Feng Ze was locked in the bedroom.
The floor was a mess.
He stood rooted to the spot, at a loss, his eyes blank.
It was noisy outside, so noisy it grated on his nerves.
Tao Zhiyan was crying, and Peach's Mom was frantically calling the people at the Orphanage, demanding that they come take Feng Ze back.
The voices battered his eardrums. Feng Ze's mind was a jumble, his ears buzzing.
He hurried forward and reached out to open the door, then stopped.
What was going on...?
This wasn't what he'd seen. It wasn't.
Feng Ze could barely breathe through his guilt, his eyes rimmed red.
Tao Zhiyan was still so little. How badly must it have hurt when the lamp hit him?
"Does it hurt, sweetheart?" Peach's Mom's voice came through the door, trembling. "Why is your ear still so red?"
"Tell Mommy, does it hurt on the inside or the outside?"
Tao Zhiyan had finally stopped crying. Wiping his tears and hiccupping, he waved his hand and said, "Mommy... no instant noodles."
"No." Peach's Mom hadn't caught on and instinctively explained, "Not instant noodles..."
"What?" Tao Zhiyan couldn't hear very well. His voice grew several times louder as he blinked in confusion. "What are pork trotter noodles?"
Peach's Mom felt even more heartbroken. She took a deep breath, her eyes red.
She wiped away her tears and rubbed Tao Zhiyan's head. "Mommy's taking you to the hospital."
Tao Zhiyan still couldn't hear very clearly. He was just anxious at the sight of his mother crying.
Sitting on her lap, the little boy tilted his head up and stretched his small hand as far as he could to wipe her tears.
After a moment's thought, he turned his little head and pointed his other ear toward her. "Mommy,