Chapter 20: Finding a Young Man

Finally having received the money, Hua Li expressed endless gratitude to Sun Bailing.

Sun Bailing held Luo Yan for a while, playing with her, then left together with Chen Yuanshan.

Hua Li had already asked the doctor—Luo Yan’s nose wasn’t broken, there was no concussion, and her ribs were fine. She could go home to rest. That afternoon, the discharge procedures were completed, and Hua Li took Luo Yan home.

Once home, Hua Li placed all the snacks she had brought onto the living room coffee table and told Luo Yan to eat whenever she was hungry. Then she locked the door and went out to look for a house.

Suddenly, Luo Yan noticed there was a television in the house. She plugged it in and turned it on.

At that time, the TV station was replaying last night’s programs. The Beijing-style comedy “Old Li, Big Li, and Little Li” had Luo Yan laughing heartily.

She didn’t know this show before, nor that such a hilarious comedy existed in this era, and soon found herself completely absorbed.

Just as Luo Yan was laughing so hard her stomach hurt, a loud bang came from the backyard, as if something heavy had fallen to the ground.

Could it be a burglar? Luo Yan trembled with fear.

It wasn’t that she was cowardly, but as a three-year-old toddler, she had no ability to protect herself. What if a thief saw her alone at home and decided to silence her?

Luo Yan quickly crawled under her bed, staying perfectly still for a long while.

Listening carefully, there was no sound from the backyard, no one had entered. Could it have been a false alarm?

She climbed out from under the bed, moved a stool to the window, and quietly peeked out at the backyard.

The backyard was about twenty square meters, where Hua Li had made six small vegetable plots, all flourishing.

Between the vegetable plots and the courtyard wall was a vegetable cellar. At the entrance sat a dirty little boy, holding up his hands and stretching out his legs, looking like he was in pain but not crying.

The noise just now must have come from this boy, Luo Yan realized, noting that the cellar door was open.

Remembering the lunchbox Hua Li had put in the cellar yesterday, Luo Yan was sure the boy had tried to steal food but accidentally fallen into the cellar.

Luckily, such a small child could climb out on his own. If he had injured or killed himself, it would cause trouble for Hua Li.

Watching for a while, Luo Yan saw the boy had no accomplices or adult guidance—he must have sneaked in alone.

Seeing the boy wobble as if about to faint, Luo Yan ran to the living room, grabbed a cup of malted milk Hua Li had made for her before leaving, and hurried back to the backyard.

Hearing the movement, the boy weakly lifted his eyelids and, upon seeing the little girl in a floral dress with two pigtails and a bruised face, his wary eyes softened with pity.

“Hush...” Luo Yan lowered her voice mysteriously. “Don’t make a sound, don’t let my mom hear.”

But hadn’t the adults already gone out? Why did she say her mom was home?

The boy nodded in compliance.

Seeing that he was not hostile, Luo Yan cautiously approached, placed the cup of malted milk beside him, then stepped back.

“Big brother, this is for you to drink. It’s very tasty.”

The boy opened his hands, staring at the half-full cup, swallowing hard.

When he didn’t move, Luo Yan thought maybe he was too shy to drink with her watching, so she turned and ran back inside, climbing onto the stool again to peek.

The boy reached for the cup but pulled back in pain, eyes anxiously fixed on it as he swallowed repeatedly.

Luo Yan slapped her forehead—how had she been so focused on guarding against the boy that she hadn’t asked where he was hurt?

She rummaged through the medical kit Hua Li kept in the master bedroom cabinet and took out iodine and sterile cotton, then ran back to the backyard.

The boy wiped away his tears upon seeing her return.

Feigning ignorance, Luo Yan coaxed in a babyish voice, “Big brother, let me wipe it.”

The boy obediently held out his palms.

Luo Yan saw scrapes on both hands and bleeding knees—he must have taken a bad fall.

But since he could climb out of the cellar, there were probably no broken bones.

Squatting in front of him, Luo Yan carefully cleaned his wounds with iodine-soaked cotton.

Fortunately, the wounds weren’t deep, and she managed to remove little stones embedded in the skin.

The boy cried silently from the pain but stayed strong.

Having finished tending to the wounds, Luo Yan was about to leave when she heard a rumble—it was the boy’s hungry stomach growling.

Knowing how tough hunger was, and seeing that the boy showed no aggression, Luo Yan brought the cup of malted milk to his lips.

“Big brother, drink.”

The boy looked at her gratefully and quickly finished the malted milk.

Seeing how famished he was, Luo Yan’s heart ached.

“Big brother, wait a moment.”

She ran inside to get a net bag, packed the snacks Hua Li had left her, then bent over, struggling under its weight as she carried it back to the backyard.

Thud—the bag landed in front of the boy, and Luo Yan held out a piece of steamed cake to his mouth.

“Big brother, eat.”

The boy, startled by her generosity, bit into the cake.

After two pieces, his pallid face regained some color.

Luo Yan carefully took out an oil-paper-wrapped roasted chicken leg—a special treat Hua Li had bought from a restaurant to celebrate getting the money back.

She took a bite, then the boy took one, sharing the chicken leg and then some apple slices.

The boy didn’t care much for fruit, eating only half the apple; the rest went to Luo Yan.

Worried Luo Yan might overeat, the boy refused to let her bring out any more food, so she didn’t.

They ate two lollipops each, sitting by the covered vegetable cellar entrance, basking in the warm midsummer breeze, their faces flushed from the sun.

As dusk fell, Hua Li returned, but couldn’t find Luo Yan inside and panicked, tears streaming.

“Yan Yan! Yan Yan!”

Having checked every room, she rushed out the door straight to the backyard, then froze at the garden entrance.

Her Yan Yan was asleep, drooling, in the arms of the little boy wearing white shirt and overalls.

The stranger silently held Luo Yan with both small hands, cradling her like a careful older brother protecting his little sister—so mature it made her heart ache.

Seeing the snacks she had left for Luo Yan at their feet, the boy’s scabbed knees, and the still-open iodine and cotton balls, Hua Li guessed what had happened.

She approached and, under the boy’s wary gaze, knelt down gently.

“Little friend, where are your adults?”

The boy’s large dark eyes reflected Hua Li’s gentle face as he shook his head blankly.

Had he gotten lost?

Lost and wandering into her home—what a story.

Hua Li wracked her brain. “Do you remember your parents’ names?”

The boy still shook his head.

“Can’t speak?” Hua Li pointed to her mouth.

The boy nodded.

Worried, Hua Li pointed to Luo Yan in his arms.

“This is my daughter. Can you give her to me?”

The boy suddenly hugged Luo Yan tighter, glaring nervously at Hua Li as if she were a cruel kidnapper.

Hua Li was speechless...