Chapter 34 – Persistent Long San
Long San persisted. “I’ll just take care of the food. As regards other things, you can live the way you want and I won’t interfere. I will only take charge of the food, alright?”
While she was still struggling mentally, she heard Long San say.
“The Chef of that restaurant was formerly a restaurant cook in the imperial capital. The taste of the dishes is not any worse than that of Chef Tang’s. He is also good at preparing fresh meat soup dumplings. The skin is thin, the stuffing is large and when you take a bite, it’s juicy and tastes delicious. You can have rice or you can choose whatever you want. I’ll make sure that you’re full, alright?”
“Alright!” Fengning responded loudly this time and clenched her fists, throwing caution to the wind.
One who doesn’t eat when there’s food is an idiot…….a big idiot!
Fengning decided to have a feast first and leave everything aside.
Then she told Bao’er that they were going out to eat delicious food. She helped Bao’er comb her hair, put on new clothes and after having dressed beautifully, they followed Long San out. Bao’er had never eaten in a restaurant before and was a little timid of the noisy environment. She hugged Fengning’s neck tightly without letting go, hid her small head behind Fengning’s shoulder, and secretly looked around with curiosity.
Long San requested a private room but the first thing Fengning asked the Xiao-er was the location of the latrine.
Long San asked with curiosity. “What’s the matter?”
(Xiao-er is the waiter, kitchen helper, and shopkeeper’s assistant.)
Fengning kissed Bao’er’s little face and said. “It’s better to know because children can’t hold back.” Long San looked at Fengning and then at Bao’er.
AD
Bao’er glanced at him then hurriedly hid in Fengning’s arms shyly.
Without any courtesy, Fengning ordered a table full of dishes and Long San looked at her without any change of expression. Fengning let herself go and ate with joy while Bao’er also showed a better appetite than usual. After eating half a bowl of rice and tasting all the dishes on the table, she was so happy that she kept smiling.
Long San did not eat much. In fact, his mind was in a mess as he had not thought thoroughly of what he should do next. The troubles of the Feng Family, the troubles of the Long Family, Fengning’s illness, the mystery of the stolen treasure, Bao’er’s biological father…….all of them were worrisome.
Being together with Fengning meant being together with a lot of trouble.
However, when he caught up with the Feng Family on their journey and found that he was a step too late and that Fengning was nowhere to be found, the fear in his heart was something he never thought he would ever experience in his entire life.
He was afraid that she and the child would meet with an accident……he was afraid that she had no means to find food and go hungry……he was afraid that she had no place to stay and suffer from the cold at night……he was afraid that she had to take care of the child and hurrying on her way, she would feel dead tired, and………he was afraid that he would no longer exist in her life ……
The great amount of fear gave him more anxiety than the original pain and trouble that she brought him so he could not think of anything else and just wanted to be able to find her. When he finally found her, he could not think of anything else and just wanted to stay beside her.
But what about later?
With his arms folded and propped on the table, Long San watched as both the mother and daughter ate and drank gluttonously. At this moment, they were so happy that it gave him an exceptional sense of peace.
However, he did not expect that Fengning would go back on her words after eating a full and satisfying meal.
“I’ve decided to let you just take care of this meal. You don’t have to take care of our future meals anymore.”
After the meal, Fengning was feeling happy and contented and her pride and arrogance emerged again.
AD
Long San’s heart skipped a beat and was a little anxious.
“Didn’t you have a good meal? Look, Bao’er likes it too.”
Bao’er felt amiable after eating someone’s meal and currently, she was smiling at Long San without any shyness. Fengning planted a kiss on Bao’er’s hair and said.
“If we eat such good meals frequently, what should we do when both of us, mother and daughter, are living on our own in the future? Therefore it’s better to just enjoy this meal and having just one good meal is enough.”
Just one meal had helped her emotions to settle down and it seemed Fengning no longer have the initial confusion and agitation.
Long San almost could not hold his expression and Fengning said again. “For the time being, I can’t pay you back your money. We’ll talk after I have slowly earned enough money. If you’re idle and don’t have any other business to handle, it’s alright for you to wait here if you’re willing.”
After finished speaking, she urged Bao’er. “Bao’er, say thank you to Uncle. We’re going home.”
