What he had thought he knew by heart vanished completely the next day.
It was as though something had slipped into his head while he slept and stolen all of yesterday's dinner, leaving only a hazy memory he could not recall no matter how hard he tried.
Clutching the money, Bai Congming wandered around the market for a long time, but in the end, he brought home only a bag of potatoes and sausages.
Perhaps aware he had bought the wrong things, Bai Congming looked a little guilty as he opened the bag. He kept one hand behind his back, his gaze flicking to Bai Fang's face now and then to see whether she was angry.
"Little Bai finished shopping."
Bai Fang glanced over the contents and sighed, unable to muster even a compliment.
"One step at a time," Bai Fang consoled herself. "He's already doing very well."
"Yes!" Bai Congming declared. "Little Bai is great!"
Pleased with himself, Bai Congming brought out the hand hidden behind his back. The golden-yellow frangipani flower he held had wilted a little from being clutched for too long, but it was easy to see how full and fresh it had been when first picked.
The more something was treasured, the easier it was to mishandle it. Bai Congming did not understand that, and his grip on the flower's stem remained tight.
"A pretty flower! For Mommy!"
Bai Fang looked at the flower for a long time before finally reaching out and gathering her son, half a head taller than herself, into her arms.
It had been a long time since Mommy had hugged Little Bai, ever since she fell ill.
Bai Congming grinned and nuzzled against her in the embrace, thinking, Mommy really does like pretty flowers best.
"Thank you for all your