She was surprised by the bond between him and her child.
She was angry that her child had treated her words like they went in one ear and out the other, forgetting them as soon as he heard them.
Now that he had seen the boy again, he hadn't followed her instructions at all.
The little boy was somewhat cowed by the woman's words and expression.
His lips moved hesitantly.
For a long while, he didn't say anything.
The woman's expression softened.
She took the child by the hand.
"Let's go."
"We'll talk about the rest at home."
"It's raining so hard."
"You're soaked through."
"Doesn't that feel awful?"
"If you catch a cold tonight, you'll feel even worse."
The little boy obediently let his mother lead him home.
They walked in silence.
Only the wind and rain howled in their ears.
When they got home, the little boy came out of the bathroom after his shower to find that his parents had already made dinner.
"Lei Lei, come eat."
The woman called to him.
"What's wrong, Lei Lei?"
The man put a serving of vegetables into the child's bowl with his chopsticks.
"Why are you so quiet today?"
The boy was always full of energy and loud.
Wasn't he usually only quiet at mealtimes after his mother sternly ordered him to "shut up and eat"?
But today, ever since he sat down to eat, he'd just kept his head down and shoveled food into his mouth.
He hadn't said a word.
The little boy didn't answer.
The man looked at his wife.
Whether something had happened on the way home or at school...
His wife would probably know more about it than he did.
The woman pursed her lips slightly.