Chapter 149: A Painful Teaching Pt.2
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There were many words that she did not necessarily understand at the end but she could feel the warmth from them. She was sure that whatever he was saying was indeed for her benefit or at least was affectionate. Without her knowing she began to really like the gruff voice and try to follow along to each word. Her mind although young, was good at remembering what he said but missed the meaning on some.
Once he had told her to eat half of her attention had fallen onto the bun and she was only partially listening to him. She was mid chew when she caught onto the word "children."
When he had spoken about seeing many children she felt herself nod in agreement, there were many children there. Even today she had seen several other little children like her roaming around the streets, they looked too mean so she did not approach them. Instead, she looked at them from afar with a bit of sadness. Seeing other people her age would obviously excite her but the reminder that she could not get close was equally as depressing. She reminded herself that it was okay and that it was just the way things were but her mind still could not completely understand 'why.'
The old man finished his speech before looking at her and taking a deep sigh. He reached around to the other side of him and there was the sound of rustling echoing through the alley. It didn't take long for him to pull out a bottle of water that was half the size of her. Placing it in front of her he made sure to point at it while saying "drink."
She didn't need to be told twice, from the two buns she had there was a dryness in her throat but she had nothing to wash it down. Especially after being given so much she was hesitant to ask for more and ruin the peaceful balance between them. Reaching for it she tried to open the drink but her hands kept slipping. Though she was next to the fire her hands had long become stiff and a bit cramped, she did not have enough strength to open it.
It was a normal plastic water bottle but paired with the weather and how tight the cap was, it was impossible for a little girl to open. There was a short chuckle from above her as the old man noticed her struggles. Picking the water bottle back up, he twisted it open before placing it back in front of her.
"Silly me, it was too tight for you huh. Hear drink drink, its cold so take small sips. Don't put near the fire okay, fire bad water no like fire. I know you speak English but I think small commands are still the easiest to understand no matter what. Hah at least someone taught you English before abandoning you, would've been harder to learn a language from here. That means interacting with a lot of people but its not safe for a little girl like you. Look at me rambling to you, I guess it comes with age huh. Can't help but speak more when I see children like you here. Don't trust everyone, especially people who give you food. This old man is a rare nice one and I have barely enough strength in me to harm anyone. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
She could tell that the end of his sentence was calling out to her, she tilted her head and looked up at him in response. There was a small nod that came from her as she agreed to what he was saying. She knew that his question wanted a yes or no answer from her, someone taught her to nod for yes and shake for no so she did just that.
Her eyebrows furrowed as she was confused where that teaching came from. When she tried to remember there was a pang of pain in her head. It made her face scrunch up and her eyes water in pain. She immediately became distracted by the pain and subsequently pushed the thought out of her mind. By not thinking about it the pain slowly lessened.
The change in expression was caught by the old man as he looked at her in concern.
"Aiya what happened to you? What hurts?? Was it the water??" He kept watching her and seeing no further reactions he became to calm down. It seems that with no follow up answers or expressions he automatically formed his own answer for the trigger. Thus, the water was pulled away from her and picked up back into his hands.
The bottle was in his left hand while the right hand pointed at it sternly. "Water cold, drink lot bad. No drink lot, one sip one sip, okay?" For each action he imitated what it would look like since he feared that she would not understand again. His first warning had fallen on deaf ears and by her reaction he assumed she did not listen properly the first time.
After repeating himself a couple of times and was sure she understood he handed the bottle back to her. That did not mean he trusted her completely, every time she went to take a sip his eyes followed her to check. The stare was so obvious that she could feel it above her head but neither spoke on it. The stare felt warm and was the only ways she knew how to describe it.
At later years she would re-label it as a look of protection and care from an a.d.u.l.t. It was something parents or elders would do to children as they watched over them. However,until then it was just called 'warm.'
"Make sure you save some, I know you are hungry but on the streets its better to ration everything. How do I say this for children, You hungry yes, leave this many bun, you hungry later, eat later. Food hard to find. I probably look crazy speaking to you like this right, its been one-sided since you got here but for some reason I feel like you understand me. Ah forgive an old man's rambles but your eyes shine to bright for a dumb child. I wonder if you understand everything or only part? Its not like you will answer me but I can ask. Say are you mute?"
"Hmm, are you telling me you don't understand the word? Okay, mute means you can't speak, voice no come. Understand? Nod if yes."
He had started to figure out that without speaking he could at least get non-verbal answers from her.
