Nian Nian [Rebirth] - Chapter 5

Chen Nian’s parents arrived with her teacher.

A child running away during class time was a responsibility no one could shoulder. The Chinese teacher, Wen Can, who was also the homeroom teacher, chased Chen Nian so hard she got a stitch in her side and knelt on the ground for a long time before recovering.

When she realized she couldn’t catch the child, she immediately called Chen Nian’s home. Chen Nian’s father, Chen Junjie, was a government worker who maintained a strict nine-to-five schedule. Her mother, Liu Chunhua, was a tailor who took on custom clothing orders at home.

Overall, they were a well-off family, and Chen Nian was their only treasured daughter. So, after receiving the call, her mother stopped working, and her father immediately took leave. The two split up: one went to the school to understand the situation, and the other went to the places Chen Nian usually played to search for her.

They searched for nearly two hours without finding a trace.

Liu Chunhua was almost frantic. The group went to report to the police, and just as they finished explaining the situation, the family received a call from the police station.

After a frantic ordeal, they finally rushed to the welfare institute and found Chen Nian sitting in the director’s office.

Liu Chunhua scanned her daughter from head to toe. Seeing that she was completely clean and whole, except for her eyes being red and swollen from crying, she breathed a sigh of relief. She rushed up and slapped Chen Nian on the shoulder.

“What’s wrong with you! What problem couldn’t you talk about at home! How did we raise you!” As she scolded, tears streamed down her face. “Why did you run here! Just because I scolded you a little, you’re running away from home, is that it!”

A police officer nearby stopped her: “Don’t get agitated. It’s good the child is found. Don’t hit her; hitting her will only make her run away again.”

This only added fuel to the fire. Liu Chunhua pointed at Chen Nian and shouted, “When have I ever hit her! You ask her if I hit her!”

“That’s enough, that’s enough,” Chen Junjie placed both hands on her shoulders and spoke softly. “Don’t argue in front of the police.”

Liu Chunhua exhaled, wiped away a few more tears, and pursed her lips, saying no more.

The police officer said, “Since the child ran so far, we still need to understand the details from the parents. Which one of you would like to come over…”

Chen Junjie raised his hand: “I will, I will.”

“Alright.” The officer glanced at Liu Chunhua. “No more hitting the child, okay?”

Liu Chunhua didn’t respond. Most of the people in the room shuffled out, leaving only Liu Chunhua and Chen Nian.

Chen Nian looked up at her mother. Although she had the complete memory of an adult at seven years old, seeing her parents again after traveling through time brought a heart-wrenching sense of shock.

Back then, Mom was so young. Her hair was black and thick, and there were no stubborn lines at the corners of her eyes and forehead.

Chen Nian knew her mother wouldn’t hit her again; the slap was just a moment of anger. Her mother was indeed quick-tempered, saying anything when emotional, only to regret it later when she was alone.

When she came out to her mother with Fang Zhizhu, her mother reacted the same way. In her rage, she slapped Chen Nian’s face and refused to take her calls for several days, forbidding her from returning home.

But less than two months later, her mother compromised. In the following days, her mother convinced her father, and both of them treated Fang Zhizhu better than they treated their own daughter.

Because her mother felt that being homosexual would lead to a lot of unfair treatment in this society, and for Fang Zhizhu, a big star, so beautiful and excellent, to be homosexual with Chen Nian was even more of a sacrifice.

Chen Nian raised her arm to rub her eyes, feeling like she had truly reverted to childhood. She hadn’t even said anything, but just looking at her mother made her want to cry.

Liu Chunhua came up to her, pulled her arm down, and took a tissue from her bag to wipe her nose and tears.

“Your clothes are filthy. You’ll ruin your eyes and get nearsighted if you keep rubbing them.”

Chen Nian sniffled, stopping her tears.

Her mother continued, “You feel so wronged, don’t you? If you feel wronged, come home and cry to me. Why run so far?”

Chen Nian said, “I’m not wronged.”

If spoken by an adult, it would have been a proper statement. But since Chen Nian was in a child’s body, the words, spoken in a seven-year-old voice, sounded soft and babyish.

Moreover, she had been crying for so long today that her voice was hoarse, making her sound even more wronged and utterly pitiful.

“Fine, fine,” her mother said, scolding her. “I won’t talk about it anymore, okay? I just asked you to eat more greens…”

So, the argument her mother was referring to at noon was over this. But Chen Nian’s temper was partly inherited from her mother. Sometimes, when she got stubborn, she might indeed run away from home over an extra bite of a disliked vegetable.

Looking back now, it felt quite amusing.

Her mother was still holding a tissue pinched over her nose. Chen Nian smiled, blowing a snot bubble.

