Chapter 91: The Apple
The exchange day finally came to a close under the reflection of the sunset.
Bai Xin’s mermaid princess dress was the most sparkling among all the little friends. The moment Gu Ze took it out, almost all the little friends gathered around, letting out small gasps of admiration.
Gu Ze’s face was also a rare daze. He had probably never thought he would receive a dress, and his wide-open eyes were filled with a bit of bewilderment, not knowing what to do with this dress.
But fortunately, the exchange day had a time limit. Everyone could exchange their things back after a week, so Gu Ze directly put the dress back in the locker, planning to return it to Bai Xin in a week.
And besides exchanging toys and food, the matter of Nuonuo and Zhuang Rou exchanging their brothers at the same time was what gave Teacher Xiao Ran the biggest headache.
As the orange-red sunset spilled onto the lake, the sparkling water dyed people’s reflections with a sunset glow. Teacher Xiao Ran finally discussed a solution with the other teachers.
Fei Han carried Nuonuo, who was wearing a light blue kindergarten uniform, and walked into the dining room, his eyes slightly dark, his expression a little complicated.
And Nuonuo was swinging his short little legs as he sat on the chair. He looked up at his brother and, wringing his little fingers, asked, “Brother, are you unhappy?”
Fei Han lowered his eyes and glanced at this little one who was still out of it, and just sighed lightly. “No.”
Thinking of what the teacher had said at the kindergarten entrance, Fei Han really couldn’t bring himself to blame the little one. After all, it was Nuonuo’s “favorite” in his heart. No matter how many rejections Fei Han had, he couldn’t say them out loud.
At that time, at the kindergarten main gate, under the not-yet-completely-faded sunset glow, Fei Han had a cold face. Just as Zhuang Jie thought the other would mercilessly say “no,” he had nodded lightly.
Probably no one knew the monstrous waves that were rolling in Zhuang Jie’s heart at that time, especially when he saw Nuonuo hugging Fei Han’s neck and acting spoiled, and Fei Han actually responding. Zhuang Jie only felt that the sun in this world had risen from the west.
Returning home with their own thoughts, Fei Han thought of the matter of “exchanging brothers,” and the expression on his face was even colder than usual.
The night quietly swallowed the light, and the stars appeared one by one, the bright moon also hanging high in the night sky.
In the cool breeze, Fei Han knocked on Fei Luo’s door.
“Eldest Brother?”
Fei Luo was doing his homework. Seeing his eldest brother, whom he was not very familiar with, knock and come in, his little face was slightly taken aback, and he quickly jumped off his chair. “What’s wrong, Eldest Brother?”
Fei Luo tilted his face up, his light chestnut-colored hair falling fluffily on both sides of his face, his big eyes full of questions.
Fei Han sat on the small sofa, looked at Fei Luo’s dazed expression, coughed lightly, and then avoided the other’s gaze and said, “Nuonuo’s kindergarten has an activity. Tomorrow, someone needs to be Zhuang Rou’s ‘temporary brother’ and take her out to pick fruit.”
This was the solution the teachers had come up with. Brothers couldn’t be exchanged, so they could only exchange a day of their brothers’ time.
So tomorrow, both Nuonuo’s and Zhuang Rou’s brothers had to accompany the other to do something that would make them happy.
Zhuang Rou was going to the orchard in the suburbs to pick sweet fruit, and Nuonuo was going to the amusement park he hadn’t been able to go to before.
Hearing his eldest brother’s words, Fei Luo’s expression was still a little dazed. He tilted his head slightly, and his little curls also swayed. “Why? Doesn’t Zhuang Rou have her own brother? Then how about… we send Second Brother to her?”
As Fei Luo said this, he even felt that this suggestion was very good, and his eyes even showed a bit of joy.
Fei Han was choked by Fei Luo’s words, thinking to himself that if Fei Jing heard what he said, he would probably whip him with a vine again.
Lifting his hand to rub his forehead, Fei Han carefully explained it to Fei Luo again. After Fei Luo understood, he finally stated his purpose. “Can you accompany Zhuang Rou tomorrow?”
Fei Luo’s eyes widened sharply. He shook his little head vigorously, his little curls flying left and right, expressing his will. “I’m still young. Eldest Brother can go.”
Fei Luo blinked his eyes a couple of times, then ran to the head of his bed, took out his little doll, and handed it to his eldest brother. “Eldest Brother, take it. The little doll is my substitute. Let him go and pick fruit with you in my place.”
Fei Han looked at the doll, which also had little curls, and thought to himself that he hadn’t watched so many TV shows with Nuonuo for nothing. He could even say such things as a “substitute”!
Indeed, you become what you’re close to. Fei Luo had learned a bunch of messy things from Nuonuo.
While worrying about his younger brothers’ studies, he was also forced to hold the doll with a grim face. Fei Han walked out of Fei Luo’s room with an icy face.
In the cool morning breeze, Fei Han walked downstairs in a casual-style outfit.
Fei Jing, who had just arrived home, saw his eldest brother, whose aura had softened a lot after changing his clothes, and couldn’t help but smile with a tilted head. “Eldest Brother, ah no, you’re not our eldest brother today.”
Fei Jing, who never minded watching a good show, propped his chin on his hand, his light-colored eyes full of mockery.
Nuonuo’s little spoon fell onto the plate with a clatter. His little mouth was slightly open, and he looked at Fei Han with a dazed expression, unable to help but pout and ask, “Why, ya? Eldest Brother is Nuonuo’s eldest brother!”
Stretching out his little hands, Nuonuo even wanted to touch his eldest brother’s face, looking at his unusually casual eldest brother today with pleading eyes, his little mouth chattering on. “Eldest Brother, you tell Second Brother, you are!”
