Volume One, Chapter 51: The Child Throws a Tantrum

"Da-da-da-da..." Huo Xiaobei waved the gift bag in front of Huo Cong, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Guess what good thing I brought you today."

Huo Cong was blunt. "I can't guess."

"Oh, come on, just try." Huo Xiaobei shook his arm.

Seeing the eagerness on Huo Xiaobei's face, Huo Cong couldn't help but laugh and played along, "Snacks?"

Huo Xiaobei shook his head. "Nope."

"A storybook?"

Still shaking his head. "Nope."

Huo Cong was out of ideas. "Don't tell me you brought me a toy? The teacher doesn't allow toys at school."

"It's not a toy." Huo Xiaobei shoved the gift bag into his arms, unable to hide the smile on his face. "Just open it and see."

Huo Cong smiled, "What's the big deal..."

But when he saw the blue knitted hat inside the bag, his smile faded instantly. He looked up at Huo Xiaobei in disbelief.

Huo Xiaobei pulled out his own little blue hat from his backpack with a grin. "Mine’s light blue, yours is dark blue. They're both blue, but still different. From now on, we both have hats to wear."

He put the hat on his head, beaming with happiness.

These past few days, Huo Xiaobei hadn't dared wear the hat because Huo Cong didn't like it. He kept it tucked away in his backpack.

Now, he could finally wear the little blue hat knitted by Shengsheng openly, together with Huo Cong!

Huo Cong held the hat in his hands. The yarn was soft, clearly warm, and bigger than any hat he had at home.

For a moment, his emotions were in turmoil. What surged up wasn't gratitude, but a sense of grievance.

What did this mean?

Was she pitying him?

Hadn't she already married someone else, left him behind, so why bother knitting him a hat?

"Did she knit this?" Huo Cong asked, his voice hoarse.

He kept his head down, so Huo Xiaobei didn't immediately sense his mood. Still grinning, he replied, "Of course! I told Shengsheng about it yesterday, and she knitted it for you right away, worked through the night. She's amazing!"

"So she only knitted it because you asked her?"

Suddenly, Huo Cong looked up, his expression changing as he stuffed the hat back in the bag and threw it to the floor with a loud "thud."

"I don't want her charity!"

The sound caught the attention of all the classmates, who turned to look.

Huo Xiaobei's eyes went wide. He thought Huo Cong would be happy to get the hat—why was he suddenly angry?

He hurried to pick up the bag from the floor, but Huo Cong shouted, "Don't pick it up!"

Huo Xiaobei held the bag, turned to look at Huo Cong, furrowed his brows, just about to scold him, when he saw Huo Cong’s eyes suddenly redden and tears spill down his cheeks like pearls.

The classmates stared, stunned, and so did Huo Xiaobei.

Huo Cong hadn’t expected to cry either. He wiped his tears fiercely. The bell rang for class, and Teacher Cheng walked in, "What's going on?"

She headed over to where Huo Cong and Huo Xiaobei sat.

"Why are you crying, Huo Cong? Xiaobei, are you two having a spat?"

Huo Xiaobei shook his head. "N-no, we're not."

He stuffed the gift bag into his desk drawer. Huo Cong was about to stand up, but Huo Xiaobei grabbed his hand under the desk where no one could see and gave it a squeeze.

...Huo Cong sat sideways, unmoving. After a moment, he shook his head, "It’s nothing."

For the entire lesson, both sat upright, listening intently to the teacher. One hand was on the desk, but underneath, their other hands were tightly clasped.

Huo Cong wanted to say, "Let go, my hand's all sweaty."

But Huo Xiaobei kept his little face tense, listening to the lesson with earnest concentration, showing no sign of distraction, and… no intention of paying him any mind.

Huo Cong spent the whole class looking at Huo Xiaobei’s profile, at his slightly pursed lips, and only then did he realize something else: was Huo Xiaobei… angry?