She nodded after hearing his explanation, 'so he means I cannot speak? But Ying Yue can speak!" There was a slight fear he would not believe her so she nodded her head again a couple more times.
"Ahaha yes yes I know. So you do understand. Are you mute then? Nod if yes."
This time she shook her head many times from side to side. She did it so quickly that she felt dizzy for a second when she stopped. Her body's balance was fragile so the motion made her fall to the side and her little face became red with embarrassment. Plopping back onto her b.u.t.t, she kept her face towards the bin while peaking at the old man from the corner of her eyes.
Last time she had fell, there were people who laughed at her. She still remembered the laughter, it made her feel bad. There were smiles on their faces but they felt evil to her more than joyful. There was almost an expectation for the old man to react the same way. she thought that everyone laughed at people who fell.
To her surprise, the old man kept a blank face and there was no change in expression. It was as if he understood her reaction and had kept silence knowing she was embarrassed. The red cheeks were a dead giveaway that he was correct about his guess. They sat in silence till the warmth in her cheeks faded and she felt okay to look at him after confirming he wasn't going to laugh.
"So you're not mute, that's good. If you were, it would be much harder hear. Aiya I thought that was the reason you were left behind, you look like a perfectly good little girl. Why do people do these things? If I had the money I used to, I would never let kids like you roam the street. My bones are too old to do anything now and no one would take this old man seriously. It sounds funny to say this to a child but one day I hope there are homes for people like you. Where there are a.d.u.l.ts to look you over and give you the b.a.r.e necessities. Food, water, and education - if those happened none of you would have to suffer on these streets. Maybe then parents would stop leave their children so recklessly."
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There were many words that she did not necessarily understand at the end but she could feel the warmth from them. She was sure that whatever he was saying was indeed for her benefit or at least was affectionate. Without her knowing she began to really like the gruff voice and try to follow along to each word. Her mind although young, was good at remembering what he said but missed the meaning on some.
Once he had told her to eat half of her attention had fallen onto the bun and she was only partially listening to him. She was mid chew when she caught onto the word "children."
When he had spoken about seeing many children she felt herself nod in agreement, there were many children there. Even today she had seen several other little children like her roaming around the streets, they looked too mean so she did not approach them. Instead, she looked at them from afar with a bit of sadness. Seeing other people her age would obviously excite her but the reminder that she could not get close was equally as depressing. She reminded herself that it was okay and that it was just the way things were but her mind still could not completely understand 'why.'
The old man finished his speech before looking at her and taking a deep sigh. He reached around to the other side of him and there was the sound of rustling echoing through the alley. It didn't take long for him to pull out a bottle of water that was half the size of her. Placing it in front of her he made sure to point at it while saying "drink."
She didn't need to be told twice, from the two buns she had there was a dryness in her throat but she had nothing to wash it down. Especially after being given so much she was hesitant to ask for more and ruin the peaceful balance between them. Reaching for it she tried to open the drink but her hands kept slipping. Though she was next to the fire her hands had long become stiff and a bit cramped, she did not have enough strength to open it.
It was a normal plastic water bottle but paired with the weather and how tight the cap was, it was impossible for a little girl to open. There was a short chuckle from above her as the old man noticed her struggles. Picking the water bottle back up, he twisted it open before placing it back in front of her.
"Silly me, it was too tight for you huh. Hear drink drink, its cold so take small sips. Don't put near the fire okay, fire bad water no like fire. I know you speak English but I think small commands are still the easiest to understand no matter what. Hah at least someone taught you English before abandoning you, would've been harder to learn a language from here. That means interacting with a lot of people but its not safe for a little girl like you. Look at me rambling to you, I guess it comes with age huh. Can't help but speak more when I see children like you here. Don't trust everyone, especially people who give you food. This old man is a rare nice one and I have barely enough strength in me to harm anyone. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
She could tell that the end of his sentence was calling out to her, she tilted her head and looked up at him in response. There was a small nod that came from her as she agreed to what he was saying. She knew that his question wanted a yes or no answer from her, someone taught her to nod for yes and shake for no so she did just that.
Her eyebrows furrowed as she was confused where that teaching came from. When she tried to remember there was a pang of pain in her head. It made her face scrunch up and her eyes water in pain. She immediately became distracted by the pain and subsequently pushed the thought out of her mind. By not thinking about it the pain slowly lessened.
The change in expression was caught by the old man as he looked at her in concern.
"Aiya what happened to you? What hurts?? Was it the water??" He kept watching her and seeing no further reactions he became to calm down. It seems that with no follow up answers or expressions he automatically formed his own answer for the trigger. Thus, the water was pulled away from her and picked up back into his hands.
