bayedsolid Chapter 478 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (89)
Chapter 478 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (89)
My mother said she was sorry to me, and that she felt very sorry for me.
But actually I'm not pitiful at all. As long as I can be with my mom, I'm willing to go anywhere. I can protect my mom too!
Last time, my older siblings in the yard told me to tell my mom what I was thinking. After I told her, she smiled.
I will tell my mom this in the future, hoping that she can be happy every day!
This diary entry is longer than the previous ones, and you can tell from the lines that the child doesn't resist the fact that her parents are divorcing; on the contrary, she feels happy and relieved.
It wasn't just because of myself, but also because of my mother.
"People always say that children are too young to understand anything, but in fact, children understand a lot. Sometimes children are more sensitive to other people's emotions than adults, but because they are young, other people don't take them seriously."
Lu Liruan said earnestly.
“Yes, I agree.” Liao Tingyuan nodded, looking at Lu Liruan: “When Ruanruan was little, she was also very good at sensing other people’s emotions, wasn’t she?”
When Liao Tingyuan watched Lu Liruan speak, he clearly felt that she was not only talking about the child, but also about herself.
Lu Liruan pursed her lips... Of course she could feel it. Not only could she feel it, but because she was young, she remembered it very clearly.
When she was a child, her family was poor and her father was in poor health. Although her parents tried their best to hide it from her and prevent her from feeling the tense atmosphere, Lu Liruan could feel it completely, which put a lot of pressure on a young child.
From that time on, Lu Liruan was very perceptive. When she realized that her parents didn't want her to know, she would pretend not to know and act like she was chattering and cheerful.
Sometimes Lu Liruan didn't want to talk or be the one to lighten the mood, but it was a habit she'd developed since childhood that made it so...
"What's the use of being able to sense it..." Lu Liruan muttered softly.
“It’s not very useful,” Liao Tingyuan agreed with her again.
Lu Liruan was a little surprised. She didn't expect Liao Tingyuan to say that. He didn't seem to understand children's little emotions very well.
But then Lu Liruan had another thought...
Liao Tingyuan spent his childhood in an orphanage.
The children there... must have a much harder life than I do.
Lu Liruan felt inexplicably guilty, thinking that compared to Liao Tingyuan, she was probably doing quite well, and yet she was complaining in front of him.
"Teacher Liao, were you unhappy when you were a child?" Lu Liruan asked, then realized her question was inappropriate, but it was too late to take it back.
Liao Tingyuan was not offended. He leaned against the bed where the child's bed had been neatly tidied by the lady of the house and carefully recalled the incident.
She answered very seriously: "It's not that I'm unhappy all the time, but I guess there are more unhappy times than happy times."
"Ah..." Lu Liruan thought of saying something like "I feel so sorry for you..." but then felt that such words were meaningless and light-hearted.
"Teacher Liao~" Lu Liruan thought for a moment, took a step forward, and opened her arms: "How about a hug? Let's comfort each other?"
Liao Tingyuan was taken aback. He hadn't actually sensed Lu Liruan's inner struggles just now, because for him now, those were all things of the past.
He was just answering Lu Liruan's question very seriously, but he didn't expect it to arouse the little girl's sympathy.
Just as I was about to say that I didn't... I looked down and saw a little girl standing very close to me, looking at me with watery eyes, filled with sincere and pure warmth... like a pool of clear, captivating water.
At this moment, the clear spring water rippled upon me.
"How……"
Lu Liruan thought Liao Tingyuan didn't want to be comforted like this, and was about to say something when the short Liao Tingyuan pulled her into his arms.
Liao Tingyuan has a pleasant, faint, and gentle scent, a very homely and reassuring scent that reminds you of home and all sorts of warm memories.
Perhaps he really does have this kind of vibe, but perhaps... it was Lu Liruan who gave it this concept, because being with Liao Tingyuan feels as peaceful as returning home.
This isn't the home she grew up in, but... Lu Liruan feels it's her own home, a home she chose to create.
It was something that had been sought but not obtained for many years.
Sometimes, Lu Liruan would subconsciously wonder what it would be like to spend the New Year with Teacher Liao? What would it be like to travel with him?
Having already experienced living with him, eating together, watching TV programs together... Lu Liruan wanted to do other things with him to complete her... some of her imaginations about home.
