The weather was gradually getting warmer, and Lan Xi could barely keep the hat on his head anymore.
The two children spent three nights studying the problem at home until their foreheads were slick with sweat, but they still could not figure out how to make Lan Xi’s horns retract.
Fu Hui even watched a great many fantasy movies, but not a single one taught little demons how to put their horns away.
Fu Hui thought it was probably because there was only one Lan Xi in this world.
“What if…” Should he just ask for leave?
The words reached Fu Hui’s lips, but he swallowed them again.
Lan Xi simply loved going to kindergarten too much.
More than anyone else in the entire world.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by the nanny’s surprised call, “Sir?”
Fu Lin was back.
Fu Hui hurriedly pulled Lan Xi’s little hat onto his head just as Fu Lin knocked and came in.
Fu Lin froze for a moment when he saw Lan Xi. “You’re still wearing the little hat?”
Back when the first snow fell, Fu Lin bought the two children scarves, hats, and gloves. Fu Hui and Lan Xi sent him so many photos afterward and gave him such enthusiastic feedback that Fu Lin got invested too, and from then on he took full responsibility for supplying all their little hats and scarves.
The hat Lan Xi was wearing now was one Fu Lin had bought the previous month while passing a mall on a business trip.
The sight of Lan Xi stubbornly keeping it on made Fu Lin feel both amused and touched.
He was beginning to understand more and more why Fu Hui liked this little baby so much.
Fu Lin brightened a little, walked over, sat down, and said, “Dad has been especially busy lately.”
Fu Lin was never not busy, so it was strange that he had gone out of his way to mention it.
Fu Hui immediately asked, “What happened?”
“Your grandfather has fallen ill again.” This time, Fu Lin was finding it difficult even to make time for regular visits to Old Master Fu.
“Could you go to the hospital for Dad?” Fu Lin was worried, but he also felt this was a good opportunity. It had always bothered him that Old Master Fu once said Fu Hui was cold-hearted. The old man had even used that to urge him to remarry and have a few more children.
For Fu Hui, this was not a difficult request at all. He agreed at once.
At seven the next morning, Old Master Fu was awakened by his secretary.
Older people were already light sleepers, but Old Master Fu had tossed and turned for half the night before finally managing to doze off.
“What?” Old Master Fu opened his eyes halfway, still not quite awake.
“Young Master has come to visit you,” the secretary said awkwardly.
If it had been anyone else, he would not even have let them through the door.
“Who?” Old Master Fu had not heard clearly. “Who comes to visit a patient this early in the morning?”
“Me and Fu Hui.” A child’s voice rang out with complete confidence, followed by a fluffy little head poking forward and coming to rest on Old Master Fu’s blanket.
Old Master Fu opened his eyes properly. First he saw a beautiful, fluffy head, then he turned and saw Fu Hui standing ramrod straight behind it.
Fu Hui said, “Lan Xi is used to getting up early.”
For the sake of going to kindergarten, Lan Xi woke up early every single day without fail and wandered around with Fu Hui until the doors opened.
Old Master Fu: “…”
Old Master Fu could not help asking, “He doesn’t stay in bed?”
“No.” Fu Hui paused, then embellished the truth. “He’s very diligent and eager to learn. It’s all so he can go to kindergarten.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
“You’re sick. We came to see you.”
And just like that, they had circled right back around.
Old Master Fu felt powerless.
But as an elder, he obviously could not criticize a child for being too enthusiastic about visiting him while he was sick.
“Sit down,” Old Master Fu said in a world-weary tone.
Lan Xi immediately tugged Fu Hui over to an empty sofa and sat down.
Lan Xi did not like hospitals, but he was full of curiosity about this whole business of “visiting the sick.” He asked Fu Hui, “What do we do next? Do we just keep looking at Grandpa?”
Old Master Fu found that funny. “Visiting someone doesn’t mean staring at me the whole time.”
Lan Xi asked, “Then how are you supposed to look?”
Before Old Master Fu could answer, Fu Hui spoke up. “Usually, you bring a fruit basket and flowers.”
They had brought a fruit basket, and Lan Xi had spent the whole way there unable to keep his hands off it.
Lan Xi liked flowers too. Succubi simply liked beautiful things. Unfortunately, flowers could not be handled too much or they would be damaged.