The bottle was in his left hand while the right hand pointed at it sternly. "Water cold, drink lot bad. No drink lot, one sip one sip, okay?" For each action he imitated what it would look like since he feared that she would not understand again. His first warning had fallen on deaf ears and by her reaction he assumed she did not listen properly the first time.
After repeating himself a couple of times and was sure she understood he handed the bottle back to her. That did not mean he trusted her completely, every time she went to take a sip his eyes followed her to check. The stare was so obvious that she could feel it above her head but neither spoke on it. The stare felt warm and was the only ways she knew how to describe it.
At later years she would re-label it as a look of protection and care from an a.d.u.l.t. It was something parents or elders would do to children as they watched over them. However,until then it was just called 'warm.'
"Make sure you save some, I know you are hungry but on the streets its better to ration everything. How do I say this for children, You hungry yes, leave this many bun, you hungry later, eat later. Food hard to find. I probably look crazy speaking to you like this right, its been one-sided since you got here but for some reason I feel like you understand me. Ah forgive an old man's rambles but your eyes shine to bright for a dumb child. I wonder if you understand everything or only part? Its not like you will answer me but I can ask. Say are you mute?"
"Hmm, are you telling me you don't understand the word? Okay, mute means you can't speak, voice no come. Understand? Nod if yes."
He had started to figure out that without speaking he could at least get non-verbal answers from her.
She nodded after hearing his explanation, 'so he means I cannot speak? But Ying Yue can speak!" There was a slight fear he would not believe her so she nodded her head again a couple more times.
"Ahaha yes yes I know. So you do understand. Are you mute then? Nod if yes."
This time she shook her head many times from side to side. She did it so quickly that she felt dizzy for a second when she stopped. Her body's balance was fragile so the motion made her fall to the side and her little face became red with embarrassment. Plopping back onto her b.u.t.t, she kept her face towards the bin while peaking at the old man from the corner of her eyes.
Last time she had fell, there were people who laughed at her. She still remembered the laughter, it made her feel bad. There were smiles on their faces but they felt evil to her more than joyful. There was almost an expectation for the old man to react the same way. she thought that everyone laughed at people who fell.
To her surprise, the old man kept a blank face and there was no change in expression. It was as if he understood her reaction and had kept silence knowing she was embarrassed. The red cheeks were a dead giveaway that he was correct about his guess. They sat in silence till the warmth in her cheeks faded and she felt okay to look at him after confirming he wasn't going to laugh.
"So you're not mute, that's good. If you were, it would be much harder hear. Aiya I thought that was the reason you were left behind, you look like a perfectly good little girl. Why do people do these things? If I had the money I used to, I would never let kids like you roam the street. My bones are too old to do anything now and no one would take this old man seriously. It sounds funny to say this to a child but one day I hope there are homes for people like you. Where there are a.d.u.l.ts to look you over and give you the b.a.r.e necessities. Food, water, and education - if those happened none of you would have to suffer on these streets. Maybe then parents would stop leave their children so recklessly."
There were many words that she did not necessarily understand at the end but she could feel the warmth from them. She was sure that whatever he was saying was indeed for her benefit or at least was affectionate. Without her knowing she began to really like the gruff voice and try to follow along to each word. Her mind although young, was good at remembering what he said but missed the meaning on some. Once he had told her to eat half of her attention had fallen onto the bun and she was only partially listening to him. She was mid chew when she caught onto the word "children." When he had spoken about seeing many children she felt herself nod in agreement, there were many children there. Even today she had seen several other little children like her roaming around the streets, they looked too mean so she did not approach them. Instead, she looked at them from afar with a bit of sadness. Seeing other people her age would obviously excite her but the reminder that she could not get close was equally as depressing. She reminded herself that it was okay and that it was just the way things were but her mind still could not completely understand 'why.' The old man finished his speech before looking at her and taking a deep sigh. He reached around to the other side of him and there was the sound of rustling echoing through the alley. It didn't take long for him to pull out a bottle of water that was half the size of her. Placing it in front of her he made sure to point at it while saying "drink." She didn't need to be told twice, from the two buns she had there was a dryness in her throat but she had nothing to wash it down. Especially after being given so much she was hesitant to ask for more and ruin the peaceful balance between them. Reaching for it she tried to open the drink but her hands kept slipping. Though she was next to the fire her hands had long become stiff and a bit cramped, she did not have enough strength to open it. It was a normal plastic water bottle but paired with the weather and how tight the cap was, it was