The Xia Family patriarch's word was law. No one could change a decision he had made. Xia Changzheng knew that his lifelong ambitions were now like a tree with severed roots, with no chance of growing any further. With a long sigh and a stamp of his foot, he left the Xia Family estate, while his wife, Zhang Juan, had to be practically carried out by the servants, her body limp.
The cardboard box and doll on the floor were cleared away too, and the living room was finally quiet.
Although Xia Wenyuan sat in a wheelchair, he still had the bearing and dignity of a leader. Faced with such a man, even Qingmu had to put aside his wild arrogance and indolence for the moment and step forward to greet him with due seriousness.
Xia Wenyuan put on no airs at all. "Please forgive an ailing old man for being unable to stand and greet you," he said courteously. "Mr. Qingmu, as Professor Mei's friend, you are naturally my friend as well. Please make yourself at home." Seeing everyone still standing, he added, "Sit, all of you."
Once everyone was seated, Xia Wenyuan called kindly to Xia Tian, "Tiantian, come here, come to your great-uncle."
Whether it was because the two were particularly close or because the boy was already feeling better, Xia Tian trotted over and threw himself into Xia Wenyuan's arms.
Patting Xia Tian's back, Xia Wenyuan said to Qingmu, "Thank you for taking so much trouble over the boy!"
"Oh, it's nothing. Though getting him to recover completely will still take some doing!" Qingmu said.
"What do you need us to do?" Wu Lixia asked.
"Yes, Qingmu, what do we do next?" Hu Xing urged as well.
"Tiantian is very strong!" Qingmu said. "Even after being hurt like this, his heart hasn't grown dark. As long as you give him a little more care, he'll get better."
"It's all that damned vicious woman's fault! How can there be a woman like that in this world?" Hu Xing said indignantly.
"Actually, the harm that woman did to the boy wasn't the worst of it. The key is..." Qingmu hesitated over whether to say it in front of the child.
"I understand. You mean-" Hu Xing gestured with her hands, outlining the doll the servants had already taken away. She meant that the key was how to make Xia Tian forget the ghost of his nonexistent younger brother.
"I'm afraid there's more to it than that," Wu Lixia added. "What hurt the boy most was facing something frightening and having no one to protect him. And not only that, he was wrongfully accused as well. Ah..."
That was actually what Qingmu had wanted to say. The deepest wound to Xia Tian's heart had come from his father. As people grew up, they would always encounter all sorts of dangers, and fear of the unknown was innate. But as long as Dad was there, we would not be afraid.
Only with a good father would a child have someone to rely on and feel safe. Even if demons attacked, he would not be afraid.
Yet this was where Qingmu was most helpless. He could not replace the boy's father, and if the boy did not have a father who loved him, even if his inner fears were cured today, he would encounter the same sort of thing again tomorrow.
Everyone present understood this.
"Our Xia Family has considerable means," Xia Wenyuan said. "There will be no problem providing for Xiao Tian in the future. As for the matter at hand, we must still rely on you, Mr. Qingmu. As they say, things must be seen through from beginning to end, and the capable shoulder more work. Please take a little more trouble over him!"
Qingmu nodded. "I would have done it even if you hadn't asked, sir! Actually, all he needs is a little outing to take his mind off things."
As he spoke, he walked over to Xia Tian and held out his hand. Xia Tian hesitated, then reached out too and took Qingmu's hand.
Holding Xia Tian's hand, Qingmu headed out of the living room toward the garden. The slap-slap of his slippers faded through the doorway along with their figures.
"He really is an odd one!" Wu Lixia said.
"Aunt Xia, he's very capable! Now do you believe me?" Hu Xing said.
"Yes, yes, I believe you. I never said I didn't!" Wu Lixia glanced at Hu Xing, then smiled at Xia Wenyuan. "In terms of ability, he certainly measures up. But his appearance and status... he still isn't quite good enough for our Xing'er."
"Appearance doesn't matter," Xia Wenyuan said with a smile. "Truly capable people don't fuss over trifles. And there's even less reason to worry about status. Once he's part of our Xia Family, why worry about humble standing? Look at Xing'er's father. Back then, he was only a low-ranking policeman, but didn't he rise steadily through the ranks? If he hadn't died on official duty, he would probably be heading a department by now."
Xia Wenyuan sighed as he spoke.
"When you put it that way, it does seem possible," Wu Lixia said.
Xia Wenyuan laughed heartily. "None of these things you're worrying about are problems. I'm only afraid it might be wishful thinking on your part. He may not have any such intentions!"
"Aunt Xia! Grandpa! What are you talking about?" Hu Xing understood perfectly well what they meant and thought the old couple were being thoroughly improper. Yet for some reason, even though there was nothing to it at all, her face began to burn.
Xia Wenyuan and Wu Lixia exchanged a smile and dropped the subject.
Before long, the slap-slap sounded again, and Qingmu and Xia Tian returned.
The little boy still looked haggard. Holding Qingmu's large hand, he still seemed a little frightened, but his eyes had grown much livelier. A little of childhood's innocent brightness had begun to show in them, making him look like a child again.
He bit his lip, seemingly trying to make a momentous decision. Only when Qingmu gave his hand a firm squeeze did he look up. Seeing Qingmu's encouraging gaze, he nodded hard.
Xia Tian pulled free of Qingmu's hand and suddenly ran out, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
The Xia couple and Hu Xing all looked at Qingmu, unsure what had happened.
"It's all right," Qingmu said with a smile.
"Being deliberately mysterious!" Hu Xing said with a pout.
A maid hurried in. "Something's wrong! Young Master Xia Tian snatched that frightening doll back, and now he's run off to the backyard. I don't know what he's doing!"
Everyone except Qingmu was startled, and they all said, "Let's go and see."
When they reached the backyard, they saw Xia Tian crouching beneath a large tree, where he had dug a small pit in the earth. The terrifying doll lay inside it.
"Tiantian!"
Wu Lixia and Hu Xing called out at the same time. They were about to run over, but Xia Wenyuan stopped them. "Let him."
Holding a lighter, Xia Tian glanced back at them, then lowered his head again and studied the doll intently. After looking at it for a while, he flicked the lighter alight and brought the flame close to the doll. Soon, fierce flames engulfed it. The firelight shone on Xia Tian's face, turning it rosy and giving it a little more color and life.
After the fire went out, Xia Tian poked through the ashes with a twig, then filled the pit with fresh earth.
Only after finishing all this did he stand up, turn around, and slowly walk back.
Xia Tian walked up to Qingmu, raised his head, and held out his hand, returning a mud-covered S.T. Dupont lighter to him. Then he wiped the sweat off his face with his dirty hand.
An innocent smile appeared on his mud-smeared face...