Xia Chen gathered all the clothes that looked like they would fit Shi Yao and scooped them up in his arms. Just as he finished, the young girl stepped out of his brother's room after finishing the cleaning, and the two bumped right into each other in the living room.
"Xia Chen, I've already cleaned your room. It's spotless."
Shi Yao crossed her hands in front of her waist, looking extremely well-behaved.
"Thank you for your hard work," Xia Chen said with a nodding smile. He handed the carefully selected clothes over to Shi Yao and replied, "I've picked these out for you. Go try them on and see if they fit."
Xia Chen could no longer bear to let her continue wearing that old sweater, worn down by time with threads already coming undone.
Looking at the clean pile of clothes in Xia Chen's arms, Shi Yao took an involuntary step back in a daze of flattered surprise and shook her head. "Xia Chen, I... I can't take these."
Though her lips said no, her big, deer-like eyes remained fixed unwaveringly on the garments in his hands.
*These clothes probably smell like Xia Chen. I want to wear them so badly, but my body...*
Xia Chen caught the wave of sorrow washing over the girl. He cleared his throat and said earnestly, "Why can't you take them? Don't you want to wear pretty clothes, Shi Yao? Or do you not like the ones your older brother picked out for you?"
"No, it's not that I don't like them. I... I do want them," Shi Yao bit her lip, forcing the words out with difficulty.
"That's more like it. Here, take them and go change." Without giving her room to argue, Xia Chen firmly pushed the clothes into Shi Yao's hands.
The young girl looked down at the pretty, neat garments in her hands, a complicated emotion flickering in her eyes.
The fabric felt soft and smooth to the touch, and it still retained a faint fragrance of gardenia that made her reluctant to let go.
Her heartbeat told her that these clothes belonged to her—or rather, as long as it was given by Xia Chen, she wanted all of it.
"Thank you, Xia Chen," the young girl said with a smile, her eyes full of gratitude as she looked at him.
"Alright, go change now and see if they fit."
"Okay, is it alright if I go change in the bathroom?"
"Of course. Where else did you want to change?"
"Oh, right. Okay, Xia Chen."Shi Yao nodded shyly, then gathered up the clothes and hurried toward the bathroom, making a loud "flap-flap-flap" sound along the way because her slippers were much too large.
"How can this girl be so adorable?"
Watching the young girl's retreating figure, Xia Chen felt his old face flush.
"Forget it, I'd better go make dinner."
He shook his head, deciding that in the future, it would be necessary to maintain a certain safe distance from the girl at home.
Before cooking, he didn't forget to appreciate the results of Shi Yao's hard work. Xia Chen pushed open the bedroom door, only to find that the previously messy room was now neat and orderly.
Even the floor had been wiped by the young girl until it gleamed.
"This girl really misses nothing at all."
The very first thing Shi Yao did upon reaching the bathroom with her clothes was to lock the door from the inside.
She lowered her gaze to look at the clothes in her hands and unconsciously swallowed hard. Her nervousness caused her fair little face to tighten into a knot, yet a hint of excitement flickered deep within her eyes.
She reached out and patted the clothes to brush away any non-existent dust, then gently and cautiously took off the old sweater that had accompanied her for many years.
When she was halfway through taking off her clothes, the girl's delicate brows furrowed tightly, and a look of pain spread across her face.
Once all her clothes were removed, the girl's jade-smooth skin was revealed, but across her slender back were several chilling scars.
The girl reached out as if wanting to touch them, but then, as though remembering some taboo, she quickly pulled her hand back before touching them and stood frozen in place.
After a long while, a bitter smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"They really are so ugly."
This was why she had been unwilling to let the nurse help her change into a hospital gown back then.
On her tenth birthday, Shi Yao had witnessed Shi Monan domestic violence against her mother with her own eyes.
At the time, she only remembered her mother being grabbed by the hair and dragged all the way from the second floor down to the first, and then she seemed to hear Shi Monan say to her mother:
"If I'd known you were going to give birth to a girl, I shouldn't have stopped you from aborting her back then. Now look at us, there are two more mouths to feed in this house."With that, Shi Monan pulled off his belt, preparing to continue beating the woman before him.
