The Man Who Appears Once a Year

Chapter 3

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After running out of the abandoned factory and onto the main road, Ruan Qiuping put the child down only after he thought that the big man would not chase him out again.

"Why are you here? What's your parents' phone number? Where do you live?" Ruan Qiuping asked.

The child looked down at his toes and said, "... I don't know."

Ruan Qiuping looked around at the child and sighed deeply.

After such a dignified and auspicious god came down to earth, he turned out to be like this.

Alas, there is nothing we can do. It is his fault that his abilities are too strong. A little bit of his luck has overshadowed the good fortune of the auspicious god, causing him to fall into this state.

Ruan Qiuping thought with some pride.

"Who is this person?"

"Is this a human trafficker? How could he make the child look like this..."

"Should we call the police..."

Various comments from passers-by reached Ruan Qiuping's ears.

Seeing the child's appearance, Ruan Qiuping realized that something was not quite right. He looked around and found a small supermarket not far away.

Ruan Qiuping walked the child to the supermarket and asked him again: "You don't know your parents' phone number or your home address, but you should know your own name, right?"

The child shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Ruan Qiuping: "But you look like you are already four or five years old, how come you don't even know your own name?"

Three-year-old Ruan Dongdong knows his name.

The child was silent for a while, then said, "Because I'm stupid."

The genius who was said to be rare in a thousand years, the great god of good fortune, was lost because he was too stupid to remember his home address or his own name...

Ruan Qiuping almost laughed out loud when he thought about it.

The child looked at Ruan Qiuping and said to him, "I am stupid, why do you look so happy?"

Ruan Qiuping: “…”

"Ahem..." Ruan Qiuping restrained his expression and said seriously, "You are mistaken. How can I be happy? I am just too worried... We are in the bathroom. Go and wash yourself first."

The child turned on the faucet and began to wash the stains off his body.

Ten minutes later, all the stains on the child's skin had been washed away, revealing a beautiful white and tender face.

"Not bad, not bad." Ruan Qiuping could not help but nodded, "Remember to wash yourself clean when you go out next time. It will be easier to find a wife if you are clean."

The child looked up at Ruan Qiuping and asked, "Why are you looking for a wife?"

Ruan Qiuping: “…”

How should I answer this? I can't just say that you have to have a good relationship in the human world before you can break up with my sister...

Ruan Qiuping thought for a while, and considering the child's intelligence level that he couldn't even remember his own name, he casually said to him: "Men all need to find a wife. This is the law of nature and the mission of mankind."

The child took a tissue from the box next to him, wiped his hands, threw it into the trash can, and said, "If getting married and having children to continue life is the mission of human beings, then why do humans have to be pregnant for ten months, and most of the time there is only one child? Humans should not evolve like sunfish, producing 300 million eggs at a time, or at least like lemmings, giving birth to more than 80 children a year."

... What fish? What rat

Ruan Qiuping frowned and tried to persuade him: "How should I put it? Falling in love is actually a very beautiful thing..."

"Have you talked about it?"

"… No."

"It seems that this is just your imagination."

"… "

Ruan Qiuping was at a loss: "... Anyway, you will understand when you grow up."

The child muttered softly, "That's not necessarily true. You look very old, but you still don't understand anything."

"… "

Ruan Qiuping was speechless.

Suddenly, Ruan Qiuping narrowed his eyes and looked at the child: "Wait, you just said that you were so stupid that you couldn't even remember your own name. You must be lying to me!"

Child:"… "

The child lowered his head, grabbed his clothes, and whispered, "… the paint on my clothes can't be washed off, and it got wet when I washed my face and arms just now."

Ruan Qiuping: "Don't change the subject. You actually know where your home is, right?"

“… It’s so cool, a little chilly, am I going to have a fever?” the child pretended to talk to himself.

Ruan Qiuping had no choice but to take him to buy some cheap clothes.

The child seemed like a different person when he came out of the fitting room.

