Chapter 17: The Narcissus Flower

“Thank you.” Wen Xiao blinked and finally came to his senses.

Zhang Yin patted the boy on the shoulder and laughed, “Don’t let his small stature fool you; he’s got quite some courage!”

The boy stumbled slightly from the pat, nearly falling, but Wen Xiao caught him just in time.

“Uncle Zhang, be gentler,” Wen Xiao said.

Still, he found it odd that a single pat could make the boy lose his balance, yet earlier he had dashed forward at such speed to stand in front of him. Standing side by side, it was clear that either of them seemed more in need of protection.

The boy was very thin, with barely any flesh on his frame, even smaller than Wen Xiao in height. His eyes were large and round, clear as if one could see straight to the bottom of a pond.

A very endearing face.

“I didn’t use much force!” Zhang Yin was puzzled.

Suddenly, Wen Xiao felt a chill on the back of his hand. The boy, startled by Zhang Yin, had instinctively placed his hand on Wen Xiao’s back of the hand to steady himself.

Wen Xiao frowned, not because he minded the contact, but because the boy’s hand was ice cold.

If he hadn’t held back, he would have shivered just now.

“Sorry!” The boy quickly withdrew his hand and lowered his head in front of Wen Xiao.

“There’s no need to apologize,” Wen Xiao said indifferently, though his hand still felt cool.

“I…” The boy barely got out one word before his stomach growled loudly.

His cheeks flushed faintly; he was so embarrassed he couldn’t speak for a long while, his whole face burning red.

“I’ll go first… goodbye!”

Wen Xiao watched him leave, noting the worn cloth shoes with peeling soles and the short thin cotton jacket that didn’t fit properly, his arms exposed.

For such a big boy, he had to curl up just to wrap himself in his clothes. Coupled with that stomach growl, it seemed he was starving.

The rain had passed, leaving the ground wet and the wind cold around them. Wen Xiao could even see the boy shivering slightly in the chill, as if a gust might knock him over.

Which family’s child was this? Was there no one to care for him at home?

Even if Wen Xiao’s own fate in his past life hadn’t ended well, he had never lacked food or clothing before.

Wen Xiao stared for a long time, unable to define his feelings, then scolded himself silently not to meddle.

Besides, even if he wanted to help, there were so many people in the world; he couldn’t manage them all, but…

The boy suddenly heard someone call out to him. After the initial loud call, the voice grew softer.

“I’ll treat you to a meal…” Wen Xiao added, “Consider it a thank-you for helping me earlier.”

*

“Young master, I’ve already booked a table at a nearby private restaurant,” Zhang Yin said without turning around while driving, his mood evidently good.

Wen Xiao sat in the back seat, next to the boy who was silent, head lowered and visibly tense.

The whole way, only Zhang Yin talked, while the backseat was silent.

Wen Xiao didn’t know how things had turned out this way; he had only wanted to take the boy for a simple meal, yet Zhang Yin had reserved a table at an upscale private restaurant nearby.

“I told you, just something casual on the side is fine,” Wen Xiao said with a sour tone, but Zhang Yin didn’t seem to notice.

“This is your first time treating someone, young master. How could it be casual?”

Wen Xiao looked at the boy sitting upright, tense and stiff, and said, “You can lean back on the chair.”

“Ah! Oh, okay!” The boy obediently leaned against the chair but remained stiff.

Wen Xiao felt uncomfortable watching him and finally turned his head away, saying, “Forget it, do as you like.”

He stared out the window. After a long silence, a soft question came near his ear, with a slight catch in the voice.

“Do you dislike me now…?”

Wen Xiao replied, “I really hate you, but how come I still treat you to a meal?”

Exiting the corner of the western district, the buildings lining the road grew taller.

The restaurant Zhang Yin had found wasn’t far, just across a busy street. Its exterior was black with floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing diners to see the outside scenery.

After getting out of the car, Wen Xiao finally voiced what had been on his mind: “Has no one ever taught you not to get into strangers’ cars?”

Zhang Yin, the burly man, had just invited the boy straight into the car, saying he’d take him to eat.

What annoyed Wen Xiao more was that the naive boy had actually gotten in. Had he ever thought about what would happen if they were bad people?

The boy looked at him blankly, then shook his head, holding his flat stomach.

From Wen Xiao’s perspective, the boy’s hunger seemed so overwhelming that he didn’t even consider his own safety.

“Come on, let’s eat first.” Wen Xiao walked ahead, resolved to instill some awareness of safety in the boy.

“If you get into strangers’ cars and eat what strangers offer, being sold is the least of your worries.”

The boy shrank his neck as he listened and began to survey his surroundings, as if wondering if he was going to be sold.

Seeing the boy take it in, Wen Xiao decided to scare him a bit more, believing it was the only way to make him remember.

“You might get your hands and feet broken, be sent to beg by the roadside, or even have your insides taken out… Your organs are the things inside your belly.” Wen Xiao pondered how best to explain “organs.” With each word, the boy’s face paled further.

