In the evening, after Mo Jingchun and his sister were full from dinner, Mo Jingchun helped his sister take a bath. The little one loved playing with water in the bathtub during bath time.
When he prepared to bathe his sister, Mo Jingchun realized there was no bathtub. Consequently, he hurriedly ran to the school supermarket to buy a bathtub and other essentials.
He had to hurry because the class group chat had a notice from the counselor to gather at 7:10 PM in Room 1002 of Building 3, Li Zhaoji, for the first freshman class meeting.
In the bathroom, Candy lay half-supported by Mo Jingchun's hand, giggling as she rhythmically splashed the warm water in the basin with her hands. The water splashed all over Mo Jingchun, covering his head, face, and clothes.
Taking advantage of Mo Jingchun's distraction, Candy grabbed a small towel from the basin and stuffed it into her mouth.
Mo Jingchun helplessly took the towel back from his sister Candy, "Oh dear, my little ancestor, this is your bathwater."
Every time he bathed his sister Candy, it was like a world war. If he wasn't careful, the little one would drink the bathwater.
Mo Jingchun sat on the bed, with Candy lying on his big leg. As Candy was teething, she opened her mouth and used her little milk teeth to nibble on Mo Jingchun's thigh.
"Ah ya ya~"
After applying baby powder and putting on a diaper for his sister, Mo Jingchun patted Candy's little bottom.
"From morning till night, all you do is yell 'ya ya ya,' without even calling me brother, despite all the care I give you."
Mo Jingchun looked around; there was only a bed and a stroller.
"I still need to buy you a crib; I can't have you sitting in the stroller all the time," Mo Jingchun said, partly to his sister Candy, partly to himself.
Thump thump thump~
Mo Jingchun shook a rattle, the thumping sound catching Candy's attention, her neck craning, little feet fluttering, arms outstretched.
"Hold it well, I'm going to take a bath, five minutes."
Five minutes was more than enough time for Mo Jingchun to take a bath.
In the bathroom, Mo Jingchun listened to the arrhythmic rattle sound and chuckled. The little one didn't actually know how to play with the rattle; her tiny hand just swung it back and forth, producing an irregular and somewhat muffled sound. However, hearing the sound, Mo Jingchun felt at ease; what he feared most was silence, not knowing what the little one was up to.
18:31
Mo Jingchun carried his milky-sweet sister Candy in one arm and a white canvas bag in the other.
The white canvas bag contained two diapers, a roll of paper, and a box of wet wipes, nothing else.
At the door, after locking it and hearing two satisfying clicks, Mo Jingchun felt at ease leaving. It was a habit developed over many years.
As he bent down to pick up the canvas bag from the floor and stood up, he saw the door across from his open from inside.
Mo Jingchun didn't expect anyone to open the door at that moment. The person inside the house was also surprised to see Mo Jingchun holding his sister Candy; clearly, they didn't expect to see a young guy living across, let alone one holding a child.
The residents here were either school teachers or their families, and since they were door-to-door neighbors, it would have been impolite to just walk away silently.
Momentarily stunned, Mo Jingchun's mind raced through numerous thoughts.
"Hello, teacher."
Chen Xihe, with a face full of wrinkles and a head of white hair, smiled and nodded at Mo Jingchun's greeting, then kindly asked, "Young man, are you related to that Li Na girl?"
"No... No." Mo Jingchun stood awkwardly, unable to leave, nor stay, feeling so embarrassed that his toes might as well dig a square hole into the ground.
"Oh? Not related?" Chen Xihe asked in surprise.
Mo Jingchun nodded and hurriedly said, "Teacher, I have to attend a class meeting soon, so I'll be leaving first."
Fortunately, the elevator was conveniently on the sixth floor, and pressing the button, the elevator doors promptly opened.
"What a peculiar young man, but the child he's holding is quite adorable."
"I'll have to ask that Li Na girl about this later," Chen Xihe murmured, shaking his head.
"Oh dear, what was I about to do when I stepped out? How did I forget so quickly?"
At the door, Chen Xihe pondered for a long time but couldn't recall why he'd opened the door earlier, helplessly furrowing his brow as he shut the door again.
Just after closing the door, when he noticed the trash bag beside the door, everything came rushing back to him.
Chen Xihe patted his forehead and sighed.
"My memory is getting worse and worse. I have to concede to old age."
When Mo Jingchun reached Room 1002 of Building 3, Li Zhaoji, he found many classmates had already arrived. Most were chatting in groups of three or four.
The counselor had not yet arrived.
To Mo Jingchun's surprise, he recognized two people seated in the back row of the classroom.
Well—despite not knowing their names yet.
Since Mo Jingchun entered through the front door, holding a child naturally drew everyone's attention. Some even mistook him for a teacher, had he not looked so young and inexperienced.
Seated in the back row, Zhang Hui Zhen and Yang Wenzhao both noticed Mo Jingchun as he entered. Zhang Hui Zhen waved him over to sit with them.
On the desk shared by Yang Wenzhao and Zhang Hui Zhen lay a stack of A4 forms, containing information about freshmen.
As freshman class aides, part of their role was frequently interacting with the new students, essentially acting as the counselor's assistants.
Mo Jingchun's situation was something Counselor Li Na had already separately discussed with them that afternoon.
Truth be told, upon learning from Counselor Li Na that Mo Jingchun was attending school with his sister, both Zhang Hui Zhen and Yang Wenzhao were not only astonished but also admired him. They also understood why Mo Jingchun was inquiring about scholarships.
It was truly unimaginable, the courage Mo Jingchun mustered to attend school with a sister not yet a year old.
With a sister as a "burden," Mo Jingchun's study time would be considerably less than his peers, necessitating even more effort from him.
"Senior Brother, Senior Sister, I didn't expect to see you again so soon," Mo Jingchun smiled as he approached the back row, greeting the seniors.
"Well, it may be unexpected for you, but we knew we'd see you again—I'm your class aide alongside this vain guy here," Zhang Hui Zhen teased, referring to none other than Yang Wenzhao.
Mo Jingchun gave an awkward smile, not knowing how to respond.