Since we are all reborn, let’s arrest the senior!

The winter morning sunlight, like melting honey, slowly flowed through the pale blue gauze curtains in Jiang Zimei's room, weaving delicate dappled light on the natural wood floor.

Jiang Zimei turned over, her fingertips unconsciously touching the cold phone on the pillow. The lock screen lit up with a message from Lu Mingze sent half an hour ago: "Baby, breakfast is ready. I'll pick you up later. Remember to wear more clothes, it's a bit cold today." It ended with a clumsy hand-drawn heart, like the simple sketches he always liked to secretly sign in the corner when he drew.

She walked barefoot on the plush carpet, her breath condensing into tiny ice crystals in the cold air as she opened the window. The familiar sound of an electric scooter bell came from downstairs. Lu Mingze looked up and waved to her, a half-cut daisy stem peeking out of his dark gray coat pocket, its pale yellow petals trembling gently in the cold wind. Jiang Zimei smiled and gestured for him to wait for her. As she turned, the air current she created stirred up the orphanage volunteer application form on the table, the edges of the paper slightly frayed from her repeated rubbing.

Fifteen minutes later, Jiang Zimei opened the door, and Lu Mingze was warming the thermos with his breath. His fingertips were still covered in flour, clearly from the freshly baked bread that morning. "Be careful, it's hot." He placed the breakfast on the entryway cabinet and casually pulled out a pink woolen hat hidden behind his back. "I just passed by a corner shop and thought this color looked like your favorite cherry blossom mousse."

Jiang Zimei put on her hat in front of the mirror, the pink pom-pom swaying gently as she turned. "Does it look good?" Lu Mingze's Adam's apple bobbed. He suddenly remembered their first meeting, when she spilled paint in the art studio, her panicked expression mirroring that of this fluffy little rabbit. He reached out to tidy her bangs, which were ruffled by the hat, his fingertips brushing against her burning earlobe. "You look better than any model I've ever painted."

Amidst the rising steam of breakfast, the two discussed their plans for the day. Jiang Zimei pulled out colored cardstock and crayons from a hidden compartment in her backpack. Sunlight streamed through the transparent pen barrels, casting rainbow-like patterns on the table: "I learned a new origami tutorial online, the kind where the origami crane's wings can stand up." Lu Mingze picked up a golden-brown heart-shaped egg, its yolk flowing onto the whole-wheat bread: "Then I'll bring the new fairy tale book I bought. Last time when we read 'The Little Prince,' there was a little girl with braids whose eyes shone like stars."

Upon arriving at the orphanage, the snow beside the iron gate had been swept into a neat arc. The director, rubbing his frostbitten hands, greeted us with a smile of satisfaction hidden in the wrinkles around his eyes: "Thanks to your frequent visits, the children have been talking a lot lately about seeing the sister who can draw and the brother who can tell stories." The moment we pushed open the door to the activity room, more than twenty pairs of eyes turned to us, and a chorus of "Hello, brother and sister!" startled the sparrows pecking at breadcrumbs on the windowsill.

As Jiang Zimei crouched down, her brown pinafore dress swept across the cool tile floor. She pulled out some cartoon-patterned candies from her canvas bag, and was immediately surrounded by children. The girl named Duoduo in the corner huddled even tighter, her faded sweater cuffs frayed, and her fingers clutching the crayon red with cold. Jiang Zimei sat down beside her and placed a cup of warm water in her palm: "Shall we draw a flying castle? We need a brave little designer."

Meanwhile, Lu Mingze was surrounded by boys. As he opened the picture book, a trace of paint peeking out from his sleeve caught his attention. "Are you an artist, brother?" a bespectacled boy asked, looking up at him. Lu Mingze smiled and nodded, then suddenly had a brilliant idea. He tore off a sticky note and quickly sketched the little fox from the picture book: "Want a signed copy of the little fox? But you have to answer my question correctly first." A chorus of excited responses erupted in the activity room.

A sudden sob broke the noise. Jiang Zimei turned around and saw the little boy Lele slumped on the ground, watercolor paint stains spreading in large purple patches on his light blue sweater. "Mommy will scold me," the child sobbed, tears welling in his eyelashes. Lu Mingze was already squatting beside him, taking out a wet wipe he carried with him to wipe the paint-stained little boy's hands: "This is magic paint, look—" He magically produced a paintbrush, adding vines and petals around the stain, "Now it's turned into a little monster that blooms!"

The moment Lele stopped crying and started laughing, Jiang Zimei noticed the glint in Duoduo's eyes. Without saying a word, she placed the folded three-dimensional origami crane on Duoduo's lap: "I heard that girls who can fold origami have magical wings." The girl's fingertips trembled as she touched the crane's wings, and she suddenly spoke: "Sister, can you teach me how to fold stars? I want to give one to the grandma in the next bed."

