Watching Cartoons Together

Although they ultimately found no evidence of what Lin Yue's parents had done to her brain, it was now a certainty that they had tampered with it.

But after examining her, the doctors at the private hospital all agreed that whatever had been done to Lin Yue's brain, it was now in a normal state.

Only her brain waves and the development of her emotional center were abnormal. There was nothing the doctors could do about either of those things; Lin Yue could only gradually let go of the restraints she had placed on herself and learn to experience emotions.

Armed with the detailed examination report, the Grangers left the brain examination department and walked into the lobby. Hermione immediately spotted Lin Yue standing in a corner, staring blankly ahead and muttering something to herself.

Seeing Lin Yue's vacant stare and expressionless face, Hermione's nose stung. She didn't even need to go closer to hear her. She knew Lin Yue must be reciting a textbook for one of her classes...

Her brain had been tampered with. How helpless and desperate must she have felt? And the people who had done it were her own parents. Just thinking about that made Hermione, an outsider, shiver.

Lin Yue must have felt even worse at the time. Overcome by a sudden impulse, Hermione didn't care that they were in a hospital lobby or whether it was proper.

She threw her arms wide and rushed over, holding Lin Yue tightly as though she could fold her into herself and keep her safe.

Lin Yue paused in the middle of reciting her textbook and looked expressionlessly at the person holding her. When she realized it was Hermione, she resumed reciting.

Hermione closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady herself. Then she let go of Lin Yue and forced a smile.

"Let's go home."

Lin Yue gazed at Hermione with eyes as still as a dead pool. She didn't want to smile. Her brain instinctively analyzed Hermione's expression and identified what was wrong with it.

The muscles in Hermione's face were unusually stiff as she smiled. It was clear she didn't want to. And with her eyes red and her breathing unusually uneven, Lin Yue was almost certain that smile wasn't genuine.

"If you don't want to smile, then don't," Lin Yue said, devoid of emotion.

Deep in her brain, a voice told her clearly that she didn't want Hermione to force herself to smile like that.

Why she didn't want her to... Lin Yue couldn't work out. She simply didn't.

Hermione managed a smile that was almost a laugh, though she didn't shed any tears.

She reached out and gently ruffled Lin Yue's hair. Her voice was soft.

"How could I not want to? I do want to smile. I love smiling."

She barely felt anything herself and didn't even understand what emotions were, yet she was comforting Hermione. Lin Yue really was... adorably kind.

Lin Yue's expression didn't change as she nodded. "All right."

If that was what Hermione said, then there was no problem. After all, Lin Yue didn't really understand why Hermione had been forcing herself to smile.

The Grangers stood nearby while the two girls interacted, but neither of them went over to interrupt. They could at least give the children some time alone and respect the way they got along.

Still, watching his daughter and Lin Yue together, even Mr. Granger, who wasn't especially perceptive about such things, began to suspect something.

He turned to Mrs. Granger, uncertain. "Dear, what's going on between Hermione and Lin Yue?"

Mrs. Granger raised an eyebrow. Her husband had noticed already? That was fast. She'd thought it would take him quite a while.

But since he had noticed, Mrs. Granger saw no reason to hide it. Her husband wasn't old-fashioned; he was simply too protective of their daughter.

"Well," Mrs. Granger said, nodding to Mr. Granger, "for now, I think Hermione is the one who's interested in Lin Yue. Given Lin Yue's situation... and Hermione probably hasn't fully recognized her own feelings yet."

In other words, Hermione didn't yet know that deep down, she had already fallen for Lin Yue.

Mr. Granger nodded, his expression complicated as he looked at Hermione and Lin Yue.

Lin Yue was a girl anyone would feel sorry for, but she didn't know what emotions were. She would have to learn about and experience every kind of feeling from scratch. He could imagine how exhausting this relationship might be for his daughter.

Mrs. Granger had been with him for so many years. How could she not see what was on his mind? She gently patted his shoulder.