It was precisely this action that gave ten-year-old Shi Yao the courage to grab the rolling pin from the table and rush forward, catching Shi Monan off guard as she struck him with it.
Unfortunately, she was after all only a ten-year-old child, and that blow did not inflict any real harm on Shi Monan.
Instead, because of Shi Yao's resistance, a furious Shi Monan instantly shifted his anger onto her.
He raised the belt in his hand and lashed it mercilessly across the young girl's back.
Shi Yao still clearly remembered how several droplets of blood splattered from behind onto her face. In the next instant, her mind went completely blank, or perhaps she had found a sense of release.
To this day, Shi Yao did not know whether she had been beaten unconscious or frightened into a blackout back then, but none of that mattered anymore.
She only remembered that while she was struggling with Shi Monan, her mother did not step forward to help, nor did she run away; she merely stood off to the side, watching with cold indifference.
It seemed that whether she or Shi Monan lived or died, her mother cared nothing about it.
And just before losing consciousness, she once again caught an accidental glimpse of the look her mother gave her.Yet Shi Yao would never forget that look in those eyes, for it was filled with abhorrence, aversion, and utter disgust. Yet she had always been so obedient, and she too had wanted to protect her mother with all her might. Was it simply because she was too weak that her mother no longer wanted her?
Since that day, the scars on the young girl's back had stayed with her until now. But she loathed those scars, because whenever she looked at them, her heart involuntarily recalled the look her mother had given her back then—it was truly repulsive.
After putting on her new clothes, Shi Yao did not forget to neatly fold her old sweater and place it at the head of her bed.
"Thank you for keeping me company all these years."
The young girl's eyes curved into crescents. Before meeting Xia Chen, this sweater was the only thing that had belonged entirely to her.
"Shi Yao, are you done changing? If you're ready, come over and eat."Xia Chen's voice drifted from the kitchen into the bedroom. Upon hearing it, Shi Yao immediately slipped her feet into a pair of oversized slippers that were several sizes too big, then scampered wobbily toward the kitchen.
Inside the kitchen, Xia Chen was carrying out all the dishes he had prepared. To celebrate the addition of a new family member today, he had specially made his signature dish: tomato and egg soup.
Arriving a little late, Shi Yao saw the delicious feast spread across the table, her small mouth opening wide enough to fit an egg.
"Big Brother Xia Chen, did you make all of this by yourself?"
"Of course."
Looking at the girl's sheer astonishment, Xia Chen placed his hands on his hips, a wave of pride welling up in his chest.
When it came to cooking, Xia Chen indeed seemed to have a unique natural talent. After all, back in high school, he had already been Xia Mo's personal chef, and years of practice had long made cooking second nature to him.
"How is it? Does the outfit fit?" Xia Chen asked, noticing that the little girl had already changed into the new clothes.
"It fits. Thank you, Big Brother Xia Chen. This is the prettiest outfit I have ever worn in my life."
Shi Yao lowered her head, the corners of her lips curling upward.
She was wearing an off-white coat over her upper body, pinned with a silver butterfly brooch on the chest. The black and white striped pattern on her pants added a stylish touch, perfectly accentuating the girl's slender figure.
"That's good." Xia Chen carefully looked over the young girl in front of him and nodded with satisfaction.
"I have to admit, Xia Mo still has some taste."
He had previously thought the clothes Xia Mo bought were much too flashy, but looking closely now, he realized how superficial he had been. This wasn't flashy at all—it was simply stunning.
The new clothes worn by the young girl were like adding flowers to brocade, lending a touch of elegance to Shi Yao's naturally quiet and poised demeanor.
"Since you're all dressed, come on over and eat."
"But Big Brother Xia Chen, we haven't washed our hands yet."
"You're right. Let's wash our hands first."
"Okay, I want to wash up with Big Brother Xia Chen."