After walking a few steps, I noticed the child was still following me.
Song Lan frowned, stopped, and looked down at him.
Jiang Mingxi immediately rubbed her little hands together, "I want a long~ long~ wooden stick."
Song Lan sighed. She couldn't very well drown herself in front of this child, what if the child followed suit?
A child this age seems to be at a stage where they are curious about everything.
I remember when my younger brother was about this age, he was practicing throwing javelins in the yard, and my brother tried to imitate him, but...
He couldn't remember whether his younger brother had thrown it or not; he only remembered his mother coming over and slapping him, saying he was awful for throwing a javelin in front of his brother.
It's hard to control my thoughts; I just keep thinking about that slap from back then.
Why is throwing a javelin in front of your younger brother considered utterly evil?
He couldn't understand it.
But that slap still seems to hurt on my face.
Song Lan raised her hand and touched her face where she had been slapped.
pity.
Even his mother, who always beat him, was gone.
Was it because he fell off the car that his mother and younger brother died?
Was it because of his poor behavior that his mother and younger brother were killed?
If he had held on tightly to the car door that day and hadn't fallen, would his mother and younger brother have died?
Grandpa and his brother said it wasn't his fault, he hadn't done anything wrong, but he kept dreaming about his mother's death. In the dream, his mother slapped him across the face and said he was wicked and had killed his younger brother.
My chest hurts a lot.
Song Lan took a few deep breaths, forcing herself not to think about it.
My gaze gradually returned to the child beside me.
The child looked at him nervously, forcing a fake smile, gesturing with his little hands, "This stick is so long, so long!"
Song Lan hummed in agreement, then looked around. "There's one over there. I'll pick it up for you."
She picked up seven or eight sticks in one go, long and short, Song Lan carried them all to the child.
Jiang Mingxi cheered immediately and picked the thickest and tallest stick from among the seven or eight sticks.
I couldn't carry him, so I could only drag him, huffing and puffing, as I dragged the wooden stick toward the river.
But the wooden stick he had chosen was too big, and he ran out of strength after dragging it for only a few steps. He turned to Song Lan and called out, "Brother, can you help me? I want him to go find Mom."
Song Lan frowned.
He glanced into the river.
There were hardly any adults in the river, only a six or seven-year-old child intently catching fish.
There were adults not far away, but it seemed to be teachers from the orphanage leading children out to fly kites.
Song Lan didn't want to meddle in other people's business.
But he said he was looking for his mother...
Song Lan pursed her lips and asked, "Where is your mother?"
Jiang Mingxi pointed to the stream, "She's in the river, probably trapped under a rock. I'm going to go and pull her out."
Song Lan frowned.
What kind of talk is that?
What do you mean by being crushed by a rock...?!
Ten-year-old Song Lan felt a jolt in her heart.
His limited knowledge led him to a horrifying thought: had this child's mother been tied to stones and thrown into the river?
Like in those horror movies, where they tie stones to a well and throw them in?
How terrifying!
Song Lan hurriedly asked, "Did you see someone take your mother to the river?"
Jiang Mingxi shook her head, "No ducks~"
Then, with drooping eyebrows and downcast eyes, he lowered his head and kicked at the grass at his feet.
"I can't see my mom, I can't see my mom, my door is closed, and my mom is outside."
Song Lan was both confused and terrified. The horror movies seemed to depict children hiding in closets, under beds, or behind cracks in doors, witnessing their mothers being dragged away...
Probing, Song Lan asked, "What is Mom doing outside? Did someone drag her away?"
Tears welled in Jiang Mingxi's eyes as she shook her head. "I don't know, it was such a big fire."
fire?
Wasn't Mom in the river? How come there's a fire again?
Frowning, Song Lan squatted down and half-huddled the child in her arms. "Is your room on fire?"
Jiang Mingxi pouted and tears streamed down her face. "The hotel caught fire. I was preparing a birthday present for my brother, a little duck, and suddenly it caught fire, such a big fire..."
As they talked...
He suddenly let out a loud cry and started to sob.
"I miss my mom, I miss my mom so much! I want to find my mom! I want to find my mom!"
Song Lan was startled by his crying and immediately panicked.
Helpless, she wiped away his tears, wondering if the child's mother had been burned to death...
Are they children from an orphanage?
Why!
Like him, she has no mother.
But the child is so young. We should try to live as long as possible. It doesn't seem right for such a young child to jump into the river.
Sighing inwardly, Song Lan comforted him, "You'll definitely find your mother, don't worry. Just eat your meals well every day, and your mother will come looking for you."
The child, tears streaming down his face, sobbed, "But the orphanage is so dark at night, I don't see any stars, I'm scared."
Song Lan was confused; what the heck were those stars?
but...
Glancing at the stream beside them, Song Lan coaxed the child, "Do you know? The stars in the sky are like mothers on Earth. Although your mother hasn't come to find you yet, I can try my best to help you find your star mother first."
Jiang Mingxi was so moved by what she heard that she forgot to cry.
My mother once said that the stars in the sky are the mothers of the babies on earth!
This older brother is amazing!
They actually know such advanced secrets!
In that instant, Jiang Mingxi became extremely worried. "Then can you find my Star Mother? Don't go to the wrong one; give me someone else's Star Mother."
Seeing that he believed her, Song Lan breathed a sigh of relief, got up and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, I'll find it. You wait here, I'll go look for it."
After saying that, just as he was about to leave, he added, "Children shouldn't play in the water, understand?"
Jiang Mingxi nodded emphatically.
I have complete faith in this older brother because my mother has also said that children should not play in the water.
He's amazing!
In the stream, Song Lan carefully selected a very beautiful and smooth stone. "This is your Star Mother. With this Star Mother, you won't be afraid of the dark at the orphanage at night. Eat well every day, and your mother will definitely come back for you."
Jiang Mingxi was overjoyed.
He quickly let go of the large wooden stick in his hand, carefully took his "Star Mother" from Song Lan's hands, and kissed her.
"Yes! The Xiaoxi has a star mother, Xiaoxi isn't afraid."
Song Lan pinched his little cheek, thinking that once this child was gone, he could jump into the river in peace.
Then the child asked, "Big brother, do you have a mother?"
The smile on Song Lan's face vanished instantly.
On his deathbed, unable to lie, he said listlessly, "No."
These were the most words he could utter.
He tried to leave after saying that.
Jiang Mingxi took his hand, "Then I also want to give you a star mom. Can you come find me tomorrow? I'll give you a star mom too."