The Obligations of the Elderly - Chapter 13

After a long while, Gong Si finally turned back to Xi Liu-

“Do I look like someone who doesn’t like Vessels and Users?”

Xi Liu nodded, then gave him another jab: “It’s not just dislike, you basically hate them, right?”

Frowning, Gong Si sat down with his arms crossed, wearing a look that said ‘strangers keep away.’

He sat there for a very long time, then let out a long sigh and simply said, “Alright, I get it.”

Getting up again, he first went to find Dong Chun, took him along to thank the female Vessel who had helped bandage him, then asked about Qiu Xia’s current condition. Qiu Xia was transferred to a regular ward half an hour later, but was still on an IV drip and hadn’t woken up yet. That was fine, so Gong Si started organizing things, laying out everything Qiu Xia might need from his pockets. He also borrowed a small bed from a nurse so Dong Chun could rest for a while.

In the meantime, he checked with Xi Liu about whether they wanted to go home and rest. After getting a negative answer, he simply let Xi Liu watch him busy himself.

And also keep an eye on Ah Ji.

With all this going on, it was soon past six in the morning, and the sky outside was already turning pale.

Dong Chun, who had insisted on staying awake, was now sound asleep. Xi Liu had also dozed off, leaning against the wall with mouth slightly open, looking a bit like a child. Below him, the real child, Ah Ji, was watching him with a curious face.

“Well, so it was supposed to be him watching you, but now it’s you watching him.” Gong Si shrugged as he looked at Ah Ji.

He didn’t wake Dong Chun or Xi Liu, just pulled up Dong Chun’s blanket, got another one to cover Xi Liu, and checked on Qiu Xia. After confirming Qiu Xia was stable, he took Ah Ji out of the ward.

He took Ah Ji to the bathroom.

Washed his own face, changed Ah Ji into a new diaper, told the nurse at the station, and then carried Ah Ji out of the clinic.

He went to get breakfast.

He ate rice balls and rice milk, no sugar in the rice milk, and even poured some into Ah Ji’s bottle.

Ah Ji drank happily.

After filling both their stomachs, Gong Si headed to an internet café. Usually frugal, he specifically asked for a private room in the non-smoking section, and then started surfing the web with Ah Ji.

He stayed at the internet café for a whole hour, until his eyes were bloodshot. Checking the time, Gong Si finally left with Ah Ji.

Passing by the breakfast shop, he bought food for Dong Chun and Xi Liu, then returned to Qiu Xia’s hospital room.

Qiu Xia woke up about half an hour after Gong Si came back.

When he woke up, Dong Chun was wolfing down food, while Xi Liu was eating slowly and methodically.

Sunlight streamed in through the glass window, dazzlingly bright.

For a moment, Qiu Xia couldn’t process what had happened. It wasn’t until he saw the hospital gown he was wearing, the IV bottle attached to his wrist, and met his big brother’s bloodshot eyes that he realized what he’d been through.

He opened his mouth, but couldn’t think of what to say.

Big brother must already know everything, right?

He instinctively knew.

Qiu Xia opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

“You don’t need to say anything.” Gong Si grabbed his arms.

“Qiu Xia, you’ll have to transfer schools next. I checked, there’s only one Vessel and User School nearby, and it’s not far from your current school. But you’ll need to take a transfer exam to get in. I’m not worried about your academic grades, but what about the professional exam? That… I really don’t know how the User professional exam works, but don’t worry, I’ve already emailed them online. As soon as I get a reply, I’ll let you know right away…”

Gong Si rambled on.

He had gone to the internet café just to look up all this information.

It was too early, and nothing but the breakfast shop and internet café were open, so he could only search for information online first.

Gong Si showed through his actions that he didn’t reject his brother becoming a User at all; all he could do was give his full support.

Looking at his big brother, Qiu Xia blinked, his long lashes fluttering against his lower eyelids, and then-
He laughed again.

“I don’t know either, big brother, you handle it for me.”

