CH 53

Matters of Intimacy (Mr. Kang: Just Kill Me...)

The child's spirits soared, feeling as if he had witnessed the clear skies after a rain, and his whole being brightened.

The little parrot felt the same way. While munching on melon seeds, he happily bobbed his head, unable to resist rubbing his head against the child's hand.

This was an experience Mr. Kang had never had before. In the past, he had friends, but once they had a falling out, they never made amends.

To make peace with someone felt so wonderful, as Mr. Kang observed the little parrot enjoying his seeds with such delight, he felt compelled to give him something even better.

Thus, with the little parrot in tow, the child headed towards the kitchen to find his parents and inquire about dinner.

There was a sliding door between the kitchen and the living room, probably to prevent cooking odors from reaching the latter. However, it was usually left open. Mr. Kang's father cooked mild and gentle dishes, not heavy on oil or spices.

Oddly enough, this time the door was closed halfway, but the child didn't think much of it. Coupled with the aroma of food emanating from inside, he assumed something delicious was being prepared, so he pulled the door open—

"Dad, Mom—"

Inside the room, his hulking father was embracing his volatile mother, and the couple were engaged in an intimate kiss...

Mr. Kang remained dumbfounded for a couple of seconds, his face displaying a shattered worldview, and then, with a loud thud, he shut the door.

It's... it's...

Mr. Kang was utterly bewildered.

No child would ever want to witness such a wild scene between their parents!

Wait! Those two lovebirds weren't his real parents. He had no reason to feel embarrassed. They were just two young people expressing their affection, which was normal! Just a simple act of affection, and it's perfectly normal for adults to have sexual desires.

But even just thinking about this young couple having sexual desires made the child so embarrassed that goosebumps erupted all over his body. He wished he could curl up into a ball and erase the sight he had just witnessed from his mind. He wanted to return to being the adorable little child he was before.

Mr. Kang, unaware of his own thoughts, was like any ordinary child who regarded the couple as his parents. In the minds of all young teenagers, parents were supposed to be pure, sacred, devoid of sexual desires. Kissing was only allowed on the forehead and cheeks. Anything more passionate? That would make anyone feel incredibly awkward.

He sat on the couch, holding the little parrot in his arms. The parrot hadn't witnessed the scene just now.

The little parrot was truly fortunate. He hadn't seen that scene at all. How lucky he was!

In the kitchen, the young couple felt equally bewildered. Xia Sheng felt somewhat embarrassed and asked, "What should we do?"

When it came to these matters, it was Xia Sheng's weak point.

Yue Qin was also quite troubled. He didn't go through this stage himself; he only discovered in elementary school that his classmates attached a strange and mysterious aura to sex and girls.

He didn't have that feeling because his father had told him from an early age about being a boy, the differences between boys and girls' bodies, and also about sex. For him, the word, the concept, and everything related to it were as ordinary and commonplace as other things he had learned about the world. There was no sense of mystery or shame attached to it. It was just one way that adults expressed their love for each other.

But by the time the baby started forming memories, Yue Qin had already shared some information with his son, which the child had since forgotten.

Yue Qin thought it was still alright. Although he missed that initial phase, the child was only four years old and it was still possible to explain it to him properly.

Soon, the hulking father emerged from the room. He didn't seem the least bit embarrassed, maintaining his mature and reliable, yet silly and sweet, demeanor. His face bore the smile that only silly fathers wore when they wanted to have a chat with their children.

Mr. Kang shuddered in resistance to the impending conversation. He didn't want to talk about this with anyone, not even a bit.

"Baby?"

Mr. Kang quickly waved his hand and lowered his head to draw. Every strand of his hair was rejecting the conversation. "Don't disturb me. I want to draw. I'm going to be a great artist in the future."

He wasn't truly a four-year-old who knew nothing. It was because he knew too much that he felt so awkward.

Who would want to discuss such a topic with someone resembling an elder figure?

The hulking father sat down beside them and said, "Baby, Daddy wants to talk to you about something. Daddy has told you before, but you forgot. Baby, are you curious about where you came from?"

Other children liked to ask their parents about this topic. It seemed like their child had never asked, and moreover, the baby was different from other little boys. He rarely tried to amuse little girls, to the extent that he believed the child still remembered the things he had taught before, which led to this display.

Mr. Kang awkwardly grabbed the nearby blanket and wrapped himself in it. "I was picked up from the trash bin. Or maybe I came when I made a wish while blowing out birthday candles."