Liu Chunhua saw the big snot bubble and couldn’t hold it in; she laughed too.

The atmosphere in the room softened. After her mother cleaned her face, Chen Nian began to talk seriously:

“I am not angry with Mom about lunchtime. Mom is right to make me eat more greens; greens provide vitamins and fiber, which are good for my body.”

Liu Chunhua: “!!!”

Chen Nian: “I was wrong to run away by myself. I should report things to the teacher, and I should talk to you and Dad about where I want to go.”

Liu Chunhua: “…”

Chen Nian: “Mom, I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

Liu Chunhua was stunned.

Her daughter, although generally a good child, was never this obedient on a typical day.

She loved to run and make noise, was a picky eater, and spoke like her mother—stubborn and unyielding. She was definitely not a soft, gentle little girl.

In previous arguments, the most she would do was mumble an apology and promise not to do it again. She would never talk like this, with a logical flow, sentence by sentence.

Liu Chunhua stared hard at Chen Nian, examining her again from top to bottom.

Feeling that looking wasn’t enough, she touched her: “What’s wrong with you? Why are you talking so strangely?”

Chen Nian: “Mom, have you forgiven me? I can only tell you what happened if you forgive me.”

Liu Chunhua: “You’re forcing me to forgive you! What if I don’t forgive you? Where did a little brat like you learn how to threaten people?”

Chen Nian swung her legs, which were dangling from the stool: “Mom, I met a new friend, and I want to introduce her to you too.”

When Chen Junjie, Teacher Wen, Director Su, and the police officer returned to the office, Liu Chunhua and Chen Nian were in a standoff.

Liu Chunhua wore a look of utter bewilderment, while Chen Nian sat neatly on the chair, her chubby cheeks and pigtails making her look particularly innocent and harmless.

Chen Junjie said, “Chunhua, things are mostly sorted out here. We can go home now.”

Liu Chunhua: “Sorted out what? Did you figure out why your daughter ran here?”

Teacher Wen quickly interjected: “Chen Nian’s Mom, I was teaching at the time. Wang Xiaoming had a fever, and I went to check on him. I truly didn’t notice what happened. I’ll ask Chen Nian’s classmates when I get back…”

Director Su immediately added, “I was sweeping the yard when this child came and knocked on my door, asking to come in. I’ve told the police everything…”

Police Officer: “I just spoke with the child’s father…”

Liu Chunhua raised her hand: “This lost child situation has nothing to do with anyone else. We haven’t figured it out, and we won’t be able to.”

She pointed at Chen Nian: “Let her tell you herself.”

Everyone looked at Chen Nian.

It wasn’t that no one had asked Chen Nian. Director Su and the police officer had worn their lips raw, but couldn’t get a coherent explanation.

Chen Nian straightened her clothes and jumped down from the high chair. As she landed, she stumbled slightly, causing everyone to reach out to grab her.

“I’m fine, fine,” Chen Nian stopped their movements. She stood straight, looked around at everyone, and then, in a clear, loud voice, said, “Here’s what happened.”

“I was reading a book that day, and there was a story about a children’s welfare institute. I was very curious if we had a welfare institute here.”

“Later, I fell asleep during class and dreamed I came to a welfare institute and made a very, very good friend. When I woke up, I was so excited that I just ran over here.”

“I found the welfare institute,” Chen Nian paused. “I asked people on the way.”

“I also found my good friend,” Chen Nian’s eyes brightened. “Although she doesn’t really want to talk to me right now, I will definitely keep playing with her. I think it will be a good thing for her. She looks very lonely, and she needs friends.”

Everyone was stunned.

Chen Nian clenched her fists, stood up straight, and then bowed deeply: “I’m sorry for troubling all the Uncles and Aunties today! Next time I come to play with my good friend, I will definitely tell my parents in advance.”

Director Su: “…”

Police Officer: “…”

Teacher Wen: “…”

Chen Junjie: “…”

Liu Chunhua: Having already heard this miraculous reason once, she was now watching her husband with a cold sneer.

Look at this ridiculous child you raised.

Chen Nian acted like a miniature adult, but the reason and logic behind her actions were indeed the sort of things only a child would do.

If you say she was strange, she wasn’t entirely strange, but if you say she wasn’t strange, she was indeed very strange.

The child did something wrong and apologized so solemnly; what more could they do to her?

After half a minute of silence, everyone sighed in relief. After a few more polite exchanges, the police left to continue their duty, and the teacher returned to school. Chen Nian grabbed Liu Chunhua’s hand and didn’t let go even after everyone else had left.

“Mom,” Chen Nian reminded her, “come and see my good friend.”

