Her gentle voice interrupted his thoughts.
It was starting to snow outside. She wondered where and how far he had gone on his solitary walk. The thought of it made her heart ache.
She touched his tiny hand. It was cold and clammy. Her heart ached as she covered it and rubbed it for him.
“Mommy.” The boy smiled suddenly and turned to look at her.
She had never seen him smile so brightly and warmly. At least, he’d never had a bright smile since his return from Acklan Island.
She stroked his cheek gently. “Yes? What is it?”
The boy smiled. “Mommy, if I had a list of wishes, would you satisfy them all?”
“Wish list?” That surprised her. “Do you have a wish list?”
“Uh huh!” The boy nodded. “Yes! I have so many wishes. Will Mommy grant them?”
“If Mommy can make your wishes come true, Mommy will definitely do so.”
For once, the iciness on the boy’s face melted away. He pursed his lips in a shy smile, but immediately his usual calm expression returned. “You mustn’t go back on your word!”
“Mmm. When has Mommy ever broken my promise?” She kissed his rosy cheek as she spoke.
…
Later that night, Little Yichen walked into the room and saw Youyou sitting on the bed, clutching a notepad and writing on it with a fountain pen.
The boy had a habit of using a fountain pen. The most surprising thing was that he hadn’t had any special practice with it, but produced especially delicate and beautiful writing with a fountain pen.
Curious about what Youyou was doodling, Little Yichen poked his head in, but the former was sensitive enough to snap his notepad close and glance at the other boy warily.
“What do you want?”
“Just taking a look at what you’re drawing.”
“Drawing a portrait of you.”
Little Yichen was pleasantly surprised. “Really?” As he spoke, he reached for the notepad in Youyou’s hand, but the boy immediately dodged, picked it up, and smacked him hard on the forehead.
Little Yichen raised his hand to his forehead in pain. “Why did you hit me?” he complained miserably.
“Pretentious.” Youyou snorted, unimpressed. “You’re pretty good at tolerating, aren’t you? Why are you whining about this little pain?”
Little Yichen said nothing. He crossed his arms angrily and asked in a huff, “You’re secretly drawing a portrait of me. Can’t I take a look at how it’s turning out?”
“Don’t ask to see it if I haven’t shown it to you.”
The boy turned away again, opened his notepad, and continued doodling with his fountain pen.
Convinced that Youyou really wasn’t going to show it to him, Little Yichen didn’t want to make a fool of himself. He lay down on the bed and started playing games on his cell phone.
Youyou glanced sideways and gave the boy a long look. Silently, he made a note on his notepad. “I wish to have a makeup birthday celebration with Little Yichen.”
…
“Here.” Youyou handed Yun Shishi an exquisite looking notepad.
She was taken by surprise. “What’s this?”
“Youyou’s wish list.”
Yun Shishi couldn’t help laughing. She’d thought his wish list was just talk, but unexpectedly, he’d actually made one. She turned to the first page. On the title page, the boy had drawn a cartoon version of their family portrait. He was a masterful artist, and excelled at drawing cartoons.
The features on the cartoon characters were unmistakable, and she recognized them instantly. Which one she was, which one Youyou was, which one Little Yichen was, and also Yueyao, Lisa, Hua Jin, Gong Jie…