The little parrot watched this scene, raised his tiny wings, and spoke, "No, every little baby comes from the union of a dad and a mom. They aren't picked up from trash bins."

Mr. Kang silently shifted a bit to the side, particularly wanting to say, "Can't I learn about this from adult comic books like other kids?"

Yue Qin was somewhat surprised and said, "That's right, all babies come into the world after their mom and dad come together, and then the mom carries them for ten months before giving birth. Of course, some babies can't wait and arrive after around nine months. Baby, you came into this world after spending only nine months in your mom's womb."

"Baby, do you want to know how you got into your mom's womb?"

Mr. Kang heard this question and was already shutting down.

"I know, I know, it also involves sex," the little parrot chimed in, "Sex is how adults express love. Only two loving adults can do that. We, as children, show love by shaking hands, hugging, or sharing an apple."

Yue Qin was stunned. That's how he used to explain it to his own son.

Mr. Kang watched this genuine father and son pair, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. He wished he could disappear, wondering why he had to endure such worldly suffering.

The burly father watched the little boy, who seemed eager to bury himself in the ground, and found it quite peculiar. His shame about matters of sexuality didn't resemble that of a typical four-year-old child.

Because a four-year-old child doesn't have much concept of such things.

"Baby, has someone talked to you about this before?" Yue Qin asked with some concern.

"Sexual behavior is not shameful. It is the way adults express love and the way life is brought into the world," the big dad said earnestly.

"Baby, every person you see is the result of the love and union between a father and a mother. They stay in the mother's womb for ten months and then come into this world. With the care of their parents, they grow from a helpless infant who can't speak or walk into someone as big as you, and gradually they grow to be as big as the older brothers and sisters outside, and even as big as their parents and grandparents."

"Therefore, every person is equally important in this world. We must cherish our own lives and respect the lives of others because they too are the result of the love between their parents."

In that moment, the adult Mr. Kang could have had many arguments. Many people did not have children when they wanted them.

Many children were not born out of expected circumstances, nor could they be considered the result of love.

However, in that moment, he would rather be just a little child, listening to his silly and innocent father saying these unrealistic words.

When Xia Sheng came out of the kitchen, she saw her husband talking to the little child and the little parrot, already finished explaining how a child comes into this world, and now they were discussing the topic of physical contact.

"Whether it's a child or an adult, there will always be physical contact when expressing love, but there are certain kinds of physical contact that are not good," he said.

The child looked up, placing his small hands on his knees, listening attentively. The little parrot leaned against the child, also listening intently.

Xia Sheng took a small stool from the side and sat down as well.

"I want to listen too," she said.

"There was a little boy named Xiao Hua. One day, a friend of his father came to their house. As soon as that adult arrived, he wanted to hold Xiao Hua and kiss him. If you were Xiao Hua, what would you do?" the big dad said.

Even though Mr. Kang had not experienced nine years of compulsory education or high school life, even if the legendary Xiao Hua had not been admitted to college and did not need help from university students to write English compositions, he still knew Xiao Hua's name.

Xiao Hua could never have dreamed that he would witness this day.

The little parrot pondered for a moment and said, "I wouldn't let him hug or kiss me because hugging and kissing are things you only do with people you have a very good relationship with."

Xia Sheng raised her hand and said, "That's right. If I were Xiao Hua, I would punch him in the nose!"

Yue Qin couldn't help but laugh and cry.

Upon hearing this answer, Mr. Kang thought to himself, no wonder she's a violent mother. At the same time, he realized that in the eyes of a violent mother, when a child encounters such a situation during childhood, they can only resist on their own, without anyone to rely on. That's why he felt a connection when he heard her playing the piano before.

Both of them had to rely on themselves during their childhood; there was no one they could depend on!

Mr. Kang also sensed the sadness from the big dad and quickly said the correct answer, "I would tell my mom and dad."

"You are all correct. Hugging and kissing are intimate actions. If someone hugs or kisses you and it makes you uncomfortable, you must let your mom and dad know."

The big dad said earnestly, continuing to discuss the issue of physical contact that Xiao Hua encountered at kindergarten.

In essence, they were still talking about matters related to sex, but in a very strange way.

The strange awkwardness that Mr. Kang originally felt suddenly disappeared, replaced by a feeling that what the big dad said was right.

He looked at the little parrot next to him, listening attentively. At this age, the little parrot didn't understand much, but he had found the right way to navigate the world according to the big dad's words.