pjbooks Chapter 43: Have you said enough?
Chapter 43: Have you said enough?
The kitten shrank back again and let out an even weaker meow.
Lin Yue pulled her hand back a little, but not completely; it remained suspended there.
She shifted her weight from her left foot to her right, her knee scraping against the concrete floor, which probably hurt quite a bit, but she didn't even flinch.
Then she began to speak slowly.
"Let me tell you, I got into fights when I was a kid."
She spoke very seriously, as if she were chatting with someone who could understand human speech.
"I've been hit by others before, it hurts a lot, I know, it really hurts."
The kitten's ears twitched.
"But then someone told me that I couldn't just stand there and let them beat me up."
She paused, her voice softening slightly.
"That person had a terrible temper and spoke very rudely, but he helped me."
The kitten gradually stopped shrinking back, its eyes still fixed on her warily, but the trembling in its body lessened.
"Aren't you a little wildcat? Does nobody care about you?"
Lin Yue's voice became exceptionally gentle, so gentle that it was as if she was afraid that if she raised her voice even slightly, something would shatter.
She moved her finger forward another centimeter, and the tip of her index finger was only a few centimeters away from the kitten's nose.
"It's okay, I'm about the same."
She smiled, a smile that bloomed quietly in the empty alley. The curve of her lips was very light and slow, as if no one had ever taught her how to smile, but she had learned it on her own, a smile that was both clumsy and sincere.
"But it's okay, you can live well on your own. If you don't mind, I can come see you after school and bring you some food. Don't be afraid, I won't take you in. I know you don't like being locked up, so I'll feed you here, okay?"
The kitten finally stopped hiding.
It poked its little head forward, its pink nose twitching, and cautiously sniffed Lin Yue's fingertips.
His beard trembled slightly, brushing against her fingers.
Lin Yue's eyes lit up immediately.
That kind of light isn't the kind you get when you see something earth-shattering; it's like someone striking a match in a room that's been dark for a long time—small, warm, and precious.
"You're so soft..."
She spoke softly, her voice trembling slightly.
Then she carefully reached out her finger and gently touched the kitten's head.
The kitten shrank back slightly, but didn't run away.
She touched it again, and the kitten squinted its eyes.
She touched it a third time, her movements extremely gentle.
The kitten let out a soft meow, a little louder than before, and with a hint of comfort.
Its little head lifted slightly and nuzzled against Lin Yue's palm.
Lin Yue smiled even more happily.
She stroked the kitten and said softly, "Are you hungry? I have bread in my bag, I'll go get it for you later, okay? Wait for me here, don't run away, I'll be right back..."
Song Huan stood behind the corner, watching this scene unfold.
He didn't utter a sound from beginning to end.
He saw Lin Yue kneeling on the cement floor, her knees covered in dust, and saw her patiently talking to an injured kitten, and the gentle light in her eyes.
That gentleness was different from her usual quietness. It wasn't forced silence, but a tenderness from the bottom of her heart. It was an instinctive impulse to protect a life that was weaker and more helpless than herself.
She couldn't even protect herself. She was ostracized and isolated among the girls, and people pointed at her behind her back. She sat alone under the banyan tree, drawing circles.
But when she sees an injured kitten, she will still kneel down and approach it with the lightest and slowest movements, comfort it with the gentlest voice, sharing her little bit of warmth with an even more pitiful little creature.
That's just the kind of person she is.
Song Huan did not go over.
He quietly took two steps back, turned around, and walked into the convenience store.
The auntie at the convenience store was dozing behind the counter when she was startled awake by the rustling of the curtain. She looked up and glanced at him.
"What should I buy?"
Song Huan glanced at the shelves, grabbed a few sausages, and then a bottle of water.
He put the items on the counter, and when he took out his money, he thought for a moment and added a carton of milk.
After paying, he carried his things out of the convenience store.
Lin Yue is still there.
She had already stood up, brushed the dust off her knees, and was bending over to say to the kitten, "Wait here, I'll go get the bread, I'll be right there..."
She turned around and immediately saw Song Huan.
stunned.
She froze, as if she had been caught red-handed doing something wrong. The color drained from her face, and her lips opened and closed, unsure of what to say.
"Song Huan?"
Song Huan walked over, her face showing no particular expression.
"Feeding the cat?"
Lin Yue's eyes flickered, she lowered her head, and said softly, "It's injured... there's blood on its leg, it's been like this for several days. I want to treat it, but I don't know how..."
Song Huan glanced at the kitten.
The orange cat huddled in the corner, watching the stranger warily, its ears perked up, ready to run away at any moment.
He handed over the sausage in his hand.
"Give the cat some food, and don't just keep your hands busy."
Lin Yue stared at the sausages, then at Song Huan's face, and remained stunned for several seconds.
