PCMWF Chapter 117

“Youyou.”

As soon as he rounded the corner out of the villa, Pei Qiqi came running toward him. Su Youli could swear this was the first time he’d ever seen Brother Qiqi run so fast. As soon as Pei Qiqi reached him, his little hand slipped something into Youyou’s pocket. Then he quickly blinked and made a face at him. Su Youli didn’t understand. He thought Brother Qiqi’s funny face was hilarious, and he really did laugh, showing a row of neat baby teeth, his eyes curving into little moons as he looked at Pei Qiqi.

Seeing the cameraman getting closer and closer, and Youyou still not getting it, Pei Qiqi leaned in and whispered, “I’m splitting my reward with you. Keep it a secret!”

The little guy reached into his pocket and indeed felt a piece of paper money. It was red. He recognized the number on it: 100.

Su Youli pulled out the money and held it out, shaking his head. “Brother Qiqi, I can’t take this.”

“I have two hundred. If I give you one hundred, I’ll still have one hundred left. That’s enough to buy lots of gifts.”

Pei Qiqi thought he was worried about not having enough for himself. The little guy smiled, showing no sign of unhappiness at having lost.

He pointed at his little camera and smiled. “Youyou is going to take lots of beautiful pictures for Dad as a gift.”

After saying this, the little guy waved at Pei Qiqi. “See you later, Brother Qiqi.”

The two little friends went their separate ways. Pei Qiqi had two hundred yuan and already had a goal in mind. Yesterday, he and his aunt had seen a market on the island with several streets catering to tourists. Passing by, he noticed his aunt looking at a dress and even reaching out to touch it. Pei Qiqi had a good memory. He quickly found yesterday’s market, found the street, and asked the price of the dress in the store.

It was a very resort-style dress. Pei Qiqi wasn’t even as tall as the dress. He stood in the store, looking up at the dress hanging on the wall. He thought his aunt would look beautiful in it. The dress cost 198 yuan. Pei Qiqi handed the money to the shopkeeper and received a bag containing the dress. Meanwhile, the penniless Su Youli had made his way to the beach. The sun was out now, and standing in it was unbearably hot. Afraid of getting sunburned, the little guy walked along the shade of the trees.

He’d walk for a while, then stop for a rest. After breaking a little sweat on his forehead, he’d pick up his water bottle and take a sip. Several cameramen following a child like a sticky rice ball attracted the attention of many tourists. A few had already pulled out their phones to take pictures. Tang Dou, who had been following the little guy closely, immediately stepped in to stop them. A few bodyguards also stayed discreetly nearby. Walking and resting along the way, Su Youli eventually reached a shady spot.

Not far away, a group of children was building sandcastles. The little guy approached and saw that they were making castles. Sandcastles, beautiful ones with pointed roofs. The children lay on the sand, carefully carving patterns with sticks. The little guy, who only knew how to build squat toilets with sand, was immediately impressed. He crouched down to observe, watching the older boys lay the foundation and the girls build the roofs.

After admiring the castles, his attention shifted to the children in swimsuits playing in the sea with swim rings. The little guy was afraid of water, but waves didn’t scare him much. They looked like the white cream borders on a cake. As he got closer, he saw that the children who had been swimming had gathered in a circle. It seemed someone had found something interesting. It was just an ordinary seashell, but these children had never seen one before and found it fascinating.
Su Youli leaned in to get a better look. A white seashell with textured patterns. Its shape was beautiful, and it seemed to glow in the sun. If placed in water, the rippling light reflecting on its surface would be even more beautiful. Such a pretty thing. He wanted to give it to his mother. The delicately featured little guy stood dazed on the shore, his gaze eager. Dressed in his sailor uniform, he was very eye-catching.

Soon someone noticed him. “Little one, what are you doing here? Are you lost?”

“Where are your mom and dad?”

The youngest child in the water was six. Seeing such a small kid here, they all assumed he was lost.

“He’s so small! He must have gotten separated from his parents. Let’s help him!”

The children responded enthusiastically, gathering around the little guy, asking for his father’s name, his phone number, where he came from, and his name.

The little guy blinked and spoke up boldly: “Excuse me, where did you find this?”

“So you’re not lost?”

Su Youli nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

“You want to find a seashell, and one even prettier than this?”

“Yes.”

“We can take you to look. You’re too small.”

The little guy shook his head. “Gifts for Mom and Dad have to be found by Youyou himself.”

Everyone looked at the group of adults behind him and didn’t say much more. They pointed in a direction: “We found it over there. It was buried in the sand.”

After thanking them, the little guy set off on his seashell hunt. There were indeed many seashells on the beach, more than enough to collect. The waves lapped against the shore, making a pleasant sound. Three-year-old Su Youli was like a lively little bird, happily running along the shoreline where sand met sea. His shallow footprints on the beach were soon smoothed over by the incoming waves.

Su Youli bent his small body, his eyes fixed on the sand, not missing a single spot. He quickly found seashells hidden in the sand. The little guy reached out with his small hands, carefully dug the shell out, cupped it in his palm, and tucked it into his pocket. After finding the first one, the second and third came quickly.

“This one is for Kun Kun, this one is for Little Dad, this one is for Mom and Dad, and this one is for Big Brother and Second Brother.”

Every family member had to have one. Even Su Yuanzi would get one. The little guy was like a busy little bee, darting across the beach, crouching down to carefully select shells, then quickly running to his next spot.

He kept muttering under his breath: “So pretty! You’re so beautiful! You’re the prettiest shell I’ve ever seen.”

He said this to every single shell he found. The cameramen couldn’t help but smile. Seeing the bright, radiant smile on his face made them feel happy too. His task complete, Su Youli headed back with his seashells. He could see his father waiting for him at the door from afar.

“Uncle Da Mo, here you go.” The little guy turned and raised his hand.

Da Mo was surprised. He hadn’t expected to get one too. The little guy placed a seashell in his palm, smiled sweetly, then turned and ran toward his father. Lying in Da Mo’s palm was a spiral conch shell, tapering upward from the base like a delicate little tower. Da Mo was dumbfounded, his camera still on his shoulder. It felt as if he wasn’t holding a light shell, but a heavy weight of love.

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