The clock hands quietly struck noon, and the children lined up to go to the cafeteria. Duo Duo secretly slipped Jiang Zimei a piece of candy; the wrapper was crumpled beyond recognition. "This was from my birthday last week; I haven't been able to bear eating it." Jiang Zimei carefully put the wrapper away, then turned and bumped into Lu Mingze, who was squatting on the steps, retying a bow on a little boy's shoelaces. Sunlight fell on his slightly curly hair, casting a long shadow that overlapped with the child's small figure.

After a quick lunch, the two braved the increasingly biting wind to head to the animal welfare center. From afar, they could hear the incessant barking of dogs, and the faded "Adopt, Don't Shop" sign on the iron gate swayed gently in the wind. The moment they pushed open the door, the smell of disinfectant mixed with animal fur assaulted their senses, and a dozen pairs of eyes, some wary, some expectant, peered out from between the gaps in the cages.

Jiang Zimei's gaze was immediately drawn to the orange cat in the corner. It was curled up on a tattered blanket, its left ear missing a corner, its eyes like frozen lake water. "Little Orange, come and eat something delicious." She shook the cat treat package, but the orange cat just lazily flicked its tail. Lu Mingze had already come over with a bucket of water, the rag rustling as it wiped the rusty cage door. "Some little guys need a little time." He suddenly laughed, "I remember the first time you came to the studio, you held your breath even when you touched the palette."

Before the words were even finished, a man in a suit burst into the service station. His leather shoes clicked crisply on the floor, his brow furrowed deeply. "Where's my Golden Retriever? I brought it in for boarding yesterday!" The staff member's hand, holding the logbook, trembled slightly. "We've already sent people to look for it. It might be..." "Maybe?" The man slammed his hand on the table, and the small dog in the cage whimpered in fright. "That's a champion breed! Can you afford to compensate us if it's lost?"

Just as Jiang Zimei was about to speak, Lu Mingze had already subtly stepped in front of her. He pulled a sketchbook from his pocket, the pencil scratching on the paper: "Sir, would you mind describing the dog's features? For example, does the collar have any special patterns?" The man glanced at the drawing in his hand, his tone softening slightly: "A diamond-encrusted bone-shaped collar, and a heart-shaped birthmark on its right ear."

As the setting sun bathed the streets in amber hues, Jiang Zimei's snow boots suddenly sank into a snowdrift by the roadside. Just as she was about to lift her foot, she heard a faint whimper coming from the bushes. Pushing aside the thin layer of snow-covered branches, she found her golden retriever curled up beside a dead tree, dark red blood seeping from a wound on its hind leg. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid," she said, gently wrapping her scarf around the shivering dog. The dog's wet nose brushed against the back of her hand, freezing into tiny ice crystals in the cold wind.

When Lu Mingze rushed back to the service station with the dog in his arms, the man was grabbing a staff member's arm and yelling at him. Lu Mingze took off his coat and covered the golden retriever, gently pressing his fingertips against the wound to stop the bleeding: "It needs to be taken to the vet immediately; the wound might be infected." The man stared at the snowflakes stuck to the dog's collar, his Adam's apple bobbing: "Thank you. I was too impulsive just now." He pulled out a check from his wallet, "Let's use these to buy equipment for the service station; consider it my apology to everyone."

As they left, fine snowflakes began to fall. Jiang Zimei's breath condensed into tiny specks of light under the streetlights. Lu Mingze suddenly stopped, reaching out to catch a snowflake that landed on her eyelashes: "You know what? When you were folding stars for Duoduo today, your eyes were brighter than the spotlights in the art studio." Jiang Zimei's cheeks flushed, and she turned, leaving crooked footprints in the snow: "And when you were performing magic tricks for Lele, you looked just like a Santa Claus in a coat."

The snow fell heavier and heavier, casting long shadows of the two figures across the snow. Passing a convenience store, Lu Mingze bought two cups of hot cocoa, the water droplets on the cups soaking his sketchbook filled with doodles. Jiang Zimei suddenly remembered the candy wrappers in her pocket; moonlight streamed through the glass window, casting the crumpled paper on them like a shining medal. In the distance, the lights of the orphanage glowed a warm orange against the snow, and the faint barking of dogs from the care center mingled with the crunching of their footsteps in the snow, creating the most touching melody of winter. Warmth accompanies them, love knows no bounds.

