Bo Xin stepped closer. Ji Yanyi's eyelashes fluttered slightly, clearly not asleep.
But despite knowing she had come, he didn't open his eyes.
Was it because he didn't know how to face her?
Brushing aside the hair on his forehead revealed his full brow, his eyes rimmed red and slightly swollen. It was this severe, and only Teacher Wen had noticed.
Ji Yanyi seemed to be trying to feign a gradual awakening, but his acting wasn't very convincing.
"...Mom, you're back?"
"Mm." Knowing Yanyi was proud, Bo Xin shifted her gaze from his eyelids to touch his thin face instead.
"Did you eat dinner?"
Ji Yanyi couldn't lie, especially not to her. His eyes were wet, and he answered vaguely, "A little."
Bo Xin didn't know how much "a little" was, but the loss of the hard-won flesh on his face was enough to tell.
She helped him pack his schoolbag. It was black and white, and so was his pencil case—his favorite panda color scheme. Inside the metal pencil case were three milk candies.
She looked at him with a questioning gaze. Ji Yanyi clasped his hands behind his back. "Teacher Wen gave them to me."
Bo Xin felt that Teacher Wen really did like Yanyi.
The milk candies weren't cheap outside, and it seemed she had only given them to Yanyi. After checking that the stationery was all there, Bo Xin asked, "Why don't you eat them?"
Ji Yanyi pursed his lips, his voice a little strained. "Just... no appetite."
Bo Xin sighed, seeing how deeply that slap had wounded the child.
Before, Yanyi had been cheeky with her—unlike Yuxu, he was lively and loved to joke. But now, he had clearly become cautious and timid.
She remembered that in the original story, this had continued until after the company went bankrupt, when Yanyi chose to go back to the countryside and become a village teacher.
Back then, he had said, "Because I feel that's where I belong."
Bo Xin zipped up his schoolbag. "How about we go get some potato chips from that stall you like? I wonder if it's still open at this hour."
It was a street vendor, so it depended on whether they had sold out, but maybe there was just one portion left and they'd be lucky.
Ji Yanyi abruptly looked up, as if surprised that his mother would still let him eat street food.
Bo Xin waited, but when no answer came, she asked again, "Do you want some?"
"...Yes."
Bo Xin's lips curled slightly. At least Yanyi hadn't completely lost his nature yet. What did that mean? It meant there was still hope.
She slung the bag over one shoulder. Since it was bought to her taste, it looked a bit like a fashion accessory.
The director—more accurately, the owner of the kindergarten—was young, but she clearly preferred being called "director."
"You have a Teacher Wen here, I recall. She's taken very good care of my child."
Teacher Wen? Wen He Miao?
The director remembered her. She had come from out of town to work here, had little education, and was willing to stay as long as she was fed and given a small salary.
What? Was Mrs. Bo saying that Yanyi liked this teacher? Thinking about it, Teacher Wen did have a very approachable face.
She could teach fourth graders and even middle schoolers.
If Yanyi's recent changes had something to do with Teacher Wen, perhaps it wouldn't be bad to let her teach.
The director nodded. "All right, Madam, I understand."
Bo Xin nodded. She had some small change in her pocket. The streets were sparsely populated, and only a few streetlights cast scattered light.
When they reached the corner, Bo Xin found that, miraculously, the stall owner really hadn't packed up.
And there was reportedly only one portion left.
Bo Xin told them to make it as usual, but with less chili, so as not to upset his stomach, which had been eating so little lately.
Otherwise, at best he'd get an upset stomach, at worst diarrhea.
She handed the paper bowl to Yanyi. Ji Yanyi took a bite, and his already red eyes grew redder. Tears welled up and were stubbornly wiped away.
Perhaps sensing his strange behavior, Ji Yanyi feigned an explanation: "The chili is a bit... too spicy."
Bo Xin actually suspected the vendor for a split second, then came to her senses and unconsciously looked down.
"Is it? Let me try."
Ji Yanyi blocked her with his arm like a child guarding his food, his voice faltering. "You have a bad stomach, so don't try it."
Bo Xin withdrew her hand and let him off the hook.
Ji Yanyi used the skewer to pick up a potato chip from the small paper bowl, his eyes guiltily looking up. Lately, he had been worrying about many things, but the most important was, "Did you bring that child back?"
Back then, along with the paternity test, there had been an investigation report on that child.
Tianyang Village.
And the place Mom had gone to was called that very name.
He had promised himself he wouldn't cry, but the moment he actually asked, he couldn't help it.