The brilliant pale gold flashed and vanished. Ince blinked hard. When he tried to look at the photo again, the light in the girl's eyes had already faded to gray, blending in with her surroundings. Holding onto his doubt, Ince looked up. Themia’s gaze happened to meet his, and she politely nodded slightly.
Had he seen wrong?
No one could answer his question.
Surrounded by the children, the two women belatedly realized their hands were still clasped. After exchanging apologies, they let go.
Sevinah quietly observed this scene from a corner. A little girl approached her and patted her shoulder, “Your name is Sevinah, right?”
Sevinah turned her head. Seeing Alice, her gaze instinctively darted away. In the orphanage, innocent and lively personalities like Alice’s were the most popular; everyone, including her big sister Sevia, liked the cheerful girl.
“Mhm,” Sevinah softly replied.
“You’re always alone. Aren’t you lonely?” Alice sat down beside Sevinah very familiarly.
“I’m used to it, and besides, I don’t care about these things.” Sevinah wanted to leave.
“Your awkward personality is quite similar to Big Sister Tang’s.” Alice’s voice came from behind, and Sevinah involuntarily stopped.
“When Big Sister Tang truly cares about something deep down, she always says she doesn’t care. She’s awkward yet persistent about some things.”
“If you really didn’t care, then why do you secretly get up every morning and paste your poems on the classroom blackboard?”
“I’ve been secretly watching you, you know, and that poem you wrote, 《Starry Ballad》.”
“She walks beneath the starry night,
Singing a lullaby,
Listening to people’s woes.
Heaven gave her eyes of wisdom,
Yet granted her frail, powerless hands.
Do those stranded at sea yearn for salvation?
If not,
Why fix such burning gazes,
Upon her, the compassionate?
Oh, storm, she is coming…”
Sevinah’s face flushed hot, and she hurried forward to stop Alice, who had intended to keep reciting. Alice showed her cute little fangs.
“Everyone praises these poems every morning, you know. When I hear their praise, I always wonder what you, hiding in the corner, are thinking?”
“You clearly want attention.”
“That’s not it at all!” Sevinah exclaimed, her voice thick with embarrassment, drawing the attention of the surrounding children, who all looked over. “I don’t need attention, nor do I need anyone’s praise!”
“What’s that little monster doing now?”
“Who knows.”
Sevinah’s face burned with shame and heat. As she turned to run and hide in a corner as usual, Alice grabbed her hand, then stepped forward and gave her a warm hug.
“They’re really well written, you know. You can read these poems to me from now on.”
“Don’t be alone all the time anymore. Can I be your friend?”
“I’ll turn into a monster.” A warm current surged through the little girl’s heart, making her release her perpetually clenched hands. The ice surrounding her heart melted, and the stinging in her nose brought tears, which had only just stopped, flooding her eyes again. “Everyone says so because I was born with defective eyes.”
“Your eyes are different from everyone else’s.” Alice pushed aside the wisps of hair that always fell across the little girl’s forehead. Light shone into those eyes, which should have been beautiful, the color of luminous violet. “You can see a world no one else can.”
“So, you can also see the beauty in life that others can’t.”
“You don’t have to draw beautiful paintings or walk the same path as everyone else. These poems are really good, you know, perhaps you’ll become a great poet, wandering and singing throughout the world.”
“Can I keep watching you?”
Sevinah nodded hard, clear glistening drops hanging from her chin.
“So, from now on, we’re friends?”
“Mhm, mhm.”
“It’s a promise.”
“It’s a promise!”
Tang Xin watched this scene silently, a gratified smile on her face.
She was genuinely happy for little Sevinah. If someone had been there to warm her at that age, would she have walked a different path?
“Big Sister Tang, Big Sister Themia is coming to catch us!”
Several children ran to Tang Xin, shouting. She paused slightly, then couldn’t help but laugh out loud after looking up and seeing Xu Xiaoyou chasing them. The children had drawn a few lines on Xu Xiaoyou’s face when she wasn’t paying attention.
Xu Xiaoyou’s mouth twitched. She wiped her face, then intended to pick out the culprits of the artwork on her face from the pile of children.
“Quick, hide behind me.” Tang Xin said briskly, extending her arms to pull the children behind her.
“Can’t catch us, can’t catch us, nah nah nah, Big Sister Themia can’t catch us hahahaha!”
Xu Xiaoyou was quick. Just as she grabbed a child’s sleeve, Tang Xin’s hand darted between them, stopping her. Meeting the girl’s serious face, Xu Xiaoyou felt a sudden flashback to the night of Tang Xin’s birthday.