Lu Liruan hugged Liao Tingyuan's waist and rested her head on his shoulder. It was the first time for both of them to embrace each other so quietly.
Lu Liruan could feel Liao Tingyuan's body temperature through his thin white shirt.
It felt cool... neutralized by my own body heat in the summer night.
"Teacher Liao." Lu Liruan wanted to hug her a little longer, but then felt that it had been too long, so she tentatively asked, "Were you comforted? Although it was a little late."
"Yes." Liao Tingyuan raised his hand and touched her hair.
"Then you should comfort me too... I wasn't very happy when I was little either," Lu Liruan said sullenly.
"it is good."
Although the things that happened in childhood seem insignificant, or even laughable and childish, when discussed at this moment in adult life.
Even without being comforted, or even without saying it out loud, life goes on, days go by the same way, and you can still laugh happily.
But at this moment, Lu Liruan truly felt that something in her heart seemed to be rebuilding, something that Liao Tingyuan was helping her rebuild.
Lu Liruan felt embarrassed when she let go of Liao Tingyuan.
The story was supposed to be about the woman of the house and her child, but it ended up making it seem like she was more spoiled than the child.
"Is Ruan Ruan feeling better?" Liao Tingyuan released her following her force, the touch of the little girl's hair still lingering in his palm. Liao Tingyuan calmly clenched his fingers.
Suppress the slight satisfaction in my heart.
He was also comforted by Lu Liruan... who pulled him out of his uneventful, even boring and rigid, stagnant life.
Lu Liruan put the diary back in its original place, sincerely wishing the mistress and child that their lives would be free of gloom from now on.
"Sigh... nothing's wrong." Lu Liruan shrugged.
Liao Tingyuan repeatedly told her that in the space, she needed to trust her exceptionally keen perception, which was different from others. Lu Liruan interpreted his words as something like a sixth sense, an intuition.
In her daily life, Lu Liruan had some intuition, but she never felt that she had any special intuition. So, learning to feel and believe was not an easy thing at first.
People are always prone to doubting and denying themselves.
But gradually, as she became more certain of her intuition, Lu Liruan began to believe in herself more. And once she started to believe, her perception gradually improved.
This is something Lu Liruan herself can sense.
For example, right now, Lu Liruan has no feeling about the things she just looked at. It's not that she's unsure, but that she doesn't think they're the source of infection.
"Ah ah ah ah ah!"
Just as Liao Tingyuan was opening the cabinet in the child's bedroom, a sharp, explosive sound came from the kitchen, emanating from Lu Liruan.
"what happened?"
"Cockroaches...the cockroaches are moving!"
A few days ago at Fatty's house, Lu Liruan was already frightened when she saw the dead cockroaches. Unexpectedly, when she opened the sink just now, a lively and vibrant cockroach ran past her, giving Lu Liruan, who was used to everything in the space being still, a great visual shock.
By the time Liao Tingyuan walked over, the cockroach had already made its graceful departure amidst Lu Liruan's shouts.
"Why are there always cockroaches in the kitchen?!" Lu Liruan complained. "I have them too... I don't put anything in my kitchen, so why are they still here?!"
“This building is quite old; sometimes things do climb up from the sewers,” Liao Tingyuan explained earnestly, then hesitated for a moment: “You don’t cook…it’s not because…”
"Yes, that's part of the reason. As long as I don't go in, the chances of me seeing it will be smaller." Lu Liruan nodded.
Liao Tingyuan: ...
"Do you have one at home too?" Lu Liruan asked tentatively.
Because Liao Tingyuan was so clean, the kitchen was spotless, and Lu Liruan had never seen such a terrifying animal in the kitchen before.
"It was there when we first moved in," Liao Tingyuan nodded. "Then I came up with a solution."
Lu Liruan felt that what he had come up with was... definitely not just a little bit...
"When we get back, I'll help you clean up your kitchen too," Liao Tingyuan said considerately.
"Yes, that works too." Lu Liruan was quite curious to see just how many methods he would come up with in the kitchen.
After being attacked by cockroaches, the two people went outside the house.
Standing in the corridor, Lu Liruan tried to close the door with force, but the door seemed to be unlocked, and no matter how she closed it, it would only open a crack.