Lan Xi looked around. The hospital room was packed with fruit baskets and flowers, along with other wrapped gifts.
Lan Xi said, “Oh, he’s so happy.”
Old Master Fu: “…”
Fu Hui continued, “Then you keep him company, chat with him for a while, and ask how he’s feeling.”
Lan Xi said, “Ohhh.”
The little succubus was very serious about learning the rules of this world.
He immediately put what he had learned into practice, looked up at Old Master Fu, and asked, “How are you feeling?”
Fu Hui corrected him at once. “You have to call him Grandpa.”
Only then did Lan Xi add the form of address.
Old Master Fu: ?
Were they using him as some kind of social-practice lesson?
When Old Master Fu still did not answer after a long while, Lan Xi asked again in confusion, “How are you feeling, Grandpa?”
At that, Fu Hui looked at Old Master Fu too.
Two pairs of children’s eyes stared at him at once, incomparably clear and innocent, as though it would be terribly unbecoming of an elder not to answer.
“…I’m all right,” Old Master Fu said sullenly.
Just then, a young nurse came in and said, “You really can’t keep sitting in the draft like this. You still haven’t recovered.”
Lan Xi immediately turned to Fu Hui. “Is he lying?”
Fu Hui said, “Mm.”
Old Master Fu: “…”
Old Master Fu clutched his chest and said irritably, “Fine, fine. My chest actually feels very tight.”
The young nurse was startled. “Why didn’t you say so? When did the chest tightness start? Do you have any other symptoms?”
Old Master Fu had reached his current position with a personality that was somewhat domineering and forceful. He was like that when handling affairs, and even after falling ill, he was very unwilling to show weakness.
Being called out to his face was extremely irritating.
But the young nurse did not care about any of that. She turned around, called someone over, and had Old Master Fu sent for imaging.
Lan Xi’s eyes widened. “Then what about us?”
Fu Hui happened to have no desire to send Lan Xi to kindergarten anymore either. He took Lan Xi’s hand and stood up. “Follow them.”
The examination really did uncover something serious.
The fluid around Old Master Fu’s lungs had worsened.
The secretary hurried off to notify the rest of the Fu family while the doctors wheeled Old Master Fu toward the ICU.
Old Master Fu himself was frightened. Still shaken, he looked around but did not see his secretary. Instead, the first thing he saw was two little tails silently following behind.
He sighed.
The rest of the Fu family rushed over in a panic, their clothes thrown on haphazardly and their hair not even combed.
When they asked about his condition, the nurse said it was fortunate they had discovered it early.
Then they asked how it had been discovered.
The nurse pointed at the two children over there.
The Fu family members were all stunned. “Why did Fu Hui come so early?”
He was making all of them look lazy!
The secretary thought that story would have to begin with a certain child who loved waking up early for kindergarten…
It was not until evening that Old Master Fu was wheeled back out. His mouth still tasted bitter, but when he saw all his sons and daughters gathered around him, the bitterness seemed to ease a little.
After thinking about it, he still asked, “Where are Fu Hui and Lan Xi?”
Only then did the secretary hurriedly usher the two children forward. “They’re right here.”
Lan Xi happened to have something to say. “I want to eat the fruit baskets.”
Fu Hui quickly added, “If we don’t eat them, the fruit will go bad.” It certainly was not because Lan Xi was craving it.
Old Master Fu: “…Eat.”
Lan Xi happily turned around and began unpacking the fruit baskets.
Afraid Lan Xi would eat too much, Fu Hui casually distributed some of the fruit to the uncles and aunts…
Naturally, no one could very well refuse, and before long the situation had turned into everyone sitting together eating bananas.
After the bananas came grapes, after the grapes came pears, after the pears came kiwifruit, and then longans…
“No more. I really can’t eat another bite.” An uncle forced a stiff smile as he declined Fu Hui’s “hospitality.”
An aunt covered her cheek. “I think I’ve got a bit of internal heat.”
As Old Master Fu watched, his mouth began to water in spite of himself. Lan Xi ate with such intense concentration, and even the way he ate was pretty.
Then he looked at everyone else eating along with him and could not help finding the whole scene extremely funny.
There was a strange sort of warmth to it.
At that moment, Lan Xi looked at the clock on the wall and suddenly said, “Fu Hui, it’s time to watch cartoons.”
Fu Hui looked at Old Master Fu.