Bao’er obediently thanked him then held hands with Fengning as they walked home with small steps.
Long San felt bitterness in his heart. After sitting in a daze for a while, he hurriedly caught up with them and followed them back to their small house. He watched Fengning teach Bao’er how to keep the handkerchief and the toys, watched her chat with Bao’er, and watched Bao’er carry her small clothes as she followed Fengning to the well to draw water and wash clothes. He kept on watching quietly without disturbing them while Fengning pretended he did not exist but Bao’er would always smile at him secretly.
Later when both mother and daughter went over to Auntie Zeng’s house for a chat, he could only sit inside the house to wait. In the end, he waited until it was time for them to go to bed and chase away their visitor. While Fengning was unraveling the braids for Bao’er, Long San went over to Fengning and hugged her without saying a word.
Fengning uttered an ‘Ai……’ and before she could speak, he quickly released her and squatted down in front of Bao’er. He placed his head against Bao’er’s and said.
“Uncle will come over tomorrow.”
AD
Bao’er pressed her lips together and smiled shyly while Fengning glared at him. Long San returned her a roguish gentle smile then turned away and left.
Fengning muttered a complaint. “Shameless rascal, I’m not afraid of you. Let’s see who will outlast who.”
Bao’er was carried to the bed and when both mother and daughter lay down, Bao’er said in a small voice. “Mother, Uncle always smiles at Bao’er.”
Fengning twitched her lips. “He smiles at everyone. It’s really annoying.”
Bao’er was a little nervous. “Mother, do you hate this Uncle?”
But she likes this uncle, so should she refrain from doing so?
Fengning turned to face her daughter and holding her little hand, she replied. “No, Mother likes Uncle…….likes him very, very much. She likes him the most in this world.”
Bao’er blinked at her and did not quite understand. Fengning finally found someone to confide in so she disregarded whether Bao’er understood or not, and poured out her heart.
“Mother likes him very much. Uncle is a good person, the best person in the world but Mother did something wrong in the past and Mother is not worthy to be with him. Mother is very scared.”
When she saw Bao’er was a little flustered, she quickly added. “But Mother has Bao’er and…….since Mother has Bao’er, then she won’t be afraid of anything.”
Bao’er looked at Fengning seriously then smiled and snuggled into Fengning’s arms. “Mother……Bao’er has Mother.”
Fengning hugged Bao’er and kissed her repeatedly.
AD
“That’s right, Mother has Bao’er and Bao’er has Mother. Uncle is here now but after a while, Uncle will regret it……. If he regrets it, what can I do? Anyway, it will still be painful……it’s better to suffer the pain over a short period than to suffer the pain over a long period.”
Fengning felt sad as her voice became softer and softer and Bao’er could not hear the end of the sentence clearly. As a little child, she did not have many thoughts about it and soon fell asleep.
Early the next morning, once again Long San went to the small courtyard where Fengning lived. Just as he was about to reach the gate of the courtyard, he saw Bao’er with a head of messy hair and her clothes in dishevel crouching at the gate of the courtyard. She was looking around when she spotted Long San approaching and instantly burst into tears.
“Uncle, Uncle……Mother……pain, pain……”
He was shocked. Very quickly he carried Bao’er inside and rushed into Fengning’s house to find Fengning hugging her tummy and curled up into a ball on the bed. Long San was so scared that his face had turned pale. After placing Bao’er on the chair, he went to turn Fengning over.
Her face had already turned blue with pain. When she opened her eyes and saw Long San, the next instant, she became completely weak.
“Long San, Long San, I don’t feel well. I vomited and my belly hurts.”
Bao’er could no longer sit still and climbed down from the chair. She was bawling as she squeezed her small body over and lay on the side of the bed. Reaching out her hands, she pulled Long San’s sleeve and cried with a face stained with snot and tears.
“Uncle, Uncle……Mother……pain, pain……”
The next moment, the small house was filled with cries of the two females, an adult, and a child. Long San hugged the two females, one in each arm, and felt the onslaught of a big headache.
