"I won't be reasonable," Grandma Miao said, standing up to leave. "Your dad and I can raise him no matter what, we don't need you. Every child has their own fate. He doesn't need to be that successful, and he doesn't need to go to that middle school in your city."

Miao Jiayan's mother was a math teacher at a key middle school in the city. They wanted to take Miao Jiayan back and have his mother look after him.

No matter what problems the child had, three years of being watched under his own mother's nose would surely correct them.

Grandma Miao knew what they were thinking. What didn't she know? It was certainly good for a child to be raised by their own mother, but that applied to other families. Her grandson was not like other children, and Grandma Miao understood that too.

Miao Jian's trip back left him filled with a bellyful of anger. He couldn't control the young one, and he couldn't reason with the old one.

On the night before he was due to leave, after dinner, Miao Jian held Miao Jiayan by the shoulders and forcibly cut his hair with a pair of scissors.

When the commotion started in that courtyard, the Chen Family was sitting around their stone table eating watermelon. Grandma Chen still had half a pomegranate in her hand. The arils she had peeled were placed in a small bowl, to be put in the fridge for her grandson and Miao'er to eat tomorrow.

"They're at it again," Grandma Chen said, glancing over with some worry.

"They won't. The Miao boy can't win against the old lady." Grandpa Chen, on the other hand, wasn't worried and continued to slowly eat his watermelon.

It wasn't until Miao Jiayan started crying and screaming that Grandma Chen immediately put down the pomegranate and stood up, about to go over.

"Don't go," Grandpa Chen stopped her. "A father is disciplining his son. What business is it of an old neighbor lady?"

Miao Jiayan was still crying. In all the time Chen Chao had been here, he had never seen him cry. Miao Jiayan was crying his heart out, unlike the soft-spoken child he usually was.

"He'll get hurt," Grandma Chen was terribly worried. "That child is so thin."

Miao Jiayan was being held by the shoulders by his father, pinned against the edge of the table. With one snip of the scissors, a lock of Miao Jiayan's hair was gone.

Miao Jiayan stomped his feet and cried, his arms pushing against the edge of the table, but he couldn't break free from his father. His grandpa and grandma saw that his father was truly angry and didn't dare to intervene forcefully, afraid of provoking him further and causing him to hit the child. For now, it was just cutting hair; nothing too serious could happen.

Miao Jiayan lay slumped over the table, clutching the remaining bulk of his hair with one hand, crying out "Dad."

His father was panting, his eyes red as he asked, "What on earth are you trying to do!"

Miao Jiayan could only cry, unable to answer, clutching his hair and calling "Dad" over and over.

Miao Jian's eyes were red. It was like an interrogation, but also like he truly didn't understand. "You're a boy, why do you insist on keeping your hair long!"

Miao Jiayan cried until his voice was hoarse. Grandma Miao stood to the side, wiping her own tears and tugging on Miao Jian's arm to stop him from cutting anymore.

"Mom! Why won't you let me do anything? What do you want him to become!" Miao Jian said. "This is my son!"

When Chen Chao pushed open the iron gate and came in, Miao Jiayan was still trying to protect his hair and dodge his father's scissors, unable to resist.

The iron gate made a sound, and everyone looked over at him.

"I'm looking for Miao Jiayan," Chen Chao said calmly, looking at Miao Jiayan's father.

"Go on, take him to play!" Grandma Miao came over, grabbed Miao Jiayan's arm, pulled him out, and pushed him toward Chen Chao. "Go play with your big brother!"

Chen Chao was the grandson of the Chen Family next door, Chen Guangda's son. No matter what, Miao Jian couldn't really say anything more.

Miao Jiayan's hair was a mess, his face was smeared with tears, and stray hairs were stuck all over it. He ran toward Chen Chao, still sobbing.

Chen Chao grabbed him by the wrist, pulled him out, and led him back to his own house, locking the main gate behind them.

Grandma Chen had heard Miao Jiayan crying all the way over. Her heart ached for him. She hugged him, wiped his face, and asked, "Did your dad hit you?"

Miao Jiayan shook his head, still gasping for breath, unable to calm down.

Grandma Chen rubbed his chest and back to help him breathe. Miao Jiayan's other hand was still clutching his hair; the other half he couldn't hold only reached his earlobe.

He was crying so pitifully that Grandma Chen hugged him tightly, trying to comfort him.

"Don't cry anymore. We won't go back for a few days, just stay here at Grandma's." Grandma Chen saw his partially cut hair and reached out to touch it. "It'll grow back quickly."

Miao Jiayan cried for a long while before gradually stopping, only letting out a sob every now and then. When he gasped for air, his lower lip trembled, making him look as pitiful as could be.

Chen Chao pushed over the small bowl of pomegranate arils that Grandma Chen had just peeled. "Eat some pomegranate. Don't cry."

Miao Jiayan's eyelids were puffy and swollen. He shook his head.

When he shook his head, his long hair fell over his shoulders, but the half that had been cut couldn't stay put and swayed beside his face.

Miao Jiayan raised a hand to pinch the ends of his hair, then lowered it again.

That night, Miao Jiayan slept at the Chen Family's house. Grandma Chen had him stay with Chen Chao; the two boys would share a room.

Chen Chao couldn't sleep with other people; he'd had his own room since he was little. But Miao Jiayan was so pitiful, Chen Chao couldn't possibly kick him out. In the end, Grandma Chen laid a mattress on the floor. Chen Chao slept on the floor, and Miao Jiayan slept on the bed.

After washing up, Miao Jiayan returned wearing Chen Chao's slippers. He saw that Chen Chao was already lying down and squatted beside him to call him.

"Bro..." He began, then remembered, swallowed the word back and said, "Chen Chao."

Chen Chao looked at him. "What is it?"

Miao Jiayan pointed to the bed. His voice was hoarse, so it sounded even quieter than usual. "You should sleep in your bed. I can sleep on the floor."

"No need," Chen Chao said. "It's fine. Go to sleep."

So Miao Jiayan went to turn off the light. He came back and sat on the edge of the bed, his hands resting on either side of his legs, perfectly still and quiet.

After a moment, Chen Chao heard a couple of suppressed, animal-like whimpers. In the light from the window, Chen Chao saw Miao Jiayan wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

Chen Chao said, "Stop crying."

Miao Jiayan lowered his hand and said softly, "Brother, I don't want to cut my hair."