They had gotten everything they came for. Yue was more than satisfied with this trip. As they were walking away, a small figure dashed in front of him.
Fan cautiously pulled him back, and half hugged him.
"S-sorry... sorry..." a small cute voice whispered.
Yue glanced down. It was a child in a puffer jacket.. he was licking his lollypop, glancing up at them. "Sorry brother.. it hurts.."
"n-no... it... I doesn't hu.." Yue squatted down next to him. The kid's hood was down, exposing his face. He had a small round face with large brown eyes. His cute pink lips were stained blue by his lollypop.
He wiped his snot on his sleeve and peered at him. "sorry..."
"It's okay..." Yue could not believe what he was seeing. It was that kid. the kid he had left to die. He was right in front of him, alive and active. He gently caressed his face. "What's your name little one?"
"Zi Chen," The little boy smiled widely, exposing his two missing teeth. "Brother, candy?" he hurriedly searched through his pockets and took out two lollypops. "Here. have it, very tasty"
Yue took it from him. it was sticky. "Where are your parents' kid?" he held the kid's hand and gently wiped away the sticky residue with his sleeve. "do you know where you live?"
"mum is here... she's here...." he worriedly looked around. "mum... was here."
"Did you get lost? Do you know where you live?" Yue gently held the kid wear his hood. It was really risky for him to stay out here. this marketplace was a place to buy and sell. there was also some shady stuff going on here. Losing a kid here was the worst thing to do.
The young boy silently started to cry. "mum...."
"shh shh.. It's okay. We'll find your mum. I promise. I will find your mu okay."
The young boy nodded, licking his blue lollypop. "You don't like pops?"
"Pops?" Yue was momentarily confused.
"Pops.." the kid pointed to the lollipop in his hands.
"oh lollypop. I like them," he unwrapped the plastic and shoved it in. The sickly sweet blueberry taste filled his mouth. "It's good. so tasty,"
"I know... Mum got me. I have more, you can eat too uncle," he happily handed one to Fan Xui.
"u-uncle?..." Fan Xui frowned slightly.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtYue slapped his thighs jokingly. "Take the candy uncle. The child is waiting."
Pouting slightly Fan took it from him. "Thank you. How does your mum look like?"
"tall... she has beautiful eyes," the kid smirked, licking his lollipop.
Yue glanced back at Fan. "What do we do?" he mouthed.
"I don't know," Fan Xui mouthed back. "we can leave him at the barrack. They can find his mother,"
"But we should not. he is a kid. He will be terrified!" Yue peered up at him with a puppy dog look on his face. "We can help him," he whispered, tugging at his pants.
Fan sighed loudly. "Just once. Just this once. We are not doing anything risky like this."
"Thank you!" Yue hugged him tightly. He really wanted to save this kid. He ignored him in his last life and that ended with the kid dead. If... if he could help him out a bit, this kid could survive..
He held the kid's sticky hands. "let's go back and check out the places where you just visited,"
"yes~ we first saw the chocolate man.. he gave me candy... next we walked... and walked... mum could not walk much. She had an ouchi on her leg. We took a rest. Her ouchi was red and dripping. I wanted to help her. I came to get a band.. Something.. it's sticky and it has a lot of cool characters on it. it stops an ouchi.."
The kid rambled on.
Yue looked at him with a bright smile. "a Band-Aid. You were looking for one?"
"yes! I was looking for one. Do you have one brother?"
"of course, I have ouchies all the time." Yue searched inside his space and took out the bandage he brought just in case. "This can heal the ouchi very easily." He then gently pinched the kid's ruddy cheeks. "Next time if your mum has an ouchi you should not run away. You should be with her until her ouchi gets better. Never leave her side, got it?"
"Yep!" the kid happily hopped around.
Yue had to lean down a little to hold on to his little hand. this kid very short and cute like a little chestnut. He really wanted to pinch his cheeks hard.
He bit into his lollipop, peered at Fan. "psst," he gestured for him to come close.
Fan Xui leaned down to his height. "What is it?"
"When can we have kids?"
Fan Xui choked and coughed out loud.
"Oh my god, calm down," laughing out loud Yue patted his back. "It's nothing to be flustered about,"
"Yue... you know we can't.. Have a kid, right? It's physically not possible," he whispered with a sad look on his face.
Yue held his hand. "Silly guy, I was talking about adoption. I know men can't have children. Do you think I'm a preschooler?"
"n-no I thought you misunderstood.." Fan gently held his waist. "Marriage... then kids..."
Yue blushed bright red. "In the same order?"
"In that order. Or else your dad will have my head." Fan whispered softly and kissed his cheeks.
"Uncle did an ew! Why lick his cheeks? it's ew! Gross. Cooties..." the kid shouted, pointing at Fan.
Fan Xui chuckled. "I can lick this brother all I want. He is mine."
"no, beauty brother is not yours..." the kid glanced up at him. "brother...."
Yue gently patted his cheeks. "I'm not a property. I can't be owned,"
Fan Xui had a shocked look on his face.
"But I can be won over." Yue winked at him. "And this uncle here has won my heart."
The kid looked confused. "How to live without heart... teacher said heart keeps us alive?"
"Exactly, he keeps me alive," Yue whispered to the kid.
"ohh... so uncle keeps you alive.... who keeps me alive?"
Yue could not answer this question. he looked towards Fan to give him the answer.
"Your mother, kid. She feeds you and bathes you, clothe you, she's keeping you alive. So you better not leave her side when she is hurt. Stay with her at all times. Good boys won't run away from their mothers,"
"yesh!"
Yue giggled softly, pinching his lover's thighs. "you did well, uncle."
"where is my mum..." the kid became worried and anxious again.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmYue held his small hand. "little Zi Chen, why don't we play a game?"
"What game?" he curiously looked at him.
"ill define a person and you have to find them. Ready?" Yue gently held his shoulders. "the man is tall with black hair. He has a very handsome face and really enjoys sticking close to me. He is old and he is an uncle."
Fan pouted even more, biting into his lollipop vigorously.
"It's uncle!" the kid happily pointed at Fan.
"Good, it's your turn. You have to describe someone very close to you just like I did..."
The kid thought for a moment. "she has brown hair till here." he pointed to his shoulders. "she is a beauty. Cooks yummy things. Makes my bed... sings me to sleep.."
Yue pretended to be confused. "How tall is she?"
"Tall as you.."
"What was she wearing?"
"Brown t-shirt. Dad brought it for her birthday, I chose it," he smirked widely.
Yue got a clue who this kid's mother was. He looked up at Fan and mouthed. "it's that woman we saw. The one who was kidnapped, along with Juda. He's her child,"
Fan Xui nodded. "we'll find your mother, kid. Can you tell me where you last saw her?"
"candy man.." he pointed to a small stall.
There was no one guarding the stall, and the candies were being stolen by others.
Yue instinctively felt something was wrong. He tugged at Fan's shirt to warn him. Suddenly, he felt his eyes dull out.
'w-what is this...' he held Fan for support. Even his lover seemed to be struggling to stand stiff.
"Brother.. Uncle.." the kid tugged at his pants.
Yue stumbled down, unable to keep standing upright.
"Brother! What is going on! An ouchi! Mum!... someone... he has ouchi.. Uncle has ouchi too!" he sobbed loudly, rubbing his eyes.
Yue glanced back. Even Fan had collapsed. He was trying his best o reach out to him.
'Who... who did this to us....'
He could make out four or five shadows approach them from behind Fan.
His eyes could not remain open after that. holding the kid's hand safely, he fell unconscious.