A doctor was then quickly called over. It turned out that Fengning’s diet had been irregular all this while, sometimes full and sometimes hungry after meals. She constantly felt anxious and had excessive internal heat due to poor health. As a result, her spleen and stomach were stimulated. In addition, she was exhausted these few days and her body had become weak. Yesterday, she was emotionally unstable, feeling both joy and sadness, and also ate too much in one sitting. It triggered her illness and she became ill at once.
Last night, she felt nauseous and was in pain. She tried to vomit but was unsuccessful and the accumulated food pressed down on her stomach which triggered severe pain.
After the doctor had asked about her condition and checked her pulse, he gave Fengning a digestive pill first and then carefully checked her pulse again before writing out a prescription.
While carrying a tearful Bao’er at the side and watching the doctor, Long San listened to the doctor’s explanation. At the same time, he had to deal with various questions from Bao’er because she could not understand the doctor’s explanation. So she persistently asked Long San and even after he had explained to her, she still could not understand and in the end, more problems arose.
Long San could not help but sum up everything and said. “Your Mother’s stomach hurts because she ate too much yesterday. After taking some medicine and rest, she’ll be fine.”
After Bao’er heard, she felt very dissatisfied with the old doctor. “Uncle, that old uncle didn’t speak clearly so Bao’er couldn’t understand.”
Long San felt helpless and touched Bao’er’s head. “Bao’er is good. That old uncle didn’t do it on purpose.”
Bao’er nodded earnestly. A little while later, her face turned red and she whispered into Long San’s ear.
“Uncle……..pee-pee…….”
Long San was stunned and then felt shocked. He quickly turned his head to look at Fengning who was tired after a session of crying. After she had taken the pill, she had closed her eyes and was feeling lethargic. She was about to fall asleep and her awareness was slipping. The old doctor was immersed in writing the prescription and Long San turned his head back to look again at Bao’er who was sitting on his arm. Her big bright eyes were staring at him with a pitiful and innocent look.
Long San cleared his throat and said to the old doctor. “I’m taking the child to relieve herself and I’ll be back soon.” The old doctor nodded in response and Long San carried Bao’er out in embarrassment.
Before they could reach the latrine, he felt a sudden warmth on his arm, and a liquid was spreading on his sleeve. Long San was startled and looked at Bao’er to find that her anxious face was flushed red with tears brimming in her eyes.
She whispered timidly. “Uncle, you walked too slowly.”
Long San wanted to cry without tears but someone started to cry first, so he had to comfort her.
“Uncle was wrong. Uncle will walk faster the next time. Bao’er mustn’t cry.”
Bao’er pressed her lips together, nodded, and rubbed her eyes.
“Bao’er was not good, Bao’er had peed in her pants.”
“No, no, it’s Uncle’s fault. Peeing in the pants is alright. Bao’er mustn’t cry, Bao’er is the best.”
As Long San coaxed her, he finally understood why Fengning had to run when she takes the child to the latrine.
When he carried Bao’er back to the house, the old doctor had already finished writing out the prescription. Upon seeing Long San returning so quickly, he was a little surprised. He and Long San talked about the important points to take note of on how the medicine should be taken, the preparation of medicine, and the recuperating process before the old doctor announced he was leaving. Long San put Bao’er down to pay for the doctor’s consultation and tried hard to ignore the old doctor’s gaze on his wet sleeve. However, when Bao’er saw Long San taking out his money bag, she immediately hugged his leg.
Long San looked down at her in surprise. Upon seeing little Bao’er’s anxious look, he hurriedly lowered his head and leaned close to her.
Bao’er whispered. “Uncle, this uncle didn’t make Mother get better, and he still wants money?” The last four words were spoken with anxiety.
According to her, this uncle didn’t do anything and only spoke a few words, so why is he asking for money?
Long San did not know whether he should laugh or cry and said.
“Mother can only get better after taking the medicine, so Bao’er shouldn’t feel anxious.”
After paying the old doctor, he sent the doctor away and then started to get ready to change Bao’er’s pants. However, after searching around the house he could not find any clean pants for Bao’er and Long San started to feel anxious. He was afraid that Bao’er would catch a cold while wearing the wet pants, so he simply took a piece of Fengning’s top garment and wrapped it around Bao’er before taking off her wet pants.
AD
Bao’er looked at the garment and reminded him earnestly. “This belongs to Mother.”
