Chapter 3 Part I

Just Like a Mother and Child Would Do.

    Little Homnoi woke up earlier than usual, remembering well that the Kind Uncle would come to take him out. The thought of going out didn't excite the boy as much as the chance to meet Homlom. Homnoi put on his favorite dark blue shirt, which, though not new, wasn't stretched out enough to show his small shoulders like his other shirts. He chose to wear shorts that were just a handspan long, but they were the newest he had. The small figure paced back and forth, eagerly looking down the road in front of the temple, waiting.

    Before long, the familiar green Beetle appeared. The little face, powdered white, broke into a wide smile, tilting his head as the Kind Uncle turned off the engine. Homlom stepped out of the car with a smile when he saw the boy waiting. He paused slightly, noticing they were both wearing blue shirts and white pants, the only difference being that Homlom wore long pants. The young translator chuckled, feeling happy over such a small thing.

    "So cute," he murmured. Today, Little Homnoi had his hair tied in a topknot. His hair, once sticky, was now soft to the touch, likely thanks to Grandpa Kloi washing it for him.

    Homnoi was an adorable child, the kind that made you think his parents must be quite good-looking. Without the usual grubby appearance, his fair, delicate skin was revealed, white as a snow doll. The more Homlom looked, the more he felt a fondness for him. He thought about feeding him until those chubby cheeks were even rounder. If he weren't concerned about the boy's health, he'd make sure his cheeks were chubbily saggy.

    "Before we go, I need to offer food to Venerable Brother and Venerable Father first," Homlom told the excited little boy. He had left home since six in the morning, and it took over half an hour to reach the temple.

    "Venerable Brother and Venerable Father have gone on their alms round, sir."

    "Oh."

    Homlom looked down at the tiffin when Grandpa Kloi mentioned it. The Venerable Brother was concerned about Grandma having to travel back and forth to the temple every day, so he asked her to rest. After all, as a monk, he had to go on alms rounds, and there were many kind villagers who offered food. There was no need to be worried about her grandson going hungry, because when Grandma came to offer food, Venerable Brother and Venerable Father wouldn't have to go on their alms round. He explained for a long time until the elderly woman agreed to come only three times a week.

    "If we're late, we might get stuck in traffic."

    Lady Laor-Ong's house was far from the city. It took time to drive to the department store in town, which was why Homlom left early to pick up the boy. But if he didn't wait, who would offer food to the Venerable Brother as Grandma had asked? Seeing the benefactor's hesitation, Grandpa Kloi spoke up, a bit timidly.

    "If you don't mind, you can leave it with me, sir."

    "Aren't you coming with us, Grandpa?" Homlom asked in surprise, wanting to take both of them to buy bedding and pillows.

    "N...No, thank you, sir. Please take care of Little Homnoi for me."

    Homlom understood. To think of it, it wasn't ideal for an elderly person to sit in a car for long periods. "Alright, I'll leave it to you. And this is for you and Homnoi. Lom has packed extra for dinner." Homlom handed two tiffin sets to the old man. "You can eat breakfast and lunch, no need to worry about Homnoi."

    The young man quickly reassured him, confident that Grandpa Kloi would wait for his grandson to return for dinner. Waiting so long with an empty stomach would be torturous. Besides, he was taking the little one to the city and wouldn't let him go hungry.

    "Thank you so much, sir. You're too kind to us." Grandpa Kloi bowed his head in gratitude, tears welling up in his eyes. He turned to his grandson with a gentle reminder, "Noi…don't be naughty with him, okay?"

    "Okay, Grandpa," the little boy promised eagerly.

    Homnoi wouldn't dare misbehave with the Kind Uncle, fearing that the Kind Uncle might not love him anymore. Homlom looked down at the boy's bright eyes. Homnoi gazed up at him with affection, his eyes shining so brightly that Homlom felt an urge to scoop him up in a hug. How had he been raised to be so adorable?

    Homlom glanced at the passenger seat with a smile. Homnoi was looking out the car window with excitement, not complaining about the distance. Homlom was considering installing a car seat for future trips together, so he wouldn't have to worry about the little boy's safety. He chose to drive slowly, a stark contrast to when he left his grandmother's house, fearing Homnoi might be scared.

    "Are you tired?"

    Homnoi shook his head vigorously. "No, I'm not tired."

    Homlom didn't realize that all his thoughts were focused on the little boy. He cared for and loved him more than someone he'd just met, strangely wanting to cherish and protect the child in front of him. Moreover, Homnoi had made him forget about Tatthep completely, as he thought about the boy day and night. On stormy nights, Homlom would wake up with a start, unable to sleep, worried about the grandfather and grandson. Despite it being close to winter, it had been raining almost every day.

    When they arrived at the department store, Homlom held the boy's hand tightly. Although the department store wasn't as large as those in the capital, it was crowded on weekends. The two Homs attracted attention from many passersby. The little boy, now clean and tidy, was charmingly adorable, while Homlom himself drew the gaze of many men.

    Even though this grandson of Lady Laor-Ong thought he wasn't as striking as his siblings, with a height of only one hundred and sixty-seven centimeters and a weight of sixty-five kilograms, which made him appear slightly chubby, what he disliked the most were his hips. They were both prominent and large, and even wearing clothes to camouflage them couldn't hide them. This often led many people, especially men, to stare at his rear instead of his face.

    With a frustrated gesture, he pushed his glasses up with his slender fingers. Some people had enough manners to glance away, but many openly stared at his backside.

    "Kind…Uncle."

