This name was given by his grandma. He was born without a registered permanent residence. When he was four years old, he was forced to register in the village. After thinking about it for a long time, his grandma sighed and said, "Just be slow, you are born to suffer."
Grandma also said that a humble name is easy to support, but a humble life cannot bear a high reputation.
Life is really easy to feed, Chi Kuo was beaten and abused by his father all these years, and he is still alive.
Tao Xiaodong frowned: "Who gave you the name?"
"My grandma." Chi Ku said.
Tao Xiaodong wanted to say something, but he still didn't open his mouth. Children may not understand the meaning of the name, and may not feel what is wrong with their name. When Tao Xiaodong walked by, he flicked the brain on his head and said, "It's quite artistic."
Tao Xiaodong went to the kitchen to cook for the two of them. The two younger ones sat on the sofa. Tao Huainan was quiet for a while, but after a long time he still couldn't hold back, and said, "Your name is really bad."
Chi Kuo looked at him, but didn't reply.
Tao Huainan may have forgotten that he was chatting away people at the time, and began to talk to people on his own: "Listen, my mouth is bitter. What's so good about bitterness, it's so sweet."
The nagging is not over yet: "Doesn't it sound bitter to you?"
Tao Xiaodong turned his head and took a look outside, and saw Chi Ku sitting there with a blank expression on his face, not knowing what was going on in his mind.
When the child's grandmother grabbed his arm and begged him to take the child away, Tao Xiaodong didn't intend to really take him away. To take away is to take a life. Tao Xiaodong has no parents and has a younger brother on his back. He really doesn't have the extra energy to drag another child.
The old man cried and begged for a long time, saying that it would be enough to give him something to eat.
No matter how hard-hearted Tao Xiaodong was, he hesitated, not to mention the Tao family has always been soft-hearted.
He kept begging the old man without saying a word, and anyone who heard his begging would feel sad.
Tao Huainan, who was in his arms, put one arm around his brother's neck, pursed his lips, pressed his face to his brother's ear, and called "Brother" softly.
Tao Huainan ate a bowl of rice by himself. Using his own big spoon, he often scooped the bowl for a long time, but there were only a few grains of rice in his mouth. He should have gotten used to it, and he didn't feel anxious and angry. Holding the bowl with one hand, he calmly brought spoonfuls to his mouth.
Tao Xiaodong put vegetables in his bowl from time to time, Tao Huainan struggled to eat but he didn't seem to want to feed him.
In those days in my hometown, he fed the meals. At that time, the two brothers fed here, and Chi Kuo ate at the base of the wall with a big bowl.
"When are we going to pick up Grandpa Ten, brother?" Tao Huainan asked.
"Let Aunt Tian take him to his hometown." Tao Xiaodong took out a piece of paper and wiped the rice grains on his chin.
"I miss it." Tao Huainan put the food into his mouth again, opening his mouth wide to bite the spoon, this time it was half full.
"I know." Tao Xiaodong glanced at Chi Ku, who only ate rice, put the vegetables in his bowl, and then said to Tao Huainan, "Brother Tian Yi will bring it to you as soon as you come back."
In fact, Chiku couldn't eat anymore, he was still sick, his head was still dizzy, and his injured head hadn't fully recovered. He finished his bowl of rice without saying a word, and then sat there watching Tao Huainan eat.
Tao Xiaodong asked him, "Are you full?"
Chi Ku's nodding motion seemed a bit stiff.
Tao Huainan said, "I'm full too."
"Eat yours quickly," Tao Xiaodong said to him, "You only took a few bites."
Tao Huainan said quite innocently: "I can't help if I can't eat it, brother feed me?"
Tao Xiaodong patted his head, smiled, but still said, "Eat by yourself."
Tao Huainan ate a meal for half an hour, and then ate another orange. After peeling the orange, he handed half of it to the side, but he didn't pick it up, so he took it back and ate it all by himself.
In the evening, Tao Xiaodong bathed them both, and let the two children get naked in the sitz bath. Tao Huainan sat there, a small group of white and tender ones, with a bit of soft flesh on his body; the other one shrank to the side, not daring to move, with jagged bones under a thin layer of skin, big and small The wounds and scars made people frown subconsciously.
Tao Huainan reached out to touch the shower gel on the shelf next to it, it was for children, it smelled of sweet milk, and he took the bath flower and wiped it all over his body. Tao Xiaodong ignored him for a while, and went to find a bath towel in the cabinet.
Chi Ku didn't dare to move, the hot water stung his whole body. He watched Tao Huainan rubbing a ball of foam on his body, and the water gradually became more foamy.
Tao Xiaodong took a towel and put it on Chi Ku's shoulders after soaking in the water, covering his thin shoulders exposed out of the water.
"Let's soak it first, I have to rub it for you later." Tao Xiaodong poured some water on him, smiled and said, "Look at you dirty."
Chi Ku sat in the hot water, his whole body was hot and itchy, but he didn't move.
Most of the time he is like a mute, with a sense of incompatibility with this environment.
Tao Xiaodong rubbed him twice, bypassing the painful wounds on his body. The child was indeed dirty, and a lot of mud came off after rubbing. Tao Xiaodong rubbed it for him and thought of himself when he was a child, and said, "I was like you when I was a child. I didn't take a bath all winter, and went to soak in the river in summer."
Tao Huainan answered from the side: "My parents won't let me go down the river."
"I'm disobedient," Tao Xiaodong laughed, "I'm not as obedient as you are. My parents don't let me do too many things, and I get beaten every day."
"Dad also said you were disobedient." Tao Huainan remembered his parents, lowered his head and said, "Dad said you were a mess."
