Another New Older Brother? - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: “Big Brother, you can hit me.”

Inside the pavilion, the rain fell like threads.

Youyou looked at his Big Brother holding the large black umbrella, then at Auntie Li, who had rushed out from the dense, dark crowd of people and was running toward him in tears. Feeling guilty, he shrank back slightly into the pavilion.

He knew he had caused trouble. Lowering his head and staring at his sneakers, which had bloomed with dark patches of wetness, he called out in a tiny voice: “Big Brother.”

Then, he quickly looked up and called: “Auntie.”

The child before them was a mess. Having run too fast, mud had splattered onto his face and then been smeared away by his own hands, leaving black and white streaks across his fair skin. The broken hairs on his forehead were clumped into wet strands, clinging pitifully to his brow, and his damp eyelashes were heavy with teardrops.

Heartbroken, Auntie Li pulled him into her arms and used her sleeve to wipe the dirt from his face, her voice bordering on a sob. “Little Master, how could you run off without saying a word? You scared us all to death!”

Deeply self-reproachful, Youyou buried his head low. “I’m sorry, Big Brother. I’m sorry, Auntie.”

If it were her own child, Auntie Li would have certainly given him a beating. But this was the Little Master; she wouldn’t dare. She could only blame herself for not being attentive enough to realize the child had slipped away.

Besides, the head of the family was right here.

Jiang Youyou looked up guiltily at his Big Brother. He noticed that Bai Wenjin’s shoulders, arms, and most of his front were soaked by the rain, turned into a deep, dark shade.

It wasn’t just Bai Wenjin; everyone else was the same. The rain was too sudden and they had run too fast; despite the umbrellas, they were mostly drenched—especially the few who had started the search earliest, who were now soaked from head to toe.

Seeing that the child was safe, Bai Wenjin’s heart settled slightly. Noticing the boy looking at him, he gave a stern order with a darkened face: “You all go back first.”

Seeing that his Big Brother’s face was so very, very dark—even darker than smelly Little Brother’s face, Youyou subconsciously patted his little bottom. It felt like a spanking was coming.

He swallowed hard and murmured, “Baby will go back with Auntie. Big Brother, you go back by your-self.”

“Don’t worry about Baby, Baby can do it.”

As he spoke, his two feet took turns, shuffling sideways toward Auntie Li like a little crab.

“Stay right there!” Bai Wenjin shouted sharply.

Jiang Youyou was nailed to the spot by those words, not daring to move an inch. His arms pressed tight against his trouser seams, he stood stiffly as if giving himself a time-out.

“Eldest Young Master…”

Auntie Li looked worriedly at the child, who seemed destined for a beating, and tried to persuade him with a few words, like how the child is still small and he should calm down.

Bai Wenjin shot her a look, and the words died in her throat. With an apologetic glance at Youyou, she lowered her head and followed the rest of the group as they hurried back toward the Bai residence.

Auntie Li looked back every three steps, her eyes full of worry.

After walking a short distance, she couldn’t bear it. She trotted back and said quickly, “The Little Master did wrong, but even if you hit him, don’t hit him too hard. He’s still so young.”

Under Bai Wenjin’s icy gaze, Auntie Li’s voice grew smaller and smaller until, with a final burst of resolve, she left the pavilion.

Still standing at attention, Youyou saw his familiar Auntie getting further and further away and began to panic. His lips puckered, and tears quickly pooled in his eyes.

Bai Wenjin watched him expressionlessly.

Youyou locked eyes with him for a few seconds before lowering his head. After a moment, he summoned the courage to look up again, walked step by step to stand before Bai Wenjin, and held out his palms face-up. “Big Brother, you can hit me.”

Bai Wenjin’s voice carried no inflection: “Why should I hit you?”

“Baby was not obedient and came out by him-self.” He sniffled, consumed by guilt. “Big Brother, Auntie, and many brothers and sisters came to find Baby. Got wet. Catch cold.”

Bai Wenjin raised his hand.

