Twilight Evening Star - chapter 2

Uncle Zhang’s face displayed a polite yet distant smile.

“I’m taking the Young Master to the Confinement Room. The Young Master made a mistake-Sir ordered it, and he must understand where he was wrong.”

I was puzzled.

“He’s only seven!”

“Madam, these are the rules of the Yu Family. You’ve just arrived, you don’t understand yet, but you’ll get used to it.”

…

I could never get used to this.

“Put him down!”

Uncle Zhang turned and looked at me with an unreadable expression.

“Madam, this is what Sir decided. You should wait until Sir returns and discuss it with him. If Sir gets angry, it’ll be hard for us to explain.”

“Put him down, or pack your things and leave.”

Uncle Zhang glanced at me, and smiled.

“We’ve been with the Yu Family for more than twenty years, and these rules have lasted decades. Sir himself grew up with them. Madam, you’ve only been here a day. It isn’t appropriate to change the rules so soon. You’d better focus on pleasing Sir and establishing your footing first.”

He swaggered off with Yu Yanchen, paying no mind at all to his struggling or crying, not even caring whether he was hungry or choking.

My eyes darkened with anger.

Perhaps I had misjudged the original owner.

Yu Yanchen grew up to be a cold, ruthless, and violent child who liked to play with Prayer Beads-not entirely the original owner’s fault. Yu Xun was also at fault, as were these Butlers and servants…

I followed them to the Confinement Room.

It was a small, dark, windowless room.

Uncle Zhang opened the door, locked Yu Yanchen inside, and I squeezed in after him.

Uncle Zhang seemed annoyed, but only let out a cold laugh, said nothing, and slammed the door shut.

I unlocked my phone. Yu Yanchen had been crying, but seeing me, he immediately clamped his mouth shut.

I reached out to hold his small hand.

He shook me off.

I tried again.

He shook me off again.

I whispered, “Can I hold your hand? It’s so dark in here, I’m really scared.”

Yu Yanchen was silent.

This time, when I reached for his hand, he didn’t shake me off, but turned his head, refusing to look at me.

“Why did you come in here?”

“I was worried about you!”

“You’re lying. I’m a bad kid, nobody likes me.”

“Who says so? I like you. My first day here, none of the servants spoke to me except you. You showed me around, helped me find clothes. I’ve never met a child as kind and adorable as you.”

“But… I’m picky about food, I broke a rice bowl, I curse and hit people.”

He said this in a hopeless tone, but there was a trace of hope for approval in his voice.

My heart softened.

How much blame and scolding had he suffered to rate himself so low?

“I’m picky about food too-who isn’t? Everyone is. It’s just that adults cook what they like and never cook what they don’t. They bully kids because kids can’t buy groceries or cook, and call them picky eaters on purpose. That’s just too mean. If I were treated that way, I’d break bowls, curse, and hit people too. The fact that you did these things shows you have a spirit of resistance. You’re a child who doesn’t give in easily-no hardship can defeat you. I really like you.”

“Re…really? Adults are picky eaters too?”

“Of course! I don’t eat broccoli. Have you ever seen something Aunt Zhou or Uncle Zhang refuse to eat? Think carefully-you must have. If there’s a dish that never appears on your table, it’s because Aunt Zhou or Uncle Zhang don’t eat it.”

I opened the grocery app and showed him the vegetables.

His soft little finger slid down the screen, and his eyes lit up instantly.

“Bitter melon never appears. And neither does endive.”

I understood.

“When we get out, let’s make them eat bitter melon every day.”

“Okay.”

He cheered up and leaned a bit closer to me.

I patted his little head. He froze for a moment, turned his head slightly, a bit shy.

Suddenly he said, “But yesterday you said I was that kind of kid. Am I a bad kid?”

Ha!

You little rascal, you really remembered that all the way till today.

I laughed. “Of course not. I said only children who do something wrong get called by their full name by their Parent. You haven’t done anything wrong, so of course I don’t want to call you by your full name. I just want to call you by your nickname.”

Yu Yanchen’s lips quickly curled up, then he forced them down in embarrassment.

He said, as if offhandedly, “My mom calls me Chenchen.”

“Okay, Chenchen. My name is Zhang Lili. You can call me Sister Lili or Aunt Lili.”

We sat side by side for a while. I felt that waiting here wasn’t going to help-the atmosphere was stifling, the air oppressive.

I couldn’t imagine how Yu Yanchen had managed to endure being locked here so many times.

Anyone who locks a seven-year-old child in here is a monster.

Suppressing my anger, I called Yu Xun.

No one answered. I called again, and it went straight to a busy signal.

I stared at my phone, as if I’d seen a ghost.

Had Yu Xun blocked me?

Yu Yanchen let out a cold snort.

“It’s no use. Mom couldn’t reach him either. Even when she was sick, he wouldn’t answer her calls.”