《Good Luck in the Year of the Pig》 CH 1 With the beginning of December, the cold air swept through the country in a blast of wind and rain, and many parts of the country officially entered winter. Qixia Town was located in the southwest corner of Caifeng City. As a small suburban town in a prosperous provincial capital city, Qixia had grown considerably over the years, with wide roads, light rail, subway, shopping malls and other improvements, and more and more young people coming and going in the streets. Next to the starting point of the subway Line 15, the shopping mall celebrating its third anniversary was full of gongs and drums, with all kinds of businesses working hard to attract customers. The wind was bitterly cold and just after three o¡¯clock in the afternoon fine snowflakes started floating from the sky, mixed with the frigid rain, making freezing passers-by shrink and shiver. In the wind and snow, the staff wearing the red pig doll costume held a stack of leaflets, handing them to people in sight. Unfortunately, everyone was cold today; with their hands in their pockets, they ignored the leaflets handed to them by the big red pig. After half an hour or so, four o¡¯clock finally came. The snow failed to create an atmosphere; it was grey and wet everywhere, and the sky was as dark as at night. At exactly four o¡¯clock, the big red pig turned around and walked into the staff lounge area of the mall. The huge red pig head was taken off, revealing an extremely decent and distinguished looking young man underneath, with white skin, thin eyebrows and long eyes, a high nose and pink lips. His slightly raised eyebrows and slightly upturned lips made him look like he was smiling quietly. In the words of a colleague who worked part-time with the young man, he had a look that could only be found in CG images. With such an unreal appearance, if he went to the entertainment industry, he could win a lot of fans by his appearance alone; it was a waste to work hard with them as a handyman. ¡°Time to change shifts.¡± Once he opened his mouth, it turned out that the young man¡¯s voice was as outstanding as his face, extremely pleasant and soothing. ¡°It¡¯s so cold all of a sudden. I still dared to wear short sleeves last week. I really don¡¯t want to go outside in the wind.¡± A colleague complained. ¡°It¡¯s okay in the pig costume, it¡¯s quite cold-proof.¡± ¡°Yeah, better than stewing to death in a doll suit in summer.¡± Lu Ying handed the pig head to the colleague who was taking over, put on a coat and hurriedly walked out with a large bag. Not long after, a black electric moped rode out from the alley behind the mall. Advertisements The sudden darkness made the roads that should have been accessible in all directions blocked, and the electric moped moved forward in twists and turns. When it arrived at the gate of the kindergarten, many children had already been picked up. Lu Ying stopped the moped and walked to the iron gate, looking at the children waiting in a small crowd with their school bags in the kindergarten¡¯s courtyard. He smiled involuntarily and shouted, ¡°Teacher Wang, I¡¯m here to pick up Zaizai(1). I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m a little late today.¡± Teacher Wang also smiled when he saw the young man and quickly pulled the little boy who was playing with his friends, ¡°Zaizai¡¯s Dad, you¡¯re too polite. It¡¯s raining today, the weather is cold and the roads are slippery, so you must be careful with the kid on your bike. Zaizai, your dad is here to pick you up.¡± ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll be careful. Zaizai, say goodbye to the teacher.¡± The little boy smiled and waved, ¡°See you tomorrow, Teacher.¡± As soon as he got close to the moped, he nimbly climbed into the front seat and sat there, waiting. Lu Ying put on his helmet and drove his son home slowly. ¡°What did you do in the kindergarten today?¡± On the way, Lu Ying casually chatted with his son. ¡°Playing, playing games in the playground in the morning and in the classroom at noon when I got up from my nap.¡± ¡°You had fun, right?¡± ¡°Yes! I was a good eater today, and the teacher praised me.¡± Lu Ying cocked the corners of his mouth and his eyes filled with a smile: ¡°Zaizai is great every day.¡± His son was the same as him. His biggest strength was that he could eat and was not a picky eater. Lu Ying used to worry about it. He didn¡¯t expect that since Zaizai went to kindergarten, it would become his greatest merit. The teachers all loved Lu Zaizai who was never a picky eater and never had leftovers. Advertisements The apartment rented by the father and son was located between the kindergarten and the shopping mall where Lu Ying worked. It was a local community that was still under construction. Because the apartments didn¡¯t have a real estate certificate, there were too many disadvantages and inconveniences in the transactions. Compared with the expensive commercial buildings in the vicinity, the apartments in this community were not only much cheaper to buy, but also cheaper to rent. Of course, the surroundings were also more chaotic. There were also many unofficially remodelled private apartments for rent. Lu Ying lived in a small single room apartment since leaving Qixia Mountain this year. The room of about fifteen square metres contained a one-and-a-half-metre bed, a square table and chairs, a bathroom, a small kitchen and a simple wardrobe. It was fully functional and not bad. ¡°Dad, what are we having for dinner today?¡± The boy, who was at least a size bigger than his classmates, asked immediately after arriving home. Even though he had eaten dinner in the kindergarten before leaving, he was still hungry. Lu Ying went to the kitchen to make dinner: ¡°There are vegetables and meat, so you will definitely be full. You can play with your toys for a while.¡± There was hardly any homework in the kindergarten, and since Zaizai was not allowed to go out on his own and there was no TV in the apartment, he could just play with his toys or draw with colouring pens and build little houses with building blocks. Lu Ying cooked a large pot of noodles with tomatoes, meat and eggs, and rolled two large pancakes with shredded carrots and saut¨¦ed potatoes, all of which took no time to eat. Father and son ate their dinner at the only small table. Neither was talking, just burying their heads and eating; an indescribably exciting sight. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m full. Look at my tummy, hee hee ~ round and smooth!¡± After Zaizai licked the bottom of his bowl and swallowed the last bite of his pancake, he lifted up his shirt and patted his belly, smiling brightly. Lu Ying tapped on his belly seriously, ¡°Is this watermelon ripe? I want to eat it when it¡¯s ripe.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not ripe! Hehe~ It¡¯s my belly, you can¡¯t eat it. Huh, you¡¯re such a confused dad!¡± The fat boy hid his belly and tugged at his clothes, rolling his eyes at his dad helplessly. Lu Ying rolled his eyes in response, ¡°If you dare to call me a confused dad again, I won¡¯t tell you the story of Peppa Pig in the future. Don¡¯t follow bad examples.¡± ¡°No, no, Dad, I¡¯m sorry, I was wrong. Dad is the smartest dad in the world.¡± The fat boy immediately hugged his father¡¯s legs coquettishly, his little eyes turned into curved crescents with a smile, his expression very similar to his father¡¯s. Lu Ying nodded in satisfaction, ¡°Dad is going to work. Will you play at home or work with Dad?¡± If it were any other family, how could they take their children out in this cold weather; but Lu Ying still asked the child¡¯s opinion. Zaizai immediately jumped up, ¡°I want to work with Dad today.¡± ¡°Okay, put on your little hat and let¡¯s go!¡± Lu Ying gave the order. ¡°It¡¯s raining outside, I want to put on my little Ultraman raincoat.¡± Zaizai excitedly pulled out a little blue raincoat and happily went out with his dad. Lu Ying¡¯s evening job started at six o¡¯clock. He worked part-time to deliver takeaway at the pizzeria in front of the renovated community. The more rainy the day was, the better the business was. Wearing the uniform of the pizzeria, he would drive around the neighbourhood delivering orders one by one in the slight drizzle. He couldn¡¯t take the kid on the moped with him when he delivered takeaways. Even if he had the guts to do that, the boss didn¡¯t. What would the boss do if something happened? It was already the greatest tolerance to allow Lu Ying to leave his child in the shop while he worked. At first Lu Ying hadn¡¯t thought about taking the child to work, as it could easily be annoying. When he first moved out of the village, he thought that his son, who had always been ¡®independent¡¯, would stay at home and wait for him. He didn¡¯t expect to return from work and see the fat boy¡¯s face in tears. On the contrary, when he started taking his son with him, the boy immediately became tough again and would occasionally offer to stay home to play, saying he didn¡¯t want to go out. As they walked downstairs hand in hand, they came across a family of three neighbours living around the corner. Their eyes didn¡¯t meet as they passed by each other; they clearly didn¡¯t get along. When Lu Ying walked further away, the greasy-looking man with a big belly spat, ¡°A big man wearing eyeliner all day long(2)! Who is he trying to seduce, it¡¯s disgusting! Son, don¡¯t play with that little brute. Such destitutes shouldn¡¯t live in the city.¡± The mother also laughed: ¡°Most children from single-parent families have problems and children without mothers are uneducated.¡± ¡°He¡¯s as fat as a pig, I won¡¯t play with him.¡± The child agreed triumphantly. The family of three, full of their sense of superiority, marched off. Lu Ying, who ignored them, touched the fat boy¡¯s head proudly. Even if his son was a pig, he was the cutest and best-looking little pig. Unlike some people who were so ugly that they were worse than pigs. CH 2 The moped ran through the night rain, and Lu Ying delivered orders for an hour before he could catch his breath and return to the pizzeria to watch his son play with the blocks while waiting for the next order. The chubby boy, who had been very obedient, suddenly sighed, and when Lu Ying heard it, he knew Zaizai was up to something again. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lu Ying asked with a smile. ¡°I told you a long time ago not to cook noodles. They¡¯re delicious but it¡¯s easy to get hungry again.¡± Lu Ying, who was reprimanded by his son, snorted, ¡°So many excuses for wanting to eat. Say, what do you want to eat?¡± The fat boy sniffed and muttered in a small voice, ¡°The boss¡¯s pizza smells so good, I think it must be delicious¡­¡± Lu Ying frowned and whispered in his son¡¯s ear, ¡°Little fool, how can pizza be as delicious as shaobing or guokui? Isn¡¯t it just that foreigners have not succeeded in learning to make our pancakes so they made their own strange-flavoured ones? Dad will buy you two guokui, one sweet and one salty.¡± Of course, both pizza and pancakes were delicious, but pizza was more expensive than pancakes, and not just a little bit more expensive. Lu Ying turned around, bought pancakes and gave them to his son. Two for eight yuan, it was not cheap. The price of guokui had more than doubled since the previous years. Seeing prices soar and wallets empty, what could anyone say but ¡®sad¡¯? If he hadn¡¯t been working several jobs, it would be difficult for him to stay in the city. Fortunately, his hard work allowed him to stay here with the child as he wished. Zaizai enrolled in a good kindergarten, and in September of the coming year, Zaizai would go to primary school and officially enter the compulsory education stage stipulated by the state. This was Lu Ying¡¯s biggest goal in bringing them out of the mountains to live in the city. Advertisements Kindergartens were free to choose whether to attend or not to attend, and where to attend. Primary school included in twelve years of compulsory education was not free to choose but the primary school in their village was too depressing. There were only six students and one teacher in the whole school and no hint of a school atmosphere at all. All responsible parents had sent their children out of the village. Naturally, Lu Ying couldn¡¯t bear the thought of his son attending such a primary school, which, in his son¡¯s own words, was not lively at all. Before moving to the city, Lu Ying worked in the city every day and in the evenings took the kid from the kindergarten back to the distant village to rest while Grandpa Lu waited for them at home. In those days though, a lot of time was wasted on the road as they travelled back and forth. But it was satisfying to work for the sake of the family and lively to return home. It would be nice if Grandpa Lu was still around, so Zaizai would have someone to keep him company at home when Lu Ying was busy. At around ten o¡¯clock when his shift ended, Lu Ying went home with his son who was already asleep. The father and son slept on a one-and-half-metre bed, which was more than enough, warm and comfortable. Lu Ying set the alarm clock and went to bed to have a good night¡¯s sleep. At 3.30 in the morning, he woke up at the first sound of the beeping phone alarm clock. Lu Ying got up nimbly, tidied himself up in less than ten minutes, touched his son¡¯s chubby sleeping face and locked the door to go out for his first morning shift. At four in the morning, apart from a few cars, there were only sanitation workers on the empty roads. The job was so tiring and dirty that no young people were willing to do it. The staff was getting old but most still had to work; the people at the bottom really had no choice. Lu Ying, however, was not picky and was grateful to Auntie Wang from the community committee who introduced him to this job. Although he was only a temporary worker and could not be transferred to a regular job and the hours were the most tiring, his job was over as long as the streets were cleaned of trash before people got up. Lu Ying was quite satisfied when he took over the job. For one thing, the working hours were often short; he was so quick that he could usually finish in two hours at the fastest and four hours at the slowest. Then he could go home and take the kid to the kindergarten and go to work at the shopping mall by nine o¡¯clock. Secondly, it was the only job where he didn¡¯t have to deal with too many people and it was quiet and comfortable for him. Thirdly, money-wise, it was a good job. He now had a steady grasp of three jobs a day, earning over 10,000 a month, had no mortgage or car loan, and apart from the annual kindergarten tuition fee of around 20,000 yuan and the usual living expenses, he saved the rest for his son¡¯s future studies. Lu Ying¡¯s biggest goal at the moment was for his son to grow up healthy and become a university student, so that Zaizai could earn money more easily in the future and gain a firm foothold in human society. Advertisements This was what he had been thinking about for his son for a long time. Zaizai couldn¡¯t be like him, who had never gone to school for a day, and all the reading and arithmetic he knew had been taught by Grandpa Lu at home. He even had no primary school certificate. He was not smart enough, nor was he very eloquent, so there were not many jobs to choose from. But Zaizai was very lucky to be able to go to school. For this reason, even though he worked almost all year round, Lu Ying was still very motivated. In the future, when his son could stand on his own two feet, he could make further plans and go to a night school, adult university or something to cheer himself up. Brother Yang said that the most important part of being a human was to study. People studied from childhood to adulthood before they could become useful in society. The ones like them, who came out of the mountains, needed to study more if they wanted to live like human beings. Lu Ying had been making a living in the mountains for almost ten years, with only one year off in between. During these years, he had had some understanding of human nature and the modern world. In short, lack of education blocked all the ways; it was very difficult to find a job, and he was insulted and ridiculed for no reason. In the past, he didn¡¯t think much about it; it was fine as long as he could eat enough. But¡­ after having tasted happiness, anger, joy and sorrow, he knew he was becoming more and more of a human being. The essence of being a human in one word: Difficult! On Sunday, Lu Ying had to work as usual. On weekends every week, the child had nowhere to go. Staying alone at home for a long time was not good. Fortunately, the fifth floor of the shopping mall where he worked had a children¡¯s play area. Lu Ying got a discount card when it opened. On Saturdays and Sundays, he put the child there to play. He would have a meal with Zaizai at noon and take him home after getting off work. It was also convenient. Today, he didn¡¯t need to pick up the child from kindergarten, so it saved him some time. Lu Ying went straight to the fifth floor after work at four o¡¯clock, ¡°Zaizai, Dad will take you to the supermarket to buy some delicious food.¡± Zaizai, who had been playing in the playground with a red face, immediately jumped out, put on his shoes neatly and babbled: ¡°Yes, yes, yes, I want to buy jelly! Little fish biscuits, piggy chocolates, canned oranges¡­¡± ¡°It depends on the situation. If there¡¯s anything on sale, we¡¯ll buy more. Sister Xiao Li, Zaizai hasn¡¯t been naughty today, has he?¡± Lu Ying touched his son¡¯s hot face with a smile and asked the sister who was checking the tickets. Sister Xiao Li was about forty years old. She smiled heartily when she heard the question, patted Zaizai on the shoulder and said, ¡°How can he be naughty? Your Zaizai is very good. He can have fun by himself and can take little brothers and sisters to play with him. This child is very sensible and considerate. It¡¯s rare for a young father like you to raise a child so well.¡± The corners of Lu Ying¡¯s mouth would turn upwards whenever his son was praised: ¡°I have very little time to teach him. It is because his grandfather laid a good foundation when Zaizai was little.¡± This was the truth; since the boy was born, he was basically brought up by Grandpa Lu. Lu Ying had no choice but to go to the village to earn money to buy milk powder for Zaizai. At that time, he could only see his son at night; and now that he had the child with him, he still didn¡¯t really have much time to spend together. Sister Xiao Li probably knew Lu Ying¡¯s family situation and sighed when she heard it: ¡°It¡¯s not easy for you, but it doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re diligent and willing to work hard, and the child is obedient and sensible. Life will get better one day.¡± After chatting for a little while, Lu Ying left. As Sister Xiao Li watched the father and son leave, her eyes filled with regret. Lu Ying was a young man she admired, and his diligence was hard to find these days. Coupled with his incredible appearance, he was a walking illustration to the word ¡®heartthrob¡¯. For a while, she tried frantically to find a match for Lu Ying, but there were few suitable candidates. Lu Ying was too poor, an orphan, without any family property and actually uneducated, having never even studied in primary school. She found two suitable people with difficulty, but to her surprise, when she asked Lu Ying, he didn¡¯t agree and didn¡¯t want to remarry at all! Lu Ying entered the lift with his child in tow and chose the -1 floor where the supermarket was located. Reaching the fourth floor, the lift stopped and several staff members in suits came in. Manager Zhang was his immediate boss. Lu Ying sighed inwardly; what bad luck. Manager Zhang was in her thirties and was a capable married woman. Although she had only been in office for a few months, her colleagues were all very impressed with her. She looked at Lu Ying and smiled, ¡°Off work?¡± ¡°En.¡± The rest of the staff were silent, pretending not to notice anything. Fortunately, Manager Zhang and her companions soon walked out on the second floor. Lu Ying reached the -1 floor when his mobile phone text message alerted him. His head ached when he clicked on it. It was not the first time that Manager Zhang had invited him to watch a midnight movie. Since Manager Zhang had come over, he kept being ¡®asked out¡¯ privately from time to time. Lu Ying had encountered similar situations over the years and there was a reason for someone who was hard-working like him to change jobs frequently. Lu Ying sighed quietly, rubbed his chin and asked his son, ¡°Zaizai, isn¡¯t Dad very handsome and charming?¡± CH 3 ¡°Handsome dad, let¡¯s go buy snacks! The teacher said good looks can¡¯t be eaten! Dad, listen to me carefully and remember: even if you look beautiful, you can¡¯t be too proud. The true beauty is the beauty of the heart.¡± Caught off guard by his son¡¯s preaching, Lu Ying was dragged forward, muttering, ¡°It¡¯s true that you can¡¯t be too proud of your good looks, but if I didn¡¯t look good, you wouldn¡¯t be there. Son! Let¡¯s buy less today, maybe we¡¯ll have to eat steamed buns again soon.¡± Lu Ying slowly followed behind Zaizai, letting the child do his own thing. He was usually conscientious and frugal; to eat enough and to wear warm clothes was indispensable but the child¡¯s toys and snacks were not indulged indiscriminately. It had slowly become a habit and even if Lu Ying didn¡¯t say anything, the boy knew it in his heart. Lu Ying glanced at his son from time to time and followed him closely while chatting on WeChat. The only people he could chat with recklessly were his few friends, united in the group called ¡®Gang of Scoundrels¡¯. Perfect Dad: It¡¯s really troublesome to be too handsome. I have a hunch that I will have to find a job again in the New Year. O(¨i©n¨i)o Glorious Brother Ji: +1, beauty is a sin! My Funeral of Love(1) sisters fight over me every day, so annoying, ah. Realtor Liu Dichuan: Men should look like me, it¡¯s their duty! Glorious Brother Ji: What¡¯s good about looking like a fool like you? You can only be a single dog. Look at Lu Ying, if he wasn¡¯t good looking, how could he become a father? I envy him all the time. Perfect Dad: Brother Ji, where have you been working lately? Glorious Brother Ji: I¡¯m not working, I¡¯m bored to death from nine to five. My Funeral of Love family is busy making videos, it¡¯s fun every day, hahaha. Realtor Liu Dichuan: Funeral of Love family is immortal, Baby Ji is happy, so what do you eat? Glorious Brother Ji: I won¡¯t die of hunger if I don¡¯t eat a few meals. Perfect Dad: Always wanted to ask you, what is that Funeral of Love family? Realtor Liu Dichuan: I advise you not to ask. Don¡¯t search Baidu either. In case you are blind, who will take care of Zaizai, huh? Perfect Dad: ¡­(¡Ño¡Ñ)¡­ Glorious Brother Ji: Liu Laoshi, you are not honest now! Hehe you hehe. Craftsman Yang: Lu Ying, if you are idle during the New Year, come and help me. The salary can be settled on the same day. A few of my helpers are going back to their hometown for the New Year, and I¡¯m short of manpower. Perfect Dad: Thank you, Brother Yang! Brother Yang¡¯s business is getting better and better, that¡¯s awesome. Glorious Brother Ji: (¡¥¦ê¡¥), I miss Brother Yang¡¯s craftsmanship, I¡¯ll come and eat there some day. Craftsman Yang: Welcome at any time. We haven¡¯t had a get-together for a long time. Come to my place for dinner sometime. Or maybe on New Year¡¯s Day, start the new year by rubbing off some of Lu Ying¡¯s luck. Realtor Liu Dichuan: Sure. Lu Ying, why don¡¯t you come to work at our place after the New Year? The income from selling apartments isn¡¯t bad and working hours are relatively free, so you can pick up your kid after school. Glorious Brother Ji: Hahaha, Lu Ying is thin-skinned and stupid, most afraid of doing sales. Realtor Liu Dichuan: How do you know if you don¡¯t try? You don¡¯t have to be able to talk to do sales. Lu Ying is practical and diligent, not afraid of hardship, he can enter the industry. The work you do in the shopping mall is similar. Craftsman Yang: You get off work too late there, Zaizai is still young and needs more company. Realtor Liu Dichuan: That¡¯s true, hey, it¡¯s not uncommon to be busy until 11:00 or 12:00. It¡¯s not easy in any line of work nowadays, money is not easy to earn. Glorious Brother Ji: That¡¯s right, even construction sites are not as good as before, and many construction sites have stopped. Perfect Dad: You worked as an assistant to Dr. Hu before, wasn¡¯t your salary quite high? Why did you go back to the construction site to move bricks again? Glorious Brother Ji: (¤Ø¨p) Don¡¯t mention the cunning old guy. He just tortured me in various ways. There are thousands of rules. I am not allowed to do this, I¡¯m not allowed to do that. I can¡¯t stand him. So annoying. Craftsman Yang: Last week I delivered the goods to him and he asked about you. Glorious Brother Ji: What did the old guy ask about me? Craftsman Yang: Oh, he asked if you had starved to death. Glorious Brother Ji: Old bastard, I won¡¯t die in front of his door even if I starve to death! Craftsman Yang: Oh. Realtor Liu Dichuan: Oh! Perfect Dad: ¡­oh. After chatting with his friends, Lu Ying optimistically put his worries behind him. The father and son returned from the supermarket fully loaded. They bought a lot of food today. Lu Ying used a pressure cooker to make a quick stew of beef and carrots and added several meat and veggie side dishes. One big and one small guy enjoyed a hearty hot pot on this cold winter day. Lu Ying was so full that he burped and went to wash the dishes in the kitchen, but the chubby kid was still fishing for food in the pot, sweeping up every last bit of it. Lu Ying was worried when he saw this. It was his son¡¯s natural ability to eat, but his appetite was now showing signs of being better than ever, and Lu Ying was both relieved and distressed. The future could only be approached one step at a time. Advertisements Compared to the cold of Caifeng City, the sun was shining brightly in Guanlan City to the south. The famous Zicao Lake Ranch Club in Guanlan City was boundlessly vast and full of green grass. The beautiful Zicao Lake was sparkling, with horses galloping on one side of the lake and golf balls flying in graceful arcs on the other. Changing into his black riding clothes he hadn¡¯t worn for a long time and fastening his knee pads and helmet, Qin Zhuopu(2) raised his whip and drove the white stallion out of the guardrail. Neither too fast, nor too slow, the stallion¡¯s hooves steadily stepped on the grass. Facing the slightly cool breeze, Qin Zhuopu felt that his mind was refreshed for a moment. He suddenly realised that if it hadn¡¯t been for the invitation of his old friends, it would have been half a year since he had been out for some exercise and relaxation. Working day in and day out was fulfilling, but he was also tired. ¡°Yo, the workaholic is finally here. I thought you were going to fail the appointment today.¡± He finally met his old friends and their wives and children when he reached the rest area halfway across the racecourse, and his late arrival was immediately greeted with teasing. Qin Zhuopu dismounted reluctantly and said in his usual gentle tone, ¡°Lao Gao, it¡¯s my fault. Tonight is my treat, you choose the place.¡± ¡°Hey, I can¡¯t even mess with you. What¡¯s the point of treating us to dinner, you don¡¯t even drink.¡± A chubby middle-aged man snorted, shaking his head, but the beautiful woman next to him helped gently, saying, ¡°That¡¯s because Brother Pu is smart and self-disciplined. What¡¯s so great about drinking and smoking? He doesn¡¯t have bad habits, unlike you, who drink so much that your fat head is bald.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, our teachers say that drinking and smoking is unhealthy and makes you ugly! Dad, they say baldness is hereditary¡­ oh, will I go bald in the future? I don¡¯t want to be like you!¡± An eight or nine year old girl came running from a distance and glared angrily at her dad. Everyone laughed. Fat Gao was furious: ¡°Don¡¯t listen to your mother all the time, baldness is passed on to men but not to women. What are you afraid of, it¡¯s your brother who will be bald, not you.¡± ¡°Ba Ba! Hair pretty hair~¡± A little boy, walking crookedly, followed the girl, tugging on his unruly hair and innocently grinning at his bald dad. Fat Gao was so impressed that he covered his mouth with his hand and said, ¡°Oh, they¡¯re all my babies. None of you will be bald! Dad will just be bald alone.¡± ¡°Uncle Qin, I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time, I really miss you!¡± The little girl happily approached Qin Zhuopu, her eyes shining brightly at him. Qin Zhuopu smiled and stroked the girl¡¯s head, ¡°Xuanxuan has grown taller, just like your mother.¡± ¡°Hehe, of course.¡± The little girl loved to be praised for looking like her mother, because her mother was the most beautiful. The little girl flattered hastily, ¡°Uncle Qin is still so handsome, if you were at our school you would definitely be a male god.¡± ¡°Thanks for the compliment, little princess.¡± Qin Zhuopu laughed. Advertisements ¡°A man who is not married is different from a man who is married and has a family. How do you say it, it¡¯s called youthfulness. I used to be unconvinced before, but now I can¡¯t help but see Lao Qin. Take a look at your belly and then take a look at Lao Qin¡¯s abs, tsk, the difference is blatant.¡± Another tall, slightly chubby man shook his head, his eyes filled with fatalistic envy. Behind Qin Zhuopu, another unmarried man said breathlessly, ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡¯m not, I¡¯m the same as you guys.¡± ¡°Brother Xiao Chen, you need to find a wife first and then you¡¯ll share our blessing. Hey, your hairline is really weird. Hurry up and ask Lao Qin for advice on how to maintain your hair.¡± Brother Xiao Chen covered his hairline and wanted to cry without tears, ¡°Look at the bald guys among foreign royalty, this sickness can¡¯t be cured. Lao Qin has good genetics, think about it, Grandpa Qin¡¯s hair is white but the volume is amazing! God gives him a lot of hair, we can¡¯t compete.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t compete with your hair, can you compete with your abs?¡± Someone laughed and said, ¡°Lao Qin is dressed up, where can you see his abs?¡± ¡­¡­ Qing Zhuopu glanced around and sighed in his heart. Almost all of the people here were his playmates who had known each other since kindergarten. When they were young, they used to get together every day and run around, but now as the years went by, they saw each other less and less. Who knows for how many years, but whenever there was a private gathering that didn¡¯t involve work, spouses and kids became the main event. It seemed oddly different not to be married and to have no children. Especially since¡­ ¡°Lao Qin, when are you planning to get married?¡± Here it comes, finally; the serial marriage questions the older young unmarried people can¡¯t escape anywhere they go. Seven aunts, eight uncles and every other relative regardless of gender, from the top brass down to the gossipy media. Come home to face the elders and go out to be pestered by friends. Unmarried and guilty? Qin Zhuopu¡¯s heart felt blocked; he turned around and got on his horse, his movements smooth like flowing water. He raised his whip, shook his head disapprovingly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be like the old lady who nags me, it makes me sleepy. My current lover is work, and its position in my heart is unshakeable.¡± ¡°See, and you say you¡¯re not a workaholic! I think you have an endocrine imbalance and a lack of love hormones. You should get out and stimulate them. Some day I will introduce you to some quality women¡­ ahem, quality handsome men, okay! There is no saying that you have to find a woman to get married, Lao Qin, you can find a man to marry, no problem at all.¡± Qin Zhuopu was outright delighted, ¡°Okay, then you have to prepare a double red envelope for that day.¡± ¡°That¡¯s worth it. But tell me the truth, Lao Qin, you don¡¯t have a partner now, do you? The guy I¡¯m entrusted with shouldn¡¯t be a mistress, ah, I¡¯m a decent person.¡± Lao Gao coughed lightly a few times and stared expectantly at Qin Zhuopu, while the rest of his companions listened curiously, sure that they were getting to the point. ¡°Who entrusted you with what?¡± Qin Zuopu asked, his smile already disappearing. Lao Gao did not hide it, saying bluntly: ¡°The younger brother of a friend from abroad. He has the same hobbies as you, is two years younger than you, and also an alumnus. He¡¯s called Yu Yourong¡­¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± Qin Zhuopu interrupted Lao Gao¡¯s introduction, waved his whip and sent his horse to a gallop. His dashing back disappeared in an instant. CH 4 Lao Gao was stunned when Qin Zuopu spurred his horse and rode away. His wife glared at him, exasperated: ¡°Why are you such a nosy guy? Do you want to be a matchmaker? I think you¡¯re too idle. Didn¡¯t you see how wrong Brother Pu¡¯s face looked when you said the name? Don¡¯t interfere in Brother Pu¡¯s personal affairs.¡± ¡°Wrong? Why was it wrong? I didn¡¯t notice, I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s strange, do they know each other?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve offended Lao Qin this time.¡± Boss Xu pointed to Lao Gao: ¡°Do you know who Yu Yourong is?¡± ¡°Who? Lao Xu, hurry up and tell me, I¡¯m worried.¡± ¡°The ex.¡± Boss Xu sighed. ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± Several companions shook their heads at the same time. ¡°Haven¡¯t heard of it.¡± After a long time Lao Gao stood up and slapped his leg, ¡°Bullshit! His ex wasn¡¯t that guy, it was Xiao Lu! It must have been at least six or seven years ago, right? Ever since Xiao Lu left, Lao Qin has been busy working all day long and hasn¡¯t found anyone else. He¡¯s so serious and clean, if he had someone he¡¯d definitely show us. Who is this Yu Yourong? I still remember Xiao Lu, some amazing guy, looking a bit like a demon, so bewitching it was scary. I heard that he didn¡¯t even go to school. At that time I thought the two of them were really strange together but it somehow worked.¡± ¡°I remember Xiao Lu too. The first time Lao Qin took him to meet us was to play golf. That little guy looked like he had never seen the world before, he didn¡¯t even know how to hold a club. Lao Qin taught him hand in hand, and in the blink of an eye the little guy became a master, playing all 18 holes in one go without a break. It took him just half a day to beat me stupid. What a genius! The club owner at the time, Mike Ray, chased after him to sign him to work at the club, but Lao Qin refused to let him.¡± ¡°Yeah, I was impressed.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, the talented Xiao Lu, Lao Qin¡¯s treasure at the time. So, where did Yu Yourong come from?¡± Boss Xu didn¡¯t beat around the bush: ¡°Lao Qin knew Yu Yourong back in the days of studying in the United States. Lao Qin was in graduate school and Yu Yourong was a college student at the same school. The two met, and then fell in love. But Yu Yourong grew up abroad, particularly unconventional, and some things made Lao Qin uncomfortable, so they broke up. I have never met Xiao Lu you¡¯re talking about, I think I was still in the United States at the time.¡± ¡°What do you mean by particularly unconventional, can you say it more clearly?¡± Lao Gao gossiped. Boss Xu coughed lightly: ¡°Next time you see Yu Yourong, you don¡¯t have to be polite, he¡¯s really not a good guy. The kid is a cheater. He was in love with Lao Qin and played with other beauties, so Lao Qin withdrew. It¡¯s not a big deal. If Lao Qin doesn¡¯t say anything, of course I won¡¯t take the initiative to say anything either. You can just pay attention.¡± What he said was very subtle and euphemistic but everyone understood. ¡°Fuck me,¡± Lao Gao was so furious that even an expletive came out, and this time his wife didn¡¯t stop him, ¡°So that¡¯s what it is, using me without my knowledge? Lao Qin has the decency not to curse him but I¡¯m not going to be polite with him. Wait for me to see him next time, I¡¯ll curse him to death. How dare he still think of finding Lao Qin after such a thing and making up with him? Tsk, what a nice thought!¡± Advertisements The women sat on the sidelines and didn¡¯t interrupt, talking about children and beauty treatments as if nothing had happened. Mrs. Gao was a bit distracted. Her mother¡¯s family was related to the Qin family, and Qin Zhuopu could be regarded as her cousin, so she knew far more than these rough men. She felt that the continuation of the bloodline was probably the biggest problem for the Qin family, rather than who Qin Zhuopu was in love with or married to. Qin Zhuopu could find himself a partner anytime he wanted, as long as he nodded. But the matter of children, no matter how good Qin Zhuopu was, couldn¡¯t be forced. She didn¡¯t even tell her own husband about these rather secretive matters. The elders in the family were worried about Qin Zhuopu and even doubted his health. When Qin Zhuopu had come out of the closet, the Qin family made a deal with him. One of the conditions was that no matter what happened in the future, Qin Zhuopu had to find someone to carry on the Qin family bloodline through in vitro fertilisation, and Qin Zhuopu agreed. When he was twenty-eight, Qin Zhuopu went abroad for in vitro fertilisation, but the results¡­ had been unsuccessful at least five or six times so far. Mrs. Gao thought that she saw Mrs. Qin turning pale in the past two years because of worry and anxiety. Grandpa Qin, who was getting older and weaker, was not as happy and humorous as he used to be. He always had a serious face and seemed to carry a lot of worries. She understood the depressed mood of the elders in the Qin family very well. Grandpa Qin was old, and Mr. Qin had passed away early in his prime. The only one who could continue the bloodline was Qin Zhuopu. A man who didn¡¯t like women and was particularly stubborn and opinionated. It was impossible to force him to marry a woman for the rest of his life, and the remaining path of in vitro fertilisation was problematic. She didn¡¯t know if Qin Zhuopu was anxious or not, but the elders of the Qin family were so anxious that they couldn¡¯t sleep or eat. Recently her mother accompanied Mrs. Qin to pray to the Buddha and ask about feng shui. One day she would worship the Immortal Goddess Bixia, the next she would worship Guanyin, which was some kind of magic in itself. To put it mildly, Mrs. Gao sympathised with Qin Zhuopu. Sometimes the pressure from the family was even more painful than being scolded by outsiders. Qin Zhuopu, who hadn¡¯t relaxed for a long time, galloped happily around Zicao Lake for several laps, sweating and panting hard before slowly stopping. He let his horse walk on the grass, unconsciously wandering to the golf court. Separated by the net, there were a few familiar young people playing. He was not ready to say hello, so he turned around and rode away quietly. ¡°Lu Ying! Lu Ying, be careful¡­¡± The horse neighed and was suddenly forced to stop. The man on horse slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on the court again carelessly and finally fixing on a young girl. His deep eyes were calm and unmoving, and he seemed to be lost in thought. The horse set off again, galloping straight to the club¡¯s recreational area. Qin Zhuopu was a top member and had a regular private space. It was a beautiful little wooden western-style building with wide glass doors and windows, and the most beautiful view of Zicao Lake when the curtains were drawn. In the past, when he wasn¡¯t very busy, he would play here all day and then take a break to enjoy a rare quiet time at night, admiring the stars in the sky. He loved those nights. Lu Ying loved them even more than he did. Every night spent here was filled with wanton laughter and lingering love. Every time he thought of it inadvertently, it always made the calm lake of his heart ripple endlessly. Advertisements ¡°Ding ding dah ~ ding dah ~ Jingle dah ~ ding dah ~¡± It was drizzling, and Lu Ying, wearing a raincoat, was riding his moped, while Lu Zaizai¡¯s cheerful singing voice kept floating over the crowded road, so out-of-tune that it almost made people laugh to death. Lu Ying didn¡¯t dare to discourage his excited son, so he held back his laughter, his shoulders shaking. When they reached the red light, the drivers in the traffic jam next to them smiled, looking at the chubby kid who was intoxicated by his own singing. Unaware of this, Lu Zaizai squinted his eyes slightly and continued to sing in the cold wind. ¡°We are sitting on the sleigh~ How happy we are skiing~~Ding Ding Da~~¡± His round face was flushed, obviously showing how hot he was in his heart, loaded full of Christmas joy. In two days, it would be Christmas. Santa Claus from the West had been popular in the country for many years, and Christmas had gradually become a well-known festive day. On that day, the kindergarten would organise the children to celebrate Christmas together, and the children were required to be proficient in the Christmas songs. Lu Zaizai didn¡¯t usually like to sing at all, but the songs requested by the teacher definitely had to be studied seriously. After all, the teacher told him that on Christmas Day, Santa Claus (parents) would prepare a gift for every well-behaved and cute child to hang on the kindergarten¡¯s Christmas tree. Of course Lu Zaizai had to behave well, otherwise what Santa would do if he missed his gift? When Lu Ying went to the kindergarten this morning, he had already handed in his prepared gift to the teacher. He saw the oversized Christmas tree in the kindergarten hall, decorated with lights and extremely impressive. As a parent, he was pleased with the happy atmosphere of the kindergarten. He always remembered someone saying that for a child, the most important thing was not to learn knowledge but to enjoy a healthy and happy childhood. ¡°What a spirited child, he¡¯s not afraid of the cold, ah¡­¡± Inside a black luxury car on a crowded road, a grey-haired lady looked sideways at the singing Lu Zaizai nestled in the front seat of an electric moped not far away. She could only see his flushed profile and hear the child¡¯s energetic singing. The woman who really liked children couldn¡¯t help smiling. To her, no matter how rich or poor, how tall or short, how thin or fat, an innocent child was always one of the loveliest things in the world. For years, she had hoped to be surrounded with children, with her grandchildren, to have a happy and lively family. But things were not going her way. Her son was already in his thirties; was her wish for a grandson too much? Heavens wouldn¡¯t let her have her wish, but she didn¡¯t want to give up so easily. Otherwise, why would she have come to a town like Qixia¡­ the little town she didn¡¯t have a good impression of? CH 5 The traffic jam made it difficult to move, and the lady in the car was in a daze, listening to the tender singing of someone else¡¯s child, her thoughts wandering. ¡°The hour is too late, Sister, let¡¯s go to that expert tomorrow. I never thought it would be so cold in winter in Caifeng City.¡± The woman sitting next to the lady was slightly younger, and the two looked a bit alike. The lady returned to her senses and replied to her sister¡¯s words, ¡°It¡¯s a cold winter this year. I¡¯ve never been so cold before. It¡¯ll be good if those people on the bikes out there who have children with them don¡¯t get sick from the cold. The traffic is heavy, the roads are slippery and there¡¯s not enough light. It¡¯s too dangerous to ride.¡± The younger sister felt a little sad. Her sister loved children and did charity work every year for children around the world, so she couldn¡¯t bear to see them suffer. Outside, the sky was dark, cold and rainy, only dimly lit by street lamps and headlights of the cars, and among tiny electric bikes driving alongside big four-wheeled vehicles, many carried children. After all, it was the time when school ended. It was indeed heart-wrenching to look at, but this was the reality of a suburban town like Qixia. Not everyone¡¯s family could afford to buy a car to shelter their children from the wind and rain. The sisters were lamenting the difficulties of the people of the lower class when on the side of the road a brightly decorated electric moped slid to the ground with a crash, with the adult and child thrown off in an instant. ¡°Ah!¡± The two women inside the car shrieked in unison as the road filled with countless harsh sounds of brakes and horns. ¡°They really fell! Are they okay?¡± The younger sister clutched her heart nervously. The driver hurriedly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madam, I can see them getting up. They look like they should be fine, bruised at most.¡± He added helplessly, ¡°It¡¯s the driver of the Buick that was hit by the moped that is probably going to be unlucky.¡± ¡°Why?¡± The older sister asked. The driver sighed, ¡°Touch the porcelain, I guess(1).¡± The owner of the electric moped was a fifty- or sixty-year-old grandfather who rode his moped every day to pick up his grandson from the kindergarten. The moment he fell he panicked, flung helplessly off the moped; and then boom, the moped crashed into a Buick next to him while he and the child both fell in the middle of the traffic. Fortunately, because of the traffic jam the cars didn¡¯t move, so they didn¡¯t get any secondary injuries. The old man got up and hurriedly went to check on his crying grandson. Luckily, the child was not in any serious trouble. His clothes were thick and he was probably just a little bruised. But the old man didn¡¯t know if there was some hidden injury and he couldn¡¯t help being flustered when he thought that it would be hard to explain the accident to his son and daughter-in-law when he went home. With barely any thought, the old man pointed furiously at the white Buick that had its headlight cracked: ¡°How do you drive! Are you blind?! If you kill my grandson, my whole family will make you pay!¡± As soon as the driver of the Buick heard that, he got out of the car to face the old man, saying angrily, ¡°You think the surveillance is just a decoration? You want to touch the porcelain? Damn it, it¡¯s my bad luck to run into people like you!¡± After yelling for a while, the driver hastily called his insurance company. Advertisements ¡°You hit my grandson, you should be responsible for the medical expenses! Take us to a big hospital for a full body check-up!¡± ¡°Nice try! I won¡¯t pay a dime, it¡¯s none of my business if you¡¯re looking for death!¡± The driver of the Buick was not a good-tempered guy either. The old man was so angry that he simply sat down on the ground and rolled around, wailing. ¡­¡­ ¡°Ai.¡± The sisters in the car shook their heads and sighed, ¡°Tarnishing the reputation of the elderly.¡± ¡°Look at this, everyone, this son of a bitch kills people in the broad light and doesn¡¯t want to take responsibility!¡± ¡°Even the elderly and the children are not spared!¡± ¡°What the hell are you howling about? Go and cry on the pavement, don¡¯t block the road!¡± The rest of the drivers who were watching the show grew impatient, trying to squeeze past the rowdy scene. Lu Ying parked his moped on the edge of the flower bed. His mood changed from the initial worry to the current contempt and disgust as he said to Lu Zaizai, ¡°Zaizai, don¡¯t be like the old grandpa, it¡¯s bad and embarrassing!¡± He had been scammed once before and had to pay a full two hundred yuan to get out of it, so from then on he was very wary of old men and women on the road. Lu Zaizai nodded sensibly: ¡°I saw that the old man fell down by himself, so he can¡¯t blame anyone else. He also crashed into the uncle¡¯s car.¡± The more the old man howled the more energetic he became. Lu Ying could not help but take off the hood of his raincoat and say in a loud voice: ¡°You are so old, are you not afraid of shame, coming to touch the porcelain? Please look at your grandson, he is all wet and shivering. Take care of the child!¡± After yelling that, Lu Ying didn¡¯t care what the old man¡¯s reaction was, put on the hood of his raincoat and rode away calmly. Until Lu Ying¡¯s electric moped completely disappeared into the night, the woman with grey hair inside the luxury car still hadn¡¯t come back to her senses. ¡°Let¡¯s go too, the traffic police are already coming over.¡± The younger sister ordered the driver. The car slowly moved forward, but the elder sister suddenly opened the window and craned her neck to look out. ¡°What are you doing, Sister?¡± Her younger sister was astonished, completely confused by the lady¡¯s dangerous behaviour. Embarrassed, the lady returned to her senses and whispered, ¡°I saw an acquaintance.¡± ¡°Who was it?¡± The woman was really curious about someone who could get her elder sister so excited. The lady shook her head and said nothing. How could she bear to tell her sister that years ago, she had done something very embarrassing to force that young man to leave her son? After all these years, the young man had actually become a father. But her son, on the other hand, could not have a child no matter how she begged. This¡­ could it be retribution? Advertisements The lady¡¯s mood was particularly complicated. In the past two years, she had been seeking medical treatment, begged gods and Buddhas, and looked for masters and experts, all for the sake of continuation of the Qin family¡¯s bloodline. Her sister told her that there was a very powerful mysterious doctor in Qixia Town of Caifeng City. The two made a lot of inquiries and as soon as they were sure that the reputation of the doctor was true, they immediately set off to the town. When the lady heard the strange and familiar name of Qixia Town, there was a slight hesitation in her heart. The young man she had driven away was born in the remote mountains near Qixia Town. Since the young man had disappeared from sight just as she had hoped, it was most likely that he had returned to Qixia, his hometown. In any case, she did not want to run into him, or rather, did not dare to see him again. The only bad thing she had ever done in her life was related to that young man. She never expected to see him again after all these years. The young man¡¯s face had barely changed at all; the only thing that had changed about him was the aura of being a grown-up. Yes, he was a father now, and he looked much more stable than before, ah. The lady suddenly realised something. Since the other party had become a father, and judging by the age of the child, the young man likely got married and had children as soon as he returned to his hometown. Thinking about it, she didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry. At least it proved that she had made the right decision back then. The boy was, as she predicted, simply young and ignorant, uneducated and unintelligent. He fell in love without understanding anything, not even knowing what he really needed in the future. The so-called love was not worth mentioning in the face of reality. Even though she kept reassuring herself, Mrs. Qin still couldn¡¯t control her insomnia that night. After tossing and turning on the hotel bed, she simply got up, took her mobile phone and hesitantly sent a message to her son far away in Guanlan City. ¡°Zhuopu, are you asleep?