I am straight!

Love.

So I reached out and pinched his cheek.

It feels the same as the last time I touched it, soft and delicate.

He was probably shy, his originally ruddy face became more like a tomato, he pursed his lips, but he didn't dare to resist.

Cough, if this continues, I will definitely bully him and become addicted...

Forget it, the child has to stroke along the fur.

I stroked his head, and picked up the hair dryer on the side to help him dry his hair-actually, I don't like to use this thing, I prefer to let my hair dry naturally, but in order to prevent the kitten from getting sick, I still use it .

Bell seemed to be enjoying the hot wind, his eyes half-closed, his eyelashes fluttering, like the wings of a newly fledged butterfly—very beautiful, with a breath of new life.

"Do you like butterflies?" I suddenly asked.

"Huh? Huh?" He looked at me blankly, as if he didn't quite understand why I would ask this question.

"Uh... nothing, just asking..." I laughed dryly: "Do you like it?"

"... hi... like..." Bell said softly, "they...they are beautiful..."

"yes……"

"Well... originally... such a small... fleshy caterpillar, it will become so beautiful when it grows up..." Bell said in a low voice, his tone was full of envy: "They... very Dazzling."

"……do you know?"

"what?"

"A caterpillar is just a tiny egg in its infancy. They attach themselves to the back of a leaf. Once born, they are abandoned by their parents." I decided to teach the little ones a biology lesson: "They are always in danger , because there will always be aphids that will slowly climb up the leaves and swallow them as eggs."

Bell's eyes widened.

"Occasionally, there are lucky insect eggs. They attach to the very edge of the leaves and escape. But it is not over. If there is no good environment, these eggs will slowly die under the power of nature. die," I pulled Bell into the rocking chair beside the bed, let him sit in my arms, and told him a story: "The last ones who can hatch into larvae are a group of lucky ones with great luck. They grow up slowly, Then there will be new dangers, beautiful birds will eat them, or put them in their mouths and take them home to their hungry children, and the blue mantis will hold up a long sickle and split them in two, Even children passing by would hold them in their hands and play with them, and finally stone them to death."

Bell's face was pale, obviously frightened, and I quickly reflected on my words.

"However, there will still be millions of larvae that grow up slowly, grow burrs, and try to protect themselves with their own weapons. They live by eating leaves or vegetable leaves. If they are unfortunately in the orchard, then the farmer will also use medicine. Water to get rid of insects—this is something that can’t be helped.”

"Then, then they..."

"When they have experienced many, many dangers and difficulties, they will start to spin silk and wrap themselves into a ball."

"cocoon?"

"Yes, they hide in the cocoons they made themselves, shedding their skin layer by layer. When they finally complete their transformation, they will break out of their cocoons and become butterflies. They will have beautiful wings and exquisite patterns, and they will no longer need to be on the ground. Crawling, can fly in the air, and when they flap their wings, there will always be human beings looking at them—butterflies after feathering are one of the most beautiful creatures in the world.”

Bell looked yearning.

"But……"

"But?"

"The lifespan of a butterfly varies from long to short. The longest can reach about ten months, while the shortest is only three to five days."

"Only, only for such a short time?"

"For them, feathering means death."

Bell lowered his eyes, looking sad.

"very pitiful……"

"Why are you pitiful?"

"Because, because they just became butterflies..."

He paused, unable to continue.

"From birth, they have worked so hard to live to become butterflies." I stroked Bella's head, and my movements were as gentle as possible: "At least they have become butterflies, and they can realize their dreams, when they are the most beautiful. Are they lucky to die, compared to... their brothers who were devoured by aphids while they were still in their eggs?"

Bell froze for a moment, but didn't speak.

I saw that the goal of education had been achieved, so I stopped talking. I sat with him for a while, and then said, "Are you hungry? Let's go eat."

Bell nodded and climbed off me.

I pulled him out of the room. There were only Ann and Ai Lue in the living room. The two sat facing each other. Ai Lue was still smiling cheerfully as usual, but An was cold and worried. say something.

"...you... gave him the pajamas?" Ann frowned, looking at Bell who was shrinking behind me.

"Uh, I know it's a little out of place...but it's cute, isn't it?" I pulled Bell out and showed them happily.

