Playing with the Big Bad Wolf
Li Xingchuan’s footsteps paused.
He slowly turned around, his gaze meeting a child with a dirty little face.
The child looked at him with tear-filled eyes, clawing at the door, trying to chase after him, but was gently picked up by the old man who had rushed over: “Oh, my darling, Grandpa went to the restroom; why did you get out of bed? Let’s hurry back; we have an injection to get in a moment.”
“Don’t want an injection, don’t want an injection, I want Brother~”
Su Tang twisted back and forth in his grandfather’s arms, his big watery eyes looking past his grandfather’s shoulder, staring eagerly at Li Xingchuan, his little hands still struggling and moving incessantly.
“Be good now, don’t bother Brother. Brother has his own things to do.”
Grandpa Su was full of helplessness, coaxing him in a low voice.
Su Tang said he wanted Brother.
A moment of blankness appeared in Li Xingchuan’s bewildered expression, as if it were inconceivable, or as if he had encountered something beyond his understanding—a bit at a loss, and a bit disbelieving.
——Does he not know yet? Or does he know, yet surprisingly doesn’t hate him?
But he stared at that small door of the infirmary, only stunned for a moment.
Immediately afterward, a very strange, yet sudden, good-mood-inducing emotion welled up in his heart.
This emotion grew more and more intense; he could hardly suppress the corners of his mouth.
——Then, he headed straight and with long strides toward the infirmary.
Dr. Chen raised his feet to follow Li Xingchuan: “Changed your mind?”
Li Xingchuan no longer had that wilted look from just now, as if he were going to part ways with someone.
Suddenly, he was spirited and lively again, just like in the past. He slightly raised his head and said calmly and matter-of-factly:
“He called for me.”
The estate’s infirmary wasn’t large; pushing open the door led to the waiting area, and walking forward was the consultation desk.
Further ahead were more than a dozen small rooms arranged in sequence.
This infirmary was built for common illnesses of the estate’s workers; its function was more like an upgraded clinic in the city, not a hospital.
After the little chubby boy with the cracked-open head received emergency care there, he had been safely transferred to a specialized hospital.
At this moment, the infirmary only had a few patients on IV drips, and Su Tang, who was occupying one of the patient rooms.
When Li Xingchuan arrived outside Su Tang’s room, the old man had just put the sobbing child down and was turning around to hastily close the door.
Leaking through the crack in the door came Su Tang’s sobbing cries, mixed with the old man’s lowered, urgent, and soft persuasion: “Tangtang, be good, be obedient; haven’t you always been the most obedient to Grandpa?”
Li Xingchuan’s hand, which was pushing the door, stopped in mid-air.
He listened quietly.
“Why aren’t you listening this time?” Grandpa Su lowered his voice:
“You calling him ‘Brother’ right now is because he’s good to you today. The day you offend him, the one with the cracked-open head will be you. Do you understand?”
“I don’t… I just want Brother, woo… khh… khh…” Su Tang started coughing.
“He is the ‘wolf’ Grandpa told you to stay away from!” Grandpa Su was anxious and started scaring the child, “He even transforms at night! He turns into a big bad wolf, wanders around the courtyard, and whenever he sees a child, he goes ‘ao-woo’ and gobbles them up—first the head, then chews up the little belly. It’ll be too late to cry once you’ve been eaten.”
“Really? Will Brother really turn into a big bad wolf? Woo woo… giggle giggle…” Su Tang cried, but inexplicably started laughing.
Grandpa Su’s tone was full of heartache, thinking his grandson had cried himself silly. Although his tone was urgent, it had softened a lot: “Of course it’s true. He helped you this time, and Grandpa will go thank him. But you must never play with him again in the future.”
“Is it a very big big bad wolf? Will the fur… also be soft to touch like Little Flower’s?”
Su Tang’s nose sniffled, but he stopped crying.
“Tangtang! Grandpa is saying the big bad wolf eats children! Aren’t you most afraid of the big bad wolf!”