¡± As soon as the message was sent, the phone in Mrs. Qin¡¯s hand rang. She hastily picked it up and couldn¡¯t help but preach as soon as she opened her mouth, ¡°Zhuopu, why are you still up at two o¡¯clock? You can¡¯t ruin your body like this. It¡¯s not that you don¡¯t understand how much it harms your health to stay up late.¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s low and quiet voice over the phone sounded exceptionally calm: ¡°Mom, I¡¯m in England. I¡¯ll probably go back tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­Why did you run away again all of a sudden.¡± Mrs. Qin felt helpless and didn¡¯t know what to say: ¡°You get even more tired from running around all day.¡± ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. Why is Mom still awake?¡± ¡°Oh, Mom drank too much tea with your aunt in the evening and is having a little insomnia at the moment.¡± ¡°Try to sleep, don¡¯t stay up late at your old age.¡± Mrs. Qin let out a soft sigh. ¡°Zhuopu, Mom today¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± He could sense through the phone that his mother had something on her mind, and Qin Zhuopu was both worried and frustrated. He felt that with 80% probability it was about the matter of him having a child again. He could understand his grandfather¡¯s and his mother¡¯s desire, but that didn¡¯t mean he approved of all this tossing and turning. Once or twice wasn¡¯t enough, now it had been five or six times, and to be honest, he almost despaired himself, thinking that he might be on the verge of dying in his middle age. The good news was that the doctors told him that he was perfectly healthy, so what else was there to fear? Qin Zhuopu also liked children, but that kind of thing depended on fate. If you have one, you can be a good father; if not, forget it. It¡¯s fun to keep challenging yourself in your career. In a distant country, sitting in front of a bright floor-to-ceiling window, Qin Zhuopu flipped through a thick file while absent-mindedly reassuring his mother, ¡°Mom, rest early, don¡¯t be so old-fashioned, you¡¯re making it hard on yourself by putting pressure on me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like our Qin family has a throne to inherit, the child is not a necessity.¡± The assistant who was sorting out the paperwork at the side couldn¡¯t help but take a quick glance at the boss. Mr. Qin¡¯s net worth was a mystery, plus all the assets of the Qin family and Mrs. Qin¡¯s assets; if they were converted into gold, what a huge throne it would be! Ba ba, I want to inherit (¸ö_¸ö). CH 6 In a flash it was Christmas Eve, and Lu Ying¡¯s job got even busier. He and his colleagues put on their furry red Christmas outfits from the moment the doors opened early in the morning, distributed in every area of the shopping mall. Lu Ying and two other colleagues were in charge of the chocolate and confectionery section, everyone holding up several items for promotion. They were constantly greeting the endless stream of customers, their throats burning as if they had been smoking. By the end of the afternoon, when the shift was about to end, the colleagues were already dying. Lu Ying was the only one whose expression didn¡¯t change and who continued to work hard. When he finally was ready to get off work at four o¡¯clock, he was informed by his superior that everyone would be working overtime and would not be allowed to protest. Lu Ying had expected this; even though he was reluctant, he couldn¡¯t help it. There was no job out there that didn¡¯t involve overtime. During the New Year holidays, when others rested, it was the time when they had to work the hardest. Luckily, they had an hour to eat, so they huddled in the staff lounge with their instant noodles. A few messages from the WeChat group ¡°Gang of Scoundrels¡± flashed quickly. Glorious Brother Ji: I¡¯m already on my way to the kindergarten, I promise to pick up my godson properly. Perfect Dad: Thank you, Brother Ji. Craftsman Yang: How long do you have to work overtime today? Why don¡¯t you leave the child with me? Me and Xiao Ji will keep an eye on him for you. Today is a holiday and I have Christmas cake at home, so we can celebrate together. Perfect Dad: I don¡¯t know exactly how long I¡¯ll be working. I asked for leave from my part-time takeaway job today. Brother Ji, you can ask Zaizai later if he wants to go home or go to Brother Yang¡¯s place, let him choose for himself. Glorious Brother Ji: It¡¯s the baby who makes the choices, huh? Perfect Dad: Oh. That¡¯s right, Zaizai is the baby. With Brother Ji¡¯s promise to pick up Zaizai, Lu Ying was completely relieved and ate his noodles with gusto before hurrying back to his workstation. He was tired of working overtime today, but the overtime pay was not something to be ignored and there were coupons for the staff that were also very useful. The Merry Christmas song kept echoing in his ears. Lu Ying, flushed and enthusiastic, held the beautifully wrapped chocolates and peace fruits(1), shouting in a low, silky, magnetic and somewhat seductive voice: ¡°Christmas gift packs, DF chocolates, SF liquor milk candy, UU biscuits¡­¡± As he worked hard to promote the goods, customers kept flocking around, most of them young boys and girls. Many people were secretly taking photos with their mobile phones. ¡°Did you see that handsome guy selling chocolates? Much better looking than your idol.¡± ¡°Oh my, lethally handsome, his skin is so good!¡± ¡°His voice is so sultry~~¡± ¡°I want to be friends with him so badly¡­¡± Although most of the girls were very subtle in secretly watching and taking pictures, there were a few bold ones who directly asked Lu Ying for WeChat. Lu Ying always shook his head: ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t play with my phone during working hours.¡± Advertisements The young colleague next to him was envious, ¡°How come no girl asked me for a WeChat?¡± ¡°If I had Brother Lu¡¯s looks and body, I¡¯d just strut around everywhere!¡± ¡°Your height is only one sixty if you jump~¡± ¡°Damn, call me one sixty again and I¡¯ll kick your ass!¡± Ignoring his colleague¡¯s bickering, Lu Ying was dealing with the flow of customers diligently with hope for a very possible bonus in mind ^_^. The supervisor, who was patrolling this evening, was watching the scene from not far away and nodding in satisfaction. He was very pleased with Lu Ying¡¯s style of work; the young man never slacked off and never disdained any kind of work. Coupled with his good looks, he was always able to bring in a big wave of sales whenever there was an event. If it wasn¡¯t for his lack of education, the supervisor would have wanted to promote him. But for now, it was better to wait and see until Lu Ying worked longer to convince the others. The supervisor was lost in thought and didn¡¯t notice that behind him, Manager Zhang was staring at Lu Ying in a very unfriendly manner. At that moment, a chubby kid wearing a Christmas hat squeezed through the crowd and shouted happily: ¡°Dad! I¡¯ve come to see you, Dad! Merry Christmas! Look, I¡¯ve got a Transformer from Santa! It¡¯s a super cool Bumblebee!¡± ¡°Zaizai!¡± Seeing his son, Lu Ying hurriedly picked him up and hugged him happily but soon put him down to continue working. There was no time to chat. Ji Xiaofeng, who had just managed to squeeze through the crowd, gasped, ¡°Oh my god, there are so many people. My hair is all messed up.¡± The guy was wearing long, colourful, spiky hair that looked like exploding pine needles. With a face of frightening smoky make-up, eyebrow rings, nose rings, lip rings, ringlets, a fancy sweater and jingly metallic denim ripped pants, he was an embodiment of the ¡°kill Matt¡± style(2). Kill Matt was no longer popular nowadays, and the flamboyant young man really stood out from the crowd. ¡°Holy crap, this non-mainstream guy is really hard on the eyes.¡± ¡°That little brother is actually a father o(¨i©n¨i)o.¡± ¡°It hurts my eyes, kill Matt, please go away~¡± ¡°Fantastic taste¡­¡± ¡°Oh oh oh, he¡¯s actually a dad! Dad! Isn¡¯t he a part-time college student!¡± ¡°The chocolate isn¡¯t sweet anymore¡­(¨i¨s^¨t¨i)¡± Lu Ying was grateful to the kill Matt guy, ¡°Thank you, Brother Ji.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only right to pick up my godson from school. Okay, Zaizai, say goodbye to your dad, your godfather is now taking you to Uncle Yang¡¯s home for a big meal.¡± Hearing this, Lu Zaizai quickly waved his chubby hand to his father: ¡°Keep working, Dad, I¡¯m going to Uncle Yang¡¯s place to eat Christmas cake. Bye, Dad.¡± Without looking back, Zaizai ran out of the crowd with his colourful kill Matt godfather. Lu Ying felt helpless; he thought his son would be reluctant to leave him. During Lu Ying¡¯s busy night, Weibo was also full of various Christmas messages. Among them, a ¡®Most handsome little Christmas brother¡¯ quietly appeared on the internet. Advertisements ¡°Wow, he¡¯s really handsome! Handsome in a very special way. These long, narrow eyes are especially delicious!¡± ¡°Eyelash monster!¡± ¡°So good-looking!¡± ¡°In five minutes, I want to know his full profile info.¡± ¡°Little brother is really a walking illustration of what it means to have picturesque eyebrows, red lips and white teeth(3)!¡± ¡°What¡¯s so pretty about him? He¡¯s wearing make-up. Wash off the eyeliner if you can.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the beads of sweat on his face!¡± ¡°I could lick that face for a year, bewitching beauty!¡± ¡°Huh, I know him. The handsome single dad who delivers takeaway near my apartment!¡± ¡°The address of the shopping mall he works at is XX Mall in Xiuling Street, Qixia Town¡­ no need to thank me!¡± ¡°I know the kindergarten his son goes to! He picks him up and drops him off every day.¡± ¡°Comments above are toxic¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be a nymphomaniac. I¡¯ve been a dad for years, not a little brother, but a middle-aged uncle, married and fertile.¡± [Dusty Four Seasons] was a student studying at a media university in Qixia Town. She liked to take pictures everywhere daily, making videos and taking beautiful photos to post online, and had quite a few fans on the internet. When she accidentally saw the little handsome Christmas guy today, she took a picture of him without hesitation and posted it on the internet in passing. Then, clicks, likes, reposts and comments reached their highest in her online history. She opened them excitedly and saw that the comments were mostly from the girls licking the screen. Then as she watched, the smile on her face turned to worry; someone had actually exposed the name, job and other relevant personal information of the little brother and his family. [Dusty Four Seasons] was flustered and remorseful, and didn¡¯t hesitate to delete the post. Although it was too late to do so, she could only pray that no one would bother the little brother. Lu Ying was unaware of the things going on the internet. How could he know that the information about the ¡®little Christmas brother¡¯ was pretty much exposed after he became a hit on the internet. Not to mention that he didn¡¯t have time to play with his phone, he didn¡¯t play with Weibo even if he had time. Someone once said that people who held their phones all the time were getting dumber and dumber, dangerous and impolite. Anyway, that person was right. It was after nine o¡¯clock when Lu Ying got out of work and rode his moped to Brother Yang¡¯s place. Guanlan City was brightly lit at night, and its beautiful appearance was even more tasteful than during the day. For many people, the day began only when it was dark. A luxurious western-style villa in the city was filled with singing and dancing, fine wine and fancy clothes, mingling and chatting. In contrast to the noise and enthusiasm of the brightly lit mansion, behind it, in a secluded area, was an old rustic villa that had been there for quite some years. In the hall of it two old men were sitting in front of a warm fireplace playing a game, with the only sound in the room being the occasional crunch of black and white chess pieces landing on the chessboard. Behind one of them a young man stood, holding a cup of tea in his hand. He watched the two old men play intently, and only the occasional expression of regret flashed in his eyes from time to time. The tea for the two elders was changed several times by the maid until the situation on the chessboard was about to be resolved. It could be said that the winner was determined and there was no turning back. The young man finally put down his cup of tea, frowned and sat down on the sofa to quickly read the mobile phone messages that had been coming in for quite a long time. ¡°Grandpa, I have to go out for a while. I¡¯ll come and pick you up later.¡± The old man nodded perfunctorily; the young man got up and went out, striding into the night decisively. CH 7 As soon as the man stepped inside the resplendent dance hall, the buzzing noise made him frown. He had never been a big fan of parties in any form outside of work, and he would never attend them unless he had to. Fat Gao and his wife were different. Fat Gao¡¯s wife, the man¡¯s distant cousin, was in the entertainment industry and particularly fond of organising events. Fat Gao was no less fond of them, so the couple was very compatible. Entering the hall from the back door, the man ran into a number of familiar faces at a glance and someone greeted him immediately. The man waved his hand politely, looking for an opportunity to walk to the rest area quickly. A waiter had already gone to the dance floor to find Fat Gao as instructed. Under the flashing lights, Fat Gao¡¯s bald head shone brightly as he nimbly squeezed through the crowd, finally reaching Qin Zhuopu. His dancing partner, Mrs. Gao, who had been left behind, tried to follow him but was signalled by her husband to stay. Displeased, Mrs. Gao looked over and saw Qin Zhuopu in the lounge area; only then did she wave her hand with a smile on her face and went to play with the others. ¡°Lao Gao, what¡¯s the matter? Why are you looking for me in a hurry?¡± Fat Gao, hot, sweaty and red-faced, mysteriously tugged Qin Zhuopu towards a secluded corner, pulled out his mobile phone and fiddled with it quickly, saying excitedly, ¡°Lao Qin, Lao Qin, brother will show you something good, it¡¯s guaranteed to surprise you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu was speechless. Judging from the way Fat Gao behaved, it was something new again. The guy was like a cricket, no matter how old he was, he was always gossiping about something. The key was that he was silly and cheerful himself, and thought everyone else was as curious about other people¡¯s affairs as he was. He even bragged that it was an occupational hazard, a keen professional sense of smell. Qin Zhuopu felt helpless in his heart. Fat Gao raised his mobile phone in front of him and Qin Zhuopu was forced to look at the screen. A bright picture full of red colour instantly caught Qin Zhuopu¡¯s eyes. For a moment, his eyes shone quietly with the ripples of red reflecting in them. Qin Zhuopu held his breath, staring at the familiar face on the phone screen, the familiar smile, and the buzzing noise in his ears disappeared. What echoed in his empty mind seemed to be the sound of his suddenly accelerated heartbeat. Fat Gao¡¯s mobile phone was snatched away by Qin Zhuopu. His eyes were lowered and he couldn¡¯t stop looking at the face, as if he wanted to count every tiny pore of the person in the picture. Fat Gao laughed, interrupting his distracted old friend: ¡°I knew you¡¯d be excited to see it. Shouldn¡¯t Xiao Lu be 27 or 28 years old now, huh? In this photo he hasn¡¯t changed at all, still looks like a young man who has just come of age. Look at that skin, it¡¯s so soft you can squeeze water from it. I¡¯m afraid my wife will be sad when she sees it.¡± As he said this, he looked at his old friend¡¯s reaction and noticed that Lao Qin, who had always been very stable, was clearly breathing a bit chaotically and his expression was so¡­ stony? Why did he look like he had seen an enemy? Qin Zhuopu finally raised his head, clenching the phone so hard that his nails turned white: ¡°Where did you get this picture?¡± Advertisements Fat Gao reached out and tried to grab his phone: ¡°I saw it on Weibo. It was still on the hot search then, but now it seems to have gone down. This is the news, look at it, tsk tsk, many people praise Xiao Lu. By the way, there were people revealing Xiao Lu¡¯s personal information below. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true or not, or if it¡¯s just Xiao Lu¡¯s own hype. Young people nowadays have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves, and sometimes even a veteran like me can¡¯t understand them. But with Xiao Lu¡¯s face it¡¯s easy to become popular. If he had listened to me a few years ago and entered the entertainment industry, he would have become something.¡± ¡°How can Lu Ying be in the entertainment industry?¡± Qin Zhuopu faintly glanced at Fat Gao: ¡°He doesn¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°Heh, you¡¯re his ex, you must be right.¡± Fat Gao spread his hands. Qin Zhuopu quickly browsed through the large number of comments, including those that exposed Lu Ying¡¯s personal information, then handed the phone back to Fat Gao and turned around to leave, ¡°It¡¯s late, I¡¯m going to take Grandpa back.¡± ¡°Ugh ugh, don¡¯t you have anything else to say?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry to leave, Brother Qin!¡± Fat Gao tried his best to hold him back, ¡°I¡¯ve invited all the decent people here today! Don¡¯t you want to meet the handsome guys in the room? There are many people who want to meet you, you know Song Shi¡¯an, right? He¡¯s a popular guy, the redhot guy who played the male lead in ¡®XXXX¡¯, he especially admires you¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu waved his hand and left, not even letting Fat Gao catch a corner of his clothes. Although Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t say anything, Fat Gao, who was paying attention to Lu Ying, found that the next day all information about Lu Ying on the internet had disappeared without a trace! It was as clean as if it had never existed. No need to ask, it was clearly done deliberately. According to his guess, only Qin Zhuopu could have done this. Fat Gao almost spurted out a mouthful of tea: ¡°Lao Qin is too ruthless!¡± If Xiao Lu wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to get popular, Lao Qin would be hated so much for crushing his momentum. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Brother Pu?¡± Mrs. Gao, who was applying a beauty mask in the same room, questioned. Fat Gao told the truth in a few words. As soon as Mrs. Gao heard it, she quickly took a look at Lu Ying¡¯s photo and then sighed, touching her face, ¡°I really envy his skin. His face is also particularly good-looking, a rare kind of handsome, even a bit demonic! No wonder Brother Pu likes him. Since they¡¯re old lovers, maybe they¡¯ll get back together again one day? But don¡¯t get involved, just watch from the sidelines.¡± Fat Gao laughed: ¡°I think Lao Qin simply can¡¯t forget the old relationship. I¡¯m not sure why the two broke up back then. Perhaps because Xiao Lu¡¯s education is too low to be a match to Lao Qin. How long can one last just by looking good?¡± Mrs. Gao chuckled: ¡°Love is love, what does it have to do with education?¡± And vice versa. Lu Ying¡¯s old friend Yang Sigu was much older than Lu Ying. He was also knowledgeable and versatile. He lived in the most exclusive community in Qixia Town. The front and rear yards of the chic and beautiful townhouse were full of flowers and carefully tended. Brother Yang ran an artisan bakery, located right at the entrance of the neighbourhood. Its reputation was flourishing and the money it brought was extremely good. Brother Yang had a gentle temper and was kind to others. Lu Ying admired Brother Yang very much. When Lu Ying stepped into the townhouse, everyone was still eating, drinking and laughing. Even Lu Zaizai, who usually went to bed early, was full of energy. He was holding a plate with a cake and was obediently feeding it to his kill Matt godfather who was jumping up and down restlessly. ¡°Lu Ying is finally here. There are some dishes left for you.¡± Liu Dichuan greeted. Yang Sigu, who was wearing a white shirt and an apron, brought out a large plate of juicy vegetables from the kitchen and put them next to the hot pot, and then took out several small stir-fry dishes and nutritious soups, all of which were specially saved for Lu Ying. Lu Ying took the bowls and chopsticks handed to him by Brother Yang. His heart felt warm and he curled his eyes in a smile, ¡°Thank you, Brother Yang, and thank you, guys, for taking care of Zaizai for me today.¡± Advertisements ¡°What else are we there for?¡± Ji Xiaofeng rolled his eyes wildly; a scary sight, taking into account his heavy smoky make-up. Next to him Liu Dichuan almost spurted out a mouthful of juice and sweatdropped, ¡°Brother Ji, your taste is getting so hot that those who don¡¯t know would think you¡¯re a spirit of a raven.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called trendy, avant-garde, shut up if you don¡¯t understand!¡± Liu Dichuan muttered vaguely, ¡°Hehe, Dr. Hu¡¯s taste seems to be even weirder.¡± While the two were busy bickering, Yang Sigu chatted with Lu Ying, asking him many questions about his work and life, all the time urging him, ¡°Remember to tell us if you have difficulties. You are the youngest among us but the earliest to become a father. I was always worried about how you were going to get by, but fortunately you are stronger and more independent than I thought. Zaizai is also very good and sensible. You are amazing. Lao Lu used to underestimate you so much.¡± Lu Ying was embarrassed by the compliment, ¡°Grandpa Lu used to say that he wanted me to study like you.¡± Yang Sigu shook his head, ¡°When you are as old as I am, you will still have problems with life skills. Take your time to learn what you don¡¯t know, you have plenty of time. If I had become a father at your age, I would have been in a mess.¡± ¡°I do need to learn, but I don¡¯t know what to learn. I just speak some English now.¡± Lu Ying looked confused. Ji Xiaofeng hurriedly interjected, ¡°Lu Ying¡¯s English is actually very good! He can understand news in English completely.¡± ¡°No, I just learnt it on my own.¡± Lu Ying blushed in embarrassment. The only good from his learning English was the annual parents¡¯ open class at the kindergarten. In order not to embarrass his son, he had to work hard. He didn¡¯t know what level he was at, but he had no problem delivering a lesson at the kindergarten anyway, and the teachers and parents were all very impressed, making him blush every time when they praised him. In the kindergarten, no one knew that Lu Zaizai¡¯s father was an ignoramus who had never been to school. Yang Sigu smiled: ¡°Apart from English, just think about what else you like to do.¡± Lu Ying swallowed a piece of beef and said hesitantly, ¡°I like to eat.¡± And sleep; he was too ashamed to say it out loud. -_-|| ¡°Haha, as if we don¡¯t know that you like eating, drinking and sleeping the most if you don¡¯t say it!¡± Ji Xiaofeng revealed Lu Ying¡¯s hobbies mercilessly. Lu Ying was unhappy, ¡°You¡¯re not the same as me.¡± Yang Sigu didn¡¯t mean to make fun of him, so he said, ¡°It¡¯s normal for you to like eating and drinking. If you come to work with me in the future, I will teach you hand in hand. I can do Western food and Chinese food. Western food is simple and easy to learn, so I¡¯ll teach you starting from Western baking first. It will be convenient for you to make your own food after you learn it, and also suitable for opening your own bakery. The best of both worlds, so to say. If you¡¯re not happy doing those jobs, don¡¯t do them, it¡¯s a waste of time.¡± Lu Ying was very moved when he heard it. ¡°Thank you, Brother Yang, I¡¯m very willing to learn! But my job at the shopping mall will continue until the New Year. Hey, I guess it will only be until the New Year at most.¡± He had been ignoring Manager Zhang¡¯s text messages about meeting up, and lately it had become apparent that the other side was not happy. ¡°Anyway, come to me as soon as you can. You know English and I have foreign customers coming to the shop all the time. You¡¯ll be the shop manager straight away when you come.¡± ¡°¡­yes.¡± So much pressure! And a lot of fun too. The meal put everyone in a good mood. Before they left, Brother Yang gave each of them a bag of sliced bread. ¡°For you to take home for breakfast tomorrow. Zaizai, this is for you.¡± He took out an oversized bag and stuffed it into Lu Ying¡¯s hands, making Lu Zaizai¡¯s eyes shine: ¡°Thank you, Uncle Yang!¡± Yang Sigu smiled, ¡°Good boy, come to Uncle¡¯s place if you want to eat something in the future.¡± Having eaten so much and taking food with him made Lu Ying feel embarrassed: ¡°You¡¯ve given too much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a bit of food, never mind.¡± Yang Sigu shrugged. Lu Ying returned home with his sleepy son. He put away all kinds of food that Brother Yang had given him, and found that there were really many quantities and varieties. Chocolate milk bread, scallion-flavoured meat floss bread, chiffon cake, meat floss cake, etc¡­ He somewhat knew the prices of the snacks in Brother Yang¡¯s shop, it was so expensive! Lu Ying felt that Brother Yang at this dinner was particularly kind. He used to be friendly, but there was always a bit of distance. And suddenly he was so enthusiastic and wanted to teach Lu Ying and gave him so many things. Lu Ying couldn¡¯t figure it out. If you can¡¯t figure it out, you don¡¯t need to figure it out. Lu Ying secretly decided that after going to work with Brother Yang in the New Year, he would have to work harder. He would never fail Brother Yang¡¯s kindness. CH 8 On Christmas Day, Lu Ying continued to be busy in the shopping mall. The number of girls surrounding him in the mall was twice as many as before, and some of them seemed to have come to see him on purpose? Lu Ying was a bit confused as to why he was so busy. He felt a lot of blatant stares, which made him feel uneasy. Until his colleague told him with an envious look on his face, ¡°Brother Lu, do you know that you were on the hot search yesterday?¡± ¡°What is the hot search?¡± Lu Ying looked puzzled. ¡°Yesterday someone secretly took your photo and posted it on the internet. Then you became popular because of your beauty. Now many people know you. Most of these girls are coming for you. Good looks are really profitable.¡± ¡°Where on the internet, show me.¡± Lu Ying asked hurriedly. The colleague flipped out his phone and quickly looked for it, and then helplessly spread his hands, ¡°It¡¯s actually very strange. All your news was suddenly deleted late last night, today you can¡¯t even find any traces.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all gone?¡± ¡°Yes, what a pity, otherwise you could definitely continue to be popular.¡± Lu Ying was relieved instead and busied himself with the work he had, ¡°It¡¯s good that it¡¯s gone, I don¡¯t understand anything about that and don¡¯t want to attract unnecessary attention.¡± Some people had just asked him if he was really married and if his son was his own son. What the hell was that, it was scary and irritating! Once he could be fearless but now he just wanted to spend his days in peace with his son. The colleague suddenly hated iron for not being made of steel. He knew that Lu Ying was not hypocritical and that he really didn¡¯t want this popularity. Even if he looked bewitching, he couldn¡¯t change his plain and ordinary core, that is, the one of a practical man who was bent on being a good dad to his son. God gave him a gift but he didn¡¯t know how to grasp it! When they first met Lu Ying, they were all amazed, and then they tried to help him, coming up with ideas. He could become a vlogger, ah, the ¡°eat and broadcast¡± kind! They all eagerly suggested that Lu Ying should try it; his beauty would definitely make him a success. Even if he was not lucky, it would definitely be better than working as a handyman in a shopping mall. There were so many unofficial vloggers who were making money every day. As a result, no matter how much everyone tried to persuade him, Lu Ying remained unmoved. It was such a waste of a handsome face! If you don¡¯t want to be a vlogger, you, a poor single father, can use your face to your advantage and find a rich woman to adopt you, ah. In the end, the colleagues still admired Lu Ying¡¯s character. His hard working spirit of dedication and love for his job was really, really, really unmatched in the modern times. After learning that there was a reason for what was going on, Lu Ying continued to work, enduring the stares of strangers and feeling extremely uneasy. Advertisements From time to time, people on the internet still posted beautiful photos and live videos with the ¡°little Christmas brother¡±. But unfortunately this whole day the ¡°little Christmas brother¡± didn¡¯t make any more waves, and many people found that the pictures and videos they posted on the internet very quickly turned into ¡°Sorry, the picture/video you posted has been deleted¡±. ¡°What¡¯s going on, all the info about the little Christmas brother has been deleted?¡± ¡°Boo boo, the video I just posted was complained about! Everyone who wants to see it can secretly join the group.¡± ¡°By the way, the speed of cleaning up is too fast, right? I feel like I¡¯m being targeted.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that the little Christmas brother is an ordinary dad who works in a shopping mall as well as delivering takeaways part-time? Is there someone behind him?¡± ¡°Bullshit, he needs someone behind him to be able to be a promoter at the shopping mall?¡± ¡°Hype! It¡¯s definitely hype!¡± ¡°A new type of hype? I bet that in a month¡¯s time, he¡¯ll be a star. If I lose, I¡¯ll eat my keyboard!¡± ¡°I was there to see my little brother in all his glory (#^. ^#). He looks better in person than in pictures, and he¡¯s so tall! I just saw my little brother roll up his sleeves when he was too hot. I wanted to fall into his arms! His fingers are really beautiful, so white and glowing, and his arms are so muscular.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be a nymphomaniac, okay? The guy is not a celebrity, not even an internet celebrity. Can you stop harassing people going there on purpose?!¡± ¡°I despise the shameless people who expose the information of the little brother!¡± ¡°Ho ho ho ho! I just bought chocolates and the little brother spoke to me! The little brother¡¯s voice is so nice, low and soft, sexy and cute. I asked him if chocolate is sweet, you know? He said ¡®en¡¯! ¡®En en en¡­¡¯ Oh my god, this old lady¡¯s phantom limb is going to Y!¡± ¡°Toxic commenter above, is your surname ¡®Dirty¡¯? ennnn¡­¡­¡± Snap. The phone slammed heavily on the desktop. The owner of the phone pursed his lips tightly in silent anger. The secretary and others next to him jumped in shock, not daring to ask anything. Qin Zhuopu realised that something was wrong, inhaled deeply and calmly waved his hand: ¡°You guys continue.¡± Secretary Huang helplessly found that Mr. Qin, who had always been a diligent workaholic, suddenly became incomprehensible in the past two days. He could not let go of his mobile phone all day, looking gentle for a while and tense for a while, like an anxious father waiting outside the maternity ward for his wife to give birth. So, was Mr. Qin¡¯s ¡®wife¡¯ somewhere in the online world? The speculation of Secretary Huang had sufficient evidence and was by no means overly fanciful. Mr. Qin ordered people to delete videos and pictures overnight and all those ¡®little Christmas brothers¡¯ were gone from the internet without leaving a trace. However, Mr. Qin¡¯s phone and computer had several maps full of them! Secretary Huang almost thought that Mr. Qin was going to set the person¡¯s beautiful photo as his desktop, but fortunately, Mr. Qin was still the same Mr. Qin, at least on the surface. Advertisements ¡°Mr. Qin, do you need to contact Mr. Lu?¡± Secretary Huang reminded considerately. As long as Mr. Qin was willing, what kind of celebrity couldn¡¯t be found? Qin Zhuopu shook his head, his voice as steady as Mount Tai: ¡°No need.¡± Qin Zhuopu was the only one left in the office. The bright sunlight shone on his back as he lowered his head slightly and looked at the old mobile phone in his hand, covering it in a dense shadow. The old phone looked like it had been made years ago. The case was a pink cartoon pig head, so childish and ridiculous that Qin Zhuopu had once laughed and said that it resembled its owner ¨C a pig head. It was rare that the owner didn¡¯t take offence, but rather admitted it openly. Yes, I am a pig head. There was a bit of inexplicable pride in this little show of temper. It made Qin Zhuopu¡¯s heart itchy. When Qin Zhuopu opened the case slowly, a most familiar face leapt out at him from the screen; his own face. It was very strange to see the person you can see in the mirror every day on the screen of the mobile phone. But Qin Zhuopu there was younger, more tender and happier, with a smile on his face. At that time he asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just set a picture of us together as your desktop?¡± The young man fiddling with his new phone smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m tired of looking at myself. Your pictures are more appealing. I just want to see you, can¡¯t I?¡± He asked very comfortably, ¡°What if one day you get tired of looking at me too?¡± The young man said, ¡°If that day comes, I will throw away this stupid phone! Are you afraid?¡± He helplessly raised his hands in surrender, ¡°I¡¯m afraid! I¡¯m scared to death!¡± Lu Ying was so excited that he grabbed his neck and took a series of selfies. Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t know how many photos and videos were stored in this phone. When he went looking for the location, he found the phone in an inconspicuous potted plant in the airport. The phone lay there silently, blinking with a dying red light. All photos, videos and original stuff in the phone had been deleted. The screen desktop was the only thing that remained. Oh, and countless missed calls, the ones from him, scarlet in colour. The sun was setting slowly and an icy winter breeze was blowing outside the window. The pig head mobile phone was shrouded in darkness in the man¡¯s hand and then thrown into a drawer with a clang. In the evening, Lu Ying and his colleagues who were working overtime were eating in the lounge. The colleagues next to him were eating instant noodles but Lu Ying used the microwave to heat his own dinner, a large bucket full of fried jasmine rice with two fried eggs on top. Lu Ying swallowed his saliva, happily eyeing the impressive capacity of the bucket in his arms. The fried rice with meat, peppers, carrots, spring onions and pickled vegetables smelled particularly delicious. The colleague holding the noodles couldn¡¯t help but exclaim: ¡°Brother Lu really knows how to enjoy life. I¡¯ll bring rice next time I work overtime too.¡± Lu Ying nodded solemnly and didn¡¯t say anything. No matter what sweet things you say, you won¡¯t get a bite of this rice. Just give up! The colleague who didn¡¯t actually want to steal Lu Ying¡¯s meal at all wiped his mouth, took out his mobile phone and swiped it. Not long afterwards he exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Brother Lu, I really can¡¯t find anything about you! It¡¯s been deleted so cleanly.¡± Lu Ying was completely relieved about this. ¡°Brother Lu, you didn¡¯t offend anyone, did you? Someone doesn¡¯t want you to be popular, right?¡± Lu Ying paused and shook his head seriously, ¡°No.¡± How could he say that he had offended someone, he was very grateful. If he really became popular, as his colleague said, there would only be more people coming to watch him in the future. What¡¯s the point, he¡¯s not a monkey. He¡¯s not a showbiz star either, and just the thought of being watched on and off stage was chilling enough. He was too timid and thin-skinned for that. Besides, he didn¡¯t want people to pay attention to Zaizai because of him. He liked to be comfortable and hated to see his life change. His colleague analysed, ¡°Someone is definitely watching you, tsk tsk, totally deleting your photos and videos. Damn, it¡¯s even more ruthless than those big stars¡¯ public relations.¡± Lu Ying bit his spoon for a second in contemplation. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s to help me.¡± CH 9 Little theatre Kid: Zaizai, why is it your dad who picks you up every day? Where did your mom go? Zaizai: My mom has gone to a faraway place. Kid: Your mom must be very pretty. Zaizai: En en, Dad says Mom is the prettiest. She has dark hair, eyes like grapes, a high nose and red lips, a gentle voice and a sweet smile! A long time later, Mr. Qin comes to pick up Zaizai. Kid: Zaizai, who was the strange uncle who picked you up yesterday? Zaizai (with an unhappy face): ¡­My mom. Kid: Your mom is so tall, oh, she looks like a dad. Mr. Qin: ¡­¡­ When the Christmas campaign was finished, Lu Ying went to work early in the morning with high expectations, only to be told by his supervisor that his bonus was cancelled. At that moment, a female colleague hurriedly came to the supervisor: ¡°My son¡¯s kindergarten is holding a New Year¡¯s Day show tomorrow, so I have to take half a day off tomorrow morning to attend.¡± ¡°Okay, there are a lot of school activities these days, so if you want to take time off, make sure you do it in advance. Each person can only take half a day and no one will be allowed to take time off when the New Year¡¯s Day campaign starts on the 29th,¡± the supervisor instructed everyone. The people working in the shopping mall were basically family people. Who didn¡¯t have children in kindergarten, primary and secondary school? These days schools had a varied schedule of activities, with parent-teacher meetings, competition shows, spring and autumn trips, etc., a must for every parent. For working parents who didn¡¯t have the elderly to help at home, it was a source of both comfort and frustration. The New Year¡¯s Day show was one of the annual large-scale events. If parents didn¡¯t attend, the children would be disappointed since everyone else would come. So those who had to work usually took time off to go. Lu Ying did the same thing every year. In the evening, as he and his son were having dinner, the teacher announced in the class WeChat group that the kindergarten¡¯s New Year¡¯s Day show would be on the 27th of this month, which happened to be a Saturday. It was a day off for the kindergarten children and some parents would also be off work that day. The kindergarten¡¯s arrangements were very considerate. Lu Ying was curious about his son¡¯s performance, ¡°What is Zaizai going to do that day?¡± Lu Zaizai said proudly, ¡°Our Senior Class 3 is going to do two performances. We¡¯ll do a chair dance! And sew clothes.¡± ¡°Wow, a chair dance, that sounds cool.¡± Lu Ying blinked, curious, ¡°What is sewing clothes?¡± Lu Zaizai frowned and explained solemnly, ¡°How come you don¡¯t even know that? Let me tell you. Ahem!¡± The little fat guy cleared his throat and tried to recite it with proper pronunciation, ¡°The thread in the hand of a kind mother¡­ Wait, I¡¯ll go get a shirt!¡± He jumped off the chair and ran to the bed to grab a prop and come back. Then, with one hand squeezing the prop and one hand moving, he opened his mouth and started again, ¡°The thread in the hand of a kind mother is the coat on the wanderer¡¯s back. Before he left she stitched it close¡­ Is gratitude enough for all the sunshine of spring?¡±(1) Lu Zaizai recited the entire poem clearly without missing a word, and also paired it with the dancing gestures of sewing clothes. Lu Ying understood and immediately clapped his hands, giving his son a big praise: ¡°Awesome awesome! You memorised it very well!¡± It was just that sewing clothes movements were probably hard to describe. Silently snatching his trousers back from his son¡¯s hands, Lu Ying entered the class group to reply, ¡°Roger that! I¡¯ll be there for the New Year¡¯s Day show.¡± Lu Ying didn¡¯t expect to receive a personal reply from the teacher: ¡°Zaizai¡¯s Dad, we have arranged for Lu Zaizai to be the host of the New Year¡¯s Day show. There will be a total of six children as hosts, all of them appearing in separate time slots. So can you see if you can provide Lu Zaizai with a suit to wear? The kindergarten has a suit, but Zaizai is not the right size. Zaizai¡¯s Dad, you need to prepare it as soon as possible!¡± Lu Ying directly sent a voice message, ¡°Teacher, is it true that Zaizai is going to host the show?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! The etiquette teacher has been rehearsing with the children every day recently. Zaizai has a very good memory and a very stable personality, and he¡¯s a little man who doesn¡¯t have stage fright at all. However, you should teach him more about maths. He is very good at recognising Chinese characters and learning English, but he is really insensitive to counting.¡± The teacher¡¯s reply made Lu Ying happy and full of pride. As for being bad at maths or whatever, just ignore it! The existence of mathematics is to obliterate human nature, so it is not something that people should learn! It was normal for Zaizai not to understand, his dad didn¡¯t understand it when he was a kid either! Why didn¡¯t Zaizai inherit a certain someone¡¯s maths genes! (ܳÃóܳ ) Advertisements Lu Ying hurriedly placed an online order for a small suit that his son could wear, and it arrived the next day, perfectly in time. The next day when he went to work at the shopping mall, Lu Ying met his supervisor and raised the matter of taking half a day off on the twenty-seventh. He didn¡¯t expect the supervisor to look embarrassed and shake his head, ¡°Xiao Lu, I just came back from a meeting at the top. It was specifically said there that from today onwards no employee would be allowed to take time off, and everyone would have to wait until after the busy New Year¡¯s Day.¡± It was a normal arrangement, but the supervisor felt that things were strange. Manager Zhang¡¯s words were righteous and reasonable, but how could he feel that some people were targeted? ¡°Didn¡¯t someone ask for leave the day before yesterday?¡± ¡°Yes, but I can¡¯t help it. Manager Zhang has me under her thumb.¡± Lu Ying sighed: ¡°Then I¡¯ll take a compensated leave on the 27th for the whole day.¡± The supervisor shook his head again: ¡°Xiao Lu, don¡¯t give me a hard time, the situation now is that no one is allowed to be missing, and it¡¯s not even possible to take a compensated leave. If we don¡¯t have enough staff, we¡¯ll have to recruit part-time staff. Bear with it for a few days, it¡¯ll be easier next week.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lu Ying calmly responded, ¡°Where does Manager Zhang¡¯s family live again?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The supervisor was confused. It was getting cold, so he wanted to go and give Manager Zhang¡¯s husband a hat, a green one(2). Of course, Lu Ying¡­ couldn¡¯t do that! Since there was no other way, Lu Ying could only entrust the little Zaizai to his godfather. Fortunately, Ji Xiaofeng had the time and liked his godson very much. Over the years, whenever Lu Ying needed Ji Xiaofeng¡¯s help, Brother Ji never refused. On the day of the New Year¡¯s Day show, Lu Ying went to work listlessly. Ji Xiaofeng kept pushing him: ¡°Go quickly, be careful, if you¡¯re late, they¡¯ll deduct money. I said I would be Zaizai¡¯s parent today, what¡¯s with your expression?¡± Lu Ying muttered, ¡°A godfather doesn¡¯t smell as sweet as a real father. Isn¡¯t that right, Zaizai?¡± Ji Xiaofeng was not pleased: ¡°Godson, tell me, does your father smell sweet or does your godfather smell sweet?¡± Lu Ying was full of confidence: ¡°What nonsense!¡± Lu Zaizai rolled his eyes at the two foolish fathers, then tilted his head uncertainly and said, ¡°It should be Mom who smells the sweetest. Li Sitian said so!¡± Ji Xiaofeng cursed, his face full of disdain. Lu Ying also was unhappy, ¡°Your mom sprinkles a lot of expensive water all over, of course she smells better than me.¡± Lu Zaizai muttered, ¡°So my mom must have gone to heaven like Li Sitian¡¯s mom, right? Li Sitian¡¯s mom went to heaven. I heard that place is especially beautiful and far away. Li Sitian¡¯s mom is growing flowers and raising butterflies in the most beautiful garden in heaven!¡± Lu Ying choked and Ji Xiaofeng laughed. Lu Ying, who felt he dropped a rock on his own foot, said awkwardly, ¡°Well, yeah, your mom went to a faraway place.¡± It¡¯s not heaven. Lu Zaizai sighed quietly, ¡°I wonder if I can go to heaven to see Mom when I grow up and get on a plane.¡± Regarding the issue of Zaizai¡¯s mother, Lu Ying was very clueless. All these years he didn¡¯t know what answer was best for the child. Zaizai was getting older and had more and more ideas. He would have his own thoughts, and adults couldn¡¯t just muddle through anymore. ¡°Why do you want to see your mother?¡± Is it possible to miss someone when you¡¯ve obviously never seen this person? Lu Ying was anxious. Lu Zaizai was depressed, ¡°Li Sitian said his mom is lonely growing flowers in heaven and misses her little baby at home. Can¡¯t we go to Mom and catch butterflies with her?¡± ¡­¡­ At a young age, why do you have so many troubles?¡­ Lu Ying was speechless. Could he say that his son was just his little baby, all by himself? The so-called mother did not even know about him and naturally would not miss him. Lu Ying stroked his son¡¯s head: ¡°I can¡¯t contact your mom because I lost my old phone, and plane tickets are too expensive to buy. Don¡¯t miss your mom anymore.¡± Advertisements Ji Xiaofeng, as a temporary parent, approached the New Year¡¯s Day show quite dutifully, recording every bit of Lu Zaizai¡¯s participation. Lu Ying was very busy until noon and could hardly wait to open his phone at lunchtime, eating while holding it and smiling. The smile on Lu Ying¡¯s face slowly faded as he watched his son¡¯s video. Recently, his son had obviously grown taller; his fat face was slightly more elongated than before, and he had unconsciously lost some of his babishness, resembling that person even more. ¡°The show is over, the kindergarten is closed in the afternoon, I will take Zaizai home directly. Come and pick him up after you get off work.¡± Lu Ying quickly asked, ¡°To Dr. Hu¡¯s clinic?¡± ¡°No kidding.¡± ¡°Good.¡± He was happy for his son to go to Dr. Hu¡¯s place to get acquainted. After all, Dr. Hu was Zaizai¡¯s midwife and attending doctor. If Brother Yang was the example Lu Ying aspired to follow, Dr. Hu was the goal he would never be able to reach! Even Grandpa Lu admired Dr. Hu. But Dr. Hu had an eccentric temper; except for Ji Xiaofeng, he wasn¡¯t friendly to anyone, and if someone wanted to seek treatment, everything would depend on Dr. Hu¡¯s mood. More than six months ago Lu Ying brought his desperate landlady¡¯s family to the clinic and Dr. Hu gave face to the patient, but later¡­ cursed Lu Ying senseless. Ji Xiaofeng took his godson to Qiushan Street, the oldest part of Qixia Town. The old street was hidden in between the bustle of high-rise buildings, making it difficult for cars to get in from the outside and out from the inside. Over time, cars stopped coming there and the whole street was filled with leisurely pedestrians and the shouts of various stall owners. Dr. Hu¡¯s clinic was tucked away in the middle of a dilapidated old street. As Ji Xiaofeng led his godson, the two of them strolled, eating along the way, before finally stopping in front of an inconspicuous shop that was not big and didn¡¯t even have a decent signboard. There was only a canvas hanging in front of the door, which said ¡®Dr. Hu¡¯s Clinic¡¯ written in cursive. The door was open, and Ji Xiaofeng stepped straight in: ¡°Lao Hu, what¡¯s for dinner?¡± ¡°Brother Xiao Ji, Doctor Hu is not in.¡± An elegant old man wearing glasses came out, holding a dustpan, ¡°Doctor Hu said he wouldn¡¯t be back for the next few days. There¡¯s a batch of herbs on the mountain about to be ready and he has to keep watch.¡± Ji Xiaofeng frowned, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to the mountain to look for him. Elder Xu, I won¡¯t distract you from your work.¡± The old man had just turned around when two more people came in from the street. Elder Xu looked up and sighed helplessly, ¡°Doctor Hu is not here, you should go away. There will be no consultation for the next few days.¡± Ji Xiaofeng¡¯s gaze suddenly fell on the face of the woman at the head of the group; this lady was much older than she had been years ago, but he would recognise her even if she turned into ashes. He immediately decided not to leave and see what happened next. It was clear that the woman didn¡¯t recognise him. She said to Elder Xu with an expression of disappointment, ¡°Then may I ask when I can make another visit to Dr. Hu? I sincerely want to ask him to look at my son and the consultation fee will definitely satisfy Dr. Hu. In fact, my main purpose is to have him visit my home to look at the feng shui. Can you see if you can help me¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your son?¡± The woman¡¯s words were suddenly interrupted by Ji Xiaofeng. Elder Xu gave the young master a strange look; the bright sparkle in those dark, wild eyes was not a good sign. Mrs. Qin was slightly displeased when she was interrupted. ¡°My son is not sick.¡± Ji Xiaofeng snorted, ¡°He¡¯s not sick and you¡¯re asking my Doctor Hu to see him?¡± Elder Xu answered, ¡°The lady¡¯s son is indeed not sick, so it is impossible for Doctor Hu to visit. Madam, you should go back. Don¡¯t come next time.¡± Ji Xiaofeng said curiously, ¡°Really not sick?¡± The old man nodded, ¡°All of her son¡¯s recent test results were shown to Doctor Hu, and from the results it looks like he is indeed not sick and is very healthy.¡± ¡°Then why is there no child?