Morning Longing for Warmth – Chapter 14

by Little Panda

Going Out

Should I say yes to her?

“Give me a child,” this sentence was like a sudden muffled thunder in Shiyi’s ear, leaving her completely stunned. She foolishly looked at Wei Hui, and before she could think carefully about how she could have a child for Wei Hui, she instinctively refused, “Third Miss, I…”

“You don’t have to answer me right away,” Wei Hui said calmly. “You have three months to think about it. Don’t waste it.”

“If I were you, I would think it over carefully.”

The words Shiyi didn’t finish saying were swallowed back just like that.

After they finished talking, the two got into the car. When they reached the Wei family house, Pei Tian took a mobile phone from the front passenger seat and handed it to Wei Hui, explaining, “Third Miss, this phone has the simplest functions.”

Wei Hui took the phone, opened the box, and under Shiyi’s watchful eyes, she entered a number into the phone, made a call, and added a name.

“This is my number. If you need anything, you can call me directly,” Wei Hui said, handing the phone to Shiyi.

Shiyi looked at the phone, then at Wei Hui, bit her lip, and took it.

When the two entered the Wei family home, Zhang Ma came up to greet them. Wei Hui seldom came back this late, and today she brought Shiyi out with her. Zhang Ma immediately assumed it was Shiyi’s ‘doing,’ and as a result, she looked at her with a bit more displeasure.

However, Shiyi was still thinking about the deal Wei Hui mentioned and didn’t notice the change in Zhang Ma’s expression.

After the two entered the living room, Zhang Ma asked, “Third Miss, have you had dinner?”

Wei Hui opened her mouth, “I’ve eaten. I’ll go upstairs to rest first.”

After she spoke, she headed upstairs without looking back. Behind her, Shiyi held the phone, watching Wei Hui’s straight back in silence. Zhang Ma noticed the new phone in Shiyi’s hand, still in its shopping bag, and with a displeased face, she walked into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, a few servants were looking at Shiyi outside the door, whispering, “Did Third Miss buy her a phone?”

“Could it be stolen?”

“Third Miss came back so late tonight, she must have been out handling things.”

“Maybe it really was stolen.”

Zhang Ma was already irritated, and hearing them mumbling made her even more angry. She scolded, “Enough, if you have nothing to do, go rest. Aren’t you afraid Third Miss will hear you being so gossipy?”

Hearing her mention Third Miss, they looked at each other and quickly scattered like birds and beasts.

The kitchen returned to quiet. Zhang Ma glanced outside; Shiyi was already gone.

Shiyi returned to her room and sat in front of the mirror. The old wound on her forehead hadn’t healed yet, and now she had a new one from tonight. She pressed her fingers against her forehead, thinking about what Wei Hui had said. If she didn’t agree, she could leave the Wei family at any time. If she agreed, she would have to give Wei Hui a child.

She had never faced such a choice before. In the past, she only ever thought about finding a slightly better master’s household to serve. Her life, before meeting Wei Hui, had only one goal: to live peacefully without any disturbances.

So Wei Hui’s words were like a hammer gently breaking open her closed-off world, giving her a different choice and allowing her to see a different world.

In the past, her world was only black and white. Now, suddenly, there were colors, even though they weren’t colors she liked.

Shiyi looked at herself in the mirror, bit her lip, and turned to the bathroom to wash up. When she came out, she saw a glass of milk on the table, probably left by Zhang Ma. She stared at the milk for a moment and then drank it down. It tasted sweet and creamy, a flavor she had never experienced before coming to the Wei family. Shiyi put down the glass, lay on the bed, and turned over, reflecting on everything.

In a room two doors away, Wei Hui received a call from Su Ziyan. “How’s your health now?”

Wei Hui stood by the window, the cold wind howling outside, making a piercing noise against the glass. Her expression was calm as she replied, “Still okay.”

Su Ziyan couldn’t hold back and asked, “What do you plan to do with Shiyi?”

Based on his understanding of Wei Hui, she wouldn’t be too harsh, but she certainly wouldn’t let Shiyi speak out again. Thinking of that child’s obedient appearance, Su Ziyan suddenly felt a sense of pity, which prompted him to call and ask.

