His slight movement caught Song Jia's eye. She reached out and gently touched his wrist, stopping him. The child looked up at her.
It was clearly a small face, a little bun's face, a face that was only seven years old. But those pair of eyes, it did not match his young age. Song Jia smiled and shook her head.
"Don't hide."
Xiang Feng blinked. "Jia?"
His slightly immature voice brought Song Jia back to her senses. That's right, he was only seven years old. He was probably not thinking complicated thoughts like her. She laughed and cupped his face, examining it from side to side.
"Our Xiao Feng is very cute. En, very, very cute ah."
Xiang Feng's eyes curved into crescents. His small fingers gently removed her soft hand from his left cheek that was rough and disfigured.
"Didn't Jia say we were going to play rock, paper, and scissors?"
"Ah...that's right."
The two of them held up their hands. Right before they were about to play, Song Jia abruptly asked, "Does Xiao Feng like cake?"
She then threw rock.
Xiang Feng chose scissors.
Indeed, he was only a small child. He could even be deceived by her little psychological trick like this.
Song Jia smiled and handed him the ribbon. "Looks like you have bad luck at playing games."
Nian Shou jumped up. "Brat, don't you dare take off the blindfold before counting down to one hundred."
Looking at his excited expression, Song Jia shook her head. Telling her that she was a child for suggesting to play a game, and then looking the most excited right before they were about to play it.
Out of Nian Shou's sight, she quietly mouthed to Xiang Feng, "Mensao." [1]
Xiang Feng lightly smiled. His skin was jade-white, his ink-black eyes appearing watery. It was the appearance of a fragile beauty, making people want to pamper him endlessly.
Song Jia resisted the urge to pinch his cheeks. She tied the ribbon around his head to cover his eyes, and helped him stand up.
"The rules is that we can only hide inside the house. No venturing outside, otherwise you'll be quickly disqualified from the game."
Nian Shou muttered an almost inaudible "heng", and quickly disappeared. Song Jia patted Xiang Feng on the shoulder once before following after him and leaving Xiang Feng standing alone in the middle of the room.
Xiang Feng's thin red lips slightly curled up. He whispered, "One hundred...ninety-nine...ninety-eight..."
The young boy walked forward and sat down on the couch. He moved unhesitatingly, fluidly, as if he wasn't blindfolded. Darkness was not a problem for him.
Xiang Feng unhurriedly counted down to zero. Without reaching out for anything to guide him, he stood up and tilted his head. Dark locks fell over his forehead, as he took off the deep rose ribbon that covered his eyes. After maintaining that action for a while, his small figure suddenly dashed forward, and disappeared without a trace.
...
Nian Shou was quickly caught.
He hid inside the cupboard in the prayer room, enduring the small space and knowing that no one could possibly find him here. Aside from being hidden beneath a small altar, a young child wouldn't dare to go inside this dark place late at night.
The prayer room was full of wooden and ivory statues of saints and deities, the shadows making their carved features appear rather scary. Even ghosts would be wary of this place.
Nian Shou patted his chest, thinking, fortunately, fortunately ah, I have a heart of steel, such courage, such bravery, really couldn't be found in anyone else. He was in the middle of congratulating himself when the cupboard door opened, and Xiang Feng's little white face peeked at him.
"Boo."
Nian Shou would later defend, that high-pitched scream definitely didn't come from him.
Of course, the question of whether anyone believed the validity his words or not was another matter entirely.
After Nian Shou was captured, Xiang Feng didn't immediately go to Song Jia's location. He had always been very good at tracking. That's why, this game of hide and seek, was simply a joke to him.
Song Jia leisurely sat on the wooden beam, watching from up above as the young boy entered his own bedroom.
His head surveyed the room first, before he helplessly shook his head and looked up at her, "Jia, I can't go up there. I'm too small."
Song Jia swung her legs playfully. She was not surprised that he easily found her. She had suggested this game with an ulterior motive.
It seemed that his future title of being called the 'Hunter' was very well-deserved. Even if she raised him properly, even if she told him to always be good...
She must never forget, a person who could carve out a thousand hearts in the future, even from childhood, could never be just a simple seven-year old child.
Song Jia didn't jump down. She stared down at him, her eyes seemingly turning a lighter shade of blue, like the color of the sky at the precise instant of dawn.
"Xiang Feng, do you believe that someday, you will be able to genuinely smile at me?"
His eyes shook, and the slight curve of his lips faltered a little bit.
Song Jia smiled. It seemed that her guess was correct, he was treating her with reservation.
There are many ways to control someone's behavior. By fear, by guilt, by expectations, by ego.
But Song Jia didn't want to do any of these.
Children could forget your lectures and your punishments, your complaints and your praises.
But people, especially children, will never forget how you made them feel.
Song Jia jumped down and landed in front of Xiang Feng. She laughingly ruffled his hair.
"I believe that someday, you will."
Since he liked carving out hearts so much, then why don't he give his own heart to her?
Lovers ah, they could be replaced. Friends ah, they could be changed.
But a mother's position is a spot no one else can take. Song Jia would gladly raise him and fill his heart to the brim with warmth, so much so that he won't have any space for coldness in the future.
Song Jia sincerely believed, if she treated Xiang Feng with the love and care he deserved, there was no way he was going to turn into a ruthless killer that could only live his life in darkness.
She cupped his small face once again, her gaze clear and bright.
"Smiles are too easy to love. Xiao Feng, show me your scars. Show me your pain."
She brushed away the hair that hid his scar. Gently, softly, she kissed the left side of his face.
"I will love you still."
[1] Pretending to look cold or dull but actually very wild or easily excited.