Brother, where’s your dignity
Author: 橙子澄澄
Source: Instadoses
"I'm afraid he's been greatly wronged out there, and his heart is unsettled, so he follows you to feel at ease." Grandma Liu sighed.
Liu Yusheng nodded, "Yeah, grandma, I will slowly teach Brother Axiu, as soon as possible so that he can learn to sleep on his own. Don't worry about it."
"I'm not worried. Our Nannan has a sense of propriety in her work."
After hearing Liu Yusheng's explanation, Liu Dalin's face instantly cleared up. "That's right, our Nannan has never let us down in anything. Who in the village is as sensible as my daughter? I told you not to worry! Hahaha!"
Chen Xiulan put down her work and went over to help with the water basin, leaving a light-hearted, "Where's your dignity?" along the way.
Liu Erlin walked past him, poured the water for washing hands. When he was done, he dropped the same jibe. "Brother, where's your dignity?"
Du Juan didn't say anything, just restrained herself from smiling and blushed.
"Ahem!" Liu Dalin feigned he didn't hear anything, filled a basin with water and brought it to the two children. "Nannan, teach Axiu to wash his face. I'll be going to work ah. Spring sowing will be in two days, so we've got to get the fields ready."
"Oh, I got it Dad. Remember to bring the kettle with you. I concocted an herbal tea that nourishes the energy and relieves fatigue; drink more."
"Okay!"
The back of the man leaving the house today was a bit hurried, but Liu Yusheng only watched, and didn't take it to heart.
It was nothing but disgracing himself; she didn't want to embarrass him.
The family didn't hang around much in front of the children's eyes, and by default, handed Axiu's care to Nannan.
Not because they didn't want to help, but because they couldn't.
Except for Nannan, Axiu took no notice of anyone else.
Soon, the others went to work in the field, and the old lady sat in front of the kitchen, sometimes looking at the two children in the corner of the yard, with a shallow smile on her face.
The morning breeze occasionally blew, puffing a faint fragrance into the yard.
This time, work has also begun at the winery. No one from the Liu family went to work there, leaving all the positions to the villagers.
They have income from the winery revenue, and enough to keep their family well off.
A contented man would be happy.
With regards to the issues of the winery, the Liu family also never got involved in dictating what to do, so much so that over the years, their fame in the village has grown instead.
"Nannan, you have to go to the winery later, right? Is Axiu staying at home or coming with you?"
Liu Yusheng was instructing Axiu to wash his face and hands, and after hearing the words, she pondered for a moment. "I'll bring Brother Axiu along. The villagers will soon know that he's back. It might be better for Brother Axiu to have more exposure to the crowd."
"But…" Looking at Axiu's scarred half face, the old lady stopped talking.
She wasn't afraid that Axiu would be humiliated with his current appearance. She was just worried that once the villagers saw it, some of them might not control their mouths and make a fuss. Wouldn't that make the child feel bad?
"Grandmother, it will be fine. How we treat Brother Axiu, the villagers will do the same in time." Sometimes, one's own attitude could influence others.
That was a kind of subliminal influence.
And she was willing to believe in the kindness of the Xinghua Villagers.
"Okay, then it's up to you." After decades of being neighbors and knowing each other well, Grandma Liu thought about it and agreed with Liu Yusheng's approach.
The young man had already primped and cleaned himself up, and was squatting by the water basin, his eyes baleful as he stared at the little child in front of him.
His eyes were dark and wet, and a bit moist. Somehow, it was as if he was asking for favor and praise.
Very inviting.
"Brother Axiu is great, and learns things exceptionally fast. Now that you've learned it, look how nice it is to have your face clean and fresh." Liu Yusheng wasn't stingy.
The young man's eyes lowered, a faint layer of redness spreading to the base of his ears.
Grandma Liu watched how the two children interacted, and was jolted by a thought. She dropped her half-soled shoes and stretched the corners of her coat. "Nannan, I'm going out. There are steamed buns in the pot. Eat them later before you go out. You don't have to wait for me to come back."
"Huh, okay!"
The old woman's figure disappeared in the doorway.
The pot in the kitchen was still hot. When Liu Yusheng lifted the lid, the aroma of the steamed buns greeted her nose. She took three out. They weren't hot, and were just right to eat.
When she turned around, there was no sign of Axiu. "Brother Axiu?"
Her heart tightened. Liu Yusheng hurried out of the kitchen, but the teenager came up to her. He stretched out a palm in front of her and opened it.
On it was the red hair tie that had been hung in the shower room last night.
"Shengsheng." He stood there for a long time without speaking, his voice tinged with nervousness. "Look nice."
Liu Yusheng sniffed and raised both hands. "I'm holding a steamed bun, I can't tie my hair. Brother Axiu, can you help me tie it?"
Axiu seemed struck dumb. He looked at the red hair tie in his hand, and then at the two bare buns on the child's head, and showed a tangled expression.
Trying to recall what he had seen only yesterday, he helped the little child with her hair tie, and then began a clumsy attempt to tie the hair tie to the bun.
The young man's movements were clumsy and stiff, several times tugging on Liu Yusheng's scalp, but she didn't say a word. Her eyes curved in a shallow arc, nibbled on a mouthful of steamed buns, and handed the other one to the young man's mouth, "Brother Axiu, let's eat while tying. Take your time, there's no hurry."
She noticed that several times he had failed to tie it properly, anxiety had begun to flicker in his eyes, which manifested in the flipping of his fingers with increasing urgency and strength.
Axiu gazed at the child's smiling face and slowly opened his mouth to take a bite of the bun. Then, he untied the tie that he found unsatisfactory after he tied it multiple times and re-tied it.
This time, he subconsciously lightened his movements, shedding his impatience off and focusing his attention on his hands.
On the tip of his nose was the faint fragrance of the child, mixed with the scent of steamed buns.
The morning breeze blew with the refreshing coolness of late spring, blowing away the restlessness in his heart. Looking at what was in front of him, he surprisingly felt good. He would never get tired of doing it again.
The red hair tie was tied into a bow, leaving a section of tassels dangling over her ears. With the breeze dancing, dazzling and warm, it was akin to a bright splendid sun.
He gently patted the top of her head with his warm palms, like petting a puppy. Then the young man spoke soft and clear, "Shengsheng, nice."
Liu Yusheng's eyebrows curved even more. "Brother Axiu is awesome."
After consuming the steamed buns, the two went out sprightly.
Along the way, they occasionally ran into villagers who were rushing to work. When they saw Axiu, everyone's expressions were incomparably astonished, which was within Liu Yusheng's expectations.
Once more, she was surprised.
There was not a single person, who mentioned a single word against Axiu's face, without frightened looks of disgust.
Even at the winery, the dozens of people who went to work only greeted them very naturally after their initial surprise. The emotional women asked more about Axiu's condition, feeling distressed about the half-grown child for all the bitterness he suffered.
At the entrance of the winery, Grandma Liu flew in for a quick glance, then immediately shrank back, patted her chest, and relaxed with a smile.
Running out in a hurry and notifying her neighbors in advance weren't all in vain.
At last, she could relax.
Note this is for Offline reading/purpose only credits to the authors, publishers, editors and translators.