Wei Hui’s voice remained very calm. “Ziyan, you worry too much.”

On the other end of the phone, Su Ziyan sounded a bit aggrieved: “Aren’t I just concerned about you?”

Wei Hui chuckled softly, “You’re worried about that child, aren’t you?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t force her.”

There was no more sound from the other end, and Wei Hui hung up the phone. Standing by the window, she thought about what Su Ziyan had said about Shiyi. An image appeared in her mind of seeing Shiyi in the office, curled up, so thin that the bones and veins on the back of her hand were clearly visible, her head buried in her knees, trembling slightly.

She looked so weak and helpless, like an abandoned animal crouching in the corner, licking its wounds silently.

Thinking of what Shiyi might have gone through in the past, Wei Hui opened her eyes. After a moment of thought, she sat up and sent a message from her latest number: “Think it over carefully, no need to rush your answer.”

This was the first time she did something so unusual. After sending the message, Wei Hui frowned. When did she become so fussy, like Su Ziyan?

There was no reply for a long time. She guessed Shiyi was already asleep. Just as she closed her eyes to rest, her phone buzzed. She picked it up to see: “Thank you, Third Miss, I will think it over carefully.”

After sending the message, Shiyi hugged the phone. When the ringtone first sounded, she was dazed for several seconds until she saw the phone light up on the bedside table and finally reacted.

She wasn’t familiar with using a phone. Strictly speaking, she had only watched others use it and hadn’t used one herself. So, when she saw Wei Hui’s message, she pondered for a while before finding the reply function, slowly typed out her message, made several mistakes, and finally sent it. Sending a message for the first time, she felt both nervous and curious, and she couldn’t help flipping the phone over and over to look at it several times, but it remained empty, with nothing else there.

She heard what Pei Tian said, that this phone had the fewest functions, but to her, it still felt complicated. So after Wei Hui didn’t reply to her message, she spent almost an hour figuring it out on her own before going to sleep.

That night, Shiyi had a dream. In the dream, she had a child with Wei Hui. The child looked a lot like Wei Hui but loved to laugh and would cling to her, asking for hugs and kisses. Wei Hui sat on the sofa watching them play, smiling with a doting expression.

Shiyi woke up with a start!

She sat up quickly, and the sunlight was already pouring into the room. She didn’t realize she was so tired from being at the office yesterday that she overslept. Shiyi checked the time; it was almost nine o’clock.

By this time, Wei Hui should have gone to work.

Thinking of Wei Hui’s name brought back memories of the dream she just had. She bit her lip, got out of bed, neatly folded the quilt, and went to the bathroom to wash up. When she went downstairs, Zhang Ma was instructing others to clean. Seeing Shiyi come down, she called out, “Miss.”

“Breakfast is ready.”

It was Wei Hui who personally instructed this, so even though Zhang Ma felt uncomfortable, she had to comply. Shiyi sat at the dining table, drank a bowl of millet porridge, and ate an egg. There was also a glass of milk on the table. Zhang Ma said, “Third Miss instructed that you must drink the milk.”

Shiyi didn’t refuse. After drinking the milk, she looked up at Zhang Ma and asked, “Can I go out for a walk?”

Zhang Ma originally wanted to reply with a cold face, but when she met Shiyi’s clear eyes, she hesitated and said, “Miss, you can do whatever you want.”

With permission, a faint smile appeared on Shiyi’s face: “Thank you.”

Zhang Ma was left speechless and didn’t reply.

Shiyi walked out of the living room and stood in the garden. Wei Hui’s villa had an old-fashioned design, surrounded by large flowerbeds. You had to pass through two flowerbeds to reach the main entrance. A few security guards in uniforms were patrolling at the door. Shiyi slowly walked toward the entrance, her heart beating faster, her palms slightly sweaty. She braced herself as she approached the door, and before she could speak, the large gate slowly opened to both sides. Staring at the outside view, Shiyi realized Wei Hui hadn’t lied to her—she could leave the Wei family anytime she wanted.

