She wobbled for a moment, steadied herself, then went pattering off again, leaving Xiao Shan utterly baffled as he stared eye-to-eye with the turtle’s tiny green-bean eyes.
Before Xiao Shan could figure out what was going on, the sound of little footsteps came running back again—only this time they were lighter and much slower.
Both man and turtle turned toward the doorway at the same time.
Luoluo was carefully carrying a bowl of water, using all her strength to step over the threshold with her tiny legs.
“Eldest Uncle, ahhh—” She carefully brought the bowl to Xiao Shan’s mouth, opening her own mouth wide as if coaxing him to drink. “Drink sweet water. Then your legs won’t hurt anymore.”
Sweet water? What was that?
Xiao Shan had no idea where she got this “sweet water,” or whether it was even clean.
Forget it. Could his ruined body really get any worse?
He wasn’t even afraid of poison anymore—why would he fear a bowl of water given by a three-year-old child?
Thinking this, and seeing her expectant expression and sparkling eyes, he unconsciously opened his mouth and gulped down the entire bowl.
Only after the water reached his stomach did he realize it really was unusually sweet—far better than the mountain spring water their family fetched daily.
And somehow, whether it was imagination or not, he felt a faint warmth spreading through the lower half of his body.
There was still no actual sensation, yet he inexplicably felt as though his meridians were repairing themselves.
His whole body stiffened. He didn’t dare move, afraid that if he did, the feeling would disappear.
It had been a very long time since he had sensed anything from his lower body.
Seeing him lying completely still, Luoluo tilted her head curiously.
“Eldest Uncle, does it still hurt? Do you want more sweet water? Luoluo still has lots and lots.”
Looking at her expression—one that desperately wished for him to recover immediately—Xiao Shan couldn’t help smiling.
“Thank you, Luoluo. Eldest Uncle’s legs feel much better now.”
“Then can Eldest Uncle get down and walk now?” Luoluo asked hopefully.
The smile on Xiao Shan’s face froze slightly.
“My legs aren’t better that quickly yet,” he answered bitterly. “I still can’t walk.”
“Oh…” Luoluo looked disappointed for a second, but quickly cheered herself up again. “It’s okay! From now on, Luoluo will bring Eldest Uncle sweet water every day, and then Eldest Uncle will get better.”
Hearing that, Xiao Shan couldn’t help asking curiously, “Where did Luoluo get this sweet water?”
“Zhuzhu gave it to me,” Luoluo answered innocently, blinking her eyes.
The little turtle covered its face internally in despair.
Didn’t I just tell you not to tell anyone? And already you’ve blurted out Zhuzhu’s existence!
“And who is Zhuzhu?” Xiao Shan continued asking.
Luoluo looked at him seriously.
“Zhuzhu is Zhuzhu! Pretty Zhuzhu!” she said, sounding as though he was strange for not knowing.
Xiao Shan couldn’t help finding it amusing. He was actually seriously questioning a three-year-old about the source of some magical water.
He must still secretly hold hope for his legs.
That strange sensation earlier had probably just been wishful thinking.
Luoluo was only three years old. How could she possibly get some miraculous medicine?
He simply wanted a miracle too badly.
Thinking this way, bitterness filled his heart again. The tiny spark of hope that had just risen was quickly replaced by disappointment.
With that thought, Xiao Shan lost interest in continuing the conversation and lay there gloomily staring at the ceiling.
When Luoluo saw his expression suddenly darken again, she thought his legs were hurting once more.
She quickly slid off the bed again, grabbed the empty bowl from the low stool beside the bed, and pattered out of the room.
Moments later, she came back carrying another bowl of water and once again held it to Xiao Shan’s mouth.
“Eldest Uncle, ahhh—”
The little turtle grumbled silently in its heart.
This time Luoluo must have taken the water directly out of her space just outside the room—otherwise she couldn’t have returned so quickly. Really too reckless. What if someone discovered her?
By now, Xiao Shan no longer held any hope. But seeing Luoluo’s eager little face, he couldn’t bear rejecting her kindness and disappointing her.
So he obediently drank another bowl.
This time, he didn’t deliberately focus on feeling his legs afterward, so he noticed nothing unusual.
Setting the bowl back onto the stool, he said gently:
“Eldest Uncle has drunk enough water today, okay? Thank you, Luoluo. No need to bring more water for Eldest Uncle.”
If he kept drinking, someone from the family would have to help carry him to the toilet later.
Luoluo nodded seriously, the two tiny buns on her head bobbing along.
“Okay! Luoluo will bring Eldest Uncle sweet water again tomorrow.”
Looking at the adorable little child, Xiao Shan couldn’t help smiling again. The self-pity and gloom weighing on him earlier had faded considerably.
The moment Luoluo saw him smile, her eyes lit up.
“Eldest Uncle’s smile is very pretty!”
Then she leaned forward and planted a loud smack of a kiss on his cheek.
Xiao Shan froze instantly from the soft, sticky little kiss that came with a bit of drool.
After kissing him, the little darling happily patted her tiny hands together, looking extremely satisfied as she explained proudly:
“Luoluo is cute, so Grandma kisses Luoluo. Eldest Uncle is handsome, so Luoluo kisses Eldest Uncle.”
Apparently, kissing him made her genuinely happy.
The next second, she flopped sideways beside him, nestling against his armpit while wrapping both tiny arms tightly around his neck.
In an instant, Xiao Shan’s chest was filled with a soft little body carrying the sweet scent of milk.
It was the first time he had ever been this close to such a small child. He didn’t dare move at all, remaining stiff in the same position.
Suddenly, the entire room became quiet.
Even the little turtle, which had been stretching its neck excitedly the whole time, withdrew into its shell and quietly lay on Xiao Shan’s chest.
Xiao Shan became completely at a loss.
He had no idea how to move either the child or the turtle away.
While he was still frozen in confusion, trying to figure out what to do, the little person in his arms had already begun breathing evenly.
She… fell asleep just like that?
Xiao Shan lowered his eyes in disbelief to look at the tiny bundle in his arms and became even more afraid to move.
Meanwhile, in the backyard, Lu Suzhen was nearly frantic.
“Luoluo! Luoluo!” she shouted anxiously.
She had only let the child play in the yard for a little while before returning to continue cooking. But when she came back out, the little girl had vanished.
Inside the room, Xiao Shan clearly heard her calling and knew she was searching for the tiny child, yet he didn’t dare shout back that Luoluo was with him.
He was afraid that if he raised his voice, the little girl in his arms would wake up.
Just as he thought he could only wait anxiously for his mother to find them herself, the turtle lying on his chest suddenly moved.
Slowly, it crawled down from him toward the edge of the bed.
The bed was rather high off the ground, so it first crawled onto the stool beside the bed before trying to climb down.
Unfortunately, the moment it descended from the stool, it flipped over completely onto its back with all four feet sticking up.
It wriggled around on the floor for a long while before finally managing to flip itself upright again.
Apparently still dizzy, it paused there for quite some time before continuing its slow crawl toward the door.
Watching the turtle’s clumsy and ridiculous movements, Xiao Shan couldn’t help letting out a quiet laugh.
The moment he laughed, even he himself froze.
Ever since his injury, he had barely smiled at all.
Yet today, he had already laughed several times.
He turned his head slightly to look at the little person sleeping in his arms and unconsciously tightened his arms around her, letting her snuggle closer.
Before long, the little turtle returned—with a curious-looking Lu Suzhen following behind it.