Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Mom didn’t hit me.

But she only let me eat one bowl of rice.

That was worse than getting hit.

How was one bowl supposed to fill me up?!

I usually ate three bowls!

Maybe it was a genetic mutation.

I was a whole head taller than other kids my age.

When Mom took me to the hospital for a checkup, the doctor said I was just developing early and there was nothing wrong with me-except that I ate way too much.

Mom spoke to me earnestly.

“Sweetheart, be good and eat a little less. You’re growing so fast it’s scary. If we told people you were only three, who’d believe it? Five, maybe.”

I was so wronged I could cry.

“But I’m hungry!”

“But if you keep eating like this, none of the other kids will want to play with you.”

Oh.

They all thought I was a big kid, so none of them would play with me.

But that was fine!

Now there was a new little sister here. I could play with her.

“Mommy, is Little Sister so small because she doesn’t eat enough?”

Mom hesitated.

Premature birth could sort of count as not absorbing enough nutrients from the mother, right?

“I… I suppose so.”

Okay. I understood.

Then I remembered that I’d made Little Sister cry today.

I secretly went to the bedroom, stuffed my good friend Doudou into my arms, and carried her next door.

Our family raised pigs.

Doudou was one of the piglets born to our sow, Huahua. She’d almost died when she was born.

I brought her back and mixed formula for her every day.

Now she was almost a month old, white and sturdy. Just like me.

I knocked on the door.

Uncle Lu opened it.

I said I’d come to play with Little Sister.

At first he didn’t react. After staring blankly for a few seconds, he slapped his thigh and burst out laughing.

“Hahahahaha, Huaizhi, come out and play with your big sister! Hahahahaha! That’s what you get for refusing to eat properly! Hahahahaha!”

Little Sister was still mad. The moment she saw me, her tears started falling again.

Like a faucet.

Sigh.

I wiped the tears off her face with my little hand.

“Little Sister, I’m sorry. Don’t cry. I’ll give you my good friend!”

Doudou grunted in my arms.

That caught her attention, and her tears stopped at once.

I unzipped my down jacket, pulled out Doudou, and handed her over.

But I’d forgotten that Doudou was half her size.

She staggered, took two steps back, wobbled, and plopped down on her butt.

“…”

“…”

Her mouth puckered, like a little duck’s, and she looked like she was about to cry again.

I quickly covered her mouth.

Then I introduced my good friend to her.

“This is Doudou.”

She sniffled and gently poked Doudou’s tail.

“Is this the pet you’re giving me?”

I nodded, then shook my head.

“My mom says if you eat lots, you’ll grow fast! When she grows up, we can steam her, braise her, or make soup with her! Little Sister, you have to eat more when the time comes. She’s super tasty!”

As I spoke, I couldn’t help slurping back my drool.

Her: “…”

She grabbed Doudou by the tail and silently hid her behind her back.

Seeing that Little Sister had accepted Doudou, I tilted my head and asked,

“Do you forgive me now?”

She nodded.

“Then are we good friends now?”

She stiffened her neck and turned her face away.

“Who… who wants to be good friends with you!”

Huh?

Fine.

What did they call this again?

Losing the wife and the husband too?

“It’s okay. I’ll come ask you again tomorrow.”