Count To Three

.count seven.

"I believe you need to be sent back home early today. I'll contact the front desk so would you please come with me?"

"Be quiet! Hong-Fei is right here! Why can't you see her?"

Jiahao's scared to look Hong-Fei in the eyes once more as he imagines her there, not taking the blame. He imagines her smiling at him as if he was the one wrong but there she was with a stern expression.

"Let me speak with her. Please."

The nurse furrowed her brows as she debated with herself. Thankfully, with her knowing Jiahao, she decided to hold off, thinking that he wouldn't do anything out of the ordinary.

Jiahao smiled. The nurse and him barely knew each other and what she did was amazing. As a form of gratitude, Jiahao wanted to tell her about Hong-Fei- how she's back and all that but, she isn't the person he wants to talk to. The nurse is just a stranger, a bystander that could care less.

'Yuhan still hasn't heard my story for today...'

But, now that Jiahao thought twice about his situation- he realized he barely knew Yuhan himself.

"Hong-Fei. Hong-Fei. Aren't you glad? You came to visit a little early but that doesn't matter because look at me now! I'm helping out at your workplace and learned so much from everybody here!"

"I'm sure Hong-Fei sure is glad..." The nurse replied.

"My sister's happy for me, isn't she? If I turned back time, I would've came back and told myself that I should've listened to you from the start. Oh- Hey, besides that, it seems like you've changed a lot! I got to admit, you had me shocked when you crushed your notebook. Maybe Ge-Ge shouldn't have kept it for so long anyway... It's not like I've changed a lot either!"

Jiahao's talking way too much. It's clear as day that he's nervous to stumble upon Hong-Fei. While Jiahao bit his bottom lip, he grew impatient and decided to speak again with a grin that has disappeared.

"Why aren't you talking to Ge-Ge at all? Please say something. Oh- Are you just... disappointed at Ge-Ge that you don't want to talk? I'm truly sorry. Really I am..."

"Mr. Liu, for the last time, that isn't Hong-Fei..."

"Hong-Fei. Please listen. Ge-Ge really wants you to say something. Or, is something wrong? Do you have a raspy throat? Don't worry! We're at the hospital. You'll get fixed up in no time so let me get you a glass of water."

Hong-Fei shook her head, still angry. Jiahao frowned and looked down.

"Do you... want to talk?"

Jiahao carefully picked up his notebook, almost wincing at the unreasonable folds on the pages of the journal. He paused just for a second to ask for permission for the nurse's pen and soon enough, handed Hong-Fei the notebook and pen. But, before she wrote anything down, he slapped her across her cheek.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were going to leave, Hong-Fei?"

Hong-Fei flinched- a little too late. By the time she knew it, there was a red hand mark on her cheek that stung like hell. She closed her eyes and wrote down her response.

'I'm not Hong-Fei.'

"Hmm? Hong-Fei... So, you finally decided to learn how to write Chinese?"

This was the only difference the siblings had compared with each other. Hong-Fei did not know how to write, yet she was able to speak with such complex words, while Jiahao...

Jiahao held out a hand to Hong-Fei's dominant hand, indicating he wanted the pencil. Naturally, for their relationship, Hong-Fei willingly lends the pencil to Jiahao but the moment it reached his hand, he broke the pencil with a snap and gave the half with lead back to Hong-Fei.

Hong-Fei underlined her earlier response.

"Write it in English. I can't read your sloppy cursive."

'I'm not-'

"Stop writing and talk to Ge-Ge."

Hong-Fei didn't know what to do. There was nothing else to write. There was nothing else to say- or do. All Hong-Fei could do was finish her sentence.

'-Hong-Fei.'

"... Sister, I'm sorry that you can't fly anymore."

extra note: hóng-fēi (鸿飞)

hóng, with the character 'goose',

and fēi, with the character 'fly'.