"In a relationship, both people have to give something. If Hermione likes Lin Yue, she'll be willing to run to her, even if that child is tangled in thorns. Hermione will pull them away without hesitation and bring her out."

Mr. Granger fell silent for a moment. That was true. That was what love was, wasn't it?

"Yes," Mr. Granger said with a gentlemanly smile. He raised a hand and patted the back of his wife's hand on his shoulder. "You're right. All we can do is support them."

"Lin Yue is a good girl, too. If Hermione really does end up with her, I'll feel at ease."

Mrs. Granger chuckled and raised an eyebrow at him. "You've only just met her. How can you already be sure she's a good girl?"

Mr. Granger smiled and shook his head. "Isn't it obvious? She's polite and hardworking, and so sensible it breaks your heart. You can't fake that. You must feel the same way."

"Mm." Mrs. Granger pressed her lips together and murmured her agreement.

It was true. Compared with other children her age, Lin Yue was far too sensible. Mrs. Granger almost wished she would be more lively and mischievous. That would be better than her current stiff, mechanical manner, doing everything flawlessly.

Taking the two girls with him in the car, Mr. Granger started the engine and slowly drove home. Mrs. Granger turned around and handed Hermione and Lin Yue the breakfast she had packed.

"Have a little something to tide you over, but don't eat too much. We'll be having lunch not long after we get home."

Hermione and Lin Yue each took a portion of breakfast and nodded in unison.

Lin Yue opened the bag and took out a slice of bread with jam. She opened her mouth wide and stuffed it in. In the blink of an eye, the whole slice had disappeared.

Hermione hadn't even had time to stop her before Lin Yue had practically "swallowed" the bread.

Hermione gently held Lin Yue by the wrist and looked at her helplessly. "Slow down, okay? There's no rush."

Lin Yue blinked mechanically and replied, "Okay."

Then she took out another slice of jam bread and began eating it slowly, one bite at a time.

Seeing Lin Yue finally slow down, Hermione felt relieved. She eagerly took a sandwich from the bag and immediately bit into it.

Mm! Delicious! Hermione's eyes suddenly lit up. It wasn't that her mother's sandwiches weren't good.

It was just that Lin Yue's sandwiches and her mother's were completely different styles, and Lin Yue's were exceptionally delicious.

Mrs. Granger had reminded them not to eat too much, so Lin Yue stopped after two slices of jam bread. Hermione stopped after one sandwich.

After tidying away the bag, Hermione pulled Lin Yue into her arms again. Lin Yue slowly closed her eyes and began running another simulation in her mind, though this time she wasn't simulating how to make potions.

She was simulating how to grow herbs. Hermione, thinking she had successfully gotten Lin Yue to fall asleep and rest during the drive, smiled happily. She decided that from then on, she would try to get Lin Yue to "sleep" like this as often as possible at Hogwarts, too.

The car slowly pulled into the Grangers' garage. Hermione, still holding Lin Yue, had fallen asleep without realizing it.

Mrs. Granger looked back and couldn't help but chuckle. She called softly, "Lin Yue, Hermione, we're home."

Hearing her full name, Lin Yue instantly left her mental herb-growing simulation and opened her eyes. They were clear and alert; it was obvious she hadn't really been asleep.

Mrs. Granger couldn't help pausing. Lin Yue couldn't sleep, but she hadn't refused to let Hermione hold her and help her rest?

That girl was far too well-behaved. If she stayed this way after learning about emotions, wouldn't Hermione bully her?

At that moment, Mrs. Granger had apparently forgotten that Hermione was her own daughter. She was worrying instead about whether Lin Yue might be bullied in the future.

Lin Yue slowly turned her head and looked up at Hermione's still-sleeping face.

Carefully, she reached out one hand and nudged Hermione as if touching a fragile work of art.

"Hermione, Hermione, we're home. Wake up."

Her voice, without the slightest inflection, sounded beside Hermione's ear. It held no emotion, but to Hermione it was wonderfully soothing. She wanted to open her eyes at once and look at the person in front of her.