The 35-yuan white shirt and 25-yuan black trousers look indescribably noble on him.

Ruan Qiuping suddenly felt that the child looked familiar, but no matter how hard he racked his brains he couldn't remember where he had seen him.

After buying clothes, Ruan Qiuping also bought a bag of salt.

After leaving the supermarket, there were only 38 yuan left from the money the teaching assistant had given me before I went down to earth.

"Why buy salt?" asked the child.

"Why so many whys? I want to ask you, what's your name? Where do you live?"

The child lowered his head, remained quiet, and didn't say another word.

Ruan Qiuping slowly squatted down, sighed, and his tone became gentle: "Tell me, what is your name?"

“… Yu Huan.” The child finally spoke.

Ruan Qiuping was a little surprised that the name had not changed.

"So where do you live?"

Xiao Yuhuan was silent for a while. When he raised his head again, tears filled his dark eyes, flashing like broken glass illuminated by the light: "... I have no home. I escaped from the orphanage."

Tears fell from his eyes, and his body was shaking slightly: "They won't let me... won't let me eat, and they beat me. I don't have any relatives, no one wants me, and I have nowhere to go... Can you... Can you take me away... Please take me away, brother—"

The word "brother" went straight into Ruan Qiuping's heart. He was a little flustered. He even subconsciously reached out to wipe the tears from the child's face, but stopped halfway.

This kid is already miserable enough. If I touch him again, who knows how badly he will get.

Little Yuhuan raised his head high, as if he wanted to smile in a flattering way, but tears still couldn't stop falling: "I eat very little, but I can still help you with work. I'm not very spendthrift. Please, take me away--" His voice became hoarse and his whole face turned red. He stretched out his hand and grabbed Ruan Qiuping's wrist like a life-saving straw - but Ruan Qiuping dodged him.

Xiao Yuhuan was stunned. He looked at Ruan Qiuping and his expression gradually calmed down.

In fact, there was a moment when Ruan Qiuping really wanted to take the child away... if he was a human.

But he was a god, and Yu Huan was going through a tribulation, so there was no way he could bring Yu Huan back to heaven no matter what he said.

Ruan Qiuping scratched his head, not knowing what to say, and finally said incoherently: "I'm sorry, I, I can't take you away... It's not that I don't want to take you, but because I have special circumstances... My home is not here, it's far away, but I can't take you home..."

Xiao Yuhuan wiped away his tears and his expression quickly returned to its original calm.

He bowed to Ruan Qiuping, said goodbye, and then continued walking forward.

"Where are you going?" Ruan Qiuping asked him.

"Go find someone who can keep me."

Xiao Yuhuan's voice was clear and cold, with a kind of desperate loneliness.

Ruan Qiuping felt a headache.

He walked a few steps quickly and stood in front of Xiao Yuhuan: "Where are you going? You are a five-year-old child... You didn't even know you were abducted."

"That has nothing to do with you."

"How can it be okay? I am an adult and I have an obligation to protect the life and safety of a minor like you!"

Xiao Yuhuan was silent for a while, then suddenly spoke up: "When I grabbed your hand just now, you avoided me. When I begged you to take me away, you refused me. Since you are so afraid that I will become a burden to you, why are you pretending to be a good person now?"

Ruan Qiuping's head hurt even more: "Fuck..."

Ah... calm down.

Don't say bad words to children.

Ruan Qiuping took a deep breath.

"Didn't I tell you that I can't take you with me because of my special situation? In fact, I..." Ruan Qiuping looked down at the countdown on the bracelet, "I will be leaving in 28 hours and 17 minutes, so you definitely can't follow me. As for me avoiding your hand... It's because of me. I have bad luck. Anyone who touches me will be in trouble."

"You're lying. That's impossible."

"Didn't you just ask me why I bought the salt? I bought the salt because of this! You... we humans always say that salt can ward off evil and drive away mold, so I thought that when we leave, I would ask you to sprinkle some salt on your body to drive away the mold..."