Old Master Fu said, “…Go ahead.”
The two children could be said to have saved him, so Old Master Fu’s tolerance for them was now terrifyingly high.
Fu Hui immediately turned on the television.
After the childishly cheerful opening theme had played, no one could get a word in edgewise even if they wanted to talk about something else.
So everyone was forced to empty their minds.
By the time they left the hospital, all they could think about was how Wolffy could never catch the sheep.
Everyone eventually dispersed. After Lan Xi finished another episode, he brushed the peanut skins stuck to his hands and asked Fu Hui, “So is that it for visiting the sick?”
“Yes. Say goodbye to Grandpa.”
“Goodbye, Grandpa.” Lan Xi took Fu Hui’s hand.
Old Master Fu nodded and watched the two figures recede, feeling a faint, involuntary loneliness.
Words spoken by children always seemed more pleasing to hear than words spoken by adults.
After the fluid around his lungs was drained and he was given appropriate medication, Old Master Fu slept well that night.
At seven the next morning, the secretary woke him on time. “Ahem…”
Old Master Fu opened his eyes and saw the same fluffy head, with Fu Hui standing behind it.
They had come again.
Lan Xi was extremely enthusiastic about coming to unpack the fruit baskets. When he went home the day before, he had even taken two sheets of wrapping paper from the baskets and bouquets with him.
Besides, the snacks here were even more plentiful than the ones at kindergarten.
The first thing Lan Xi said was, “I want to eat the fruit baskets.”
“Eat.” Old Master Fu looked at him, caught hold of his little arm, and asked, “What’s this?”
Lan Xi had a ring of plastic wrapping around his wrist.
He turned his wrist back and forth proudly, and the plastic immediately reflected a rainbow of colors.
Lan Xi said, “Fu Hui cut it out for me. It’s a pretty bracelet.”
Only then did Old Master Fu recognize it as a strip cut from wrapping paper.
He could not help freezing again. Looking at Fu Hui, he said, “You’re quite patient.”
Lan Xi said proudly, “Of course.”
It was just like last time, when one of Fu Hui’s cousins had asked whether Lan Xi was well-behaved and Fu Hui had answered, “Of course.”
Lan Xi had learned that turn of phrase too.
Old Master Fu could not help asking, “You two are very close, huh?”
This time Lan Xi answered even more readily. “Of course!”
Not only that, he added by way of explanation, “Fu Hui and Lan Xi are the best!”
Old Master Fu could not understand it. “Why?” In the past, Fu Hui had never been especially close to anyone. He had always kept even his parents at a certain distance.
Why?
Lan Xi froze and thought very seriously about it.
What was there to ask why about?
He finally squeezed out an answer. “Because it’s Lan Xi and Fu Hui.”
So of course they were the best.
The secretary had heard a little about it and interjected, “Ever since Lan Xi appeared by Young Master’s side, the two of them have always lived together.”
Old Master Fu fell silent when he heard that. *So Fu Hui wasn’t close to them because he hadn’t had enough companionship?*
Was it their fault?
The more Old Master Fu thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt in his own skin.
Lan Xi had already gone to sit with Fu Hui. Fu Hui took a laptop out of his schoolbag. “Let’s do an online lesson for a while first.”
When no one came to bother him, Old Master Fu normally listened to Chinese opera to pass the time whenever he was bored.
Now even his opera time had been squeezed out.
He was forced to sit through the lesson with them.
Fu Hui practiced English conversation with Lan Xi for a while.
Suddenly, Fu Hui closed his mouth and refused to speak.
Lan Xi’s nose twitched. He brought his face close to Fu Hui’s. “What’s wrong? Your mouth smells like blood.”
After saying that, Lan Xi reached over to pry open Fu Hui’s mouth.
Old Master Fu was startled too and hurriedly asked, “What happened?”
For once, Fu Hui pushed Lan Xi’s hand away and would not let him pry.
But Lan Xi’s stubborn streak kicked in. He insisted on looking, forcing his slender fingers into Fu Hui’s mouth until he finally fished out a tooth.
Lan Xi was horrified. “Fu Hui, your mouth is hurt!”
He climbed right on top of Fu Hui, pried his mouth open, and said, “I’ll lick it for you and it’ll get better.”
Old Master Fu nearly fell out of bed. “Don’t, don’t! He just lost a tooth!”