Our Prologue
Our Prologue
For a 6-year-old child, Yingjie, or better known as Guigui had already proven herself to be a smart and independent girl. She could easily solve simple equations and read storybooks, even those in English. She could also brush her teeth all by herself, go potty, and help set the table with her nanny.
Nanny.
Guigui’s mother, a petite young woman, died a few weeks after giving birth. It was a great loss to the Wu family, especially for Guigui’s father. He had been hiring the nanny, preferably called Ms. Lee, to take care of Guigui ever since she was a baby, leaving his daughter to the woman’s care.
Guigui’s father would always be away at work, sometimes even on business trips. He only saw the girl and her nanny a few hours a month, and even then he would just nod stiffly at the Ms. Lee as she tells him about Guigui’s daily activities. Not more than a few minutes a day, he would kiss his daughter’s forehead and rush out to his meeting.
Whenever she had an injury, her nanny would always tend her wounds patiently. The older woman would also soothed Guigui with comforting words. A gentle kiss will always be placed on her wounds, and that made Guigui smile again.
Needless to say, the number of kisses that her father had given to her was no match to what her nanny had given.
But Guigui was still grateful.
“Do you need a push?” A mysterious voice came from behind. Guigui hopped off the swing hurriedly as she turns her back around, only to see a boy wearing light blue T-shirt and dark green shorts smiling softly at her. The boy had jet-black hair with short bangs, fair skin and a thin body. His cheeks were also slightly chubby.
The boy frowned, “Why did you get down? I just wanted to push you, not do something bad.”
“I……Don’t know you.” Guigui answered carefully. The boy grabbed the swing and pushed his head in between the sit, “The let’s get to know each other.” He suggested.
Guigui remained silent
The boy sighed shortly before putting a smile on his face again, “My name is Yan Yalun, you can call me Yalun, or gege, because I’m pretty sure that I’m older than you.”
“Ge…Gege?” Guigui stammered, as if the word was such a stranger to her.
“Yeah, gegeeee. I’m 8-years-old, you are probably 7 right?”
“6.” She whispered.
“Huh?”
“6. I’m 6 years-old.”
Guigui did not think it was possible, but Yalun’s smile got wider.
“So you do have to call me gege!” He cheered. “Come on, say it, Yalun gege.”
“Y…Yalun…” Guigui managed.
“And gege,” The boy continued.
“Yalun gege…”
He smiled teasingly, “Good girl,” He praised and jokingly patted her head.
Guigui laughed softly, “So, you know my name and you know my age. But I only got to know your age. So……” He paused, “What’s your name?”
“Wu...Wu Yingjie,”
Yalun clapped his hands in excitement, “Well then Miss Wu Yingjie, want me to push you?” He gestured to the swing.
“Gege?”
“Hmm?”
“You can call me Guigui, I don’t like my big girl name,”
“Guigui huh?” Yalun murmured while acting like he was thinking of something, “Okay then!”
Guigui smiled and hopped on the swing again. Yalun began pushing the swing slowly, afraid that she might fall off. As the time passed, Guigui got more and more excited. “Yalun gege, faster! Faster!” She demanded.
And the boy did as he was told, earning a cheerful laugh from his new friend.
“Faster! Faster!” Guigui said in between laughs, and Yalun joined her laughter too. He tried pushing her with all his might, sincerely wanting Guigui to have fun.
Drifted away into the girl’s laughter, Yalun lost focused and stumbled to the ground. Guigui gasped, “Yalun Oppa!” She hopped off the swing and hurried to the boy. Dirt covered parts of his knees. “Yalun Oppa! Are you okay?”
“I’m alright Gui-er” He smiled and tried to get back on his feet, but failed.
“Yalun gege!” Guigui cried, holding her hands out to catch the boy. Her action however, was a second too late. Yalun once again fell to the ground, this time on his bottom.
Without noticing, Yalun’s face scrunched up in pain. Guigui noticed Yalun grabbing his left knee. Feeling curious and worried, she approached the boy in front of her. The girl knelt down to take a closer look to his knee.