Long San felt his patience was fast running out and tried to maintain a calm tone.
“It’s your Mother’s, therefore Bao’er can use it first. Uncle will look for your pants later.”
He wanted to ask Fengning but she seemed to be sound asleep. He thought about her tossing around the whole night and must not have slept well, so he could not bear to wake her up and searched around the house on his own. Finally, he found them under Fengning’s clothes after turning out the cabinet. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he turned around and discovered Bao’er, who was wearing Fengning’s clothes, was kicking the hem and shaking the long sleeves. At the same time, she was twisting her bare buttocks.
Long San’s face turned green while Bao’er was playing happily. When she saw Long San looking at her, she pursed her lips joyfully and quickly wrapped herself tightly with the big garment. Long San inhaled and exhaled, then inhaled and exhaled again. He knelt then gestured towards Bao’er’s pants and waved at her.
“Come over. Uncle will help to change your pants.”
Bao’er went over and holding onto Long San’s arm for support, she stretched out her short leg and inserted it into the pants. At the same time, she was giving instructions on how it should be worn and how Mother usually does it. Long San followed her instructions and after a long while, she finally finished putting on her pants.
After taking care of Bao’er, Long San noted the time and found it was already late in the morning. He was sure Bao’er had not eaten breakfast. Fengning was still asleep and he had to buy medicine. After thinking about it, he decided to take Bao’er for breakfast first.
However, Bao’er refused to follow him. “Mother is sick, Bao’er is not going.”
“Mother still has to depend on Bao’er to bring back food and medicine for her. If Bao’er doesn’t go, how can Mother get better?’
Bao’er thought the Uncle’s words sounded reasonable but she still had a problem. “Mother said that I can’t go out without combing my hair.”
Comb hair? Long San felt foolish again…….he doesn’t know how to comb a child’s hair!
AD
By this time, Bao’er had automatically brought over a comb and handed it to him. Long San bit the bullet and tried to comb her hair. However, Bao’er’s hair was too little, very thin and very soft and he could not even coil it up.
Gritting his teeth, Long San simply tied her hair up with a red string behind her back and said. “It’s done.”
Chapter 34 – Persistent Long San
Long San persisted. “I’ll just take care of the food. As regards other things, you can live the way you want and I won’t interfere. I will only take charge of the food, alright?”
While she was still struggling mentally, she heard Long San say.
“The Chef of that restaurant was formerly a restaurant cook in the imperial capital. The taste of the dishes is not any worse than that of Chef Tang’s. He is also good at preparing fresh meat soup dumplings. The skin is thin, the stuffing is large and when you take a bite, it’s juicy and tastes delicious. You can have rice or you can choose whatever you want. I’ll make sure that you’re full, alright?”
“Alright!” Fengning responded loudly this time and clenched her fists, throwing caution to the wind.
One who doesn’t eat when there’s food is an idiot…….a big idiot!
Fengning decided to have a feast first and leave everything aside.
Then she told Bao’er that they were going out to eat delicious food. She helped Bao’er comb her hair, put on new clothes and after having dressed beautifully, they followed Long San out. Bao’er had never eaten in a restaurant before and was a little timid of the noisy environment. She hugged Fengning’s neck tightly without letting go, hid her small head behind Fengning’s shoulder, and secretly looked around with curiosity.
Long San requested a private room but the first thing Fengning asked the Xiao-er was the location of the latrine.
Long San asked with curiosity. “What’s the matter?”
(Xiao-er is the waiter, kitchen helper, and shopkeeper’s assistant.)
Fengning kissed Bao’er’s little face and said. “It’s better to know because children can’t hold back.” Long San looked at Fengning and then at Bao’er.
AD
Bao’er glanced at him then hurriedly hid in Fengning’s arms shyly.
Without any courtesy, Fengning ordered a table full of dishes and Long San looked at her without any change of expression. Fengning let herself go and ate with joy while Bao’er also showed a better appetite than usual. After eating half a bowl of rice and tasting all the dishes on the table, she was so happy that she kept smiling.
Long San did not eat much. In fact, his mind was in a mess as he had not thought thoroughly of what he should do next. The troubles of the Feng Family, the troubles of the Long Family, Fengning’s illness, the mystery of the stolen treasure, Bao’er’s biological father…….all of them were worrisome.