“But you’re lucky this time,” Wen Xiao added, “since you didn’t encounter human traffickers.”

Zhang Yin, sending a message to his boss, couldn’t help but say, “Young master, why scare him like that?”

Wen Xiao huffed unhappily, “I’m not scaring him.”

“But the kid’s so scared he can’t even move.”

“Uncle Zhang, you practically forced him into the car.”

“Even if you wanted to, young master, the gentleman wouldn’t have agreed to just stopping by the roadside to eat.” With this final argument, Wen Xiao had no comeback.

The dishes arrived one after another, steaming hot, but the boy remained hesitant to eat.

“Aren’t you hungry?” Wen Xiao glanced at the table, which was full of rich, nutritious dishes suitable for a child. “If you don’t eat, I’ll have it taken away.”

As soon as he said this, the boy quickly grabbed a Mont Blanc cake and devoured it in two bites. His large, bright eyes stared at the dishes on the table.

He held chopsticks hesitantly, unsure where to start.

He picked up a few pieces of roasted barbecued pork, then a bite of sweet and sour ribs, and buried his head into his rice bowl, eating fervently.

His pace quickened, and soon the rice bowl was nearly empty.

Wen Xiao sipped his soup, watching the boy eat as if he hadn’t had food for days—a stark contrast to his earlier shy and reserved demeanor.

Only after adding two more bowls of rice and finishing his meal did the boy put down his chopsticks and return to his bashful manner.

The boy lowered his head awkwardly, “Did I eat too much?”

He glanced cautiously at Wen Xiao, then at his own bowl, thinking Wen Xiao might be watching him eat without appetite.

Wen Xiao knew what he was thinking.

“I’m not eating more now; I’ll eat when I get home.” He didn’t notice his own voice soften.

The boy stared at him for several moments before looking down again, lost in thought.

Wen Xiao left the restaurant, unsure of his own feelings. He couldn’t even be certain if anyone was waiting for him to eat at home.

If there was one thing to say, it was that a part of him still held hope.

The cold wind blew again. Wen Xiao looked at the boy’s thin cotton jacket and glanced at his slender arms.

“Aren’t you wearing anything underneath?”

The boy lowered his head and said, “I am, a short-sleeved shirt…”

Wen Xiao thought about the strange combination of a thin cotton jacket with a short-sleeve shirt. Was he really relying on sheer will to get through winter?

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a children’s clothing store nearby and went in to pick out a few items for the boy to wear, at least to keep him warmer.

The shop assistant approached Zhang Yin enthusiastically, “You must be the father of these two kids, right? Our children’s clothes are all the latest styles this year, take a look…”

Zhang Yin waved his hand hurriedly, “No, no, I’m not.”

The assistant looked puzzled, following the boy as if he were a nanny, which seemed even stranger.

Zhang Yin followed behind, swiping his card without hesitation, as long as the bill was charged to his boss.

He watched the young master instruct the boy to change clothes and thought sending the young master to school was truly the best thing. He had never seen the young master so proactive before.

He had a premonition that the relationship within the family would soon undergo unexpected changes.

Zhang Yin glanced at the time; it was almost five in the afternoon. “Kid, do you want to call your family to let them know you’re safe?”

“My family comes home late. They don’t usually care about me…” The boy kept his head down, looking dejected.

Having changed into new clothes and shoes, his spirit seemed different. The light but warm down jacket blocked out the cold wind, making him look much warmer.

“Uncle Zhang, just take him home quickly,” Wen Xiao nudged Zhang Yin’s arm, signaling him not to bring up sensitive topics.

On the way back to the western district, the boy, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, “Can you wait for me a moment…?”

Zhang Yin was confused.

“Just five minutes, I promise it won’t take long.”

Wen Xiao didn’t know what the boy intended to do, but since he was sitting in the car, he nodded.

The boy didn’t leave long before returning with a pot of white daffodils.

The flowers were blooming beautifully, clearly well cared for, but for convenience, they were placed in a transparent plastic pot.

Blushing, he handed the daffodils to Wen Xiao. “This… is for you.”

On the way back, Wen Xiao kept staring at the daffodils. The large flowers were mostly in bloom, with a scent somewhat like jasmine—fresh and sweet.

Going out… this wasn’t so bad after all.

*

In a small alley in the western district, the boy squatted on the ground, opening a lunchbox filled with the leftovers packed from the private restaurant.

The food smelled delicious and was still steaming hot.

He reached out to stroke the head of a big yellow dog, supporting his chin with the other hand, watching the dog eat happily, its tail wagging constantly.

“Ah Huang, slow down, you’ve been very good today.”

If Wen Xiao were here, he would recognize this as the dog that had barked at him incessantly.

After feeding the dog, the boy ran upstairs to change clothes, packed the new clothes into a bag, and slipped quietly up the stairs through a dark alley behind.