"Superstition." Xiao Yuhuan's voice had become a little softer.

"Although it's superstition, it might actually work. How can you know if you don't try it?"

Although the method of sprinkling salt is of no use in heaven, it might be very useful on earth.

Although Xiao Yuhuan didn't say anything, his expression seemed to have eased a lot.

Ruan Qiuping scratched his head, and finally came up with a solution: "Don't run around, and I won't send you back to that rubbish welfare home. I will find a good family for you as soon as possible. Don't worry, you are so beautiful and smart, there will definitely be a lot of people who want to adopt you."

"How do you know it's a good family?"

It seemed that he could only make an exception and use the only one tenth of his magic power left. He could use the magic to see if there were any kind-hearted families who wanted to adopt a boy, and see if he could find a good place for Yu Huan.

I have the bracelet on my right hand. If I cast a spell with my left hand, I wonder if the bracelet can still detect it.

Ruan Qiuping was thinking about which spell to use while answering Yu Huan: "Don't worry, I'm very good at judging people."

"What if they don't allow me? What if that family bullies me too?"

Ruan Qiuping said: "I will come again next year. If you are bullied, I will take you away immediately."

"Then...you must keep your word."

"I mean what I say."

Ruan Qiuping's magic skills were originally low, not to mention that they have been sealed by nine-tenths now. At this moment, he alone cannot sense which family has an urgent desire to adopt a child.

But the temple can help him do this.

It would be best if there were gods guarding the temple. Even if there were no gods, Ruan Qiuping could touch the incense ashes in the temple and naturally hear the urgent wishes of the people who came here to make a wish.

When the time comes, we can just find a family with good financial background and good character for Xiao Yuhuan.

After asking passers-by, Ruan Qiuping learned that the nearest temple was about ten kilometers away.

Ruan Qiuping was unlucky and he didn't know where the only 38 yuan left in his arms fell, but this did not stop them from moving forward.

Ruan Qiuping took out the fake "lucky god's jade pendant" on his body. Although the jade pendant was not of the lucky god, it was real jade after all. Ruan Qiuping sold it to the owner of the jewelry store next door, but only got more than 200 yuan.

Ruan Qiuping first had a good meal with Yu Huan.

After leaving the restaurant, in order to dispel the bad luck and have a safe journey, Ruan Qiuping opened the bag of salt, sprinkled some salt on Yu Huan and himself, and pointed forward with a fighting look: "Let's go!"

Little Yu Huan also imitated him and made the same gesture, smiling and shouting with vigor: "Let's go—"

Ruan Qiuping looked at Yu Huan and curled the corners of her lips... This child is quite cute when he smiles.

But bad luck did not seem to leave them. Not long after Ruan Qiuping and Yu Huan got into the taxi, the taxi broke down and stopped halfway.

The driver refunded the fare to them and waited in the car for a tow truck to rescue him.

On the desolate road, Ruan Qiuping and Xiao Yuhuan had to walk to their destination.

"It turns out you didn't lie to me. You are really unlucky." Xiao Yuhuan said.

He lowered his head and counted on his fingers, one thing after another: "On the way to the temple, the taxi broke down. When we were having dinner, the waiter served the wrong dish. He heard "no cilantro" as "add more cilantro". I went to the jewelry store to buy a jade pendant and was ripped off by the owner. I also lost money once. I fell down three times on the way..."

Yu Huan looked up at Ruan Qiuping, his eyes curved into crescents as he smiled: "Why are you so unlucky?"

"See, I told you I was unlucky, but you still didn't believe it." Ruan Qiuping took out the bag of salt from his arms and sprinkled it on Yu Huan.

He thinks that sprinkling salt is quite effective on humans.

After all, Yu Huan was with me all the way, but nothing bad happened to me. Maybe the salt I sprinkled before setting off had an effect...

"Now that you know I'm in trouble, why are you still so close to me? Be careful not to infect you!" Ruan Qiuping moved two steps to the left.

