Reborn

Chapter 4

"Miss. Y/n!"

A crowd of children surged forward, colliding against Y/n's legs. She laughed and toppled over from the force, sitting up and letting the children attack her with their affection.

Zhongli watched from the distance. The children are all delighted to see his wife. Happy and excited. And Y/n is equally excited to see the children.

She's a teacher so it makes sense for her to get along with children. The children adored Y/n and she adored them right back.

"Hey!"

Zhongli blinked, feeling arms wrap around his waist.

"School is about to start," Y/n said, looking up at him with a smile. "You better head off to work yourself before your late, don't you think?"

The children chorused together, shouting out their answers at the couple.

"Miss. Y/n! Come teach us!"

"We wanna learn, Miss. Y/n!"

"It's time for school, Miss. Y/n!"

Y/n lightly chuckled and shook her head.

"You heard the children," she chortled. "I'll see you at home, love."

Pressing a kiss to his lips, Y/n let him go and sauntered over to the children. They all cheered in unison and dragged her inside the school.

Her good heart reaches to even the smallest of hearts, Zhongli concluded.

He raised the cup of tea to his lips. Standing by the window of his office at Wangshen Funeral Parlor, Zhongli remained lost in his thoughts. Until a knock on the door caught his attention.

"Mr. Zhongli," an assistant softly said, opening the door. "We have a meeting with a client soon. Shall we get going?"

"Yes, I apologize," Zhongli agreed, placing the cup down. "I will be there shortly."

The assistant bowed and left his office. Zhongli followed after her, following the assistant down the hall, and into a room.

His vision darkened.

"So...you're an orphan?"

Two children hid behind a building, the shadow over their heads.

"Uh-huh," the girl mumbled. "Why? Are you here to drag me back to the orphanage?"

"No. I just want to be your friend."

"Mr. Zhongli?"

Zhongli pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"I apologize," Zhongli said. "I have a slight headache is all."

"Will you be-"

"Yes, I will be fine. Now then, onto the contract."

________

Zhongli waited by the courtyard as a swarm of children exited out of the school. Chattering and laughter passed by them, eyes moving from one place to another until they landed on his wife. His wife knelt on her knees, hands gently cupping a child's cheeks, wiping away a trail of tears from his cheek.

As he got closer, Zhongli was able to hear her soft words.

"Hush, little one. It's okay. You didn't mean to break it."

The boy sniffled again and wiped his tears away.

"But I broke it," he sniffled. "I broke your vase."

Y/n softly smiled.

"It's just a vase," she said. "It can easily be replaced. I'm not angry if that's what you're so worried about."

The boy sniffled again.

"Promise?"

"Promise," Y/n confirmed. "Now, your mother is here. There. You can see her, right?" The boy nodded.

"Thank you, Miss. Y/n."

Y/n let him go and the boy ran off to meet his mother. Y/n stood up and approached Zhongli.

"How was work?" She asked. "Any new clients you need to work with?"

"A few," Zhongli answered. "And what about the vase?"

"I cleaned it up, no worries. No one was hurt thankfully."

"That's good to hear."

A kind heart even children adore. A patient and understanding woman. Rare indeed.