Liu Chunhua remained silent. Chen Junjie looked up at one person and then down at the other, hesitating: “Maybe we should see her. The children here are truly pitiful…”

Director Su was right behind them. When she was taking notes with the police, she heard that Chen Nian’s father worked for the government. Now, she quickly said, “Why don’t you stay and eat? It’s dinnertime. We can go to the cafeteria together, and Fang Zhi eats there too.”

When Chen Nian heard the name, her eyes lit up like high beams.

She said, “Mom, I’m hungry.”

Liu Chunhua: “…”

The three of them went to the welfare institute’s cafeteria.

It was called a cafeteria, but it was just a large room with tables and benches. Large bowls of food and rice were brought in and lined up.

Director Su hosted Chen Nian’s family, offering them a small, separate meal at a newer table in the corner.

This was the best time to see all the children at the welfare institute. They lined up with their bowls and chopsticks to get food. They varied in height, but they were all quite thin, not chubby at all.

Director Su sighed: “The children are growing fast. When they outgrow their clothes, they wear the hand-me-downs from the taller kids. We provide enough food, but funding is truly limited, so we can’t afford great meals. I try to save money here and there just so the children can have vegetables and meat every day.”

Chen Junjie chimed in with a few sympathetic words. Liu Chunhua remained silent, just frowning as she watched the children.

A moment later, Chen Nian tugged her mother’s hand: “She’s here, she’s here! That’s her, the most beautiful one.”

That adjective would normally be useless for identifying someone, but in this context, the most beautiful one was undeniably singular and stood out immediately.

Fang Zhizhu was also thin, but while the other children looked sallow and skinny because their skin wasn’t filled out, Fang Zhizhu was strikingly white.

Although her clothes were ugly, her height and proportions were good, making the very plain style look chic on her. Combined with her thick, slightly curly long hair, she looked like a fallen princess.

Liu Chunhua couldn’t help but look at her a few times. Chen Nian proudly shook her hand: “Beautiful, right?”

Director Su looked over and explained Fang Zhizhu’s situation to the family: “This girl is named Fang Zhi. She’s the same age as Chen Nian, seven this year. She truly is beautiful, and her former teacher said she has a good personality and is very smart. You remember the cold snap we had at the start of winter? There was so much snow. Her parents were driving to deliver goods, and their car went into the mountains. The road was too slippery, the brakes failed, and they both died…”

Director Su sighed deeply: “Her family moved here from somewhere else and has no relatives here. Since we couldn’t contact anyone to take her in, she was sent to our institute. The child is truly pitiful. When she first arrived, she wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t talk, and wouldn’t sleep. Just when she finally managed to close her eyes when tired, she’d suddenly wake up with a jolt…”

“We are short-staffed here and can’t watch her constantly. The child ran away twice, both times back to her own house. But the house she lived in was rented, and the landlord couldn’t let her stay.”

“She’s better now. She eats, sleeps, and behaves in class, but she still won’t talk. Not to the teachers, not to the other children. She just stares blankly out the window for ages.”

Feeling she had said too much, Director Su quickly pulled back: “But she’ll definitely get better over time. When she grows up, she’ll slowly forget.”

Liu Chunhua lowered her head and ate a bite of rice. Chen Junjie sighed. Chen Nian’s stool scraped the floor, and she suddenly stood up.

Liu Chunhua grabbed her: “Where are you going?”

Tears welled up in Chen Nian’s eyes. She looked at Liu Chunhua and said, “Mom, I feel bad.”

Liu Chunhua’s nose stung. Chen Nian held her bowl of rice: “Eating alone is no fun.”

Yes, Fang Zhizhu was alone.

She had gotten her food and sat down in the corner where no one else went, where the window had a gap and the wind blew in.

Liu Chunhua no longer blocked Chen Nian. Chen Nian walked quickly with her bowl of rice and sat down beside Fang Zhizhu.

She sat on the window side, blocking the gusting wind for her.

Winter days were short, and it had already grown dark.

A full moon hung high in the inky blue sky outside the window, glowing softly just above the window frame.

Fang Zhizhu didn’t say a word to Chen Nian, nor did she look at her again. She lowered her head and ate the food in her bowl. She had taken very little food, and her face was expressionless, as if she were merely repeating the mechanical action of eating.

Chen Nian did not disturb her. She just sat quietly with her.

Fang Zhizhu didn’t like eating alone, but sometimes her work was so busy that her attention had to be on work even while eating. Chen Nian often visited her on set. They might not exchange a word, but Fang Zhizhu said she was very happy just knowing she was there.

If she could make Fang Zhizhu even a little happier, Chen Nian was willing to do anything.

Even though the Fang Zhizhu she had loved for years buried so many deep secrets and never told her about them.