Ye Linchuan’s throat rolled, slowly squatting down, his gaze deep and looking at the helpless Ye Ya, his voice much softer, “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“You… you never listen to me.” Ye Ya’s tears blurred her eyes. “You don’t like me either. I… I don’t want to talk to you. You will scold me…”

You will scold me.

The air suddenly became heavy.

Ye Ya understood the emotions of adults better than anyone else. If he didn’t like her, he just didn’t like her, even if he hugged her or touched her, it was just a whim. The next day, he would still dislike her. Ye Ya knew that he blamed all the bad luck on herself, and she didn’t know how to explain it, nor could she explain it clearly.

Because she was just a child.

Adults never listen to children.

Ye Linchuan opened his mouth, as if his throat was glued together and he couldn’t make a sound. His hand, placed on his knee, slowly clenched. He looked at her, his eyes filled with conflict and self-blame that he couldn’t even notice.

In a quiet room, the only sound was the low sobbing of Ye Ya.

Teacher Liu picked her up and comforted her, and when Ye Ya’s emotions had calmed down, she said, “Yaya, why don’t you go outside and play for a while? Dad and I need to talk.”

Ye Ya obediently nodded, wiped away her tears, and left the room, remembering to close the door behind her.

With a sigh, Teacher Liu pulled out a chair for Ye Linchuan to sit down and asked, “Would you like some water, Mr. Ye?”

He shook his head.

Without forcing the issue, Teacher Liu continued, “Today, when I talked to Qian and Ye Ya, she actually thought that I was accusing her of stealing money. Do you know what that means, Mr. Ye?”

Ye Linchuan shook his head again.

“It means that she is more sensitive than her peers,” Teacher Liu pointed out, “according to the way children of her age think, when I asked where the money came from, they would straightforwardly explain its origins. But Ye Ya is different. She’s afraid of being misunderstood, and she’ll even observe the adults’ thoughts and make corresponding judgments.”

“Ye Ya is smarter than her peers, whether it’s in memory or creativity. She’s also very good at gaining the trust of others and quickly fitting into her environment and making friends. In theory, this is a good thing, but I always worry about her…”

As she spoke, Teacher Liu took out Ye Ya’s homework from a folder and said, “This is what she drew that day, with words written on it. You can take a look.”

Ye Linchuan took the paper.

There was only a small green leaf on the picture, a tiny speck on the white paper, with a three-line poem written in the lower right corner:

“Green Sprout”

Green sprout is a child of spring.

Autumn wind steals it and gives it to winter.

Green sprout is lost in the snow.

It was clear that she intentionally left the blank as the snow of winter, so that the tiny leaf represented…

Herself.

She felt lost…

Ye Linchuan couldn’t help but tighten his grip on the paper, his expression gradually becoming complex.

“Yaya seems very lonely and eager for her parents,” Teacher Liu took a deep breath, “the ages of three to five are very important for children, and Yaya is very smart and sensible. I hope that when you get home, adults can give her more love and attention, and not let the child be sad.”

“That’s all I have to say. Mr. Ye, you can take Ye Ya home now.”

Ye Linchuan snapped back to reality, his eyes flickering. “Can I take this with me?” he asked.

“Of course you can,” Teacher Liu replied.

Ye Linchuan carefully rolled up the scroll and got up to open the door.

As dusk approached, she sat alone on a small stool, drawing. Her small figure was engulfed in warm light. It was supposed to be a very warm and innocent scroll, but Ye Linchuan couldn’t help but sense a hint of loneliness and desolation.

He took a deep breath, approached her, put the money in his bag, and collected the brushes and banknotes from the table. “Say goodbye to the teacher,” he said.

Ye Ya sat on the chair, refusing to move.

Ye Linchuan looked down at her. “Are you planning to stay here overnight?”

“I don’t want to go back with you,” Ye Ya crossed her arms, pursed her lips, turned her head away stubbornly, leaving him with a round and adorable profile.

At that moment, Teacher Liu came out and chimed in, saying, “Yaya, be a good girl and go home with Dad. Teacher has already talked to Dad, and he will talk nicely to Yaya from now on, and won’t scold her anymore.” She lifted her face, “Right, Mr. Ye?”

Ye Linchuan nodded softly.

Ye Ya didn’t believe that the teacher’s few words could change her younger brother’s opinion of her, but she also knew that if she stayed here, it would only cause trouble for the teacher and the principal. She stood up, waved at Teacher Liu, and snatched her bag, holding it close to her chest, walking out of the classroom like a little penguin.

Ye Linchuan nodded goodbye to Teacher Liu and quickly followed.

“What about Brother Shenran?” Ye Ya looked around the courtyard, unable to find Shenran’s figure, feeling a bit panicked.

“He took the school bus back,” Ye Linchuan replied.

Ye Ya didn’t ask further. As she walked, she took out a paper bag and counted the money inside.

“I didn’t take any of your share, walk carefully,” Ye Linchuan urged.

Ye Ya ignored Ye Linchuan’s urging, carefully counted the money, and finally, she could put her worried heart at ease.