¡± Mrs. Qin couldn¡¯t help but ask loudly. The slightly younger woman next to her said hurriedly, ¡°Doctor, please help my sister. Any consultation fee is absolutely fine. Not to mention the million the Wang family gave, we are willing to pay ten million, just ask Doctor Hu to do it, do you think it¡¯s possible?¡± The information they had on Dr. Hu had gone through a rigorous investigation. It was well known in the upper class circles of Guanlan City that the youngest member of the Wang family had been kidnapped at an early age, brutally abused and turned into a waste person. Today¡¯s medicine couldn¡¯t make him normal again. But there was still someone who had done it, and it was Dr. Hu here. Qin Zhuopu couldn¡¯t have a baby? Ji Xiaofeng howled and hastily covered his mouth¡­ to hold back his laughter. He squeezed Lu Zaizai¡¯s hand so hard that it turned red. Lu Zaizai looked at the two strange grandmothers curiously while nibbling on a candy cane. ¡°Your son is infertile?¡± Ji Xiaofeng asked, grinning. Mrs Qin held back her displeasure: ¡°He¡¯s quite normal.¡± ¡°Then you should ask the doctor to take a look at your daughter-in-law.¡± Before Mrs. Qin could say anything, Elder Xu sighed, ¡°Their family doesn¡¯t have a daughter-in-law, and the ones they paid for abroad are all excellent ¡®mothers¡¯. It stands to reason that the success rate of IVF should be very high when both parties are fine. The fact that it has failed six times does seem a bit strange. Can¡¯t you get your son to come over and show himself?¡± Ji Xiaofeng¡¯s eyes widened again: ¡°¡­Oh, since IVF doesn¡¯t work, why not try natural conception? Sometimes it depends on fate if a child comes or not.¡± Elder Xu nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, instead of blindly seeking doctors to look at a son who is not sick at all, you should find him a proper wife.¡± Mrs. Qin¡¯s face looked unhappy and frustrated. If this method could be implemented, why would she bother so much! ¡°I really have no choice but to ask for Dr. Hu¡¯s help, not only because he is an excellent doctor, but also because he has extraordinary skills. I want to try if there is any other way to resolve the difficulties of our family.¡± ¡°Even if I have to pay a hundred million, I¡¯m willing!¡± Lu Ying finished his work and went to the lounge to check his phone as soon as he could. The message was particularly eye-catching. ¡°Your son is worth a hundred million!¡± ¡­¡­(?¡ó?) ???? CH 10 Locals knew that there was a Qixia Mountain in Qixia Town. Every year, when the spring flowers bloomed, people would go to the mountain to relax. In people¡¯s eyes, Qixia Mountain was just a few ordinary barren hills linked together. The scenery was not unique, it was not steep, and there was no comparison with the real majestic mountains. Even climbing it was not a challenge. But this inconspicuous mountain forest was where Lu Ying and the others were born and raised, and every blade of grass and tree in the mountain was so familiar that in the darkness of the moonless night, Lu Ying¡¯s footsteps were so swift as if he was walking freely in daylight. After he¡¯d walked in the woods for a while, a warm light appeared in front of him. A large, rustic house stood in the middle of the mountain forest. The land in front of the house and behind it was neatly tended and full of medicinal herbs. The door was half hidden and Lu Ying knocked on it, then pushed it open. It was very lively in the hall. Ji Xiaofeng and Lu Zaizai were playing with blocks together, and next to them, on the wooden sofa, a man reading a book was lying lazily. As soon as Lu Ying saw the man, he straightened up and greeted him respectfully, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you, Doctor Hu! Thank you for taking care of Zaizai, Doctor Hu, I¡¯ve come to take him home.¡± The man didn¡¯t even lift an eyelid and continued to flip through his book. ¡°Dad!¡± Lu Zaizai ran over and hugged his father. Ji Xiaofeng¡¯s eyes lit up and he smiled as he approached Lu Ying, ¡°Guess who I met today?¡± Lu Ying shook his head and asked, puzzled, ¡°What do you mean by the message you sent me?¡± Who would have thought that the handsome young man in front of him was none other than the kill Matt guy. Before washing his face and after, Brother Ji was a different person. Ji Xiaofeng enjoyed keeping the listeners in suspense, ¡°Think about it more, and guess.¡± How could Lu Ying guess? He knew some people, not too many, not too few, and he had had many colleagues from all walks of life over the years. ¡°A hint for you, Guanlan City.¡± This hint was equivalent to giving a direct answer, and Lu Ying was a bit confused for a moment. Until he heard Lu Zaizai say, ¡°We met two grandmothers today, ah.¡± Lu Ying came back to his senses with a start, ¡°¡­grandmothers?¡± He let out a sigh secretly. Lu Zaizai nodded: ¡°Yes, they are better looking than any other grandmothers and smell good. That grandmother said 100 million to Uncle Hu to treat someone. Dad, how many zeros are in 100 million? Godfather made me confused!¡± Ji Xiaofeng was immediately annoyed: ¡°It¡¯s obvious you¡¯ve confused yourself, confused little fool! Confused fatty! Confused cub! Confused little pig!¡± Lu Zaizai was unhappy and muttered in a low voice, ¡°I am not confused, I will count again, ten million, one hundred thousand¡­ million¡­¡± Lu Ying stroked his head with a sigh. Being Zaizai¡¯s father, he knew very well that it was definitely his son who was confused in maths. After all, Zaizai was his own son, just like him. ¡°Teaching your son maths makes me mad!!!¡± Ji Xiaofeng glared angrily at Lu Ying. Lu Ying immediately corrected, ¡°No, that¡¯s your godson.¡± ¡°Forget it!¡± Ji Xiaofeng waved his hand helplessly. Could he disown this godson now? Lu Ying smiled, ¡°So, who did you meet today? I don¡¯t know many people at the grandmother level.¡± Ji Xiaofeng raised an eyebrow and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s Mrs. Qin.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying was genuinely surprised. ¡°Back then she was still at the auntie level, but now she¡¯s certainly a grandma.¡± ¡°¡­she¡­you¡­¡± Lu Ying was curious but didn¡¯t know how to ask. Ji Xiaofeng said bluntly, ¡°She didn¡¯t recognise me. Guess again what she came to see our Doctor Hu for?¡± ¡°She came to see Doctor Hu, of course she needs a doctor?¡± Lu Ying speculated, somewhat disbelieving that Mrs. Qin, who was always full of combat power, could also become old and sick. ¡°Oh, she is not sick. It¡¯s to ask Doctor Hu to visit her family to see a patient.¡± Lu Ying immediately said, ¡°Her father-in-law, right? He¡¯s very old.¡± ¡°Wrong wrong wrong, guess again.¡± Lu Ying fell into silence for a moment. The Qin family in Guanlan City was a large family, but in the real direct line, the patriarch of the Qin family, Elder Qin, only had one son who had died suddenly when he was in his prime. Elder Qin¡¯s wife also died shortly afterwards, and since then in the large mansion there was only Elder Qin, his widowed daughter-in-law and his grandson Qin Zhuopu. If it was not the old man who was ill, yet Mrs. Qin personally went out to invite Dr. Hu, the only Qin family member worthy of her running around like that was¡­ her only son. Lu Ying felt goosebumps on his arms. Qin Zhuopu, how old was he? ¡°Lu Ying? Little piggy Lu!¡± ¡°What?¡± Lu Ying looked at the sulking Ji Xiaofeng in a daze. ¡°Called you several times but you didn¡¯t hear, what¡¯s the matter with you all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Lu Ying wanted to say something but couldn¡¯t. ¡°Don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to but I won¡¯t bother to scare you! Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Qin¡¯s son is not sick, he¡¯s doing well.¡± Lu Ying sighed in relief. ¡°People travel for thousands of miles just to beg for a precious grandson, and the consultation fee offered is 100 million, huh, 100 million!¡± ¡°Beg, beg¡­ for a grandson?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t imagine it, hahaha, Qin Zhuopu, who has nothing wrong with him, is actually infertile. Mrs. Qin spent a lot of money on in vitro fertilisation abroad without success.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying was speechless. ¡°Have you finished? Lu Ying, you have three minutes to leave my territory with the child. And don¡¯t look for Ji Xiaofeng again, or you will never be allowed to buy pills from me.¡± The man on the sofa suddenly spoke out. In less than three seconds, Lu Ying flew out of the house with his son in his arms. Inside the house, Ji Xiaofeng yelled angrily: ¡°I haven¡¯t finished talking, why do you kick my godson out? Do you want to fight again?¡± ¡­¡­ Advertisements Before going to sleep, the father and son in their pyjamas lay side by side. Lu Ying was reading a picture book story and Zaizai was listening happily, not noticing his father¡¯s absent-mindedness. Lu Ying was a little confused and more than a little frustrated. How could it be that after six years of not seeing each other, the memories were still so clear when he thought about it now? Time was forever moving forward, and his age had changed from his early twenties when they first met to his current age of twenty-seven or twenty-eight. On the track of the Chinese zodiac, dogs, horses, oxes and sheep galloped past, and in the blink of an eye, the Year of the Pig was already before his eyes. This life was a constant march through the wheel of the Chinese zodiac. The years had not left traces on Lu Ying¡¯s face, but they had planted seeds in his heart, the seeds that blossomed and borne fruit. ¡°Dad, what are you smiling at?¡± Turning a page of a brightly coloured picture book, Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help but curl his eyes in a smile. ¡°The coming year is the Year of the Pig, Dad¡¯s lucky year.¡± ¡°What is the Year of the Pig?¡± ¡°Of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, the pig is at the end of the list. The Year of the Pig means a fat year, a year of good winds and rains, abundant grains and prosperity of six animals(1).¡± Many years ago, in the Year of the Pig, he was born in Qixia Mountain. Since then, he¡¯d gotten a name, family and friends, a lover and the most favourite person in his life. On the 28th of December, the shopping mall and the supermarket were making arrangements for the New Year¡¯s Day event starting on the 29th. Lu Ying and his colleague were pushing a heavy trolley when Manager Zhang suddenly appeared, her slender hand pointing straight at Lu Ying and the other man: ¡°You go to the garage now and help unload the goods. You are not allowed to get off work until you finish unloading today. The goods will be used early tomorrow morning.¡± Lu Ying¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good and his colleague was shocked: ¡°We haven¡¯t finished here yet.¡± Manager Zhang glared: ¡°Just do what you¡¯re told!¡± As soon as Manager Zhang left, the colleague muttered, ¡°There are special porters to unload the goods, why should we be ordered there just because we¡¯re young?¡± Lu Ying asked Supervisor Li: ¡°If we go to unload the goods, will we be paid separately like the porters?¡± He didn¡¯t mind being a porter as long as he got more for more work. His first job in Guanlan City with Brother Ji was as a porter in a construction materials market. It was all hard work, but in fact the salary was quite considerable. At that time, the two of them worked for a few days and played for a few days. One person was full and the whole family was not hungry, and they were quite happy and carefree. Three months after Lu Zaizai was born, Lu Ying¡¯s savings bottomed out. In order to earn money for milk powder, the first job he came to town to find was also a porter. At that time, he worked hard to unload the goods, and sometimes he got a salary of more than a thousand a day. Later¡­ later, he was ostracised by his colleagues and had to leave the portering circle. He was too good at loading and unloading things by himself, and with him around many people had no work. ¡°Yes, is it a separate wage?¡± His colleague also asked. Supervisor Li was quite frustrated. Why did Manager Zhang always target the people under her, while Lu Ying was the employee he liked the most. Supervisor Li gritted his teeth: ¡°The money won¡¯t be bad.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Advertisements Everything was fine until they saw the extra-long truck in the garage, and Lu Ying¡¯s colleague exclaimed, ¡°Damn! How many tons is this?¡± Lu Ying was more experienced than him and knew that you couldn¡¯t just look at the length of the truck, but also at the load-bearing of the tyres. He took a look at it and estimated that the truck was about 30 tons. He didn¡¯t know what was inside. In the past, in the construction materials market, the most unloaded items were ceramic supplies, floor tiles, marble tiles, and bathtubs and toilets. It was laborious to move, not to mention that you needed to be extra careful not to fall. It was much easier to carry timber, steel and other items that were not afraid of being dropped; but of course the price was also different. When they went over there, there were already seven or eight porters untying the ropes, and when they opened the truck, the colleague started shouting again: ¡°So many cabbages and potatoes! They¡¯ll be selling them until the Year of the Monkey!¡± Caifeng City was in the south. It was cold and damp in winter. Ordinary people were not used to hoarding vegetables at home. There were no cellars and except for the refrigerator, there was no place to store something for long. Therefore, the selling power of vegetables was not great. There were too many old grandmothers and grandfathers who went to the supermarket to buy just a few scallions and some garlic. Lu Ying had also done this before. When cherries first appeared in the market, the price was more than one hundred yuan per catty(2), which was expensive beyond reach. However, Zaizai¡¯s favourite fruit, as well as Lu Ying¡¯s, was big red cherries. So in order to satisfy his son¡¯s craving, he bought¡­ two. One cherry for the father and one cherry for the son was just right. Only when summer came and big cheap cherries could be eaten did he and his son have a good satisfying meal. You can¡¯t think about it, you can¡¯t think about it, you¡¯ll crave for it again if you think about it! Making money is the most important thing! As long as you have money, you can eat a lot of cherries, eat them one by one, chew and swallow them one by one, oomph ¨q(¨s^¨t)¨r. Lu Ying took off his jacket and started to unload, wearing only a thin short-sleeved t-shirt. It didn¡¯t take his colleague half an hour to start panting, ¡°No, this money is too hard to earn, my back is going to break!¡± The professional porter laughed at him, ¡°Look at you, you¡¯re so skinny, how can you come here and grab the job from us?¡± He just joked casually; he didn¡¯t mind them two coming to steal his work. They had a lot of work at the end of the year and were short-handed everywhere. They were afraid they would have to work all night to finish unloading the goods, so he wished someone would come to share their work even if they got paid a little less. ¡°Let me die¡­ I don¡¯t want this money anymore!¡± The colleague leaned against the wall like a dead dog with two weak arms hanging down. Lu Ying didn¡¯t say anything, jumping out of the truck, working with the others. He had a bag on his left shoulder and a bag on his right shoulder and he was walking like flying. The most important thing was that after working for an hour, he didn¡¯t even start gasping for breath and didn¡¯t sweat. Several porters were amazed again and again, ¡°I can¡¯t believe that such a pretty young man is as strong as an ox.¡± ¡°God¡¯s gift.¡± ¡°Whatever, I¡¯ll go first.¡± The colleague waved his hand and left. Lu Ying continued to work in silence. He calculated that he would get at least two hundred after the truck was unloaded. In the afternoon, he worked even harder, hoping to finish early and get the money home quickly. As a result, as Lu Ying wished, the whole truck was emptied by four o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Supervisor Li paid the money to the team leader in one lump sum according to the rules, and the team leader readily gave three hundred to Lu Ying, ¡°Your strength is really convincing. I hope we¡¯ll have the opportunity to cooperate again in the future.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± At four o¡¯clock, Lu Ying was ready to leave work, carrying a lot of snacks. He wanted to surprise his son with an extra profit today. He walked so happily that he didn¡¯t expect to run into Manager Zhang again. Without waiting for the other side to find him something to do again, Lu Ying just pretended not to see her, held his head high and turned a corner in a few steps to escape Manager Zhang¡¯s line of sight. ¡°Lu Ying, do you not want to work here anymore? Believe it or not, you¡¯ll get sacked tomorrow!¡± Lu Ying straddled the electric moped, read and deleted the threatening text message sent by Manager Zhang, blacklisting her. He was not going to work at this place anymore in any case. When the new year comes, there must be a new atmosphere! Never let nasty people and things affect the New Year. He picked up his child and went home. Just as he reached the entrance of the community, a familiar courier boy immediately called out to him, ¡°Mr. Lu Ying, there¡¯s a package for you.¡± Lu Ying had a question mark on his face and thought, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve bought anything recently.¡± When the two of them returned to the rental apartment, Lu Ying used scissors to cut open the huge cardboard box. The glistening cherries were so dazzling. Round, smooth, pretty cherries, so lovely! Red cherries: ¡­¡­ ¡°Oh my goodness! Dad, are you rich?¡± Lu Ying: ¡°¡­¡­¡± CH 11 Yes, your dad is rich, but it is not this dad of yours who is rich. Lu Ying sullenly washed a pot of cherries to block his son¡¯s mouth and sat next to Zaizai, staring at the cherries in a daze. The cherries in front of him were of good quality, big and round, the kind that the fruit shops imported, and the price¡­ was unmentionable. Once, he had eaten them every day and wasn¡¯t tired of eating them even for half a year. Zaizai asked with his mouth full, ¡°Dada wont eat ow?¡± Lu Ying shook his head and lifted the box to look for the sticker. The sender¡¯s name was vague, the number was a landline number. The first three digits were familiar and it couldn¡¯t have been clearer which city they belonged to. ¡°Who are you calling, Dad?¡± Lu Zaizai saw Lu Ying hold his mobile phone and press a series of digits but without pressing ¡°dial¡± for a long time. In the end, Lu Ying exhaled and put the phone down, picked up the cherries and stuffed them into his son¡¯s mouth one by one: ¡°Eat more if you like, I¡¯ll go cook.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lu Zaizai ate, looking at his dad from time to time. He felt that his dad¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw the cherries, but now they suddenly turned misty again and even his mood was very low. Even when Zaizai had gotten into a fight with the nasty neighbour¡¯s kid last time his father hadn¡¯t been this upset. Lu Zaizai slipped off his chair and squeezed next to his dad, his little chubby hands full of cherries, ¡°Dad, open your mouth, you cook for me and I¡¯ll feed you cherries, hehehe~ Come on, open your mouth wide!¡± ¡°Ow~¡± Lu Ying couldn¡¯t resist. He hurriedly lowered his head and opened his mouth wide, like a fierce beast, grabbing the cherry and chewing it: ¡°Mmmm, it¡¯s so sweet.¡± ¡°Hee hee~ eat more, eat more¡­¡± Taking one bite after another, the father and son were having a good time, leaving their worries behind. Advertisements ¡°Mr. Qin, is there someone?¡± In the quiet, quaint private dining room, Qin Zuopu with his secretary sat opposite his business partner. All of them had been acquaintances for many years and could speak casually. Qin Zhuopu always paid close attention to table manners and rarely played with his mobile phone at the table. But today, as soon as the meal was finished, he held his mobile phone for a long time. Moreover, his usually tense expression was unconsciously much softer, which was really surprising. Qin Zhuopu shook his head helplessly, ¡°Mr. Wang is joking, I am deservedly single. Otherwise, how would I top the list of the ¡®Most Desirable Noble Bachelors¡¯ every year?¡± ¡°Hahaha! It looks like you¡¯re on the verge of dropping out of the list. You didn¡¯t joke about it before. Today you even know how to joke about yourself, tsk, you¡¯re in a good mood, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Mr. Wang misunderstands me too much. I¡¯m a person who has no inhibitions about saying anything in the circle of my friends. But I am in a good mood today indeed. Come on, let¡¯s celebrate our two families¡¯ cooperation moving to the next level.¡± ¡°Okay, invite me to drink your wedding wine next year.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡± Back in the office building after the meal, Qin Zhuopu threw off his coat as soon as he stepped into the office. He quickly asked the assistant, ¡°Was there a call to the landline on my desk?¡± The assistant nodded: ¡°There was a call from Mr. Qin at 18:05, he only told you to call back.¡± ¡°I see.¡± In Qixia Town, Lu Zaizai was very happy when he returned home from kindergarten, because he had a three-day holiday for the New Year and his father said that he would take him to the amusement park on New Year¡¯s Day! Advertisements Lu Ying, who had decided to quit his job, was also looking forward to the amusement park. The last time he took his child to play was more than a year ago. He was busy working every day, his child didn¡¯t have fun and he didn¡¯t even earn much money. Doing some low-skilled work, coupled with educational restrictions, it was really too difficult to make money. Brother Yang was giving him the opportunity he dreamed of, to learn a skill. ¡°I want to sleep some more, Dad, I don¡¯t want to get up, ooooo¡­¡± On the first day of the holiday, at 7:30 in the morning, Lu Ying had already finished his cleaning job and returned home, and the sound asleep little guy was actually insisting on staying in bed. Lu Ying sat directly at the head of the bed with the fragrant breakfast and started eating. The little guy jumped up, grabbed his clothes and put them on indignantly. Lu Ying ignored him and continued to enjoy the delicious food. ¡°Dad! You¡¯re still eating alone! You didn¡¯t even wait for me!¡± The little guy was in a hurry. ¡°Go brush your teeth.¡± ¡°You have to wait for me, oh, you can¡¯t eat anymore!¡± ¡°Go ahead, go ahead, Dad¡¯s waiting for you.¡± No, he isn¡¯t. By the time Lu Zaizai washed up, Lu Ying was already full, wiping his mouth and sitting quietly, enjoying his son¡¯s live ¡°eat and broadcast¡± show. ¡°It¡¯s raining outside today, do you want to go to work with me?¡± Lu Zaizai shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t want to go. The shopping mall¡¯s playground is getting more and more boring. There are all little babies playing there, ah, can¡¯t speak clearly and walk wobbly. I¡¯m already a big brother, I don¡¯t want to hang out with little babies every day, it¡¯s too boring!¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Lu Ying laughed out loud and pinched his son¡¯s chubby face, ¡°Okay, big brother, you¡¯re awesome.¡± ¡°Can I just play with toys and eat cherries at home?¡± Lu Zaizai¡¯s eyes drifted expectantly towards the toys and fruits. ¡°Sure.¡± Lu Ying got up and fiddled with the rice cooker, filling it with the right amount of rice and slightly stir-fried soup ingredients. Once it was plugged in, you could have ¡°claypot rice¡± in no time at all. ¡°When you get hungry at noon, press the button to cook rice and let go when you hear the sound. About one class period of cooking, the rice cooker dings and you can unplug it and eat.¡± Lu Zaizai nodded: ¡°I already know how to do it, I¡¯ve cooked it many times, but Dad keeps repeating it all the time. I¡¯m not stupid.¡± Lu Ying was reassured by his son: ¡°The phone is on the table, call Dad if you need anything.¡± He had given his son a Nokia for the elderly people which was used to keep in touch with him when he wasn¡¯t around. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Remember, don¡¯t open the door to strangers and don¡¯t go out alone.¡± Lu Ying repeated his instructions even though he knew that his son had been home alone many times and was obedient and sensible. ¡°I will be very obedient at home.¡± As before, Lu Zaizai stayed home alone to play all day, eating, drinking and taking care of himself, without burdening his father in any way. The following morning, the temperature inside and outside dropped significantly, finally going below zero. The rain was drizzling, mixed with scattered snowflakes and a bit of winter wind, making it bitterly cold. Lu Zaizai still chose to stay at home. Lu Ying was afraid that he would be bored, so he took out a brand new puzzle box. ¡°Wow! My favourite Peppa Pig family! When did Dad buy it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a New Year¡¯s Day gift for you. I wanted to give it to you tomorrow but I thought you might be happier a day earlier.¡± ¡°Hehe~~ That¡¯s right, I¡¯m very happy! Thank you, Dad! I¡¯ll make sure I put it together properly today.¡± ¡°Go for it, I¡¯m leaving. Remember what I said about the do¡¯s and don¡¯ts.¡± ¡°Bye, Dad! Dad, be careful crossing the road on your moped and don¡¯t run on the red light, oh~¡± ¡°Got it, little traffic cop.¡± After saying goodbye to his son, Lu Ying was in a good mood when he left for work today. He rode his moped to the shopping mall in a disciplined and unhurried manner. He changed into his work clothes and greeted the colleagues who came and went. It didn¡¯t take long for him to wait for Supervisor Li. ¡°Supervisor, here¡¯s my resignation letter.¡± Supervisor Li was surprised and stared at the outstanding employee in front of him, ¡°Why do you suddenly want to resign?¡± Lu Ying had already thought of what to say: ¡°Today is the last day of the year. In fact, I have wanted to resign for a long time, but I have delayed until the end. This year¡¯s business is over, and I want a new start next year. I hope the supervisor will understand me. As you know, there is no point for me to stay any longer.¡± Salary is not rising, bonuses are gone for no reason, there is no hope of being promoted and the upper management is looking for fault every day. The main thing, of course, was that there was a better alternative with Brother Yang. Supervisor Li sighed, ¡°I understand your meaning. Originally you were my most promising staff¡­ Xiao Lu, have you found a good job?¡± Lu Ying nodded honestly: ¡°A friend asked me to go to work in his shop, a cake shop. The salary is more than now.¡± Supervisor Li nodded: ¡°That¡¯s good. I know it¡¯s not easy for you. No matter where you go, I hope you can do better and better. I will approve your resignation, but according to the rules you still have to work for a month so that we can find new people. The end of the year is especially busy, you can understand, right?¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯ll follow the rules. But I must take New Year¡¯s Day off.¡± ¡°New Year¡¯s Day is the last day of the event¡­¡± The supervisor was in a difficult position. Lu Ying shrugged, ¡°My son has to go to the kindergarten the day after tomorrow. I haven¡¯t had a holiday for a long time.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll grant it.¡± ¡°Thank you, Supervisor.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be polite. I really can¡¯t bear letting you go. Xiao Lu, remember to keep in touch with me from now on. And if you have any difficulties, you must tell me, don¡¯t be a stranger.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Both resignation and a day off were approved by Supervisor Li. Lu Ying worked extremely enthusiastically that day. His colleagues didn¡¯t know that he had resigned, and everyone behaved as usual. ¡°The supermarket has a special offer, 10% off on all purchases over 100, plus a free cabbage! Spending over two hundred is 10% off, plus a free cabbage and a catty of potatoes! Spend 300 or more and get 15% off, plus a free cabbage¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t miss out! Buy and get a freebie!¡± The event had been going on for two days and the number of old ladies and gentlemen eager to get cabbage and potatoes had not decreased at all. The supermarket staff were busy, and Lu Ying, wearing a mask, could barely catch his breath as a registering clerk. Seeing the queue coiling like a snake, Lu Ying felt a big headache. ¡°Grandpa, hey, Grandpa, look at how fresh this cabbage is, why do you have to peel off the outer leaves! Oh, you¡¯re still peeling them! What a waste!¡± ¡°I just want to peel them and drop them, the outer leaves are not good-looking and dirty.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not dirty at all! Now the cabbage has turned into a small cabbage. If you¡¯re so picky, you can only eat the core.¡± Old men and women liked to argue and there were always a few aunties who would argue with the staff and with each other, chewing on a small matter for half a day. Those grandfathers and grandmothers seem to be frugal but they didn¡¯t feel any pain in wasting the seller¡¯s stuff. If they felt that the outer layer or even several layers of leaves were not good enough, they would peel them off and throw them away before weighing. At the end of the day the supermarket employees had to empty large baskets full of cabbage leaves that were disliked and peeled off by those old guys. The staff and customers clashed from time to time and Lu Ying just endured silently, not daring to say a word. Those people¡¯s fighting ability was strong, they could drown him in spittle. Well, today he was just the scribe holding the pencil, and even the air was much fresher when he thought about it. ¡°Lu Ying! Lu Ying! Brother Xiao Lu!¡± When Lu Ying looked up at the sound of the voice, he saw a colleague who was in charge of cleaning hurrying up with his piggy mobile phone in her hand: ¡°Your son is calling. I answered it after it rang so many times in the lounge. He keeps crying and doesn¡¯t tell me. Ask him if something has happened to him.¡± Lu Ying answered the phone quickly. The sound of his son¡¯s crying filled his ears and Lu Ying panicked. CH 12 ¡°Woo woo¡­ Dad¡­ woo woo¡­¡± ¡°Zaizai! What¡¯s wrong with you? Quickly tell Dad!¡± Lu Ying was in a panic. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time his son cried. Zaizai cried very rarely; even as a baby, when he was at his most helpless, he would rarely cry once he was clean, fed and wearing warm clothes. If he fell, he would struggle and get up on his own. One time he hit his head and bled and he only grunted once. He also had no fear of the injections that children dreaded. Lu Ying knew very well that it wasn¡¯t because his son was brave and strong, but because he was a tough, thick-skinned boy, not very sensitive to pain. No one would dare to believe it if he said that, but Lu Zaizai would be six years old soon and he had never been sick. In his three years of kindergarten, he was the only child in the whole school who had perfect attendance. From time to time parents and teachers asked him how to keep their children in good health but Lu Ying had no experience to speak of. It was the same as appearance, he was just born like that. Hearing the child crying at this moment, what Lu Ying was most afraid of was ¡®Is the child injured?¡¯ Deep remorse and self-blame churned in his chest. Zaizai was still a child, why had he left the child alone at home! ¡°Good boy, wipe your tears and talk to Dad. Did you get hurt?¡± Lu Ying hurriedly pulled off his hat, got up and left the noisy crowd. ¡°Oooh, Dad, my hand is bubbled, it hurts so much, oooh oooh¡­ Why aren¡¯t you back yet, I don¡¯t want you to go to work, I want Dad to stay with me, oooh¡­ I don¡¯t want to be home alone, woo¡­¡± ¡°Zaizai¡­¡± ¡°Oooh, I don¡¯t want to be home alone, oooh¡­ I want Dad to stay with me, woo¡­¡± Lu Ying held his phone as he walked, his tears pouring uncontrollably. He wiped them haphazardly, trying to calm himself down. ¡°Zaizai is good, Dad will be back now. Tell me slowly, why are there bubbles on your hand?¡± ¡°Oooh, I don¡¯t know, ah, I just kept doing the puzzle, oooh¡­ then I used the warm baby (heating pad), oooh¡­¡± ¡°Was your hand burned by the warm baby?¡± Lu Ying asked anxiously. ¡°But the warm baby wasn¡¯t hot at all¡­¡± ¡°Dad knows, be good and don¡¯t touch the injured area, wait for me to come back.¡± Lu Ying hurriedly found a colleague and said: ¡°Sorry for trouble.¡± ¡°You go back quickly, the child is important. Remember to call your supervisor to clear it up.¡± On the road, waiting for the red light, he briefly explained the situation to Supervisor Li, and then hurried home with all his heart. When he arrived downstairs of the community building, he got off the moped and rushed up the stairs, his running speed not slower than taking the lift. As soon as he appeared at the entrance of the corridor, he heard a happy cry mixed with tears: ¡°Dad!¡± Lu Zaizai had opened the door at some point and was outside, waiting for his father who had said he would be home soon. He knew his dad would never break his promise. ¡°Zaizai¡­¡± Lu Ying caught his son who pounced on him, taking his hand carefully, ¡°Let me see your hand, did you pierce the bubble?¡± Lu Zaizai shrank his hand and sobbed again with his eyes red and swollen: ¡°That bubble was so big, I thought it would go away if I poked it¡­ woo woo woo¡­ it hurt when I poked it, woo woo¡­ it doesn¡¯t hurt so much now¡­ it¡¯s because I missed Dad too much¡­ I only hurt when Dad wasn¡¯t home.¡± He tightly wrapped his arms around Lu Ying¡¯s neck and cried. Lu Ying was heartbroken and amused: ¡°Cry if it hurts but let go and let me take a look.¡± ¡°Look, look, my hand doesn¡¯t look good at all, woo¡­¡± Lu Ying frowned and stared at his son¡¯s little hand. A large area was red, the bubbles were pierced and the skin was wrinkled, the red and the yellow looking really terrifying. He encouraged, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Dad will take you to the hospital now to rub the medicine. it will be fine in a couple of days.¡± ¡°Oooh! I won¡¯t cry when Dad comes back.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t use electrical appliances indiscriminately in the future when Dad is away, heating pads are small but they are dangerous.¡± ¡°En, but today I was suddenly so cold at home alone, oooh. I wanted to warm my hands. I blame the warm baby for being too naughty today, oooh, I think it deliberately bullied me¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying was suspicious: why was his son much more fretful than him? This must have been inherited from someone who was spoiled. Still being hugged by his son, Lu Ying simply picked Zaizai up, walked into the apartment, took his son¡¯s medical insurance card and ID card and then went to the nearest top-three hospital. There was a community hospital next door, but it had a very general reputation, and Lu Ying vaguely remembered hearing people say that burns from heating pads were low temperature burns, more difficult to deal with than high temperature ones. He felt more assured to go to one of the top three hospitals to see a doctor. The top-three hospital was not far away, so they took the subway at the entrance of the community. Three stops later they got off, registered, got a ticket, queued, and waited. Lu Zaizai, who had only had vaccinations in the community hospital and had never been in a big hospital, stopped crying a long time ago because there were so many little babies and big babies crying here. There were so many people, his ears were buzzing and he couldn¡¯t quiet down for half a second. He looked around in a daze, cowering in fear and nervousness in his father¡¯s arms, his heart beating like a drum. Woo woo, he wanted to go home. Lu Ying waited with his son and half an hour passed in a blink of an eye. Seeing that the doctor was expected to leave work at noon, he regretted coming here. Had he known the situation, he might have just as well gone to the community hospital. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go inside with Dad and ask.¡± If they kept waiting for a call in the hall, he didn¡¯t know how long it would take. When Lu Ying entered the corridor, there were two patients waiting in line outside the doctor¡¯s office. A nurse came out from inside and Lu Ying immediately asked, ¡°Nurse, I want to ask how many more numbers can be called in the morning? My son¡¯s hand burns need to be treated urgently, can it be arranged in the morning? Can you please look if there is a way to temporarily treat the bubbles? Or tell me what medicine to rub on it, it¡¯s all soggy now, what should I do?¡± When Lu Ying grabbed his wrist, Lu Zaizai remembered his poor hand again and suddenly cried, aggrieved, sobbing and choking very eloquently. The nurse was slightly shocked by this and gently held up Lu Zaizai¡¯s chubby hand: ¡°Oh, what¡¯s wrong with it? You should have said earlier that it was so badly burned. Is it from the heating pad? This is a low temperature burn that is very troublesome. How come you punctured it indiscriminately, are you not afraid of bacterial infection? What a father, really!¡± Lu Ying bowed his head in shame. Advertisements The nurse pulled Lu Zaizai towards the front of the ward, ¡°Director Zhang, there¡¯s a child with burns, can you take a look first? I¡¯m sorry, Madam, you see this child is little, can you let him go in first?¡± She asked the last female patient at the door with embarrassment. The lady who seemed to have an extraordinary temperament stepped out of the way immediately, ¡°Go in, it doesn¡¯t matter, I just have a minor injury.¡± After saying that, the woman turned her head and looked in Lu Ying¡¯s direction. Lu Ying, whose mind was originally on his son, suddenly looked up at this moment and could not help but stare. ¡°¡­Mrs. Qin.¡± Mrs. Qin smiled faintly, ¡°Lu Ying, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°¡­yes.¡± Lu Ying smiled dryly. Mrs. Qin exhaled quietly; she didn¡¯t expect to meet Lu Ying again in Qixia Town. Was it the narrow path of the enemies or was it fate? ¡°Dad, I¡¯m scared, I¡¯m scared, I want to go home, I don¡¯t want to see a doctor, oooh¡­¡± Lu Zaizai suddenly broke away from the nurse and rushed into Lu Ying¡¯s arms, crying. Lu Ying anxiously comforted him: ¡°Good boy, Dad is with you, you are a man, don¡¯t be afraid of such a small injury. The doctor will give you medicine and you¡¯ll get better soon. Dad will never lie to you.¡± He went in with the child in his arms. The doctor¡¯s words were the same as the nurse¡¯s and even more terrifying than the nurse¡¯s words. It was absolutely necessary to apply the medicine. In the worst case, a surgery would be needed, which scared Lu Ying to death. On the contrary, the emotional Lu Zaizai slowly calmed down, his eyes swollen and his nose sniffling. When the doctor cleaned the wound, Lu Zaizai couldn¡¯t help howling again, his voice and energy making Lu Ying¡¯s scalp tingle. There was no doubt that he had been lucky over the years. A child who is not sick can save his parents a lot of hardship. Other parents said that it was difficult to bring up their children, and even more difficult when they were sick and had to go to the hospital. If a child suffers, adults suffer even more, with physical exhaustion and psychological stress being a constant source of devastation. No matter how naughty or lively a child is, when he is sick he is either listless or crying and clingy, unlike his usual self. Seeing Lu Zaizai¡¯s tears pouring, Lu Ying couldn¡¯t do anything. He neither comforted nor reprimanded him. Anyway, crying enough was good, a few tears were not a problem. ¡°Be careful not to touch the wound when you get back, and not to get it wet. First apply the medicine for two days to see how the recovery goes. If it doesn¡¯t go well, the rotten skin will have to be treated surgically. All right, go pay at the ATM outside, then pick up the medicine on the first floor.¡± ¡°Thank you, doctor!¡± Lu Ying, having no doubts about his son¡¯s recovery abilities, breathed a sigh of relief and walked out of the doctor¡¯s office, only to realise that Mrs. Qin was still at the door. Remembering that she had given them her position, Lu Ying said, ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Qin.¡± ¡°It¡¯s as it should be, children are important. I just got a little burn while cooking. This is¡­ your son? How old is he?¡± Mrs. Qin awkwardly gossiped, speaking slowly as if groping for every word. That wasn¡¯t her style at all. ¡°En,¡± Lu Ying let out a long sigh, lowering his eyes and stroking his son¡¯s head, ¡°Zaizai, say thank you to grandma.¡± There were still tears on Lu Zaizai¡¯s chubby white and tender face as he sniffed and smiled, ¡°Thank you, Grandma.¡± Advertisements Mrs. Qin was slightly surprised: ¡°Haven¡¯t I seen you before? At Dr. Hu¡¯s clinic.¡± That time she didn¡¯t have the heart to pay much attention to the child. She didn¡¯t expect it to be Lu Ying¡¯s son. Counting that, this was the third time she had seen him. It was really¡­ fate. ¡°Grandma, that¡¯s my godfather¡¯s house.¡± Lu Zaizai was in a bad mood and replied in a cranky voice. This child¡­ even if he was Lu Ying¡¯s son, she still couldn¡¯t hate him. White and chubby, how nice. ¡°What a coincidence.¡± Mrs. Qin smiled gently and leaned down to look at Lu Zaizai¡¯s hand, ¡°Does your hand still hurt?¡± ¡°It hurts, woo¡­¡± Lu Zaizai was still aggrieved. He had never been so painful in his life. Lu Ying was speechless. A little hurt, the fat boy immediately turned into a petulant little princess, what a blast! He didn¡¯t even look at who he was being coquettish to, huh? ¡°Oh, look at your tears, be good, don¡¯t cry. Grandma will give you a little gift, I hope you¡¯ll get better soon.¡± Mrs. Qin put a small box she had been holding into Lu Zaizai¡¯s palm. It was the only thing she had with her at the moment that was suitable for giving out. Sure enough, Lu Zaizai really stopped crying and looked at the box curiously, asking in a somewhat tearful voice, ¡°What is this?¡± The box was small but very delicate, and not cheap at first glance. Lu Ying wanted to say something but didn¡¯t. ¡°A cute little pig, a kind of meeting gift from Grandma to you.¡± ¡°A little pig! I like little pigs the most! Thank you, Grand¡­ Dad, can I have it?¡± Lu Zaizai braked just in time to eagerly consult his father¡¯s opinion. Dad had said that anything given to him by an adult must be received with his consent. Seemingly afraid that Lu Ying would refuse, Mrs. Qin hastily explained, ¡°It¡¯s not something expensive, the bank gave me a souvenir for free and I kept it. I just happened to meet you and your son, so you can let the child take it.¡± After a pause, she added, ¡°Your son is very cute.¡± She was even a little envious at heart. Mrs. Qin thought that Lu Ying would not accept it easily, but to her surprise, he nodded readily, ¡°Take it. Say thank you to Grandma.¡± ¡°Thank you, Grandma!¡± ¡°So good.¡± Mrs. Qin smiled kindly and looked at the chubby little face that she wanted to touch. ¡°Zaizai, say goodbye to Grandma, Dad will go home and make lunch.¡± ¡°Bye bye, Grandma!¡± ¡°Bye, Mrs. Qin.¡± ¡°Bye bye¡­ bye.¡± Lu Ying held his son¡¯s hand and walked out. It took a long time for Mrs. Qin to look away. Today she met Lu Ying and spoke to him again, and her heart felt much lighter. In any case, the past was like smoke, one should not be obsessed with it. Back then, Lu Ying in front of her was just an ignorant boy who didn¡¯t know anything about the world, a totally innocent and careless child. She thought she was a bully and a vain arrogant bitch. It turned out that she had thought too much. When they returned home, there was a green jade piggy lying in the box, with the logo of a certain bank at the bottom of the box. The colour of the jade was more translucent than the jade bracelet bought by the supervisor for 50,000 or 60,000 yuan, and the shape was cute and pretty. Lu Ying put the jade piggy on his son straight away. At night, he had a rare dream from a long time ago. They were lying in a large glass room where they could see the sky full of stars. The white carpet under them was soft and warm, and they were dreamy and intoxicated, clinging to each other, full of love and warmth. Outside, flowers bloomed quietly, summer insects chirped and the night sky glowed with the silvery light of a river of stars. Someone whispered softly in his ear. I like you. I like only you. I like you if you are good looking. If you¡¯re ugly, I like you, too. You¡¯re a flower¡­ You¡¯re a human or a fairy, I still like you. You¡¯re a little pig, I like you anyway. Forever. ¡­¡­ Hehe. Big pig trotters!(1) CH 13 In the middle of the night, Lu Ying woke up, staring blankly. The ceiling was white, not clean white but peeling and dusty; there were piles of clutter in every corner, and the walls were yellow and dull from years of cooking. Probably their clothes and quilts also smelt of smoke and oil. He wondered how much truth there was beneath Mrs. Qin¡¯s kind and gracious smile yesterday. After all, the aloof Mrs. Qin would not grimace even when shedding all pretence of cordiality, much less show her dislike of you bluntly. ¡±I¡¯m not trying to embarrass you, I¡¯m doing it for your own good. I¡¯m not forcing you to leave, I¡¯m thinking of your future.¡± ¡°I hope you will have a good life in the future. You can take the money and use it. Go back and be filial to your grandfather.¡± ¡°I know you may think I¡¯m bad, and it doesn¡¯t matter if you scold me. But in eight or ten years, you will definitely thank me.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just fall in love at such a young age. You have to study more and think more, and spending time with your own grandfather is the most important thing.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re a good boy, I actually like you a lot, otherwise I would just have let someone seize you¡­¡± Really. Mrs. Qin was very good. The words she had said were still ringing in Lu Ying¡¯s ears. Every word was true. It made him realise deeply what it meant to be ¡®a man with his tail between his legs¡¯ and what it meant to be ¡®afraid¡¯ and ¡®desperate¡¯. He was still shivering as he ran to the airport, holding back his tears. As much as he loved his little lover, his little lover¡¯s mother was really too scary. Oooh, if his little lover had a conscience, he would definitely come to the mountains to find him. When he got home, Grandpa was there and he wasn¡¯t afraid of any Mrs. Qin. ¡­¡­ ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The clearer Lu Ying looked back at the past, the more he laughed at himself for being naive and foolish back then, easily scared off by someone (¨q(¨s^¨t)¨r. Mrs. Qin likely didn¡¯t even understand how inexplicably intimidating she was. It was just that Mrs. Qin was still Mrs. Qin but he was no longer the Lu Ying who only knew how to hahaha back then. Mrs. Qin had aged, while his spirit had grown. As for the little lover¡­ Lu Ying had never seen him again. Well, these things can¡¯t be forced. Oh no, he should be called the ex¡­ Today was the first day of January, the first day of the New Year in the Gregorian calendar. Lu Ying walked to the window and quietly pulled open the curtain. The world outside turned white with snow during the night. The snow buried the dilapidated streets, and the eaves were white with frost. Snowflakes fell from the dimly lit quiet night sky. It looked like there were stars falling from the sky. Lu Ying wanted to reach out and catch them. The cold glass blocked his intention. Beep beep beep. The alarm clock went off at half past three; time to go to work. Advertisements Brush your teeth, wash your face, get dressed and change your shoes, steam the steamed buns in the rice cooker and stuff them into your mouth with the freshly boiled plain water. He was too anxious to eat and couldn¡¯t help coughing a few times, swallowing uncomfortably. ¡°Dad¡­¡± Lu Zaizai sat up sleepily in bed. When he saw his father in the kitchen eating the buns, his sleepiness was suddenly gone. The child blinked his dumbfounded eyes. ¡°Dad, are the buns hard to eat?¡± Sniffling hastily, Lu Ying watched his son dart towards him barefoot. He took a few steps forward and lifted Zaizai, ¡°I have a surprise for you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lu Zaizai¡¯s palms pressed against Lu Ying¡¯s slightly hot face. Lu Ying smiled, ¡°Close your eyes first.¡± ¡°En en!¡± He picked up his son, went to the window and lifted the curtain, ¡°Open your eyes and look.¡± The snowy white world was reflected in the child¡¯s eyes. ¡°Look, it¡¯s so beautiful outside.¡± ¡°Wow, there¡¯s so much snow!¡± Lu Zaizai was so attracted to the world in front of him that his entire face was pressed against the window glass: ¡°Dad, can we build a snowman and have a snowball fight?¡± ¡°Of course we can. The snow this year is very heavy, we rarely have such heavy snow in Caifeng City. It¡¯s really a good omen for the first day of the New Year.¡± ¡°Yes, it snowed last year, but there was no snowman, it snowed but it melted quickly.¡± Lu Zaizai asked anxiously, ¡°Dad, are we still going to the amusement park today?¡± Lu Ying told him regretfully, ¡°The snow is too heavy, and the open-air projects in the amusement park will be shut down. Shall we go another time?¡± Instead of being disappointed, Lu Zaizai smiled and wrapped his arms around his father¡¯s neck, ¡°Then Dad will take me to play in the snow today!¡± ¡°No problem. You can sleep a little longer while Dad cleans the streets.¡± Lu Zaizai shook his head in a panic and refused adamantly, ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to stay home alone. I want to go out with Dad.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s cold outside.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid, I want to stay with Dad. Look at my hand that got hurt yesterday, I¡¯m miserable.¡± ¡°Who said he was a big brother?¡± Lu Zaizai shook his head and emphasised loudly, ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡¯m still a little baby in kindergarten!¡± Hey, how could he become so clingy after a little injury! Lu Ying knew he couldn¡¯t resist his son. It was better to take him along than having him run out on his own when he left. Lu Ying took out the cotton-padded pants and other clothes from the bottom of the box and put them on his son layer by layer, finally putting on the down jacket. Taking a thermos and something to eat, he went straight out. The overalls Lu Ying wore were glow-in-the-dark and very eye-catching in the streets at three or four in the morning. Lu Zaizai felt that the clothes were particularly cool, like a gleaming animated hero. ¡°Dad, I want glowing clothes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s work clothes, you can¡¯t buy them.