Other children in the garden saw this scene and became interested, laughing and lining up behind Tang Xin. The moment Xu Xiaoyou moved, Tang Xin spread her arms to block her, a long-lost radiant smile on her face.
“I won’t let you catch them!”
“Can’t catch us, can’t catch us!” The children stuck out their tongues and made faces at Xu Xiaoyou. The latter let out a chuckle, then also became serious.
Thus, a scene unfolded in the garden: the children lined up behind Tang Xin like the girl’s little tail, while in front of the girl was a hungry wolf trying to catch and “eat” them. Time and again, the wolf sought an opening, but was always blocked by the competent duck mother.
For a time, laughter and joyful shouts filled this small space, and the heavy gloom overhead dissipated considerably amidst the cheerful atmosphere.
Ince, from a distance, captured these scenes. He looked at the sniffling little boy, Berwick, beside him. “Why aren’t you playing?”
“It’s too childish. Berwick isn’t interested.”
Ince chuckled, giving Berwick a kick on the butt.
“Go on, seriously.”
Berwick glared at him, then scurried off to join the army of children, apparently having more fun than anyone.
Good times are always fleeting. Before long, an unnatural pale red crept onto Tang Xin’s cheeks. Her body hadn’t fully recovered, and her wounds began to throb faintly.
Xu Xiaoyou noticed this. During another lunge, she accidentally tripped onto Tang Xin, embracing the girl, and the two tumbled and rolled onto the grass.
“Game over, I caught the duck mother. You lost,” Xu Xiaoyou said.
“Huh? How can it be like this!”
“The rules didn’t say you couldn’t catch the duck mother.”
“Big Sister Themia is a bad sport, she clearly couldn’t catch anyone!”
The children’s faces fell, and soon they dispersed.
Tang Xin, cradled in her arms, was breathing softly and rapidly, her head leaning slightly on Xu Xiaoyou’s shoulder. The two were so close they could feel each other’s warmth and beating hearts.
The girl had sweated during the recent activity, and strands of hair clung to her face, radiating warmth from Xu Xiaoyou’s embrace.
After a moment of tenderness, Tang Xin shook her head and sat up. Xu Xiaoyou brushed the dirt from her face, and at the same time noticed the burns on her arm.
“Thank you,” Tang Xin said, pushing aside the hair from her face.
“I feel much better now.”
“Mhm.”
After resting for a while, Tang Xin stood up, clapped her hands, and said, “Alright, everyone, let’s get moving! Tidy up the garden, and then we’ll all go eat dinner.”
“Okay!” the children chorused.
This age was when their energy was most abundant. The children imitated the preschool teachers, pulling weeds from the ground, pruning low bushes, and carefully preserving the delicate little flowers.
Before long, the previously overgrown garden was completely revitalized, much tidier and brighter.
Xu Xiaoyou strolled with Tang Xin in the garden. As if by unspoken agreement, neither broke the peaceful solitude.
The peaceful moment allowed Xu Xiaoyou to clear her mind, until a fragrant flower was handed to her. She blinked. “This is?”
Xu Xiaoyou took the flower stem.
“An iris,” Tang Xin said. “The orphanage garden used to have many of these flowers. The weather grew colder, and no one tended the garden, so I didn’t expect to see one here today.”
She bent down, carefully extended her hand, and gathered the soil around a small clump of irises.
“You know, I really like irises. They are flowers that bring peace and spring. When irises bloom, it usually means the season of singing birds, fragrant flowers, and warmth is about to arrive.”
“They aren’t as resilient as winter plum blossoms. Their petals are delicate and fragile, and in cold weather, they often wither extensively. But I don’t think they are delicate.”
“Even in this bitter winter, they are still fighting against the wind and snow with their own strength. This strength within fragility is very rare and precious, isn’t it?”
“Heaven didn’t give them resilient bodies; they are born unable to withstand storms. Yet their flower language symbolizes happiness, peace, and the beauty of life.”
“I think, when an iris can defiantly bloom in a storm, what a beautiful sight that would be.”
“I like the defiance and kindness at the core of their fragile petals,” Tang Xin said. “They will bloom, I believe they will bloom in the storm, more moving than winter plum blossoms.”
“Irises also represent enduring friendship. This flower is for you,” Tang Xin smiled. “Don’t forget it.”
The words hidden in the girl’s subtle thoughts remained unsaid.
Irises also symbolize passionate, unchanging love.
Just then, the children’s exclamations caught their attention.