"Well, I'm shopping." Tao Xiaodong smiled again, grabbed Chi Ku's arm and pulled it towards him, rubbing his armpit. Chi Ku is not afraid of itchiness, but he is not used to taking a bath, nor is he used to being so close to people, so he shrinks his arms and stretches to hide.
"Don't move around." Tao Xiaodong said to him.
After washing for more than an hour, both children's fingers were wrinkled. Tao Huainan wiped his wrinkled fingers on his face and lips after drying off. The different tactile sensations made him feel interesting, and it took him a long time to play with each time.
Tao Xiaodong carried Chi Ku out with a big bath towel wrapped around him, and put it on the sofa. Tao Huainan asked him, "Are your hands wrinkled?"
Chiku ignored him.
Tao Xiaodong came over with a tube of ointment and rubbed it on the wounds on Chiku's body. The boy's hands were strong, and pushing and kneading actually hurt. Chi Ku is used to the pain, this kind of pain is nothing to him.
"From now on, I brush my teeth and wash my face in the morning and evening, and I have to take a bath again at night." After applying the medicine, Tao Xiaodong threw him a set of pajamas, "I can't be like a mud monkey here, there are rules everywhere."
Chi Ku nodded, and again snot flowed out, Tao Xiaodong took out a piece of paper and gave it to him.
At night, Tao Xiaodong and Tao Huainan slept, and Chi Kuo slept in the same room by himself. The city is so bright at night, even when the lights are turned off, the light can still shine through the windows, and the yellow light of the street lamps shines in through the glass, so you can see everything clearly.
Tao Huainan talked a lot, and he didn't know what he was talking to his brother. Tao Xiaodong patted him twice and told him to close his eyes and go to sleep.
Tao Huainan asked, "Has Chiku fallen asleep?"
"Sleep, all the children are asleep, you are the last child in the community who has not slept at this time."
Tao Huainan said with a smile, "It's a lie."
Tao Xiaodong ignored him, Tao Huainan fumbled to find his brother's ear after a while, and when he found it, he pinched the earlobe with his fingers to play. He was covered with his little blanket, and when he was about to fall asleep, he remembered to ask: "Brother Tian Yi, can you send Grandpa Ten back tomorrow?"
Tao Xiaodong said, "I can't come back tomorrow."
"What about the day after tomorrow?"
"have no idea."
"What about the day after tomorrow?"
"Stop talking and go to sleep."
Tao Huainan then closed his eyes, the child felt that he was coming fast, and fell asleep within a few seconds, his stomach was rising and falling, and he slept soundly.
So Chi Ku stayed in the city, at the home of the Tao family brothers.
He still seldom spoke, remained silent, and showed no expression.
At the beginning, Tao Huainan kept looking for something to say to him, but he always ignored people, and then he stopped talking.
Grandpa Ten is Tao Huainan's dog, a very old golden retriever. There were ten cubs born in that litter. It was the tenth cub, who was called Shishi when he was a child.
It was originally raised by Grandma Tian Yi, and she stayed with him after her death. Tao Huainan played with it for a long time when he went to his house, so Tian Yi simply sent it to Tao Huainan to keep him as a companion.
It was so old that Tao Huainan called it Grandpa Ten.
Tao Xiaodong is not at home every day, he sometimes comes back very late. When he is not at home, an aunt will come to the family to cook and wash clothes for them, and also go downstairs to walk the dog.
When walking the dog, Tao Huainan occasionally followed him, but Chiku never went.
The auntie nanny didn't like Chi Ku, so there was dislike in her eyes, and she didn't look at him directly. He was never an attractive kid, and no one liked him since he was born. The children of the Chi family are like this, they are mean and annoying from the appearance.
Sometimes Tao Xiaodong didn't come back at night, and his aunt would sleep on the sofa in the living room if he didn't come back. Tao Huainan slept with his brother when his brother was at home, and when his brother was not at home, Tao Huainan came over to sleep with Chi Ku with his arms around his blanket.
Chi Ku turned over to make room for him, the two of them guarded one side, Chi Ku leaned against the wall, Tao Huainan took the side.
Tao Huainan didn't sleep well, and one day in the middle of the night he turned over and fell to the ground.
Both children woke up, and Tao Huainan fumbled around in a panic. When he woke up from the dream, the surroundings were cold and hard, and he couldn't see his eyes. He was so frightened that he almost cried.
Chi Ku leaned over and reached out to reach him.
Tao Huainan gave a shallow cry, not knowing what it was, and shrank back in fright.
Chi Ku jumped off the bed, looking a little flustered, squatting beside him, and said, "Me."
Tao Huainan touched his arm, the palm of his hand was cold against the floor. Chi Ku said again: "I fell to the ground, get up."
Tao Huainan held his arm to stand up, and held his other hand flat to feel around, Chi Ku sat on the bed first, pulled his arm, Tao Huainan touched the bed, and sat down carefully.
"Why did I fall?" Tao Huainan asked with his mouth pursed, his face full of panic and unhappiness, and his voice trembled a little.
"I don't know." Chi Ku was also taken aback, he heard a loud sound when he fell asleep, at that moment he thought it was Chi Zhide who pushed the door and came back.
The aunt in the living room was sleeping soundly, and she didn't hear the two children's tossing.
Tao Huainan sat by the bed for a long time, his head sullen, neither talking nor sleeping, and Chi Ku also sat there.
Later, Chi Kuo pushed Tao Huainan inside and let him sleep inside. Tao Huainan crawled inside, pulled his blanket over him, and lay down. He touched the wall, then stretched out his hand to lightly touch Chi Ku next to him.
The two children didn't talk to each other, and fell asleep again with their arms crossed.