The second day, Gu Yan woke up rather early.
It was just that she hadn’t expected that when she woke up, Shen Jiayu had already gotten up even earlier than she did. He was currently sweeping the living area using a broom that was far longer than his height.
Watching him clean up the house so methodically, Gu Yan smiled and said to him, “How awesome!”
Firstly, she stretched her waist, and then she turned to walk towards Shen Jiayu. She said, “Although there isn’t a need for you to do all these things. If you were to do these things, then there wouldn’t be anything left for me to do anymore.”
“And with nothing to do, I would eventually get lazy and lazier by the day.”
Shen Jiayu was indifferent to Gu Yan’s words full of exaggeration and didn’t stop what he was doing.
Gu Yan had long become accustomed to his silence and didn't think much of it. She smiled at him and said, “Don’t get too busy now. We’re going to a rather fun place today."
Just towards the southern side of this small town, there was a big orphanage. Gu Yan had visited there several times before.
Most of the children there had some deformities and were abandoned by their parents. Fortunately, the dean and teachers inside were patient and caring, so the environment in which the children grew up was guaranteed to be good and safe. The best part was that the children were innocent and cute.
A group of children crowded around them as Gu Yan walked in while holding Shen Jiayu’s hand.
"Sister, you haven't been here for a long time!"
"Yeah, I miss you so much!"
"Hey, who is this?"
"I haven't seen him before."
Gu Yan's mood immediately became lifted as she saw them.
She noticed the teacher standing behind the children. They looked at each other and smiled, then she squatted down and introduced Shen Jiayu to the children.
It was as Gu Yan expected.
Although the children here hadn’t known Shen Jiayu, they couldn't help feeling attracted to him since he looked so good!
Not to mention adults, even children like good-looking things, so Shen Jiayu gained immediate popularity upon arrival.
Gu Yan thought if he could have the company of peers similar to his age...
Perhaps, he wouldn't be so lonely anymore.
Gu Yan first asked them to take Shen Jiayu to visit the yard, while she chatted with the teacher.
What she didn't know was that when she turned around, Shen Jiayu suddenly raised his head and stared gloomily at her back.
The little girl next to him didn't notice his strangeness, and still asked with a smile, "Little brother, what is the relationship between you and sister?"
"Brother, how old are you this year?"
"Brother, where do you live? Is it far from here?"
Shen Jiayu seemed to have not heard her as he just ignored her. His eyes fell on Gu Yan, who was engaged in conversation some distance away.
Another little boy said with an envious tone. "He gets to stay with sister. I wish I could stay with her too. Then she could whip up countless delicious meals for me. I’d obediently eat them up every day."
"Yeah, if I had a sister like Yanyan, how great would that be?"
The quiet Shen Jiayu that had not spoken a single word up till now suddenly turned around. His dark scorpion-like eyes stared at them as he asked, "Yanyan?"
The children hurriedly nodded their heads at the question Shen Jiayu had asked, "That's right. She is sister Yanyan."
"Sister told us before. The ‘Yan’ in her name is the same yan as in ‘misty vapor’!."
"Firework's Yan(that is part of her name)!"
"Smog hood’s Yan!"
"... …Yanyan."
Shen Jiayu's lowered his gaze, and slowly tried saying her nickname.
It turns out that this is her name.
It was just that she had never taken the initiative to talk to him about her name.
Meanwhile, just as Gu Yan was walking towards the kids, she was surprised to discover that Shen Jiayu was chatting with the children around him.
She suddenly grew worried about him. In fact, the age difference between these children and Shen Jiayu was a lot, and several of them were likely in the fourth grade.
The teachers there focused on cultivating their cultural level by teaching them Tang and Song Dynasties' Poetry and cultural common sense.
Gu Yan moved a small stool to sit in the middle of the children and asked, "I heard that the teacher taught you a lot of ancient poems last month. What is Li Bai also known as?"
When a strong-looking boy heard the words "Li Bai", his eyes lit up and he raised his hand, "I know! Allow me, allow me!"
Gu Yan smiled and said, "Okay, I'll allow you to answer."
The boy cleared his throat, and then recited a poem very emotionally. "The moon is shining in front of the bed, suspected to be frost on the ground..."
Gu Yan said at once, "Wait, little friend, I asked for what Li Bai was called by..."
The little boy continued to shake his head as though he was intoxicated by the poem.
Gu Yan: "……"
Gu Yan: "Very good, next one."
An older girl raised her hand and said shyly, "I know, Li Bai is the fairy of poetry."
Gu Yan gave her a thumbs up. "Awesome!"
The little girl felt encouraged. Her face was joyful as she continued like a cannon. "I also know that Du Fu is a poetic saint, Li He is a poetic ghost, and Wang Wei is a poetic Buddha..."
Gu Yan: "...It's okay, you can stop now..."
