The Left-Behind Child

Nofi is not doing well; she misses her mother very much.

Because she misses her mother so much, Shen Nuo Fei has lost a whole pound in the past two weeks.

Shen Nuo Fei knew her mother was hospitalized; her father had told her.

A child her age doesn't understand what clinical trials are, but she knows that hospitalization is definitely not a good thing.

Shen Nuo Fei wanted to visit her mother in the hospital, but her father wouldn't take her, nor would Aunt Cuiping.

This was at Ou Ye's behest; she didn't want her daughter to see her in a hospital gown, looking weak, haggard, and neither human nor ghost.

My mother is in the hospital, and I don't know when she'll be able to come home.

Dad leaves early and comes home late every day; he seems incredibly busy.

Shen Nuo Fei used to long for her parents not to be so strict with her.

She wasn't allowed to eat too many snacks, watch too much TV, and had to learn a lot of knowledge every day... Shen Nuo Fei used to feel that she had no freedom at all.

Now it's all over, Mom's not home, I can't even see her.

It was as if Dad wasn't home; when he left in the morning, Nofi was still asleep. When he returned in the evening, Nofi was already asleep.

Nofi's parents stopped caring about her, and she was finally free to do as she wished.

However, Shen Nuo Fei is not happy at all; on the contrary, she feels quite uncomfortable.

She felt like she had become a left-behind child.

At kindergarten, Shen Nuo Fei became silent, even somewhat depressed and dejected.

In a few months, Shen Nuo Fei will be starting a new life at Second Experimental Primary School, and she won't have much time left at Xicheng Weihua Kindergarten.

Shen Nuo Fei's unusual behavior was noticed by the kindergarten teachers.

"Recently, Shen Nuo Fei has lost her appetite and has become depressed. This lively little girl has become melancholy," Teacher Zhang said with concern.

"Academician Shen has already spoken to me. Nuofei's mother is hospitalized, and Academician Shen has been extremely busy lately. He asked us to take good care of Nuofei. Sigh, Nuofei hasn't eaten a single cookie since this morning. I'm very worried that if this continues, the child will break down." Teacher Li expressed the same concern. They, as teachers, are very responsible, and when kindergarten children don't eat or drink, they are even more anxious than the children's parents.

"I'll go and try to persuade Nofi."

Teacher Zhang brought a lunchbox to Nofi's side. The lunchbox contained white rice, fried cod, meatballs, and chicken breast, a balanced meal with meat and vegetables, all of which Nofi loves.

"Nofi, lunchtime!" Teacher Zhang said kindly.

Nophie shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

"Just one bite, okay?" Teacher Zhang forked a tender meatball and brought it to Nofi's lips.

In the past, Nofi was the best eater. She didn't need the teacher to feed her at all; she could eat all by herself. The three boys in the senior class combined couldn't eat as much as she did.

But Nofi is, after all, a little girl under five years old, and when she doesn't eat, the teacher has to feed her.

"Teacher Zhang, I really can't eat." Nofi sighed sadly, as if she were bearing a great deal of pressure on her thin shoulders.

"Is it because your mother is hospitalized?" Teacher Zhang knew a little about Nofi's family situation, but she didn't give up and continued to persuade Nofi to eat.

"Yes, I'm so worried about Mom. She's never been away from home for so long before." Nofi's eyes welled up with tears as she spoke.

Children today are well-nourished and develop normally. Coupled with targeted guidance from parents and teachers, and the abundance of information readily available to them, children are generally precocious.

You can no longer say things like, "Are you out of your mind? You're acting like a three-year-old." Three-year-olds are quite clever these days.

The bright and sensible Nofi is about to start primary school at Second Experimental Primary School. Teacher Zhang knows this and is moved by Nofi's filial piety and concern for her mother. "Nofi is so filial, Nofi's mother will be very gratified and happy. So Nofi, you must eat well and be good at kindergarten and at home. This will make your mother more at ease and make it easier for her to receive treatment. Don't you think so, Nofi?"

"Teacher Zhang, you go and take care of the other students. I'll just soak up some sun and be full." Nofi moved a small stool and sat in front of the French window. Sunlight streamed through the glass, bathing her face and body in a golden glow.

Teacher Zhang was both amused and exasperated. She patiently fed Nofi, saying, "Those plants can get full just by sunbathing. Nofi, you should eat something."

"I'll have a meatball," Nofi said, unable to refuse Teacher Zhang, and ate a meatball as a token gesture.

Teacher Li gave Teacher Zhang a look, signaling Teacher Zhang to leave first and let Nofi calm down by herself in the sun.

Teacher Zhang and Teacher Li left the room, and just then they heard a mournful song coming from inside. "There's only one mother in the world who's good, a child without a mother is like a blade of grass..."

"This..." The two teachers looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

Suddenly, a burly man appeared in front of the two teachers.

"Academician Shen, you've arrived." The two teachers were somewhat surprised. The parents they usually interacted with were Aunt Cuiping was usually the one who picked up Nuofei.

"I'm picking Nofi up from school today," Shen Qi explained his purpose. He then asked, "Has Nofi still been eating very little these past few days?"

"Nofi drank half a carton of yogurt this morning and just ate a meatball... but the meatball was quite heavy, about two ounces each," Teacher Zhang said apologetically. Their job is to coax the children to eat and sleep, but they hadn't done that job well.

The singing inside the room continued unabated; the child sang mournfully and sadly, "Leaving my mother's embrace, where can I find happiness..."

"Nofi is very worried about her mother; it's a deep concern for her. So Academician Shen, you see..." Teacher Li listened to Nofi's singing and felt a pang of pity for her.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you. Let's have some time alone together." Shen Qi said before entering the room alone.

Nofi's singing stopped abruptly. She looked at her father pitifully, her mind preoccupied.

Shen Qi sat down on the floor in front of his daughter and said, "Nofi, you're about to start elementary school. I hope you can hold yourself to the same high standards as an elementary school student."

"Birth, aging, illness, and death are the natural course of life. Everyone gets sick, Mom does, Dad does too. Getting sick isn't scary; doctors can cure patients. What I'm trying to tell you is that you should eat well, study hard, and when you're well, Mom will be happy, and she'll get better soon."

"Dad, I want to see Mom. Can we video chat?"

"We won't be video chatting for now; the signal is bad in the hospital, and the video keeps buffering."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true. When has Dad ever lied to you? Here's what you do: call Mom and tell her on the phone that you're doing great and that you love her very much."