Grandpa Su corrected Su Tang’s focus.
“That was only when I hadn’t seen one; I… I’m not afraid anymore! The big bad wolf helps me scare away bad kids and even gives me sweet, soft candy…”
“Grandpa look, here, one, two, three… woo… so many… bad kids are the scary ones… the big bad wolf isn’t scary at all!”
“The big bad wolf must be a be-beneficial… hmm… that beneficial insect, just like little frogs eating mosquitoes—the big bad wolf only eats bad kids!”
“I like playing with the big bad wolf… woo…”
Li Xingchuan paused outside the door and unconsciously straightened his lapels. In a fluke, he acted like a polite visitor, raised his hand, and gently knocked:
“Excuse me, is anyone here? I am Li Xingchuan, here to see Su Tang. May I come in?”
After saying this, he didn’t wait for a reply from inside before pushing the door open and walking in.
He was like a little gentleman who had just learned a little bit of etiquette but hadn’t yet integrated the rules into his bones, thus appearing stiff and clumsy.
Li Xingchuan’s figure merged into the small room, but Dr. Chen did not follow inside.
——He was busy in a flurry, sending the video he had snapped of Li Xingchuan knocking on the door to Li Shenglan.
Almost immediately, his phone vibrated.
——It was a call from Li Shenglan.
Li Shenglan’s voice revealed no emotion: “Did he crack his head too?”
Dr. Chen pinched the bridge of his nose: “His head is just fine.”
“I understand why you would be surprised by this, of course.”
“But I still want to ask you to trust Xingchuan one more time—he knows he was wrong.”
“Did he admit his mistake?”
“He didn’t directly admit it. But he has finally realized he has a problem.”
“Otherwise, he wouldn’t have such a sudden shift.”
“From a psychological perspective, when a person suddenly changes their behavioral pattern, it is often because they have begun to subconsciously correct past deviations. He must have vaguely sensed that some of his past actions were inappropriate.”
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment, with only a faint, rustling sound transmitted, like fingers slowly rubbing against something.
There was a rare certainty in Dr. Chen’s tone:
“I have been responsible for his psychological counseling for exactly three years, and this is the first time such a clear progression has appeared.”
“And I can clearly report to you—Xingchuan smashing someone this time was not the relapse you assumed; it did indeed have a cause.”
“At that time, a group of children was noisily trying to force their way into Su Tang’s home, and he was protecting that child.”
“Even so, he shouldn’t have hit so hard.”
“Yes, you are right.”
“But change must come step by step. He already has signs of turning for the better now, doesn’t he?”
“Mr. Li, is it convenient for you now? Why don’t we meet and talk? I want to report the current situation to you in detail.”
“Most importantly—I have come up with a psychological intervention plan that can be called perfect.”
On this side, Dr. Chen had already met with Li Shenglan.
On that side, Grandpa Su had waited for a long while, but couldn’t wait for “little guest” Li Xingchuan to leave. After all, he was the son of the estate owner, so he couldn’t bluntly tell him to leave.
He had already thanked Li Xingchuan several times for his grandson and tactfully reminded him: The doctor had just given Su Tang an injection, and the child needed to lie on the bed and rest quietly.
But before Li Xingchuan could speak, Su Tang acted like a little traitor, hugging Li Xingchuan’s arm tightly, his eyes reddening, and teardrops rolled down again. He was exceptionally prone to crying when sick; right now, he softly begged: “Then, Brother, can you rest with me?”
Li Xingchuan nodded, casually pulling a plastic stool to the head of the bed: “You lie down.”
“I’ll sit.”
Before long, Su Tang fell asleep.
Looking at Li Xingchuan sitting by the bedside, he was actually propping up his head and sitting there asleep as well, without any hesitation.
Grandpa Su was, for a moment, unable to distinguish whether he was Su Tang’s grandfather, or if Li Xingchuan was Su Tang’s grandfather?