¡± ¡°Then when I grow up and work with Dad, I can be just like you.¡± ¡°Yeah? This job isn¡¯t easy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid~¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to work hard later.¡± Lu Zaizai bounced, stomping on the snow from time to time to make a crunchy sound. There were almost no cars or pedestrians on the road. The father and son walked hand in hand in the snow, giggling and smashing snowballs all the way, and their cheerful laughter floated lingeringly in the white night. When they arrived at the workplace, the elderly captain turned out to be there even earlier than Lu Ying. A tough old man in his fifties was driving a tricycle to deliver salt bags, and judging by his sweaty appearance, he had probably been working for at least an hour. ¡°Captain Yuan, why are you so early?¡± Lu Ying went up to help him unload the salt bags. Each bag was a hundred catties, pressing heavily on the old man¡¯s shoulders. Captain Yuan wiped the sweat from his face: ¡°Why did you bring the child out? What will you do if you freeze the child and he gets sick on such a cold day? I¡¯ve been paying attention to the heavy snow tonight, and sure enough, the roads are piled with snow. What else could I do but to come out early to transport salt bags to melt snow?¡± ¡°Then you should have told us, what good can you do alone.¡± ¡°Humph, young man, you still look down on me. Come on, Uncle Yuan, no one believes in you but yourself!¡± Lu Ying laughed, lifted two bags of salt with one hand and threw them onto the cart with ease, not forgetting to tell his son, who was watching curiously, ¡°Zaizai, this is Grandpa Yuan.¡± ¡°Good morning, Grandpa Yuan.¡± Lu Zaizai said obediently. ¡°That¡¯s a good boy. Quickly go to the station by the roadside, it is clean and safe there. Don¡¯t play on the road.¡± ¡°Go over there, Zaizai, you can build a snowman on a station chair.¡± Lu Zaizai hesitated: ¡°But I want to help Dad.¡± ¡°Little fool, if Dad uses you as a child labourer, he will be scolded.¡± ¡°All right then, I¡¯ll go and build a snowman. If Dad needs help, call me and I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°Be careful not to get your hand hurt.¡± Captain Yuan grinned, ¡°Your boy is so strong, a good boy who knows how to behave.¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s been well-behaved since he was little.¡± Shortly afterwards, other employees arrived, and the group divided up the work, transporting carts of salt bags to various parts of the road and sprinkling salt on the streets to make the snow melt quickly. The weather had been cold for a few days and there was less rubbish on the streets than usual, but today the snow piled up and greatly increased the workload. Usually Lu Ying could finish work in four hours at the slowest, but today there was still a bunch of work until almost nine in the morning, when the road was already full of cars and pedestrians. ¡°Xiao Lu, stop working, hurry up and go to the shopping mall, we¡¯ll do the rest.¡± Captain Yuan sympathetically urged Lu Ying to hurry up and go. Lu Ying shook his head, waved his shovel and continued shovelling snow, occasionally looking at his son who was playing next to him. The boy was in good spirits; he had woken up in the middle of the night and was still playing hard, not tired at all. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid you¡¯ll be late for work?¡± Captain Yuan was anxious for him. Lu Ying stopped, resting one hand on his shovel and tugging the clothes on his back with the other. He had worked hard for a few hours and the clothes inside were all drenched in sweat, sticky and wrinkled on his back. ¡°I¡¯m not going. I got fired yesterday.¡± Advertisements ¡°What? How could you be fired?¡± Captain Yuan exclaimed. Lu Ying simply said, ¡°Yesterday afternoon the supervisor called to tell me that my resignation letter was rejected by the manager and I was dismissed in turn. The reason is that I was absent from work yesterday without permission. Last month¡¯s salary will not be paid either.¡± ¡°Outrageous, what kind of manager is this? If they don¡¯t pay for your work, you can go to the labour department and apply for that arbitration or whatever to sue them! 2,000 or 3,000 yuan a month for your hard work, don¡¯t let them have a penny! Don¡¯t be afraid, we old people will help you. I don¡¯t believe they will dare not to pay.¡± ¡°Those who don¡¯t pay for work should be struck by lightning!¡± This group of his street sweeping colleagues were filled with righteous indignation and helped Lu Ying come up with ideas. Lu Ying placated, ¡°Thank you all, I will definitely ask for my salary. I¡¯ll be fine on my own.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do everything on your own, call us if you can¡¯t!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll help you sweep.¡± As the station became more and more crowded, Lu Zaizai had no place to play and was bored, so he ran over, picked up a broom and swept the road in a decent manner. Everyone laughed and praised him for his diligence and Lu Ying let him do it. Rubbing their hands, the father and son worked together. At around noon, the streets were finally cleared of snow and everyone was so tired that they could barely stand and walk home after work. Lu Ying was starving, and Lu Zaizai was lethargic, looking pitiful and ready to fall asleep at any moment. After eating at home, Lu Ying dragged his dozing son to the outside bathhouse to take a bath. The clothes were not easy to dry in winter. He usually only washed once every two or three days. Boiling water at home and squeezing in the bathroom to wash was not a pleasant experience. Every time Lu Zaizai was crying like a wailing ghost during washing. There was a concealed bathhouse next to the community, and the tenants who couldn¡¯t afford to use electricity and water at home chose to go to the bathhouse. It was five yuan for adults and three yuan for children, individual cubicles for everyone. When the owner saw that Lu Ying had brought the child, he gave them a slightly larger bathing room. Lu Ying was fully equipped with towels of all sizes, travel size shampoo and shower gel, children¡¯s cream and large plastic basins. ¡°Wow wow wow, so hot, I¡¯m going to be scalded!¡± As soon as the shower sprayed, Lu Zaizai began to yell and wriggle like a loach. ¡­¡­ Lu Ying rolled his eyes as he filled the basin with water: ¡°Where is it hot? Is it better to wash in cold water?¡± ¡°Woo, I want to use the Ultraman basin to wash.¡± Lu Zaizai cowered in the corner, washing himself slowly. Lu Ying ignored him, ¡°Whatever you want.¡± Lu Zaizai slowly washed himself, sometimes slapping the water, sometimes waving the towel and turning around, almost falling over. Lu Ying gasped and gently twisted his ear: ¡°Every time I take you out for a bath, you¡¯re naughty. You deserve it if you get your injury wet.¡± ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be angry, I won¡¯t move around.¡± Lu Zaizai immediately pretended to be a good boy: ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll help you take a bath.¡± ¡°No, you won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Dad, the mark on your belly has turned red.¡± Lu Zaizai was amazed. He stretched out his hand to touch Lu Ying¡¯s abdomen. The scar was usually a light pink, but now the hot water had deepened the colour, ¡°It feels slippery, like a little fish, hahaha, it¡¯s fun.¡± The little hand poked and prodded. Lu Ying plucked away his son¡¯s little hand and snorted softly. ¡°The little fish has grown into you.¡± The big pig trotters made me ugly at my young age! With the thoughts of Mrs. Qin yesterday and all the past, the hot water rushed mercilessly over his body, scalding Lu Ying¡¯s eyes red. Lu Ying¡¯s emotions were still tense when he walked out of the bathhouse, his flushed-cheeked son following him with the Ultraman basin in his arms. ¡°Dad, my socks are disobedient and are shrinking into my shoes again. Help me get them.¡± Lu Ying bent down and helped Lu Zaizai pull out the edges of his socks. The moment he got up, he seemed to feel something. Someone was following him in the shadows; but when he looked up, the feeling disappeared again. Lu Ying took his son¡¯s hand and increased his vigilance. In the office, the assistant made Qin Zhuopu a cup of oolong tea. Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t even look at it, his eyes fixed on the computer screen. High-definition photos flashed on the screen, all featuring a single person. Not long after, there was a clanging sound. The assistant walked in, frightened, only to see the tea cup being broken into several pieces. The boss had his back turned to the door, standing by the window and smoking. CH 14 The two of them went home and slept until they woke up in the middle of the afternoon. Lu Ying remembered the important matter of the salary, got up and took his son straight to the shopping mall. When his colleagues saw him, they secretly frowned. Supervisor Li immediately came forward when he got the message, helplessly pulled Lu Ying into the corner and muttered, ¡°I¡¯ve been talking to Manager Zhang, but she won¡¯t relent. I don¡¯t understand why she is targeting you. Why don¡¯t I take you to her and you¡¯ll apologise to her properly? How can you mess with money!¡± Lu Ying shook his head straight away, ¡°An apology is out of the question.¡± ¡°Xiao Lu, don¡¯t be stubborn!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not stubborn.¡± ¡°There will be staff transfers in the coming year, and she might be transferred away, so why don¡¯t you put up with her for a while?¡± Lu Ying didn¡¯t want to wait. Staff transfer was not a matter of a few days; in case it dragged on for half a year, who would remember his poor salary. Applying for labour arbitration was also very tricky. He just wanted to cut through the mess quickly and get paid, nothing more. ¡°I¡¯ll sort it out myself.¡± It just so happened that Brother Yang called to invite him to dinner. Lu Ying¡¯s bad mood was swept away and he left the shopping mall humming a happy tune. Before he went to take a bath today, he also quit his part-time job as a takeaway delivery. Brother Yang had to be full-time. After making up his mind, Lu Ying was going to seriously follow Brother Yang to learn the craft in the future. Yang Sigu¡¯s house was even more lively today. Apart from a few old friends, Dr. Hu actually came too! As soon as he walked through the door and ran into Dr. Hu, Lu Ying almost braked and turned around to leave, then greeted the man tensely, ¡°Hello, Dr. Hu!¡± Dr. Hu looked up, gave him a condescending glance and let out a nasal ¡°hm¡±. Lu Ying breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°What, do you have rhinitis?¡± Ji Xiaofeng raised his hand and twisted Dr. Hu¡¯s handsome nose, causing Dr. Hu to stand up and yell, ¡°Impudent!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like to go out with me? Just say it if you want to fight!¡± Ji Xiaofeng wasn¡¯t afraid to take it head on. ¡°Lu Ying, come and help serve the dishes.¡± Liu Dichuan hurriedly dragged Lu Ying away. After entering the kitchen, Liu Dichuan exhaled. ¡°These two stinkers are really made for each other.¡± Brother Yang laughed as he cooked, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t touch Xiao Ji, everything is fine with Dr. Hu. You guys are just too used to Ji Xiaofeng. Take Lu Ying for example. Xiao Ji took you and eloped to Guanlan City and didn¡¯t come back for a whole year, so how can you blame Dr. Hu for hating you? After he beat and scolded Ji Xiaofeng, they got lovey-dovey with each other again. But you, an outsider, could only be the punching bag.¡± Lu Ying spread his hands, feeling wronged, and hastily defended himself, ¡°Brother Yang, don¡¯t talk nonsense, we didn¡¯t elope! Brother Ji just saw that I had never been out of the mountains before, so he took me out to see something. We went there to work and earn money, eat good food, have fun and nothing else. You and Brother Ji are my older brothers!¡± Liu Dichuan snorted and rubbed Lu Ying¡¯s soft hair, ¡°Brother Yang is teasing you.¡± ¡°Xiao Ji just thinks you¡¯re an honest boy, easy to send around.¡± Yang Sigu shook his head and laughed, ¡°I blame your Grandpa Lu for treating you like a baby and not teaching you anything. As a result, you ran away as soon as someone coaxed you, growing so old but knowing nothing.¡± Lu Ying was even more anxious at his words, ¡°Grandpa Lu was doing it for my own good.¡± ¡°Stubborn and old-fashioned, unaware that the world outside has changed a long time ago.¡± Yang Sigu snorted coldly. Liu Dichuan changed the subject, ¡°Xiao Lu, why do you suddenly want to quit your job early?¡± ¡°I want to learn the craft seriously. Brother Yang gave me the opportunity, I want to make good use of it.¡± ¡°You will definitely be fine.¡± Liu Dichuan smiled. If Yang Sigu, this fake gentleman, suddenly kindly decided to teach this kid Lu Ying, he must have ulterior motives. But for Lu Ying it was indeed a good opportunity. Although Yang Sigu didn¡¯t have the rare skill of Dr. Hu to save lives and treat injuries, in human society he was proficient in all the good things that could earn you a living. Baking was just one of the things Yang Sigu was good at, and it was a hobby that he did for fun. For him it was a hobby, but there were many people who sought it. Besides, cooking was a good fit for Lu Ying, who loved to eat and was very good at it. Advertisements In the early morning, the snow in the small town slowly melted under the warm sun. Lu Ying sent the child to the kindergarten and went straight to the mall. He was nearly forty minutes earlier than everyone¡¯s work hours. When he arrived, Lu Ying didn¡¯t go anywhere and squatted at the entrance of the garage lift. When Manager Zhang got out of her car, Lu Ying appeared in front of her calmly: ¡°Why did you deduct my salary? Just because I don¡¯t want to sleep with you?¡± Manager Zhang was taken aback. She looked up and saw Lu Ying¡¯s face. Probably because of the cold wind, at this moment his cheeks were flushed; his mouth was slightly curved in anger, his lips were red and his teeth were white. There was nothing more appealing than this sight. In an instant, all her anger disappeared. Manager Zhang looked around and found that they were in a blind spot of surveillance. She smiled kindly and said, ¡°It seems that you know exactly what I mean. I thought you were too stupid to understand me when you repeatedly rejected me.¡± ¡°Not afraid that your husband knows?¡± Lu Ying asked. Manager Zhang sneered, ¡°So what if he knows? He likes young and pretty girls, I like young and good looking boys, we each have our own virtues. As far as I know, you don¡¯t have a wife or elders, what¡¯s there to be afraid of a single man coming out to play? As long as you make me happy, I¡¯ll make you a supervisor in an instant, and you can buy a car or a house depending on your performance.¡± Looking at her face full of determination to win, Lu Ying recoiled in disgust. Manager Zhang leaned closer and closer, smiling and staring at Lu Ying: ¡°Now you¡¯re finally getting the hang of it? How about a date for dinner tonight?¡± Lu Ying backed up and said ¡°bah!¡±, full of disgust: ¡°Damn, who wants to eat with you, don¡¯t scare me to death at night!¡± The phone recording was saved, and he turned around and left. When he was halfway home on his moped, his salary arrived, even including an extra month. Lu Ying breathed a sigh of relief. He had learned this trick from Brother Ji a long time ago but he didn¡¯t expect it to really work. Advertisements Not far from the municipal government office of Caifeng City, there was a secluded street full of antique and elegant charm, with old buildings on both sides of it. Brick by brick, they all carried the flavour of history. The street was not wide and didn¡¯t look busy. Only two or three pedestrians slowly walked in the night and occasionally you could hear the sound of music from the old houses. It was a quiet place in the middle of the chaos, one of the most popular places for local literary and artistic people. A black car stopped at the junction of the old street. Qin Zhuopu and his assistant got out of the car. After the sun went down in the evening, the cold rain started falling. They were obviously not far apart, but Caifeng City this year was much colder than Guanlan City. Qin Zhuopu took the umbrella handed by his assistant, stood at the corner and looked at the old street. It was dark, and the red light of a few lanterns flickered sporadically, faintly illuminating the ancient cornices and stones. Qin Zhuopu wasn¡¯t moving. The young assistant next to him shivered, his teeth chattering. Mr. Qin gave him a slight glance. The assistant was so scared that he quickly clenched his jaws tightly. It wasn¡¯t that he was timid, this place just looked as if ghost movies could be shot here directly! It was not the first time Qin Zhuopu had come here. He held the umbrella and led the way, cleverly avoiding a few puddles. Finally he stopped in front of a large ancient mansion with the word ¡®Shen¡¯ on the swaying red lantern. The Shen family was the leader of the catering industry in Caifeng City, and even in the whole province, and was one of the few oldest catering houses left in China, a centuries-old establishment that had been passed down from generation to generation. Every time Qin Zhuopu came to Caifeng City, if he had time, he would definitely come here to enjoy a meal. When he used to come, it was the current heir of the Shen family, Boss Shen, who was in charge of the cooking. And tonight, at this meal, he might be able to have a chance to eat a meal cooked by the retired old man of the Shen family himself. When Qin Zhuopu thought of this, he felt a little bit of anticipation. ¡°Nephew, you¡¯re finally here!¡± ¡°Zhuopu, Mom would like to introduce you to the elders.¡± As soon as Qin Zhuopu entered, he was warmly greeted by a middle-aged man, followed by several men and women, all of the same generation as his mother. Whether they knew each other or not, Qin Zhuopu politely exchanged pleasantries as Mrs. Qin introduced him. Only after Mrs. Qin finished introducing the last uncle did Qin Zhuopu notice the only young man who stood out in the room full of middle-aged and elderly people. He was taken aback when he saw his mother take a few steps forward and take the young man¡¯s hand, saying affectionately, ¡°Zhuopu, look at Yourong, do you remember him? Your Aunt Su¡¯s son. Aunt Su is the old school friend I told you about before. It¡¯s a pity that Aunt Su¡¯s family emigrated later and I never thought I would see her again in Caifeng City after twenty years. I just found out from talking to Yourong that you were alumni of the same school in the United States. What a coincidence!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all fate, Senior Brother Qin, don¡¯t you think so?¡± Yu Yourong was dressed in a well-tailored light-coloured casual suit that matched his handsome appearance and clean and well-behaved temperament. He was clearly a man in his thirties, but it would not be difficult to mistake him for a university student. No wonder he was so popular with the elders. Qin Zhuopu smiled lightly, ¡°En.¡± Yu Yourong stepped forward and extended his right hand: ¡°Long time no see. How are you?¡± Qin Zhuopu shook his hand politely, ¡°Thank you for asking.¡± After saying that, he withdrew his hand, feeling that his palm was gently tickled, as uncomfortable as if chewing gum was sticking to it, ¡°I¡¯m going to the bathroom.¡± ¡°Yunlan, your son is really talented. I used to know that he has outstanding abilities, but I can¡¯t believe that he has inherited all the good qualities of you two. If he went to be an actor, those handsome celebrity guys would have nothing on him. I used to like to brag about our Rongrong¡¯s good looks, but today I can¡¯t do that.¡± The pretty-looking, smartly dressed Ms. Su held Mrs. Qin¡¯s arm affectionately, laughing and blowing rainbow farts. The rest of the people present followed suit, and for a while the elders praised the only two young people there. Yu Yourong sat next to Qin Zhuopu and didn¡¯t interrupt, only occasionally inserting a sentence or two when Mrs. Qin was talking. Not long after, Mrs. Qin smiled and pulled Yu Yourong to sit beside her, chatting with him affectionately. She felt that it was fate that she had met her good friend¡¯s family at this time. Yu Yourong appeared just when she was thinking it was time for her son to find someone. When Qin Zhuopu returned to the banquet table and saw that someone else was sitting next to his mother, he was ready to take a seat at random. At once Aunt Su, whom he had just met, beckoned, ¡°Zhuopu! Auntie can call you Zhuopu, right? Come and sit with Auntie.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a junior, how can I sit here?¡± Qin Zhuopu settled down at the bottom of the table. Now Mrs. Qin beckoned him, ¡°Come and sit next to Yourong, you are the only two young people at this table, you¡¯ll be more comfortable sitting together.¡± Qin Zhuopu shook his head, ¡°I just want to eat.¡± ¡°Have you been hungry all day again? Have some hot soup to warm your stomach first.¡± Mrs. Qin frowned. Her son¡¯s health was most important; nothing else was urgent. She got up and personally served her son a bowl of soup, chatting some more before giving up. During the meal, Mrs. Qin and Aunt Su brought up the subject of the two young men several times, but Qin Zhuopu bypassed it cleverly. Soon the table was cleared of food and the meal was over. Qin Zhuopu helped his mother out, and Mrs. Qin¡¯s eyes were full of reluctance as she looked at Aunt Su and Yu Yourong. Qin Zhuopu urged his mother to get in the car and followed after her. Yu Yourong suddenly stepped forward and handed Qin Zhuopu an invitation through the car window: ¡°Senior Brother, I have returned home this time to hold an art exhibition in Caifeng City. Senior Brother is welcome to give guidance if he has time.¡± Qin Zhuopu took the invitation with an unchanged expression: ¡°It depends on the situation.¡± ¡°I hope you will be kind enough to come. Auntie, it¡¯s so nice to meet an elder like you when I return home, I¡¯ll definitely have afternoon tea with Auntie when I have time.¡± ¡°Definitely!¡± As the car started, Mrs. Qin immediately looked at her son with a smile on her face, ¡°Zhuopu, what do you think about Yourong?¡± Qin Zhuopu sneered and shook his head, ¡°Nothing good.¡± Mrs. Qin patted him, ¡°Look at the way you look down on people. Although Yourong¡¯s career is not as good as yours, he is also very good in all aspects. He is three years younger than you, graduated from the same prestigious school as you, and his looks and education level are flawless. It is also a coincidence that Aunt Su¡¯s son likes the same sex, just like you do. Aunt Su is divorced from her husband and is returning to China with the intention of settling down permanently. She is also open-minded and wholeheartedly supports her son¡¯s choice.¡± ¡°So today is a blind date arranged for the two of us?¡± ¡°Mom is doing it for your own good¡­¡± ¡°You should have at least told me in advance. I told you years ago not to meddle in my personal affairs. I didn¡¯t come to Caifeng City to be tossed around by you.¡± Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t feel angry or offended, just increasingly frustrated with his mother. ¡°Then why did you suddenly come to Caifeng City? I asked you to see the doctor before, but you refused.¡± ¡°As you wished, I¡¯m here to find myself someone.¡± And this someone just happens to come with a bonus son. CH 15 Mrs. Qin was stunned. ¡°Find yourself someone? Who do you want to be with? You¡­¡± Mrs. Qin suddenly understood her son¡¯s real intention. Even the brilliant prospective boyfriend Yu Yourong didn¡¯t manage to get her son¡¯s attention. Besides that one, who else can be there to make her son come here all the way and yell about finding himself someone? What an injustice! It¡¯s simply¡­ unreasonable! Mrs. Qin was so angry that her chest hurt, and she didn¡¯t say a word for a long time. Qin Zhuopu calmly admired the street view flashing past the car window. He was in a pretty good mood. When they were about to arrive at the hotel, Mrs. Qin spoke again, ¡°Since you¡¯re here, I¡¯ll take you to see Dr. Hu tomorrow. He is a real expert.¡± She didn¡¯t want to talk more about her son finding himself a partner, but she couldn¡¯t give up on producing an heir. Qin Zhuopu held his forehead. It was better to go see the so-called real expert. He didn¡¯t believe the guy could deceive him when they met. Don¡¯t blame him for being unkind when he reveals the true nature of the fraudster! ¡°What kind of disease can this expert cure? Infertility?¡± Qin Zhuopu himself couldn¡¯t help but chuckle when he said this. It was really funny. He really couldn¡¯t have imagined that one day he would be closely associated with infertility. Obviously he was a gay man who liked men. Fortunately his old friends didn¡¯t know about this, otherwise he would have been laughed to death and lost his old face hopelessly. Mrs. Qin was even more annoyed when she heard it, so she slapped him hard: ¡°What nonsense! Why are you talking about infertility? Dr. Hu is a true master of mysterious medicine. Treating diseases is one thing, reading people¡¯s fate is another. Let him look at your marriage, your career, your future fortune, the fortune of the Qin family.¡± ¡°So where is the expert? I¡¯ll bring a few more people with me tomorrow.¡± He needed to bring bodyguards, preferably three or four, so that when he exposed the fraudster, everything would be worry-free. ¡°Qixia Town.¡± Mrs. Qin whispered the name of the place. ¡°Okay.¡± Seeing her son¡¯s face remain unchanged, Mrs. Qin breathed a sigh of relief. Qin Zhuopu looked out of the window. Qixia Town, hehe, was really a treasure trove of outstanding people. Advertisements ¡°Zaizai¡¯s Dad, your Zaizai is always listless at school these days, not motivated to do anything. You should talk to your child and find out what¡¯s going on.¡± At the end of the day in the kindergarten, the teacher quietly reported the child¡¯s situation to Lu Ying. Lu Ying was a little panicked when he heard it and nodded in response. When he got the boy on the moped, he handed his son a guokui bigger than Zaizai¡¯s head. The fat boy quickly took it and stuffed it into his mouth. Lu Ying breathed a sigh of relief. He didn¡¯t need to talk to Zaizai. He knew what his son¡¯s problem was. It was purely because he was a bit hungry. ¡°Dad bought a lot of ingredients today, so you can eat all you want.¡± ¡°Great! I¡¯m dying to get home for dinner!¡± ¡°Have you been hungry at school the last few days?¡± ¡°¡­En, I eat at home and come to the kindergarten and eat a lot more, but I¡¯m so hungry again after playing for a while. But the teacher says I¡¯m so fat that I can¡¯t eat anymore.¡± Lu Zaizai muttered. The guokui in his mouth suddenly didn¡¯t taste good when he thought of everyone saying it was a bad thing to be fat. It was normal for the teacher to say that, as Zaizai did look fatter than an average child, and for the sake of their health the kids had to learn to control themselves. But outsiders didn¡¯t know the situation of Lu Ying and his son. Anyway, Lu Ying could only satisfy his son¡¯s needs in private. When he returned home and found a palm-sized wooden box, Lu Ying opened it expectantly and was disappointed: ¡°Only one pill is left¡­¡± Tomorrow, he had to hurry to buy pills from Dr. Hu and consult with him about the shortening interval between the effects of the pills. He didn¡¯t know if he had enough savings. Lu Zaizai raised his head: ¡°Dad, am I going to take the pill? I want to take it! Every time I take the pill, I can eat less. The teacher says that fat people are easy to get sick.¡± Putting the pill into his son¡¯s mouth, Lu Ying gently reassured him, ¡°Don¡¯t care if people say you¡¯re fat. Think about it, do you run the fastest at school?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Lu Zaizai said with a confident face. ¡°Are you the strongest?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Do you jump the highest?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Are you the best looking?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Are you the smartest?¡± Lu Ying laughed. ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡± Lu Zaizai held his head high, his face full of pride and his little mouth curled up, ¡°I¡¯m the smartest baby! No, the big brother!¡± Lu Ying gestured at the unassuming looking but powerful muscles on his arms and shook his fist, ¡°When you grow up, you¡¯ll be as strong as Dad. It is a normal experience to be fat as a child.¡± ¡°En en! My teachers and classmates all say my dad looks the best!¡± ¡°Hehe~~(*^¨Œ^*)¡± ¡°I want to be a good-looking and strong man like Dad when I grow up!¡± ¡°Of course you will!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to grow up to be as serious and hard-working as Dad and make money.¡± ¡°En en en, great!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to buy Dad a big apartment with a fridge and air conditioner and a TV when I grow up!¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Lu Ying applauded. ¡°And I¡¯m going to buy Godfather a big villa with a yard so that he can raise little babies in the yard!¡± ¡­o(¨i©n¨i)o, why should a godfather be treated better than his own father? This is resolutely unacceptable! ¡°And I have to earn money to send Dad to kindergarten.¡± Thank you, forget it. ¡°And I have to earn money to marry Li Sitian when I grow up!¡± Pfft¡­ That¡¯s enough from you, stop stop stop! Advertisements ¡°How about this suit?¡± In the presidential suite of the Intercontinental Hotel in Caifeng, Qin Zhuopu stood in front of the full-length mirror, straightening the collar and fiddling with the buttons for a while, not quite satisfied. The assistant was standing two metres away with a blank expression, nodding honestly: ¡°Mr. Qin is tall, broad-shouldered and long-legged, so he looks handsome in everything.¡± He didn¡¯t know what was wrong with Mr. Qin today; he was up early in the morning and busy changing his clothes. Weren¡¯t they all the same suits, except for the different colours? What kind of difference was he looking for? The assistant hadn¡¯t been following Mr. Qin for a long time and couldn¡¯t figure out his boss¡¯s thinking at all. Boo boo, was the boss¡­ going on a date? Or a blind date? The last time there was an important meeting, he didn¡¯t see Mr. Qin spend half a day thinking about clothes. Anyway, any suit was fine. The assistant, who had no trust in his own aesthetics, suggested, ¡°Mr. Qin, why don¡¯t you let Madam help you choose the right clothes?¡± Qin Zhuopu grunted, ¡°Her vision is more mature. What about this suit, does it have a younger look?¡± In the blink of an eye he had changed into another casual outfit. The assistant nodded honestly, ¡°This one looks younger than the previous ones.¡± He didn¡¯t expect to see the time when¡­ the mature Mr. Qin actually wanted to learn how to look younger. Qin Zuopu curled his lips in satisfaction at the assistant¡¯s words and pushed some of his hair away from his forehead: ¡°Do I look younger like this?¡± What? The wind is too strong, I can¡¯t hear anything. ¡­¡­ ¡°I¡¯m full.¡± In the hotel restaurant, Qin Zhuopu put down his cutlery. Mrs. Qin drank half a glass of milk and wiped her mouth, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s rush to ¡°Shen¡± first, so we can reach Dr. Hu¡¯s clinic before noon.¡± ¡°What else is there to do at ¡°Shen¡±?¡± Qin Zhuopu asked. His outfit today was very different from his usual and he somewhat felt a little more relaxed when walking down the street. Despite the cool and dull weather, it didn¡¯t stop the sun from shining brightly in his heart. Mrs. Qin was oblivious to her son¡¯s change and said with a solemn face, ¡°I have commissioned Elder Shen to cook a whole chicken feast for me. I will bring the whole chicken feast to visit Dr. Hu later.¡± ¡°Elder Shen himself is cooking a whole chicken feast? That Dr. Hu is worth all this effort?¡± Mrs. Qin disapproved, ¡°Keep your mouth shut when you come there. Even if you don¡¯t trust in your heart, don¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°I can keep my mouth shut but I¡¯m afraid that the more hopeful you are, the more disappointed you¡¯ll be.¡± Mrs. Qin sighed, ¡°I know you young people don¡¯t believe in these mysterious people and things. But what happened to the Wang family is clearly there. Your Grandpa and I believe in it, and those uncles and aunts we had dinner with yesterday are among the most important people in Caifeng City. Ask them, who hasn¡¯t received favours from Dr. Hu? Dr. Hu is a celebrity in Caifeng City. The ancestors of the Shen family for three generations recorded the legendary deeds of Dr. Hu¡¯s family. The whole chicken feast was made possible thanks to the advice of Elder Shen, who told me that his ancestor, the imperial chef, tried to save his seriously ill wife, but even the imperial doctor was at his wit¡¯s end. When he heard about the medical expert from the Hu family in Qixia Mountain, he went there with his wife on his back to seek medical help. But how could such an expert agree to help him so easily? When the expert heard that he was an imperial chef, he allowed him to cook a whole chicken feast as a consultation fee, and his wife was indeed cured afterwards.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu listened, feeling more and more that he was going to meet a charlatan, but kept silent. ¡°Elder Shen¡¯s second son fell ill twenty years ago and went to Qixia Mountain to seek medical help by making a whole chicken feast according to the method left behind by his ancestors. As a result, he really got help. The first few times I went to see Dr. Hu, he didn¡¯t want to talk to me, and he didn¡¯t budge even when I promised 100 million for the consultation. I¡¯ll be relieved if I get him to look at you today.¡± Only then did Qin Zhuopu¡¯s face finally change: ¡°You¡¯re offering 100 million for a consultation?¡± If it wasn¡¯t his own mother, he would have opened his mouth and cursed! Mrs. Qin straightened her back and snorted coldly, ¡°What, you think your mother is stupid and spending money frivolously?¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled kindly, ¡°If you spend 100 million on a facelift and wrinkle removal, I will not say anything.¡± ¡°Are you asking for a beating, you brat!¡± Mrs. Qin was so angry that she wanted to punch him: ¡°Your mother is not afraid of getting old! I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯ll die alone without children! Not to mention a hundred million, if it can give you a child, I¡¯ll be willing to pay ten times more!¡± ¡°Why do you bother?¡± Qin Zhuopu sneered: ¡°A hundred million can adopt a bunch of children and as long as you have money, you don¡¯t need to worry about filial piety. If you want a child, I can give you what you want, it doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s biological or not!¡± ¡°Those won¡¯t be the Qin family¡¯s children! Don¡¯t forget your father¡¯s last wish, he wanted the Qin family bloodline to thrive.¡± ¡°Oh, it thrives. He died all of a sudden, leaving me with a mess of the Qin family¡¯s affairs. Why didn¡¯t he give me more younger brothers and sisters when he was alive?¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s face was full of sarcasm. Mrs. Qin felt doubly hurt: ¡°You know very well that Mom didn¡¯t mean that. Mom doesn¡¯t want to force you. Mom really¡­ doesn¡¯t want to give up. You are still young, there is still hope, right? You can blame me for being selfish.¡± ¡°This topic should stop here.¡± Qin Zhuopu spread his hands, ending the conversation. He really thought his mother was crazy. It didn¡¯t matter whether he had children or not. His mother knew it better than him but she was still obsessively pursuing the matter of the so-called heir of the Qin family, not so much because she was fixated on the continuation of the bloodline, but because she was obsessed with her dead husband¡¯s last wish. She wanted to fulfil all her late husband¡¯s dreams and regrets. As their only child, Qin Zhuopu was doing his best to cooperate with his mother, but there was a thread in his heart stretched so taut that it might suddenly snap one moment, and a family war would be imminent. His father was a good father, a good husband and a good son, praised by everyone when he was alive. But his father had his flaws, carrying the traditional straight man¡¯s ideology in his bones. On his deathbed, he was still exhorting his son to start a family and continue the bloodline of the Qin family. His mother pinned all her hopes on him, but who could he turn to in his suffocation? He originally thought that in vitro fertilisation would be the biggest concession he could make, but he didn¡¯t expect God to play with him endlessly! The mother and son went to ¡°Shen¡± to pick up the whole chicken feast, a total of ten exquisite dishes served in classical ornate wooden food boxes. The mere smell of them made the bodyguards in charge of serving the dishes drool helplessly. After thanking Elder Shen, Mrs. Qin directly rushed to Qiushan Street of Qixia Town. CH 16 When it came to the Tianshui neighbourhood in Qixia Town, most locals would associate it with wealthy people. After all, Qixia Town was a suburb and its geographical location was definitely not as good as the city centre. However, Tianshui was marked with a high-end atmosphere, villas, townhouses, lake views, small gardens, expensive private schools and so on, and the house prices were in line with those in the city centre, so expensive that they made people shake their heads. Yang Sigu¡¯s bakery was located in the business district of Tianshui, right next to the entrance. The shop was spacious and stylish, with an industrial style in black and coffee tones. It had two floors in total; except for the office, the rest of the shop was arranged with glass and plant partitions to form an experience area and a drinking area. The back kitchen was almost transparent, allowing customers to see the baking process with their own eyes while they chose what to eat. Apart from the owner, Yang Sigu, the shop¡¯s staff consisted of young people in their twenties and thirties, wearing double-breasted, pinched-waist pure black uniforms with semi standing collars. In Yang Sigu¡¯s words, as long as one wore the clothes he had designed, one¡¯s figure would be neither six points nor eight points but absolutely beautiful. At this moment, Lu Ying was dressed in black, with a small apron tied neatly around his waist and shiny leather shoes on his feet, slightly red-faced and glaring at Ji Xiaofeng who had come uninvited. Ji Xiaofeng blocked him in the storage room, stared him up and down a few times, and even patted Lu Ying¡¯s ass, tilting his head and laughing: ¡°Hahahaha, a serious improvement to the dress, but you¡¯re looking like an improper young master.¡± ¡°Bullshit! This outfit is tightly buttoned. There is nothing improper about it. It¡¯s your eyes that are improper.¡± Lu Ying raised his hand vigilantly to prevent Ji Xiaofeng from attacking him again. Even if they grew up together as bare-assed kids, he didn¡¯t want his bottom to be pinched! Ji Xiaofeng smiled maliciously, ¡°I always knew you had a round and perky butt, but I never thought it would be this perky. I¡¯d say Brother Yang must be a bit of a slut, designing the clothes like this himself, tsk tsk~~~¡± ¡°Nonsense, I used to work in a cafe and the uniform I wore was similar to this one.¡± Lu Ying didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with the clothes. Brother Yang was very perfect and generous. The fabric of this outfit was of much better quality than that of the cafe¡¯s, and it was very comfortable to wear. Just¡­ was it really a bit embarrassing to look in the mirror? ?(? ???¦Ø????)? It was all because the meat always grew on his buttocks. It would be nice if it grew on his belly. A soft belly would be more comfortable to touch. And it would give him a more prosperous, majestic, official look. Ji Xiaofeng spread his hands: ¡°But you only worked at the cafe for half a month before you were fired, right? Do you want me to tell you the reason? Being groped by a customer, hahaha¡­¡± Lu Ying was so angry that smoke rose from his ears, ¡°Are you here today to see me or laugh at me?¡± ¡°Seeing you doesn¡¯t prevent me from laughing at you.¡± ¡°If you have nothing to do, go sit in the front and have tea and snacks, I¡¯m still busy. Why don¡¯t you wait for me for a few hours, it just so happens that I have to go to the clinic at noon to get the medicine.¡± Lu Ying hurriedly pushed Ji Xiaofeng away and squeezed out of the storage room with a stack of trays. Advertisements Ji Xiaofeng nodded and idly sat down to play with his phone and eat snacks. At the moment Yang Sigu was not in the shop, and Lu Ying looked very busy, going in and out non-stop, looking quite comfortable. Ji Xiaofeng couldn¡¯t help but sigh, thinking about the times when Lu Ying was as simple as a blank sheet of paper. Back then Lu Ying didn¡¯t know anything in the mountains except for eating, drinking and playing. He spent his days chasing after his elder brothers¡¯ asses and having fun, and every time someone went down the mountain he was very upset. When his only remaining friend was leaving the mountain, Lu Ying cried a lot. At that time, Ji Xiaofeng couldn¡¯t bear letting go of his little buddy either. When he left, Lu Ying couldn¡¯t even find a partner to play hide-and-seek with, so Ji Xiaofeng said at that time, ¡®When you¡¯re ready, I¡¯ll take you down the mountain to play.¡¯ Later he kept his promise and, concealing it from Grandpa Lu, secretly took his little buddy to the colourful world outside. Little did he know that this going out would completely change Lu Ying¡¯s life. He didn¡¯t regret his actions back then. He felt that both Brother Yang and Dr. Hu were right in saying that Grandpa Lu was stubborn and old-fashioned, and being held captive in the mountains didn¡¯t do Lu Ying a bit of good. Lu Ying had to learn to face the unfamiliar world on his own. Of course, human society was dark and complicated, but it was also full of laughter and happiness, so why should Lu Ying have to stay in the mountains to graze and recite scriptures? The only thing Ji Xiaofeng didn¡¯t expect was that the youngest Lu Ying would actually fall in love! Oh no, it was a serious case of puppy love! What¡¯s more, in the blink of an eye, he became a father! Since then, Ji Xiaofeng never dared to face Grandpa Lu again for fear of being beaten o(¨i©n¨i)o. Over the years, he had witnessed Lu Ying growing up day by day with his little boy by his side. The little boy was growing up, and so was Lu Ying. The old carefree Lu Ying who was happy when he had food and drink was now a thing of the past. Now Lu Ying was a mature father who carried a burden and put his responsibilities first. He had baggage and had the best goal in life. At half past eleven Yang Sigu took off the apron, picked up a cup of tea and lazily leaned back in his high chair, flipping through his phone, ¡°What would you like to eat for lunch, Lu Ying? How about beef tenderloin with black pepper? Or take Xiao Ji to my place for a few stir-fry dishes?¡± Lu Ying was busy tidying the countertop and immediately shook his head when he heard it, ¡°I have to go to Dr. Hu¡¯s clinic to get the pills today at noon, so I¡¯ll eat on the way back.¡± They had an hour lunch break every day at noon, and special circumstances indicated that longer absence could be tolerated. ¡°Go on then, and take some snacks for Dr. Hu and Elder Xu. Don¡¯t rush back, you can finish it anytime.¡± Lu Ying smiled, ¡°Boss is too polite. I¡¯ll definitely rush back as soon as possible and definitely not delay my work.¡± Yang Sigu chuckled quietly, left his chair and raised his hand to rub Lu Ying¡¯s hair, then suddenly said, ¡°Have you grown taller?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s the shoes that have a bit of a heel.¡± Lu Ying nodded at his feet. How could he grow taller when his form was already finalised? Yang Sigu stroked his head and pointed at Lu Ying¡¯s apron: ¡°Take this off before you go. I¡¯ll go and pack up some snacks.¡± Not long after, Lu Ying drove Ji Xiaofeng to Qiushan Street. Qiushan Street was old and dilapidated, with the buildings that had no historical value. It was more like a snag street missed during the city¡¯s construction and demolition. Nowadays, most of the people who liked to come to Qiushan Street to hang out were young high school students and university students. Snacks were cheap, and all kinds of miscellaneous shops were also quite interesting. The broken walls and ruins left behind were also very sought after. Young girls could often be seen sketching and taking pictures and videos in the old street. When Lu Ying arrived at the end of the street on his moped, he saw seven or eight men and women in hanfu walking gracefully into Qiushan Street, followed by their companions who were carrying filming equipment on their shoulders. Lu Ying stopped and waited for them to pass, while Ji Xiaofeng in the back seat gnawed on roasted corn and mumbled, ¡°What¡¯s there to shoot on a shitty street?¡± ¡°I just heard them talking, it seems to be a photography assignment from the teacher. They¡¯re probably from the media university.¡± Lu Ying watched the group as they moved away, then rode his moped slowly onwards. ¡°It¡¯s fun to be an artist.¡± There were many universities in Caifeng City, and over the years with the construction of the city, many old universities established branches or new sites in Qixia Town. From key prestigious schools down to unknown colleges, there were really many schools, and this was one of the reasons why Qixia Town was soaring to prosperity. When you walked outside and saw young people, nine out of ten would be university students. Lu Ying and these people had almost nothing in common, but it didn¡¯t prevent him from silently envying university students in his heart. Even if it was an unauthorised college, it was still something to value. Advertisements Qiushan Street was uneven, and there were many people walking slowly, so Lu Ying¡¯s moped moved at a snail¡¯s pace. Ji Xiaofeng was sitting behind him, nibbling on corn. The two of them were so intent on moving forward that they didn¡¯t even notice that they were followed closely by a strange group of people in black. It was not until they received more and more surprised looks that the two realised something. Lu Ying looked at the rearview mirror of the moped, saw a reflection of something black and was so frightened that he braked at once, looking back abruptly. One man in black, two men in black¡­ four, five¡­ eight men in black! Everyone was carrying a mahogany-colored exquisite food box in their hands. ¡°Making a movie?¡± Ji Xiaofeng had gotten off the moped and stood aside looking at the black-clad men in shock, forgetting to even chew the corn in his hand. Lu Ying held the moped out of the way and watched the men in black walk past in front of him. He couldn¡¯t help the slight twitch of his nose. It smelled so good¡­ Lu Ying was slightly lost in the seductive aroma of food, feeling somewhat hungry, when suddenly a dark shadow passed before his eyes, sending a wave of a long-lost yet all-too-familiar scent. Lu Ying trembled all over, his eyes locking on the tall figure that passed him by. Qin, Qin Zhuopu! Lu Ying¡¯s eyes widened and he subconsciously opened his mouth to call, but it felt like something had grabbed him by the throat. He could only stare at the figure as it walked further and further away, unable to speak, his heart pounding. Suddenly, the distant figure looked back. The man¡¯s deep gaze fell directly on the dazed and frightened Lu Ying. This face had not really changed at all after all these years. One glance, and your heart is surging, your blood boiling. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The two of them were separated by a distance of just over ten metres, their eyes meeting as they looked at each other silently. Ji Xiaofeng had already thrown away his corn cob, his eyes even bigger than Lu Ying¡¯s. He looked at Qin Zhuopu one moment and at Lu Ying the next moment, his heart feeling as painful as if a cat was scratching it. Damn! What a pantomime! He secretly pinched Lu Ying, who quickly lowered his head to rub his arm in pain. Qin Zhuopu bowed his head slightly and when he raised it again, his eyes were covered with sunglasses. He kept walking steadily on his long legs. The assistant who followed behind him, barely daring to take a breath, quickly turned his head and glanced at Lu Ying. He had a hunch that there must be something fishy about the way his boss was looking at this young man for a long time, because the man pushing the moped was too damn stunning! Look at that handsome face! That thin waist! Those long legs!¡­ Not a single word was said. As if a bucket of cold water had been poured on him, Lu Ying regained his senses, his face extremely distorted. He had fantasised many times about what it would be like to see each other again, but not including this scenario! Qin Zhuopu¡­ Did he still remember him? Of course he remembered, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have given him more than a glance. Or, I think this person really looks familiar, ah, but after looking for a long time, I can¡¯t think of a name. The box of nameless cherries not long ago, was he¡­ thinking too much? ¡°Lu Ying.¡± Ji Xiaofeng tugged his sleeve. Lu Ying looked like a wilted grass in drought. It was really unbearable to see. Of course, his good friend had to comfort him: ¡°Are you okay? Don¡¯t forget what you need to do.¡± Lu Ying nodded in a trance, regaining his spirit, ¡°Oh, go find Dr. Hu.¡± He got on the electric moped again. Ji Xiaofeng sat behind him, as if inadvertently reaching out and wrapping his arms tightly around Lu Ying¡¯s waist. ¡°Let¡¯s go, just in time for lunch. I told Elder Xu you¡¯re coming, it¡¯s guaranteed to be enough food.