DLRC – Chapter 67 A Subtle Deliberateness

She let out a helpless sigh and patted his small shoulder in a soothing manner. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Let’s hear what Auntie Song has to say first.”

Song Xia glanced at Yu Hui’s tightly scrunched-up little face—how could she not realize what was going on now? She covered her mouth with a laugh. “What’s wrong? Your son doesn’t want to go?”

“Mhm, he’s never gone before. Maybe he’s feeling a bit resistant to the idea.”

Song Xia immediately understood. “That’s totally normal. My two daughters were the same when they first started school. But at least they had each other as company. After a few days of fussing, they stopped complaining. They ended up having a great time in kindergarten!”

“Really? That’s great to hear. I just hope Huihui can make a few more friends. Once he gets used to it, he might not be so scared of social interaction.”

Don’t be fooled by how well her son gets along with Zuo Gaigai, Sun Aiying, and a few of the other kids—that was only because they played at Yu Wei’s shop, and both Gaigai and Sun Aiying were naturally outgoing and proactive.

If it were up to Yu Hui to approach them first, that’d be impossible. It was always the other kids who came looking for her son to play.

She’d also noticed that there were actually quite a few kids living near their home on Changqing Road, but every time she told her son to go introduce himself to the older kids, Yu Hui was completely unwilling.

He wouldn’t even take a step away from her. And yet, he chatted so well with Gaigai and the others—she hadn’t expected that deep down, he was still emotionally stuck in place.

Truthfully, her son was doing pretty well overall. Thanks to her gradual guidance, he could now greet aunties and uncles cheerfully, which was already a big first step.

But still—his resistance to interacting with most people remained a frustrating hurdle she just couldn’t seem to break through.

This had become Yu Wei’s biggest headache at the moment.

Even though he was only four, these matters were already becoming urgent. She didn’t want her son to grow up unable to integrate into society like a normal person.

She wasn’t asking him to be super outgoing—just not to be scared of strangers.

Especially because, by six or seven, he’d have to start elementary school. If he couldn’t even handle the transition phase that kindergarten offered, elementary school would be even harder.

The two of them kept chatting as they walked, and Song Xia began sharing her “child-rearing wisdom.”

But Yu Hui wasn’t like regular kids. After all, the first few years of his life had been shrouded in darkness. Expecting those shadows to be fully erased was unrealistic.

It really was a bit of a headache.

Three days later, Song Xia made a special trip to their home to share the good news: the kindergarten had arranged everything, and now it was just a matter of when Yu Wei would take her son over.

Of course, she didn’t say any of this in front of Yu Hui. If the kid heard it before he was ready, he’d resist even more.

So after Song Xia left, Yu Wei started mentally rehearsing how to talk her son into agreeing—and actually wanting—to go to kindergarten.

“Sister Yu Wei, I’m telling you, if your son doesn’t want to go to kindergarten, it’s easy—just throw him in. Doesn’t matter if he wants to or not, he’ll end up going anyway.”

Luo Lin chuckled, stuffing a sponge cake into his mouth, crumbs scattering everywhere.

Yu Hui’s expression changed dramatically upon hearing that. In a flash, he darted into Yu Wei’s arms like an arrow, crying out, “Don’t throw me into kindergarten!”

Yu Wei was beyond helpless. Internally, she cursed Luo Lin for having no filter—look how scared he’d made her son!

Her voice grew even gentler. “Don’t be scared, baby. Mommy would never throw you into kindergarten. Our Huihui is going to go to school happily, right?”

Naturally, Yu Hui didn’t answer. He didn’t want to go at all!

Only now did Luo Lin realize just how strong Yu Hui’s resistance was. He scratched his head sheepishly. “Oh, so your son really doesn’t want to go, huh? I get it. I was like that too when I was a kid. My parents took turns smacking me until I finally gave in and carried my backpack to school.”

Yu Wei’s mind lit up. She tugged at the fluff on top of her son’s head and patted him. “Oh right, Huihui—you said you liked Sister Huahua’s backpack, didn’t you? Mommy will take you to the department store later to buy a brand new one, okay? One that’s even prettier than hers?”

“No.” Yu Hui’s muffled voice came from her embrace—his response was quick and without hesitation.