Then her eyes reddened.
It wasn't the kind of redness that comes with tears, but rather a thin layer of moisture suddenly welling up in her eyes. However, she blinked hard and managed to get the moisture back.
She took the sausage, tore open the packaging, squatted down, broke it into small pieces, and placed them on the ground in front of the kitten.
The kitten smelled the food, cautiously approached, sniffed it first, then opened its mouth, grabbed a piece, retreated to the corner, and began to wolf it down.
It ate very quickly, piece by piece, its little head buried in the ground, making soft chewing sounds.
Lin Yue watched it eat, then broke off another piece and put it over. This time, the kitten didn't flinch; it took half a step forward to take it. Its injured leg made it limp as it walked, but it was too busy eating to care about the pain.
"Eat slowly...don't choke..."
Lin Yue whispered, then she opened the milk bottle, poured a little into the cap, and placed it next to the kitten.
The kitten leaned over and licked it, probably because it had never drunk milk before. After licking it a couple of times, it came back to eat the sausage.
Lin Yue squatted there, watching the kitten eat, her expression quiet and focused.
Song Huan stood next to her, leaning against the wall, and took a sip of water from the bottle.
I felt that this moment was so beautiful.
……
But this wonderful feeling didn't last long.
this day.
The classroom was noisy, and everyone seemed to be discussing something.
Song Huan hadn't noticed at first.
But the sounds grew louder and louder, drifting into my ears.
"Have you heard? Lin Yue's mother is a mistress."
"Really?"
"It's true, those guys who fought yesterday said it. Her mother broke up someone else's family, and her father's son from his first marriage came knocking on their door."
"No wonder she's usually so quiet, turns out she's a bastard..."
"Shh, keep your voice down..."
The sound wasn't loud, but it was clearly audible in the quiet classroom.
Lin Yue sat in the back, her face pale.
She kept her head down, her hand gripping the pen so tightly her knuckles were white.
Her eyes welled up with tears.
But she didn't cry.
Xiao Yunqing sat in the front, listening to those words, her brows furrowing.
She glanced back at Lin Yue.
Lin Yue lowered her head, her shoulders trembling.
Xiao Yunqing bit her lip, then quickly stood up, glaring angrily at the boys gossiping beside her: "Have you all said enough?"
The boys were stunned for a moment.
One of them was class monitor Yi Fan, who pursed his lips and said, "Xiao Yunqing, we're not talking about you, why are you so anxious?"
Xiao Yunqing stared at him.
"You can't talk about anyone. Is it fun for you to gossip in the classroom?"
Yi Fan still had a playful smile on his face.
"We were just chatting casually, nothing more. Besides, the whole school knows about it, it's not like we spread the rumors."
Several boys nearby laughed along with them.
"Exactly, it's not like we made it up."
"Can't people even talk about what her mother did?"
Xiao Yunqing was so angry that her face turned red.
But she alone can't out-argue so many people.
Seeing that she wasn't saying anything, the boys got even more excited.
"Hey, you guys say Lin Yue's mom is a mistress, but who is her dad?"
"Who knows? Anyway, it's not anything good."
"No wonder she's usually so quiet, turns out she's a bastard..."
"Ha ha ha ha……"
Laughter echoed in the classroom.
Lin Yue's tears finally fell.
She tried her best to hold back, but the tears wouldn't stop.
Drop by drop, it fell onto the textbook, wetting the paper.
Xiao Yunqing stood there, trembling with anger.
But she didn't know what to say.
Those boys didn't take her words seriously at all.
People around were whispering among themselves.
The sounds were like flies, buzzing and buzzing.
Song Huan sat there, listening.
Listening to those idle gossips.
Listen to those heartfelt words.
[Is Lin Yue's mother really a mistress?]
[Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't realize.]
No wonder she's usually so aloof; she was feeling guilty.
[Bastard, bastard, bastard...]
Song Huan clenched her fists.
He took a deep breath.
Then stand up.
"Bang!"
He slammed his hand on the table.
The entire classroom fell silent.
Everyone looked at him.
Song Huan stood there and glanced at the group of boys.
"What's all the noise about?"
The sound wasn't loud, but it was very cold.
The boys were stunned.
Song Huan stared at them.
"Have you said enough?"
No one dared to speak.
The classroom was so quiet you could hear someone breathing.
Lin Yue sat in the back and looked up.
Through her teary eyes, she looked at the back of the figure standing in front of her.
He has broad shoulders and stands very straight.
Like a wall.
She suddenly felt a lump in her throat and almost burst into tears.
Song Huan stood there and waited for a few seconds.
No one spoke.
He looked away and sat down.
The classroom fell silent again.
The boys lowered their heads and didn't dare to say another word.
Xiao Yunqing stared at him, stunned for several seconds.
[He's quite handsome.]