    Homnoi looked up at the owner of the hand he was holding and noticed the displeased expression on the Kind Uncle's face, which made him worried. He wasn't scared but rather concerned, fearing he might have upset the Kind Uncle. Seeing Homnoi's clear, innocent eyes looking up at him, Homlom's heart softened instantly, his mood brightening. He should pay more attention to the little one rather than those rude people.

    "What would you like to eat? You can choose anything you want."

    Homlom took the boy to the lower level where the food court was located, remembering that neither of them had eaten yet. He could endure hunger until they finished shopping, but he would never let the boy go hungry. Homnoi's round eyes scanned the area, occasionally glancing up at his Kind Uncle, afraid of choosing the wrong place and being scolded.

    "I...I think you should choose, Kind Uncle," he said softly. In truth, the boy had a restaurant in mind but was too shy to speak up.

    It wasn't that Homlom didn't notice. Homnoi's gaze lingered more on the famous fried chicken brand than any other restaurant. Even as he suggested Homlom choose, he left traces of longing for that fried chicken place. Seeing this made Homlom even more fond of him. He wanted the little one's breakfast to be nutritious, but realizing that the little boy probably hadn't tasted it before and that it wasn't often he drove into the city, he decided to lead the small hand into the fried chicken restaurant, much to Homnoi's delight.

    "Go ahead and choose. Which set would you like?"

    This time, he decided to make an exception. There was even a salad menu. Homlom was pleased to see there were options for plain rice and salad, which was fortunate because some branches in the capital barely had any. The small finger pointed to the smallest set on the menu, which, if ordered, might not be enough for one adult and one child.

    "I'll have this set, and this one...with rice..." Homlom ordered the set the little boy chose and added a medium set. He glanced at the boy's bright eyes waiting eagerly. He found it endearing, knowing that Homnoi chose the smallest set out of consideration for him.

    At such a young age, being so small, yet thinking so deeply and complexly. It should be a good thing, but it didn't entirely please Homlom. He didn't want Homnoi to be overly considerate of him, as it felt distant and...not like family.

    "Let me help you."

    Homnoi called out when he saw his Kind Uncle carrying the tray towards the table. Homlom thought about refusing because he could manage it alone and didn't want Homnoi to carry anything heavy, but seeing the eager eyes waiting, he couldn't help but smile and hand over the lightweight plate of shrimp donuts to the little one.

    Such a considerate child.

    "I think using your hands would be better."

    The small hand gripped the spoon tightly. Homlom thought that if he were to train him to use a plastic spoon and knife now, the little one might not get to eat at all. Besides, eating fried chicken with hands wasn't embarrassing at all. He saw the little one smile shyly before happily digging into the fried chicken. For the little ones, it must be quite a treat. Homlom cut a portion of the fried chicken for the boy to eat with rice. He considered ordering a hamburger too, thinking it might be easier to eat, but upon reflecting, whatever Homnoi ate, he should eat the same.

    "Is it delicious?"

    "Yes, very delicious," he replied with his cheeks puffed out, chewing until his small mouth glistened.

    Homlom turned his attention to his own portion. He noticed that Homnoi ate the vegetables without picking any out. Many times, he saw the little one eat spicy food, which he didn't expect a child his age to handle, but since there probably wasn't much choice, he had to eat everything. Before long, the little one became quiet, his small shoulders slumped slightly, his gaze fixed on the nearby table.

    "Homnoi..."

    Ah... The table next to them had a mother and child chatting cheerfully. He saw Homnoi staring at them without blinking. The little one had always been with his grandfather and remembered his grandmother, who had recently passed away, better than his mother. Yet, Homnoi still wondered why he didn't have parents like his siblings at Grandma's house.

    "Kind Uncle..." His round eyes looked up at the person across from him with innocence. "What's it like to have parents…?"

    Homnoi had a mother, but she had been gone for so long that he hadn't had the chance to feel those emotions, or perhaps he had felt them, but they were now faint. As for his father, Homnoi didn't have one, had never seen him, and had never heard his grandparents talk about him. The little one knew what parents were but didn't know what they were like.

    Homlom felt a lump in his throat, almost unable to speak when he saw the innocent eyes waiting for an answer from him. His parents had passed away suddenly, but at that time, Homlom was old enough to feel the gentle love of his mother and the strong hands that protected them from danger from his father. But he didn't know—didn't know how to explain it to Homnoi.

    He had never met Homnoi's parents, and even more so didn't know what they were like, especially the father. What made that man abandon this poor little child? He didn't want to shatter the child's sweet dreams because sometimes having both parents might not mean happiness for every child.

    "It's a feeling of happiness, very much happiness."

    Yet...letting the little one stay in his sweet dream might be better.

    "But I don't have parents. Is it like being with Grandpa? I'm happy when I'm with Grandpa—and Grandma too," his big, round eyes shone without any trace of sadness.

    "Yes...it's just the same."

    "Just the same," Homnoi muttered, then smiled widely, revealing his baby teeth. If that's the case, he didn't need parents because... "I have Grandpa, and I'm happy, and...and,"

    "Now I have my Kind Uncle too. I'm the happiest."

    The innocent words were free of any pretense, and his clear eyes appeared with a wide smile of happiness. Homlom saw love in those eyes and felt tears welling up with emotion. Although he had only met the boy a few times, the sincerity he received from Homnoi was far greater than the kindness he had given.

    Homlom reached out to gently wipe the sauce from the corner of the boy's mouth, causing the child to pause for a moment before breaking into a full smile. The warmth felt like being embraced by his grandfather. The round eyes looked at his Kind Uncle with all the love in his little heart.

    I love Kind Uncle, love him so much.

    His Kind Uncle just did the same as the mother of that little girl did—like a mother did with her child.