A Young Woman's Heart

After glancing at it a few times, the boy ran away, showing that he trusted the teacher quite a bit.

Li Wanyan bent down, placed a hand on Qiao Shishi's shoulder, and calmly asked, "What's wrong?"

She looked up, her small face streaked with tears, her big eyes swollen shut, barely able to be slits: "Teacher..."

"Ah."

"I want to... sob... go home..."

Li Wanyan did not refuse her request. This time, she squatted down so that her eyes were level with hers: "Where do you live?"

"There!" She pointed in the direction she was facing, but all she could see was the boundless sea; there were no islands or land at all.

How far is it?

She wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand, her crying seemed to lessen, and she appeared to have regained her strength: "Two hours!"

It seems to be an island that is quite far away.

"How did you get here?"

"Dad, Dad!" Qiao Shishi rubbed her eyes and blinked hard. "He brought me here!"

"Is someone coming to pick you up now?"

"No, no... Only my dad can pick me up and drop me off at home..."

Where is Mom? Where are Grandpa, Grandma, and Grandpa and Grandma on the other side?

“No grandpa, grandma, maternal grandpa… maternal grandma…” Qiao Shishi wiped her face hard with her smeared face and looked Li Wanyan straight in the eyes. “Mom, I’m not feeling well… I can’t go boating.”

Where is Daddy?

"I've been working outside for several days... and I'm coming back..."

Li Wanyan nodded, took out a clean handkerchief from her pocket, and carefully wiped away the tears and snot from her face.

Did Dad say when he's coming to pick you up?

"The second Saturday..."

Li Wanyan turned the handkerchief over so that Qiao Shishi could hold it in her small hand. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out both hands to her.

That was a hugging gesture.

Although she was still homesick, Qiao Shishi habitually raised her hands and let her be picked up.

She supported Qiao Shishi with one hand and protected her with the other, which was a relatively effortless way to hold her.

Then, they walked towards the school gate.

The little girl's sobs gradually subsided, and she tried to open her eyes wide, filled with longing to go out and return home.

Li Wanyan carried her to the school gate and placed her on the asphalt-paved open ground. Then she bent down, wiped the flower bed with a napkin, and let her sit there.

The sun wasn't very strong today, and there happened to be a cloud here, blocking out the summer heat.

The clever big yellow dog also lay down to rest nearby.

When it saw someone sit down, it even moved over and tucked its tail under its belly.

—Like a cat.

"Do you miss your mother?"

"Hmm..." Qiao Shishi rubbed her eyes, her mood seemingly calming down along with Li Wanyan's expression.

“But the teachers don’t have boats, and your father has to work to earn money, so he can’t come back right away.”

Her lips trembled, as if she was about to cry again.

"How about you call Mom and Dad?"

"Well……"

"You also need to be considerate of your parents."

Qiao Shishi shook her head vigorously.

"When you call, tell your parents how much you miss them. After you finish the call, your teacher will take you down the mountain for a walk, okay?"

"Hmm..."

"I'll buy you another snack that you like."

Qiao Shishi wavered.

She looked down at the big yellow dog's paws and unconsciously reached out to touch them.

The latter glanced back and placed its tail on the back of her hand, seemingly gesturing for her to touch it.

As if she could read its eyes, Qiao Shishi gently tugged at its fluffy tail.

However, the hair is a bit stiff, and it's not as comfortable as I imagined.

"Okay... then." She nodded slightly, somewhat reluctantly, but still agreed.

"Qiao Shishi is an obedient and sensible child." Li Wanyan gently patted her head. "Come on, let's go wash your face and then make a phone call."

"Ok!"

After washing her face, Qiao Shishi looked fair and clean again.

Li Wanyan herself didn't have a phone, but there was a landline in the office, so she could take the opportunity to check the phone number her parents left when they registered.

"Should I call Dad or Mom?"

"Can... I get them all?"

"can."

"Then, Mom!"

After the number was connected, Li Wanyan pressed the speakerphone button.

"Beep—beep—beep—" It didn't get answered for a long time.

It wasn't until Li Wanyan made her fourth call that the call was finally answered.

"Hello?" came a childish voice from the other end.

"Mao Mao—" She recognized the voice; it was clearly a playmate from the same island. "Where's my mom?"

"I was just playing in front of your house when the phone rang several times before I answered it!"

"Okay, I know. Where's my mom?"

"I just saw her having dinner at Yangyang's house."

"Oh……"

Should I go and call her?

"Mmm!" Although the other person couldn't see her, Qiao Shishi still nodded vigorously.

The call was temporarily disconnected, and after seven or eight minutes, the landline finally rang.

"Hey?"

"mom!"

"Oh, it's Shi'er! What's wrong?"

"Mom, I miss you!" she shouted, trying hard to hold back her tears. "What...what did you eat at home?"

"Pfft, I just ate noodles at someone else's house."

Oh—I miss you so much.

"Yes, I know, Mom misses you too, but you can't be naughty, you have to study hard."

"I know! I promised the teacher I'd just make a phone call." She stood on tiptoe, resting her arms and chin on the table where the landline phone sat. "When I go home next Saturday, make me something delicious!"

"Okay, Mom will start thinking about what to make for you to eat."

"Okay!" Although she was a little reluctant, she probably knew that phone calls were expensive. She looked up at Li Wanyan and said pitifully and reluctantly, "Teacher... I'm all better now..."

"it is good."

Goodbye, Mom!

"Yes, study hard and listen to your teacher."

"Ok!"

"Goodbye, Mom!" she called out again. There was a few seconds of silence on the other end before the call ended.

Then, she called her father.

She didn't seem to say much to her father. She just asked him what he was doing, told him to work hard and buy good food for him, and then hung up the phone.

"Are you done?"

"Um... thank you, teacher." She looked up at her and said sincerely, "Can we buy some snacks first and then wander around?"

"Of course." She patted Qiao Shishi on the back of the head and led her out of the office.

I bought a pack of instant noodles at the small grocery store at the foot of the mountain.

Her reasoning was that this would last longer.

After thinking about it, Li Wanyan simply bought two more packs, intending to keep them in her office for future use.

Children's emotions come and go quickly.

At this moment, Qiao Shishi took Li Wanyan's hand and skipped and hopped along the gravel path, as happy as a little rabbit out for a walk.

"Teacher! When you were little, did you miss home?" Qiao Shishi chatted with her very talkatively.

"...Yes, it will too."

"What do you do when you miss home? Did you have a telephone before?"

"Teachers don't usually leave home for long periods of time, so they can endure it."

"Oh—when you're away from home, do you miss your dad or your mom the most?"

“Mom,” she answered without hesitation.