“Look quickly, Little Rio’s clothes, they have color!”
“Really, they have color, what color is this?”
“This is... this is...”
The little boy, surrounded by the group, confidently lifted his head, thoroughly enjoying the satisfaction of everyone’s attention. He was wearing a cotton sweater, and its incredibly vibrant red distinguished him from the other children.
All the other children were dressed in thin clothes, devoid of any color, only dull, lifeless gray. This vibrant, almost dazzling, splash of red immediately captivated everyone’s gaze.
Yet no one could say what color it actually was,
Because they had never seen true red. All colors, to them, existed only as concepts in textbooks, merely differing depths of black and white.
Tang Xin and Xu Xiaoyou naturally also noticed this scene. They exchanged glances, both seeing... gravity in each other’s eyes.
The vibrant red was too gaudy, as if thickly painted with a heavy watercolor brush, or perhaps... blood.
Tang Xin walked up to Rio, bent down, placed her hand on the boy’s shoulder, and stared seriously into his eyes. “Little Rio, where did this outfit come from?”
The previously triumphant boy, questioned so sternly, had a face full of guilt and unease. He could only truthfully say, “Director Aerylia knitted these clothes for me.”
“I’m sorry, Big Sister Tang, I shouldn’t have gone to the director to ask for clothes ahead of time...”
At that moment, an incredibly cold wind swept into the courtyard. The sudden interruption coldly tore apart all peace and quiet. The girl’s face seemed to be brewing a storm, and the children, never having seen Tang Xin look so grave, stood rooted in confusion.
“Who else went with you to ask for clothes?”
“Also, Little Alice and Little Sevinah.”
“What about Mel?”
“I don’t know, I haven’t seen Big Sister Mel all afternoon.”
“Take these other children to the classroom first. Later, no matter what happens, don’t open the door for anyone except me. Understood?”
Rio quickly nodded, gathering the nearby children.
“Ince, protect them until I get back.”
Ince didn’t understand what was happening, but it was the first time he had seen Tang Xin look so grave and serious. He also quickly nodded in agreement.
After giving these instructions, Tang Xin immediately quickened her pace, walking out of the garden, her heart heavy with dread, while inwardly praying that things wouldn’t turn out as she feared.
Xu Xiaoyou silently followed.
The curse of the Stars had stripped the Keyboard District of its color, yet a vibrant red had appeared in this orphanage not long ago. Undoubtedly, something had happened to suppress the curse’s power from the Stars.
Only a curse could fight a curse.
A furious storm brewed in the dead air; the oppressive atmosphere made breathing difficult. Soon, they arrived on the orphanage’s second floor, turned a corner, and reached the director’s office, where they saw two small, thin figures waiting in the hallway.
Sevinah and Alice immediately lowered their heads guiltily when they saw Tang Xin. Tang Xin, relieved to confirm they were unharmed, asked, “Is Director Aerylia inside?”
The more perceptive Sevinah realized the seriousness in Tang Xin’s words, thinking they had committed a grave error, and responded with a timid, shrunken face.
“She’s here,” Alice, oblivious to the heavy atmosphere, said, spreading her arms:
“You know, Big Sister Tang, just now I saw the director open the door and hand Rio a colored outfit. Really, it’s the first time I’ve seen color!”
Tang Xin nodded. “Listen to me, you two leave first. Go downstairs to the classroom and meet up with the other children. Later, no matter what happens upstairs, absolutely do not come back. Understood?”
Alice, realizing belatedly, turned pale. “Did something happen?”
“What about you, Big Sister Sevia?” Sevinah timidly asked.
“Your clothes are almost finished, Little Sevinah, Alice. I’ll open the door right away.”
A kindly voice, as usual, came from behind the door, followed by an overwhelmingly strong smell of blood and an oppressive aura.
“Go now!” Tang Xin urged in a low voice.
“I know how to give them a future now. As long as there’s color, their future won’t be a blank canvas anymore.”
“This winter, as long as they have warm and beautiful clothes, the children will be able to get through it safely.”
“As long as there’s color, their future will be bright. That poor child, Chris, things like what happened to him will never happen again. They will all grow up healthy and happy, able to live better lives like normal children.”
“I know how to bring them color now.”
“I’ve finally found a way to bring them color.”
The “Aerylia” behind the door seemed to have fallen into a state of chaotic consciousness, rambling incoherently, producing harsh, unpleasant sounds. At one moment, she suddenly roared like a demon.
“Don’t go, Little Alice and Sevinah, I’m coming to open the door for you right away.”
Rate on N.U.