"There must be something in here, right?" Lu Liruan said, letting go of her hand.
"What is it...?"
"Not necessarily. It's possible that the source of infection is only related to the house. If you find the source of infection outside the house, then this place will naturally be closed."
Liao Tingyuan also found it strange; he didn't think there was anything odd about the room.
"Let's go check out the outdoors first," Lu Liruan said, having no other choice.
The outdoor temperature felt more like normal today than yesterday. When Lu Liruan walked to the gate of the courtyard, she could even see the lights at the entrance of the small supermarket outside turning on and off.
"Could the source of infection be something that only appears in space and time?" Lu Liruan asked.
“Anything is possible, and there are no strict conditions for the source of infection.” Liao Tingyuan thought for a moment: “After we leave the space, there will be training for new employees at the company. They will give out an onboarding handbook, which lists a lot of strange sources of infection.”
"For example?" Lu Liruan asked him curiously.
Liao Tingyuan: "...I don't remember."
Under Lu Liruan's gaze, Liao Tingyuan pursed his lips: "I didn't look closely."
"Oh."
What a typical lazy office worker.
Lu Liruan silently commented to herself.
When they arrived at the place from yesterday, sure enough, something reappeared on the lawn and behind the stone bench.
There are two more mats in the wooden nest today, and more animal food can be seen in the feeder.
Lu Liruan walked over, sat on the stone bench, and rested her chin on her hands.
Close your eyes...
Liao Tingyuan didn't disturb her, but sat down beside her. The two of them remained quiet, feeling the passage of time...
When Lu Liruan came here yesterday, she actually had a slightly different feeling.
She couldn't quite describe the feeling; Lu Liruan couldn't articulate it, and she hadn't even figured out what to say to Liao Tingyuan. It was indeed as if she were in some kind of magnetic field, and the closer she got to the center, the stronger the sensation became.
But Lu Liruan wasn't sure either, since there was still the rescue organization lead that hadn't been followed up.
Opportunities were scarce, and to ensure her and Liao Tingyuan's safety, Lu Liruan was extremely cautious. Today, as she approached this place again, this feeling became even more pronounced, given the contrast with what she had experienced at the hostess's house earlier.
Lu Liruan's heart beat a few beats faster.
The feeling of being hot all over and itchy from the mosquito bites has subsided, and even the wind blowing across my skin feels exceptionally strong, as if my senses have been amplified.
Opening her eyes, Lu Liruan pursed her lips: "I feel like I'm here."
“Okay, if you think so, then go look for it.” Liao Tingyuan showed no doubt and did not ask any further questions; he simply said naturally.
He seemed to completely trust Lu Liruan's judgment.
Lu Liruan got up and walked onto the lawn. Remembering what Liao Tingyuan had said yesterday, she reached out her hand but then withdrew it.
Liao Tingyuan watched her movements, thought for a moment, then took off the black gloves on his hands and handed them to Lu Liruan.
This was the first time Lu Liruan had worn gloves made of such a soft material. Liao Tingyuan's hands were bigger than hers, so the gloves were loose on her. Lu Liruan's fingers twitched as the fabric wrapped around her skin.
It felt like Liao Tingyuan was holding her hand.
This seemed to subtly give Lu Liruan more confidence.
Lu Liruan, through her gloves, opened her palm and placed it on the wooden nest, then touched the soft cushion inside that was covered in dirt.
Then he got up, walked behind the stone bench, reached out, pinched the food in the feeder between his fingertips, and pressed it down.
Lu Liruan discovered that through different ways of contacting the world, it was as if she had returned to the feeling of a young child exploring the world, experiencing different sensations...
If she weren't worried about anything bad inside, Lu Liruan would have even wanted to take a sniff. At this moment, even the scent of the grass and leaves next to her was more pronounced than usual and reached Lu Liruan's nostrils.
After squatting for a long time, her legs became weak, so Lu Liruan simply sat down on the edge of the lawn, trying to sort out her feelings.
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally spoke, pointing to the feeder and saying, "I think... it might be this."
"A feeder?" Liao Tingyuan was actually a little surprised, but he couldn't show it at the moment.
“Hmm…” Lu Liruan nodded, and after thinking hard, said seriously, “Actually, I think it makes a lot of sense.”