, "What's your name?"
The girl used sign language to communicate with her.
"Lang Yueyue?"
Lang Yueyue nodded, then shrank back and remained still. She turned her gaze away from the group of children and stared at the street in front of the hospital, her eyes following the passing vehicles and crowds.
Wang Fang had little experience in comforting children, so she could only sit quietly and watch with her.
"Are you waiting for your grandfather?" Xu Chacha reached out and grabbed her hand.
Lang Yueyue's hands were very cold, and the veins under her thin skin were bluish-purple. The skin around the indwelling needle was already covered with needle holes.
Lang Yueyue nodded.
"It's still a little while until 5:30." Xu Chacha shook Wang Fang's arm. "Teacher Fangfang, can I use your phone for a bit?"
Wang Fang unlocked her phone and handed it to her. Xu Chacha found the video app and opened "Peppa Pig," a show that Chen Qianqian really liked.
"Watching cartoons? Sisi and the others are having so much fun watching this."
Lang Yueyue shook her head, still stubbornly staring at the street, but hearing the laughter coming from the phone, she couldn't help but glance at it curiously. After a few glances back and forth, she finally turned back and sat close to Xu Chacha, craning her neck to look at the phone with her.
"This is Peppa Pig, and this is her brother George." Xu Chacha pointed to the pig and helped her identify the names. Lang Yueyue blinked to indicate that she knew.
Before they had even watched two episodes, Wang Fang spotted an elderly man with white hair walking towards them, followed by a young woman.
She patted Xu Chacha sitting next to her and asked, "Isn't that Yueyue's grandfather?"
Before anyone could respond, Lang Yueyue had already run over and hugged the old man.
Xu Chacha saw the old man's face clearly, her mouth slightly open. Wasn't this Lang Shu?
After returning home from a magazine shoot, she curiously searched for Lang Shu's interviews and saw his photos. The real person and the interview photos were not much different. He had a buzz cut, white hair, a square face, and thick earlobes. He even wore the same clothes.
The person walking behind Lang Shu looked even more familiar; it was Wen Mubai.
Do they know each other?
Lang Shu carried Lang Yueyue and walked towards them. "Hello, did you bring Yueyue out for some fresh air?"
Lang Yueyue has been sensitive and shy since she was a child. Now she is five years old, but she is still often frightened and wets her pants when she is slightly stimulated. This is the first time Lang Shu has seen her get close to other children her age.
"Hello." Wang Fang stood up. "I am this child's homeroom teacher. She told me that your granddaughter was being bullied and has been hiding in the toilet, too scared to come out. That's why we're waiting for you here to ask about the situation."
"Bullying?" Lang Shu frowned and looked at Lang Yueyue. "Yueyue, tell Grandpa who bullied you."
His voice was a bit loud, and Lang Yueyue trembled in fright, her eyes immediately turning red.
“Don’t be afraid, Yueyue. The bad guys aren’t here now. Tell your grandpa everything, and he will protect you,” Xu Chacha said, looking up at her.
Lang Yueyue blinked slightly and raised her hand to sign.
'I don't like Auntie'
"Did Aunt Miao bully you?" Lang Shu didn't expect this answer.
He asked someone he knew to introduce this aunt to him. She was hardworking and knew how to get things done. He originally thought she was an honest person, but now his precious granddaughter says she was bullied.
“Tell me more clearly how your aunt has bullied you.”
Lang Yueyue probably thought of something and suddenly choked up. Xu Chacha was standing to her side and saw that her newly changed pants were quickly soaked again.
Wang Fang also noticed that this child was much more sensitive than the average person. No, perhaps it could be described as more than just sensitive. Without professional guidance from a psychologist, it would be difficult for such a severe stressful situation to restore a child's normal ability to express themselves.
Fortunately, she was an old-fashioned woman who would wear a suit jacket every day no matter how hot the weather was. She took off her jacket and wrapped it around Lang Yueyue's legs.
"Let's not ask her for now," Wang Fang said to Lang Shu.
Lang Shu clumsily wiped away Lang Yueyue's tears, and vaguely replied to Wang Fang, "Okay, I won't ask."
My granddaughter always cries easily and often gets so frightened that she loses control of her bladder. In the past, whenever Aunt Miao came, she would immediately calm down.
He originally thought that Lang Yueyue acted that way because she liked Aunt Miao, but now he thinks she was probably so scared that she didn't even dare to cry.
Lang Shu carried Lang Yueyue back to the ward to change her pants. Xu Chacha, Wen Mubai, and Wang Fang followed behind them. Xu Chacha held one of their hands, but it turned out that she, with the shortest legs, walked the fastest.
"Teacher Fangfang, you know so much, you're amazing." Xu Chacha's words weren't flattery; she genuinely felt that Wang Fang possessed a more solid sense of reliability than other teachers.
She overheard other teachers chatting and mentioning Wang Fang's academic background, which was outstanding. Even placing her in the top class of A Primary School would be considered an insult.
Moreover, judging from Wang Fang's personality, she didn't seem to like children, so she didn't know why she would come to teach elementary school math.
"So you have to study hard and learn from your teacher, Fangfang." Wen Mubai held her little hand and deliberately slowed down his pace. "Don't let your mind wander in class."
“I’ve been studying hard, and I’ve never fallen behind in my studies.” Xu Chacha squeezed Wen Mubai’s hand. “Auntie, please stop complaining about me to the teacher.”
Wen Mubai nodded in agreement, "It was Auntie who was talking nonsense, okay?"
"Okay." Xu Chacha successfully deflected the blame.
Wang Fang fell silent. She recalled that it seemed to be true, just as Wen Mubai had said. Although Xu Chacha was often found daydreaming and not concentrating in class, she always answered questions correctly when called upon, and her homework was always completed neatly and diligently. Her self-learning ability and self-discipline were also outstanding.