The little girl continued to speak. "Su Shi is the poetic god, Bai Ju Yi is the poetic demon, He Zhijun is the poetic beast ..."
Gu Yan: "Stop! Next." Then, Gu Yan asked them several other questions to which every child answered.
But in regards to what Gu Yan discovered, Shen Jiayu had been sitting silently next to the children, not uttering a single word.
Every time Gu Yan asked a question, she hinted at him with her eyes, wanting him to answer.
And every time she looked at him, she would find him blinking at himself.
Gu Yan's lollipops were eventually given to the children that answered. Shen Jiayu didn't answer any of the questions, and some other children didn’t receive them too.
The children who didn't receive it were a little dejected, so Gu Yan said, "Next time I'll bring a lot more so that it’s enough to go around."
Then a little boy said, "I will make a lot of money in the future and buy sister an endless amount of lollipops. Sister can live in a castle made of lollipops."
Gu Yan was amused by him and let out an "En" sound.
At this moment, Shen Jiayu, who had been silent, suddenly sat a little closer to Gu Yan.
He pulled Gu Yan's sleeve.
Gu Yan turned to look at him."What's the matter?"
He looked up at Gu Yan and said, "I will get you a larger amount than his."
He said very seriously, "It will be strawberry flavored."
...
Gu Yan and Shen Jiayu spent the whole day at the orphanage. Seeing Shen Jiayu get along with other children of his age, Gu Yan couldn't help but feel more relaxed.
When leaving, Gu Yan said, "We will come here often to play in the future, okay? The children here love you very much."
Shen Jiayu looked at Gu Yan and hid the darkness in his eyes little by little.
He walked towards Gu Yan. Facing the bright sun, Gu Yan’s clear pupils reflected her gentle smile.
He said, "Okay."
If this could satisfy her, make her happy, and make her smile.
Then he could also be like those stray cats who please and flatter.
Just as long as she didn't abandon him.
He could do anything.
·
From then on, Gu Yan often took Shen Jiayu to play in the orphanage. Watching a bunch of children talking and laughing around Shen Jiayu, calling him "brother", Gu Yan felt even more relieved.
Gu Yan had always been worried that Shen Jiayu would come into conflict with others in the process of getting along with them. So Gu Yan would remind him every time, no matter how unpleasant the people you encounter in the future are, no matter how excessive things are, you have to be patient and not fight or curse them.
Both fighting and swearing are wrong.
Gu Yan often said to him, "If you meet someone who is very rude, just say, didn’t your teacher teach you any manners?"
Shen Jiayu would look at her and nod silently under her expectant gaze.
·
Time flew by rather quickly. The Shen family would send over someone to come to pick up Shen Jiayu soon.
Gu Yan hoped that after he was taken back, he’d be able to face his future life better, make many friends, and live a happy and peaceful life.
One day while Gu Yan was working in the dessert shop, she followed her boss to make her first cake.
Since she didn't know when Shen Jiayu's birthday was, Gu Yan chose to celebrate his birthday on the same day as hers.
So that day, Shen Jiayu was called by Gu Yan early in the morning to put on the new overalls Gu Yan had bought him.
Shen Jiayu was already cute. After putting on denim overalls, he looked more like a little angel that stepped out of a comic, looking obedient and soft.
He looked down at Gu Yan, who was crouching in front of him and buttoning up his overalls.
Gu Yan fastened his buttons and suddenly asked, "Guess what day it is today?"
Shen Jiayu didn't answer. He only looked down at Gu Yan.
Then, Gu Yan answered, "Today is my birthday!"
Shen Jiayu was startled slightly, his eyes swept across the calendar.
——5.23
Gu Yan continued. "Of course, my birthday could be your birthday too. How about we celebrate it together?"
She held his chin and said with a smile. "So, what kind of birthday gift do you want?"
"Superman? Transformers? Toy car?"
Shen Jiayu stared at her quietly, as if thinking: How she was in the mood to say such nonsensical words.
Gu Yan didn't care and continued to smile as she said, "Today, I decided to spend a lot of money and take you to the amusement park. Are you surprised? Are you happy?"
Shen Jiayu blinked and remained silent.
When Gu Yan saw his reaction, the raised corners of her mouth instantly collapsed.
She lowered her head and said dejectedly, "Come on~~ smile for me."
"I see that you rarely smile."
Shen Jiayu's eyelashes drooped slightly, casting a small shadow on his eyes, making him look a little quiet and gloomy.
He did not speak.
Seeing him like this, Gu Yan thought he was upset and was about to say forget it.
Shen Jiayu slowly raised his head. He looked at her quietly with his cat-like dark amber pupils. The emotions in his eyes were like a surging undercurrent, slightly startling Gu Yan.
Then, he used his index and middle finger to prop up the corners of his mouth, and slowly mustered up a smile.
He said to her: "Happy birthday."