“Auntie, are you seeing someone lately?” Lâm Diệu Diệu asked, sounding unlike her usual cheerful self.
“Not exactly.” I felt a little embarrassed talking about it in front of the kids, so I answered vaguely. “We’re just getting to know each other a little…”
Silence fell over the table again.
Only then did I realize they all seemed a little down today. I turned to Từ Như Đồ on my left and asked, “Bunny, what’s wrong with you guys?”
The boy on my left was wearing his school uniform, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. At my question, he glanced at me, then suddenly stood up and said coldly, “I’m done eating.”
I’d called him the wrong name.
…That wasn’t Từ Như Đồ. The boy was Hà Diệc Dương.
“All right.” Từ Như Đồ really did put his chopsticks down too. His voice was calm. “Who you date is your business, Auntie. You don’t have to tell us.”
“It’s not that I won’t tell you,” I explained. “If I really started dating someone, I’d definitely let you know.”
Silence.
“So you’re not dating, you’re just getting to know him…” Trang Du sounded a little strange. “Is that what you mean?”
I nodded.
“Do you like that man… that uncle?” Tống Thước wiped his mouth.
“Not that much,” I said honestly. “I just feel comfortable around him.”
“Then…” Hà Diệc Dương came back to stand in front of me. He looked at me quietly. “Don’t you feel comfortable around us?”
“Of course I do.” I was a little surprised. “I love spending time with you guys, too.”
Hà Diệc Dương said nothing more.
At last, I realized what was going on. “You guys don’t want me to date anyone?”
I could understand how the kids felt. In their minds, if I started a new family, I would “abandon” them.
Even though I knew that wouldn’t happen, and my reason for getting to know Lục Chiêu wasn’t to date him, I didn’t want to discuss it with them any further.
They were still children in my eyes. I’d always felt it was inappropriate to share my romantic experiences with kids.
(08)
But I’d raised the kids for nearly ten years, so of course they meant far more to me than Lục Chiêu, whom I’d only known for a month.
Just as I was about to explain, Lâm Diệu Diệu suddenly laughed.
“It’s okay, Auntie. It’s fine if you date someone,” the girl said brightly, breaking through the gloom at the table. “Besides, that uncle is really handsome.”
Her voice turned cheerful again, and the others seemed to brighten up, too. Trang Du joined in. “That’s right. But he’s still not good enough for you—not even half as handsome.”
Me: “Hahaha, actually, what he looks like doesn’t matter…”
After all, I can’t tell what anyone looks like.
Seeing the kids back to normal, I swallowed the explanation that had been on the tip of my tongue.
As an adult, I didn’t want to talk about how lonely I’d been in the past, bring up my eldest and second brothers, or discuss the complicated feelings in my heart.
“Don’t worry. You’ll always be the most important people in my heart.”
As usual, I ruffled each child’s hair. “Even if you go far away someday, all you have to do is come back, and I’ll still be right here waiting for you.”
“I know, Auntie.” Tống Thước took my hand and repeated, “I know.”
“Auntie, you can’t just wander off. Otherwise, you won’t be able to find us.” Trang Du stood up. The teenager, a little taller than me, grinned as he came over and obediently lowered his head so I could ruffle his hair. “You have to wait for us to come find you.”
Me: “Then how about we watch a movie together today?”
“A movie!” Lâm Diệu Diệu cheered. “We haven’t watched one together in ages!”
They were all about to take the college entrance exams. I didn’t intend to restrict them, but they were all working so hard that they hadn’t done anything for fun in a long time.
We’d redone the movie area: a large velvet rug covered the floor, beanbag chairs sat beside the sofa, and cushions were scattered across the rug. We each hugged one and found a place to sit.
I sat on the sofa with my legs crossed. Hà Diệc Dương sat in front of me, head bowed as if deep in thought, his short, tousled hair brushing against my pant leg.
“Sorry I mistook you for someone else today, Little Lamb,” I whispered. “You’re not mad at me, are you?”
He turned to look at me, seeming to frown. “I would never be mad at you.”
Really?
I felt a little embarrassed. “You’re all wearing uniforms, and you’re all so tall…”
“Mm.” His voice sounded a little sad. “I know.”
“Come on, Hà Diệc Dương, what’s there to be upset about?” Trang Du draped an arm around his neck. “When we were little, Auntie mistook you for Tống Thước, and you didn’t say anything then.”
Me: “…”
Back then, the kids’ school was putting on a performance and didn’t have enough girls, so they sent Trang Du in a braided hairstyle to fill a spot. When I went to pick him up, I saw him and immediately called, “Tiểu Thước!”
Everyone burst out laughing. I couldn’t help laughing, either, and even patted Trang Du on the head. “Sorry, Little Fish.”
“It’s okay, Auntie.” Trang Du looked up at me and made an OK sign. “I understand. You just thought I was cute like a little girl. It’s fine. I can live with that.”