How is it that after Li Xingchuan came, Su Tang didn’t want Grandpa to hold him when getting an injection, and didn’t want Grandpa to coax him to sleep either.
He really had no other way.
After finally waiting until dusk fell, he thought this little ancestor should be going home, right?
Unexpectedly, before the little ancestor was sent away, the big ancestor actually came as well.
——Li Shenglan had actually come to this patient room.
Hearing the knock and the moment he opened the door, Grandpa Su was completely stunned. He saw Li Shenglan standing outside the door with a cane, followed by a refined-looking subordinate; his expression was unexpectedly peaceful.
Li Xingchuan was woken up by the movement, lifted his eyelids to glance at his father, showed no expression on his face, and then indifferently closed his eyes again.
Li Shenglan motioned to that refined subordinate to carry a few gifts into the room, while he walked in slowly, took one look at the sleeping Su Tang on the bed, offered a few words of warm greeting to the grandfather and grandson, and then politely invited Grandpa Su outside the door to talk.
Grandpa Su’s heart sank: It’s over.
The Head of the House is going to take his anger out on him.
Perhaps even the easy job he had just been transferred to would be lost… Sigh.
Inside the room, that refined subordinate seemed to be whispering something to Li Xingchuan. Grandpa Su couldn’t worry about that anymore and only followed Li Shenglan anxiously to an empty room.
Li Shenglan spoke in a gentle voice: “Mr. Su, how many years have you worked at the estate?”
Grandpa Su answered cautiously: “Fifteen… fifteen years…”
“What about the child?”
“The child is six years old this year; he’s only been here for three years. I brought him over when he was three.” Grandpa Su’s voice was trembling slightly, his unease obvious.
“Are you the only one taking care of him usually?”
“Yes… yes.”
Li Shenglan nodded: “Special circumstances require special care.”
“It was my negligence before; I didn’t notice the difficulties of you and your grandson.”
“Since I see it now, I cannot ignore it.”
Grandpa Su lifted his eyes blankly, a look of bewilderment appearing on his wrinkled face. He wasn’t here to hold him accountable? Then this is…
Li Shenglan continued: “Su Tang is also of age to go to school.”
“The child wants to study very much, but due to physical reasons, he cannot go to school for the time being.”
“Coincidentally, my Xingchuan is also unable to attend school currently due to some reasons. I have hired a private tutor for him to visit regularly for lessons.”
He paused, his tone even gentler: “How about letting Su Tang come along to listen to the lessons?”
“The two children will have company and learn together, which will also be good for looking after each other.”
Grandpa Su’s eyes brightened for a moment, then dimmed again: “But Su Tang’s health…”
Li Shenglan reassured him: “The house has a private doctor who can be called at any time.”
“The care he can receive will only be more comprehensive than before. After all, when you are at work, it’s still worrying for the child to be home alone.”
“But the expenses…” Grandpa Su’s brows were tightly furrowed.
“Since the children get along well, let’s not talk about money.” Li Shenglan waved his hand and added, “Besides, I have already had someone clean up a small building in the staff living area; you can move over when it’s convenient for you. The furniture and facilities are all ready; you can move in with just your bags. This way, after Su Tang leaves home, he can reach Xingchuan’s place in a few steps, and it’s closer to where you work.”
Grandpa Su widened his eyes, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened due to surprise.
But very quickly, it turned into worry.
These are all good things delivered to his door…
But since the object is Li Xingchuan, that might not be the case.
Li Shenglan looked behind him: “The child is awake.”
He stepped toward the outside. When passing by Grandpa Su’s side, he lowered his head slightly and said softly: “No need to be in a rush to answer; you have plenty of time to consider.”
Having said that, he gently patted Grandpa Su’s shoulder and walked toward Li Xingchuan, who was outside the door with a clearly unfriendly expression, and the little bean sprout holding Li Xingchuan’s arm like a tree parasite.