[Zhongyingmei] How difficult is it to become a reliable adult

Aprile sat on the back of the motorcycle, the wind blowing by her sides, mostly blocked by Dick in front.

Dick had wanted to take her to dinner, but April was afraid that she would worry the nuns if she didn't return to the orphanage on time.

"Then I'll take you home," Dick said, a little cautiously, "I came by bike."

His blue eyes stared at her imploringly, almost blinding Aprily with anticipation and pity, refusing him to write a new type of crime into the law.

This scene seems familiar.

Ai Puli carefully restrained herself from stepping back, "Won't it bother you?"

"It's okay," those eyes lit up happily, "Wait a minute, I'll go buy a children's helmet."

He took two steps, stepped back, and said to Ai Puli cautiously, "Do you want to go with me, we can buy some snacks."

Ai Puli pursed her lips, "I don't eat much snacks."

"Okay, then please wait for me here for a while." Dick said, he ran a few steps towards the nearby supermarket, and looked back to see if Aprily was there before entering the door.

For a moment, the idea of ​​leaving now flashed through April's head.It was rude, she thought quickly and guiltily.

As she was rambling, Dick came running back with a pink child safety helmet in his hand.

He squatted in front of Ai Puli, "Try to see if it fits."

The safety helmet snapped on Aprily's head, and it was just the right size.Through the goggles, Ai Puli saw the corners of Dick's mouth hooked in satisfaction, showing a little bit of complacency.

He took out a tube of fruit candy in front of Ai Puli, and peeled off the wrapping paper, "This is what I took at the checkout."

The first candy was passed to Aprily, and the second was delivered to his own mouth.

Dick had sugar in his mouth, and a small bag bulged on the side of his cheek, "Mangosteen, longan, and winter melon stewed with rock sugar, try it."

Ai Puli originally wanted to politely decline, but the taste of this candy was prefixed with too many words.

Will there really be a manufacturer developing such a strange taste?

Aprilie put the candy in her mouth suspiciously.

A strong grape flavor bloomed on the tip of her tongue.

big liar!She glared at Dick accusingly.

Dick rolled his eyes at her slyly, "Soldiers are not tired of tricks. But I did eat lollipops with this flavor." He was quite scheming, "Next time we meet, I'll bring them to you, okay?"

Aprily glared at him faintly, "People who lie to children will become bald."

He lightly supported Ai Puli on her shoulder, maintaining a closeness that would not make Ai Puli run away, "Will you forgive me? If you are willing to forgive me, I can buy one less wig."

Ai Puli didn't understand why everyone around her spoke highly of him before, but now she seems to understand a little bit.

Dick came by on his motorcycle, and Aprile sat on the back of him.She hesitated for a moment, only lightly grabbed the hem of his clothes.

Wearing a safety helmet, she looked over from the side. There were a few ferries passing by outside the subway bridge. The traffic on the bridge was surging, and it was the rush hour after get off work and school.

Usually at this time she is crowded in the noisy school bus, whether she has a seat depends on the luck of the day.She had a few classmates at school who could speak, but none of them took the school bus home.

The school bus ends in Gotham, not far from the Magdalena Orphanage.She can choose a seat at will in the second half of the ride.

On rare occasions, April wished she was a member of the school bus, taking the family car or motorcycle, and walking home.She can chat with people about the lively campus life at Westside School, and then buy a bucket of ice cream before arriving home.

Today she didn't ask Dick to buy her ice cream, but Dick gave her a grape-flavored candy.

The sugar was melted by Ai Puli, and only a faint taste of grapes remained in the mouth.

She grabbed Dick's clothes, pretending to be watching the sunset glow on the river, and moved forward a little bit secretly.

Dick sensed it, curling his lips where April couldn't see it.

He was used to driving fast, and he slowed down a little considering that there was a child sitting in the back seat of the car. When they arrived near the orphanage, the school bus of Xicheng School had just left.

April jumped out of the car, took off the safety helmet and returned it to him, "Thank you for taking me back."

Dick gave her the candy that he took apart and only ate two, "This is an apology."

He threw up the safety helmet and caught it again, very cunningly said, "Next time we meet, I will bring mangosteen, longan, rock sugar and stewed winter melon flavored lollipops. You, a considerate lady, will definitely give me a chance to ask for forgiveness." ,Right?"

Ai Puli couldn't find a reason to refuse, she pursed her lips, "If you forgot—"

Dick followed suit, "—then I'll be bald."

"Oh," Aprily squeezed the bag of candy tightly, "then I'm leaving."

"Let's go," Dick leaned against the car, "I'm watching you."

Aprile paused, glanced at Dick, and ran away quickly.

Dick watched her from a distance, saw her turn and wave to him before stepping into the orphanage.

He also waved his hand foolishly, and then slowly put it down until April was swallowed by the big rusty iron gate.

His phone rang at just the right moment, Dick picked it up, and the man on the other side tried hard to hold back the laughter in his voice, making it look like he wasn't watching a good show.

"Spent some quality time with my daughter, how does it feel?"