For the first time, Shiyi walked out through the gate so openly, but she felt lost because she had nowhere to go. As far back as she could remember, she had always been with her grandmother, never leaving her side. Later, her grandmother used her savings to send her to school. By then, she was past the age for school and was placed among children two or three years younger, which made her feel out of place. This contributed to her somewhat introverted personality, especially under the strange looks from classmates, making her feel even more embarrassed. But this didn’t stop her from wanting to learn.

Her grandmother used to say that to find a way out, you must first learn. So she seized every opportunity to study hard. But the good times didn’t last long. Shortly after she graduated from elementary school, her grandmother passed away, and she ended up moving through various households.

Shiyi walked aimlessly on the road near the villa, watching people rush by, either busy or sweet couples holding each other’s arms, laughing and playing. The confusion in her eyes deepened. After walking for who knows how long, she sat tiredly on the steps by the roadside, resting her head on her knees and looking around. The fragmented sunlight filtered through the leaves behind her, adding warmth to her.

“Woof—woof!” A suppressed dog bark made Shiyi look back. She saw several children holding stones, throwing them at a dirty-looking dog. One of the children loudly said, “Quick! I’ve tied it up! Just hit it!”

This sentence made the other kids even more excited. Standing behind them, Shiyi listened to the dog’s low growl and suddenly thought of herself. How was she any different from this stray dog now?

It seemed there was no difference.

Thinking of this, Shiyi shouted, “What are you doing?”

Not expecting anyone to speak up, the group of kids, who had been excited, suddenly stopped and turned to look at Shiyi. She was wearing good-quality clothes and had a cute, charming face, looking like a rich family’s daughter. The villas nearby were home to well-known people in Jiangcheng. The kids exchanged glances and giggled at Shiyi before scattering.

With the kids gone, Shiyi walked over to the stray dog, trying to untie the rope around its neck. Unfortunately, the stray dog watched her with a hostile gaze, seemingly thinking she was part of the group with the kids. Shiyi reassured it, “I mean no harm, don’t worry.”

After saying that, she found it amusing. Was she explaining herself to a dog?

But now, apart from talking to this dog, it seemed like there was no one else to listen to her. Seeing the dog still with its fur standing up, baring its teeth, she glanced sideways and noticed a small convenience store. She quickly went inside, bought two pieces of bread with her limited money, and came back. The dog, which had been lying on the ground, stood up again as soon as it saw her return, barking twice. Shiyi wasn’t afraid at all; instead, she stood at a suitable distance and tore the bread into small pieces, tossing them bit by bit to the dog. At first, the stray dog didn’t eat, but unable to resist her gentle gaze and soft calls, when she tore open the second piece of bread, the stray dog finally stretched out its tongue to lick the breadcrumbs. Shiyi’s face relaxed into a gentle smile.

After eating the two pieces of bread, the stray dog was no longer so wary of her. Shiyi walked up to it, and the dog looked up and licked the back of her hand. Its slightly rough tongue brushed against her skin, but Shiyi felt happy. She looked at the dog with a hint of a smile in her eyes.

Before leaving, Shiyi moved the stray dog to a different spot, tying it near Wei Hui’s villa. She had just discovered this small path and wasn’t sure how many people walked by. She tied the dog under a tree, with just enough rope so it couldn’t reach the path, ensuring no one passing by would be at risk of being bitten. After tying it up, she patted the dog’s head. The stray dog, which had been baring its teeth at her an hour ago, was now much more obedient, letting her pet its head and occasionally licking her hand.

The stray dog was a large breed, about as tall as Shiyi when standing. Its fur was so dirty that its original color was unrecognizable. Shiyi didn’t mind at all. She leaned against the tree, and the dog sat beside her. Using the third piece of bread she had bought, she fed the dog and talked to it. It seemed she had finally found someone to talk to, and she poured out all her troubles, finally asking, “What do you think I should do?”

“Should I agree with Third Miss?”

The dog tilted its head, watching her for a long time with wet eyes, and then barked, “Woof!”

Shiyi was amused by it once again.

The author has something to say:

Third Miss: Isn’t agreeing with me the right thing to do?

Shiyi: Shameless!

Happy Holidays!

Twenty random red envelopes, muah muah!