“Oh?” Gong Si exaggeratedly widened his eyes. “There are actually things Qiu Xia doesn’t know?”

“Let me think… It probably started when you turned ten, Qiu Xia? No matter what I asked, you always knew the answer. It really made me, as your big brother, feel a lack of accomplishment~”

“Really?” Qiu Xia laughed again.

Seeing that second brother had finally returned to his usual self, Dong Chun, having finished his own breakfast and secretly snatched a rice ball from over by Xi Liu, sneaked over.

He looked up and down at his second brother.

“What? It’s just one night, have I changed?” Qiu Xia asked his younger brother.

Dong Chun nodded, then shook his head.

“Second brother, you don’t look different, but you somehow feel a bit unlike usual.”

While saying this, Dong Chun took a huge bite of the rice ball, his cheeks puffed up into a big lump, and he continued staring at Qiu Xia.

Qiu Xia laughed, “What’s different?”

“I don’t know, just feels like you’ve become stronger.” Dong Chun took another bite.

Three bites finished off a rice ball the size of his own fist. Dong Chun moved closer to Qiu Xia, his dark little face tilted up, eyes full of expectation: “Second brother, can I touch you?”

“Uh… sure.” Though he didn’t quite get it, Qiu Xia naturally agreed.

Dong Chun patted his second brother hard.

Once, twice, three times…

Qiu Xia was left helpless from all the patting: “How many times are you going to do this? Is there something wrong with me?”

Dong Chun lifted his dark little face again, excitement shining on it: “No! I just think it’s rare!”

“Last year, someone in the class next door became a User. The whole grade went to touch him, except me.”

“Hehe~ Now I’ve touched a User too!” Dong Chun suddenly said, very pleased with himself.

“And I touched him more than anyone!” One hand on his hip, he raised the hand that had patted Qiu Xia high into the air!

Qiu Xia: ^-^

Xi Liu: munch munch munch

Gong Si… Gong Si simply raised his own hand and put it on Qiu Xia as well.

“Go ahead, after all, Qiu Xia is your brother. Touch him as much as you want, it doesn’t matter how many times.” While rubbing the little paw onto Qiu Xia, Gong Si grumbled.

Dong Chun’s big cat-like eyes instantly sparkled, while Qiu Xia started to dodge.

“Big brother, you guys are making me really ticklish~ really ticklish…” Qiu Xia protested in a small voice.

He dodged a couple of times, but didn’t get far before he bumped into something soft. With a sidelong glance, he was looking straight into Ah Ji’s big eyes.

Eyes full of curiosity.

Probably finding it interesting how the older brothers were all touching each other, Ah Ji reached out his small hand as well, giving Qiu Xia a pat with a “smack”.

“Uh?” Qiu Xia was a bit startled by this sudden pat.

“Big brother! Ah Ji can crawl?!” His slender eyes opened slightly wider.

At that, all the Gong Family brothers’ gazes moved to Ah Ji, and in an instant, the focus in the hospital room shifted from Qiu Xia to Ah Ji.

Ah Ji, now one year old, well… his motor skills didn’t seem too great. Anyway, other kids could usually crawl by this age, but not him.

He could only sit, or at most brace himself on all fours, but even that, he couldn’t move at all-if any of the four points gave out, he would topple, so naturally, he couldn’t crawl.

Yet now, he was supporting himself on three limbs-both little legs and his left hand on the bed-while his right little paw stayed in a “smack” position on second brother. Ah Ji tilted his head, and when Qiu Xia dodged a bit, he carefully crawled forward two steps, and once again “smacked” his right little paw onto second brother.

Then, he laughed.

“Oh oh oh oh! Ah Ji can crawl!” Dong Chun was the first to shout. He stopped patting second brother and leaped over to pick up Ah Ji!

Watching the older child spin around with the younger in his arms, Gong Si and Qiu Xia laughed as well.

Downing the last sip of rice milk, Xi Liu shrugged and laughed too.