Youyou flinched, tremblingly raising his hands over his head. Before Bai Wenjin’s palm could fall, he pleaded in a small voice: “Big Brother, once you’ve hit me, don’t be angry anymore. Baby is scared.”

Hearing the child’s aggrieved, nasal voice, Bai Wenjin’s movement paused.

He looked down at the boy; the child’s body was shaking slightly, clearly terrified, yet his hands remained raised, neither dodging nor flinching.

Bai Wenjin had indeed intended to teach him a lesson.

The Bai brothers rarely received physical punishment. The only time that truly counted as a beating was when 8-year-old Wenjue caused a massive disaster and nearly got himself killed. Their father had rolled up his sleeves to personally ensure he remembered the lesson. That time, Wenjue had to lie face-down on the bed for three days before he could get up.

Their father’s logic was simple: if you don’t give them a severe beating to make them remember, they will make the same mistake again.

Running away from home was a matter that could be big or small. A child daring to run off without a word—he was found this time, but what about next time? Would he have such good luck again? At such a small age, what if something happened? Therefore, during the search, Bai Wenjin had decided he had to make Jiang Youyou learn his lesson.

Youyou closed his eyes, his eyelashes trembling, waiting for the expected pain. No young boy was ever without mischief; he had made big mistakes before and had been hit by his mother a few times.

Youyou prayed in his heart, hoping Big Brother wouldn’t hit too hard, as he was afraid of pain.

Flick—

A tiny bit of pain felt on his forehead. Youyou opened his eyes and touched his brow. Right in the center, there was a small red mark, as if he had been flicked by a finger.

He covered his forehead dizzily, looking up at Bai Wenjin.

“Will you dare to run away from home again?”

Youyou immediately promised loudly: “Won’t dare anymore.”

“If there is a next time, the palm will be waiting,” Bai Wenjin waved his hand.

Youyou shrank his neck. He couldn’t quite believe it. Big Brother was so, so, so angry, but he only flicked his forehead? Even Mama would hit his palms five times before she stopped being angry.

He hesitated for a moment, then trotted to the side of Bai Wenjin, who had already almost walked out of the pavilion. After a thought, he reached out his soft little hand and proactively took hold of the right hand hanging by Bai Wenjin’s side. Looking up, he asked, “Big Brother, are you not angry anymore?”

Bai Wenjin didn’t bother responding. He scooped the child off the ground, holding him in one arm while holding the umbrella in the other, and walked quickly into the curtain of rain.

After a while, the tense Youyou suddenly turned his body, hugging Bai Wenjin’s neck and resting his chin on his shoulder, quietly wiping away tears with the back of his hand.

“Big Brother, you don’t dis-like Baby, do you?”

Bai Wenjin didn’t answer.

Youyou, however, suddenly grinned. Looking a bit bashful, he buried his head deep into Bai Wenjin’s shoulder.

Damp tears slid down Bai Wenjin’s collar. His pace faltered for a fraction of a second before accelerating.

The large and the small figure walked quietly through the rain.

After a long walk, Bai Wenjin couldn’t help but pat Youyou, who had stopped crying in his arms.

“Jiang Youyou.”

“Mmh.”

“Why did you run away?”

Youyou’s eyes were red, and he leaned listlessly on Big Brother’s shoulder. There was a very nice scent on Big Brother, like being surrounded by many trees, which made him feel very safe.

“Baby wanted to go home.”

Bai Wenjin was silent for a while before saying softly, “In the future, the Bai house is also your home. Do you remember?”

Youyou nodded obediently. “Baby knows. Mama said, in the future Baby lives at Uncle’s house, and Brothers all love Baby.”

Bai Wenjin corrected him expressionlessly: “I don’t love you.”

He added: “I won’t help you hide your behavior of running away today; I will tell your mother.”

“…Oh.”

Youyou was dejected for quite a while before looking up again. Holding Bai Wenjin’s head with both hands, he asked cutely, “Then, Big Brother, can Baby go to kindergarten tomorrow?”

Bai Wenjin admitted defeat.

Trying to reason with a child was truly not much different from playing a lute to a cow.

The two figures slowly disappeared into the rain.

