“This is the sign language teacher I found for you. From now on, you’ll practice with her for one hour every day.”
“I’ll also learn alongside you, so in the future I can understand what you mean.”
“No slacking off. I’ll be watching.”
Su Ling nodded vigorously. He would definitely learn seriously. This was the only way he could communicate with his master.
“Alright, let’s begin!”
The woman nodded and slowly approached Su Ling. Su Ling’s body tensed instinctively. He felt like he was facing a teacher back at school. The woman smiled at Su Ling, then took out a notebook.
“These are some basic gestures. You can take a look and get a simple understanding.”
Su Ling took the notebook and studied it carefully. Inside were mostly basic gestures, like expressions for “I,” “you,” and “he.” He read very seriously, trying to memorize each one.
“What do you want to learn first?”
Su Ling thought for a moment, then picked up the notebook and wrote down a sentence: (I want to learn: I will be obedient.)
“Huh?!” The woman saw these words and frowned slightly. She couldn’t help glancing at Gu Qingyuan beside her. Gu Qingyuan was also startled, but soon a smile curled at the corner of her mouth. This little thing, really…
Su Ling nervously twisted his fingers together, not daring to look at the teacher, and even less daring to look at his master.
“Alright.” The woman forced a reluctant smile onto her face. “Follow me and remember my movements.”
“No, raise your left hand a little higher. Yes, like that.”
Gu Qingyuan watched from the side. She was also learning, but she didn’t need to master it—only to understand what the gestures meant.
Soon, an hour passed. Gu Qingyuan stood up and interrupted the two.
“Time’s up. That’s enough for today.”
Su Ling stopped moving and pressed his lips together. He wanted to continue learning. Gu Qingyuan didn’t say anything. She just glanced coldly at the woman, who immediately understood and bowed her head before quickly leaving.
After the woman left, Gu Qingyuan walked over to Su Ling. She reached out and removed the hat from his head, then patted his head. The furry cat ear twitched slightly. Su Ling looked up, his small lips tightly pressed together, as if he had something to say.
“What’s wrong?”
Su Ling leaned his head against her, thought for a moment, then used his hands to gesture the movements he had just learned.
“I know. I know you’ll be obedient. That’s why I won’t punish you today.”
Su Ling blinked. That wasn’t really what he wanted to say. He wanted to ask if he could study a little longer. But… not being punished didn’t sound so bad either?
(Thank you, Master.) Su Ling gestured with his hands to express his gratitude.
Gu Qingyuan didn’t respond. She just slowly stroked Su Ling’s head. She was thinking. Was Su Ling genuinely obedient, or was he pretending? Though the little thing seemed well-behaved and had been very docile lately, doing almost everything she asked, she still felt like he was putting on an act. After all, this little thing had deceived her before and nearly escaped. Could this be preparation for another escape attempt?
Su Ling blinked, feeling a little disappointed inside. Why won’t Master respond to me? He lowered his head and wrapped his arms around her. His master’s body was warm, and curling up in her embrace was very comfortable. Besides, Master had a nice scent about her. Su Ling remembered that Master didn’t have this smell at first—it only appeared at some point. But it really was a good smell. It made him feel at ease. Every time he caught this fragrance, his body would relax a little, just like his elder sister. A figure surfaced in Su Ling’s mind. He remembered that his sister also had a nice scent, even stronger than Master’s. That fragrance could almost make him drop all his defenses completely.
“What are you thinking about?”
Su Ling’s cat ear twitched gently. He bit his lip, unsure if he should say it.
Gu Qingyuan wasn’t in a hurry. She just kept staring at Su Ling, but the smile in her eyes was slowly fading. Su Ling took a deep breath, mustered his courage, looked up, and made a gesture: (I was thinking about my elder sister…)
After gesturing, Su Ling pressed his lips tightly together and looked at Gu Qingyuan with a complicated expression. He knew he would definitely be punished now. Master didn’t like his sister, and she didn’t like him thinking about her.
“Why are you thinking about her? What about her are you thinking about?” Gu Qingyuan was silent for a long time. She didn’t punish the little thing. Instead, she asked a question that caught Su Ling off guard.
Su Ling blinked and looked at his master in confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you think I should punish you?” Gu Qingyuan flicked the little one’s nose and asked with a smile.
Su Ling nodded. That was exactly what he thought. He had done something he shouldn’t have, so it was only right for his master to punish him.
“I won’t punish you. I know your elder sister is important to you. It’s normal to miss her. But I want to know why you miss her, and what you miss about her.”
Su Ling hesitated for a moment, then picked up the bedside notebook and started writing. Gu Qingyuan took the notebook and read it carefully. After finishing, she frowned slightly.
Su Ling caught that instant and immediately grew nervous. Will Master be angry? She probably will, right? Master is always like this—getting angry over nothing. I can never figure out why she gets mad.
“Do I have a scent?”
Su Ling nodded.
“Really?”
Seeing that she didn’t believe him, Su Ling nodded more emphatically.
Gu Qingyuan furrowed her brows. She lowered her head and sniffed herself carefully. There was no particular smell—just a faint trace of body wash and shampoo. Nothing else special. On the other hand, the little thing’s scent was very strong. It was a fragrance of sweet fruit and thick milk mixed together! It smelled wonderful. Every time she caught it, it calmed her restless mood!
Thinking of this, she suddenly realized something. She quickly set the little thing down properly and spoke seriously to him.
“Stay here and rest. Don’t run around. I’m going out for a bit.”
With that, she grabbed her phone and hurriedly left, leaving Su Ling completely bewildered. He had no idea what was happening. He looked down at his legs, still wrapped in bandages, and dejectedly pulled the blanket over them. I’m already a cripple…
Su Ling buried his head under the blanket. From the slight trembling of the blanket, it was clear he was crying. Lately, almost every time he was alone, he would hide under the blanket and cry for a while. He didn’t want to, but his heart ached so much. His parents didn’t want him anymore. His sister didn’t want him. Now, the only person by his side was the master who had personally cut off his legs.
If, if he was abandoned by his master, with only one leg, he couldn’t survive in this world. He would die. Die in some forgotten corner. His body would slowly rot, or be eaten by stray dogs, leaving nothing behind. He tried hard to tell himself that he had to accept his master. He had to obediently become her pet. Only then could he live on. Every day, he told himself this. As time passed, he couldn’t even understand what he felt toward his master anymore. Was it hate? Or love? He couldn’t figure it out, and he didn’t want to. It’s fine like this. Isn’t it?