Being together with Fengning meant being together with a lot of trouble.
However, when he caught up with the Feng Family on their journey and found that he was a step too late and that Fengning was nowhere to be found, the fear in his heart was something he never thought he would ever experience in his entire life.
He was afraid that she and the child would meet with an accident……he was afraid that she had no means to find food and go hungry……he was afraid that she had no place to stay and suffer from the cold at night……he was afraid that she had to take care of the child and hurrying on her way, she would feel dead tired, and………he was afraid that he would no longer exist in her life ……
The great amount of fear gave him more anxiety than the original pain and trouble that she brought him so he could not think of anything else and just wanted to be able to find her. When he finally found her, he could not think of anything else and just wanted to stay beside her.
But what about later?
With his arms folded and propped on the table, Long San watched as both the mother and daughter ate and drank gluttonously. At this moment, they were so happy that it gave him an exceptional sense of peace.
However, he did not expect that Fengning would go back on her words after eating a full and satisfying meal.
“I’ve decided to let you just take care of this meal. You don’t have to take care of our future meals anymore.”
After the meal, Fengning was feeling happy and contented and her pride and arrogance emerged again.
AD
Long San’s heart skipped a beat and was a little anxious.
“Didn’t you have a good meal? Look, Bao’er likes it too.”
Bao’er felt amiable after eating someone’s meal and currently, she was smiling at Long San without any shyness. Fengning planted a kiss on Bao’er’s hair and said.
“If we eat such good meals frequently, what should we do when both of us, mother and daughter, are living on our own in the future? Therefore it’s better to just enjoy this meal and having just one good meal is enough.”
Just one meal had helped her emotions to settle down and it seemed Fengning no longer have the initial confusion and agitation.
Long San almost could not hold his expression and Fengning said again. “For the time being, I can’t pay you back your money. We’ll talk after I have slowly earned enough money. If you’re idle and don’t have any other business to handle, it’s alright for you to wait here if you’re willing.”
After finished speaking, she urged Bao’er. “Bao’er, say thank you to Uncle. We’re going home.”
Bao’er obediently thanked him then held hands with Fengning as they walked home with small steps.
Long San felt bitterness in his heart. After sitting in a daze for a while, he hurriedly caught up with them and followed them back to their small house. He watched Fengning teach Bao’er how to keep the handkerchief and the toys, watched her chat with Bao’er, and watched Bao’er carry her small clothes as she followed Fengning to the well to draw water and wash clothes. He kept on watching quietly without disturbing them while Fengning pretended he did not exist but Bao’er would always smile at him secretly.
Later when both mother and daughter went over to Auntie Zeng’s house for a chat, he could only sit inside the house to wait. In the end, he waited until it was time for them to go to bed and chase away their visitor. While Fengning was unraveling the braids for Bao’er, Long San went over to Fengning and hugged her without saying a word.
Fengning uttered an ‘Ai……’ and before she could speak, he quickly released her and squatted down in front of Bao’er. He placed his head against Bao’er’s and said.
“Uncle will come over tomorrow.”
AD
Bao’er pressed her lips together and smiled shyly while Fengning glared at him. Long San returned her a roguish gentle smile then turned away and left.
Fengning muttered a complaint. “Shameless rascal, I’m not afraid of you. Let’s see who will outlast who.”
Bao’er was carried to the bed and when both mother and daughter lay down, Bao’er said in a small voice. “Mother, Uncle always smiles at Bao’er.”
Fengning twitched her lips. “He smiles at everyone. It’s really annoying.”
Bao’er was a little nervous. “Mother, do you hate this Uncle?”
But she likes this uncle, so should she refrain from doing so?
Fengning turned to face her daughter and holding her little hand, she replied. “No, Mother likes Uncle…….likes him very, very much. She likes him the most in this world.”
Bao’er blinked at her and did not quite understand. Fengning finally found someone to confide in so she disregarded whether Bao’er understood or not, and poured out her heart.
“Mother likes him very much. Uncle is a good person, the best person in the world but Mother did something wrong in the past and Mother is not worthy to be with him. Mother is very scared.”
