PCMWF Chapter 192

Beicheng’s winter was very dry, and the air quality wasn’t great. Adults were fine, but children couldn’t endure it as well. Only two days into the school week, five children had already taken sick leave. On Wednesday, Chu Ying went to pick up the little guy and was kept by Teacher Apple for a few words.

“Youyou’s mom, Youyou sweated a little during his nap today. I’ve already changed his inner clothes. There was nothing unusual in the afternoon, but keep an eye on him when you get home. The flu is quite serious lately.”

Chu Ying nodded, thanked her, and led the little guy out of school.

“Youyou, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere today?”

The little guy had a fluffy hat put on by his mom as soon as he left the classroom. Hearing this, he said crisply: “No discomfort, Mom. Teacher Apple said it might snow these two days. Is that true?”

Chu Ying crouched down and pulled up the little guy’s collar. “Mm, does Youyou like snow?”

“I like it.”

There was no snow in Nancheng in winter, so the little guy’s concept of snowflakes came from picture books and TV. Because of Teacher Apple’s words, after returning home, Tang Dou brought the medicine kit and measured the little guy’s forehead with a thermometer.

The little guy blinked. “Brother Xiao Tang, I’m not sick.”

Although little Su Youli wasn’t as tall as his classmates, his health was absolutely among the best in the class. The Shen family knew this. Since returning to Beicheng, apart from the fever he got from the sea breeze when they went to the island, he hadn’t been sick again.

That night, when Shen Minyan slept with him, he didn’t close his eyes, staying awake until four or five in the morning. Only when the sky outside began to lighten and the little one beside him was still breathing evenly, sleeping with slightly pink cheeks and warm hands and feet, did the family finally relax. But the next day, when sending the little guy to school, they added another pair of socks. The already round little dumpling looked even more like a ball.

“Youyou.” Pei Qiqi came out of his house in a black down jacket.

The little guy struggled to turn around, his little head only able to turn a small arc. “Brother Qiqi, good morning.”

After winter began, Pei Qiqi thought Youyou had become even cuter. Every day he wore different little hats, his little hands wrapped in gloves, walking slowly, a bit like a penguin. By Friday, the number of children in Class 5 who could still attend class had dropped sharply to six. The teachers were almost doing one-on-one care. After snack time, the six children sat obediently in their seats doing crafts, folding paper airplanes. The little girl sitting by the window heard a rustling sound. She turned her head, and snowflakes were falling everywhere.

“It’s snowing!”

The little girl’s shout alerted all the children. The quiet classroom suddenly became lively.

Soon, a row of little heads was pressed against the window, eyes and mouths wide open.

“Wow, so pretty! Brother Qiqi, look, it’s snowing!”

The little guy, seeing snowflakes for the first time, was so excited. He clapped his little hands and jumped in place several times. After a while, not getting a response from Brother Qiqi, the little guy looked over in confusion and saw Brother Qiqi’s eyes were red, looking very uncomfortable.

“Brother Qiqi, what’s wrong?” the little guy asked with concern.

Pei Qiqi clenched his teeth, not letting the tears in his eyes fall. He missed his dad. Pei Xu was a bit older than Su Youli beside him. He had been raised by his dad since he was little, and later experienced a car accident with his dad. His memory of his dad was deep. Dad was the person he loved most.

His dad loved winter. In winter, he would build a snowman at home for him to see, pointing at the small snowman next to the big one: “The big one is Dad, the small one is Qiqi.”

The tall man stood in the snow, hands on his hips, smiling at his son, proudly saying: “How is it, isn’t the snowman Dad built pretty?”

Pei Qiqi would rush over, throw himself into his dad’s arms, showing a pair of curved eyes. Pretty. The snowman Dad built for him was so pretty. But, but he would never have such a pretty snowman again. The little guy, sensing Brother Qiqi’s mood, ran to the place where the backpacks were hung, opened the zipper, grabbed something, and mysteriously wouldn’t let anyone see.

“Brother Qiqi, for you.” The little guy ran to the window, grabbed Qiqi’s hand, and placed what was in his hand into Brother Qiqi’s palm.

It was a candy. The little guy, restricted from sweets by his parents, had learned to save candy. Teacher Apple rewarded one candy every day to the best-behaved child in the class. Pei Xu remembered the wrapper. Teacher Apple had given it the day before yesterday. Peach-flavored filled milk candy, super duper explosively delicious. The little guy couldn’t bear to eat it and had been saving it. Now he generously placed it in Pei Qiqi’s hand.

“Brother Qiqi, don’t cry. My candy is for you.”

Pei Qiqi had already pulled himself out of his memories, but the tears in his eyes couldn’t be held back. With a blink, they fell. Su Youli panicked. He tore open the candy and stuffed it into Pei Xu’s mouth. The bitter tip of his tongue, from the discomfort, was covered by the sweet fruit aroma. Pei Xu looked at the little guy, shorter than him, in surprise. He wanted to say something, but was afraid of dropping the candy in his mouth, so he could only close his mouth and hold it carefully.

After confirming Brother Qiqi was no longer so uncomfortable, the little guy took Brother Qiqi’s hand and returned to the window. Beicheng’s first snow this year was heavy. Near Xingya Kindergarten were almost all high-end residential areas. When the snowflakes fell, the property management of each community had already dispatched people to clear the snow at the community gates.

Half an hour later, the little ones lying by the window watching the snow saw the older class brothers and sisters run out. The playground was dyed silver-white. The older children crouched on the ground, packed snowballs, and started snowball fights with their friends. The little guy, who had never seen this activity, had tiny lights sparkling in his eyes, extremely expectant.

“You’re too small. You can’t go down for a snowball fight.”

Facing the little guy’s expectant eyes, Pei Qiqi’s expression was very cool. The dismissal song rang. Parents hurried in from the gate. Because of the snow, parents had to watch their step, occasionally looking down at the road, which made picking up their children a bit slower than usual.

“Second Brother!” The little guy spotted Shen Lin rushing in front.

The teenager’s young, handsome face was very eye-catching among the parents. His steps were fast, completely unafraid of falling. He ran as usual. Leaving the parents behind by a large margin, he even had time to look up and blow a kiss to his little brother. The little guy in the classroom immediately ran to his seat and sat down, waiting for his brother to pick him up. By the window, Pei Qiqi’s gaze had been fixed on the man following behind Shen Lin.

“…Uncle.” The child murmured softly.

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