Muted (穆然)

42

After saying it over and over again intermittently, Mu Ran finally understood what the child was saying: I want to give you something to eat. This is what I left for you to eat.

Wang Qin felt a little uncomfortable next to her. In order to cover up this embarrassment, she coughed and said: "Oh, why is this child so careless..."

Mu Ran did not speak, lowered his gaze and picked up the child. He turned to Wang Qin and said, "Sister Wang, I have finished my busy work today. I will go back first." Without waiting for Wang Qin to answer, Mu Ran said again: "There is more. I have something to do tomorrow and I want to ask you for a day off." He had already thought about it. If Wang Qin didn't agree or said something unpleasant, he wouldn't do it. There is always a limit to tolerance. He has done everything he should do on a daily basis. He doesn't want to care about Wang Qin's little thoughts, but if he still can't get a good result, it's meaningless.

When Mu Ran spoke, he no longer had the gentle and good-tempered smile of the past on his face. Looking at the child in his arms who was crying twitchingly, Wang Qin felt a little guilty for some reason. Her face He broke out into a smile, nodded and said repeatedly: "It's okay, you can go back first if you have something to do."

Mu Ran thanked him, cleaned up everything on the floor, and then left the restaurant with his children.

The child stopped crying, but there were still long tears on her face. Mu Ran reached out to wipe the moist corners of her eyes and said warmly: "Are you hungry?"

The child shook his head and replied obediently: "I'm not hungry." His voice was crisp and small.

She had only eaten two or three dumplings, how could she not be hungry? Mu Ran didn't say anything more, and took her to a hot pot restaurant, ordered fish in sour soup, and fed her some fish soup.

He originally thought that there was something wrong with the child's speech, and wanted to take her to the city hospital for examination tomorrow. Now he felt relieved knowing that the child could speak normally. He tried his best to tease her while eating, but Mu Ran was afraid of causing her If she has a bad memory, I won't ask her about her past, not even her name.

On the way home after dinner, they first went to Dr. Liu's clinic. The child was in much better spirits today and had no fever. Dr. Liu did not recommend any more fluids and only prescribed some medicine for the child. When he heard that Mu Ran was going to send her child to a shelter tomorrow, Dr. Liu said with emotion, "I hope everyone she meets in the future can be as kind to her as you are."

Mu Ran thought of the child's previous experiences and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Mu Ran took the child to the city early the next morning, and by the time he took several buses to the shelter, almost two hours had passed. It's not a big place, and the sign outside is "Rescue and Protection Center for Minors."

The person who came out to receive them was an aunt in her forties. The aunt had heard the police explain the situation yesterday, and without asking any questions, she told Mu Ran that the child could stay.

Mu Ran looked down at the child who was always clinging to his legs and clutching the corner of his clothes, and asked with some worry: "Is the child staying here all the time? Or is he going somewhere else?"

The aunt sighed, "In her case, we will contact her uncle first and verify the address before sending her back."

Mu Ran was stunned for a moment, and then said anxiously: "But if she goes back and continues to be abused..."

The aunt interrupted Mu Ran and said helplessly: "We can't control this. We have rescue management regulations, and we can only take her in for 10 days at most." After a pause, the aunt explained: "There is nothing we can do. Sometimes more than a dozen people are sent here a day. If we don't send them back, how can such a small place survive?"

Mu Ran didn't speak any more. He swallowed his saliva to moisten his dry throat, and after a while he said, "Excuse me, can I adopt her?"

The aunt glanced at Mu Ran in surprise, asked about his situation, and then shook her head: "You can't do this. If a single man wants to adopt a girl, he must be over thirty years old, and he must be more than forty years older than the child. ."

Mu Ran was a little disappointed, but still asked: "Can't the conditions be relaxed?"

"Hey, there's nothing we can do about it. Look at today's society, there are no perverts. What if something happens to the child..." At this point, the aunt was stunned and glanced at Mu Ran awkwardly, "Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything else. mean."

Mu Ran nodded and said softly: "I understand."

The aunt smiled sheepishly, stood up and said, "If there is nothing else, I will take the child in."

Mu Ran was a little hesitant, but he couldn't waste his aunt's time any longer. He knelt down, looked at the child and whispered softly: "You stay here and be obedient."

The child reached out and grabbed his clothes and shook his head vigorously.

Mu Ran reached out and touched her head, and said softly: "I'm sorry, I can't take you back."

The child didn't speak, clenched his hands tightly, and looked at him with big eyes.

The aunt next to her couldn't stand it anymore, so she came over and took the child's hand and took her into her arms. She said to Mu Ran: "Go quickly, it's okay." The child struggled hard in the aunt's arms and stretched her hands forward to go. Surprisingly enough, she still didn't cry, she just opened her mouth and shouted: "I won't leave."

Mu Ran stood up, but his steps were hesitant. His aunt urged him several times, and her voice became impatient, before he finally turned and left.

Behind him were words of "Don't go" one after another. In the end, the voice sounded like crying. Mu Ran stopped but did not dare to look back. Finally, he clenched his fists and strode forward.

His vision was blurry, and that was right, he reassured himself.

But why is this correct.

What will happen to her in the future? Will she be like him when he was a child, unable to cry when hungry? Will she be like he was when he was a child, unable to cry even when beaten? Will she be like he was when he was a child, living timidly and humblely, unable to ask for anything? ,Nothing at all. She is obviously the child he picked up, but no one wants her, no one likes her, why can't he take care of her? Everyone lives desperately because of others' likes, expectations, trust and dependence, and because the emotions and efforts they put in will be responded to and rewarded. But why can no one, not the mute mother or the child, who likes and trusts him stay with him?

Mu Ran stopped reluctantly and even had the idea of going back and taking the child away.

Suddenly there was an exclamation from behind.

When Mu Ran turned around, he saw his aunt chasing after him, while the child fell to the ground in front. Mu Ran opened his eyes wide, and before he could run back, the child got up from the ground and jumped on him as fast as he could, grabbing his hand, raising his little face full of tears and shouting loudly: "Don't leave." "

Mu Ran's body stiffened for a moment, and then he knelt down and took the child into his arms.

"Okay," he opened his mouth and found that his voice was trembling. Mu Ran gritted his teeth, and when he spoke again, his voice was extremely firm, "I won't leave."

The aunt behind caught up, and she couldn't laugh or cry for a moment. She seemed like a villain who broke up a father and daughter.

Mu Ran smiled sheepishly at his aunt and said, "I'm sorry, can I make a call first?" Seeing her aunt nodded, Mu Ran put the child down, took out his mobile phone from his trouser pocket, flipped through the numbers, and put the phone number in his hand. Dialed out.