Qiao Anchen secretly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately replied, "It's that big economic case that happened recently. His parents are both involved in the case."
After he finished speaking, he added another sentence.
"The situation is quite serious."
Chu Yi fell silent for a moment, then asked, "What will happen to him in the future?"
"Usually, other close relatives take on the responsibility of raising the children."
"What if there isn't one?"
Qiao Anchen paused for a moment before replying, "They might be sent to an orphanage."
The air grew heavy because of those words. Chu Yi had no mind to dwell on her little affair with Qiao Anchen anymore. When it came to a topic that concerned a person's fate, everything else seemed insignificant.
She thought of the quiet little boy from earlier, and suddenly didn't want to say anything anymore.
"Go to sleep." After a moment, Chu Yi spoke. Qiao Anchen paused for a moment, then nodded.
The next day happened to be Sunday. Qiao Anchen got up early to work overtime, and Chu Yi didn't dare to stay in bed. Not long after he left, she got up too.
The child's relatives have been notified to prepare to return to China, but the specific time has not yet been determined, and Chu Yi doesn't know how much longer he will stay.
Just as Chu Yi finished preparing breakfast, she heard a click from the door next door. She looked up and saw a timid face behind the door. Chu Yi smiled at him.
"Good morning, Xiaoyan."
"Good morning, sister." He pursed his lips, walked over, and obediently climbed onto the chair in front of the dining table.
"Have you brushed your teeth and washed your face?" The second bedroom also has a private bathroom. Chu Yi looked at his fair and clean face and asked.
"I washed it," the child answered obediently.
Because there are children around, breakfast for the first day of the Lunar New Year can't be as casual as before. For the first time ever, I heated up milk, made sandwiches, and washed fresh fruit.
After the two finished breakfast, Chu Yi took him out to the mall to buy clothes.
When we arrived yesterday, the child only had a small backpack and nothing else. Chu Yi took him to a nearby shopping mall by taxi.
He was very quiet and obedient throughout the process. He tried whatever Chu Yi asked him to try, and after buying it, he only whispered "thank you" to her.
As the two passed a dessert shop, his gaze lingered on the ice cream displayed in the window for several seconds, but when Chu Yi noticed, he quickly looked away.
"Let's go in and take a look." Chu Yi suddenly changed direction and prepared to go in, but the child immediately grabbed her hand and murmured.
"Sister, I don't want to eat ice cream."
“But my sister wants to eat it,” Chu Yi said with a smile. The child lowered her head and didn’t say anything, obediently letting her lead her inside.
Finally, the two of them each took out a strawberry ice cream. The round ice cream ball was decorated with big strawberries, looking pink and tempting.
The child's eyes were a little red. He took a bite of the ice cream in his hand, and his eyelashes trembled twice, as if he was about to cry.
"What's wrong?" Chu Yixin immediately felt a pang of sadness, squatted down to look at him, and was heartbroken.
"It's nothing." He kept his head down, wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, and his voice was choked with emotion.
"I'm just afraid that I'll never be able to eat such delicious ice cream again..."
Chu Yi's vision blurred instantly. She half-squatted in front of him, hugged the child to her arms, and patted his head to comfort him.
"No, Xiaoyan, your aunt and uncle will be back from abroad in a few days, right? They will treat you as well as your sister... no, they will treat you even better than your sister."
So don't be sad. No matter how great the suffering, it will pass.
"Mmm..." he mumbled, burying his face in her shoulder. Chu Yi tilted her head back, blinked, and forced back the tears welling up in her eyes before jokingly saying...
"The ice cream is going to melt if we don't eat it soon."
The child immediately stood up straight from her arms, wiped his eyes somewhat shyly, and then tried to smile at her.
"Mmm!" He lowered his head, took a bite of ice cream, and mumbled, "So delicious."
After buying clothes and a bunch of other random things, it was only 3 p.m. when we got back. Chu Yi took him to the supermarket again and bought some vegetables and fruit.
Since it was still early, Chu Yi used the leftover butter and flour at home, along with cranberries, to make a batch of cookies.
As soon as the cookies came out of the oven, the air was filled with a sweet aroma. The golden-brown cookies were decorated with bright red dried cranberries. One bite revealed a crispy, fragrant, and sweet-and-sour flavor.
Chu Yi loves cranberry cookies and has made them several times; he's quite skilled at it now.
The child was pleasantly surprised. Chu Yi took the plate out and placed it in front of him, which made his eyes light up with joy.
"Sister, you're amazing!"
"Try it, is it good?"
He picked up a piece, took a bite, and kept nodding.
"It tastes even better than what I buy outside!"
"Then it's all yours." Chu Yi pushed the plate in front of him, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
"Your sister is going to cook. You play by yourself and don't eat too much. Save room for dinner."
The child obediently nodded in agreement.
Qiao Anchen came home earlier than usual today. He had only finished half of Chu Yi's work when he heard a noise coming from the door.
He saw Li Yan sitting alone in a chair with a plate of cookies in front of him, but he didn't eat them; he just stared at them.
