Silent and lonely world (Dark clouds before sunny weather - Book 1)

Chapter 27

As Mo Xuanyu was following A-Yuan and A-Yi down the stairs, he still could not fully believe that all of this was not some nice dream he would have to wake up from soon. No one had ever been this nice to him, offering kind words and reassurances, telling him he can do what he wanted, even inviting him to spend time with them. This was all a dream come true despite Mo Xuanyu never daring to wish for this much.

In the kitchen, he was greeted by his smiling teacher and his husband and invited to sit at the table where his own place was now prepared and a tasty looking luxurious breakfast served. He felt like crying out of sheer gratitude. He did not dare to because he was afraid that if he had closed his eyes even for a second, everything would disappear and he would find himself waking up in his garden shack back at his aunt's and uncle's house.

He felt all fluffy inside, listening to A-Yuan boasting about his party yesterday as he was eating the delicious omelette with veggies and some more leftover cake.

"You know, dad, I like Biology, but History is even more fun. We get to learn about all what happened in the past and how the people were making mistakes or avoiding them. I always find it great to be able to refer to those situations when I am solving some problem. It helps me not to make the same mistakes."

A-Yuan was happily blabbering with his parents looking at him with smiles on their faces. This was the perfect picture of a happy family that Mo Xuanyu had always imagined. He found out that he was smiling together with them. And since no one reprimanded him for grimacing or taking away their appetite, he decided that it was perhaps alright to continue.

"What do you think, A-Yu? Which one is more fun?" A-Yuan asked him when his dad argued that it must have been Biology because he was the one teaching that subject.

"I like Biology better," replied Mo Xuanyu before he could stop himself. He knew he was not supposed to talk to anyone except for his teachers but the words just left his mouth of their own accord and he could not take them back anymore.

He had fully expected that one of A-Yuan's parents would now get up and grab a hold of him, double him over a chair and beat him. But nothing like that happened; his teacher only looked at him with an even bigger smile on his lips and agreed enthusiastically: "Yes, yes, listen to A-Yu! He also thinks that Biology is fun. Do you not find it fascinating to learn about the place where we live and all other living beings?"

A-Yuan looked pensive for a while, apparently thinking about which subject was actually more interesting, in the end, he settled for a sort of neutral answer: "Then I like both! I like everything we learn at school, it is so much fun to get to know new things all the time."

A-Yuan's dad reached to his son and ruffled his hair, it seemed to be something he was really fond of, thought Mo Xuanyu, he even did it to me several times already. He could still feel the lingering warmth of his teacher's touch on his head. It had been the first time he knew that he did not have to fear someone touching him, A-Yuan was the second one.

He liked it immensely and he knew he would never be able to thank them both, and to the rest of his teacher's family as well, for all their kindness. He realized that he did not want to go back home to his aunt and uncle, and especially to his cousin.

He had not yet finished his portion when A-Yuan's father stood up and prompted: "Come, otherwise we will be late for school."

Mo Xuanyu immediately shot up onto his feet, alarmed that he had lost his sense of time while having so much fun again. He was sated now, he did not need to finish his breakfast, he could just go to school like this. Though he wondered if his teacher's family would not be mad about wasting food. He glanced at them but it did not seem to be the case. He promptly turned around, wanting to go retrieve his school bag.

He was however stopped in his tracks when his teacher's called him back: "A-Yu, you can finish your breakfast. If you do not want to, that is fine too. You are not going to school today, I have called your other teachers and explained." There was short pause as if his teacher was deciding whether to continue or not. In the end, he did, replying so to Mo Xuanyu's unvoiced question: "We will go to a hospital today so you can get a proper check-up."

His words were kind and his voice full of concern but it still made Mo Xuanyu freeze. No, he did not need to go to a hospital, he had never needed it before, so why now? The school nurse had been there yesterday, surely he did not need to trouble anyone else? It was not as if he was very injured, this was nothing, it almost did not hurt anymore. He had certainly known worse and he had not needed a check-up then either.

He shuddered a bit. They had learned about hospitals at school and he had overheard children at school talking about their visits, he had gained a mixed impression of the place. He was not sure he would want to go there even if he actually had to. And was treatment not painful? When his wounds ever needed to be treated, it was not a pleasant experience. However, his teacher was looking quite determined, and anyway, Mo Xuanyu was not supposed to oppose him so he remained quiet.

He went back to the table and sat down, continuing to eat his breakfast which had suddenly lost all taste. He was truly terrified; it was the umpteenth time he was troubling his teacher or his family and he was expecting them to finally start yelling at him and tell him to go back home. Yesterday, he had wanted to go back, but today, after receiving so much kindness and experiencing not being all alone, he was dreading the moment he would have to leave and return to his normal life.

The conversation in the room continued with A-Yi asking some questions but Mo Xuanyu was not listening anymore. He was imagining all the horrors the hospital could be hiding. He was really scared all of a sudden.