Cheng Taotao looked at the eleven-year-old boy walking towards her, her eyes curving into a "giggle."
"Hongyu brother..."
Qi Hongyu wore a white shirt and black casual pants, with a backpack slung over one shoulder.
The eleven-year-old boy, still innocent but walking towards Cheng Taotao, had a serious demeanor, resembling the mature stance of an older brother and a father.
He stood before Cheng Taotao, watching her eyes darting around, clearly thinking about something she shouldn’t.
"What’s up with being sneaky? Why are you so dirty? How many clothes do you change in a day?"
"No, nothing..."
Cheng Taotao mumbled but as Qi Hongyu approached, her body started to scoot backward...
Qi Hongyu, not familiar with Cheng Taotao, suddenly squinted his eyes and asked in a lowered voice, "What’s in the backpack?"
"Nothing..."
"Cheng Taotao?"
"Hongyu brother..."
Seeing Qi Hongyu aiming at her backpack, Cheng Taotao realized she couldn’t escape, she immediately hugged the backpack tightly to her chest, curling up, and as she lowered her head, Qi Hongyu saw a few strands of dead grass on her messy short hair.
"Did you crawl through the dog hole again?"
"..."
"Cheng Taotao! Do you know sneaking out like this, in case—"
"Hongyu... What’s going on here?"
Director Qi came out, looked puzzled at her son and Cheng Taotao.
Qi Hongyu and Cheng Taotao were talking outside the study hall, while the adults and children inside had turned their attention towards them.
Qi Hongyu saw his mom come out and glanced inside the study hall, but the kids were all inside, not only that, there was Grandpa Zhou and Uncle Guan and... some strangers.
"Taotao crawled out through the dog hole again... got herself all dirty. Mom, can you block the hole at the bottom of the back wall? I’ve reminded you so many times, what if Taotao runs out and gets lost?"
Qi Hongyu quietly complained to his mother.
Director Qi, looking at Cheng Taotao pouting and innocent... really felt it was quite unjust.
Whose child goes crawling through dog holes without reason...
"Taotao, what are you holding in your arms? You said you’d go back to your room to sleep after breakfast, were you lying to Director Auntie?"
Cheng Taotao still pouted, even with some dirt on her cheeks, "Slept for a bit, then... went out..."
"What are you holding in your arms?"
Director Qi had long focused on the backpack she was protecting so tightly, and upon asking, Cheng Taotao immediately hugged it tighter.
"Taotao?"
"Oooh..." Suddenly, the backpack let out the sound of a puppy’s whine.
Director Qi raised her eyebrows, "Dog?"
"Dog mom... dead, dead..."
Cheng Taotao blinked her eyes that weren’t big at all, with single eyelids making her appear more innocent.
Director Qi pursed her lips and gently sighed, "Don’t cover the backpack like that, the puppies could suffocate too. Let Auntie take a look first."
"Auntie, you wouldn’t be so cruel as to throw them away, would you?"
Them...?! Not just it, but them!
"How many do you have here?"
Cheng Taotao cautiously put the backpack on the ground, she also lay down on the ground herself, gently taking out the puppies, one by one... a total of five puppies.
Black ones, white ones, black and white ones.
The puppies’ eyes were still not fully open, showing the gray pupils through the slits.
The commotion outside wasn’t small. Hearing Cheng Taotao’s voice and seeing them not coming in for a while, Zhou Guangren couldn’t sit still and came out. Seeing the situation, he froze.
"Taotao, where did you get so many puppies?"
Cheng Taotao seemed calm, but she was really nervous inside, scared that the director might throw the puppies away. Hearing Zhou Guangren’s voice was like finding a support.
"Grandpa Zhou, their mother died, just by the roadside... These puppies are so pitiful."
Although Cheng Taotao’s appearance was ordinary, being small, even if not pretty, with her baby voice, people’s hearts softened.
"Oooh... Arf arf arf..."
The puppies were placed on the ground, without warmth, plus they hadn’t opened their eyes, reaching and crying loudly.
Director Qi only felt Cheng Taotao had really given her a big challenge.
The puppies going "arf" made Cheng Taotao quickly scoop them into her arms and then look at the director, "Director Auntie... Can I raise them?"
The kindness and innocence of children are what adults yearn for and wish to protect; yet... she, despite liking Taotao’s kind innocence, must consider.
"Taotao, we will send these puppies to the adoption center. There, the uncles and aunties will take care of them well, and they can find new moms. Keeping them here, how would you raise them?"
Cheng Taotao lowered her head, looking at the five puppies cuddled in her arms, their sharp "arfs" slightly softened becoming "ooohs."
"I can be their mom..."
Cheng Taotao said softly, as if she was about to cry...
"Taotao, how will you take care of them? They need milk, food, and once they grow—"
"I can give them my milk, and save my meals for them..."
"Taotao."
"Director Auntie... is it really not possible..." Cheng Taotao heard the tone when the director auntie called her name and knew the chance wasn’t big, tears began to fall as her head lifted.
Others could endure it but Zhou Guangren couldn’t, quickly moving to Cheng Taotao squatting down, "Alright, alright, Taotao don’t cry... You crying makes grandpa’s heart ache to death."
"Grandpa, they’re so pitiful, they’re just like Taotao, without parents..."
"..."
"Director Auntie takes care of me, I also wish to take care of them like Director Auntie... Can’t I?"
These two sentences, heard by anyone, broke their heart.
"Crying so uglily."
Unnoticed, the study hall people had all come out, Yin Huaiyu with handsome brows furrowed, almost knotting, muttered so.
This was heard by Cheng Taotao, looking at Yin Huaiyu, suddenly raising her voice, she said.
"Little brother... You have no heart!"
"..."
Yin Huaiyu almost spat blood. No heart? Didn’t he have a heart to bring clothes for her to wear?
No heart every week coming bringing snacks she liked?
Cheng Taotao... no conscience?!