When she saw Bao’er was a little flustered, she quickly added. “But Mother has Bao’er and…….since Mother has Bao’er, then she won’t be afraid of anything.”
Bao’er looked at Fengning seriously then smiled and snuggled into Fengning’s arms. “Mother……Bao’er has Mother.”
Fengning hugged Bao’er and kissed her repeatedly.
AD
“That’s right, Mother has Bao’er and Bao’er has Mother. Uncle is here now but after a while, Uncle will regret it……. If he regrets it, what can I do? Anyway, it will still be painful……it’s better to suffer the pain over a short period than to suffer the pain over a long period.”
Fengning felt sad as her voice became softer and softer and Bao’er could not hear the end of the sentence clearly. As a little child, she did not have many thoughts about it and soon fell asleep.
Early the next morning, once again Long San went to the small courtyard where Fengning lived. Just as he was about to reach the gate of the courtyard, he saw Bao’er with a head of messy hair and her clothes in dishevel crouching at the gate of the courtyard. She was looking around when she spotted Long San approaching and instantly burst into tears.
“Uncle, Uncle……Mother……pain, pain……”
He was shocked. Very quickly he carried Bao’er inside and rushed into Fengning’s house to find Fengning hugging her tummy and curled up into a ball on the bed. Long San was so scared that his face had turned pale. After placing Bao’er on the chair, he went to turn Fengning over.
Her face had already turned blue with pain. When she opened her eyes and saw Long San, the next instant, she became completely weak.
“Long San, Long San, I don’t feel well. I vomited and my belly hurts.”
Bao’er could no longer sit still and climbed down from the chair. She was bawling as she squeezed her small body over and lay on the side of the bed. Reaching out her hands, she pulled Long San’s sleeve and cried with a face stained with snot and tears.
“Uncle, Uncle……Mother……pain, pain……”
The next moment, the small house was filled with cries of the two females, an adult, and a child. Long San hugged the two females, one in each arm, and felt the onslaught of a big headache.
A doctor was then quickly called over. It turned out that Fengning’s diet had been irregular all this while, sometimes full and sometimes hungry after meals. She constantly felt anxious and had excessive internal heat due to poor health. As a result, her spleen and stomach were stimulated. In addition, she was exhausted these few days and her body had become weak. Yesterday, she was emotionally unstable, feeling both joy and sadness, and also ate too much in one sitting. It triggered her illness and she became ill at once.
Last night, she felt nauseous and was in pain. She tried to vomit but was unsuccessful and the accumulated food pressed down on her stomach which triggered severe pain.
After the doctor had asked about her condition and checked her pulse, he gave Fengning a digestive pill first and then carefully checked her pulse again before writing out a prescription.
While carrying a tearful Bao’er at the side and watching the doctor, Long San listened to the doctor’s explanation. At the same time, he had to deal with various questions from Bao’er because she could not understand the doctor’s explanation. So she persistently asked Long San and even after he had explained to her, she still could not understand and in the end, more problems arose.
Long San could not help but sum up everything and said. “Your Mother’s stomach hurts because she ate too much yesterday. After taking some medicine and rest, she’ll be fine.”
After Bao’er heard, she felt very dissatisfied with the old doctor. “Uncle, that old uncle didn’t speak clearly so Bao’er couldn’t understand.”
Long San felt helpless and touched Bao’er’s head. “Bao’er is good. That old uncle didn’t do it on purpose.”
Bao’er nodded earnestly. A little while later, her face turned red and she whispered into Long San’s ear.
“Uncle……..pee-pee…….”
Long San was stunned and then felt shocked. He quickly turned his head to look at Fengning who was tired after a session of crying. After she had taken the pill, she had closed her eyes and was feeling lethargic. She was about to fall asleep and her awareness was slipping. The old doctor was immersed in writing the prescription and Long San turned his head back to look again at Bao’er who was sitting on his arm. Her big bright eyes were staring at him with a pitiful and innocent look.
Long San cleared his throat and said to the old doctor. “I’m taking the child to relieve herself and I’ll be back soon.” The old doctor nodded in response and Long San carried Bao’er out in embarrassment.
Before they could reach the latrine, he felt a sudden warmth on his arm, and a liquid was spreading on his sleeve. Long San was startled and looked at Bao’er to find that her anxious face was flushed red with tears brimming in her eyes.