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Lu Ying squeezed out a smile as the electric moped moved forward gently. Brother Ji was right, nothing was more important than Zaizai¡¯s medicine. He couldn¡¯t forget his purpose. No matter how slow the electric moped was, it was faster than walking. Lu Ying held his breath, passing one pedestrian after another without looking, finally reaching the black-clad group. He didn¡¯t look back, nor did he look in the rearview mirror. In fact, such a reunion was not bad. Nothing was said, so you could pretend it didn¡¯t happen, was not seen. Once you opened your mouth, it might be more embarrassing than silence, a quarrel, a scolding, or even a fight, your demeanour and face all gone, ah. Through the thick lenses, the electric moped was grey-black, small and pathetic, carrying two people clumsily like a turtle struggling to run. The man on the moped was focused, his back perfectly straight, and the man behind him seemed like a limpet on the driver¡¯s back, his arms wrapped around the driver¡¯s waist. Qin Zhuopu took off his sunglasses. Ji Xiaofeng suddenly turned his head and grimaced at him, as if mocking him silently. ¡°Mr. Qin¡­¡± The assistant who witnessed everything spoke out carefully. As long as Mr. Qin gave an order, he would immediately have the bodyguards rush up and take down that scoundrel! Qin Zhuopu acted as if nothing had happened: ¡°Let¡¯s go to the clinic.¡± CH 17 ¡°Lao Hu, I¡¯m back!¡± Ji Xiaofeng jumped off Lu Ying¡¯s moped even before it stopped and darted into the clinic, followed by Lu Ying¡¯s startled cry, ¡°Crap! What are you doing?¡± Lu Ying hurriedly dropped the moped and ran inside: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡­¡± At the sight of the room full of people, Lu Ying¡¯s voice came to an abrupt halt. When he saw Mrs. Qin, who was drinking tea with Elder Xu, Lu Ying¡¯s expression froze. He suddenly seemed to know the purpose of this trip of Qin Zhuopu and his mother. To beg for a son. With his mind spinning, Lu Ying¡¯s face looked complicated as he calmly told Ji Xiaofeng, ¡°Brother Ji, since Doctor Hu has guests today, I¡¯ll come back another time. Bye!¡± Mrs. Qin, who had nearly spurted out a mouthful of tea after seeing Lu Ying, stood up in a daze, wanting to say something but keeping silent in the end. ¡°Don¡¯t you go!¡± Ji Xiaofeng roared. Too late. Lu Ying nimbly turned around and dived for the door. He was so fast because he was afraid he wouldn¡¯t get away if he was too slow. Then with a thud he collided with Qin Zhuopu entering the door. The two of them slammed into each other hard and bounced back. Taking a few steps back, Qin Zhuopu nearly fell. At a critical moment Lu Ying, as quick as a whirlwind, reached out and pulled him back on his feet, catching him into a hug. The assistant: ¡°¡­¡­¡± What¡¯s the matter with the tall Mr. Qin suddenly looking like a baby bird? The bodyguards who were too late to take action: ¡°¡­¡­¡± What kind of divine speed is this? Mrs. Qin: ¡°¡­¡­ ¡± What an eyesore! What a worthless bear son! Ji Xiaofeng: ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Good job, little buddy! So close, hugging each other, the familiar scent lingering in the nostrils, really¡­ hasn¡¯t changed a bit. It was just that Qin Zhuopu¡¯s chest was faintly aching, as if he¡¯d hit a steel plate. After not seeing each other for a few years, the soft old lover has changed¡­ to become steel. ¡°Thank you.¡± Qin Zhuopu looked straight at Lu Ying, and his low voice seemed to have weight. Lu Ying felt as if he was knocked out; his heartbeat was out of control. With his face flushed, he quickly let go and took two steps back, ready to leave. Ji Xiaofeng caught him: ¡°Lu Ying, if you dare to leave now, don¡¯t come next time. Elder Xu ordered all your favourite dishes. If you don¡¯t eat them all, you know Lao Hu¡¯s temper, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying Xiao shivered. Would he still dare to take half a step now? ¡°Come, follow me to have tea first.¡± Ji Xiaofeng ignored Mrs. Qin and her party and pulled Lu Ying to the backyard. The burning gaze behind him was so uncomfortable; Lu Ying¡¯s entire body didn¡¯t feel good. Why was he thinking about some lecherous pictures??? Mrs. Qin, who had had a complicated look on her face since she saw Lu Ying, could no longer remain silent. She didn¡¯t want to deal with her son whose expression was incomprehensible and asked Elder Xu directly, ¡°Mr. Xu, I didn¡¯t expect to meet an old friend here that I had not seen for many years. I wonder if Lu Ying and Dr. Hu are related?¡± Elder Xu smiled kindly and said, ¡°Xiao Lu has no relation to Doctor Hu. However, he and Doctor Hu¡¯s lover are close friends and have a good relationship. Besides, Xiao Lu¡¯s grandfather and Doctor Hu¡¯s family are friends, so Doctor Hu is also an elder.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Mrs. Qin drew her breath. She never thought that a poor boy like Lu Ying could befriend Dr. Hu. No wonder she met his son here last time. Next to them, Qin Zhuopu suddenly asked, ¡°Ji Xiaofeng is Dr. Hu¡¯s lover?¡± Elder Xu was a little surprised, ¡°Do you know him? How come Brother Ji didn¡¯t talk to you just now, as if you¡¯re not acquainted?¡± ¡°That was Ji Xiaofeng just now?¡± Mrs. Qin got excited, both shocked and confused. Thinking back carefully, who else could that be if not Ji Xiaofeng? He was a boisterous, defiant punk, and after many years he was still the same, even worse. Even his clean and beautiful face was painted like a ghost. A real eyesore. She didn¡¯t like Lu Ying, but she was outright disgusted with Ji Xiaofeng. Elder Xu, unaware of what the wealthy Mrs. Qin was shocked with, nodded with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s right, he is Doctor Hu¡¯s lover.¡± Wow, Mrs. Qin almost dropped her cup. There was a moment of unprecedented doubt and indecisiveness in her heart. Could Dr. Hu¡¯s qualifications be trusted with such standards? ¡°Zhuopu, it seems that we won¡¯t be able to see Dr. Hu today, let¡¯s go.¡± Mrs. Qin politely backed off. It was not like there was only this Qixia Town high level expert in this world. Who could have imagined that Qin Zhuopu, who had been incredibly resistant to coming here, would be as steady as Mount Tai at the moment. ¡°There¡¯s no rush, let¡¯s wait.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Mrs. Qin didn¡¯t know what was going on in her son¡¯s mind. If she had known all this, she would not have urged him to come to Qixia Town to seek medical help. Qin Zhuopu waved his hand and instructed his assistant, ¡°Take everyone out for dinner.¡± ¡°Okay, Mr. Qin, call me anytime if you need anything.¡± The assistant hurriedly led the bodyguards away. Mrs. Qin was in an even worse mood. It looked like her son didn¡¯t want to leave alive or dead. Advertisements Elder Xu looked at the mother and son inexplicably before proposing, ¡°How about I take Mr. Qin¡¯s pulse first?¡± Qin Zhuopu immediately stretched out his hand, ¡°Sorry for troubling you, Elder.¡± Mrs. Qin stood by in silence. After a long time, Elder Xu let go of his hand and said, ¡°Mr. Qin is in good health and has no major problems. He only has a slight liver deficiency and excessive fire, so he should pay attention to rest and not stay up late.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been on fire lately.¡± Qin Zhuopu nodded. Mrs. Qin was about to ask more questions when a young man came through the door. He was tall, with short neat hair, gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, and a pair of upturned eyes that looked like the eyes of a beast, very light brown, sharp and dangerous. His presence brought an invisible aura of oppression and the whole room seemed to be tense with awe. ¡°Doctor Hu.¡± Elder Xu rose and stepped forward. The old man bowed slightly in front of the young man and nodded, ¡°Mrs. Qin brought her son.¡± ¡°Doctor Hu, I have specially asked Elder Shen to make a whole chicken feast for you.¡± Mrs. Qin herself hadn¡¯t even noticed that she automatically entered trust mode when faced with the young Dr. Hu. Dr. Hu¡¯s eyes lit up and he finally looked at both mother and son with a satisfied smile, ¡°I haven¡¯t had the Shen family¡¯s whole chicken feast for a long time and I¡¯ve been missing it recently. For the sake of your sincerity, I guarantee that you will get what you want.¡± ¡°Thank you, Doctor Hu!¡± Mrs. Qin smiled, her earlier doubts and discontent long forgotten. Qin Zhuopu watched in silence as his mother hurried forward and offered the food box as if offering a treasure, and sighed in his heart. Dr. Hu was much younger and more eccentric than he had expected. This man was as dangerous as he had ever seen. ¡°Mrs. Qin, would it be feasible for you to wait until I have eaten lunch before seeing your son?¡± Dr. Hu was in an exceptionally good mood as he smelled the spicy scent of the meal. ¡°Fine, fine, it should be so, we can¡¯t let the doctor go hungry.¡± Dr. Hu ordered Elder Xu, ¡°Set the table and ask Mrs. Qin to eat with us. By the way, has my Xiaofeng returned?¡± As he spoke, he looked into the backyard. ¡°I¡¯ll go and call him, and Brother Xiao Lu is also here today. I have also ordered many other dishes.¡± ¡°Good, let¡¯s eat together.¡± Dr. Hu was the first to get at the table, picked up his chopsticks and started eating chicken. Mrs. Qin and Qin Zhuopu took their seats quietly, not in a hurry to move their chopsticks. When Elder Xu brought Ji Xiaofeng and Lu Ying over, Ji Xiaofeng smiled and sat next to Dr. Hu: ¡°A whole chicken feast! I haven¡¯t eaten it for a long time either. Lu Ying, try it. The chicken made by the Shen family tastes especially good.¡± Lu Ying dared not eat Dr. Hu¡¯s chicken and obediently reached out his chopsticks to pick up other dishes. He had finally calmed down in the backyard and was already at peace with sharing the table with the ¡®people from the past¡¯. In short, nothing in the world was as important as Zaizai. He was burying his head in his food when suddenly a large chicken leg fell into his bowl. Lu Ying hastily looked up: ¡°Thanks¡­ thank you¡­ you¡­ ¡° Advertisements Qin Zhuopu used his chopsticks to pick up a chicken wing and put it into Lu Ying¡¯s large bowl as well, ¡°Try it.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Lu Ying held up the bowl, trying to hide his face. He was afraid he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold back a silly smile. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu surveyed the huge bowl. Well, at a glance, this basin-size bowl was specially prepared for Lu Ying with the knowledge of his food consumption. At this moment, Elder Xu also picked up the chicken and put it into Lu Ying¡¯s bowl: ¡°Brother Xiao Lu, don¡¯t be polite, eat more if you have a good appetite. I bought many dishes for you today. Seeing you eat is more enjoyable than anything else. Come, come, eat more.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too polite, Elder Xu, enough is enough¡­ Thank you!¡± Swish swish swish, Lu Ying¡¯s basin-like bowl of white rice was quickly filled with dishes from Elder Xu. Lu Ying couldn¡¯t resist, so he had to eat hard. Qin Zhuopu, who was holding up his chopsticks: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ji Xiaofeng huddled beside Dr. Hu, secretly shaking with laughter. Mrs. Qin¡­ had no appetite.jpg. ¡°Have you come to beg for a son?¡± Halfway through eating chicken, Dr. Hu opened his mouth to ask Mrs. Qin and her son, his serious gaze falling on Qin Zhuopu¡¯s face. Qin Zhuopu instantly glanced at Lu Ying. He felt inexplicably humiliated in front of his old lover. It was really unexpected to meet Lu Ying today. If he didn¡¯t know the details, he would really think that he, Qin Zhuopu, was suffering from an unspeakable disease called ¡®infertility¡¯. He might even think that even though the size was good, it didn¡¯t work properly. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m begging for a son for my son!¡± Mrs. Qin confirmed. Worthy of being a mother, screwing up her son like this. Qin Zhuopu sighed. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Ji Xiaofeng smothered a chuckle. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s face was expressionless as he put down his chopsticks. When he looked again, Lu Ying was still eating as if he hadn¡¯t heard anything happening around him. Really, he hadn¡¯t changed at all. He still loved to eat and was good at it. Even a heavenly emperor would not be able to attract Lu Ying¡¯s attention when he was eating. Dr. Hu smiled and said lazily, ¡°You¡¯ve taken good care of yourself and are in good health.¡± Qin Zhuopu thanked him politely. This expert was capable, diagnosing him across the table of dishes. Mrs. Qin was excited. ¡°Really? Great! In fact, after many examinations in the hospital, the doctor also said that he was in good health. It¡¯s just that there is a difficulty with a child¡­ please take another look, Doctor Hu.¡± Dr. Hu glanced at his lover who was gloating next to him, and then at Lu Ying who was burying his head in his food. ¡°Why do you have to come such a long way to beg for a son?¡± Dr. Hu shook his head. Mrs. Qin was sad: ¡°There¡¯s really nothing else I can do.¡± Qin Zhuopu stared warily, feeling that there was something in Dr. Hu¡¯s words. ¡°I see your son¡¯s face, his life will be rich and prosperous, with many children and grandchildren.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Mrs. Qin half-stood up in joy, ¡°Is that true?¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s face was black. ¡°But when will my son have a child? He¡¯s not young anymore.¡± Mrs. Qin pressed on, not caring about face or reputation. She just wanted an answer. Doctor Hu chuckled, ¡°Mrs. Qin¡¯s question is funny.¡± ¡°Funny?¡± Mrs. Qin was confused. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Dr. Hu laughed out loud. Ji Xiaofeng secretly pinched his thigh, warning him to shut up. Lu Ying finally abandoned his bowl and looked up at Dr. Hu in a daze, his gaze flustered. ¡°Your son is clearly about to go to primary school.¡± CH 18 ¡°Your son is clearly about to go to primary school.¡± Everyone at the table froze in unison. Lu Ying¡¯s chopsticks fell straight to the floor as he looked dumbfounded. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mrs. Qin got up abruptly. Qin Zhuopu felt no fluctuations in his heart and even wanted to laugh a little. He had brought so many bodyguards here because he thought he would have to teach the fraudster a lesson, but when he saw that Lu Ying was Dr. Hu¡¯s friend, he dismissed the idea of violence. Dr. Hu sneered and pointed at Lu Ying, ¡°Isn¡¯t Lu Ying¡¯s little brat your son?¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s expression changed slightly, and the corners of his mouth couldn¡¯t help but curl up when he glanced at the emotional Lu Ying. At last, Dr. Hu had said something human. Lu Ying sat in his chair in a daze, as if losing his soul, not daring to look up at anyone. He was so angry inside that he wanted to grab Dr. Hu by the collar and scold him. Dr. Hu was so hateful, telling everyone about Zaizai¡¯s origin without any warning! He was not ready for it! Even if he was going to tell, he would have to tell Qin Zhuopu himself. And he had to talk to Zaizai first, so that Zaizai would willingly accept the existence of another father! Besides, he also had a selfish desire to have Mrs. Qin apologise for what happened back then! ¡°Doctor Hu, you¡­¡± Lu Ying was shivering with anger. Dr. Hu shrugged indifferently: ¡°Anyway, you will never forget your old lover, so why bother? Go back to your luxurious house, eat, drink and sleep until you wake up naturally every day. It¡¯s best not to come back to Qixia Town in the future.¡± ¡°Old fox, shut up!¡± Ji Xiaofeng slapped Dr. Hu¡¯s mouth. Dr. Hu jumped up and grabbed Ji Xiaofeng: ¡°Rebellious!¡± With a roar, he clutched Ji Xiaofeng¡¯s ears and twisted them. Ji Xiaofeng yelled, caught Dr. Hu¡¯s arm and twisted it, then stretched out his long leg and kicked at Dr. Hu¡¯s crotch. Dr. Hu dodged nimbly, grabbed Ji Xiaofeng¡¯s neck and dragged him to the back of the house. The two of them fought fiercely on the way, accompanied by the pitiful sounds of shattering furniture. Qin Zhuopu: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Are these two really a couple? Elder Xu chuckled: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Xiao Ji is feisty by nature, and Dr. Hu is playing along with him.¡± Qin Zhuopu: ¡°¡­¡­¡± What an insight. Lu Ying was not surprised to see this picture and actually had no inclination of thinking about anything else but Dr. Hu¡¯s thunderous words. His heart pounded and his palms sweated, and he was unable to calm down for a long time. His biggest secret was exposed in this way¡­ strange, why didn¡¯t Qin Zhuopu say anything, as if he was not curious at all? Finally unable to resist, Lu Ying looked at Qin Zhuopu, wide-eyed. Qin Zhuopu met his stare and smiled slightly. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was still strange. Lu Ying was confused. Moving her chair away, Mrs. Qin left her seat grimly, picked up her bag and glanced at her son, ¡°Are you leaving?¡± Qin Zhuopu shook his head, ¡°Mom, you go back by yourself first.¡± He was going to go with Lu Ying to pick up the child today and try to get the child to call him ¡¯Dad¡¯ as soon as possible. Mrs. Qin took a deep breath and stopped after two quick steps. She suddenly turned, and the bag in her hand slammed straight into Qin Zhuopu who was smiling at Lu Ying! Although the bag was small, it was hard enough. Like a brick, it flew mercilessly towards Qin Zhuopu. Qin Zhuopu was unsuspecting and had no time to react. Lu Ying¡¯s face changed. He grabbed the bag a moment before it hit Qin Zhuopu and threw it back at Mrs. Qin reflexively. It didn¡¯t hit anyone but only fell to Mrs. Qin¡¯s feet. ¡°Why are you hitting people?¡± Lu Ying was furious. She even wanted to hit her own son, did she really think his son would not be hurt? Is Mrs. Qin crazy? Advertisements Mrs. Qin seemed to have been bitten by a poisonous snake. She couldn¡¯t hold her posture of a noble lady anymore. She pointed her finger at Lu Ying¡¯s nose and yelled, ¡°Lu Ying, you are so impressive! Calling you a vixen is an insult to vixens! To make Zhuopu acknowledge your son is a fool¡¯s dream! Your scoundrel friends are so bold, trying to fool me when they see my weakness. I may be old, but I¡¯m not stupid! Your son will always be your son, don¡¯t even think about having anything to do with the Qin family!¡± Looking at the hysterical Mrs. Qin, Lu Ying was dumbfounded. He understood every word she said, but together they were incomprehensible. Mrs. Qin scolded him as a vixen¡­ he could not be angry. He was caught off guard when faced with Dr. Hu¡¯s abrupt revelation, and his mind was preoccupied with how to explain the existence of Zaizai to the Qin family as well as to confess his special physique. Panicked as he was, he also felt a sense of relief that this day had finally come. Besides, after all these years down the mountain, it was difficult for him to avoid mundane things. He was not immune to the fact that the Qin family was financially well off and that Zaizai could experience a better future and be cared for by more family members. Had he known about Zaizai in the first place, he would never have left rashly. He believed that even if Mrs. Qin did not like him, she would have liked the child. After all, Mrs. Qin was very kind-hearted, doing charity work all year round and sponsoring many, many poor children. Then with her own grandson, it didn¡¯t make sense that she would hate the child just because she hated the adult. Wrong. Mrs. Qin really hated him to the extreme. ¡°Lu Ying¡¯s son is my son.¡± Qin Zhuopu interrupted Mrs. Qin. ¡°The person who wants to be with Lu Ying is me, not you. I will treat this child as my own. Mom, he doesn¡¯t need to be surnamed Qin and it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t accept him. He can just acknowledge me, he doesn¡¯t need to acknowledge you as his grandmother.¡± Qin Zhuopu made light of the situation, bent down to pick up his mother¡¯s bag and patted it, handing it over, ¡°Once when I was a child, I disobeyed and pissed off my father. He took a coat hanger and tried to beat me. You said that you¡¯d divorce him if he dared to hit the child.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± How could she even remember that? Mrs. Qin was in a daze. Qin Zhuopu laughed softly, ¡°Are you trying to smash my head in today? You do so many good deeds, how come you can¡¯t tolerate the child I like?¡± The small bag, you would only know how heavy it was when you held it. If Lu Ying hadn¡¯t stopped it, there probably would have been blood. ¡°The person who should see the doctor is you.¡± Qin Zhuopu seriously decided that he would send his mother to the capital later so that his grandmother could properly educate her, and in the meantime, have a Chinese medicine doctor nurse his mother¡¯s body. Mrs. Qin sobbed as she clutched her chest, ¡°You¡¯re trying to piss me off! Are you a fool? As soon as he left you, he went back to the mountains to find a woman and had a son. Now he¡¯s living in poverty and you want to stick to him as soon as you show up! What do you see in such a man? What is it about him that makes him so worthy of you and your willingness to become a father? What is more shameless than to find friends to fool me? I¡¯m crazy about a grandchild, yes. If I was willing to adopt, there would be more grandchildren than stars. But I¡¯m telling you, I don¡¯t want to!¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to.¡± Lu Ying finally answered. Compared to the excited Mrs. Qin, he was now very calm. So, this was the beautiful thing that he had been dreaming about for many years. He finally waited until the day he faced it, but not only was it far from the fantasy, even his face was black. No wonder others blamed him for being naive; he shouldn¡¯t have been¡­ coveting beauty. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s face was cold. Advertisements Mrs. Qin picked up her bag, took a deep breath, and finally sneered at Lu Ying: ¡°No matter how stupid and infatuated my son is, I won¡¯t let you into the Qin family, let alone your son. Your scoundrel friends are so bold. If you have the ability, turn into a woman and give birth to Zhuopu¡¯s child! As long as you dare to give birth to it, I dare to promise that my personal assets that are no less than my son¡¯s will all be given to you! Just in case you can¡¯t afford bringing it up.¡± ¡°Crap! Lu Ying, quickly thank the lady for her kindness! It¡¯s at least tens of billions! You¡¯re going to be rich, little brother!¡± Ji Xiaofeng, who had jumped out of nowhere at some point, applauded, ¡°When you¡¯re rich, don¡¯t forget us, ah, little piggy Lu!¡± The look in Mrs. Qin¡¯s eyes was devoid of laughter. Lu Ying was simply exasperated, glaring at Ji Xiaofeng with bulging eyes and softly muttering: ¡°What¡¯s the big deal, isn¡¯t it just selling sanitary napkins? Where can so much money come from, it¡¯s just bragging¡­¡± ¡°Pfft, hahaha¡­¡± Ji Xiaofeng, who had heard that, leaned back and laughed. Dr. Hu smiled and smoked, standing with his arms crossed, mockingly looking at Mrs. Qin who had lost her composure. The only problem was that such a handsome man now has blood marks all over his neck, as if he had been scratched by some sharp claws. ¡°This is ridiculous.¡± Seeing Ji Xiaofeng, this little punk, and Dr. Hu, Mrs. Qin was enraged. She had seen how sharp-tongued Ji Xiaofeng could be before, and compared to Lu Ying, who was very afraid of her, Ji Xiaofeng had angered her so many times that she wanted to hit him. Sure enough, they were not good people. Elder Xu looked at the expressionless Lu Ying with pity, shaking his head and sighing. Mrs. Qin went around begging for a son and then missed out so much when she did get one. What an injustice. Sooner or later there would be a day to cry. He watched Brother Xiao Lu grow up, the softest tempered of all the children, happy all day when he had enough to eat and drink. Everyone loved him and liked to tease him. As a boy, he might not be as fierce as Brother Ji, but it didn¡¯t mean he had no temper. ¡°My son¡¯s surname will always be Lu. He has nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°Lu Ying!¡± Qin Zhuopu approached. Lu Ying stopped paying attention to people and went out to get on the electric moped to leave. Ji Xiaofeng huffed and walked past Mrs. Qin, grabbed the front of the moped and asked, ¡°Why are you leaving like this? What about the medicine?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take Zaizai with me next time. I¡¯m going to be late for work now.¡± ¡°Tsk, what are you afraid of, it¡¯s not like Brother Yang will say anything. He likes you the most.¡± ¡°All the more reason for me to avoid being lazy then. Bye.¡± Starting the moped, Lu Ying took off. ¡°Bye.¡± Qin Zhuopu walked out, called his assistant and then turned his head to look at his angry mother, saying in a low voice, ¡°Mom, are you happy to have turned into the kind of old woman you hate the most?¡± Mrs. Qin¡¯s pupils shrank. Qin Zhuopu walked out of Qiushan Street without looking back. ¡°Follow him, and be careful not to knock him.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The driver drove carefully. On the road, a black car drove slowly, and not far ahead of it on the right there was an electric moped running. It was old and dusty and looked particularly shabby. The rider on the seat was dressed in black working uniform made of a good quality fabric and well-cut, tailored to make him look like a slender tree. Qin Zhuopu wanted to grab him around the waist and take him into his arms, to rub his dark hair and listen to his happy laughter. All the way to the destination, the moped rider never looked back. CH 19 After locking the moped, Lu Ying dashed into the bakery. ¡°Caught up at the last minute! Almost late.¡± ¡°What did Brother Xiao Lu have for lunch?¡± ¡°Ooh, the whole shop shines when Brother Xiao Lu comes in.¡± ¡°Xiao Lu is definitely the prettiest boy in our shop!¡± ¡°Boss Yang must be a face-con.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± There was a great atmosphere among the colleagues, and Lu Ying, a newcomer, adapted particularly quickly after he joined. He quickly put on his apron and got into working mode. The female customers who were picking out their desserts couldn¡¯t help but look away regretfully. Really, eating bread and cakes every day, how is it possible to lose weight in front of so many handsome men? Woo, but it smells good. ¡°Welcome.¡± Qin Zhuopu stepped into the bakery and was greeted by a female clerk who smiled outwardly and screamed in her heart: what a handsome guy! Several young female customers in the shop also looked at Qin Zhuopu in unison. ¡°What would you like to order, sir?¡± Qin Zhuopu looked up and looked around, but did not find a familiar figure, so he glanced at the shop¡¯s products that smelled deliciously. He didn¡¯t eat well at noon and was hungry. ¡°I¡¯ll help myself.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Qin Zhuopu took the tray and slowly weaved his way through the wide, bright shop. So many delicious looking snacks; he wondered if there were any of Lu Ying¡¯s creations. He finally chose three types of bread, ordered a drink and sat down quietly by the glass window. From this angle, he could see part of the workroom and occasionally could have a look at Lu Ying¡¯s busy figure. In the afternoon, when Brother Yang was not in the shop, Lu Ying had been practising frying meat floss, which he had been taught to make hand in hand by Brother Yang. He would be fully responsible for the daily consumption of meat floss in the entire store for two more days. These products were very popular, and the workload was naturally very large. He could see that Brother Yang couldn¡¯t wait for him to take charge of the whole shop operation on his own. Brother Yang himself probably had taken up another hobby -_-||. ¡°Senior Brother, I didn¡¯t expect it to be you but I was really right.¡± Qin Zhuopu was enjoying the snacks. He was not usually a big fan of snacks but he was pleasantly surprised. Without any nefarious thoughts he could say that this was one of the most satisfying foods he had ever eaten. If it weren¡¯t for Lu Ying working here, the town¡¯s unknown bakery wouldn¡¯t even have caught his eye. Qixia Town was, indeed, a place of outstanding people. He was silently nodding his approval when a familiar figure suddenly appeared at the table; Yu Yourong. Qin Zhuopu felt somewhat disappointed and said politely, ¡°Junior Brother, what are you doing here?¡± Yu Yourong smiled, ¡°I wanted to ask you the same. You, the big boss, would actually have time to eat bread in Qixia Town. I thought you were very busy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s rare to have free time, I happened to pass by.¡± Qin Zhuopu said indifferently. Yu Yourong took a seat opposite him and spoke eloquently, ¡°Then you are really lucky. This bakery is very impressive. I have been back in China for more than two months and have visited several cities, but only this bakery has kept me coming back. I can¡¯t say how authentic it is, after all, the tastes of Chinese people are different from those of foreigners and people don¡¯t necessarily love authentic European food. Boss Yang¡¯s technique is very delicate, and he is also very knowledgeable personally. He has a unique insight into baking. He is a great gourmet. Almost every dish is new and refreshing. Hey, blame me for being greedy and uncontrollable, but I can¡¯t help it, I¡¯ve gained a lot of weight since I came back. My mother is even worse, she gained over ten pounds. There is so much delicious food in China. Senior Brother, you should bring some snacks back to Auntie to try.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Qin Zhuopu tilted his head and subconsciously looked at the glass partition to the side. The figures inside were all in the same uniform, but as long as he looked closely, he could occasionally catch a glimpse of the familiar, swiftly moving figure. Yu Yourong followed his line of sight and smiled gently: ¡°Is Senior Brother here to hunt for beauty? I must say, this shop has both amazing food and amazing beauties. No one would want to leave after coming here.¡± ¡°Add a cup of coffee for me.¡± Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t answer and called out for the waitress. The female employee came up to serve the coffee and quickly refilled it, ¡°Guests, enjoy your meal.¡± Back in the work area, the female employee couldn¡¯t help but gossip immediately: ¡°That Mr. Yu is here again, tsk tsk, I¡¯ve only learned today that he speaks Chinese very well. I thought he couldn¡¯t speak Chinese before, every time he came, he was all English.¡± ¡°He can speak Chinese?¡± Suddenly a male employee asked curiously. Through the glass, it was difficult for them to hear the sounds outside. ¡°Speaks standard Mandarin to his friend.¡± The girl shrugged. ¡°Damn it, every time he comes in, he¡¯s always blathering on and on, buying things and dragging the boss into a half-day conversation, as if he were a foreign dignitary.¡± ¡°Even foreign teachers from the university come over to buy food and speak Chinese, although awkwardly.¡± Lu Ying was busy kneading the dough, hearing their conversation but having no time to pay attention to it. Although he was new here, he was very impressed with that customer. Lu Ying had met him on his second day in the bakery and the man had become the first ¡®English-speaking customer¡¯ he received. The staff in the shop were young and with low-to-moderate education, so they could cope with some simple English. Usually the foreigners who came here spoke half English and half Chinese, or simply Chinese. There was no need for complicated communication when buying something and if you really encountered something that was not easy to deal with, Boss Yang had to go out. Mr. Yu was always received by Brother Yang every time he came, unless Brother Yang was not there. The day after Lu Ying started working, Brother Yang was out, and Mr. Yu came to buy something and chatted with the front desk clerk. Lu Ying watched his colleague stammer more and more until in the end he was almost at a loss. He hurriedly walked out to support his colleague and then babbled for half a day. Although Mr. Yu was good-looking, Lu Ying didn¡¯t really like him. He stared at Lu Ying¡¯s face and butt for a long time and then said, ¡°What a pity¡­¡± Advertisements What a pity what? Shifty-eyed guy! Inexplicable! Of course Lu Ying didn¡¯t like it. ¡°Brother Xiao Lu~~ Will you go to entertain him later?¡± The female employee¡¯s name was Fei Qiqi, but everyone called her Feifei, and she was just terrified of dealing with such foreigners, especially the talkative ones. That guest originally seemed to be so good-looking and to have such a good temperament but now she was afraid instead of being enamoured. Lu Ying raised his hands covered with white flour, ¡°Since you hear that he can speak Mandarin, you should speak Mandarin to him. I¡¯m still busy here. He¡¯s chatting with his friend and probably won¡¯t have time to talk to us. Just relax for now, and if he calls someone, I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°En en en, thank you, Brother Xiao Lu! It¡¯s great that Brother Xiao Lu is here, we school dregs won¡¯t panic when the boss isn¡¯t here, haha.¡± Fei Qiqi joked optimistically. Everyone nodded in unison. ¡°Forget it, I originally recalled some English I learned at school and forced myself to pick it up again after coming to work in the shop, but I still can¡¯t speak it smoothly.¡± A male colleague shook his head and sighed. ¡°There is no such thing as too many skills, ah.¡± Lu Ying said modestly, ¡°I am just an amateur¡­¡± The first time he came into contact with English was when he went to the United States with Qin Zhuopu, who took him along when he went on a business trip. After arriving, Qin Zhuopu was too busy to take Lu Ying to play. At that time, Lu Ying was too bold and playful. He left his bodyguards behind and wandered around alone, and then he couldn¡¯t find his hotel. In the end, he was taken back from the police uncle by Qing Zhuopu. Lu Ying felt ashamed and angry and blamed Qin Zhuopu for bringing him to a place full of foreigners¡¯ nonsense. The next day he had to go to play with his bodyguards. As he had fun, he learnt to communicate in simple English and soon was able to get in and out alone without any panic. He was praised by Qin Zhuopu for his intelligence and his talent for languages. Lu Ying was so proud of himself that he asked a professional teacher to teach him for a while, not for long, just for three months. Later, he picked it up again and took it seriously when Zaizai started kindergarten. Most of the children¡¯s parents had graduated from university, or at least from high school. What about him? As a parent at the same stage, he had nothing on any of them. Zaizai loved to listen to picture book stories and some parents were keen to recommend many children¡¯s picture books to him. Among them English picture books made up a large portion. Lu Ying suddenly realised that learning English was useful. Later, in the parents¡¯ open class, the English he had learnt came in handy and he didn¡¯t embarrass his child! ¡°Oops, Mr. Yu is calling someone!¡± The female colleague hurriedly urged. Lu Ying quickly took off his gloves and walked out, all neat. When he saw the guest at the same table as Mr. Yu, his steps paused slightly. ¡°It seems your boss is not in the shop again.¡± Seeing Lu Ying, Yu Yourong couldn¡¯t resist teasing him, speaking in American English. ¡°May I ask what the two gentlemen want?¡± ¡°Hey, handsome, when will you be able to introduce new products? I came today expecting to try a new product, but I was a bit disappointed. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be free to come next time. Your shop is great, but unfortunately the location is too remote, really far from the city centre and it¡¯s a waste of time to drive here. Has Boss Yang considered opening a branch in the city? I think that¡¯s a good suggestion.¡± Yu Yourong fired a long passage, full of both praise and derogation. ¡°Thank you, sir, for your visit and recognition. I am not aware of the boss¡¯s planned arrangements, and there is no news of opening a branch at the moment. As for the new products, they won¡¯t be available until next Monday, so stay tuned.¡± The corners of Qin Zhuopu¡¯s mouth lifted slightly as he listened to the familiar voice. Advertisements Yu Yourong was suddenly quiet and purposely tilted his head to look squarely at Lu Ying, ¡°Handsome, you don¡¯t seem to be smiling at me today?¡± Lu smiles.jpg. ¡°¡­a plastic smile, am I saying it correctly?¡± Yu Yourong chuckled, staring playfully at Lu Ying, paying particular attention to his waist and buttocks. His smile was somewhat frozen. It was nice to be young! ¡°There¡¯s no such expression in Chinese, the combination is wrong.¡± Lu Ying spoke in Mandarin. Yu Yourong twirled the rose gold spoon in his cup, ¡°The customer is God, is there such an expression in Chinese?¡± Lu Ying was taken aback and said hesitantly, ¡°Our boss said that the staff are not allowed to be religious.¡± Yu Yourong¡¯s smile turned cold. Qin Zhuopu had a warm smile on his face; his gaze fell on Lu Ying, who was slightly wilting, and he said in a low voice: ¡°Lu Ying, you have made a lot of progress in English. Let me introduce you. This is my junior schoolmate, Yu Yourong. I just happened to run into him today.¡± Yu Yourong suddenly looked at Qin Zhuopu; did he actually know this waiter? ¡°Junior Brother, this is Lu Ying, my lover.¡± Lu Ying rolled his eyes, ¡°It¡¯s an ex-lover.¡± *** Mini-theatre: Zaizai: What should I call you? Mr. Qin: Dad. Lu Ying: Uncle! Mr. Qin: Call me Daddy! Lu Ying: No, call Uncle! Mr. Qin: ¡­¡­ Mini-theatre-2: Lu Ying: Mr. Qin! I¡¯ll buy you some noodles! Mr. Qin: Don¡¯t call me Mr. Qin, call me by my name. Lu Ying: Your name is so awkward, can I call you Uncle? Mr. Qin (with blue veins): I¡¯m only a few years older than you. Lu Ying: Brother Qin! Mr. Qin: ¡­do you want to eat a lollipop? Lu Ying: Yes. Mr. Qin: Come on, call me Qin-gege. Lu Ying: o(*////¨Œ////*) Sounds like Brother Love~ Mr. Qin: The person who is dirty sees dirty! Lu Ying: ¡­then don¡¯t take off my clothes! CH 20 The metal spoon in Yu Yourong¡¯s hand scratched the cup with an ear-piercing sound. He couldn¡¯t hide his surprise as he looked at Qin Zhuopu and Lu Ying, finally taking a deep breath and demonstrating a decent smile, ¡°So, Senior Brother is really here on a hunt?¡± ¡°I told you, he¡¯s my lover.¡± Lu Ying snorted, raised his foot to kick Qin Zhuopu but in the end held back. He was afraid of breaking him something, after all, the big boss was very delicate. Yu Yourong looked ugly and resentful, taking his cup and squeezing it in his hands, smiling a fake smile, ¡°Lover? I don¡¯t think he¡¯s too happy about it. Look at him, he keeps rolling his eyes at you. I don¡¯t think Senior Brother is going to force him, right?¡± The corners of Qin Zhuopu¡¯s mouth twitched as he helplessly faced Lu Ying¡¯s wildly rolling eyes. This look of disgust didn¡¯t give him any face at all. Shedding all pretence of cordiality like this¡­ It was really a long way to go. ¡°This is a private matter between me and him, so be careful what you say, Junior Brother.¡± Yu Yourong snorted, crossed his legs and grinned, ¡°At least I¡¯m your first love.¡± Lu Ying looked away blankly, turned and left. ¡°Wait, I haven¡¯t finished speaking yet.¡± Yu Yourong called out to stop Lu Ying. Lu Ying turned around and pointed at himself, ¡°Are you calling me?¡± ¡°Of course you, you are a shop assistant, right?¡± Lu Ying smiled lightly, ¡°If the two gentlemen need anything, just let me know.¡± Yu Yourong looked at him, ¡°Since Senior Brother said you were his lover, I need to reintroduce myself. It¡¯s good to become friends since we have such a connection.¡± ¡°No need. I am not his lover, nor am I his friend. If you don¡¯t order anything, I have other work to attend to, sorry.¡± Lu Ying left quickly, unhappiness written all over his body. Yu Yourong¡¯s gaze was a little cold; Qin Zhuopu called that waiter his lover and was very insistent even after being rejected. Might it be that these two were having a falling out? A lovers¡¯ spat, there was a sour smell of awkwardness. Had Qin Zhuopu changed so much or¡­ did his attitude vary from person to person? Turning the rose gold spoon in his hand, Yu Yourong could barely control the strength of his movements. When he looked at Qin Zhuopu¡¯s soulful expression, his heart was even more on fire. This was the man Yu Yourong had tried so hard to pursue at the beginning. He finally caught up with Qin Zhuopu but was broken up with before he could taste victory. Less than in half a month! For such a silly reason as hugging and kissing a girl at a party. What did this dog man say back then? An eyesore!!! An eyesore? Qin Zhuopu was obviously the one with the problem with his eyes! He promised Yu Yourong to try dating, but then he didn¡¯t go to any parties with him, and even told him that he should be careful with his friendships. Why? What was the point of wasting your time on studying and writing papers every day at such a young age? Yu Yourong didn¡¯t know which one of the bastards at the party took a picture of him and the girl kissing and sent it to Qin Zhuopu. But Qin Zhuopu broke up with him without giving him a chance. What else could one do at a party if not to have a good time, drink, get out of control and kiss and hug cute girls? He didn¡¯t even cheat! That was the only experience Yu Yourong had ever had of being dumped. He was so high-profile when he was chasing Qin Zhuopu that he was ridiculed in his circle of friends for a long time after he was suddenly dumped. There was no greater black spot in his life than this. What was even more hateful was that only after Qin Zhuopu¡¯s early graduation and return to China did Yu Yourong inadvertently heard about the Qin family from his mother, who scolded him and even called him ¡®naughty¡¯. She said that the Qin family would never tolerate a lover who was too frivolous and that Qin Zhuopu was a very conservative and traditional kind of man. Yu Yourong scoffed at the time, ¡°What traditions, he¡¯s just a hypocrite!¡± But now Yu Yourong had had enough of playing. He was over thirty, he wanted to calm down and even had thoughts of marriage. After his mother and Mrs. Qin rekindled their old friendship, that idea became stronger. Qin Zhuopu was excellent in all aspects and had actually remained single. Yu Yourong would feel he¡¯d wronged himself if he didn¡¯t get back what he had missed back then. Yet when he actually met Qin Zhuopu face to face and felt more enthusiastic than ever, ready to make the other man kneel in front of him, Qin Zhupu was as indifferent as if they hadn¡¯t known each other, as if Yu Yourong was just an ordinary schoolmate. So what? If Yu Yourong could catch him once, he could catch him a second time! Yu Yourong was unwilling to reconcile. This young lover of Qin Zhuopu¡¯s had a good face and a good body, and was certainly still very young. And Yu Yourong had decided on a long-term domestic development and not only his relationship slot needed to be filled, he also needed strong backing for his career and artistic dreams. He and his mom were going to do better and better, making every bastard and scumbag at home green with envy! The plan couldn¡¯t keep up with the changes. Qin Zhuopu suddenly got up and walked out with his mobile phone to make a call. Yu Yourong smiled, walked to the front desk and asked Fei Qiqi, ¡°How come your shop doesn¡¯t have a complaint system? How should customers complain about the staff?¡± Fei Qiqi was confused and said dryly, ¡°In our shop you can only go to the shop manager to complain in person.¡± ¡°Where is the shop manager?¡± ¡°The shop manager is our boss, he¡¯s out.¡± She hurriedly added, ¡°He might not even come over for a few days. The bakery is just a side business for the boss.¡± Go away now, and better not come again! ¡°Thank you, I see.¡± Yu Yourong returned to his seat, his mood relaxing considerably. Qin Zhuopu came back not long afterwards, once again picking up the tray and choosing food, delivering to the counter one plate by another as Fei Qiqi kept asking him, ¡°Sir, do you want all of these? Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes. What about your membership card?¡± ¡°You can apply for a membership card if you spend a hundred yuan or more at once. The current event is to recharge one hundred and get one free Black Eyed Peas(1), recharge three hundred and get thirty extra, recharge six hundred and get one free¡­ In addition, members have a free eight-inch birthday cake on their birthday¡­¡± ¡°Get me one.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lu Ying went into the workroom and never came out, lowering his head and sullenly kneading the dough, smack, smack, smack. He was very energetic. He seemed to be addicted to it, and the colleagues next to him couldn¡¯t help but stay far away from him. Ah, the grumpy Brother Xiao Lu was so scary! It was as if he was beating someone up. Time passed unnoticed. Fei Qiqi suddenly rushed in: ¡°Oh my god, they¡¯re all sold out! Oh, can we get off work early today? I want to tell the boss the good news!¡± ¡°What¡¯s all sold out?¡± ¡°Everything in the shop is sold out in one fell swoop! It¡¯s that friend of Mr. Yu¡¯s¡­¡± Fei Qiqi looked at Lu Ying a little cautiously; she¡¯d heard some gossip about Brother Lu¡­ she was quite worried. Lu Ying finally stopped kneading the dough and looked back at the world beyond the glass partition, just to meet a pair of familiar eyes. His heart felt complicated. He didn¡¯t know what to do, so he continued to knead the dough, smack, smack, smack smack¡­ ¡°Mr. Qin, it¡¯s all loaded.¡± The driver respectfully informed Qin Zhuopu. He didn¡¯t know what happy event his boss had encountered today but he just suddenly asked him to drive over in a car with a lot of space. It turned out that he had bought the entire bakery of food and instructed him to take it back for everyone to taste. The driver had just eaten a small bun, it smelled so good! Qin Zhuopu nodded, ¡°You go first.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ah ah ah, so happy! The boss said we can go home early!¡± In the workroom, Fei Qiqi hopped around excitedly with her phone held up. Darting off to change her clothes, she thought that since she was free, she could go on a date with her boyfriend tonight. ¡°Great!¡± ¡°The boss is good.¡± Everyone hurriedly prepared to get off work. ¡°Brother Xiao Lu, why aren¡¯t you moving?¡± Lu Ying chuckled: ¡°If you all leave, who will clean up the mess? Come on, you guys go, I¡¯ll clean up alone. Besides, the bread I¡¯m making has not fermented yet.¡± ¡°So, we¡¯re leaving then?¡± Fei Qiqi was a little embarrassed. ¡°Go, go, your make-up is smudged.¡± ¡°Damn!¡± The entire shop was quickly emptied of staff. Yu Yourong looked at the empty shop feeling his heart constricting in his chest. ¡°Qin Zhuopu, you¡¯re not leaving?¡± Yu Yourong squeezed out a smile. Senior Brother, huh? Won¡¯t call him that anymore, the subtle approach doesn¡¯t suit him. Qin Zhuopu, who was standing aside admiring the green plants, said indifferently, ¡°You should go first, Junior Brother.¡± Yu Yourong rose abruptly, his chair rattling. He couldn¡¯t contain his sarcasm: ¡°Just a game for the rich.¡± Come for the fun, return in defeat. The shop was completely quiet. Qin Zhuopu had expected Lu Ying to leave work early, but at the moment it didn¡¯t matter. He stayed quietly where he was and felt that even the air smelled good. He quietly put up a ¡®shop closed¡¯ sign on the door. Lu Ying, who noticed the sign on the door, sighed and continued to fight with the dough. He was busy until five o¡¯clock and left work on time. Usually one or two people would be left in the shop until ten o¡¯clock in the evening, although basically they were sold out at around nine o¡¯clock. But Brother Yang made a point of looking after him and only gave him day shifts for now. Lu Ying was going to make up for it during the winter holidays. Kindergarten was closing at 4:50 and there was also an hour and a half of evening classes, in consideration for working parents. If you exceeded the later time period, you had to ask the teacher separately, and it would cost five yuan for an extra hour, which was quite humane. Changing out of his work clothes, Lu Ying put on a mid-length black cotton coat and walked out of the shop. ¡°Lu Ying, I¡¯ll go with you to pick up the child.¡± Speaking of the child, Qin Zhuopu was in a complicated mood; after all, that was Lu Ying¡¯s own child. Lu Ying pursed his lips and looked at Qin Zhuopu who popped up next to him, ¡°No need.¡± Qin Zhuopu sighed, ¡°We need to sit down and have a good talk. Let¡¯s go pick up the child first. It¡¯s quicker and safer to go in my car. It¡¯s cold at night, don¡¯t catch a cold.¡± Lu Ying inserted the moped key and sat down firmly on his butt: ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you.¡± ¡°I came to Qixia Town just to see you.¡± So what? Seeing each other again was not the least bit as happy as Lu Ying had expected. The wait was probably too long and the outcome deviated from expectations. The argument had easily dispelled his thirsty thoughts and forced him to recognise the truth. Who wouldn¡¯t want to dream a beautiful dream? It doesn¡¯t always come true, but holding on to that vision of something good makes every night fulfilling and restful. ¡°Just pretend you weren¡¯t here. I¡¯ll pretend you weren¡¯t here either.¡± CH 21 Late at night, at the hotel, Qin Zhuopu was busy tapping on the keyboard. His assistant, standing next to him, said, ¡°There will be snow tomorrow. Where is Mr. Qin going?¡± Qin Zhuopu stopped typing, ¡°It¡¯s snowing?¡± ¡°Yes, heavy snow.¡± Qin Zhuopu leaned back, pulled out a cigarette and lit it. ¡°Stupid, you should have thrown the paternity test in her face and let her see for herself who¡¯s true and who¡¯s false.¡± On Qixia Mountain, in the warm house, Ji Xiaofeng sat with his legs crossed and nibbled on melon seeds, constantly talking to Lu Ying. Zaizai was asleep on the wooden couch in the living room, making soft snoring noises. Dr. Hu sat next to Ji Xiaofeng, quietly reading a book. Lu Ying said in a low voice, ¡°I used to think that one day, if I had the chance to meet him again, I would confess. I never thought it would end up like this¡­ Mrs. Qin even said such things. There¡¯s no point.¡± Ji Xiaofeng, of course, understood Lu Ying and sighed, ¡°Idiot, who wants you to talk about true feelings, you should look at the money. Let her willingly give you all her assets and you can have as much fun as you want with the money. Zaizai has multiple cash cards, and you¡¯re his father, how cool. A few decades later, Mrs. Qin dies, Qin Zhuopu dies, the Qin family will be Zaizai¡¯¡­ my goodness, it¡¯s so cool!¡± Lu Ying didn¡¯t know whether to cry or to laugh, muttering, ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Ji Xiaofeng hated iron for not being made of steel, ¡°Tens of billions, tens of billions! Are you stupid?!