Ever since he found out his mom was going to send him to school, the little guy hadn’t been able to draw at all. He just sat in a corner every day with his birdcage, sulking and muttering to himself like he was hoping the two pearl birds would trap him and stop Mommy from taking him to school.

Yu Wei was at her wit’s end. Her head was pounding.

These past couple of days, she had tried everything—talking nicely, coaxing him with gifts. Huihui was usually obedient and sensible, but in this matter, she was completely powerless.

She’d delayed sending him to kindergarten before because she was afraid his social anxiety was too severe. But lately, he seemed to be in good spirits and had even made friends like Zuo Gaigai, so she thought he was ready.

Who knew he’d still be so stubborn? At least he hadn’t cried on the street like last time—that was a small comfort.

As Yu Wei spoke, Huo Mingwang had already entered the shop. The man walked silently—despite the wooden floors, it was as if he were treading on carpet.

Yu Wei was focused entirely on her son. Luo Lin, with his back to the entrance, was happily munching away and didn’t notice anyone come in.

“Wrap this up,” Huo Mingwang said, his voice quiet. At some point, he’d taken a mango pancake from the display—probably because someone had forgotten to shut the case.

“Alright,” Yu Wei said softly, nudging her son aside so she could wrap the dessert. Yu Hui pouted and stood up, his eyes red-rimmed but not crying—he wasn’t at that stage yet.

Huo Mingwang glanced at Yu Hui’s sad little face, his expression unreadable. Then he casually asked, “How old is your son?”

“Huh?” Yu Wei had been tallying accounts and realized that with how often Huo Mingwang had been coming in for desserts, she’d nearly finished recording everything.

His question interrupted her train of thought, and she had to start again.

“Huihui, tell Uncle Huo how old you are this year.”

Yu Wei resumed calculating in her notebook and noticed that in just five days, Huo Mingwang had already spent fifty yuan at her shop. No wonder—he was a big boss after all.

Yu Hui didn’t want to talk. He wanted to use silence to show just how much he rejected the idea of kindergarten. But Huo Mingwang had asked directly, so he reluctantly muttered, “I’m four.”

“Four and not in kindergarten yet?”

It sounded like a tease—but also a question. Hard to say what he meant by it exactly.

But if someone could hear his thoughts, they’d know how shaken he was in that moment.

Four years. Exactly…

Yu Wei didn’t read too much into it. She smiled and said, “My son’s a little shy. He’s still young, so we weren’t in a rush to send him.”

There was no way she’d tell him what had really happened in the past—that had all been the original host’s doing. She was just the scapegoat.

“Sister Yu Wei, I still think you should do what I said,” Luo Lin cut in, his gaze subtly fixed on the tall man before him. He had been secretly sizing him up for a while. “If a kid doesn’t want to go to school, you gotta be tough!”

He lowered his voice at the word tough, afraid Yu Hui would overhear. That little guy was so sensitive.

Luckily, Yu Hui had already run off to the floor to play with his birds again.

Luo Lin continued eating his cake, sneakily observing Huo Mingwang, who hadn’t spared him a single glance.

Yu Wei was still considering whether Luo Lin’s advice had any merit when a flurry of excited voices rang out from outside.

“Yu Hui! You’re finally going to kindergarten too?!”

Sun Aiying bounced into the dessert shop hand-in-hand with Liu Xuehua, a small backpack on her back. She’d overheard talk of a new school bag and going to kindergarten at the door and couldn’t wait to share her excitement.

Yu Hui pretended not to hear, crouched with his back to everyone as he played with his birds. He had zero desire to admit that he was being sent to kindergarten.

He hadn’t accepted it yet. Why was everyone else so happy about it?

Sun Aiying, clueless about his inner turmoil, skipped over with her hair in two perky pigtails. She looked like a cheerful magpie as she hopped beside him and held out her backpack.

“Yu Hui, look at my new backpack! My mom bought it for me!”

Sun Aiying especially liked her backpack. Even though it was an old one from last year, she still loved it this year.

Looking at Yu Hui, who stayed silent, she grinned and asked, “Don’t you think my backpack looks great? If you like it, you can ask your mom to take you to buy one too!”

Yu Wei went along with her and echoed, “What do you think, baby? Do you like it?”

