Last night’s rain was light, and today remains a bright, sunny day.
This was the first peaceful sleep Wei Cheng had experienced in the ten years since the Apocalypse began.
No need to endure the brutal extreme weather or the zombie hordes that could break in at any moment, no need to guard against companions more terrifying than the Zombies, and most importantly, his long-lost younger brother was by his side.
He closed his eyes and felt around the bedside, instantly jolting awake when his hand found only empty space. Could it be that this so-called rebirth was nothing but an empty dream?
Sitting up, he saw a fluffy-haired baby sitting under the bed piled with clutter, quietly dressing himself.
From the back, he looked like a little gas can.
Wei Cheng tightly gripped his trembling left hand, and his heart settled back into place.
Wang Xiaotiao was still sound asleep. Wei Cheng walked over and whispered, “Can Can, Gege will help you get dressed.”
“Can Can dress himself!”
Can Can brushed aside the hair that was getting in the way with his small hand, his round cheeks flushed red from the effort as he struggled to pull on socks covered in little balls.
Wei Cheng noticed the broken-toothed comb nearby: “Then Gege will comb your hair?”
Can Can nodded happily: “Okay, okay!” Teacher Xiao Mei is very busy in the morning and can only comb Can Can’s hair after serving breakfast.
Afraid of scratching Can Can’s scalp, Wei Cheng held the broken part of the comb and gently combed the child’s hair with the intact section. Can Can’s hair was light in color, fine and soft to the touch, but it became frizzy upon waking. A few stubborn curls refused to behave, requiring some effort to tame them and keep them from covering the child’s eyes.
After combing for a while, Can Can looked up and said, “Gege, you comb hair nice, Teacher Xiao Mei also nice, Grandpa Director not nice!”
Wei Cheng understood—the child was saying that Director Wang combed his hair too roughly.
“Then from now on, Gege will comb your hair every day and won’t let Grandpa Director help you.”
“Really?”
Can Can’s round eyes lit up: “Gege won’t scold Can Can for having hair like a little chicken’s nest?”
Wei Cheng smiled again: “It’s not like a little chicken’s nest. It’s like a cute little lamb.”
“Where’s the little lamb?” Can Can asked innocently. “Can we raise a little lamb on Can Can’s head?”
“Little lambs need to be raised in a sheep pen. Can Can’s head can only grow hair, not raise lambs. But in the future…” Wei Cheng whispered, “Gege can take you to raise lambs in our countryside hometown.”
His younger brother in his previous life had never truly seen a lamb…
It took quite a while to smooth out Can Can’s little curls. Just then, the door was pushed open from the outside, and several older children banged heavily on metal basins: “Wake up! Wake up! Wang Xiaotiao, get up now!”
Zhou Zihao abruptly yanked the blanket off Wang Xiaotiao, seemingly intending to tease the child again, but he paused when he saw Wei Cheng’s cold stare. He made a face at Wei Cheng and Can Can, and the children behind him laughed a few times before the group roughhoused their way to the next dormitory.
With breakfast waiting upon waking, Wang Xiaotiao didn’t linger in bed. He hastily threw on his clothes and followed Wei Cheng and Can Can to the washroom.
Each child had a small plastic basin containing a toothbrush, a cup, and a towel.
The washroom was already filled with children. In the farthest corner stood a small wooden stool. Can Can very skillfully moved the stool over and stood on it. The first twist of the faucet was a bit too strong, and the icy water splashed far, soaking his little blue short-sleeved shirt printed with cartoon animals. He quickly stood on tiptoe and turned the faucet down a little.
Wei Cheng glanced at the wobbly little stool on the wet, slippery cement floor and quickly walked over. “Gege will help you get water.”
Can Can shook his head. “My own things, I do myself!”
Wang Xiaotiao, his mouth full of foam, mumbled, “Grandpa Director said, everyone has to take care of themselves. No one will stay with anyone forever. Maybe you’re standing here today, but tomorrow you might get adopted and leave!”
