POV MR. WANG
Today is definitely a bad day.
My wife left us a year ago, taken away by a nasty illness. My oldest son, Wang He Di, eighteen years old, reacted like a real man: he never cried, rolled up his sleeves and worked hard to help me take care of his little brother, Wang Su.
This morning my mother phoned me saying that my father is not at all well and that they need me in Shanghai.
I spoke with He Di and he immediately told me that he is not willing to follow me ... And so Su, six years old, who adores his brother, has decided that he will stay at home with him.
"Are you ok , Mr. Wang?"
The voice of little Shen Yue awakens me from my thoughts.
"Yes, don't worry".
I smile at her, but I already know I haven't convinced her.
Yue attends the same class as He Di.
After school, she always comes here to my library to help me serve customers and arrange shelves.
She is a diligent and very intelligent girl. And the thing I like most about her is that she always has a very sweet smile on her face ... A smile that infects anyone who meets her. Since she works here, she has brought a lot of color into my grey bookshop.
"If you want to go to rest, I can stay here" she proposes.
"I tell you I'm fine, Yueyue, and anyway it's getting late, you should go home... Your aunt will be worried ..."
She grimaces and bursts out laughing.
"You know that my aunt is never at home... Even tonight she stays in her office".
I look at her and see that a flash of sadness crosses her face for a second only.
Yue lost both her parents when she was a child, due to a terrible car accident. Since then, she lives in the home of her mother's sister, who treats her as if she were a stranger.
I know that this girl, in spite of what she wants to show everyone, feels tremendously alone ...
Suddenly I get an idea.
"Yue, can I ask you a favor?" I ask her.
"Sure, tell me!".
"In a few days I'll have to leave for Shanghai to take care of my father ... I don't know how long I'll stay there, but I won't be back very soon. First of all, I would like to ask if you could keep the bookstore open for a few hours at the afternoon...
And then I have another request. See ... Wang He Di and Wang Su don't really want to follow me, so they will stay home alone. I trust He Di, but I don't want him to get too stressed between school and home ...
So ... Do you want to come and live in our house until I return? I need you to help He Di, especially with Su. I know you are good with children! And then you'd have some company ... What do you think? "
Yue bites her lips, undecided.
"Mr. Wang, your son hates me" she tells me.
"Oh, it's not true at all! He's got a little brusque, but he's absolutely incapable of detesting anyone! Please, Yueyue..."
She studies me with her round eyes and then nods with a small smile.
"I thank you from the heart! You don't know what weight you took from my chest!" I exclaim, tenderly ruffling her hair.
POV YUE
As I settle the shelf of historical novels, I can't help but think that accepting Mr. Wang's proposal was a bad idea. I know for sure that He Di, called by everyone Dylan, hates me.
At school, he always avoids me or he makes fun of me. He's arrogant, full of self, selfish and often rude.
My gaze falls on Mr. Wang, who is serving a customer with his tired smile. I think I never met a man who was more kind than him ...
About five years ago, he found me crying in the rain in front of his bookstore.
That day, it was the twelfth anniversary of my parents' death ... I felt so lonely! It was a complicated period for me: my aunt, as always, behaved as if I didn't exist at home, at school I struggled to concentrate, sometimes I went out with friends, but most of the time I spent at home alone trying to keep me busy between cleanings, tasks and drawings ... I was lost, unhappy.
Mr. Wang picked me up like an abandoned kitten and spent an hour listening to my story in front of a cup of hot chocolate, then he offered me to work for him in the bookstore.
At the time, his wife often came to give him a help ... They always treated me like a daughter and I started to feel less lonely. This is why I accepted his insane request a little while ago: I am indebted to Mr. Wang.
Author's corner
And I'm back here, ready to start another little journey with you with this fanfiction 😊 I have a lot of ideas in mind, I just want to have more time to publish faster, but between work and home I struggle a little 😔 I'm waiting for your comments... 😁
See you soon, a big hug 💜💛