She blinked awake, her vision still blurry, and instinctively reached out to touch Lin Yue's cheek.

Once she was fully awake, she yawned and got out of the car with Lin Yue's hand in hers.

All four of them got out. As soon as they entered the Grangers' house, Lin Yue changed her shoes and immediately looked up at the clock whose location she had identified the night before.

It was eleven in the morning. She should make lunch. After changing into her slippers, Lin Yue headed straight for the kitchen without pausing.

Hermione and the Grangers all froze for a couple of seconds at how natural it seemed.

Then the three of them snapped out of it and hurried after her.

In the kitchen, Lin Yue was already taking ingredients out of the refrigerator. Meanwhile, her brain was busily calculating the proportions and nutritional balance of various foods.

Her parents had cared a great deal about this. They believed that eating healthily was the key to staying well, so every time Lin Yue cooked, she calculated the proportions in advance and planned a balanced meal.

At mealtimes, they both tried to eat slowly, making sure to have a little of every dish and get every kind of nutrition. Lin Yue would often finish eating, and then another thirty minutes would pass before they were done.

Thinking about it now, her uncle, aunt, and Hermione should pay attention to this, too. It would be good for their health.

So Lin Yue's brain automatically began calculating the proportions of the ingredients as usual.

Mrs. Granger watched Lin Yue's practiced movements and sighed. She stepped forward and gently took the items from her hands.

"Lin Yue, you just had a checkup and had blood drawn. Why don't you go rest with Hermione for a while? I'll make lunch."

Lin Yue looked up at Mrs. Granger and nodded blankly. "Okay. Sorry for the trouble, Auntie."

"Good girl, go on. Sit with Hermione on the sofa and watch some TV. Lunch will be ready soon." Mrs. Granger gently pinched Lin Yue's cheek, then nodded to Hermione to take her away.

Hermione hurried over and linked her arm through Lin Yue's, taking care to avoid the spots where they had both been pricked for their blood tests. She led Lin Yue to the sofa while Mr. Granger stayed in the kitchen to help his wife.

Hermione turned on the TV and flipped through the channels without any particular aim: plays, movies, cartoons... She really didn't know what to watch.

She turned to Lin Yue and decided to ask what she thought. "Lin Yue, is there anything you'd like to watch?"

Lin Yue mechanically turned her head and stared at Hermione without a trace of expression.

TV...? She had hardly ever watched it. At home, her parents usually watched. She didn't have time to relax in front of the television. She couldn't afford to let up.

But... somewhere deep in her memories, she thought she had once watched some very old cartoon. She seemed to have been watching it secretly in a shopping mall.

She had been very young then, about eight years old. Her mother had taken her shopping and told her to read at the bookstore while she went to a clothing store.

On the way to the bookstore, she had spotted a shop with lots of televisions inside. One of them was playing a cartoon that looked very old, featuring two bears and a bald man.

It was completely different from the cartoons shown nowadays, which simply taught children how to study and develop good study habits.

That cartoon had made her feel... feel what, exactly? Lin Yue's head throbbed, but no matter how good her memory was, she couldn't recall what she had felt at the time.

All she remembered was that her mother had caught her secretly watching the cartoon. After slapping her, her mother had called the authorities to report the shop.

The reason was that it was showing meaningless cartoons and interfering with children's studies.

After the call, her mother had turned around and told her to get up off the floor by herself, then taken her home.

Lin Yue looked up at Hermione and spoke in a flat tone. "I want to watch... cartoons."

Hermione nodded and switched the TV to a cartoon channel. Thomas the Tank Engine was on.

She set down the remote control and gently put an arm around Lin Yue, watching the cartoon with her.

To be honest, Hermione had started to find cartoons boring when she was about ten. Though perhaps she had simply watched enough of them.

But watching them with Lin Yue now... somehow, the cartoon seemed more interesting again. She turned to look at Lin Yue beside her.

Lin Yue's eyes were still blank, and her face still expressionless. But, inexplicably, Hermione thought a glimmer of light had flashed through her eyes.