Wei Cheng lowered his eyes. “But I will always stay with Can Can.”
He lifted Can Can down from the little stool and filled a cup with water. “Open your mouth. Gege will brush your teeth for you.”
Can Can suddenly seemed a bit dazed and didn’t open his mouth.
Wei Cheng softened his voice again. “You’re too little. You don’t really know how to brush your teeth properly. Gege will brush them well for you, or else worms will grow in your teeth later.”
Can Can quickly opened his mouth. “Gege brush, Gege brush. Can Can’s teeth don’t want to be neighbors with worms.”
Wei Cheng smiled. “Okay, Gege will brush them well for you!”
After brushing Can Can’s teeth and washing his face, the other children in the washroom had all left. Wang Xiaotiao was getting anxious. “We need to hurry, or breakfast will be all gone!”
Wei Cheng said, “You and Can Can go eat first. I’ll come over after I finish washing up.”
Wang Xiaotiao tried to leave, holding Can Can’s hand, but Can Can stayed close to Wei Cheng’s leg without moving. “Can Can go with Gege!”
Sometimes a child’s trust is just that simple.
It only takes a box of cheap yogurt or one moment of genuine companionship.
Wei Cheng looked at Can Can. “Wang Xiaotiao, you go first. I’ll bring Can Can right away. If Zhou Zihao dares to take Can Can’s food, tell him I won’t let him get away with it!”
Wang Xiaotiao trusted Wei Cheng’s words completely. Even though this older boy had only been here for three days, he was taller than even the toughest kid here, Zhou Zihao, and just looked like someone no one would dare to bully.
Wei Cheng sped up his brushing. Can Can, with his little round belly pressed against the sink, anxiously supervised. “Gege, brush slowly, brush well. What if the tooth worms come out and bite Can Can?”
Wei Cheng almost laughed out the toothpaste foam in his mouth. Even though he brushed quickly, he still made sure to brush for a full three minutes.
“Gege.” Can Can tugged Wei Cheng’s hand.
Wei Cheng picked up his and Can Can’s washbasins. “What is it? Are you hungry? You go to the cafeteria first. I’ll hang up the basins and towels and come find you?”
Can Can tugged his hand again. “Can Can wants to tell you a secret!”
“A secret?”
Wei Cheng crouched down and smiled. “What secret?”
Can Can looked left and right, then covered one of Gege’s ears with his chubby little hand so the secret wouldn’t escape from there. He leaned close to Gege’s other ear and whispered very softly, “Teacher Xiao Mei says we’re not allowed to let others hug us. You hugged Can Can today. Can Can liked it. Can Can was happy.”
Wei Cheng was stunned for a moment, and his eyes grew warm.
He seemed to understand why Can Can in his past life had been so fond of following him around.
Children in the orphanage were not allowed to be hugged. Once hugged, they would always crave being held and would become dependent on volunteers or kind-hearted people. But no one would keep hugging them forever, and that would only cause more hurt.
Wei Cheng hugged Can Can tightly, patting his little head. “Mm, Gege won’t leave Can Can. Gege will always protect Can Can and hug Can Can. Gege will forever be Can Can’s only family.”
Can Can’s round eyes gradually widened, stunned into speechlessness.
“Come, Gege will take you to eat!”
This morning, everyone received a large strawberry.
Teacher Xiao Mei said, “These strawberries were shared by Can Can. Everyone should thank Can Can, understand?”
The children at the welfare home had never seen such plump, juicy strawberries before and were overjoyed. “Thank you, Can Can!”
Can Can’s little face flushed pink, and his feet under the table wiggled happily.
Wei Cheng glanced at the child, thinking to himself, what a good baby who loves to share.
As Teacher Xiao Mei watched Can Can hugging the strawberry and taking big bites, she recalled how yesterday Can Can had handed over the snacks and fruits from his backpack for her to distribute. In the deepest pocket of the backpack, she had discovered a red envelope containing a thousand yuan.