She walked over and picked her son up from the floor. Although the little guy was sulking and didn’t want to talk to her, his arms still instinctively wrapped tightly around her neck, afraid she’d run away.

“Mama…” The new backpack did look really nice, but, “I don’t want to go to kindergarten.”

Yu Wei sighed helplessly and kissed her son’s puffed-up little cheek.

Standing nearby, Sun Aiying asked in confusion, “Why don’t you want to go to kindergarten? It’s super fun! There are lots of other kids to play with—way more fun than just staying home alone like I do!”

Yu Wei chuckled. “Sweetie, did you hear that? Aiying says kindergarten is really fun. Are you tempted, hmm?”

Yu Hui still shook his head and buried his face into Yu Wei’s neck. His long, thick lashes tickled her skin, making her neck itch.

He wasn’t like Sun Aiying at all. Even though it was just him and Mama at home, he never felt bored.

He wanted to be with Mama forever. He didn’t need kindergarten or any other kids.

As a long-suffering mother, Yu Wei found it tough. She had no idea where her son got his stubborn streak. She didn’t recall hating school this much when she was little… But then again, their childhood environments and family situations were completely different, so it couldn’t be compared directly.

“Why is your kid so resistant?” Liu Xuehua asked with a smile as she stood at the counter, just when Yu Wei felt like her head was about to explode.

Yu Wei turned to her with a helpless smile. “Yeah, it’s his first time going to school, so maybe he’s a bit wary of the unfamiliar environment.”

“My daughter was the same when she started kindergarten the year before last. But after just one day, she loved it. So why don’t you try letting your son go for just one day first?”

Yu Wei’s eyes lit up. That actually sounded pretty reasonable. So…

“Sweetheart, how about this—look, today’s Friday, and the weekend is just around the corner. Everyone goes back to school on Monday, right? So you can spend two more days with Mama, and then on Monday, we’ll just try one day at kindergarten, okay?”

“Mama…” Yu Hui instantly tightened his grip, looking at her with terrified eyes.

“It’s okay, just one day. And after I finish work in the afternoon, I’ll take you to the department store to buy a new backpack, okay?”

Sun Aiying immediately perked up again and jumped excitedly. “Yay! Yu Hui, your mama’s taking you to the department store to buy a new backpack! Let me tell you, they have tons of beautiful backpacks there!”

Liu Xuehua laughed and held her daughter back from rushing forward. “What’s it got to do with you if Yu Hui’s getting a new backpack?”

“But the department store’s backpacks are really pretty!” If not for the fact that she loved the one her mom got her last year so much, she would’ve begged for a new one this year for sure!

And finally, the little Yu Hui in Yu Wei’s arms stirred. His soft, trembling voice asked, “Mama, just for one day?”

Yu Wei’s tone turned even gentler. “Mm… Let’s try just one day, okay?”

After all, the first step is always the hardest. Once that’s out of the way, everything else would be much easier.

Yu Hui didn’t want to go—not even for one day—but deep down, he knew. As a sensible, obedient little boy, kindergarten was something he had to go through. He didn’t want to go, but he also didn’t want to hurt his mother’s feelings.

So if she promised it would only be for one day, just one day, then maybe… it wasn’t so bad.

His gaze drifted to the delicate pink backpack in Sun Aiying’s hand. To be honest, he did want one that looked just as pretty.

“Ah! I almost forgot!” Sun Aiying suddenly exclaimed. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a long rectangular case. Running over to him, she placed it into Yu Hui’s hands. “Yu Hui! Look, this is my new pencil case! It’s even foldable—look, it flips up like this…”

She carefully demonstrated every function, inside and out. “See? Like this… and like this… and this too… It can transform three times!”

Yu Hui was stunned. Even when Yu Wei set him down, he didn’t notice.

He had never seen such a pencil case before. Who knew a little box for pens could be this cool?

“Do you like it?” Sun Aiying asked brightly, her eyes sparkling.

Yu Hui nodded honestly. He didn’t say yes or no outright, but his eyes were glued to the stylish pencil case. Eventually, she shoved it into his palm again.

“You can play with it. My mama bought it for me too!” Though not from the department store—she actually had no idea where her mom got it. No one else in kindergarten had such a cool pencil case.

