Chrysanthemum

Bai Chen and Chen Nuan excitedly looking out the window of the moving car while animatedly conversed with each other, commenting and complimenting about some places, peoples and other things that they had noticed along their way to a place in which Hao Shen refused to tell them where.

Their cheerfulness is contagious and Hao Shen whom driving leisurely with attentiveness unknowingly smiled too, feeling blissful for making them happy.

It's just one night and one day they had met, yet he felt like he had known them for a long time. Truthfully, he never intended to get close to them after he rescued them last night, but the children's bond and love for each other reminded him of his past kinship with his late sister.

Their bonding and interaction with each other evoked his fond memories with Hao Ying, especially during their childhood where she was being bullied because of her chubby body and he was the one that kept consoled and coaxed her while bashing anyone whom dared to looked down upon her.

Pon!

Jolted from his reverie, Hao Shen quickly shifted his gear and pressed on the accelerator as the traffic light had turned green and he skillfully maneuvers his car in the direction of the city's downtown while the kids continued with their chatting at the back seats.

About half an hour later, Hao Shen parked his car not too far from the plaza, "We're here."

He unbuckled and peered at the back seats from the rear view mirror and chuckled silently when he saw the pair of children gaped when they saw the huge marketplace.

"Come on," he opened his door and the kids scrambled to unbuckled their seat belts and disembarked the car.

"This is.. HUUUUGGGGEEEEE!!!" Chen Nuan exclaimed loudly the moment they walked into the markets area.

Bai Chen nodded vigorously, agreed with her statement as they eying countless stores selling various types of products around them.

"Walk closer to me," Hao Shen waved them towards him, "Otherwise, you'll be lost in the mass of people in here."

They complied and Hao Shen got surprise when Chen Nuan suddenly grabbed his huge hand and clasped it with her tiny hands. He looked down at their clasped hands in daze.

"This way, I won't be pushed away from you, Master," she smiled adorably at him and swaying their hands playfully.

Hao Shen nodded and turned to look at the young boy at his left with a raised brow.

"W..what?" Bai Chen averted his eyes, feigning oblivious of his unspoken question, 'Don't you want to hold my hand too?'.

"I don't know you're this shy, ChenChen."

"I'm not!" The young boy vehemently denied.

"Tsk.. You had piggybacked me last night yet now you out of sudden feeling embarrassed of holding my hand?" Hao Shen mocked him.

Chen Nuan peeked at the left side and grumpily demanded, "Gege, quickly grasp Master's hand if you don't want to be lost later. Faster! I want to look around more."

Begrudgingly, the boy clasped his hand and unexpectedly he felt more safe doing so. Hence, he hold Hao Shen's hand more tighter as they walked further into the plaza.

Out of blue, Hao Shen stopped walking and bent down, whispering, "Don't call me Master I public."

The children looked at him in bewilderment and Bai Chen softly asked, "Then, how should we call you, Master?"

Hao Shen was stumped for several minutes, some times nodding some times shaking his head and eventually he hesitantly said, "You could call me Uncle."

Bai Chen and Chen Nuan was taken aback by his request and they glanced at each other, communicating silently.

"We may encountered some people that I knew later. So, it's unsuitable for you both to call me Master, as you're still a child," Hao Shen explained.

They made an 'O' and nodded profusely, "Yes, Uncle," they simultaneously uttered.

"Good. Remember, don't talk anything personal with anyone and don't ever told them how we met each other. It's not safe," he warned them and felt satisfied when the kids nodded in understanding.

"Come, we should look around more. And if you noticed something that you want or need, feel free to tell me," he offered generously.

*

They just rounded half of the market, yet their hands was almost full with numerous things they had purchased and true to Hao Shen's presumption, they had met quite a few of people along the way, that was acquainted with him, either in business circle or medical circle.

At that moment the kids realised their life saviour is not someone ordinary, as everyone they had encountered always addressed him with the deference and conversed with him in courtesy, just like how people regarded a prestigious person in the country such as the President.

"Did you need anything else?" Hao Shen asked, after the last person they met had walked away.

Bai Chen shook his head yet suddenly Chen Nuan pointed at something on the most end of their left side and exclaimed, "Is that a garden?"

Hao Shen and the young boy looked at the direction and the man told her, "It's a mobile nursery. Where someone grown plants and trees for sale."

"Can we go there for a moment, please?" Chen Nuan made a puppy eyes and sweetly smiled at him.

Hao Shen glanced at his wristwatch, "Sure. But we cannot stay for too long. It's almost six."

"Yippeeee~" Chen Nuan dashed towards the nursery and Bai Chen trailed after her while nagging at her to slow down.

"Ah! I'm sorry," Chen Nuan apologised politely and bowed at the woman that she had bumped into.

"I told you to slow down, you silly girl," Bai Chen nagged and flicked Chen Nuan's ear gently before he bowed deeply at the woman, "I'm so sorry for my sister's clumsiness."

"It's okay. I'm fine," she brushed her dress and picked the fallen chrysanthemum sapling on the ground and turned to look around before she waved a helper over.

"Could you please tended this in another polybag and cleared the busted soil?" She passed the sapling to him, "Thank you."