From the History of the Republic of China to Raising Children in the 1970s

67

Li Chengye put his things away and sat casually on the chair, holding a stack of documents in his hand. However, he did not open it immediately, but looked at Master Qian, "Master Qian, are you tired? Why don't you take a bath? I just saw a bathtub inside, which is just right for you to relieve your fatigue."

Master Qian was silent for a long time, and after a while he got up from the bed and slowly went into the bathroom.

When Master Qian came out, half an hour had passed. Li Chengye had almost finished reading the documents in his hand, and was sitting casually drinking tea.

When the people came out, he also went in to take a bath. After changing his clothes, he walked to the window. The lights outside were as bright as day, as if he had entered another world, completely different from the night in China. People were coming and going on the street in the distance, and the neon lights on the storefronts kept flashing, making it particularly lively.

He turned around and found that Master Qian was already lying on the bed, covered with a wide quilt, and seemed to have fallen asleep. Li Chengye had already heard his steady breathing. Fortunately, this person did not snore at night, otherwise it would be difficult.

Li Chengye couldn't sleep for a while, and after thinking about it, he decided to go out for a walk. He seemed to have some indigestion at night, and he was still a little uncomfortable. Moreover, they could move freely in the hotel, as long as they didn't run out.

Li Chengye left the room, closed the door, and took an elevator at random. He directly pressed the button to go to the top floor. This hotel has a total of 32 floors. When he checked in, he heard that there was a small garden on the top floor. However, at this time of year, all flowers should have withered, so he went up to get some fresh air.

The elevator went up to the 32nd floor, and Li Chengye climbed more than 20 steps before finally pushing open a glass door to enter the rooftop balcony. Unlike what Li Chengye expected, this small garden was more like a glass greenhouse, with many flowers blooming inside, very beautiful.

Li Chengye looked around casually. There should be guests coming here from time to time, so there are signs in many places, "Do not pick flowers and plants at will", "Do not step on them at will", "Close the door at will".

While admiring the scenery, Li Chengye suddenly heard a faint cry in the corner. Li Chengye frowned and listened carefully in that direction, but unfortunately, it seemed like an illusion, and the sound had disappeared. It must be an illusion.

Li Chengye thought he should go outside to get some fresh air. With that in mind, he went straight to the door leading to the outside of the small garden. Just as he was about to open the door, he saw something moving in the corner where the crying sound had just been heard.

He loosened his hand holding the door handle and strode towards the place covered by the vines. The closer he got, the clearer the intermittent crying sound became. He did not cover up his footsteps. There were some fallen branches and other things on the path in the garden. When he stepped on them, they made a crisp breaking sound. Li Chengye clearly felt that the vines shook.

Li Chengye stood still, slowly bent down, and then gently brushed away the vines with his hands. In an instant, a pair of watery blue eyes appeared in front of him, which seemed to flash with fear and trepidation. The little body was also shrunk into a ball. He (she) was wearing a furry hat on his head. His (her) facial features were delicate and small. He seemed to be only three or four years old. It was impossible to determine whether it was a boy or a girl, let alone how this child got here.

"Little friend, why are you here?" Li Chengye saw that he seemed to be very afraid of him. He squatted on the ground. At this time, even his eyes and face were buried in his arms. He did not dare to go forward to pick him up. He squatted on the ground, showing the most friendly smile, and asked the child.