“My mama…” Yu Hui instinctively started comparing, “My mama will buy me one too.”

Seeing her son finally show some interest and even try to compare moms with Sun Aiying, Yu Wei took it as a good sign. Better that than having him act like a silent wooden doll.

“That’s right. After work, Mama will take you to the department store to buy a new backpack and a new pencil case. Then when you go to kindergarten, you’ll be the coolest kid there.”

Yu Hui shyly curled his lips into a smile, then hugged her leg in embarrassment.

He did want to be cool… just a little. But he didn’t like everyone staring at him. And now Mama had said that in front of everyone… He was a little embarrassed.

Yu Wei exhaled a quiet breath of relief. At last, she’d managed to coax him.

All thanks to Sun Aiying, that lively little ball of energy. It really seemed like her son needed to play more with outgoing kids like her—otherwise, he might grow even more withdrawn.

Kindergarten might be a good idea. All the other kids his age were already going. Apart from weekends, you only saw them in the evenings. It was pretty dull having Yu Hui accompany her in the shop all day.

Now at least, that heavy weight on Yu Wei’s chest felt a bit lighter.

At some point, Huo Mingwang had wandered over to look at the desserts. After playing with Yu Hui for a while, Sun Aiying excitedly ran over to join him, eyes sparkling as she stared at the treats, unconsciously swallowing her drool.

“You want one?” Huo Mingwang asked.

Sun Aiying looked up in surprise. “Uncle Huo…”

“If you want it, go ahead and choose.”

She was so thrilled she almost jumped out of her shoes. She reached toward the glass case to grab a little cake—but then spotted her mom’s quietly warning gaze and reluctantly pulled her hand back, looking torn.

“But Uncle Huo…”

“But Aiying already had breakfast. If she eats too many sweets, she won’t want lunch,” Liu Xuehua finished for her daughter, clearly implying that more sweets were a no-go.

Huo Mingwang looked down at Aiying. “You still want it?”

Of course she did! Aiying nodded, but under her mom’s stern watch, she didn’t dare say it out loud.

“If you want it, just take it.”

With that, Aiying lit up like fireworks. She quickly grabbed a cream strawberry cake from the display and popped it into Huo Mingwang’s hand.

“I want this one!”

She grinned like a mischievous kitten who’d just gotten away with something, silently urging: Uncle Huo, hurry up and pay! If Mom snatches it back and won’t let me eat it… I’m doomed!

Huo Mingwang chuckled and ignored Liu Xuehua’s expression. She was just a kid—if she wanted it, so what? It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford a cake.

He walked to the register with Aiying in tow. Yu Wei glanced curiously at the three of them, wondering about their relationship. Liu Xuehua was a single mother like her, so who was this man? The situation intrigued her.

“Wrap it up,” Huo Mingwang said, handing her the cake.

Yu Wei smiled and took it to pack. “Sure! With the mille crepe you bought earlier, that’s three fifty in total.”

“Put it on my tab,” he replied without thinking.

She was about to write it down, then remembered. “Mr. Huo, your tab’s already settled.”

“All paid up at fifty yuan?” He raised an eyebrow.

Yu Wei replied seriously, “Yes.”

But why was he looking at her like that? Like she was trying to cheat him?

Huo Mingwang paused for a couple of seconds. Yu Wei turned the ledger toward him, but he didn’t even glance at it—just pulled out his black wallet.

“How much?”

“Three fifty,” Yu Wei patiently repeated.

Huo Mingwang began counting, but his wallet only had bills of ten or more, so she’d have to give him change.

Though Liu Xuehua hadn’t wanted her daughter to eat more sweets, now that the cake was already bought, and seeing Aiying’s happy little face, she could only let it go.

As mother and daughter stood behind them waiting, Liu Xuehua couldn’t help but notice something different about the atmosphere between Huo Mingwang and Yu Wei.

She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. It wasn’t that Yu Wei was acting strangely—it was mostly Huo Mingwang. The way he looked at her felt… off. She rarely saw that kind of expression on his face.

That subtle, almost imperceptible deliberateness… as if he were observing something.

He wasn’t staring directly at her all the time, but Liu Xuehua had a strong feeling that his attention, his glances—were constantly falling on Yu Wei.