“Yalun gege! It’s bleeding!” Guigui exclaimed. Her eyebrows furrowed even more as she looked at the scrape.
“Gui-er, I’m fine.” He assured her. “It’s nothing,”
The girl shook her head wildly, “No, Yalun gege, it’s not.”
Why is this girl making such a big deal? It’s just a scrape knee. Yalun thought to himself.
Even though he did not want the poor girl worrying about his little injury, Yalun was secretly grateful that Guigui was behaving so frantically. It was a sign that she cared about him. And he was happy about that.
The girl turned her head around, looking everywhere. Is she searching for something?
Guigui’s head suddenly stopped, she was looking at something, Yalun figured. “Yalun gege, wait here, okay?”
Yalun stayed in his spot, his eyes trailing the young girl to a fountain. The injured boy saw Guigui taking out something from her pocket. She unfolded the light blue colored item before dipping it into the fountain.
A handkerchief? Is she going to wrap my knee with it?
Sure enough, his guess was proven correct when Guigui hurried to him and did exactly what he thought she would do. “Are you okay now, Yalun gege?”
He grinned at her, “What?” She asked, clearly feeling confused.
“Gui-er, you are really awesome you know that? How do you know all this?”
“Wrapping it? My Nanny always wraps my wounds if I get injured. I didn’t have any cotton cloth, so my handkerchief will do right?”
Yalun’s eyes widen, “Nanny? You have a nanny?”
“Uhm…..Y……Yes?”
“Maids?”
“Only a few……”
“Haish……Seriously!” The boy grinned
“Wha……What is it Yalun gege?”
“I didn’t know that you are a princess!”
“Gongzhu? But…I’m not one.” She stammered.
Yalun looked at her playfully, but nevertheless ended the topic, “Okay, okay. Not Princess Guigui, just Guigui?”
She nodded.
“Zhi dao le.” He smiled.
She smiled.
They smiled, to each other. They continued sitting on the ground, not bothering about the dirt that was leaving stains on their shorts and dress. (They were both green by the way) They learnt so much more about each other.
And time flew away just like that.
No.
Zhe yang.
Like this.
“Yingjie!” A woman’s voice echoed through the small park.
“Ahh, Nanny!” The little girl whispered.
“Oh, got to go home so soon?”
“Shi de Yalun gege, I’m so sorry,”
The boy grinned cheekily, “You little cutie, It is fine. Go home now, shoo shoo! Go away, go away!” He said playfully.
“Childish Yalun ge!” Guigui said between laughin.
“I am not childish!” He remarked.
“Yingjie~” Her nanny’s voice was heard again.
“Yalun gege…”
“It’s okay Gui-er, go home. We’ll meet later okay?”
Guigui’s eyes sparkled, “Zhen de? Really?”
“Really,” He promised, “Go home okay? Rest well.”
The little girl frowned, “You too Yalun ge.” She pointed at his injured knee.
“It’s nothing.” He said, “Oh, your handkerchief……” He trailed off as he started to untie the knots, only to be stopped by soft hands smaller than his.
“It’s okay ge. Take it home. You can give it back to me when we meet the next time, okay?” She asked, hopefulness filled her eyes.
Yalun smiled softly, “Okay, I promised.”
She smiled sweetly, “Ahh, almost forgot.” She bent down her head to his knees and gave a soft peck on it. “Nanny always gives me kisses like this on my wounds. She says that it will make it feel better. Are you still hurt Yalun ge?”
“Hum? Ah..No, it doesn’t hurt anymore.” He stammered, half lying.
Why is gege’s face so red?
“Yalun gege, I got to go now.” She said, “Be safe okay? I’ll see you later, Zai jian.”
Guigui stood up, walking away from her new friend, secretly wishing for their next meeting to come sooner
Yalun’s eyes did not fail to trail her. When he saw the girl grabbing her nanny’s hand, disappearing from the park, he too stood up and walked to the opposite direction.
He too wished for the same thing.
And met sooner they did.
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