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

Chapter 28

Wei Wuxian could tell that ever since he had mentioned the hospital, Mo Xuanyu was even more scared than ever. He tried to talk to him about it, to reassure him that it would be alright, that he would go with him, that it would not hurt at all. But it was all to naught; it was as is the boy did not even hear him at all.

Still, he listened nevertheless; he finished his breakfast even though it did not look like he enjoyed it anymore and when the time came, he followed Wei Wuxian to the car and obediently sat down and fastened his seatbelt. He did everything silently and with a blank expression, the fear could only be seen in his eyes and slightly trembling hands.

Wei Wuxian sat down behind the steering wheel, almost beside himself with worry. He was not sure they should go through with this when Mo Xuanyu was in such a state. It could only frighten the boy even more to be forced into an unfamiliar situation when he is already distressed. He should have explained better, he thought, he was really not the right person to do this. Should he perhaps stop by the school and have Wen Qing or the councillor talk to Mo Xuanyu first before driving him to the hospital?

He remembered Wen Qing telling him yesterday that she would deal with the administration and that he would have to be responsible for the boy's wellbeing. In the end, he decided against a visit at school. It could distress Mo Xuanyu even further.

However, he would use his secret weapon. It always did miracles when A-Yuan or A-Yi were scared of doctors or other stuff. He turned the steering wheel left, away from the direct way to the hospital. It did not even take five minutes for them to arrive to their new destination.

When he stopped the car, Wei Wuxian turned around to look at Mo Xuanyu. The boy was as small as ever, trembling slightly. Wei Wuxian did his best to give him a reassuring smile: "A-Yu, what do you say, would you like to have some ice cream first?"

Mo Xuanyu's head shot up and he watched Wei Wuxian with wide, surprised eyes. He did not agree, but neither did he refuse. Wei Wuxian gave him another smile: "Let us go then."

He got out of the car and waited for the boy to join him. They were in a park where he often took A-Yuan and A-Yi to play and have some ice cream. They had the best all around the town here. There was also a big children's playground which both boys simply adored. Now he hoped that it would be the case also with Mo Xuanyu.

He first headed towards the ice cream stand, Mo Xuanyu dutifully following him with his head lowered. Wei Wuxian however had to smile for himself because the boy's eyes were no longer dead or scared, he was sneakily looking all around. Before they reached the stand, his head was lifted and his eyes full of wonders as he was taking in the scenery, especially the big playground a little bit farther ahead.

Wei Wuxian already counted it as his victory, he had successfully managed to distract the boy from his grim thoughts about hospitals. When they were standing right in front of the ice cream stand, Mo Xuanyu's attention turned away from the playground and he was now observing all the different colours and flavours there were on the display. His nose was almost glued to the glass, his eyes sparkling.

Wei Wuxian let him choose for a minute, it seemed like the stand tender was in no rush and only smiled gently at the child who was so invested in choosing the flavour. When he thought that Mo Xuanyu must have already chosen, he asked: "A-Yu, which one do you want?"

The boy's eyes snapped away from the ice creams and he looked at him with a strange mixture of emotions on his face. Wei Wuxian could not tell what exactly Mo Xuanyu was feeling, but he was not bothered, it could not have been anything too bad because his eyes never stopped sparkling. When he saw that the child was starting to shake his head, he quickly reassured: "It is fine A-Yu, you can choose whichever you want."

Internally however, he wanted to cry again. He knew why the boy wanted to refuse his offer. He himself had been like that for the longest time, never wanting to burden those around him, never asking for anything he did not desperately need. No, he would make sure that this child would shake off this habit sooner than he had had.

In the end, after a little bit more prompting and some shy whispering, Mo Xuanyu and himself got two portions each and went to sit down on a nearby bench. The boy had been surprised when he first tasted the ice cold snack, he however quickly discovered he liked it and was now working his way through his cone quickly. So fast even that Wei Wuxian considered telling him to slow down lest he would end up with a stomach ache.

When the boy finished, Wei Wuxian took out a handkerchief and cleaned his mouth and his whole face, Mo Xuanyu had somehow managed to get the ice cream even onto his forehead and the tip of his nose. He finished his own and then got up, Mo Xuanyu followed, a lot more relaxed this time. But still not completely calm. It did not matter; the playground would do the trick. Wei Wuxian only worried that he could not let the boy run around too much, it could reopen his injuries and that was the last thing he wanted.

He did not have to worry about it too much as he found out just after arriving to the edge of the playground. There were only a handful of children with their mothers, it was still early in the day and most of the older children were still at school and the women's husbands most probably at work. It was quite calm too and Wei Wuxian supposed that it was good. Mo Xuanyu scurried closer to him and he looked shy, perhaps even a bit scared, but his eyes clearly told him that the boy wanted to join the others.

He scrunched down beside him and asked: "A-Yu, do you not want to go play?"

The boy's stuttered reply was a dagger right into his heart: "I do not know how."

Wei Wuxian thought that he should perhaps suggest Mo Xuanyu could do the same things as the other children did. However, the boy looked too shy now for that. So instead, he looked around and spotted a pair of swings which would probably be sturdy enough to be able to support his weight.

He smiled at the boy and patted his head, it looked like Mo Xuanyu had already gotten used to that and even started to like the gesture from how his lips curled upwards every time Wei Wuxian did it.

"Then should we go together?"

As expected, the boy nodded, looking down onto the ground. Not all too sure if he was not overstepping his bounds, he took Mo Xuanyu's hand gently, he did not want him to feel trapped or uncomfortable, and led them both to the swings' area. He sat down on one of them and gestured to Mo Xuanyu to follow his example. Then he started gently swinging back and forth, his feet not leaving the ground, he did not want to show the boy how to do anything more, mindful of his injuries. They could always come back again and have some more fun, possibly with A-Yuan and A-Yi being the teachers in this case.

They were both rocking on the swings, Mo Xuanyu's lips finally parting in a true smile. It looked like even with this little, he was still enjoying himself immensely. Wei Wuxian was almost sure that the boy had never been to a playground before. What kind of guardians would not permit their child to have even a little fun? He did not need to have anyone answering that question, he knew it already.

After several minutes they have passed in a comfortable silence, Wei Wuxian decided that it was time to bring up the topic of the hospital visit once more and explain to Mo Xuanyu what exactly it would mean.