¡± Lu Ying chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t help her brag, there¡¯s no such thing as that much money.¡± Dr. Hu spoke out at this time, ¡°You don¡¯t really think their family sells sanitary napkins, do you?¡± ¡°Well¡­ they also sell houses, and I think there is food and cosmetics.¡± Lu Ying recalled that he had actually met Qin Zhuopu on the construction site. Dr. Hu laughed: ¡°You can look up Guanhai Group online. It belongs to the Qin family. Qin Zhuopu has no less private property under his name and he has developed a lot of projects. As for Mrs. Qin personally, ten billion is really not bragging. So you do the maths, how big is this huge sum of money? You¡¯ve lost too much by getting emotional.¡± ¡°Actually so rich?¡± Lu Ying¡¯s mouth opened wide. ¡°Regret it, right? It¡¯s not too late to regret. In short, you want money, not people.¡± Ji Xiaofeng encouraged. ¡°Our Zaizai¡¯s surname is Lu, going by the name of Qin for money isn¡¯t the way to go.¡± ¡°Tsk, really spineless.¡± Ji Xiaofeng rolled his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me, I¡¯m here today to buy medicine.¡± ¡°Fart. I¡¯ll call you stupid pig from now on.¡± Dr. Hu said, ¡°A bottle of ten pills, 50,000 yuan. This is already a price for a friend, if it were anyone else, you wouldn¡¯t be able to buy it without 180,000 yuan.¡± ¡°Thank you, Dr. Hu.¡± Lu Ying was happy and pained. He took out a card and handed it over, ¡°It¡¯s exactly 50,000, and the password is Brother Ji¡¯s birthday.¡± In the end he couldn¡¯t help adding another sentence, ¡°This medicine is for Zaizai, if you don¡¯t sell it to me, no one will buy it¡­¡± Dr. Hu threw the card directly to Ji Xiaofeng, humming, ¡°Don¡¯t buy it if you dare.¡± ¡°Okay, I was wrong.¡± ¡°To remind you, now is the time for Zaizai to grow up. This medicine may last for a year or only for half a year.¡± ¡°En¡­¡± o(¨i©n¨i)o. Advertisements Ji Xiaofeng asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you and Grandpa Lu save a lot of yuling (spirit jade) grass before?¡± ¡°Before, I used to take the yuling grass to Dr. Hu to process it into Zaizai¡¯s medicine. But now that the stock is gone, I have to buy the finished medicine. The rest of the grass are just bits and pieces that won¡¯t be ready for eight or ten years.¡± Dr. Hu used to help with the processing of the herbs and only charged a small processing fee. Now that the herbs were gone and Zaizai¡¯s consumption was growing, Lu Ying was preparing for the worst. He expected to spend 100,000 a year on medicine, and his savings were going to cry. I hope Zaizai will grow up soon! Ji Xiaofeng rolled his eyes, raised his hand and threw the card back to him, ¡°Take it, count it as a gift from me to my godson.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do, Brother Ji, don¡¯t do that.¡± Lu Ying¡¯s attitude was serious. ¡°Take it if you¡¯re given it.¡± Ji Xiaofeng frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not spineless!¡± Lu Ying solemnly declared, then changed his words and smiled, ¡°When my savings are gone, you can lend me money again. Thank you, Brother Ji.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see how long you can last.¡± Ji Xiaofeng¡¯s mouth was merciless, but he sighed more and more. Little piggy Lu had really grown up. Would Grandpa Lu be more relieved or more distressed if he saw it? This night, Lu Ying and Zaizai stayed in the mountains. Lu Ying was up before four o¡¯clock. Brother Ji was up even earlier than him, playing games in a frenzy. Lu Ying made breakfast for the two of them to eat together, and then went out alone: ¡°Please take Zaizai to kindergarten today, and I¡¯ll pick him up in the evening.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will.¡± Ji Xiaofeng watched Lu Ying leave, turned around and went back to the house to see that his godson was still sleeping soundly. Then he gently opened the door to the other room. On the antique wooden bed, Dr. Hu was still sleeping, so Ji Xiaofeng pounced on him, ¡°Lao Hu, are you hiding something from me? Tell me quickly!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, go and play by yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to go, something must be not right with you! Yesterday not only Lu Ying was shocked, I was also shocked. Why did you suddenly tell everyone about Zaizai¡¯s origin for no good reason? And when you met Qin Zhuopu, you didn¡¯t check his pulse or take a look at his hexagram, you just said he was healthy. You didn¡¯t used to be like this, you old liar, shame on you!¡± Dr. Hu grunted with his eyes closed, ¡°You reminded me, I forgot to collect the consultation fee!¡± Ji Xiaofeng shook him, ¡°Get up! Why do I feel there¡¯s something wrong with him? That little bit you taught me, I don¡¯t understand what to do with it.¡± Dr. Hu finally opened his eyes and comforted offhandedly, ¡°If you don¡¯t understand, I wonder if you¡¯re a pig or Lu Ying is a pig, huh?¡± ¡°Fuck you! Pigs are smart!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Baby Ji is the dumbest boy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Qixia Town was dark at four o¡¯clock. As Lu Ying came down from the mountain, snow began to drift from the sky overhead. He was afraid it would be snow shovelling again; the last few days of work didn¡¯t look good. There was a lot of snow this year. He had to go home to change into his work clothes before going to work. The entrance to the still-built community was empty, with only the dim light from two street lamps on the side of the road. After changing his clothes, Lu Ying sped up, walking down the street. It didn¡¯t take long to reach his destination and the old captain arrived almost at the same time with him. ¡°It looks like there will be snow again, so do a good job and don¡¯t come tomorrow, Xiao Lu. Don¡¯t delay your new job.¡± Captain Yuan was kind. Lu Ying smiled, ¡°How can I do that? We agreed I¡¯d finish the week. Don¡¯t worry, the new boss is my good brother, I¡¯ve already agreed with him on the time.¡± ¡°You are too honest, kid.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called the spirit of contract, haha.¡± ¡°Honest and hardworking, you¡¯ll make it. Where exactly is the bakery you¡¯re working in? I¡¯ll ask my daughter-in-law to bring her granddaughter to take care of your business next time, they love buns and cakes. But my granddaughter is not as sturdy as your little boy¡­¡± ¡°Our shop is a bit far from here, just next to the Academy of Fine Arts¡­¡± The two chatted while working; half an hour later other employees came over. They were all quite old and their coughs echoed particularly loudly in the quiet night. Did Lu Ying look out of place as a young man? In the dim light, dressed in the same bloated, glow-in-the-dark clothes, wearing cold-proof hats, tall, short, fat, thin, men and women, young and old, they were all a group of people struggling to survive. The hand that held the cigarette trembled slightly. With Lu Ying being like this, he could still smile and say ¡°I¡¯m doing well¡±. What you see with your own eyes is even more incredible than the cold information. Qin Zhuopu only felt the coldness run from his feet to the top of his head and his scalp was numb. Lu Ying, who was sweeping the street, pursed his lips slightly and glanced at the inconspicuous car across the road as if nothing had happened. By the end of his shift, he found that the car had disappeared. Huh, big pig trotters! Advertisements Lu Ying walked home with his body sticky with sweat, impatient to take a shower and change into dry clothes. ¡°Zaizai isn¡¯t making any trouble, is he?¡± Lu Ying was in the lift, smiling and talking to Brother Ji. On the other end, Ji Xiaofeng said, ¡°Godfather personally sent him to school, would he still want to make a fuss? Don¡¯t worry, when he got up and had something to eat and drink, he was happier than ever. After going to kindergarten, he even said he wanted me to pick him up and take to the mountain to play at night. Haha, nice try! He must have taken a shine to my latest Lego! I¡¯m not falling for it.¡± Lu Ying held his forehead and laughed helplessly, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him, I buy him a lot of toys, there are assembling parts everywhere at home¡­ your authentic ones are ridiculously expensive, I just buy domestic ones online for twenty or thirty yuan a box. The 9.99 kind small boxes are already disliked by him¡­¡± Lu Ying¡¯s voice stopped abruptly as he looked at the man who had been standing in front of his apartment for an unknown period of time. Even if he could just see the profile, Lu Ying was still in a daze for a moment. ¡°Bye.¡± Lu Ying hung up the phone, exhaled and stepped forward not even looking at the man, opening the door directly. He lived in a reconstructed suite, one room to the left, one to the right and one in the front. Three separate rooms housed three households. They usually didn¡¯t bother each other. Lu Ying opened the second door. The man was standing behind him. Lu Ying frowned and looked back: ¡°What are you doing following me?¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s face was frosty and his voice quite dry: ¡°How wronged do you feel by me that you would rather be reduced to sweeping the streets? You¡¯re telling me you¡¯re doing well. Do you call this doing well?¡± Lu Ying kicked open the door, pulled the man inside, slammed the door shut and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it too late for you to care about this? What have you been doing until now? This is what I still want to ask you! Why didn¡¯t you come to quarrel with me years ago? Now you¡¯ve brought your mother and cursing at everyone you meet. Tell you what, I¡¯m angry! I used to be stupid enough to want to make up with you, but now I don¡¯t want to at all!¡± Qin Zhuopu laughed in exasperation. His stomach ached as he stared at Lu Ying¡¯s angry depressed face. He said, ¡°You¡¯re the one who left without warning! Do you know what I thought when you had disappeared? Were you lost, did something happen to you? Do you know how I felt when no one answered my calls? I chased you to the airport and only found your phone! How many fucking years have you been gone? I didn¡¯t even lose my temper, I came looking for you as soon as I got word of you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve chased me to the airport, then why didn¡¯t you come to me?¡± Lu Ying asked him incredulously in return, ¡°Such a big boss like you, how come you couldn¡¯t find out where I had gone? It¡¯s not like my Qixia Town is deep in the mountains. When I went back to the mountain, I naively thought you would come looking for me soon! Grandpa was right, you just didn¡¯t treat me sincerely enough!¡± Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help but cry. He hated Mrs. Qin¡¯s meanness, but what he cared about more was the anxiety that had been bottled up for years. At that time, he waited on the mountain, telling Grandpa every day that although he had no choice but to run back, Qin Zhuopu and Mrs. Qin were different. Mrs. Qin was a tigress and Qin Zhuopu was a star in the sky! Qin Zhuopu would surely find him soon, and when the time came, Qin Zhuopu would stay on the mountain and become a member of their family! No matter how powerful that Mrs. Qin was, she wouldn¡¯t dare to go up to the mountain and spread her evilness. Grandpa said: if he has you in his heart, he will definitely come. If he doesn¡¯t come in three years, you will never be allowed to go to him. How proud he was of himself at that time? He said, ¡°Grandpa, you underestimate the man I like so much. I don¡¯t need to wait for three years, he will come in a few days at most.¡± When he saw Lu Ying¡¯s tears, Qin Zhuopu was dumbfounded. He tried desperately to recall the past and opened his mouth several times to refute Lu Ying forcefully, confident that the things were not at all like Lu Ying had said. But it was like some kind of barrier was blocking his brain. Some of the past was blurred and some of it was clear, so he couldn¡¯t tell if he had always remembered it or if it had suddenly come back to him. ¡°Did you think I left you and turned my back on you, so you resented me? You ignored me on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡± Lu Ying asked what was in his heart. When he had run at first, he also wondered what if Mrs. Qin had hidden it and Qin Zhuopu thought he had abandoned him. But he was almost 100% sure that Qin Zhuopu would come after him, so wouldn¡¯t it be better to explain it in person? Unfortunately, Qin Zhuopu had never come. No, I didn¡¯t! I¡¯m not that kind of person! Qin Zhuopu struggled to clear up his thoughts. He knew that Lu Ying lived in Qixia Town. Lu Ying had told him before that he had grown up on the mountain, that he had never been to school, that he had been raised by Grandpa Lu. He knew Lu Ying¡¯s friends and his elders. In addition to Ji Xiaofeng, there were Dr. Hu, Brother Yang, Brother Liu, Brother Gou who was a narcotics police officer in another city, Brother Hou who was a firefighter and Sister Tu who lived in another mountain, married with children, Brother Shu who was elusive, Brother She who was in the entertainment industry and so on¡­ There were a total of twelve siblings in the same family, and Lu Ying was the youngest. Lu Ying disappeared and he went to look for him, went to the airport, went to Caifeng City¡­ went to Qixia Mountain? Did he go? He did. Or didn¡¯t he? After waiting for a long time only to see Qin Zhuopu¡¯s hideous expression that he couldn¡¯t control, Lu Ying cried out, so angry that he wanted to transform! Qin Zhuopu¡¯s eyes were lost. His headache was splitting and his body swayed suddenly. *** Mini-theatre Grandpa Lu: How did you fall in love with that boy? Lu Ying: Love at first sight! He did too! Grandpa Lu: ¡­how did you fall in love at first sight? Lu Ying: He must be a star in the sky! Grandpa Lu: ¡­¡­ Lu Ying: bling bling! ^_^ Mini-teatre-2 Lu Ying: What did you think I was when you first saw me? Qin Zhuopu: The sun, right?¡­ Lu Ying: Why? Do I shine that bright? (#^. ^#) Qin Zhuopu: When you get close, it gets too hot. Lu Ying: ¡­¡­ Translator¡¯s note: I feel like I should put a bit of a spoiler here because Chinese readers probably start guessing something at this point. It¡¯s up to you whether to spoil it for yourself or not; to my mind, both options have their advantages For the spoiler, scroll down a little. * * * Spoiler: The Chinese Zodiac: Rat [sh?], Ox [ni¨²], Tiger [h?], Rabbit [t¨´], Dragon [l¨®ng], Snake [sh¨¦], Horse [ma], Sheep [y¨¢ng], Monkey [h¨®u], Rooster [j¨©], Dog [g?u], and Pig [zh¨±]. Mind you, the surnames are homophonic but written differently. CH 22 ¡°Qin Zhuopu!¡± Lu Ying was horrified to catch Qin Zhuopu who suddenly fainted. Only then did he realise that something was very wrong with the man. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, his veins were bursting, and even though he had fainted he was still tense and trembling slightly, as if he was desperately fighting against something. Lu Ying panicked and hastily carried him to the bed, then quickly took out his mobile phone to call Dr. Hu. It was an emergency but Dr. Hu didn¡¯t answer the phone. Lu Ying was so anxious that he turned around and listened to Qin Zhuopu¡¯s chest. His heartbeat was chaotic and fast, beating like a drum. Lu Ying shivered and continued to call Ji Xiaofeng. Thank God, the call got through. ¡°Brother Ji, help! Qin Zhuopu suddenly fainted at my place, please ask Dr. Hu to help me! Will he die?¡± Lu Ying remembered the delicate and vulnerable Qin Zhuopu, and grief struck him. He was very angry, very angry, but even if Qin Zhuopu was a treacherous scum, he didn¡¯t want him to lose his life at a young age. Ji Xiaofeng, who was shopping on the street, was stunned and lowered his voice subconsciously, ¡°You¡¯re too horny, take it easy. He is not as strong as you.¡± ¡°You #%%$, life is at stake, Brother Ji!¡± Lu Ying roared in shame and anger. ¡°You fool, call 120 first! I¡¯ll contact him immediately.¡± ¡°Understood, Brother Ji, hurry up!¡± Lu Ying clutched one of Qin Zhuopu¡¯s hands, clearly feeling how tense the other party was. He made himself control his emotions and continued to seek help. He called 120 and now it depended on whether the ambulance or Brother Ji and the others would come first. Lu Ying was suddenly quiet, staring at the unconscious Qin Zhuopu in a daze. This person was not very old. Was there really any major hidden disease? He heard that five or six times of in vitro fertilisation hadn¡¯t been able to get a child¡­ There must¡¯ve been something wrong, but the hospital couldn¡¯t find out. Could Dr. Hu also not see? Qin Zhuopu¡¯s father had a sudden cerebral thrombosis when he was only about fifty and died after two months in the hospital. Could this disease be hereditary? Lu Ying panicked. Ji Xiaofeng was the first to arrive. ¡°Where is Dr. Hu?¡± Lu Ying asked anxiously. Ji Xiaofeng shook his head, ¡°I can¡¯t get in touch with him, even Elder Xu doesn¡¯t answer his phone. They¡¯re probably operating on someone. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take a look first, I¡¯ve learnt a bit from Lao Hu.¡± Ji Xiaofeng checked Qin Zhuopu¡¯s pulse and tried to look at his eyes and tongue, but Qin Zhuopu clenched his teeth and refused to open his mouth. Ji Xiaofeng hurriedly asked, ¡°Why did you irritate him? He¡¯s unconscious and still has a grimace on his face.¡± Lu Ying replied gloomily, ¡°¡­we just quarrelled a little¡­¡± ¡°Just a quarrel? Did you hit him? Hit him on the head or something like that?¡± Ji Xiaofeng pursued. ¡°Of course, not.¡± Although he was super pissed off and wanted to punch someone, he didn¡¯t do it. Ji Xiaofeng shook his head, ¡°I can¡¯t see what¡¯s wrong with him. Let¡¯s try the first aid pill.¡± With these words, he took out the pill he carried with him and gestured at Qin Zhuopu¡¯s mouth. ¡°Will it work? Is it a medicine made by Dr. Hu?¡± Ji Xiaofeng grinned, ¡°What? Afraid I¡¯ll poison him?¡± Lu Ying blushed, ¡°No.¡± ¡°This medicine won¡¯t work on you, but it works on ordinary people, as long as they don¡¯t lose their breath.¡± Ji Xiaofeng frowned: ¡°Wait, how can he take the medicine if he doesn¡¯t open his mouth?¡± ¡°How about¡­ I¡¯ll try.¡± Lu Ying suggested in a small voice. ¡°How will you try¡­¡± Ji Xiaofeng was speechless as he watched Lu Ying lower his head and suck on Qin Zhuopu¡¯s mouth, prying it open with his tongue. Lu Ying quickly stuffed the pill in and clasped Qin Zhuopu¡¯s jaw, watching the man¡¯s throat move for a moment before breathing a sigh of relief. ¡°Quite a trick.¡± Ji Xiaofeng looked at his little buddy with a smirk. Lu Ying muttered, ¡°They did it like this on TV. I¡¯ve tried it before¡­¡± It was weird to think about it; just for fun he had fed cherries with his mouth. It was really¡­ the past was unbearable. Advertisements Ji Xiaofeng didn¡¯t say anything more and kept carefully observing Qin Zhuopu¡¯s condition. Less than five minutes after the pill went down, Qin Zhuopu¡¯s heartbeat and pulse slowly began to calm down. When Lu Ying brought a towel to dry the sweat from his forehead, Qin Zhuopu opened his eyes unhurriedly, his gaze gradually focusing as he looked fixedly at Lu Ying in front of him. ¡°I went to look for you.¡± These were the first words he said. Lu Ying exhaled, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re awake.¡± ¡°I really did go to look for you, Lu Ying.¡± Qin Zhuopu repeated. Lu Ying lowered his head and tried to smile, ¡°Fine, fine, let¡¯s not argue like kids, you¡¯re not right and I¡¯m not right. Now you need to calm down. The ambulance will be here soon. Go to the hospital to recuperate well and have a detailed examination.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t believe me¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu tried to gather all his strength. His body felt like it had been hollowed out. He was anxious and desperate to remember more, yet his body disagreed. He couldn¡¯t find any energy. It was hard to concentrate. Every time he tried hard to focus, somehow there was a distraction. There seemed to be too much in his brain yet something was missing. Lu Ying used to petulantly talk to him about the famous Dr. Hu in Qixia Town, and Qin Zhuopu clearly remembered it and had never forgotten it. But when he heard his mother mention this name, why didn¡¯t he make any connection? Had he lost his memory? No, he hadn¡¯t. He hadn¡¯t forgotten anything, he remembered everything clearly. When Lu Ying was angry with him for not coming to look for him, Qin Zhuopu subconsciously wanted to retort that he had come to look for him. But when he thought about it, he hadn¡¯t come, had he? He chased Lu Ying to the airport and took his phone home¡­ and actually went home? That was something he¡¯d done? Unless he was sick! Qin Zhuopu stared at Lu Ying in silence with his eyes red, full of anger that he wanted to vent. ¡°I must have gone to look for you.¡± Lu Ying said tiredly, ¡°I believe you.¡± Finding the airport and going back counted as looking for him. Probably Qin Zhuopu was still mad at him for running away so suddenly. But he didn¡¯t want to run away! Had he wanted to break up, he would have said so face to face. He wasn¡¯t that much of a scumbag! The sound of the ambulance was getting closer and closer. Lu Ying helped Qin Zhuopu up: ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. I¡¯ll take you to the hospital. Whatever it is, it is not as important as good health.¡± Qin Zhuopu grabbed his hand and gasped, ¡°Look me in the eye, don¡¯t dodge.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying was helpless and looked at him calmly. ¡°In your eyes, am I still a star in the sky?¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s weak smile gradually faded to nothing. Of course¡­ right, ah. The sky is full of stars, some far away and some right in front of you. And the human heart is narrow and can hold just one. When you see it, sometimes it shines brightly in your eyes, and sometimes it quietly dims in the mist. The silent Lu Ying with his eyes lowered would no longer hook his neck and point to the sky with a smile and say ¡®In my eyes, you shine as brightly as the star in the sky.¡¯ ¡°There are many stars, what¡¯s so great about that?¡± He thought his young lover was childish and cute, unable to even compliment someone properly. ¡°But the only one I see at a glance is the brightest one. I see more people than stars, don¡¯t I, but I only like you.¡± How can one not love a little lover who is as dazzling as a little sun when he is talking so sweetly and seriously? The medical staff soon came. Qin Zhuopu refused the stretcher and was helped to walk out. Lu Ying followed behind, holding Qin Zhuopu¡¯s mobile phone. Ji Xiaofeng thought for a moment and did not follow. In the ambulance, Qin Zhuopu was lying quietly while the doctors and nurses were giving him a preliminary examination. They asked a lot of questions and Qin Zhuopu answered them simply and methodically. When they arrived at the hospital, Lu Ying used Qin Zhuopu¡¯s mobile phone to notify the driver. The driver came to go through the formalities. Lu Ying hesitated a little and left. After a series of head examinations, Qin Zhuopu looked at the empty corridor. He closed his eyes and said to the driver, ¡°Book me a ticket to the capital, the sooner the better.¡± Even if he was mentally ill and had memory lapses, everyone around him wasn¡¯t sick, right? Since he had encountered a problem, he would fight to the end. Advertisements ¡°Do you want to take a day off?¡± In the bakery, Lu Ying, who had rushed back to work, was busy. He didn¡¯t know how long Yang Sigu had been watching him; when he suddenly heard the voice, he couldn¡¯t help but get startled. He shook his head, ¡°Why should I take a day off?¡± Yang Sigu smiled: ¡°It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re in a good shape or not.¡± ¡°¡­thanks, but I can work.¡± Lu Ying continued to knead the dough. Yang Sigu lazily leaned against the workbench, ¡°That guy yesterday was Zaizai¡¯s¡­?¡± He came back and purposely watched the security footage just to see that brat. Lu Ying nodded slightly. Everyone knew the story. It was a beautiful day when Zaizai was born, and everyone came that day, the child¡¯s loud cries accompanied by the good-natured laughter of the group. The mountain hadn¡¯t been that lively for a long time. Yang Sigu crossed his arms and said thoughtfully, ¡°I don¡¯t see anything special about him.¡± Lu Ying looked down in embarrassment and muttered, ¡°Ahem, Brother Yang must have a higher vision than me.¡± ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Yang Sigu laughed shakily, holding his forehead, ¡°Who are you trying to diss? Silly boy.¡± When Lu Ying thought about it, Brother Yang wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°When I said he wasn¡¯t special, I meant¡­¡± Yang Sigu frowned trying to think of how to describe it, ¡°After all, you have Zaizai, and I was very curious. I thought it was because he was extraordinary.¡± Lu Ying scratched his head and explained, ¡°Grandpa said it was not strange¡­ it¡¯s just that you haven¡¯t tried¡­¡± He was embarrassed to go on. When he had come down the mountain, he didn¡¯t know that he liked men. It just so happened that the Qin Zhuopu he liked was a man. But his brothers were different. Only Sister Tu was married and had children. She was very gentle by nature and always wanted to be a mother, and when she met someone she liked, it was just a matter of time. The rest of them, as far as Lu YIng knew, were all single, except for Brother Ji. But Brother Ji and Dr. Hu were different. If these two had a baby, it would be a shock. When everyone got together, they used to joke about their ¡®deservedly single¡¯ race. When Lu Ying had Zaizai, he was so scared he couldn¡¯t sleep at night. Grandpa told him it wasn¡¯t strange, it was a natural ability. They were all unique beings, unable to find a second ¡®self¡¯; but they were ¡®born to be human¡¯ and it was normal for them to choose someone they liked to give birth and continue their bloodline. About Zaizai, everyone felt it was Lu Ying¡¯s good fortune. Yang Sigu stroked his chin and whispered: ¡°Right, I haven¡¯t tried. Who knows¡­¡± So Lu Ying, this child, is really a newborn calf not afraid of the tiger. As soon as he came down the mountain, he played a big game, completely breaking the quietness of the mountain forest. Some guys, it seems, found it quite unbearable. ¡°En en en.¡± Lu Ying nodded while kneading the dough. Grandpa was right about everything. Yang Sigu looked at him teasingly, ¡°Then do you have plans to have a second child?¡± ¡°Ahem ahem¡­¡± Lu Ying coughed earth-shatteringly, shaking his head wildly. What did you say? The wind is too strong, I can¡¯t hear you! *** Mini-theatre: Mr. Qin: What should I call your brothers and sisters? Lu Ying: Well, it¡¯s too much trouble to call them individually, so I¡¯ll think of something. Mr. Qin: Have you thought of something? Lu Ying: Call them collectively ¡®Chinese Zodiac Eleven¡¯ Zodiac Eleven: ¡­¡­ Mini-theatre-2: Mr. Qin: You have so many brothers and sisters. Zodiac Eleven: Kid, you dare to bully our little brother, huh? Mr. Qin: ¡­don¡¯t dare, don¡¯t dare! Mini-theatre-3: Mr. Qin: Those brothers of yours are hanging around on the mountain all day long, snatching my son away every day to play. Don¡¯t they have a date themselves? Lu Ying: Oh, they are all deservedly single. Mr. Qin: (applause) Everyone: ¡­¡­ CH 23 The capital. Mrs. Qin was already sixty years old, but at the moment when she returned to her mother¡¯s house, she was like a child who had made a mistake and was punished by her mother by standing. She had been standing for more than half an hour, while her brother¡¯s grandchildren, just a few years old, poked their heads from the stairs every now and then to look at her quietly. How curious the children must have been, right? And her mother had punished her for one reason only: because she bullied her son. Why would she bully her own son?! She didn¡¯t. The silver-haired old lady left the dining table and walked over carelessly, glancing at the two grandchildren peeking around the corner of the stairs, then at her daughter, who was already a middle-aged lady, and said seriously, ¡°If you feel ashamed and unreconciled, you can stop standing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Mrs. Qin was silent. ¡°I am in my eighties and I have never beaten a child. You¡¯re so impressive, hitting my grandson with a bag, huh.¡± The old lady stood leaning on her cane and even though she was short in stature, her face was no less imposing. Mrs. Qin hissed, ¡°Mom! I was so angry, I¡­¡± ¡°I know what you are going to say.¡± The old lady interrupted her, ¡°You think that Zhuopu complained to me? He tells me everything, no matter how busy he is, he flies to the capital to see me and your father whenever he can, even if he¡¯s too busy to have a sip of tea, and you? He can¡¯t be a nicer boy and you¡¯re still not happy with him.¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± Mrs. Qin hung her head, feeling doubly aggrieved. ¡°Aggrieved, huh?¡± The white-haired old lady stared solemnly at her daughter, ¡°Back then when you brought your future husband home, your father asked a few questions and you got so angry that you jumped on your feet to defend him, saying that if we bullied your boyfriend, we were bullying you.¡± Mrs. Qin looked in a daze. ¡°How come you are so different when it¡¯s your turn to be a mother? Zhuopu is your own child, how can you be so hard on him?¡± ¡°Mom!¡± Mrs. Qin was anxious. The old lady grunted, ¡°If you bully the person he likes, aren¡¯t you bullying him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the same at all!¡± ¡°Your beloved is a human being and his beloved is not?¡± Seeing that her daughter was so suffocated she couldn¡¯t say anything, the old lady sighed. How could she not feel pity in her heart? ¡°I think you are sick. After your husband passed away, you rarely even came back to your mother¡¯s house, only because you were afraid that I would force you to remarry.¡± Mrs. Qin was crying. ¡°It turned out that I didn¡¯t force you to do anything, but you are forcing yourself and forcing my grandson. How can you be so stupid that you can¡¯t see through him? He¡¯s been pining for that child for six or seven years! Back then your father had a hundred objections in his heart to you marrying far away, but he kept them all to himself and didn¡¯t say anything, and ended up marrying his daughter happily. That was the man you chose, so how could we object?¡± The old lady lamented, ¡°Look, the beloved you chose for yourself was the right one and you loved each other all your life. Now that he is dead, you are bullying his only child because you are his mother. You are hitting his son like this, are you not afraid that the coffin¡¯s lid can¡¯t hold him?¡± Mrs. Qin was trembling; her tears were pouring down like rain and she couldn¡¯t stop them. The old lady was disappointed; what a terrible daughter she had. When Mrs. Qin¡¯s husband, who had loved her all her life, died suddenly, everyone around was crying, but Mrs. Qin was the only one who didn¡¯t shed a single tear. It was as if once she had cried, she would have admitted it. Advertisements When Qin Zhuopu arrived, the old lady was cutting flowers in the courtyard. ¡°Zhuopu!¡± ¡°Grandma.¡± Qin Zhuopu embraced the old lady affectionately and looked around, ¡°Where¡¯s my mother?¡± ¡°She¡¯s asleep.¡± The old lady carefully told him about what had happened, and Qin Zhuopu let out a long sigh. ¡°Then Grandpa can also rest assured.¡± Elder Qin had always been extremely worried about his daughter-in-law, fearing that one day she might think of¡­ She wouldn¡¯t, right? ¡°Your grandfather made an appointment for Master Yuan to come tomorrow to see your mother. She should have started taking medicine long ago. She gets older and she is overly emotional. The less she can control it, the more dangerous it is. She hit you with a bag, this is simply unbelievable behaviour! How is your boyfriend now? Grandma has been looking forward to meeting him for a long time. It must have been hard for you when your mother made a scene.¡± Qin Zhuopu rubbed his brow: ¡°I have something urgent to confirm with Mother. I¡¯ll wait for her to wake up.¡± The sun was setting when Mrs. Qin finally woke up. She was haggard from crying so much and looked much older, but not as severe as before. ¡°Mom, I have something very important to verify with you.¡± Mrs. Qin nodded weakly, knowing that what her son was asking must have something to do with Lu Ying. Oddly enough, she was very calm. ¡°When Lu Ying suddenly left me back then, was it something you did behind my back?¡± Grandma sighed darkly and Mrs. Qin wiped her face, ¡°You ask, knowing the answer.¡± Qin Zhuopu looked up abruptly, ¡°I know?¡± Mrs. Qin was startled, ¡°Of course you know. You were furious with me over this and rushed to find Lu Ying, saying you wouldn¡¯t come back in the future¡­¡± She was about to explode with anger at the time. ¡°And did I find him?¡± Qin Zhuopu asked anxiously. Mrs. Qin stood up and looked at him oddly, ¡°Don¡¯t you know if you found him or not? Are you not awake?¡± ¡°Then where did I go?¡± Mrs. Qin instinctively replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t follow you.¡± ¡°Why did I just go to the airport and come back!¡± Qin Zhuopu was very unwilling to accept it. Mrs. Qin was taken aback. ¡°You ran out alone and only came back home a week later. You haven¡¯t mentioned Lu Ying since then¡­¡± She was almost 100% expecting Lu Ying to be brought back by her son, and had thought about just avoiding him by not meeting him in the future. The result was that her son came back alone, and she figured that most likely Lu Ying had broken up with him. She couldn¡¯t help but praise Lu Ying for being sensible, but she also felt quite guilty. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything when I came back? Where did I go that week? Was it Qixia Town?¡± Mrs. Qin shook her head: ¡°You have been busy at work every day since you came back, and you didn¡¯t mention him. Don¡¯t you remember where you went?¡± ¡°I was away for a week?¡± Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t dare to believe it. Mrs. Qin seemed to be unable to understand. ¡°Sure enough, it¡¯s impossible just to go to the airport¡­¡± Mrs. Qin felt desperate. There was obviously something wrong with her son. The old lady also stood aside solemnly, concerned about her grandson, and the atmosphere in the room was quite tense. ¡°Grandma, tomorrow please ask Master Yuan to take a look at me as well.¡± The old lady nodded gravely, her eyes full of worry. Suddenly his mobile phone rang and Qin Zhuopu returned to his senses. Seeing the caller ID on his mobile phone screen for the first time, he felt his tense spirit suddenly relax and his distorted face softened considerably. ¡°Lu Ying.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ you know it¡¯s me?¡± Lu Ying was surprised; he hadn¡¯t told Qin Zhuopu his number. Qin Zhuopu smiled: ¡°I even know your home number, let alone the mobile phone number.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ was your medical check-up okay?¡± ¡°The check-up was fine but they couldn¡¯t find the cause.¡± ¡°Then most likely nothing is wrong. So you can¡¯t blame me for stimulating you to faint¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re just afraid that I¡¯ll blame you?¡± Lu Ying said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m afraid of your mother¡­¡± What if Mrs. Qin came back if she knew her son had been stimulated to faint! Qin Zhuopu said solemnly, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of her. She won¡¯t do anything to you in the future.¡± I hope so. ¡°Oh, I have to go to work¡­¡± ¡°Lu Ying, did you deliberately write down my mobile phone number?¡± Lu Ying said hurriedly, ¡°You have it on the form for a membership card.¡± You fainted in my house, so I had to call you, right? ¡°Your bakery is very good, I¡¯ll come again in the future.¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with me.¡± Lu Ying didn¡¯t want to say anything and muttered, ¡°Take a good rest, don¡¯t follow me, it¡¯s always bad to meet and quarrel.¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s anger surged and he swallowed it again. ¡°I won¡¯t quarrel with you in the future.¡± ¡°Then do what you say.¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s fainting really scared him. Lu Ying was in a complicated mood. He couldn¡¯t understand why Qin Zhuopu kept saying things that didn¡¯t exist at all. It was fruitless anyway. Being safe and healthy was more important than being right or wrong. ¡°Lu Ying, promise me one thing.¡± As Lu Ying listened to the low, depressed voice on the other side, his finger that was about to interrupt the call paused slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t go sweeping the streets, okay?¡± ¡­¡­ Advertisements ¡°Dad, why didn¡¯t you ride the moped to pick me up today?¡± At the entrance of the kindergarten, Lu Zaizai followed his father on foot in surprise. ¡°There¡¯s not enough electricity, is it okay if we walk home today?¡± Lu Ying¡¯s voice was gentle. ¡°Dad¡­ have you been crying?¡± Lu Zaizai stared uneasily at Lu Ying¡¯s slightly red eyes. Lu Ying was about to deny it when Lu Zaizai added, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t lie, good boys don¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying blinked and admitted frankly in front of his son, ¡°Well, yes.¡± ¡°Why is Dad crying? Are there bad guys bullying you?¡± Lu Ying smiled, ¡°There are no bad guys.¡± ¡°Then why are you crying?¡± ¡°There is a treasure Dad really wants but can¡¯t have. It¡¯s hard and he wants to cry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Dad, I¡¯ll buy you the treasure when I grow up.¡± ¡°There are some treasures that you can¡¯t buy with money, like stars¡­¡± Lu Ying shook his head. ¡°Dad was only sad for a while, he won¡¯t be anymore. Because you are the treasure that Dad loves the most.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± Lu Ying nodded vigorously. Lu Ying smiled and bounced a few times: ¡°Hee hee~~ Dad, I¡¯ll tell you a secret! Come here~¡± The little fat hand beckoned at him. Lu Ying cooperated by leaning down and heard his son whisper in his ear, ¡°Dad, you¡¯re my favourite treasure, too. I love you the most!¡± Lu Ying gave Zaizai a hug and a squeeze. ¡°Dad loves you too.¡± ¡°I definitely love you more than you love me~¡± Lu Zaizai emphasised. ¡°No, definitely Dad loves you a little more, just a little more.¡± Unhappy, Lu Zaizai increased the volume, ¡°Hmph, I love you two points more than you do!¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll have three points.¡± ¡°I love Dad four points more!¡± Lu Zaizai clenched his fist and raised the bar. ¡°I love Zaizai five points more.¡± Lu Ying smiled and shook his hand. Lu Zaizai jumped and shouted, ¡°I love you six points, seven points and eight points!¡± ¡°Then I love you for the full ten points.¡± ¡°Ah ah ah, Dad, you¡¯re cheating!¡± Lu Zaizai jumped up in anger and opened his arms as if to embrace the sky, ¡°I love you so so so so many points, one hundred! One thousand! One hundred million billion billion billion points!¡± Lu Ying looked at the child and kept laughing. The chubby little man with the red face was out of breath: ¡°I declare my win! The competition is over! You can¡¯t add any more points, you hear me?¡± Lu Zaizai seriously warned his father, lest he cheat and add points again. ¡°Hahaha¡­ yes, Dad lost.¡± On a cloudy evening, Lu Ying smiled as brightly as the sun. Soon, January ended in rainy weather and February started, still very cold. They quickly approached the Chinese New Year. *** Mini-theatre: Lu Ying: Who do you love more, me or the child? Mr. Qin: You. Lu Ying: The desire to live is okay (*^¨Œ^*) Mr. Qin: Who do you love more, me or the child? Lu Ying: Definitely you. The child: Daddy, I want you to sleep with me tonight. Mr. Qin: No, you have to sleep alone. Lu Ying: Good boy, I¡¯ll stay with you. Mr. Qin: ¡­what about me? CH 24 On New Year¡¯s Eve, the sun finally shone after days of rainy weather. The streets were crowded with people, men, women and children, going in and out preparing for the New Year. Lu Ying and Brother Yang were the only two people left in the bakery at this time, as everyone else had gone home for the holidays. There were not enough people, and Brother Yang didn¡¯t want to recruit part-time workers for the New Year, so he took Lu Ying with him every day to teach while guarding the shop. The goods sold were limited in quantity, so basically everything was snapped up by the people from the neighbourhood every morning when the bakery was open at nine o¡¯clock, in less than an hour. Then Lu Ying learned for the whole day and got to know a lot in a short time. Brother Yang didn¡¯t seem to be busy these days and stayed in the bakery every day to teach his apprentice. ¡°Are the cranberry biscuits sold out again?¡± ¡°Sorry, the last tin has just been sold.¡± ¡°Ah ah, I¡¯m too late¡­¡± Lu Ying went to the inner room and behind the customers¡¯ backs quietly wrapped a pile of nougat, various nut snacks, seaweed rolls, spicy rice crust, and home-fried fragrant melon seeds, pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, puddings and other rich snacks. These were specially prepared by the two of them for the New Year. Everyone was usually busy, but on New Year¡¯s Eve they all returned to the mountain. Except for Brother Gou who rarely came back for the New Year because of his special occupation, the rest of them would get together no matter what. Sometimes it was in their Qixia Mountain, sometimes on the other side of Caifeng City, in Songhe Mountain. This year it was Qixia Mountain¡¯s turn. At noon Brother Yang put up a closing sign on the shop; the two of them closed the door and went on with their work. ¡°Brother Yang is great. This pot of pumpkin seeds tastes delicious.¡± Lu Ying was amazed as he tasted the milk-sweet pumpkin seeds that had just come out of the pot. Compared with the previous pot of salty melon seeds, he preferred the sweet ones. The sweet treats made by Brother Yang were even more unique; no matter how much you ate them, you wouldn¡¯t get tired of them. Unlike the desserts in other cake shops; even though he and Zaizai were never picky eaters, they could eat the things in a cake shop once, twice, and the third time they wouldn¡¯t want it anymore. Yang Sigu chewed a piece of nougat and laughed, ¡°You always say everything is delicious, my ears are getting calloused.¡± Lu Ying laughed and scratched his head, ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth.¡± ¡°After today we will officially enter the Year of the Pig, do you have any plans?¡± Yang Sigu asked. Lu Ying was taken aback and replied honestly, ¡°No, not yet. Now that I¡¯ve put aside all my other work, I will concentrate on the bakery. As long as Brother Yang doesn¡¯t kick me out, I¡¯ll keep on doing it.¡± Advertisements ¡°You¡¯ve mastered everything I¡¯ve taught you very quickly. After half a year you¡¯ll be perfectly capable of setting up your own business. Don¡¯t you want to be your own boss?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ opening my own shop?¡± Lu Ying had never thought about it. He felt he was still a newcomer, and it would cost a lot to open a shop. Don¡¯t look at Brother Yang¡¯s bakery business being particularly good; the initial investment was very large. For example, this storefront was bought by Brother Yang. He also used the best ingredients, never choosing cheaper counterparts, only taking what he was satisfied with. Add the shop¡¯s utility bills, labour costs, everything was very expensive. If it were him, Lu Ying wouldn¡¯t even think about buying a storefront; but was it cheaper to rent one? It was simply not feasible to open a shop. And the most important thing was that he had to be with his child in the evenings. If he became a boss, he would be busy from morning to night, which would be definitely more tiring and busy than a part-time job. Brother Yang was in a stable situation now and could be more leisurely, but in the early days he had been too busy to see anyone. Lu Ying thought about it for a while and shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s not possible in a short time. Zaizai will be six years old at the beginning of the year. I¡¯ve heard that primary schools are a lot of pressure nowadays, with many of the assignments requiring personal tutoring by parents every day, and teachers assigning homework directly in mobile phone WeChat groups, some of which have to be completed using mobile phone software. If the results are not good, you have to find training classes¡­ terrible.¡± Lu Ying was trembling with fear. In kindergarten, as long as you see the child go there happily, all things are okay. Anyway, the biggest problem in kindergarten is that children easily get sick. This concern didn¡¯t exist in his family; Zaizai was immune to a hundred poisons, so to say. If kindergarten was the easy mode, primary school was the normal mode, middle school was the difficult mode and high school was the hell mode. Lu Ying was worried that his son who was not proficient in maths would turn primary school into the difficult mode o(¨i©n¨i)o. Yang Sigu frowned at his words, ¡°Raising a child is actually so troublesome?¡± ¡°What do you think¡­¡± Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes. Although Brother Yang was older, he had always been free to enjoy life and probably hadn¡¯t had much contact with children at all. Yang Sigu sighed: ¡°I thought that if it was a trivial matter of being short of money, I would lend it to you.¡± But it was indeed a bit difficult to combine the career growth with raising a child. Although he had never raised a child, he was 100% convinced that a child needed a parent, and that a parent who was too busy to see a child every day would be derelict, unless there was a substitute guardian in the family. But Lu Ying was a single parent. ¡°I mean, didn¡¯t Zaizai¡¯s father come to see you? It looks like he has never forgotten his old feelings for you, so why hasn¡¯t he come again for a long time?¡± Yang Sigu thought to himself: if he is an irresponsible scumbag, I¡¯ll throw him out next time I see him. Lu Ying hung his head to pack the things and muttered in a cranky voice, ¡°I don¡¯t need him to¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t come, but there were many text messages. Lu Ying never replied. Yang Sigu looked at him, ¡°I don¡¯t think you have completely let him go.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying didn¡¯t dare to speak. ¡°Okay, there¡¯s no rush on all this anyway. Let me know if you need any ideas later.¡± ¡°Thank you, Brother Yang.¡± Advertisements Hearing a ruckus outside, Yang Sigu knew without looking up who had arrived. Lu Ying hurriedly went to open the door and looked at his friends standing in front of him with smiles on their faces. ¡°Little piggy Lu, long time no see! Haha, how cute.¡± Brother Wang, the biggest one, was the first to rush over, grab Lu Ying¡¯s head and squeeze it vigorously: ¡°What have you been up to these days, you aren¡¯t even posting in your Moments!¡± ¡°Brother Wang, Brother Hou! Sister Tu! Ah, Xiaotu is here too, is everyone else here?¡± Lu Ying was smiling from ear to ear. Ji Xiaofeng nodded, ¡°You have a lot of face, everyone is here this time. Some are on the mountain, some are out shopping in the market. We¡¯re here to pick you and Brother Yang up. Are the tasty things ready?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s ready, it¡¯s being packed.¡± Lu Ying nodded and asked incredulously, ¡°Is Brother Gou back too?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Lu Ying was overwhelmed with joy. It was not easy for everyone to get together, but this year they were all here. The last time they had all gotten together was the day Zaizai was born. There was strength in numbers and the group quickly packed and loaded all the food into the car. Before nightfall, everyone was back on Qixia Mountain. As the darkness deepened, the cold mountain forest was gradually covered in a thick fog. Qixia Town. Every household in the community was brightly lit, and the aromas of reunion dinner filled everywhere. Smelling the lingering smell of food, in front of a dark door, a man was standing alone, smoking a cigarette, leaning against the closed door and looking at the sky. After five minutes, the man took out his mobile phone to make a call. ¡®The number you have called is not in the service area¡­¡¯ Annoyed, the man put out his cigarette and continued to dial, over and over again. Where the hell had he gone instead of staying at home with his child on New Year¡¯s Eve? There was no one in the bakery and the apartment was locked. The phone was still not in the service area¡­ Suddenly, the man remembered a place, Qixia Mountain. He must be there! The man was so excited that he moved immediately, ready to go, but then he thought about something and stopped, took out a pen and paper from his briefcase and wrote down a message, stuffing it through the door so that if the owner came back he would see it without missing it. Leaving the community, the man walked straight towards Qixia Mountain, not even realising that he was no stranger to the road leading to it, as if he knew it all too well. On New Year¡¯s Eve, walking alone on a winding country road, he thought that there should be a small village ahead, called Lujia Village, where most of the people were surnamed Lu. As the man walked, he saw the lights, and the village was indeed still there. The man entered the village decisively. In the mountain forest, a group of people were sitting in a spacious house eating the New Year¡¯s reunion dinner. At a glance, almost all of them were young people, except for a little fat child sandwiched in the middle. After the meal, all the adults flashed their New Year¡¯s weapons in unison: red envelopes! As the youngest one, Lu Zaizai took the lead in gathering the harvest of red envelopes! ¡°Thank you, Uncle Hou, thank you, Uncle Gou, thank you, Aunt Tu¡­¡± Lu Zaizai thanked everyone one by one and stuffed all the red envelopes into his father Lu Ying¡¯s arms: ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll give you all my red envelopes~~¡± ¡°Haha, Zaizai is so good and well behaved.¡± Aunt Tu, who sat next to Lu Zaizai, chatted with him from time to time. Lu Ying politely said a few words and also took out the prepared red envelope, stood up and handed it to Aunt Tu¡¯s only son, ¡°Xiaotu, this is the New Year¡¯s money for you. I wish you good luck in the Year of the Pig and good luck in your studies.¡± The teenage boy, Qin Xiaotu, took the red envelope and politely thanked him, ¡°Thank you, Uncle Lu, for your blessing.