She whispered timidly. “Uncle, you walked too slowly.”
Long San wanted to cry without tears but someone started to cry first, so he had to comfort her.
“Uncle was wrong. Uncle will walk faster the next time. Bao’er mustn’t cry.”
Bao’er pressed her lips together, nodded, and rubbed her eyes.
“Bao’er was not good, Bao’er had peed in her pants.”
“No, no, it’s Uncle’s fault. Peeing in the pants is alright. Bao’er mustn’t cry, Bao’er is the best.”
As Long San coaxed her, he finally understood why Fengning had to run when she takes the child to the latrine.
When he carried Bao’er back to the house, the old doctor had already finished writing out the prescription. Upon seeing Long San returning so quickly, he was a little surprised. He and Long San talked about the important points to take note of on how the medicine should be taken, the preparation of medicine, and the recuperating process before the old doctor announced he was leaving. Long San put Bao’er down to pay for the doctor’s consultation and tried hard to ignore the old doctor’s gaze on his wet sleeve. However, when Bao’er saw Long San taking out his money bag, she immediately hugged his leg.
Long San looked down at her in surprise. Upon seeing little Bao’er’s anxious look, he hurriedly lowered his head and leaned close to her.
Bao’er whispered. “Uncle, this uncle didn’t make Mother get better, and he still wants money?” The last four words were spoken with anxiety.
According to her, this uncle didn’t do anything and only spoke a few words, so why is he asking for money?
Long San did not know whether he should laugh or cry and said.
“Mother can only get better after taking the medicine, so Bao’er shouldn’t feel anxious.”
After paying the old doctor, he sent the doctor away and then started to get ready to change Bao’er’s pants. However, after searching around the house he could not find any clean pants for Bao’er and Long San started to feel anxious. He was afraid that Bao’er would catch a cold while wearing the wet pants, so he simply took a piece of Fengning’s top garment and wrapped it around Bao’er before taking off her wet pants.
AD
Bao’er looked at the garment and reminded him earnestly. “This belongs to Mother.”
Long San felt his patience was fast running out and tried to maintain a calm tone.
“It’s your Mother’s, therefore Bao’er can use it first. Uncle will look for your pants later.”
He wanted to ask Fengning but she seemed to be sound asleep. He thought about her tossing around the whole night and must not have slept well, so he could not bear to wake her up and searched around the house on his own. Finally, he found them under Fengning’s clothes after turning out the cabinet. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he turned around and discovered Bao’er, who was wearing Fengning’s clothes, was kicking the hem and shaking the long sleeves. At the same time, she was twisting her bare buttocks.
Long San’s face turned green while Bao’er was playing happily. When she saw Long San looking at her, she pursed her lips joyfully and quickly wrapped herself tightly with the big garment. Long San inhaled and exhaled, then inhaled and exhaled again. He knelt then gestured towards Bao’er’s pants and waved at her.
“Come over. Uncle will help to change your pants.”
Bao’er went over and holding onto Long San’s arm for support, she stretched out her short leg and inserted it into the pants. At the same time, she was giving instructions on how it should be worn and how Mother usually does it. Long San followed her instructions and after a long while, she finally finished putting on her pants.
After taking care of Bao’er, Long San noted the time and found it was already late in the morning. He was sure Bao’er had not eaten breakfast. Fengning was still asleep and he had to buy medicine. After thinking about it, he decided to take Bao’er for breakfast first.
However, Bao’er refused to follow him. “Mother is sick, Bao’er is not going.”
“Mother still has to depend on Bao’er to bring back food and medicine for her. If Bao’er doesn’t go, how can Mother get better?’
Bao’er thought the Uncle’s words sounded reasonable but she still had a problem. “Mother said that I can’t go out without combing my hair.”
Comb hair? Long San felt foolish again…….he doesn’t know how to comb a child’s hair!
AD
By this time, Bao’er had automatically brought over a comb and handed it to him. Long San bit the bullet and tried to comb her hair. However, Bao’er’s hair was too little, very thin and very soft and he could not even coil it up.
Gritting his teeth, Long San simply tied her hair up with a red string behind her back and said. “It’s done.”