The two continued walking through the snow, the warmth of the hot cocoa spreading from their fingertips to their hearts. Jiang Zimei suddenly tugged at Lu Mingze's sleeve and pointed to a pet supply store in a shop window: "Mingze, let's buy some things for the little guys at the service station." In the window, soft pet blankets gleamed with a fluffy sheen, and food bowls with cartoon patterns sparkled under the lights.

Lu Mingze nodded without hesitation, pushed open the shop door, and a warm atmosphere carrying a faint scent of lavender wafted towards him. Jiang Zimei went straight to the blanket section, gently stroking the different fabrics. "This coral fleece is very warm, Xiao Ju will definitely like it." She picked up a ginger-yellow blanket, imagining the orange cat snuggling up on it and a smile involuntarily crept up her lips.

Lu Mingze was selecting food from the bowls section. He picked up a ceramic bowl with a small fish pattern printed on it and compared it with several stainless steel bowls of different sizes. "Big dogs should use this big one, and kittens should use the small ceramic bowl with a non-slip bottom." The two carefully selected the food, exchanging a few words from time to time. The shop assistant looked at the young couple and smiled kindly.

After paying, Lu Mingze insisted on carrying everything. The heavy shopping bags made his fingers slightly red, but he still smiled and said, "Consider it arm strength training so I can protect my little princess in the future." Jiang Zimei stood on tiptoe and gently ruffled his hair. "Thank you for your hard work, our great painter."

Back home, Jiang Zimei rummaged through some unused storage boxes, laid out soft old sweaters, and planned to make a few temporary shelters for the stray animals. Lu Mingze sat beside her, drawing cute patterns on the cardboard boxes with a paintbrush—bears, rabbits, stars—the colors bright and vivid. "Once the paintings are dry, I'll put blankets on them; it'll definitely be comfortable and beautiful," he said as he painted.

Jiang Zimei watched Lu Mingze intently painting, the warm yellow light casting soft shadows on him. She suddenly recalled how Lu Mingze patiently told stories to the children at the orphanage earlier that day, and her heart filled with emotion. "Mingze, doing these things with you is truly wonderful," she whispered.

Lu Mingze raised his head, his eyes gentle yet firm. "Me too, baby. Seeing those children and animals happy makes it all worthwhile."

The next day was Sunday. The two got up early and went to the animal care center with the things they had prepared the night before. As soon as they entered, the staff greeted them warmly. "Thank you so much for yesterday. The Golden Retriever's owner not only donated money but also helped contact a veterinary hospital. It will be much more convenient for injured animals to see a doctor in the future."

Jiang Zimei and Lu Mingze exchanged a smile and took out the things they had brought. As they placed the new food bowl and blanket into the cage, the animals immediately gathered around. The little orange cat cautiously approached the ginger-yellow blanket, sniffed it, then slowly lay down on it, stretched comfortably, and even meowed at Jiang Zimei, as if to say thank you.

Watching this scene, Lu Mingze smiled and said, "Looks like we had good taste." He then took out the cardboard box shelter he had drawn last night and placed it on the ground. Several puppies curiously ran over, sniffing and licking the shelter. One of the white puppies even crawled inside, peeking out with its round, bright eyes—it was incredibly cute.

While helping out at the service station, Jiang Zimei noticed a little girl, about ten years old, sitting quietly on a bench in the corner, her eyes fixed intently on the kitten in the cage. She went over and asked softly, "Little girl, do you like kittens?" The little girl nodded shyly, "I... I want to adopt one, but my mom says we can't keep one at home."

Jiang Zimei sat down beside her. "It's okay. You can come here to see them often, and you can help take care of them. Look, these kittens really need everyone's love." She took the little girl's hand and walked to the kitten cage. "This one is called Xiaobai, and it's very gentle; that spotted one is called Xiaohu, and it's very naughty." The little girl gradually relaxed, a smile appeared on her face, and she even reached out and gently stroked Xiaobai's head.

Lu Mingze also came over and, seeing this scene, took out a sketchbook and colored pencils from his bag. "Little girl, would you like to draw a portrait of the kittens?" The little girl's eyes lit up. "I...can I?" "Of course you can, everyone is a little artist." Lu Mingze handed her the colored pencils and patiently taught her how to start drawing and coloring.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, evening had arrived. As they left the service station, the little girl waved goodbye with reluctance, asking, "Brothers and sisters, will you come again next time?" Jiang Zimei smiled and said, "Yes, we'll come every week!"

On their way home, the afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows of the two of them. Jiang Zimei leaned on Lu Mingze's shoulder. "Mingze, do you think these little things we do can really change anything?" Lu Mingze put his arm around her shoulder. "Of course they can. Look, the little orange cat has a new blanket, and the little girl is smiling. Aren't these changes? As long as we keep going, we can warm more lives."

(End of this chapter)