¡± Everyone followed Lu Ying¡¯s example and continued to give red envelopes to Qin Xiaotu. After some more fuss, they left the dinner table and crowded outside the house. In a short while, everyone ran out of sight, disappearing in the mountain forest. The only ones left were two kids and Elder Xu. Elder Xu, the caretaker of the house, brought out a pile of fireworks from the house and called the two children, ¡°Come, come, let¡¯s blow up the fireworks.¡± The elder brother Qin Xiaotu took the little brother Lu Zaizai¡¯s hand and led him with a whoop of joy . At the foot of Qixia Mountain, Lujia Village. The dusty man stood in the village, gazing up at Qixia Mountain in the night. Through the incredibly thick fog he could hear the happy laughter of children coming from the mountain. The person he was looking for must be there. *** Mini-theatre: Lu Ying: We have to be more restrained on the mountain, we can¡¯t show our love in front of people. Mr. Qin: Why? Lu Ying: I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be bitten by a dog. Mr. Qin: There are dogs on the mountain? Lu Ying: A group of single dogs, ah ^_^ Everyone: ¡­¡­ CH 25 Lujia Village at the foot of the mountain was now home to only a few left-behind families. On New Year¡¯s Eve they lit up the lights and gathered to play cards and chat, and the atmosphere of the New Year was not lacking. There was no ban on fireworks in the countryside, so children were playing with firecrackers outside the house and soon came in shouting, ¡°Grandpa, there is so much fog outside, you can¡¯t even see Qixia Mountain anymore.¡± The old man, who was busy playing cards, laughed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, it¡¯s always foggy on the mountain on New Year¡¯s Day.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There are monsters living on the mountain, haha¡­¡± ¡°Ah! There are monsters on the mountain? Do they also celebrate New Year?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s New Year, monsters have to eat and drink too. Maybe they¡¯re eating and drinking at the moment.¡± ¡°Then, do monsters eat children?¡± The old man laughed and shook his head, ¡°Monsters don¡¯t eat children or people. Don¡¯t mess with monsters and monsters won¡¯t mess with you.¡± ¡°Then what if someone accidentally messes with a monster?¡± At this time the old lady who came out with the dumplings smiled and interjected, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid if you do mess with them. See this stack of stickers? Those are the Chinese Zodiac pictures. Keep them at home and put up the one whatever the year is. They will bless you with good luck and all demons and monsters will be afraid of them. This year is the Year of the Pig. If I want to raise a few pigs, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll fetch a good price.¡± ¡°Oh, who raises pigs nowadays, pigs eat too much¡­¡± The house was in an uproar. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m a passing traveller.¡± The door was open and the house was brightly lit but outside was invisible. When someone suddenly stood at the door and spoke, everyone was startled at first. But when they saw that it was a living person, they were curious and came forward: ¡°There are tourists on New Year¡¯s Eve? You are¡­¡± The man didn¡¯t look like a tourist, ah, dressed in a suit and a large fur collar trench coat, holding an umbrella and a briefcase, tall and upright; just his shoes were muddy and soggy and the hems of his trouser legs were dirty. With a smile on his face, the man spoke again, ¡°Happy New Year, old man. I want to go up to Qixia Mountain, can your family sell me a flashlight, please?¡± ¡°To go up the mountain?¡± The old man was stunned, ¡°You¡¯re not going home for the New Year, why are you going up the mountain now? There¡¯s nothing on Qixia Mountain but rocks and wild trees, and it¡¯s so foggy that you can¡¯t tell north from south and east from west. What if something happens to you?¡± The man was silent, looking up in the direction of Qixia Mountain. On a quiet night, there was no wind and no rain. Going through Qixia Town, you could still see the twinkling lights in all directions. When he reached Lujia Village at the foot of Qixia Mountain, Qixia Mountain seemed like another world, a mystery shrouded in thick fog. ¡°I have a friend who went up the mountain and never came out, I need to go and look for him. Would you do me a favour?¡± Qin Zhuopu handed over some cash, more than enough to buy a flashlight. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you call the police, how can you find him alone?¡± The old man was full of suspicion, but a teenager hurriedly took out a flashlight and handed it to the man, taking the money quickly. ¡°Thank you.¡± The man turned to go into the mountains. ¡°Young man, if you don¡¯t come back in an hour, can I call the police for you?¡± ¡°No, thanks.¡± The flashlight shone on the path beneath his feet, and the man kept going. ¡°This man looks so decent, it¡¯s too strange for him to go up the mountain now. Could it be that he¡¯s confused and goes to the mountain to commit suicide?¡± Seeing the man leave, the teenager couldn¡¯t help but let his imagination run wild. ¡°Nonsense, I¡¯m 90% sure he just goes up the mountain to look for someone.¡± ¡°But, but, Grandpa, you said the mountain is full of monsters,¡± the boy said. The old man¡¯s face suddenly blushed: ¡°Besides monsters, there are people.¡± ¡°People?¡± ¡°Of course there are. People who can only be met by fate.¡± The old man gazed longingly. Advertisements The family continued to eat, drink and play, with only the old man keeping an eye on the passage of time, secretly thinking that if the man didn¡¯t return in an hour, it would be better to call the police. It was New Year¡¯s Eve and peace and safety was the most important thing. After fifty minutes, the familiar figure returned to the door. The man was in a worse state than an hour ago. Even his clothes were now dirty, as if he had rolled on the ground. In the darkness, the man¡¯s eyes were startled and uncertain as he stared blankly at the familiar house for a long time. It seemed he was surprised that he was here again. ¡°Did you fall?¡± The old man asked, hastily stepping forward. The man¡¯s face was pale and he shook his head quietly, ¡°It¡¯s okay, thank you. I¡¯m going back¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to go back, it¡¯s better than anything to go back!¡± The old man breathed a sigh of relief and enthusiastically pulled the man into the house: ¡°Today is New Year¡¯s Eve, it¡¯s fate to run into each other. Come, come, eat and drink something before you go. I see you¡¯re tired, you must¡¯ve come a long way.¡± Inside the house, the old man finally got a good look at the man¡¯s face and was suddenly in a daze. The man was really handsome and his eyebrows and eyes were as beautiful as a painting. He was by no means an ordinary person. But why¡­ did he look so familiar? Where could he be seen before?¡­ The old man frowned for a moment, thinking hard. ¡°Your house¡­ I seem to have been here.¡± The man suddenly said, shocking the old man. ¡°Ah¡­ yes, yes, I¡¯ve seen you, that¡¯s you!¡± The old man snapped his head. The man looked around the house. There was an age-old incense burner in the middle of the living room, with a huge portrait of a famous man hanging over it, and a black and white photo on the right wall. This photo suddenly made him think of the same picture from years ago. This was a home that he seemed to have visited before. No, the whole road to Qixia Mountain seemed to have been travelled before. ¡°It¡¯s rare to see people like you. I remember it was spring and the weather was very good. One day you came to our house to ask for directions. Ah, you gave me two thousand yuan at that time! It¡¯s you, it¡¯s you!¡± The old man was so surprised that he pulled the old lady over and said, ¡°Chunmei, do you remember? A few years ago someone came to ask for directions and gave me two thousand yuan to thank me. At that time, Xiaoxia went to high school thanks to those two thousand yuan. I¡¯ve just remembered! I shouldn¡¯t have¡­¡± The old lady¡¯s eyes were worse than the old man¡¯s; she looked for a long time but couldn¡¯t confirm. The man¡¯s heart turned upside down. He had been here before, passing by the same family, and seeing the same old man. At that time, the old man was sad and sickly looking. He asked for directions, got the answer, and casually gave a wad of cash to the old man. He actually didn¡¯t know how much it was. He still remembered that the old man was grateful at the time. After that, he hurriedly went up the mountain and¡­ he went up the mountain? Pressing his temples, the man closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. He had met Master Yuan, the national master of Chinese traditional medicine, in the capital, and later went to meet several elders on the recommendation of Master Yuan. Today, on New Year¡¯s Eve, he hurried back from abroad, having spent the week before that meeting experts in the United States. Everyone said that he was not mentally ill. It seemed that he was the only one who thought he might have a disease related to Lu Ying. Seeing his pale face, the old man hurriedly asked, ¡°Are you not feeling well? You must be freezing, hurry up and sit down to rest, have a sip of hot tea. Xiaoxia, come, come, you could go to high school and get into the university thanks to this big brother¡­¡± Lu Xiaoxia, a top student who was already working in a big city, was even more shocked than her grandfather. Damn, why does this man look so much like the certain young businessman introduced in the magazine so-and-so?¡­ Coincidence, it must be a coincidence! Advertisements Nearing twelve o¡¯clock, Qixia Mountain was quiet and peaceful. Lu Zaizai had already fallen asleep and Qin Xiaotu was watching the Spring Festival Gala in the house with the adults, yawning from time to time in boredom. They could watch TV on the mountain, but the mobile phone signal was very poor. Sometimes there was no signal at all, never mind using the mobile phone to access the internet. Watching the singing and dancing on TV, Qin Xiaotu turned his head and yawned again. He glanced at Lu Ying next to him who was fiddling with his mobile phone and wondered, ¡°Uncle Lu, can your mobile phone access the internet? How come mine has no signal at all.¡± Lu Ying shook his head: ¡°Mine can¡¯t either¡­¡± But he received a text message, the time indicating that it was sent at five minutes past seven in the evening. [Lu Ying, I¡¯ve arrived in Qixia Town, are you at the shop or at home? I¡¯m coming to find you.] It was almost twelve o¡¯clock and he just saw this text message¡­ Lu Ying held his phone tightly, staring absentmindedly at the TV. He didn¡¯t see what was playing on it. ¡°Woah woah ¨C Happy Year of the Pig!¡± Qin Xiaotu suddenly let out a cheer, waking Lu Ying up as the clock officially struck twelve. ¡°Happy Year of the Pig!¡± ¡°Happy Year of the Pig!¡± ¡°Happy Year of the Pig, Lu Ying!¡± ¡°Happy Year of the Pig¡­¡± Everyone cheered together, surrounding Lu Ying in a constant stream of congratulations. ¡°Happy Year of the Pig!¡± Lu Ying was all smiles as he sincerely presented everyone with little hand-made blessing bags, each with a different pattern, corresponding to the twelve Chinese zodiac signs. Without missing anyone, Lu Ying concluded with a sincere, ¡°I wish everyone a very auspicious Year of the Pig!¡± ¡°Thank you, Lu Ying!¡± Everyone put away the little blessing bags and smiled with satisfaction. Elder Xu put away his blessing bag and pointed out the window to the night sky with a wide smile, ¡°Look, guys, it¡¯s snowing outside.¡± ¡°Woohoo, what a year!¡± ¡°It¡¯s really snowing¡­¡± ¡°I really want to see the white Qixia Mountain when I get up tomorrow, it¡¯ll be even more perfect with the sunrise!¡± ¡°I want to take pictures of the snowy scenery of Qixia Mountain¡­¡± The crowd slowly dispersed, and Lu Ying returned to the room where Zaizai was sleeping. He looked at his son¡¯s chubby face, but his heart was beating wild as he held his phone. He got up and walked to the window. Outside, snowflakes were flying, accompanied by the whistling cold wind, and under the dim eaves lights, every snowflake looked like a dancing firefly. It was beautiful, but also very cold. Lu Ying looked down and quickly made a call. Beep beep beep¡­ no signal. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Ji Xiaofeng, the night owl still guarding the TV in the living room, yelled hurriedly as a sprinting shadow scurried out of the bedroom. ¡°Watch Zaizai for me, I¡¯ll be right back!¡± Lu Ying waved his hand and disappeared into the night without looking back. That man came to Qixia Town at seven o¡¯clock, and the phone couldn¡¯t be reached, so he still might be standing at his door¡­ Maybe it was a mistake to think so, after all the disappointment. But¡­ Lu Ying pondered that from their acquaintance to their separation almost a year later, the man had never broken his promise. Even if it was just a casual promise of small things, he would do as he promised. If that person had arrived in Qixia Town, Lu Ying felt, he must still be there. Maybe still at his door¡­ On New Year¡¯s Eve he didn¡¯t stay at home with his elders but ran to a poor town in the middle of nowhere. What the hell, no one welcomed him here! He hadn¡¯t come when he should have come, and now when no one expected him, he had come uninvited. It was already the first day of the year, the first day of the Year of the Pig, and for the sake of the New Year, Lu Ying won¡¯t bother to be angry! You can¡¯t quarrel on the first day of the New Year. Just find the man, say Happy New Year and count him lucky! Lu Ying quickly went down the mountain, purposely avoiding the villagers, and headed in the direction of the town. He checked his mobile phone as he walked, and when he left the mountain, his mobile phone signal was instantly better. Lu Ying immediately dialled the number, ¡®The number you have dialled is switched off¡­¡¯ ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying¡¯s galloping footsteps immediately braked. He stared at the phone for a long time, bewildered. Where the hell is he? Has he already gone¡­ got onto the plane? Standing in the dark night in the midst of snowflakes, Lu Ying raised his head and took a deep breath, letting the snowflakes fall on his face, icy cold. His reason came back. He should go back to the mountain and accompany his child. This was much warmer than the illusory snowflakes. Lu Ying exhaled a mouthful of white mist, tucked his phone into his coat pocket and turned around with a flourish. ¡­¡­ From far away, obvious at a glance, there was a lonely man walking slowly along the empty muddy road, carrying an umbrella, like a star still twinkling in the darkness of a snowy night. The snow was still falling as the two figures got closer. ¡°Happy New Year.¡± *** Mini-theatre: Mr. Qin: Either I have a brain problem or there are ghosts around me. Lu Ying: So what? Mr. Qin: Science proves that there is nothing wrong with my brain, then there are ghosts around me. Lu Ying: You suspect me? Mr. Qin: You¡¯re not a ghost, you must be a demon sent by God to deal with me! Lu Ying: (*£þ£þ) That¡¯s more like it! Mr. Qin: ¡­¡­ (What¡¯s wrong?) CH 26 Suddenly being wrapped in a wide embrace, Lu Ying still felt the low voice saying ¡°Happy New Year¡± reverberating in his ears. The hug caught him unawares, right after his sudden turn and a sight of the man on such a snowy night. The night was still dark, but it was the first day of the New Year, the Year of the Pig. Lu Ying had been looking forward to it for a long time, twelve year, the whole round. Everyone said that your Chinese Zodiac year brings good luck, good luck for yourself and good luck for others. It was the first day of the Year of the Pig, only thirty-five minutes past twelve, when Lu Ying turned around and fell into the arms of the man in front of him. Was this the good luck for the first day of the Year of the Pig? ¡°Lu Ying¡­¡± ¡°You¡­¡± With his head pressed into the nook of Qin Zhuopu¡¯s shoulder, Lu Ying heard the humming voice sound with a bit of difficulty as the arms wrapped around his waist tightened. Hot breath touched his ear one moment and brushed over his neck the next. ¡°I knew you were here.¡± The voice echoed in his ears, close and clear, and Lu Ying heard a bit of joy and satisfaction in it, as well as a bit of anxiety and exhaustion. He had arrived in Qixia Town just after seven o¡¯clock, so when did he come to the foot of Qixia Mountain? On New Year¡¯s Eve, it was cold and there were no assistant bodyguards accompanying him. He didn¡¯t even wear a cold-proof coat, as if he had just finished a meeting, left the office and hurriedly found his way here. ¡°I¡¯m relieved to see you.¡± Qin Zhuopu sighed with a smile, his tight embrace finally slowly relaxing. Although he was reluctant to let go, to see someone he wanted to see was already the best start to the New Year. The most desirable gift of all. He didn¡¯t even know why he was in such a hurry and in such a state of panic. He had seen too many doctors recently, each one expertly helping him analyse his ¡®condition¡¯ regarding his memory. He didn¡¯t know if he was sick or not. He watched time pass and the New Year was approaching. He could put aside any expert, any cause of illness, any work. The restless heartbeat demanded him eagerly to go back, with his own eyes to see the person he missed, to hug him, so that he could be at ease this year. ¡°Where are you coming from?¡± Lu Ying pursed his mouth slightly, looked at Qin Zhuopu intently and couldn¡¯t help but say that. This man was dressed in an elegant suit, but he was dirty and covered in mud and leaves, his shoes and trousers unsightly. ¡°I took a plane straight from the United States to Caifeng Airport, called a car and came to Qixia Town.¡± Qin Zhuopu gazed at the man in front of him and his smile deepened, ¡°I didn¡¯t get a response from you when I called and texted, so I went to the bakery first and it was closed. I went to your door. I waited for you and you didn¡¯t come. I guessed you were probably on Qixia Mountain, so I came.¡± Lu Ying listened to his calm and gentle words and was a little bewildered, ¡°You went to the mountain?¡± Qin Zhuopu paused, ¡°I found the mountain path at the foot of the mountain, but¡­ I seemed to have gotten lost and walked back.¡± Lu Ying immediately frowned and sighed: ¡°Are you stupid? At least ask the people at the bottom of the mountain, everyone knows not to go up Qixia Mountain during the New Year. The mountain is all foggy, didn¡¯t you see it?¡± ¡°Yes, the fog is very thick.¡± ¡°Then why did you go up there?¡± Lu Ying glared at him. One could go up Qixia Mountain whenever one wanted; anyway, there would be a disappointment, there was no beautiful or impressive scenery. But from New Year¡¯s Eve to the third day of the Lunar New Year, Qixia Mountain would be covered in fog. The villagers below the mountain would avoid Qixia Mountain during the New Year¡¯s Eve and no one would mention going up the mountain. Even if someone wanted to sneak up, they couldn¡¯t get up there. Qin Zhuopu said with a quiet smile, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have returned to China so early, but I just suddenly wanted to see you. The more I stayed in the United States, the more uncomfortable I felt. Now that I¡¯ve seen you, I feel much better.¡± The man in front of Lu Ying seemed really relieved now, his posture relaxed and at ease, but also tired. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t come down, you wouldn¡¯t have seen me today. What would you do then?¡± Lu Ying raised his eyebrows at Qin Zhuopu, thinking that this big boss was really a piece of work sometimes. Qin Zhuopu looked at his shoes and said, ¡°I¡¯d go back to town and check your apartment. If there was no one there, I¡¯d find a hotel and settle down. My phone is out of battery. I¡¯ve spent a long time at some family¡¯s house in the village but unfortunately they didn¡¯t have a proper charger. You can¡¯t stay in the mountains forever, you¡¯d definitely have to come down in a few days. But¡­ if I didn¡¯t catch you in person, you wouldn¡¯t want to talk to me. It¡¯s been so long and you haven¡¯t replied to a single message.¡± Seeing the intense resentment and resignation in Qin Zhuopu¡¯s eyes, Lu Ying grunted and muttered, ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree before that you would stop following me?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t follow you.¡± Qin Zhuopu looked at him and smiled. Lu Ying immediately rebuked him, ¡°Then why did you come?¡± ¡°Now I am not me, I am a star that has fallen here across the ocean, the star is not following you, it doesn¡¯t have its own will.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying¡¯s eyes crossed. Advertisements Qin Zhuopu¡¯s smile became even softer. He bent over and picked up the umbrella and briefcase on the ground, raised his hand to open the big black umbrella, hiding himself and Lu Ying under it. Lu Ying tilted his head, and Qin Zhuopu¡¯s hand, raised just in time, touched his face lightly, landed on his shoulder and patted it, gently brushing off the snowflakes from Lu Ying¡¯s hair. Lu Ying subconsciously lowered his head to make it easier for him to sweep the snow. For a moment, Lu Ying felt that this action seemed similar. Once in a famous snow-covered city abroad, they strolled through the streets to enjoy the snowy scenery. In the same way, when Qin Zhuopu raised his hand, Lu Ying bowed his head obediently, in a perfect tacit understanding. ¡°It¡¯s getting late, you should go back. It¡¯s time for me to go too.¡± Qin Zhuopu broke the silence. Lu Ying asked offhandedly, ¡°Where to?¡± ¡°You go back to the mountain, I¡¯ll go back to the town and find a place to stay, and go home in the morning to celebrate the New Year with Grandpa.¡± ¡°Have you booked a hotel?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying resisted the urge to scold him, pulled up the hood of his coat over his head and strode forward, ¡°You come with me.¡± His phone was dead, he had no reservation and was walking to town on foot and still wanted to stay in a hotel? He wouldn¡¯t even be able to find a place to sleep until the morning. ¡°You want to send me off?¡± Qin Zhuopu followed quickly, the big umbrella shielding them again. Lu Ying sighed: ¡°It¡¯s the first day of the New Year, it¡¯s the middle of the night, you think it¡¯s normal? The hotels that have business are long overcrowded, and those that don¡¯t have business are closed.¡± ¡°Then where are you taking me to stay?¡± Lu Ying grunted and didn¡¯t answer him. Qin Zhuopu asked again. Lu Ying said helplessly, ¡°Just come with me. Don¡¯t ask.¡± The two of them shared the umbrella and walked along the country road. Lu Ying was quick on his feet, and Qin Zuopu matched his pace, and it took just a short while for them to return to Qixia Town. Lu Ying led the way straight to the community, to the apartment he rented, took out the key and opened the door. Qin Zhuopu stepped into the narrow room and the lights snapped on as if in a dream. Advertisements Lu Ying bent down and nimbly fished out a clean towel, toothbrush and a pair of socks from the storage box at the bottom of the bed and put them in a plastic bag. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he rummaged through a bunch of plain white pants he hadn¡¯t worn, checked the markings one by one, found a familiar size, pull it out and stuffed into the plastic bag as well before getting up to face Qin Zhuopu: ¡°It¡¯s very cramped here, do you want to stay?¡± His small single room apartment was not as big as the toilet in Qin Zhuopu¡¯s house, let alone half as neat and clean. It wasn¡¯t that he was lazy and sloppy, but it would be difficult for any father and son to live in such a tiny space. What needed to be stored had to be stored and there could be no talk of aesthetics. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s joy cooled down as early as when Lu Ying bent down to rummage for clothes; the apartment was obviously too small. When Qin Zhuopu had been here last time, he was too out of control to notice anything else. But this was where Lu Ying really lived; such details were not included in the information. ¡°You don¡¯t want to stay here?¡± Seeing that Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t say anything for a long time, Lu Ying asked stiffly. Everything today was an accident. It was an accident that Qin Zhuopu would come looking for him, and it was also an accident that he would bring Qin Zhuopu here. But it was already so late and there was no place to stay outside. Was he just supposed to leave Qin Zhuopu behind? What if he froze to death in the street?¡­ Lu Ying knew in his heart that, let alone disliked by outsiders, his place was occasionally disliked by himself. Especially when he was busy looking for something but couldn¡¯t find it, and when it was so hot in the summer that it was going to explode, and even when after he enjoyed a delicious meal the smell wouldn¡¯t go away for a long time. He thought more than once about going back to the mountain to live there and forget about the city, but finally dismissed the idea. Zaizai was getting older, so he was thinking of getting a two-room apartment in the new year, with one bedroom and one living room, to sleep separately. Qin Zhuopu shook his head, ¡°Can I wear your slippers?¡± ¡°¡­oh.¡± Seeing him bend down to take off his shoes, Lu Ying put down his slippers, a pair of cold sandals. Qin Zhuopu: ¡°¡­¡­¡± So cold. Qin Zhuopu changed his shoes full of mud and water and wanted to take off his dirty pants. Lu Ying hurriedly shouted when he saw this: ¡°You stay here, I¡¯m leaving.¡± At the sight of him running in a panic, the corners of Qin Zhuopu¡¯s mouth twitched, and he deliberately quickly unzipped his outer trousers, ¡°I¡¯m wearing warm pants.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ ¡± The embarrassed Lu Ying rolled his eyes and pointed in the direction of the bedside, ¡°There are instant noodles and snacks in the bedside table, boil water and eat them yourself if you¡¯re hungry. I¡¯m gone.¡± ¡°En, be careful on the road.¡± Qin Zhuopu knew he had to go back to the mountain because there, there was his son¡­ Lu Ying¡¯s closest¡­ and most beloved person. Lu Ying walked to the door and suddenly turned back, meeting Qin Zhuopu¡¯s gaze and sending a belated blessing. ¡°Good luck in the Year of the Pig.¡± This man, whether he belonged to him or not, no matter if they could be together forever in the future, was not someone else, not someone irrelevant. It was the man he wanted to bless seriously. *** Mini-theatre: Lu Ying: Taking off your trousers in front of me, you rascal! Mr. Qin: Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m wearing my warm underpants. Lu Ying: ¡­¡­ (disappointed) CH 27 The whole place could be seen at a glance. In the quiet little room, Qin Zhuopu started by walking from the bed. Two steps away was the only table and two chairs. He walked around and a few steps to the right there was the kitchen and bathroom next to each other. In fact, they were very close to the bed. There was also a fancy fabric patchwork wardrobe by the other end of the bed and the rest of the stuff was stacked in large and small storage boxes. There was no place for shoes, so they were scattered casually on the side, winter and summer shoes together. Clothes, toys, books, and anything that didn¡¯t fit in the storage boxes were packed in various bags and piled up against the wall. There was no TV, no fridge, no air conditioner, and the only electrical appliance was probably the lamp overhead. Qin Zhuopu walked into the kitchen, so small that he wanted to walk sideways. The miraculous thing was that the stove was fully equipped with pots and pans and very clean, except for the simple kitchen hood that was stained and emitted a faint smell of smoke. It was clear from the first sight that it was a kitchen where the fire was often used. He looked at the unfamiliarity of it all with a blank face and stepped in his cold slippers to the adjacent bathroom. It was smaller than he expected. Above the squat toilet there was the shower nozzle. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he would suddenly spray water on his head when he went to the toilet. In the end, he sighed for a long time, reached out and took off the nozzle to try to turn on the hot water. It took a full ten minutes before the somewhat warm water came out. After that, he let it run for another five minutes, and finally the temperature was at least a little more acceptable for a shower. With no time to sigh anymore, Qin Zhuopu took a shower at the speed standard of the military training period in his student days. He put on a t-shirt and baggy pyjama pants he found in the wardrobe, shivered, brushed his teeth and washed his face, and got back into the bed under the quilt. He stared up at the ceiling. The ceiling was visibly dusty; there were spider webs in the corners, and some of the wall finishing was peeling, about to fall off. Closing his eyes fiercely, Qin Zhuopu buried his head in the quilt and breathed deeply¡­ There was no Lu Ying¡¯s smell, but a strong, child¡¯s milky aroma. ¡­¡­ Advertisements Qin Zhuopu poked his head out, his mood complicated and indescribable. He couldn¡¯t help but look around again. Everything in the apartment was squeezed into such a tiny space. It was not difficult to imagine that if someone snored in the bed, it could be heard by the person going to the toilet. If someone cooked in the kitchen, the person on the bed could hear it. Turn on the water in the bathroom, and people in the kitchen and bed can hear it. In this small home, Lu Ying and his son lived, the little fat boy called Lu Zaizai. Even though Qin Zhuopu only saw the photos on the information, he was instantly sure in his heart that it was Lu Ying¡¯s biological son. His face was round and fleshy but it didn¡¯t prevent his eyes from looking the same as Lu Ying¡¯s. The father and son had the same eyes, clear and innocent, clean and pure. The bright smile was even more alike. The child also shared Lu Ying¡¯s love of food and was good at eating, ate a lot more than ordinary people, and had an extraordinary athletic talent. There was no way to deny it at all. Two people who were so similar could only be a father and son. Genes and blood, that was how close they were; how close. When he found out that Lu Ying had become a father, he was in denial, not believing it at all, automatically assuming that it must be an adopted child. Lu Ying had said that he was Grandpa Lu¡¯s adopted child, not Grandpa Lu¡¯s grandson. It was not at all surprising that Lu Ying would adopt a child. The moment the information was in his hands and he turned the page over to see the photo, something exploded in his head. Whether it was panic, anger, or pain, he didn¡¯t have time to realise it, and there was only one thought left in his mind. This was Lu Ying¡¯s biological son. How did the child happen and who gave birth to him? Or another question. Why did they have to be separated for years, why was it that the person he had obviously missed so much and thought about for years was not with him? He spent many days thinking about that child, and the result of his deep thoughts was that he still missed Lu Ying and wanted to go to him. Lu Ying¡¯s child would be his child in the future. Until now, he hadn¡¯t seen Lu Zaizai with his own eyes. He was always in a hurry to see Lu Ying, but not the child. He knew that he was actually afraid, afraid of being hypocritical. He was also afraid of trying to get along with the child. Children are the most difficult existence to master; what if they met and didn¡¯t like each other at all, what should he do next? He had to recognise the reality that after a few years apart their relationship couldn¡¯t return to what it once had been, and that Lu Ying had someone he liked more than he liked the stars. Compared to the tiny dim stars, the child was a big sun. Under the light of the sun, the stars did not exist. Turning over, Qin Zhuopu switched off the light. He thought he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep, but he fell asleep quickly without realising it. Although the room was old and dilapidated, the bed was very comfortable, and the quilt with the scent of milk was very down-to-earth and warm. Without the harassment of mobile phones and the noise of alarm clocks, he had no dreams all night. Even when there were fireworks in the neighbourhood at five or six in the morning and some people were visiting their friends to celebrate the New Year, making the first morning of the New Year lively and noisy, none of this affected Qin Zhuopu. Around ten o¡¯clock in the morning, Lu Ying opened the door. The room was dark and quiet, and the only regular sound of sleeping reminded him that someone was lazy and hadn¡¯t woken up yet. Lu Ying closed the door gently, his expression a little puzzled. Qin Zhuopu actually hasn¡¯t woken up yet, what a surprise¡­ This person had always been self-disciplined and had never been lazy to get up even when he went to bed late. Go to bed at 9 o¡¯clock in the evening and get up at 7 o¡¯clock in the morning, go to bed at 12 o¡¯clock in the evening and get up at 7 o¡¯clock in the morning, or even 6 o¡¯clock. Sometimes it¡¯s even 5 o¡¯clock if he needs to catch a plane. Lu Ying was different. He slept until he woke up naturally when he wasn¡¯t working. Eleven o¡¯clock was early and it wasn¡¯t surprising if he slept all day. At that time, when he was living with Qin Zhuopu, the two of them made peace by deciding that Qin Zhuopu could get up early, but he was not allowed to tell Lu Ying to get up early. Lu Ying could sleep in, but he had to be up at eight o¡¯clock for breakfast, and if he was still sleepy, he would go back to bed. Lunch and dinner also couldn¡¯t be missed. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Staring at the sleeping Qin Zhuopu, Lu Ying subconsciously took out his mobile phone, took a picture, and checked the effect of the photo. The dark outline brought no sense of accomplishment. Delete it! Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t seem to show any signs of awakening at all, and Lu Ying sat down in a chair, doing nothing. Someone who slept so soundly must have been very tired. How could it be comfortable to take a plane for more than ten hours, and then go to the mountains to roll around in the mud and freeze in the cold wind in the middle of the night? The message flickered in the ¡°Gang of Scoundrels¡± group, and Lu Ying lowered his head to click on it. Advertisements Brother Ji: Going to the movies. Picture 1, Picture 2¡­ Liu Dichuan: There are so many people, fortunately I bought the tickets in advance. Brother Yang: When are you coming over, Lu Ying? The show starts in twenty minutes. Brother Ji: Come on, Lu Ying, Zaizai is waiting for you. There was another flurry of pictures in the group. Lu Ying saw Zaizai and Qin Xiaotu eating popcorn together. The two juniors had an age difference but they were playing together well. Lu Ying: Okay, I¡¯ll be right there. Glancing at the bed, Lu Ying quickly replied to the group. Staying here to watch people sleep was a waste of time. He left a charger, data cable and a bowl of dumplings, turned around and went out quietly. Lu Ying rushed to the movies theatre and fortunately wasn¡¯t late. Lu Zaizai pounced over cheerfully, ¡°Dad, where have you been? I¡¯ve been waiting for you for ages.¡± ¡°Dad went home for something.¡± ¡°Ah, Dad, why didn¡¯t you tell me you were coming home, I wanted to get my toys!¡± ¡°Next time, the movie¡¯s about to start, get in line.¡± It was a 100-minute movie, a pure family fun for the New Year, and it was already noon when they finished watching it. The group discussed where to go to eat when Lu Ying¡¯s phone rang. When he saw the call, he simply answered it: ¡°You¡¯re finally awake?¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s hoarse voice came from the other end: ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t expect to sleep for so long. What time did you come here?¡± He was still a little groggy when he woke up and subconsciously looked for his phone. He saw the charger placed next to it, the standard data cable and a bowl of dumplings. He didn¡¯t know that Lu Ying had come back. Everything he brought was very thoughtful. A burst of joy suddenly flooded Qin Zhuopu¡¯s gloomy mind, and his spirit soared. ¡°At ten o¡¯clock.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± ¡°Why should I wake you up? I even took a picture of you sleeping late.¡± Unseen by Lu Ying, Qin Zhuopu smiled: ¡°Delete it if it doesn¡¯t look good.¡± ¡°You have no say about it.¡± ¡°Then¡­ where are you now?¡± Qin Zhuopu heard it was very lively over there. ¡°Just finished watching the movie and now I¡¯m going to eat. Your phone is charged now, um¡­ you can buy your own ticket back. Bye.¡± Lu Ying hung up the phone quickly and headed to the restaurant with everyone. Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t call again. Qin Zhuopu was still in a good mood. He took the cold dumplings to the kitchen, turned on the fire fairly smoothly, warmed up the dumplings, poured a plate of balsamic vinegar, and sat alone to enjoy them slowly. The bowl was large, with a full thirty dumplings, slightly thick skinned and stuffed with fresh meat and shepherd¡¯s purse, so fragrant and tender that Qin Zhuopu¡¯s whole body warmed up as he ate. As soon as the dumplings entered his mouth, he knew that they were handmade, most likely made by Lu Ying. He felt surprised and a little sour. What else did Lu Ying know how to do that he hadn¡¯t known before? Suddenly, the chopsticks in Qin Zhuopu¡¯s hand paused and he looked at the dumpling in front of him. This dumpling was very special, like a fish in troubled waters showing its head in a group of beautiful dumplings. Qin Zuopu carefully identified the dumpling. It was a pig¡¯s head¡­ right? The vaguely round pig¡¯s head, with a crooked mouth, seemed to be grinning. The corners of Qin Zhuopu¡¯s mouth rose and he dipped the dumpling into the vinegar and ate it. On the first day of the Year of the Pig, how could one not be in a good mood when eating a pig head dumpling? That child, he suddenly wanted to meet him. As an elder, at least he should hand him the red envelope and give him a blessing for the New Year. ¡°Dad, open the door~ I want to go in and get my toys~~¡± Outside the door, suddenly came the child¡¯s tender voice, and Qin Zhuopu subconsciously looked towards the door. The sound of the key being inserted into a hole, the sound of the key being turned. Qin Zhuopu stood up awkwardly. The doorway opened and a dazzling light instantly shone in. CH 28 Lu Zaizai, who rushed into the apartment, saw the tall strange man in front of him. With his face full of curiosity, the child raised his head while the man lowered his head, and their eyes met. Lu Zaizai smiled shyly and said, ¡°Happy New Year, Uncle!¡± Dad had already told him that there was an uncle from out of town living at home. The uncle was so poor that he almost had to sleep on the street. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s eyes widened slightly, and he actually sounded a little cramped: ¡°¡­Happy New Year.¡± He had imagined this meeting, and they finally met. The little sun raised by Lu Ying¡­ was really dazzling. Lu Ying walked over at this time and put his hand on Lu Zaizai¡¯s shoulder: ¡°Don¡¯t bother Uncle, he is eating dumplings. Go find your toys. If you take too long, your godfather will be angry again.¡± ¡°En en en, Uncle, eat quickly, your dumplings will get cold, they won¡¯t taste good if they get cold.¡± Looking at the dumplings, Lu Zaizai couldn¡¯t help but admonish the uncle who was taller than his father, fearing that he would waste the delicious dumplings. After saying that, he jumped over to the bed to look for his toys. He wanted to take all his favourite toys with him so that he could share them with Brother Xiaotu on the mountain. Qin Zhuopu sat down subconsciously, picked up his chopsticks and continued to eat the rest of the dumplings. Lu Ying sat down opposite him, propped his chin and asked, ¡°Are the dumplings good?¡± ¡°Yes, they taste very good. The shepherd¡¯s purse is very tender and the meat is very fresh.¡± It went without saying that shepherd¡¯s purse was a wild vegetable and you couldn¡¯t buy it at this time of year even if you had money. But there was some growing on Qixia Mountain; Lu Ying loved it, and Zaizai loved it too. ¡°You should be full, right?¡± Lu Ying asked uncertainly. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s food intake was normal and thirty dumplings was the amount Lu Ying had considered appropriate. If he hadn¡¯t deliberately saved them, there wouldn¡¯t be any left. Qin Zhuopu nodded, ¡°I¡¯m full. It might be a bit difficult to finish them all.¡± Lu Ying gave an inaudible ¡®tsk¡¯, as if disgusted. Qin Zhuopu was quite helpless. When they used to eat together, Lu Ying laughed at him for eating too little. Obviously, he was the one who ate too much and had no idea what he was doing. He laughed at Lu Ying in turn, saying that raising him was like raising a pig that was good at eating. Not only was Lu Ying not angry, but he laughed and was very proud. Lu Ying squinted at Qin Zhuopu. The t-shirt, the thick cotton pyjama pants and the jacket were all his! He instantly questioned, ¡°Why are you wearing all my clothes?¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled, ¡°Your clothes are warm.¡± Especially warm were the thick home pyjamas. ¡°Shameless, I didn¡¯t let you wear them.¡± Lu Ying muttered softly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take them off.¡± Qin Zhuopu made a move to take off the jacket. Lu Ying huffed, ¡°Forget it, don¡¯t do it.¡± Qin Zhuopu immediately stopped and continued eating. Advertisements Lu Ying grunted: ¡°They cost a hundred or so and I have worn them for three or four years. Is it possible that my tattered old clothes smell better than your mink fur?¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled, ¡°My clothes are not mink fur. To be honest, your clothes don¡¯t smell good, rather¡­¡± ¡°Rather what?¡± Lu Ying stared. ¡°They smell like oil fumes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying was about to explode, ¡°You¡¯d better hurry up and take them off!¡± ¡°Uncle, let me tell you, Dad wears these clothes to cook every day, hahaha¡­So it must be the smell of the kitchen, hehe,¡± Lu Zaizai interjected, laughing. Lu Zaizai, what are you trying to do? Lu Ying glared at his son. Qin Zhuopu lowered his head and laughed. Lu Ying averted his eyes, his gaze fixed on his son who was looking for toys. He didn¡¯t know what was wrong with him today, but he had actually agreed to go home to get the toys when Zaizai was making a fuss. It was as if a voice in his heart was telling him: ¡°Go ahead, go ahead, take your son there, and if Qin Zhuopu hasn¡¯t left yet, then the two of them can meet.¡± If he had already left, they wouldn¡¯t be able to see each other, and it would probably be difficult to meet again. Qin Zhuopu was a very busy man, after all, he was in charge of feeding many people, and his grandfather and mother were old and both needed his company. How much time and opportunity would he have to run here all day long? Maybe if he ran too much, the old lady would jump on him again. His Zaizai was so cute, Qin Zhuopu would love him if he met him. How could he not like him? He must like him. Then Lu Ying left his friends behind and brought the child with him. When he opened the door and came in, he seemed to see a bit of tension in Qin Zhuopu¡¯s eyes. Stubborn fool. Today was a happy day, and everything he did should be cheerful. ¡°I¡¯m full, thank you.¡± Qin Zhuopu put down his chopsticks; there were none of the thirty large dumplings left. Lu Zaizai couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Uncle, have you eaten a cute piggy dumpling? Hehe, that¡¯s the dumpling I wrapped, oh. Dad said whoever eats a piggy dumpling will have good luck this year.¡± ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ve eaten it. The piggy dumpling was extra delicious.¡± He did have quite good luck this year, so happy on the first day. Lu Ying lowered his head, fiddling with his phone, as if he wasn¡¯t listening to their chat. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m thirsty, I want some water.¡± Lu Zaizai, who was looking for a toy, stretched out his neck to look at his father. ¡°You wait.¡± Lu Ying got up and went to the kitchen to boil water. Lu Zaizai had several toys on the table, and he found a plastic bag and put them in one by one. He was saying some words that seemed to be the names of the toys. The expression on his little face was very serious and focused. Qin Zhuopu couldn¡¯t stop staring at him. Today, this child was wearing a red and black sports suit and up close it could be seen he had long legs and was quite tall. Compared to kindergarten children, he was more like a primary school student, in the second or third grade. The clothes were supposed to be loose but were just right for him. His face was really like two meat buns, and the backs of his hands were white and fleshy, the same rare and beautiful white as Lu Ying¡¯s. He probably didn¡¯t tan easily. Qin Zhuopu once again marvelled at the power of genetic inheritance. This child was almost a carbon copy, except that he had more meat than Lu Ying. Qin Zhuopu got up and took out a red envelope from his briefcase. He had prepared it for the Chinese New Year and it had been waiting for more than a week to be finally used today. The capacity of the red envelope was not much, just 20,000 cash, double numbers auspicious. ¡°You¡­ Zaizai.¡± Qin Zhuopu softly called the name, came up to the child and handed over the thick red envelope: ¡°Happy New Year! Uncle wishes you good luck in your studies and grow healthy.¡± Lu Zaizai looked at the red envelope in surprise, ¡°Such a big red envelope, oh my goodness, this is the biggest red envelope I¡¯ve ever seen! It¡¯s bigger than my face! Bigger than my head too!¡± ¡°Take it.¡± Qin Zhuopu was amused by his exaggerated expression and comparison. Lu Zaizai looked up at the uncle, his face lit with a happy smile, but did not rush to take the envelope, hesitantly and shyly rubbing his hand on his waist: ¡°Thank you, Uncle.¡± After that, he shouted, ¡°Dad! Uncle is giving me a red envelope, can I take it?¡± Although he wanted it very much, he had never met this uncle before and didn¡¯t know him. Dad had told him that except for the uncles on the mountain he was not allowed to accept red envelopes from adults indiscriminately. Last year he had accepted a red envelope from the landlady auntie. When Dad found out, he gave Zaizai a lecture, blaming him for not telling him in time. And this red envelope was so big that there must have been a lot of money. Dad said that although he received a lot of red envelopes, Dad was responsible for returning the gifts and giving red envelopes to other people¡¯s children. Advertisements Qin Zhuopu gently looked at the child in front of him and smiled from the bottom of his heart. Lu Ying¡¯s child was really cute, big but well-behaved and obedient. He had come into contact with many children; there were children from his cousins in the family, and every year the large, spacious mansion was packed to the rafters, rowdy like a teahouse. Most of those children were not brought up badly but were not too nice either. Those under the age of three were still a bit cute, but at the age of six or seven, they really illustrated a saying ¡°even dogs don¡¯t like them¡±. Lu Ying, who was looking for tea in the kitchen, pretended not to care, ¡°Take it! Remember to thank Uncle!¡± Huh, why not take it. He was in a good mood today, so he was not going to be polite (*^¨Œ^*). Sure enough, his brothers and sister were right, your Zodiac year didn¡¯t necessarily bring big fortune, but there was still small fortune. Every now and then you could go buy lottery tickets and definitely would not lose money. The most money he made this year was from the red envelopes his son earned (£þ¨Œ£þ)/ Lu Ying paid attention and soon heard his son¡¯s happy voice saying ¡®thank you¡¯, his white chubby face blossoming into a smile. ¡°The red envelope that Uncle gave is so cute.¡± Lu Zaizai couldn¡¯t stop praising the big red envelope he was holding. The pattern of the red envelope was three-dimensional, with a pair of big golden pigs and a small pig, looking like a family of three. If there was another little piggy, it would be exactly like Peppa Pig¡¯s family. Qin Zhuopu coughed lightly, ¡°I bought it in Chinatown.¡± It was worth spending half a day to choose it. The implication was quite obvious; the New Year money was for the child and the red envelope was for Lu Ying to see. ¡°Where¡¯s Chinatown?¡± Lu Zaizai asked. ¡°It¡¯s Chinatown in New York, in America.¡± Qin Zhuopu answered seriously. Lu Zaizai was even more curious: ¡°I know America! Superman is American, ta! And Iron Man! And Transformers! Dad and Godfather took me to see many American movies. So it turns out you¡¯re not a native, Uncle, you¡¯re a foreigner. Your home is so far away, no wonder you can¡¯t go home at night.¡± Qin Zhuopu listened attentively and replied promptly, ¡°I¡¯m Chinese like you, and I only go to foreign countries for work. Superman¡­ I¡¯ve seen it too.¡± ¡°Right? But I like Optimus Prime the most! He¡¯s the coolest.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I like him too.¡± ¡°Iron Man is awesome too!¡± ¡°Yeah, I like that too.¡± ¡°I also like Ultraman!¡± ¡°I like it too.¡± Lu Zaizai looked at the uncle in amazement, ¡°Uncle, you like everything. Actually, I also like Peppa Pig, no, no, I don¡¯t like Peppa, she¡¯s a chatterbox! I only like her brother George because I¡¯m like George and we both love dinosaurs! Oooow-¡± Flashing his sharp claws at Qin Zhuopu, Lu Zaizai howled like a tiger and roared, ¡°I¡¯m the Tyrannosaurus Rex of the dinosaur world! Are you afraid? Ow!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu slowly, slowly¡­ lowered his head: ¡°¡­afraid.¡± ¡°Hahaha, I scared you! Don¡¯t be afraid, Uncle, my dad is the best, my dad is never scared by dinosaurs.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It must be exhausting raising a son, Qin Zhuopu thought with certainty. It was not easy for Lu Ying. In the kitchen Lu Ying listened to his son¡¯s lively one-man show and rolled his eyes, especially wanting to laugh. ¡°Uncle, Uncle, let¡¯s play a game, I¡¯ll tell you a riddle and you can guess it?¡± Lu Zaizai switched to another game without braking. Qin Zhuopu sounded full of fighting spirit: ¡°You ask, I¡¯ll listen.¡± Lu Zaizai immediately said seriously, ¡°There is a small room that can only be used by one person at a time. Guess what it is?