It seems that the villain is targeting me.

She just thought to herself: What is going on?

"...Little boy," Xiao Niao licked his cracked lips, "I'm your mother's friend."

She began to lie. This was the first lie she told Chen Xiaoya.

This sentence seemed to finally make Chen Xiaoya react a little, and Xiaoniao heard her squeeze out a slight breath from her throat.

The child was looking at her.

The system provided the woman's basic information. Xiao Niao then read out her name and said, "Your mother has always missed you, little boy. She often mentioned you to me... It was she who asked me to come look for you."

When Xiao Niao said this, he thought the kid might cry.

But the child just kept holding the door handle, with all five fingers clenched tightly together.

"Then why doesn't she come to see me herself?" Chen Xiaoya said, "She has never come to see me."

Xiao Niao was silent for a moment, then softened his tone—even to the point of being too deliberate in its gentleness.

She put on a cautious look on her face.

"Little boy, I don't want to lie to you," Xiao Niao looked at Xiao Ya patiently, "Your mother has died of illness."

[Bird,] the system's voice sounded anxious, [You——]

This is the best explanation. Xiao Niao forcibly suppressed the system's objections. We'll slowly work out the specific details when we get back! For now, just follow what I say!

[…You better know what you’re doing.]

The system is silent.

Chen Xiaoya seemed stunned by this sudden bad news.

The same.

She shook her head slowly, struggling to accept everything that this sudden stranger said.

In fact, Chen Xiaoya has almost no memory of his mother. After all, she left when he was very young.

Her entire impression of her mother came from the descriptions of people around her.

Chen Zhengkang naturally instilled hatred for his mother in her without a doubt: "That bitch left you and ran away! She didn't want you at all!"

Even the insulting name was Chen Zhengkang's masterpiece.

He said proudly, your name is Jiansheng, because you are the son of a gangster.

The neighbors near the tube-shaped building had a mixture of sympathy in their comments about the mother - but in the social context of the time, a woman who ran away from her husband could not avoid moral condemnation.

Chen Xiaoya's impression of his mother is very vague and ignorant.

Her childish nature made her unable to help but imagine the image of her mother, but her childhood filled with insults and beatings did not allow her to learn many warm words.

She didn't want to listen to the comments of people around her, but she couldn't imagine how a gentle mother should smile.

But her mother must love her.

Even just a little bit.

When the waves of pain came, this was her only and last bit of comfort.

Xiao Niao noticed that the pair of black eyes became moist almost the next moment.

——Even if you take into account her experience as a butcher bird in her previous life, this was the fastest time she had ever made a child cry.

The child didn't make any sound when she cried, but her tears fell like beads from a broken string, as if the world's smallest rainstorm was falling in front of her.

"...Xiaoya, I'm sorry," Xiaoniao said this sincerely, "I know this will hurt you, but I have to tell you that your mother has passed away."

This is the explanation that Xiaoniao came up with after much consideration.

A living mother would involve too many follow-up problems and would be far less convenient than a dead person.

Besides, the so-called truth was too cruel for the child.

"...You may not know this, but the person your mother missed the most when she was alive was you."

Xiao Niao spoke slowly, making sure Xiao Ya could hear every word he said. "She gave me some money and asked me to take care of you in her place."

"Your mother has always hoped that you could study hard, get into college, and live a decent life in the future..."

The child behind the security door was crying so hard that his thin body was shaking uncontrollably.

Xiao Niao really wanted to reach out and hug her, but because there was a security door blocking the way, she could only try her best to reach her hand in and hold the child's hand tightly.

"Don't be afraid, little boy," she comforted him. "You are not alone. Your mother loves you very much, and there will be many people who will love you in the future."

You are still very young and have a bright future. You will definitely live a happy life in the future.

"I promise," she said.

This was not a lie. Xiao Niao didn't even realize that she had made a vow at this time.

Chapter 24: Little Bird: Yes, I am very good at kneading

When Xiao Niao was about to take Xiao Ya away, he happened to meet a neighbor on the same floor in the corridor.

A characteristic of old-style tube-shaped buildings is that residents on the same floor need to share infrastructure: such as water pipes or cooking stoves.

The neighbor was just fetching water to wash vegetables there. When he was walking back, he saw Chen's daughter following a stranger.

The middle-aged woman was holding a basket of washed vegetables and looked Xiao Niao up and down with suspicion on her face.

The other party's scrutinizing gaze made Xiaoniao feel like a kidnapper full of sweet words...

...It seems that's true.

Just when she was feeling a little embarrassed and didn't know what to do, she suddenly felt her hand being gently grasped.

It was summer, but the other person's fingers were very cold. Because of nervousness and shyness, he only held her knuckles loosely.

"...Sister," Chen Xiaoya's voice was very low, "Let's go."

Xiao Niao reacted and nodded as usual, "Yeah."

The neighbor still looked suspicious, but she obviously didn't want to get involved in the Chen family's affairs. After glancing at her twice, she ignored her.

After the neighbor walked away, the child also let go of her hand.