Pink bunny outfit, long bunny ears, and a fluffy bunny tail—how cute, 100% cute!

Elliot also looked at me with a strange expression: "Is it yours?"

"Well, it's mine."

"...I really want to see you wear it."

"Okay, I'll show you how to wear it next time." I replied indifferently—as soon as I finished speaking, I was stared at by An with angry eyes.

... What is he angry about?

I'm a black thread, I really don't understand what the kids are thinking nowadays, so I had to drag Bell and trot to the kitchen.

Warm up the meal and serve.

Bell sipped the rice with a spoon, and when the spoon couldn't scoop up the food on the plate, he would look at me with longing eyes, so I had to use the chopsticks to feed it into his mouth.

...why did it become like this...

No, I have to train them to hold chopsticks in the future.

Ann is also, I can't let me take care of the meal every time.

"Bell, I need to train to hold chopsticks in the future."

"it is good……"

"Is it tasty?"

"kindness!"

"Do you like that dish?"

"……sweet potato?"

"It's shredded sweet potatoes, so you like sweet ones too."

"And...soup...and green peppers."

"Well, it seems that you are not a carnivorous animal, and you can eat sweet and salty." I said, and put a chopstick of shredded bamboo shoots in his mouth: "But you have to eat meat."

"it is good……"

He obediently continued to chop the rice.

Bell and I have relatively small meals, and there is still a little food left, so I put it in the refrigerator, thinking that some people will be hungry at night, and it can be used as a supper.

So he tore off a sticky note on the refrigerator, wrote something and pasted it on the refrigerator door.

Glanced outside - the rain still hasn't stopped.

I sighed, closed all the windows, and took Bell to the living room.

Elliot was about to go back to his room, so he had already stood up and walked up the stairs, so I called him to stop him.

"Elio, where is the biggest hospital here?"

"Hospital..." Elliot glanced at my wrist—it was covered with a watch.

I subconsciously covered my watch, and then let it go uncomfortably, waiting for Elliot to answer me.

"...In District A of the city, if you want to go, you can follow the tram that passes here at [-] o'clock tomorrow morning - there are only three trains a day, if you miss it, you have to wait until the train at [-] o'clock in the afternoon - the last bus is in the afternoon Five o'clock."

"Oh..." I wrote it down carefully in my heart.

"But I can also drive you tomorrow, how about it?"

"...No need, I want to get acquainted with this city and find a job to subsidize my living expenses..." I scratched my head: "Don't bother you."

He didn't speak again, just said again: "If you get lost, just call this number."

He handed me a note - presumably his phone number.

"Thank you." I sincerely thank you.

"You're welcome—it's the greatest honor of a knight to rescue a beautiful princess who has lost her way." He smiled, bowed his hands behind his back and did it—often using etiquette for women.

"..." I suddenly wanted to tear up the note.

After thinking about it, I still put the note away.

Ai Lue smiled wickedly, and went downstairs slowly back to the room.

"Bell, it's been raining non-stop, are you still sleeping here today?"

"But……"

"Do you have your senior's phone number?"

"Yes...Senior Nasser left me his contact information..."

"Then make a phone call back to report that you are safe, and you must also explain clearly that you want to stay overnight, do you hear me?"

"Yes……"

"Then later, you will live in the room with no name on the far side."

"Yes……"

"Well, Ann, I'm going out tomorrow, so take good care of Bell."

"Why am I taking care of it?" Ann frowned.

"Because you're Belle's friend."

An narrowed her beautiful emerald eyes, and looked a little impatient: "Who is his friend!"

Bell lowered his head, showing a frustrated expression.

"Damn child... Anyway, you just take good care of Bell for me!"

"you……"

"I really have something to do, so let this be my last condition, okay? Does the bet on the ship still count?"

An stared at me fiercely: "...you waste the last condition on this kind of thing? Do you know how many people begged me to agree to one thing! But I never dismissed it!"

"Ah, it's okay, anyway, I don't have anything in particular I want to achieve," I scratched my head: "Or, just treat it as me asking you for help?"

"...Okay," An suddenly let go: "But don't think about the next time."

"Yes yes yes!" I was happy, touched his head, and kissed Ann's cheek as a reward: "Be good, be good!"

An blushed and covered her cheeks.