"Why aren't you eating?" Qiao Anchen walked over and asked, picking up a piece and putting it in his mouth.
Li Yan stirred, looked up at him, and called out, "Uncle."
Qiao Anchen paused.
He calls Chu Yi "older sister" and "uncle," so what is the generational relationship between him and Chu Yi?
Qiao Anchen was confused for two seconds, but he couldn't bring himself to ask the other person to call him brother.
Never mind, it doesn't affect anything anyway.
Qiao Anchen simply stopped thinking about it.
"My sister is cooking, and she told me to save room for dinner," Li Yan replied obediently. Chu Yi told him not to eat too much, so he really only ate a few pieces and then refrained from eating any more.
"Oh." Qiao Anchen nodded, then looked at Chu Yi in the kitchen. He hadn't paid any attention to Chu Yi since he came in.
Qiao Anchen thought for a moment and went inside, then asked her, "What dishes are you making today?"
Chu Yi raised his chin to indicate the side dishes beside him and uttered a single syllable, meaning that he should see for himself.
Qiao Anchen paused for two seconds, then asked, "What are you all doing here today?"
"I bought some clothes for Xiaoyan." This time, Chu Yi actually paid attention to him, but her tone was lukewarm. Qiao Anchen paused for a moment, then said sullenly, "I'll do it. You go and rest."
"No need." Chu Yi turned her head and glanced at him, her expression unreadable.
"You've worked all day, why don't you go and rest for a bit?"
After saying that, Chu Yi went about her business. Qiao Anchen stood there for a while, then silently turned and left.
The atmosphere was quite good during dinner. Chu Yi had a gentle expression and a smile on her lips as she chatted with Li Yan, while Qiao Anchen occasionally chimed in.
When the topic of his school tomorrow came up, Qiao Anchen said, "It's about the same time as my work schedule, so I'll take you there tomorrow."
"Is it on your way?" Chu Yi asked him. Qiao Anchen replied, "It's not far, no problem."
"Okay." She nodded, then smiled at Li Yan: "Then I'll pick you up from get out of class this afternoon."
"Oh, right," Chu Yi said, remembering something else, "I'll pack the cookies in a bag later, so you can take them to school tomorrow. Is there anything you'd like to eat for dinner?"
Li Yan shook her little head: "I eat everything my sister makes."
"Is your cooking good, sister?" Chu Yi asked jokingly upon seeing this. Li Yan, who was biting into a chicken wing, nodded enthusiastically and said, "Delicious!"
"Then next time this uncle has time, ask him to cook for you. Uncle's cooking is even better." Chu Yi teased Qiao Anchen with a smile. Li Yan immediately looked up at him in surprise, her eyes wide open, as if she couldn't believe it.
"What? Don't you believe me?" Qiao Anchen glanced at him, and Li Yan immediately shook his head.
"No..." he mumbled, his face down as he ate his rice, "It's just that you don't look like someone who could cook..."
Chu Yi was overjoyed, and Qiao Anchen was so amused by his antics that he pressed on, "What does that uncle look like?"
“Well…” Li Yan tilted her head and thought seriously for a long time. Finally, she glanced timidly at Qiao Anchen and stammered, “It’s very serious, a little scary.”
Qiao Anchen: "..." No wonder he said that the child didn't say a word to him the whole time last night, but as soon as he got home, he immediately started talking to Chu Yi. It turns out that he was scary-looking.
"Qiao Anchen, don't go out at night anymore," Chu Yi said to him. Qiao Anchen was annoyed and confused.
"Why?"
She slowly finished the second half of the sentence.
"Because you'll scare little children."
"..."
The author has something to say: Qiao Anchen looked at Chu Yi: Nephew...niece?
First Year of Junior High: Hello, Uncle.
(I never imagined that my hints last night would have no effect. Okay. Good girl.ok.jpg)
30. Chapter 30
On Monday, Li Yan went to school. It was unusual for a first-year student to get up early. After Qiao Anchen let go of her after the alarm rang, she struggled a few times before finally sitting up, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
After Qiao Anchen finished washing up, he came out and saw her sitting on the bed, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
Why did you get up?
“Xiaoyan has to go to school today, and I’m a little worried…” Chu Yi, still half asleep, threw off the covers and got out of bed, dragging her feet toward the bathroom. Qiao Anchen watched her back and felt a little strange.
Having been married for so long, Chu Yi had never taken him to work before. This was the first time they had gotten up together, and the reason was still because of a little brat.
Qiao Anchen let out a slow breath, suppressing the complex emotions in his heart.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, I simply brushed my teeth and washed my face; I didn't change my clothes.
Qiao Anchen usually doesn't eat breakfast at home. He planned to buy some for Li Yan on the way. Chu Yi opened his little backpack and put the cranberry cookies that he had packaged last night inside.
After seeing the two off at the door, Chu Yi bent down slightly and instructed Li Yan with some concern, "Be good at school, just like usual, don't think too much, wait for your sister to pick you up this afternoon."