Chapter 836 - 475: Homecoming

The flames in the stove were still blazing, illuminating the small room in a fiery red.

Xiaoba furrowed her brows, about to say something, but was held back by Yu Jing, who slightly shook her head.

"But it’s not your fault..."

Yu Yue spoke with sadness.

The woman tightly gripped the railing with both hands, using all her strength, her voice filled with resentment and shrill, "That was his fate!"

"He deserved it with those parents of his!"

"A jinx shouldn’t have ever gone to find that couple, bringing death upon their whole family!"

Su Huan, with his back to them, slightly shook his shoulders, his suppressed laughter fragmented with the woman’s sharp curses, sending chills down one’s spine.

"Don’t make that dead look, laughing like a pervert, all your life, whenever you’re spoken to, you just laugh, every time, you just laugh..."

Su Huan stood up and walked towards the door.

Behind him were the curses that clung to him like maggots, "Su Huan, you deserve to die!"

"Su Huan deserves to die!"

"..."

Yu Yue was frightened by the scene just now, tears welled up in her eyes, not daring to touch Su Huan, she could only follow him closely.

Suddenly, the flames in the stove went out, a puddle flowed out, mixing on the frost-covered ground around it.

Yu Jing took a few steps forward, walking to the bedside, gently covering the woman with the quilt that had been lifted. The woman’s temples were graying, deep wrinkles etched into her face, lying on her side, propping her head with one hand, holding a noseless child with the other, her expression as gentle as a sculpture of the Saint Mother.

And on the row of bunk beds beside her, a dozen children lay peacefully.

They had been frozen in their dreams.

The two stepped out of the room, the snow in the sky rustling down, showing signs of collapsing.

By the time the two left the welfare institution, the snow had already completely fallen, covering the welfare institution and the adjacent nursing home once again—everything that had just happened seemed like a dream.

"Let’s go."

Yu Jing said indifferently.

Xiaoba’s eyes were always filled with thought, and upon hearing, she looked up, "How did Sister Jing know? Not only did Ma Hongyu tell you, right?"

Yu Jing looked at the two figures walking ahead in the snow and asked, "Xiaoba, do you have your own room?"

Xiaoba was taken aback, "If you’re asking about before, yes, but I lived with several other children."

"Do you close the door?"

"Usually not, the dean and the aunt might come in."

"Do you know what women usually do in a family?"

Xiaoba seemed to understand something, remained silent for a moment, "The dean is like our mother, but I don’t know what an ordinary family is like..."

Seeing Yu Jing’s hand suddenly reaching over, Xiaoba instinctively avoided it, then stood still as he realized.

But Yu Jing merely brushed off the snow on his shoulder.

Yu Jing’s eyes carried a trace of warmth, "Because you don’t have the muscle memory of being ’touched’, even if I just touch an outer area like your shoulder, it makes you uneasy."

"There are many such details, like not having a concept of private space, having few possessions, subconsciously being prepared to leave at any time, no fixed eating habits, eating whatever is available..."

"These details have always been there, just no one loved you, so even if they are open, you couldn’t see them."

The boy’s face slightly stiffened, speaking softly, "Sister Jing, could you consider my feelings..."

Yu Jing’s gaze softened as she reached out to ruffle Xiaoba’s hair, teasing, "Do you want me to hug you as well?"

Xiaoba, embarrassed, struggled and said, "Why does Sister Xingzi tell you everything?"

Yu Jing watched the two disappearing figures, her heart calm.

...

The curses lingering in the ears had turned into the howling wind and snow, Su Huan trudged through the snow,

just like many years ago.

Once outside, following the avenue, avoiding the traffic, listening to the crunch of snow underfoot, Su Huan felt an inner peace.

A chubby old man sat under a willow tree, whiling away the time, nodding at him.

But mostly, there weren’t many people, he felt like an invisible person, wandering through the streets and alleys, seen by everyone yet unseen.

Only the dogs at the chicken farm would bark at him wildly.

Time passed quickly, from day to night, from night to day, from towns to villages, from villages to another town, Su Huan had no idea how long he walked.

After all, there was no one who would care about him, he could walk very far.

It was just that winters were bitterly cold, his legs were short and often found themselves stuck in the snow, especially in remote areas where the snow could pile up nearly a meter thick.

The wind and snow were fierce, making every step harder, each step sinking into the snow.

After a struggle to pull himself free, the shoes were already cold and damp inside.

’I need to warm my shoes again.’

Su Huan thought to himself, stepping forward, suddenly missing a step, he began to fall.

Just when he was about to sink into the snow, he was suddenly embraced from behind by a soft embrace.

Feeling the warm, moist sensation on his neck, Su Huan raised his head in confusion to see gentle apricot eyes shimmering with tears, large drops falling like a curtain of water, landing on his face.

Su Huan felt a throb of pain in his heart.

Reaching out to wipe away the tears on the woman’s face, he said with a half-smile, "She just said some nasty words, I’m not actually going to die."

The fierce whistling wind and snow suddenly quieted for a moment.

Yu Yue, holding his head, burst into tears, emotions of grievance, unease, and fear all exploded at that moment.