About ten or fifteen minutes later.

A young boy in a raincoat, dragging his mother along, finally reached the pavilion panting, only to see a mess of puddles on the ground. He was stunned.

Wh-where was the pretty little brother??

Regarding Jiang Youyou’s runaway attempt: while the “death penalty” was avoided, the “living punishment” was inescapable.

As soon as they returned to the villa, Bai Wenjin peeled the child off himself and handed him to Auntie Li.

Having carried the child while holding the umbrella, the boy barely had a drop of rain on him, but Bai Wenjin’s entire back was almost soaked through.

Bai Wenjin went upstairs to change. Before going, he said to Youyou in a stern tone, “I’m not angry with you because you have already apologized. As for the other people who came to look for you, think for yourself how to earn their forgiveness.”

Listening to this, Auntie Li thought that the Eldest Young Master truly acted like a leader; teaching a child was like lecturing a subordinate—it was all rules, one by one. But Jiang Youyou was only a three-year-old child; he wouldn’t understand those things. Besides, what child hasn’t run away once?

Unexpectedly, after hearing Bai Wenjin’s criticism, Youyou wasn’t at all resentful. He immediately slid down from Auntie Li to go and apologize.

Auntie Li was quick and caught him. “Little Master, let me take you to wash up first and change into clean clothes.”

Even though Youyou hadn’t really gotten wet, he had been out in the wind for so long that Auntie Li worried he might catch a cold.

Youyou suddenly reached out his little hand to touch his own head and said, “Auntie, Baby’s head is very hot.”

Auntie Li felt something was wrong.

She hurriedly gave him a bath, but before she could even get the child some hot water to drink, Jiang Youyou developed a fever. Moreover, it climbed to 39°C, which was very dangerous.

Upon hearing the news, Bai Wenjin hurriedly came out after his shower. Youyou’s face was flushed crimson from the fever, and even his earlobes were burning red.

Seeing him, the weak child who had been lying in Auntie Li’s arms immediately reached out his hands toward him, calling out coquettishly: “Big Brother, hug.”

Standing at the door, Bai Wenjin ignored the slight stir in his heart and walked over slowly, lifting the child from the bed.

Even through the fabric, he could feel the abnormal temperature of the boy’s body. Bai Wenjin’s heart sank as he asked Auntie Li, “When Doctor Zhang arrives, should we give him an injection?”

Youyou, who had been resting his head listlessly on his shoulder, immediately perked up upon hearing this and said seriously, “Big Brother, Baby will go and apologize. Please don’t give Baby an in-jection.”

Bai Wenjin glanced at him and cracked a bit of dark humor: “Aren’t you afraid of frying your brain and becoming a little dummy?”

To his surprise, Youyou was even darker with his humor: “Big Brother’s little dummy.”

Looking at the child in his arms, Bai Wenjin felt that perhaps blood ties really did exist. Even though they had only spent less than a day together, he had actually developed a sense of closeness to this child.

He touched the boy’s feverish cheek and asked in a rare gentle tone, “Do you feel unwell?”

“Don’t feel un-well.” Youyou grinned at him. “Big Brother, don’t worry.”

“Where do you see me worrying?” Bai Wenjin withdrew his hand.

Looking at Big Brother’s handsome face, Youyou said quietly in his heart: I can see it everywhere.

Never mind, never mind. Baby won’t say it out loud. If I say it, Big Brother will be embarrassed.

Seeing the boy’s eyes twinkling, Bai Wenjin was amused to the point of exasperation and gave his bottom a light pat.

Youyou wasn’t angry at being hit; he just giggled.

After the doctor arrived and examined him, he said, “Let’s try medicine first. If the temperature doesn’t go down, then we’ll do an injection.”

Hearing this, Youyou’s face turned pale with fear. In-jections were so, so painful. He was still a small baby; he would cry if he got a shot.

Youyou kept praying in his heart to get better quickly. Fortunately, the medicine and physical cooling methods worked. Over an hour later, his body temperature began to drop. Although it hadn’t fully returned to normal, he had at least escaped the fate of the injection.