Fei Jing, who had almost made Nuonuo cry, received a cold glare from Fei Han. Fei Han had no choice but to lower his head and gently coax Nuonuo. “Your second brother is just joking. Did you forget that I’m going to pick fruit with Zhuang Rou today?”
Nuonuo had really forgotten. His brain seemed to be only so big. When he remembered one thing, he would forget another. He was a typical carefree and silly person.
“I remember now. Then are we going together, ya?”
Nuonuo was put back in his baby chair, and he looked at his eldest brother with anticipation, holding onto his little table.
Fei Han finally understood this time that at the kindergarten entrance yesterday, Nuonuo really hadn’t understood anything. After all, the long string of words the teacher had said, such as “exchanging each other’s brother’s time,” was indeed a bit difficult for a child to understand.
Even Zhuang Rou had only half-understood, just roughly knowing that Fei Han would be accompanying her to pick fruit today.
And so, in the middle of Nuonuo’s meal, Fei Han directly got on his bike and sped all the way to the apartment building where Zhuang Rou lived.
Zhuang Rou was wearing a beautiful pastoral-style little dress today, with a woven lace straw hat on her head, also put on by her mother. She was wearing little sandals and was being held by Zhuang Jie’s hand, waiting at the staircase.
Zhuang Jie, on the other hand, was in his usual black, white, and gray color scheme. When the gentle breeze came, his hair was blown up, covering his eyes.
When he looked up again, he saw Fei Han in a light-colored sweatshirt, taking off his helmet and looking towards them.
Under the shining sun, the beads of sweat on Fei Han’s forehead were sparkling, and his eyes also reflected a bit of faint light, his whole body exuding a sense of freedom and unrestraint.
The coldness and distance on his face also seemed to have melted a lot under the sunlight.
If it weren’t for the fact that Zhuang Jie had been with Fei Han for almost twenty years, perhaps he would have also been deceived by Fei Han’s appearance, thinking that the other was a person with a good personality.
But even so, Zhuang Jie was still inevitably stunned. Looking at Fei Han on his motorcycle, he felt that his previous perception had become blurry.
Fei Han… can ride a motorcycle?
An ice-block-faced person immersed in experiments, would actually be associated with something as crazy and exciting as a motorcycle?
Zhuang Jie couldn’t help but recall what Fei Han was like in his previous life.
At that time, Fei Han seemed to always have a cold face. When he saw him, his lips would be slightly pressed down, his tone wary and indifferent.
Fei Han wouldn’t even call him by his name, always just a single-syllable “you,” which made one’s anger unconsciously rise.
But now, the image of the past was being broken bit by bit by Fei Han’s sideways glance.
He suddenly thought of the school gate yesterday, of Fei Han holding the small Nuonuo, saying “thank you for your care” to Teacher Xiao Ran with a cool yet respectful tone.
Having fought with Fei Han for so many years, Zhuang Jie knew him too well.
But the gentleness in his eyes when he looked at Nuonuo at that time was something Zhuang Jie had never seen before.
Fei Han actually really cares about this little brother, Fei Nuo!
Zhuang Jie didn’t know what he was feeling. It was a mixture of swelling and sourness. Even taking a deep breath couldn’t suppress the surging waves in his heart.
And Fei Han had stopped his car and was walking towards them with a blank expression. “Hello.”
Seeing the strange big brother, Zhuang Rou held her basket and hid behind her brother, grabbing his clothes.
Zhuang Jie looked at Fei Han’s cold expression in front of outsiders, as if he were an un-meltable snow mountain. It was a world of difference from his gentle expression when facing Nuonuo yesterday.
After all, at this moment, both sides were strangers to each other, so Fei Han could only try his best to be polite and ask, “Is it okay if I call you Zhuang Jie and Zhuang Rou?”
Zhuang Rou nodded her little head lightly and said in a whisper, “Yes.”
Zhuang Jie nodded with a complicated look in his eyes. Seeing the anticipation in his little sister’s eyes, in the end, he didn’t say anything and watched them walk away.
Parking his motorcycle in the community parking lot, Fei Han took Zhuang Rou and got into a car heading to the picking orchard in the suburbs.
The picking orchard was very crowded recently. Autumn was the ripening season for many fruits, and it was also the weekend, so many parents had brought their children here to play.
Looking from afar, the rows of fruit trees seemed to have no end. The colors of the golden autumn were all condensed into them, becoming heavy fruits weighing down the branches.
Most of the beauty-loving girls were wearing various colored straw hats, and there were also chattering and noisy little friends. The lively and joyful atmosphere could be felt the moment one walked in.
Fei Han was a little unaccustomed to such a lively place. His cold brow was tightly furrowed, and a faint wrinkle even appeared between his brows.
Although Zhuang Rou was shy, she was a little girl who longed for all beautiful things. Looking at the beautiful scenery around her, she forgot to be shy, her eyes sparkling as she followed behind Fei Han, looking up at the red apples on the branches.
Fei Han and the little girl didn’t have much to talk about. To avoid the awkwardness of conversation, he kept his lips tightly pursed and, accompanied by a staff member, stood to the side and watched Zhuang Rou pick fruit.
The trees here were not very tall, and some could be reached just by standing on tiptoe.
Zhuang Rou tried her best to stand on her tiptoes and stretch her arms, but unfortunately, this tree was a little too high, and she couldn’t reach it after trying for a long time.
Seeing this, the female staff member smiled and went over, gently picking up Zhuang Rou and lifting her a little higher.
With the other’s help, Zhuang Rou also finally managed to pick a fruit, albeit with some difficulty.