She thought carefully about this matter and felt that the red envelope likely wasn’t from the Qiao family for Can Can. Perhaps it was from the driver who had been handling the adoption and return procedures.
In principle, this money should be handed over to the director. However, Ming Ming from the hospital was seriously ill, and Director Wang had gone to the city hospital last night. Now, the welfare home’s affairs were entirely managed by the director’s daughter-in-law and son. In the end, this money would certainly not reach the children.
This money could not be handed over for now.
After breakfast, the children went about their usual post-meal activities. Then, Teacher Xiao Mei led the Sunflower Little Class in learning nursery rhymes and recognizing new characters, while the children in first grade and above gathered to work on their summer homework.
Wei Cheng, however, had no mood to continue pretending to be an eight-year-old with a nineteen-year-old soul, doing these elementary school assignments.
In his previous life, while searching for his brother, he had encountered many kind-hearted people, including a couple who were university professors. Wei Cheng had lived with this couple for nearly five years, and they had taught him much knowledge and common sense about life.
Now that Can Can trusted him, what he needed to do was to take Can Can back to the countryside the day before the Apocalypse truly arrived. Otherwise, the sudden disappearance of two children from the welfare home would surely alert the authorities. In the meantime, he should make a trip back to the countryside himself.
Wei Cheng had thought that the ten years of the Apocalypse had made him cold and ruthless, with Can Can as his only obsession. Yet, if he were to simply take Can Can and leave without doing anything, his heart would find it hard to rest easy.
Suddenly, the lunch bell rang, and the children cheered as they ran out of the classroom.
Can Can was full of excitement. Glancing at Wei Cheng, who hadn’t moved from his seat, he walked over, stood on tiptoe, leaned on the table, tilted his head, and said, “Gege, we must hurry to eat! Grow up fast!”
Wei Cheng looked at Can Can’s innocent little face. “Alright, let’s go eat.”
The cafeteria was too hot, so the children chose to eat their lunch in the open space in front of the building.
Lunch was tomato and egg over rice, topped with a vibrant green broccoli floret.
Can Can stirred the rice and vegetables together with his spoon, then took a big bite of the sweet and sour mixture, skillfully avoiding the broccoli with every mouthful.
He glanced at Wang Xiaotiao, who was also eating heartily, then his eyes shifted. Pointing toward the horizon, he said, “Look, Ultraman!”
Wang Xiaotiao, spoon in mouth, turned his head. “Huh? Where?”
Can Can scratched his little cheek. “Flew away.”
Wang Xiaotiao let out an “oh” and went back to eating heartily.
Can Can obediently handed the clean little bowl to Teacher Xiao Mei, who praised him, “Can Can is so great! You finished all your veggies and rice!”
Can Can nodded guiltily, “Can Can is as great as Xiaotiao!”
Teacher Xiao Mei smiled, “Don’t run around right after eating. I brought your wiggle car down for you. Go take a look.”
“Wiggle car!”
Can Can wanted to run but remembered Teacher Xiao Mei’s warning, so he hurried over to the Slide area with quick, short steps. Sure enough, he spotted his Little Cloud Twisty Car!
He quickly hopped on and rode toward the other end of the playground.
Wei Cheng had just stepped out of the bathroom when he saw Can Can wobbling toward him on the little car.
He was about to loudly remind him to play carefully when Can Can came to a goofy stop right in front of him, using his feet as brakes.
“Hewwo!”
Can Can smoothed down his curly hair and lifted his double chin. “Would you like to sit on the back of Can Can’s car and go for a wride~”
Wei Cheng glanced at the Little Cloud Twisty Car, which looked like it had been through eight owners, and wondered if his weight would crush it. But if he refused, would Can Can think he was disliked?
He hesitated, then nodded. “Sure, but…”
Just then, a “ding!” sounded simultaneously in both his and Can Can’s ears.
[Binding successful! Welcome to the Twisty Car Safe House!]
[House Owner: Can Can]
[Sole Bound Person: Wei Cheng]
Author’s Note:
[Rainbow Flattery] The safe house is here!