Dick said sincerely, "Thank you, Tim, thank you. Now she must think that our family is dedicated to throwing concrete pillars into the sea, and she may be considering whether to accept a gangster father."

"You should thank Damian the most," Tim said politely, "he has contributed a lot to shaping the image of the evil forces."

"Thank you, thank you so much," Dick deadpanned, "I'm so grateful."

"Oh, you're welcome," Tim pretended, "I compiled her preferences into a form and sent it to your mailbox."

Dick's cell phone beeped at the right time, and he could guess with his toes that it was Tim's message.

Of course, how he got this information is another matter worth pondering.After all, Aprile doesn't use a computer much, and the person who actually knows her best among them is Damian.

Dick buried these thoughts in his heart, and praised grandiosely, "Thank you, Tim, my house elf."

Tim, who was far away in Gotham, raised his eyebrows behind the screen.

Unaware of the conversation surrounding her, Aprile trotted into the orphanage, not hiding her joy.

Soon, children from other orphanages surrounded her, chirping like birds beside her.

"Is school fun, Ella? Ms. Jones says we can go to school next year too."

"Are you taking computer classes today? Is the computer fun? Can I play games?"

"Sister Vivi sent us chocolate chip cookies today, and we saved a piece for you, it's delicious!"

Speaking of chocolate chip cookies, Aprilie couldn't help but touch the packet of candy Dick had given her in her pocket.

Originally, she might have given away the bag of sugar, but for some reason, she didn't want to do it now.

Ai Puli hid the bag of candy deeper, and she smiled, "Ms. Jones said that more places will be approved next year. We not only have information classes, but also physical education classes. In physical education classes, the teacher will teach us Play dodgeball!"

"Can we play dodgeball too, Mr. Joseph brought back a ball yesterday!"

"Wait until I finish my homework," Aprily bounced, and the things in her schoolbag collided with each other, "if it's not dark by then, we can play."

The nun standing at the door of the orphanage's dormitory was fiddling with the lock of the dormitory's door. Hearing this, she raised her head, "I'm afraid you won't have a chance tonight, children."

She regretted, "The weather forecast says it will rain tonight."

Aprile greeted her, "Good afternoon, Sister Melinda."

Ai Puli seldom interacted with this nun. She had been working in an orphanage for three months.

She had some unspeakable rejection of the nun.But the nun's words and deeds are fine. Ai Puli attributes this to her personality, and she just stays away silently.

She entered the dormitory with the other children, and Sister Melinda closed the orphanage door behind them.She walked by and asked casually, "How is school life?"

They were going to the restaurant for dinner, and Ai Puli buckled the straps of her schoolbag stiffly, "It feels good to go to school, I like going to school."

"Not all children can get this opportunity, you have to cherish it." Melinda said, she stretched her muscles and smiled reluctantly at April.

Aprile avoided her eyes. "I will, Sister."

Occasionally, she would show a sense of death like a wooden man in front of April, and occasionally this numbness would reveal fanaticism.

Aprile always subconsciously avoids her.She was not used to it, and before Melinda could speak again, she turned her head and casually provoked another topic to her friend next to her.

All this was seen by Anna, the nun in charge of sharing meals. She didn't understand Ai Puli's evasion, and comforted Ai Puli when she was carrying a plate to order food, "Melinda didn't mean to target you, she was sincerely for you." Glad to be able to go to school.”

She worked here before April entered the orphanage, and the children in the orphanage liked her very much.

April also likes it very much. Sister Melinda is a hollow puppet, and Sister Anna is a quiet oil painting.Nobody gets mad at a beautiful painting.

She pursed her lips, "I know."

Anna put a large spoonful of lasagna on the tin plate she held up, "It's okay, as long as you didn't misunderstand. Do you have physical education class today?"

She ordered two slices of luncheon meat for Eppleido, "This is to make up for your consumption."

Aprily put on a pitiful look, "Can I have another slice?"

"No, you little villain." Anna flicked her forehead, "Go and eat quickly, it's raining tonight, and doing laundry will be troublesome."

Just as Melinda was walking towards them, Aprily fled quickly, a vague smell of paint lingering on her nose.

Gotham's weather forecast predicts preparations most of the time.The rain tonight was extraordinarily heavy, and the raindrops hit the windows of the dormitory continuously, like a snare drum that kept repeating the same rhythm.

April put the sugar under the pillow here, and soon fell asleep.

The faint pungent smell kept stimulating her nerves, but her body was so tired that it was difficult to even move her fingers.She seemed to be immersed in industrial sewage, slowly suffocating.

That breath was getting closer, not only trying to pour into her throat, but also crawling into her ears, stuffing into her eyes, and occupying her brain to the point where there was nothing left.

Fear and struggle are a person's instinct, and you will not lose these two concepts just because you are only six years old.

She seemed to stretch out her hand, but she didn't seem to stretch out, there was nothing to grab.

"You should wake up," said a voice.

The voice brought even greater terror.

Aprile was sweating coldly, and she opened her eyes.

"you're awake?"

She rolls her eyes to see Melinda sitting next to her.

She grabbed Aprily's hand, "Exactly, come with me."