impossible for a little girl to open. There was a short chuckle from above her as the old man noticed her struggles. Picking the water bottle back up, he twisted it open before placing it back in front of her. "Silly me, it was too tight for you huh. Hear drink drink, its cold so take small sips. Don't put near the fire okay, fire bad water no like fire. I know you speak English but I think small commands are still the easiest to understand no matter what. Hah at least someone taught you English before abandoning you, would've been harder to learn a language from here. That means interacting with a lot of people but its not safe for a little girl like you. Look at me rambling to you, I guess it comes with age huh. Can't help but speak more when I see children like you here. Don't trust everyone, especially people who give you food. This old man is a rare nice one and I have barely enough strength in me to harm anyone. Do you understand what I'm saying?" She could tell that the end of his sentence was calling out to her, she tilted her head and looked up at him in response. There was a small nod that came from her as she agreed to what he was saying. She knew that his question wanted a yes or no answer from her, someone taught her to nod for yes and shake for no so she did just that. Her eyebrows furrowed as she was confused where that teaching came from. When she tried to remember there was a pang of pain in her head. It made her face scrunch up and her eyes water in pain. She immediately became distracted by the pain and subsequently pushed the thought out of her mind. By not thinking about it the pain slowly lessened. The change in expression was caught by the old man as he looked at her in concern. "Aiya what happened to you? What hurts?? Was it the water??" He kept watching her and seeing no further reactions he became to calm down. It seems that with no follow up answers or expressions he automatically formed his own answer for the trigger. Thus, the water was pulled away from her and picked up back into his hands. The bottle was in his left hand while the right hand pointed at it sternly. "Water cold, drink lot bad. No drink lot, one sip one sip, okay?" For each action he imitated what it would look like since he feared that she would not understand again. His first warning had fallen on deaf ears and by her reaction he assumed she did not listen properly the first time. After repeating himself a couple of times and was sure she understood he handed the bottle back to her. That did not mean he trusted her completely, every time she went to take a sip his eyes followed her to check. The stare was so obvious that she could feel it above her head but neither spoke on it. The stare felt warm and was the only ways she knew how to describe it. At later years she would re-label it as a look of protection and care from an a.d.u.l.t. It was something parents or elders would do to children as they watched over them. However,until then it was just called 'warm.' "Make sure you save some, I know you are hungry but on the streets its better to ration everything. How do I say this for children, You hungry yes, leave this many bun, you hungry later, eat later. Food hard to find. I probably look crazy speaking to you like this right, its been one-sided since you got here but for some reason I feel like you understand me. Ah forgive an old man's rambles but your eyes shine to bright for a dumb child. I wonder if you understand everything or only part? Its not like you will answer me but I can ask. Say are you mute?" "Hmm, are you telling me you don't understand the word? Okay, mute means you can't speak, voice no come. Understand? Nod if yes." He had started to figure out that without speaking he could at least get non-verbal answers from her. She nodded after hearing his explanation, 'so he means I cannot speak? But Ying Yue can speak!" There was a slight fear he would not believe her so she nodded her head again a couple more times. "Ahaha yes yes I know. So you do understand. Are you mute then? Nod if yes." This time she shook her head many times from side to side. She did it so quickly that she felt dizzy for a second when she stopped. Her body's balance was fragile so the motion made her fall to the side and her little face became red with embarrassment. Plopping back onto her b.u.t.t, she kept her face towards the bin while peaking at the old man from the corner of her eyes. Last time she had fell, there were people who laughed at her. She still remembered the laughter, it made her feel bad. There were smiles on their faces but they felt evil to her more than joyful. There was almost an expectation for the old man to react the same way. she thought that everyone laughed at people who fell. To her surprise, the old man kept a blank face and there was no change in expression. It was as if he understood her reaction and had kept silence knowing she was embarrassed. The red cheeks were a dead giveaway that he was correct about his guess. They sat in silence till the warmth in her cheeks faded and she felt okay to look at him after confirming he wasn't going to laugh. "So you're not mute, that's good. If you were, it would be much harder hear. Aiya I thought that was the reason you were left behind, you look like a perfectly good little girl. Why do people do these things? If I had the money I used to, I would never let kids like you roam the street. My bones are too old to do anything now and no one would take this old man seriously. It sounds funny to say this to a child but one day I hope there are homes for people like you. Where there are a.d.u.l.ts to look you over and give you the b.a.r.e necessities. Food, water, and education - if those happened none of you would have to suffer on these streets. Maybe then parents would stop leave their children so recklessly."