Xiao Niao couldn't help but look down. He first saw the round whorl of hair on the other person's head, and then the extremely thin jaw that was unique to young people.

It was also at this time that she noticed that the other person was walking with a slight limp.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the child's ankle seemed a little swollen, and there were abrasions on his knees, as if he had fallen somewhere.

The boy had been following her before, and maybe he was trying to show off on purpose, so Xiao Niao didn't notice it.

She stopped and asked: "What's wrong with your foot? Is it sprained?"

"No." Chen Xiaoya shook his head gloomily.

Xiao Niao squatted down and took off half of the child's right sock while watching her embarrassed expression.

Yes, it is indeed sprained, and the entire ankle has turned red.

How did this child develop this habit - not talking about being hurt, but also

He endured it silently and walked on his own stubbornly.

Xiao Niao was silent for a long time, but he didn't open his mouth to lecture anyone. He just sighed and said, "...You can't walk like this. I'll carry you down."

Chen Xiaoya looked even more embarrassed. She shook her head vigorously, and even her neck was dyed a warm pink.

"I, I can walk by myself," she stammered, "I don't need to be carried..."

But Xiao Niao had already squatted on the stairs.

"It's okay, come up," she said.

The little bird really didn't think anything of it.

In her eyes, Chen Xiaoya was just a half-grown child - a pitiful, sensible and good child at that, and there was no psychological burden at all in taking care of her.

"Come up, little one," she repeated, "and I'll carry you down."

Xiao Niao didn't look back, but just squatted there and waited quietly for a while.

Soon, she felt someone hugging her neck, and the child lay awkwardly on her back, with his thin arms wrapped around her body loosely, and his movements were extremely stiff.

"Hold on firmly?" Xiao Niao asked.

Chen Xiaoya lay on the bird's back and responded with a little uneasiness.

She was nervous for a while, but then she was relieved to find that it seemed that because of her light weight, Xiao Niao didn't have to walk too hard even when carrying her on his back.

In fact, the person carrying her actually walked very steadily, with almost no bumps.

She seemed to have mentioned her name, Chen Xiaoya thought, it seemed to be Xiaoniao...

She felt a little awkward and strange, and fidgeted for a long time, hesitating whether to tell the bird that she didn't need to carry her anymore, and that she could actually walk by herself.

It's just a sprain. It will heal if you leave it alone.

Chen Xiaoya has never been carried like this by anyone in his life.

The stranger's body temperature and the touch on her arm made her feel quite uneasy.

It was really strange. Strictly speaking, this was only the second time they had met.

Is it because of my mother’s instructions?

Thinking of this, Chen Xiaoya felt like crying again. She tried hard to hold back her tears and gently leaned her head on the bird's shoulder.

Her shoulders are not very broad, but have a soft curve that is different from men's. Even if you rest your head on them, it won't hurt.

If I just stay there for a while, I shouldn't be discovered, right? Chen Xiaoya thought.

My body was held firmly in place, swaying slightly when I walked, and my knees were hooked by my arms, but it didn't feel unpleasant.

Finally, she fell asleep without realizing it.

------

-

"Meow..."

Hmm? What's that sound?

“Meow, meow…”

His arm seemed to be rubbed by something furry. Chen Xiaoya opened his eyes in a daze and subconsciously reached out to grab it.

"mum--"

When Xiao Niao pushed open the door, he heard Number Four's scream.

She stuck her head out and looked at the sofa in the living room.

Chen Xiaoya had woken up from his sleep. He turned over and sat up, still holding the cat's tail in his hand.

The hair on cat number four's tail has all stood up, and it is meowing, looking very pitiful.

As we all know, Number Four is a very timid cat.

If a normal cat were to have its tail grabbed, it would definitely hit back with its claws. It wouldn't be as cowardly as this cat.

In the end, Chen Xiaoya reacted on his own and let go.

The cat ran away immediately, but she was still like a sleepwalker, staring blankly at the completely unfamiliar environment around her, as if she didn't understand why she suddenly appeared here.

The child was so soundly asleep on the way that she didn't wake up until Bird carried her upstairs.

Xiao Niao thought secretly: This child is still not vigilant enough. If he really meets a bad guy, he won’t even know that he is being sold.

What she didn't know was that a big part of the reason why Chen Xiaoya slept so soundly was because his emotions had fluctuated so greatly in a short period of time.

After experiencing a series of shocks such as being chased by gangsters, losing her part-time job, having her dream of studying shattered, and learning of her mother's death - her body's self-protection mechanism kicked in, telling her to go to sleep quickly and not think too much.

Chen Xiaoya slept soundly for almost the entire afternoon.

Xiao Niao settled her down, went out for a while and came back again, and she finally woke up from her deep sleep.

The unfamiliar environment made Chen Xiaoya feel a little uneasy.

She looked around nervously, and only relaxed a little when she saw Xiao Niao at the door.

"Awake?" Xiao Niao put down the bag in his hand and took out safflower oil and hydrogen peroxide from it.