“Auntie, face blindness can be treated,” Từ Như Đồ said after thinking for a moment. “I looked it up.”
I was about to say more when my phone buzzed.
I woke the screen. It was a message from Lục Chiêu.
Lục Chiêu: “I was once a dignified Ultraman, but those treacherous Ultramen framed me! The Ultraman clan abandoned me! Father of Ultraman cast me out! They even cut off my gamma rays! Reborn for a second time, tomorrow is wild Thursday—who’s treating me to dinner?”
Me: …
I sent him a 50-yuan red envelope.
Me: [Wishing you prosperity and great fortune]
Lục Chiêu: “Huh, you really sent a red envelope? Tiểu Hạ, this isn’t right. You’re way too easy to scam.”
Me: “Mm. I’m Ultraman 50.”
Lục Chiêu: [Wishing you prosperity and great fortune]
I opened the red envelope and saw that it contained 188.88 yuan.
Me: ?
Lục Chiêu: “Don’t ask. It wasn’t me treating you—it was the other members of the Ultraman clan.”
Lục Chiêu: “So, want to watch the history of Ultraman’s revival tomorrow night?”
Me: ?
Lục Chiêu: “I’ll treat you to dinner as a little reward.”
I focused on replying to the messages and didn’t notice that the kids beside me had stopped watching the movie.
They stared at me until I looked up. Then they pretended nothing was wrong and turned away.
(08)
After letting the housekeeper know that she didn’t need to cook for me today, I went out to meet Lục Chiêu.
It was always easy and fun talking with him. After dinner, we went for a walk by a nearby lake.
Lục Chiêu suddenly asked me, “Tiểu Hạ, you’re almost twenty-six, aren’t you?”
“That’s right. I turn twenty-six next Sunday.”
“Then would you like to go out for a birthday dinner?” He paused. “You could bring the kids, too.”
I hesitated. “I’ll have to ask them first.”
“You’re their aunt. Of course they’ll want to celebrate your birthday with you,”
Lục Chiêu said cheerfully. “And the college entrance exams will be over that weekend, too…”
“How do you know?” I suddenly cut him off.
“…What?”
“How do you know they call me their aunt?” I stopped walking. “I’m sure I never told you that.”
I’d told him my family had adopted a few children, but I hadn’t gone into any details. There was no way he could know them that well.
Most people would assume I was their older sister or mother. How would they know the kids called me their aunt?
Lục Chiêu stopped in his tracks.
After a long moment, he gave a soft chuckle. “…You really are perceptive.”
I pressed him. “How did you know?”
“Miss Hạ,” he said, putting a hand to his forehead, “could you please not ask me that? It puts me in a difficult position.”
I stared at him. “You know Hạ Xuân Lai.”
Hạ Xuân Lai was my eldest brother.
He clearly hesitated. “Well…”
“No, that’s not it,” I said, correcting myself. “You know Hạ Lương Hạ, too.”
Hạ Lương Hạ was my second older brother.
This time, Lục Chiêu was silent even longer.
“Someone asked me to keep this confidential, and I have to keep my word. I can’t tell you,” Lục Chiêu said slowly. “But it’s something you’ll have to know sooner or later. You’ll understand on your birthday.”
“My second brother asked you to come here. What did he send you to do?” I murmured.
“All right, all right. I really can’t say anything more.” Lục Chiêu took two steps back. “I’ll walk you home, Tiểu Hạ.”
Actually, looking back, there had been plenty of strange signs surrounding my meeting Lục Chiêu.
He’d sought me out and become my tenant. He knew my preferences, what I liked to eat and drink, that I had face blindness, and all the memories I had of my eldest and second brothers.
He treated me very well and took meticulous care of me, but I knew he didn’t like me—at least, not as much as his outward behavior suggested.
But I didn’t like him either, so I quietly accepted his closeness.
I’d thought he’d come for the money. I was his landlady, after all. But I later dismissed the idea: he was generous with me, and he was rich himself. He didn’t seem like someone who needed to swindle people.
But if he didn’t like me and wasn’t after my money, then what could he want?
“Well, you caught me,” he muttered. “I’m going to get scolded for this.”
I didn’t say anything else. I had a feeling that no matter what I said, Lục Chiêu wouldn’t reveal anything more.
Maybe I really wouldn’t find out everything until my birthday.
“Will my second brother come see me on my birthday?” When Lục Chiêu walked me to my door, I asked one last question.
“I can’t make that decision for him.” He rubbed his nose. “He’s my senior, not my junior.”
I froze.
When I got home, the kids were studying at the table. They all greeted me obediently when they saw me.
To keep them from worrying, I forced a smile.
The days that followed passed peacefully. Lục Chiêu didn’t invite me out again, and I stayed quietly at home, keeping the five children company through the stressful days before their college entrance exams.
The night before the exams, they went to bed early.