Little Yuhuan trotted four steps to the left and stuck to Ruan Qiuping: "Let it spread! Let the bad luck spread to me!"

"Aren't you afraid?" Ruan Qiuping smiled and moved two steps to the left.

"Don't be afraid! If you infect me, you won't be unlucky!" Little Yuhuan grabbed Ruan Qiuping's hand and followed him closely and ran to the left.

Perhaps it was really because the fingers were connected to the heart, Ruan Qiuping only felt a warm current flowing through his hands, along his blood, and into his heart, warming his heart.

This time he didn't hide, but instead wrapped the child's entire hand in his palm.

Perhaps it was because the two were holding hands and talking as they walked, it didn't take long before they walked out of the road and arrived at a sparsely populated town.

Ruan Qiuping estimated that it was still a long distance from here to the temple, so he stood on the side of the road and prepared to hail a taxi.

Suddenly, Xiao Yuhuan saw something and his face turned pale. He tugged at Ruan Qiuping's clothes and whispered, "People from the welfare home are here to arrest me... Take me away quickly..."

Orphanage?!

Ruan Qiuping didn't have time to think, but he saw several men in black suits walking towards him out of the corner of his eye.

Is this the person from the welfare home? What kind of welfare home is this? It looks like a □□…

Ruan Qiuping looked down at Xiao Yuhuan's eager eyes, gritted his teeth, picked him up, and ran quickly in the opposite direction of the group of men in black. In order to run faster, he even secretly used some acceleration spells.

Ten minutes later, Ruan Qiuping was surrounded by five black cars.

It turns out... human cars run much, much faster than his half-baked magic.

Ruan Qiuping had no choice but to stop panting, put Xiao Yuhuan on the ground, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

At the same time, two police cars also rushed over.

Ruan Qiuping breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to expose the true face of this evil welfare home in front of the human police.

Two upright policemen walked out of the police car.

Ruan Qiuping walked towards them with an expectant look on his face.

Next second.

Cold handcuffs were put on Ruan Qiuping's wrists.

The half bag of salt in his hand scattered all over the floor.

Ruan Qiuping: “???”

"Finally I caught you, you damn human trafficker! You have the right to remain silent! But you..."

"No! I'm not a human trafficker!" Ruan Qiuping shouted.

"Then why were you running with the child in your arms? You dared to run after being discovered. You are quite brave? And you ran quite fast." The policeman who handcuffed his hands said viciously.

"That's because the people in these black-hearted welfare homes abused children and wanted to take the child back. I was trying to save the child..."

"What welfare home? What nonsense are you talking about? Mr. Yu went to such great lengths to come in person to look for his missing son, how could you call it a black-hearted welfare home?"

Mr. Yu? Son

Xiao Yuhuan walked forward a few steps, grabbed the policeman's hand, and said, "Uncle police, you are wrong. I ran away from home on my own. This person is not a bad person."

Ruan Qiuping:

Run away from home? Didn't you run away because the wicked welfare institution abused you and didn't give you food? How did you run away from home

Xiao Yuhuan lowered his head and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Ruan Qiuping's mind flashed back to the scene where the child was crying and begging him to take him away. He still couldn't believe it: "You lied to me... Why?"

"… I thought you would be willing to take me away if I said that." Xiao Yuhuan's face was expressionless. He slowly lowered his eyes, and his thick black eyelashes trembled slightly. He did not look into Ruan Qiuping's eyes again, but just whispered: "Will you show up next year? You have already promised me."

A man in a black suit opened the door of a car.

Urging Xiao Yuhuan to get in the car as soon as possible.

At his urging, Xiao Yuhuan walked forward step by step. After he put one foot on the bike, he hesitated for a moment and turned back.

He looked at Ruan Qiuping and said:

"I'm waiting for you."

The car door was closed and it sped away quickly.

Ruan Qiuping looked at the direction the car was leaving, his mind still confused.

He suddenly felt that Yu Huan was not as innocent as he seemed.