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Are you teasing me? ¡°A hint for you, that little room is stinky, hehehe,¡± Lu Zaizai exaggeratedly covered his nose and waited expectantly for Qin Zhuopu to say the answer. Suddenly a bit overwhelmed¡­ ¡°A toilet.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled. Lu Zaizai clapped his hands: ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re great! You guessed the answer at once! I¡¯m telling you, Li Sitian is so dumb, I told her the hint and she still didn¡¯t guess it. I¡¯ll come up with another puzzle, you keep guessing.¡± ¡°Go on.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled warmly. Lu Zaizai came up with the question, ¡°Which animal is the cutest in the twelve Zodiac signs?¡± ¡°¡­rabbit?¡± Qin Zhuopu was very cooperative. ¡°No, it¡¯s not! Rabbits are cute, but the cutest one is of course the pig!¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because it has more meat! Do you think I look like a piglet? Dad says I¡¯m the cutest.¡± Lu Zaizai smiled triumphantly. Qin Zhuopu held his forehead: ¡°Yes, you are particularly cute.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. Dad is a big pig and I¡¯m a little pig, so the Pig of the Zodiac is the cutest.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not pigs.¡± Only the amount of food eaten matches. Lu Zaizai argued, ¡°Who said that? Dad is a Pig, and he said that this year is his year and he will have good luck this year.¡± Qin Zhuopu thought the child was talking nonsense. How could Lu Ying be a Pig? Then he would be twenty-four or thirty-six years old? Neither was possible. Lu Ying being thirty-six, hehe, how could that be? Lu Ying being twenty-four, how old was he seven or eight years ago then? Lu Ying was exactly twenty-eight this year. Qin Zuopu hurriedly took control of the conversation. Since he couldn¡¯t answer, he continued: ¡°Uncle will give you a Transformers toy next time, you will definitely like it.¡± Lu Zaizai cried out in surprise, ¡°Really? Uncle, you want to give me a toy?¡± He was so excited that he didn¡¯t even bother with the red envelope anymore and just put it on the table. Qin Zhuopu nodded solemnly. He bought a few interesting toys when he visited Chinatown, but he didn¡¯t bring them when he rushed here. ¡°Uncle will bring it to you next time.¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Lu Zaizai chuckled in a unique manner, ¡°Uncle, you are good.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ ¡± Qin Zhuopu looked at the happy child and really had the urge to tell him to stop calling him ¡°Uncle¡± and call him ¡°Dad¡± instead¡­ All the worries before seeing Zaizai seemed to disappear slowly during the conversation with the child. Unconsciously, this child who was very much like Lu Ying and was as cheerful and smiling as Lu Ying gave him a sense of complete security. He was really like a little sun. CH 29 Lu Ying came out with two cups of tea; the one with tea leaves was handed to Qin Zhuopu and the one with plain water was handed to his son. He sat down and straight away picked up the huge, conspicuous red envelope to examine it, and couldn¡¯t help muttering like a child, ¡°It¡¯s so big.¡± You generally can¡¯t buy red envelopes of this size, so you have to find them on purpose. Qin Zhuopu had obviously come prepared. ¡°Did you thank Uncle?¡± Lu Ying asked his son, putting away the red envelope. Lu Zaizai nodded, ¡°I definitely thanked him.¡± ¡°Then how about we take Uncle to the subway together now? Your godfather is still waiting for us to eat.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Won¡¯t Uncle eat with us?¡± ¡°Uncle is still full from eating too many dumplings, so he won¡¯t eat. Uncle wants to go home.¡± Qin Zhuopu stood up helplessly and took the clothes he had changed yesterday, hesitating what to do with them. They were really too dirty and he didn¡¯t want to wear them. Lu Ying stepped forward and gave him a gentle push, taking the trousers from his hand, ¡°You can change the top first, and I¡¯ll wipe the mud off your trousers.¡± ¡°Can you wipe it off? Do you have any longer pants I can borrow?¡± ¡°I can wipe it off, don¡¯t worry.¡± Lu Ying replied from the bathroom. Qin Zhuopu sighed softly, ¡°How virtuous¡­¡± ¡°What are you muttering about?¡± Lu Ying moved quickly and in the blink of an eye, he carried the pants back and threw them to Qin Zhuopu: ¡°They look pretty clean if you don¡¯t pay attention. Anyway, it¡¯s less than two hours to go back to Guanlan City from here, so bear with it. Your shoes need to be wiped, too, I don¡¯t know if they are wet inside.¡± Lu Ying squatted down to check the shoes, wiped the leather clean in a few moments and checked the inside to find it quite dry. He was immediately relieved. If the shoes were wet, he would have to go out and find shoes for Qin Zhuopu. The clothes could be left like that, but the shoes couldn¡¯t. ¡°There, the shoes are ready to wear.¡± Qin Zhuopu had already put on his pants and was holding his dirty socks, obviously reluctant to wear them, ¡°Do you have any clean socks for me?¡± ¡°I have new socks.¡± Lu Ying fished out the socks and handed them over. Qin Zhuopu lifted his feet to put on the socks and suddenly whispered while putting them on, ¡°Lu Ying, let¡¯s live together.¡± Like millions of ordinary families in the world, taking care of each other, keeping each other company, raising children together, eating together, celebrating holidays together, and spending the rest of their lives together. ¡°¡­nice try.¡± Lu Ying muttered, lifted his son¡¯s toy bag and walked to the door ready to go out. Qin Zhuopu smiled and shook his head. Dressed neatly, he took his briefcase and followed Lu Ying; standing in the corridor, he felt even more clearly how dazzling the sun was today. Lu Ying walked to the lift holding the child¡¯s hand, and Qin Zhuopu stood next to him naturally. Lu Ying ignored him; but there was still Zaizai, this little chatterbox. ¡°Look, look, this is Ultraman Taiga, and this is Ultraseven,¡± said Lu Zaizai, excitedly introducing Qin Zhuopu to his beloved toy treasures. Qin Zhuopu lowered his head and listened to him. The three of them were walking through the community, looking very eye-catching. There was a particularly large number of idle people coming downstairs to sunbathe today and Lu Ying had always been a kind of a celebrity in the community, with few people not knowing him. Among the generation of grandparents, Lu Ying was very well liked. Both he and his son got compliments every time they were seen, accompanied by questions, ¡®Teach me how to feed my kid so well? Your child is growing so well and never gets sick¡­¡¯ Younger moms and dads wouldn¡¯t be like that. They didn¡¯t necessarily mean it in a malicious way, but they would politely advise him to control his child¡¯s food intake and lose weight. All in all, most people were friendly. ¡°Xiao Lu, where did you find your friend? So tall and handsome. I¡¯ve never seen your friend before. Where is he from? How old is he? What¡¯s his job? Is he married? Does he have a girlfriend?¡± ¡­¡­ To the aunties surrounding him, Lu Ying squeezed out a smile, ¡°He¡¯s from out of town, he has no local housing, and his child is already big.¡± ¡°Oh, like that¡­¡± Very well, make them lose interest in three steps. Qin Zhuopu almost laughed out loud as Lu Ying quickened his pace. Looking at Lu Ying¡¯s upright, energetic back, he felt in a daze that this image overlapped with the young Lu Ying from a few years ago. Lu Ying still looked unchanged on the outside, and became a mature and reliable good man inside. There was a subway station at the entrance of the community. Lu Ying walked straight into the station and even thoughtfully bought a subway ticket to the airport. A small blue piece was handed to Qin Zhuopu: ¡°Go in, it will take you there. Have a nice trip.¡± Taking the small ticket, Qin Zhuopu nodded, ¡°I¡¯m off then, bye.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± ¡°Bye, Uncle.¡± Qin Zhuopu bent over, ¡°Can you hug your uncle?¡± Without hesitation, Lu Zaizai hugged Qin Zhuopu¡¯s neck and squeezed it affectionately: ¡°Uncle, you have to be careful when you go home alone.¡± ¡°Good boy, I will. Thank you.¡± Qin Zhuopu touched Zaizai¡¯s hair, ¡°Take care of your dad.¡± ¡°En!¡± Qin Zhuopu gave Lu Ying a deep look and turned to enter the station. ¡°Bye, Uncle!¡± Lu Zaizai shouted, waving his hand. Qin Zhuopu, who had already passed the security check, turned around and waved at Lu Ying through the crowd. Lu Ying turned his head and left the subway station, holding his reluctant son¡¯s hand. Advertisements Lu Ying didn¡¯t rush to the place where everyone was having dinner. He went to the nearest bank instead. It was not good to swagger around with a big red bag of cash. If he accidentally lost it, who would he cry to? The bank was closed for holiday, but it didn¡¯t affect deposits and cash withdrawals. Lu Ying opened the red envelope curiously and prepared to deposit¡­ ¡°Wow, how come there¡¯s a foreigner on this money, ah?¡± Lu Zaizai stretched his neck to survey the hundred dollar note he had never seen before. ¡°This is US dollars.¡± Lu Ying held his forehead, counting a total of 20,000 USD. He could only wait for the bank staff to start working and then come back again. After leaving the bank, Lu Zaizai noticed that his father¡¯s walking posture had suddenly become swift and majestic. Lu Ying held the big red envelope full of foreigners¡¯ money wrapped tightly in his coat and looked around vigilantly for fear of being seen by a thief. The expression was fierce, very fierce. Whoever wants to fight me, just come! Lu Zaizai felt that today his dad was simply magnificent and followed his example in walking. When the two of them stepped into the restaurant, the guys sitting around the table looked at them in surprise for a long time. ¡°What are you doing? Is someone going to beat you up, huh?¡± Ji Xiaofeng looked at Lu Ying and his godson in confusion. Why did they look so belligerent? Lu Ying¡¯s fierce gaze finally softened a little; he blinked and curled his eyes into a smile, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m here to eat. Ahem, today is my treat.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so generous, did you pick up money on the road?¡± Dr. Hu mocked him at once. Lu Ying blushed and shook his head, ¡°You just eat anyway.¡± ¡°Let me see what you¡¯re holding?¡± Ji Xiaofeng asked curiously. Liu Dichuan also said, ¡°You didn¡¯t really pick up money, did you? I think it¡¯s a big envelope, look how tightly you¡¯re holding it.¡± Brother Lao Wang laughed, ¡°As expected of Little Brother Lu¡¯s luck. It¡¯s harder to pick up cash than gold these days.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the money we picked up!¡± Lu Zaizai grunted a few times and said smugly, ¡°It¡¯s a big red envelope from my uncle! Dad was so happy to see so much money. Dad said these are all dollars.¡± ¡°¡­¡­pfft.¡± Dr. Hu erupted in laughter. Lu Ying was so embarrassed and indignant that he covered his son¡¯s little mouth, ¡°Shut up. Hurry up and eat some fruit first.¡± Ji Xiaofeng rolled his eyes: ¡°You¡¯ve been gone all this time to see some uncle?¡± ¡°Yes, Uncle is very nice.¡± Lu Zaizai nodded. ¡°Well, what¡¯s your uncle¡¯s surname? What¡¯s his name?¡± Ji Xiaofeng asked deliberately. Lu Zaizai was bewildered and couldn¡¯t answer, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I forgot to ask Uncle!¡± ¡°Okay, you guys don¡¯t tease Lu Ying and the child, hurry up and eat when we are all together.¡± Yang Sigu finally came to Lu Ying¡¯s rescue and the topic changed smoothly. Advertisements Alone on the subway, Qin Zhuopu quickly used his mobile phone to buy a ticket home, then called Grandpa to tell him what time he could be home. After seeing his mother, Master Yuan prescribed a lot of Chinese medicine and regular acupuncture and moxibustion treatments. His mother planned to live in her mother¡¯s house for a long time, and this year she stayed there to accompany Grandma for the New Year. Nowadays, only Grandpa Qin stayed behind at home in Guanlan City. It was already dark when Qin Zhuopu returned to the old house, but there was a round table set up in the hall, full of sumptuous food, most of which was his favourite. Grandpa was sitting alone at the round table, and when he saw Qin Zhuopu enter, his pale face lit up with a kind smile. ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Grandpa, why are you alone?¡± In the past years, on this day the old mansion was always crowded with relatives; Grandpa was the head of the family and all the younger generations had to come to pay their respects. The uncles and cousins were also happy to bring their children to please Grandpa, hoping that he would relent and pick one or two of them up to be raised personally. Grandpa Qin smiled: ¡°You said you would come back this afternoon, so I made them all go back to their homes so that they wouldn¡¯t make trouble and upset you. Now is the time when you are under the most pressure. You are very tired, you have to take a good rest when you come home, and have a quiet New Year. I see your face is haggard. You like the tonic soup stewed by Sister Yun the most. Drink some to nourish your stomach first. Sister Yun is still making dumplings, you will be able to eat them later.¡± ¡°Grandpa, leave it here, I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± Qin Zhuopu took the lead and served a bowl of soup to his grandfather. The old man¡¯s smile deepened. Not that he was boasting, but of all the children in the big family surnamed Qin, who could compare to his grandson, who had been well-behaved and smart since he was a child, and had never been a worry to anyone, except for his sexual orientation that was a bit nerve-wracking. Grandpa Qin had seen all the changes in his daughter-in-law over the years, and while he disagreed with some of her practices and actions, he could not oppose her. After his son¡¯s untimely death, he saw his daughter-in-law getting more and more twisted but he didn¡¯t dare to say a word, fearing that she might not be able to think straight one day. ¡°Secretary Huang said you were in America for the New Year, why are you suddenly back?¡± He never forced his grandson to celebrate the New Year. After all, foreigners didn¡¯t celebrate Chinese New Year, and sometimes when a project came up, they didn¡¯t pick a date and you had to fly there. Qin Zhuopu thought for a while and concealed the fact of going to the United States to see a doctor, not concealing the rest: ¡°Grandpa, do you remember Lu Ying? I brought him to see you.¡± Grandpa Qin was startled, ¡°I remember him. You¡¯ve only brought one boy home in all these years. Lu Ying, at the time I asked him what his name meant and the boy said that the grandfather who raised him was surnamed Lu and that there were many elderberries on the mountain where he lived(1). He was a very optimistic boy.¡± His life was not good, but his temper was good. He looked lively and cheerful, not afraid of the old man at all, saying that he was very much like Grandpa Lu, very kind. ¡°Well, I went to Caifeng City on New Year¡¯s Eve to look for him, stayed there overnight and returned today.¡± ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what happened. You¡¯re not too young, you should have found someone long ago. Regardless if you can get married or not, as long as you live together, it¡¯s good. Your mother has been pushing you to have children these past few years, heh¡­ I¡¯m responsible for that too.¡± Grandpa Qin sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her about it. Forget about the child. There is time in life when you have to have it, and if you don¡¯t have it, don¡¯t force it. In this life, fate is mysterious¡­ You are young, why waste a good time. You¡¯re always alone and working, or with me and your mother, holding yourself back. You can¡¯t be like this.¡± Qin Zhuopu nodded quietly. ¡°I was afraid that it would be difficult for you to be attracted to others with your temperament, so pedantic as a piece of wood. You don¡¯t know how to please women¡­ men. Since you have someone in your heart for so many years, take advantage of the New Year to pick him up and have a good time at my place. But later, you have to live seriously and treat him well. I¡¯ll welcome him, he¡¯s your wife from now on and you can¡¯t let people underestimate him.¡± ¡°Lu Ying has a biological son, called Lu Zaizai, who is six years old this year.¡± Master Qin¡¯s eyes widened slightly, then he smiled, ¡°Then you even have a son. What else do I have to worry about?¡± Grandpa, thank you. CH 30 Before going to bed on the first night of the new year, Lu Ying carefully placed the large red envelope under his pillow. Feeling the hard paper was so full of security! Oh, he hated it, so inconvenient to hold so much cash, so stressful. He needed to remind himself all the time to be careful; don¡¯t lose it, you can¡¯t lose it, don¡¯t lose it. With this infinite chanting in his mind, Lu Ying drifted off to sleep when there was a ding sound of a text message on his mobile phone. With a jolt, he raised his hand to pick up the phone and saw the familiar name. It was indeed the man. Who else would send him a text message these days, apart from Qin Zhuopu and the spam advertising mobile phone operators? Qin Zhuopu: Asleep? I¡¯ve just laid down. Today I talked to Grandpa a lot about the company and about you and Zaizai. Lu Ying: I¡¯m asleep. Qin Zhuopu: I¡¯ll pick you and Zaizai up to have dinner at my place, is that okay? Grandpa¡¯s house has prepared a lot of delicious food, you will definitely like it. Lu Ying: Sorry, I don¡¯t want to go. At least not right now. Qin Zhuopu: I understand. Don¡¯t be sorry, you¡¯re right. Lu Ying: I¡¯m going to sleep then. Qin Zhuopu: Chat with me. Talk about anything. Lu Ying: You big boss, text messaging is expensive! Are you an old man who has never used WeChat? Qin Zhuopu: You didn¡¯t add me to WeChat. Lu Ying hummed and opened WeChat, flipped through it, and sure enough, he saw Qin Zhuopu¡¯s application record, so he approved it. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s avatar was a sea, his WeChat name was his real name, and his Moments were full of forwarded national events, people¡¯s major life events, corporate-related stuff¡­ ennnn¡­ and health-related stuff. -_-|| It was really like the Moments of the security guard at the entrance of the community. Lu Ying¡¯s was different. Lu Ying¡¯s avatar was a hundred-day photo of Zaizai, who looked completely like a milk dumpling, a small fleshy lump, lying on a fluffy blanket, his plump hands holding his foot and pulling it into his mouth. A pair of bright eyes looked at the camera innocently, as if they could see your heart. When Qin Zhuopu clicked on the avatar and stared at the innocent baby, it was as if something had stabbed him in his heart. It was a different experience than when he saw Lu Zaizai in person. Lu Ying¡¯s WeChat name was also very clear, called ¡®Perfect Dad¡¯. Qin Zhuopu subconsciously clicked on Lu Ying¡¯s Moments, and it was a good thing that Lu Ying¡¯s Moments were completely open. Lu Ying¡¯s latest Moments were related to his work in the bakery. The intervals were long, sometimes one a month, sometimes two a month, almost always about work. Until Qin Zhuopu scrolled to the very bottom, the time three years ago in September. Perfect Dad: Zaizai officially starts kindergarten today! What¡¯s wrong with wanting to cry¡­ Pictures 1 ¨C 9. The pictures were of Zaizai in kindergarten for the first time, the three-year-old Zaizai, with a smiling face and in tears. Scrolling further down the page, Lu Ying posted more frequently then, almost all of the posts about the child. Qin Zhuopu kept swiping and swiping to the bottom. Sure enough, Lu Ying¡¯s first Moments was six years ago. Perfect Dad: Year xxxx, on the 15th of the first lunar month, my son was born(1). It was as if he had followed Lu Ying¡¯s path of six years and unconsciously, his body felt hollowed out. Perfect Dad: Are you looking at my Moments? Qin Zhuopu: En. Perfect Dad: ^_^ Zaizai was cute when he was little, right? Qin Zhuopu: Yes, very cute. He is also very cute now. Perfect Dad: You told him today that you were going to buy him a toy, right? Qin Zhuopu: I bought a lot of them in America, but I didn¡¯t bring them. Perfect Dad: He will take such a promise seriously and will always remember it. So, don¡¯t break your promise. Qin Zhuopu: Absolutely not. Perfect Dad: I know you¡¯re busy sometimes and can¡¯t get away. I¡¯ll send you the mailing address, and if you¡¯re not free, you can send it directly to me. Toys don¡¯t need to be expensive, but you have to keep your promise to the children. Qin Zhuopu: Lu Ying, I have never gone back on my word. Perfect Dad: I trust you this time, and Zaizai trusts you too. It¡¯s late, I¡¯m going to bed. Qin Zhuopu: Go to sleep, good night. Perfect Dad: ¡­Good night. Lu Ying went to sleep with peace of mind, knowing that Zaizai would get that toy. But¡­ Much sooner than expected. Advertisements The next evening, there was a call from the courier on his mobile phone, asking him to pick up the package at the entrance of the community. Puzzled, Lu Ying hurriedly asked: ¡°My SF Express? Can you tell me what it probably is?¡± The courier boy who had to work on the second day of the New Year replied in a loud voice: ¡°It¡¯s a toy. How long do you think it will take you to come over? I¡¯m only staying here for two hours.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Lu Ying suddenly understood and quickly pulled Zaizai down the mountain to the town to retrieve the package. Lu Zaizai bounced along the road, hugging a big box almost as tall as he was, and rushed back, calling out to his big brother Qin Xiaotu: ¡°Brother Xiaotu! Look at my super big Lego! Brother Xiaotu, let¡¯s put it together!¡± Qin Xiaotu was also very happy to see the Lego. He was so bored on the mountain that he was reduced to playing with his kindergarten little brother. Just the thought of it could bring tears to one¡¯s eyes! Lu Zaizai¡¯s cheeks were flushed as he unwrapped the package and showed off, ¡°This is the toy my uncle gave me, it¡¯s cool, right?¡± ¡°En.¡± Qin Xiaotu agreed. The price was really cool. Will Uncle Lu vomit blood when he knows? Lu Ying, who stood next to them, watching them play, asked, ¡°Xiaotu, is this box very expensive?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, just a few thousand yuan.¡± Qin Xiaotu felt he was very magnanimous. Lu Ying frowned. Ji Xiaofeng had many Lego toys and much smaller than this cost thousands. Forget it, money or no money, it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s not like his money was spent, huh! On the third day of the new year, again in the evening, Lu Ying received a call from the courier boy once more and retrieved a toy box, this time Optimus Prime Transformer. Lu Zaizai happily insisted on hugging the Optimus Prime robot to sleep at night. Stuck between the father and son, it made Lu Ying feel bruised. On the fourth day of the New Year, the courier came again. The fifth day of the New Year¡­ The sixth day of the new year¡­ The seventh and eighth day of the new year¡­ Lu Ying, who was already at work, exploded and grabbed the mobile phone. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You buy them every day and send them every day!¡± ¡°Zaizai loves it, doesn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°What child doesn¡¯t like toys? But I warn you, you spoil him like this and he¡¯ll get used to it. In time it will become a habit. He will look forward to toys every day, how can he have any mind to study?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Yes, it will!¡± ¡°¡­ ahem, don¡¯t be angry. I don¡¯t have much contact with him and I don¡¯t get to see him much. What else can I do but send toys to deepen my impression?¡± Lu Ying was furious: ¡°You were a top student, don¡¯t you know how to send something useful? Send books, right?¡± ¡°Oh! Books are good!¡± Enlightened, Qin Zhuopu immediately promised, ¡°Okay, I will choose children¡¯s books and send them to him.¡± Lu Ying breathed a sigh of relief and couldn¡¯t help but praise his son, ¡°There¡¯s nothing he doesn¡¯t like about picture book stories. Zaizai loves reading very much.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve taught him well. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll pay attention next time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t give toys, once in a while you can. I¡¯m still busy here, I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± Advertisements At home Lu Ying had a good talk with his son, explaining that he wouldn¡¯t be able to receive cool toys every day in the future. Lu Zaizai was very disappointed at first, deflating his mouth and wanting to cry, but under Lu Ying¡¯s rare stern glare, he sniffled and muttered, ¡°I know I¡¯m wrong. Uncle is very nice, don¡¯t scold him.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t scold him.¡± Lu Ying was speechless. ¡°Well, then you¡¯re still a good dad.¡± Lu Zaizai couldn¡¯t help asking again, ¡°Dad, what will you give me on my birthday?¡± ¡°A cake I make with my own hands, your favourite chocolate fruit cake.¡± ¡°Yes! Dad is amazing.¡± Lu Ying stroked his hair. Lu Zaizai asked again, ¡°So, will Uncle come on my birthday?¡± ¡°Why would he come?¡± ¡°But I want him to come.¡± Lu Ying rolled his eyes, ¡°You just want his toys.¡± Lu Zaizai was angry: ¡°No, I don¡¯t! I want to say thank you to Uncle in person. He has given me so many toys and I haven¡¯t said thank you yet. Godfather gives me toys, and I always say thank you. Uncle Yang gives me delicious food and I want to thank him too. Isn¡¯t it right?¡± ¡°¡­it is.¡± Lu Ying was helpless. When his son said that, he had nothing to refute. But now the whole country started working and everyone had their own busy schedule, not to mention Qin Zhuopu¡¯s big business. Lu Ying was too embarrassed to ask Qin Zhuopu to come all the way here to celebrate his son¡¯s birthday. The 15th day of the first lunar month was the Lantern Festival; even if Qin Zhuopu was not busy, his own family would want to be reunited. Lu Ying thought of a compromise. In the middle of the day on the 15th, he could simply make a video call to Qin Zhuopu, so that Lu Zaizai could say enough! In a blink of an eye, it was the 15th day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival. Lu Ying was working on this day and was very busy. The bakery was offering a free Lantern Festival tasting with the membership card today! The Lantern Festival dumplings created by Brother Yang had a variety of flavours; there were two per serving and there was a long line outside the store. For a whole day, Lu Ying was busy like a dog, but fortunately, everything was sold out and he got off work at five o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Lu Ying carried the cake and the dumplings to the restaurant Brother Ji booked, and the group celebrated Zaizai¡¯s sixth birthday together. Around nine o¡¯clock, Lu Ying carried his sleeping son home, also carrying all of the little one¡¯s birthday gifts. When the lift reached the floor, Lu Ying walked straight out. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± A figure appeared in the darkness. Lu Ying was startled: ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Came to celebrate Zaizai¡¯s birthday, fortunately I didn¡¯t miss it.¡± Qin Zhuopu was smiling as he carried a cake in one hand and a gift in the other. He had rushed over from Guanlan City right after work. He hadn¡¯t dared to say he was coming over in advance to avoid missing the appointment in case of some emergency. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call?¡± ¡°I guessed you guys might be having fun. It was okay to wait a bit.¡± When Lu Ying entered the apartment, Lu Zaizai suddenly woke up. ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re here!¡± Lu Zaizai ran over in surprise. ¡°Happy birthday, Zaizai.¡± Qin Zhuopu hugged the chubby child who flung himself at him, and all his fatigue was swept away. Many years later, Lu Zaizai wrote a passage in his memoirs. When I was six years old I didn¡¯t understand anything, but I could feel love. The uncle I was hugging seemed to be trying to love me as hard as my dad. *** Mini-theatre: Lu Ying: Don¡¯t send toys indiscriminately, send more books! Mr. Qin: Okay, I¡¯ll send books to Zaizai in future. Lu Ying: Our Zaizai loves to read books the most! Zaizai: I don¡¯t, don¡¯t talk nonsense! CH 31 ¡°Happy birthday to you¡­ happy birthday to you¡­¡± Lu Zaizai was sitting happily at the little table; the cool and magical looking ¡®Lego¡¯ birthday cake in front of him was such a surprise that he couldn¡¯t stop smiling with joy. Grinning brightly, he looked at the cake, then at his dad and uncle, pursed his lips and closed his eyes as they sang their blessings, smiled and made a wish: I wish I had more and more toys! I wish my dad would never have any troubles! I wish my uncle would spend my birthday with me every year from now on! Of all the uncles, this one is my favourite! The cake and the gift (*^¨Œ^*) ¡°Fufufu-¡° Lu Zaizai made his wish for the second time tonight, puffed out his cheeks and blew out all six candles in one fell swoop. Lu Ying and Qin Zhuopu finally stopped the birthday song and both breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. Lu Ying picked up the cutter and made quick strokes while Lu Zaizai pointed out, ¡°This way to this way, a big piece!¡± Lu Ying obeyed him, cut a big piece and put it on a plate. Lu Zaizai received it, turned around quickly and handed it to Qin Zhuopu: ¡°The biggest piece for Uncle! Don¡¯t be angry, Dad, I still love you. But I told you a long time ago, Uncle is a very good and kind person, when I meet him I have to say thank you to him properly, right? So give the biggest piece to Uncle, don¡¯t be too stingy.¡± He really seemed to think that Dad would be jealous and blame him for being biassed. This little look was indescribably annoying¡­ too cute. Lu Ying rolled his eyes: ¡°I didn¡¯t stop you. Today is your birthday, you make the decision.¡± Huh, you¡¯re so popular being an uncle, can you still do it if you¡¯re a father? What a cunning uncle who can buy people¡¯s hearts. The fat kid who knows how to please his uncle is also cunning. Lu Ying added with mixed feelings, ¡°But don¡¯t make a rule out of it, ah.¡± I can¡¯t be a stingy man, I don¡¯t want to be ¡®jealous¡¯ of someone who is spending the first birthday with his child. Receiving Lu Ying¡¯s ¡®disdainful¡¯ look, Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry. He wanted to squeeze this stinky face out of shape to see if Lu Ying could still frown. ¡°Okay, okay, when I turn seven next year, I¡¯ll give Dad the biggest piece, okay?¡± What a petty adult his dad was; Lu Zaizai felt so frustrated. Flattered, Qin Zhuopu hastily took the biggest piece of cake. Not to mention the surprise in his heart, small gains were also good. ¡°Thank you, Uncle, for always giving me things and coming to spend my birthday with me! Cheers!¡± Lu Zaizai excitedly held his own cake and then reached to Qin Zhuopu¡¯s cake and touched it with a bang. Qin Zhuopu laughed happily and cautiously touched his cake with Lu Zaizai¡¯s again, ¡°Yes, cheers, cheers!¡± The two cakes instantly mixed and became a muddled mess but Lu Zaizai tilted his head back and laughed, happy, then quickly lowered his head and took a big bite, praising heartily: ¡°Oh oh oh, it¡¯s delicious!¡± Lu Ying tasted the first bite and his eyes lit up: ¡°It¡¯s really delicious!¡± His expression was almost the same as the six-year-old¡¯s. Qin Zhuopu, who was staring at him, felt his heart itch. He swallowed the sweet cake silently and couldn¡¯t help but raise his hand. His slender fingers touched the corner of Lu Ying¡¯s mouth, gently wiping off a little bit of cream. Still a familiar feeling, as smooth and creamy as¡­ Lu Ying, who felt as if struck by electricity, froze, and then his soul returned with a jolt. His face turned red with anger and he glared at Qin Zhuopu but didn¡¯t say anything. How can one be violent in front of a child? Blame the man for being so immodest. ¡°It¡¯s a little bit of cream.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled softly, as if he meant nothing else. Lu Ying turned his head and continued to eat the cake. Can¡¯t afford to mess with him! Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t eat much cake, so he took a break after eating a piece, and then intently watched the father and son¡¯s live ¡®eat and broadcast¡¯ show. The little fat man ate the cake with his small mouth working and his chubby face shaking with the rhythm. The more Qin Zhuopu looked, the more cute the kid became. He really looked like a cute pig. As for Lu Ying, who deliberately turned his back to him, hehe, the behaviour of someone who was a father eating secretly was ridiculous and cute in itself, but Qin Zhuopu had already known that. This person was always like this; whether intentionally or unintentionally, every move, every smile, could so easily touch the string deep in Qin Zhuopu¡¯s heart. The string that had only trembled for this person. So, how could he understand the fact that he had been separated from the person he liked so much for seven years? How could he be willing to let him go? Advertisements ¡°You must have missed dinner, I¡¯ll make you something to eat. Want some noodles or rice? There¡¯s everything at home.¡± Lu Ying, who had polished a third of the cake, wiped his mouth, cleared his throat, rolled up his sleeves and headed for the kitchen. ¡°No need for trouble.¡± Qin Zhuopu refused subconsciously. ¡°It¡¯s not troublesome to make something to eat, huh, today you are a guest from afar. If I make you go hungry, my son will probably call me stingy again.¡± Lu Zaizai, who wouldn¡¯t stop until eating the last bite of the cake, hummed: ¡°It turns out, Uncle, you haven¡¯t eaten yet. It¡¯s hard to be hungry. I have good news for you, my dad cooks very, very well. Oh yes, Uncle had the dumplings Dad made, but in fact, other things Dad cooks are also delicious. Uncle, you must eat more later.¡± Qin Zhuopu stroked his head, ¡°Okay, Uncle will listen to you and eat more, so I¡¯ll try your dad¡¯s cooking today. Uncle used to live with your dad for a long time, but I¡¯ve never eaten his cooking. Your dad could do nothing but eat back then.¡± Lu Zaizai was amazed, ¡°Dad used to be so stupid!¡± ¡°Lu Zaizai! Qin Zhuopu!¡± Lu Ying roared from the kitchen. Lu Zaizai rolled his eyes and muttered in a small voice, ¡°Dad doesn¡¯t pay attention to cooking at all, he even eavesdrops on our chat¡­ So how could my dad eat every day when he couldn¡¯t cook before?¡± ¡°I cooked for him.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled, ¡°Next time Uncle is free, Uncle will cook for you. Tell me secretly what your favourite food is, and I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡± Hearing this, Lu Zaizai was in high spirits. He immediately leaned to Qin Zhuopu¡¯s ear to whisper, muttering the names of one thing after another, and the room suddenly became very quiet. Lu Ying, who couldn¡¯t hear any movement, found it strange. He turned around, a spatula in his hand, and saw the two of them talking and laughing quietly, sitting next to each other. Under the warm yellow light, Qin Zhuopu¡¯s eyes were extremely soft. Lu Ying held up the spatula, slightly in a daze. For as long as he could remember, he had heard Grandpa say that humans were a race that valued blood ties the most, but he hadn¡¯t known what those ties were until after Zaizai was born. Before Zaizai was born, Lu Ying had never known that he would like children, let alone know anything about the so-called ¡®responsibility¡¯. There were so many things that he realised only when he became a father; like that responsibility that pushed people forward without having to say anything. For the sake of the only child in the world that is bound by blood to you, you can go through hardships, tiredness and even endure starvation. He didn¡¯t know if it was worth living like that, but that was what fathers did. There were countless human fathers and mothers who were like him, committed, unassuming, yet gratified and contented, sweet as a pie. When he first learned of Zaizai¡¯s existence, he actually had little idea of who he would be as a father. Because he had never known what a father and son would be like in the human world. But he was still happy to have a companion and the family would be more lively with the little one. He couldn¡¯t wait to tell Qin Zhuopu the good news, he was sure Qin Zhuopu would be especially happy! Because unlike him, Qin Zhuopu was born a son and had a wonderful father who had cared for him from birth. He had seen the smile on Qin Zhuopu¡¯s face when he talked about his father. He had seen Qin Zhuopu in the study, holding old photographs and looking sad. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s father was no longer there but from now on, when Qin Zhuopu had his own child, he would be a good and loving father. Both of them would become fathers for the first time; they could learn from each other and they would definitely be able to raise the baby big and fat. At this moment the sight in front of him seemed to overlap with the scene from his dreams once. Back then, he was the one who woke up from the dreams and raised the baby big and fat alone. Qin Zhuopu had been absent for six years. But what about the future? Gazing at the innocent smile on Lu¡¯s Zaizai¡¯s face, Lu Ying knew that it was no longer something he alone could decide. His son had slowly grown up, and he would make his own choice in his own way. Advertisements ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready.¡± A bowl full of egg noodles with shredded meat was placed in front of Qin Zhuopu, dotted with a few strands of green cabbage and exuding the smell of sesame oil. Qin Zhuopu, who really hadn¡¯t eaten dinner in the rush to get on the plane, couldn¡¯t help but swallow the saliva as he sat down unceremoniously, ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± ¡°Try to finish it, the noodles are easy to digest and won¡¯t make you feel heavy.¡± Lu Ying smiled. Qin Zhuopu took a sip of the noodle soup first, ¡°It smells so good. Your craftsmanship is better than mine.¡± Lu Ying was proud, ¡°You are busy every day. Your cooking is like fishing for three days and basking in the sun for two days, how can you compare to me! Besides, Brother Yang said I have a sharp sense of taste and a great talent, so of course my cooking skills are better than yours.¡± ¡°I¡¯m blessed to taste it.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled at him. Lu Ying averted his eyes. So angry! This stinky guy knows how to use his beauty to smile at people indiscriminately¡­ he won¡¯t fall for it! No longer going to watch Qin Zhuopu eat the noodles, Lu Ying suddenly got up and urged his son to take a shower quickly: ¡°Hurry up and go to bed, you will start school tomorrow. What will you do if you are late?¡± Lu Zaizai was sleepy a long time ago, and he was looking forward to the first day of school. Obedient, he went to the bathroom to wash up. Lu Ying stood outside the door, waiting for him. Although the child could take a shower by himself, Zaizai was always fussing and shouting at the top of his lungs for fear that his dad was not around. When Qin Zhuopu finished eating the noodles, Lu Zaizai had also finished washing up and got into bed with a flushed face, still in good spirits, asking Qin Zhuopu, ¡°Are my dad¡¯s noodles good?¡± ¡°Yes, delicious.¡± ¡°Uncle, are you still going home today?¡± Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t answer, looking at Lu Ying. Lu Ying curled his lips; what else could he do if he didn¡¯t go home? He had no place to sleep here. But he didn¡¯t expect Lu Zaizai to say, ¡°Uncle, you should sleep at our home, it¡¯s already dark outside.¡± ¡°¡­where should he sleep? Sleep on the floor?¡± Lu Ying asked his son immediately. Lu Zaizai moved under the quilt, ¡°Sleep on our bed! I can sleep just on a little bit tonight.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying held his forehead. Qin Zhuopu chuckled and said, ¡°Good, Uncle really doesn¡¯t want to go.¡± ¡°No, no, no! This can¡¯t be!¡± Lu Ying shouted anxiously, blushing and pushing Qin Zhuopu¡¯s back with both hands, ¡°You go stay in a hotel, all the hotels and hostels nearby are open, take your pick. Our bed is too small, if we add you it will collapse!¡± Are you kidding me, sleeping in the same bed with such a big child and Qin Zhuopu, what kind of sleep would that be! He is not¡­ a saint. Qin Zhuopu was pushed out, not annoyed at all. Instead, there was an indulgent smile on his face. Lu Ying didn¡¯t relent until getting him out of the doorway. Qin Zhuopu looked back at him, staring at his flushed face for a long time. Lu Ying lowered his head, hiding his red face. Qin Zhuopu held back and said softly, ¡°You guys rest early, I¡¯ll go directly to the hotel. I have to fly back tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Well¡­ you go slowly. Zaizai is very happy today, thank you.¡± Lu Ying muttered these words but the man in front of him didn¡¯t move. He tilted his head in confusion, and Qin Zhuopu suddenly moved closer, held his shoulders and gently dropped a kiss on his forehead. ¡°I hope that one day you will let me be his father.¡± *** Mini-theatre: Zaizai: Uncle is sleeping with us! Mr. Qin: Well, I¡¯m just here to keep Zaizai company, I don¡¯t have anything else in mind. Lu Ying: You don¡¯t! I do! You¡¯re the vixen! CH 32 You are his father in the first place. The words were on the tip of his tongue but Lu Ying swallowed them. He used to think it was very simple, a very simple sentence. He didn¡¯t know when it became difficult to say it out loud. As the old saying goes, three feet of ice can¡¯t melt in a single day. He felt that his heart had always been warm, but perhaps somewhere, at some point, it had not melted yet. ¡°You go to bed early, I¡¯ll see you next time.¡± Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t wait for an answer, gently touched Lu Ying¡¯s hair and turned to step into the night. Lu Ying sighed and quickly closed the door to go back inside. Lu Zaizai hadn¡¯t fallen asleep yet, so when he saw his father, he said, ¡°Is Uncle gone?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t Dad see Uncle off?¡± ¡°He will go on his own.¡± ¡°But Uncle will be afraid to go alone, it¡¯s so dark outside.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not a child.¡± Lu Ying was in a complicated mood: ¡°Why do you like Uncle so much?¡± Lu Zaizai¡¯s eyes darted around and he thought for a while, ¡°Because Uncle is nice.¡± ¡°Godfather is also very nice to you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I like Godfather too.¡± ¡°Then who do you like more?¡± ¡°I like both of them!¡± Lu Ying coughed lightly and asked in a low voice, ¡°Do you think you would be happy if Uncle became your father?¡± Lu Zaizai exclaimed ¡°ah¡±, his face full of curiosity, ¡°Why should Uncle be my father?¡± ¡°If, in future, you have one more father?¡± Lu Ying asked with his heart beating hard. Lu Zaizai was confused: ¡°But everyone only has one father.¡± ¡°¡­okay.¡± Lu Ying was tired: ¡°So what if, if he was your mother, would you like it?¡± ¡°Mother?¡± Lu Zaizai¡¯s eyes twisted into mosquito coils: ¡°My mother will not be so¡­ so¡­¡± Can¡¯t find the adjective! ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him being your mother?¡± Why are you so disagreeable? Lu Ying was speechless. Lu Zaizai sighed exaggeratedly, ¡°How can Uncle be a mother with such a flat chest! You¡¯re such a confused dad!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying clutched his chest and shivered: ¡°You¡¯d better go to sleep!¡± Advertisements Swipe your card and take the subway. There weren¡¯t many passengers taking the subway at this time, so Qin Zhuopu was able to settle into an empty seat. It took sixty-five minutes to get from here to the airport and there was no need to worry about traffic jams, so it could be described as very convenient. He had already gotten used to it after taking it twice, and he would get used to it even more in the future, Qin Zhuopu thought, smiling slightly as he turned on his phone and unconsciously clicked on the photos he had taken tonight. There weren¡¯t many photos, but each one was related to the birthday boy Zaizai, and his chubby, smiling face was a real treat. Qin Zhuopu opened his WeChat and couldn¡¯t resist posting a Moments. Lu Ying washed up and climbed into the bed. He used to check his phone before going to sleep. Although he didn¡¯t post many Moments himself, he liked to see others¡¯ Moments. Especially kindergarten teachers, parents and so on, Lu Ying would politely like all the Moments they posted. And then there were some friends who liked to post food, he liked to like them even more! (*^¨Œ^*) Recently Brother Yang recommended him several big guys in the baking circle to add to his WeChat and exchange groups, and since then the Moments he could see had become fragrant and exciting. But he didn¡¯t expect to see the Moments posted by Qin Zhuopu before he went to bed. The frequency of this person¡¯s Moments was comparable to his, and coupled with the ¡®boring content that only old people are interested in¡¯, there was really nothing to look forward to -_-|| Lu Ying subconsciously clicked on Qin Zhuopu¡¯s sea avatar quickly. The image that caught his eye made him freeze and immediately jump out of his blanket. Qin Zhuopu: Happy birthday, baby! Picture 11 minutes ago Only a few words and the picture was¡­ Lu Zaizai with a blurry face! -_-|| The birthday cake in the form of Lego blocks was beautifully photographed and the six lit candles were also very clear. But the face of the birthday boy who sat in front of the cake and made a wish with his hands clasped together was blurred. Only his white teeth were faintly visible in a happy smile. Of course, there was also the chubby physique that could not be hidden even though it was blurred. Lu Ying held his forehead, grumbled and gritted his teeth, but for the sake of his son, he had to give a like! He usually didn¡¯t bother to like other ¡®old man¡¯s interests¡¯ things Qin Zhuopu posted. After the like, Lu Ying still couldn¡¯t help but leave a message. Perfect Dad: Why did you make my son look like this? You have the nerve to post such an ugly picture. He had embarked on the long road of a ¡®photographer¡¯ since the day Lu Zaizai was born, and after all these years, he was not a rookie, so he could definitely beat Qin Zhuopu¡¯s level by hundreds of points. The only fate of the blurry photos like this was to be deleted. Lu Ying unceremoniously despised the other party. The other party replied in seconds. Don¡¯t be angry. I¡¯ve taken several photos that are quite good, and this one is blurred so as not to reveal the face. Without Lu Ying¡¯s consent, how could he post a clear photo of Zaizai; but he was very happy today and wanted to share it. It took only a few minutes for the Moments to be sent, and there were already likes. At this moment of joy, Qin Zhuopu finally understood why his friends loved to show off their children so much¡­ They started to show off from birth, and later, although less often, they would still post from time to time, behaving like boring and silly fathers. While he usually gave them likes, his heart was¡­ unruffled. Now he seemed to be a little enlightened. In addition to the countless likes, there were many messages of well wishes from familiar faces, almost universally ¡®Happy birthday to the little one!¡¯ If these blessings could work, he hoped that Lu Zaizai would receive them. Lu Ying understood Qin Zhuopu¡¯s intention and had to praise him for his carefulness, but he would not say it out loud. Who told this guy to suddenly change his style and actually post this kind of very personal message! Qin Zhuopu was in a good mood today. He knew. Perfect Dad: I¡¯m not going to bother with you, I¡¯m going to sleep. Qin Zhuopu: Go to sleep, good night. Lu Ying put the phone away, hesitated for a while, then picked it up and sent another message: Let me know when you get home. Definitely, don¡¯t worry. Lu Ying finally fell asleep, no longer concerned. The next day at six o¡¯clock Lu Ying got up, took his mobile phone and flipped through it, subconsciously tapping on the message sent by Qin Zhuopu. I¡¯m home. More than three o¡¯clock in the morning¡­ Lu Ying listened to the sound of rain outside in a daze, feeling a little sullen. He returned a message: If you miss Zaizai, call me anytime, no need to go back and forth. He had thought that Qin Zhuopu would be resting and would not reply too soon. He didn¡¯t expect his phone to ring immediately, and the caller was none other than Qin Zhuopu. Lu Ying picked up, only to hear a familiar voice speaking in a low tone: ¡°Lu Ying, I miss you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± If you miss, then you miss! He didn¡¯t have a magic method to make people not to miss. Tsk, you¡¯re so energetic this morning, so it¡¯s no big deal for you to stay up late. Since he didn¡¯t hear the response, Qin Zhuopu, who was far away in Guanlan City, couldn¡¯t help smiling. He couldn¡¯t see the person he missed at the moment, but he could imagine what Lu Ying looked like. Even if he didn¡¯t speak, Qin Zhuopu would never forget his appearance. ¡°I¡¯m going to a meeting, Lu Ying, you¡¯ll go to work too.¡± ¡°¡­bye.¡± Lu Ying hung up the phone after saying a single word. Qin Zhuopu smiled helplessly and headed to the company in high spirits. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s simple Moments had attracted the attention of many people. A lot of them were curious as to whose child¡¯s photo Qin Zhuopu had posted. They hadn¡¯t seen Qin Zhuopu care about anyone¡¯s children before. ¡°Then whose child is it? You¡¯re so excited, something doesn¡¯t feel right, Lao Qin.¡± Fat Gao had always been the most gossipy and straightforward in his attitude, asking questions when he wanted to know something. Qin Zhuopu said bluntly, ¡°The child is Lu Ying¡¯s.¡± ¡°¡­crap!¡± Fat Gao was blown away: ¡°Biological?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°¡­do you want to recognise him?¡± ¡°As long as he nods.¡± Fat Gao raised his thumb speechlessly, brother, go for it! Advertisements The capital. Mrs. Qin looked at the picture on the screen and fell into silence. The maid brought the old-fashioned glasses and handed them to the old lady beside her. Mrs. Qin¡¯s tablet was snatched away by the old lady. The old lady stared carefully at the screen and couldn¡¯t help but frown deeply, ¡°This is the child, huh?¡± Mrs. Qin nodded, ¡°En.¡± Lu Ying¡¯s child, and later on, would also be Zhuopu¡¯s child, whether she wanted it or not. She knew that Zhuopu was serious. The old lady leaned closer to the screen and looked again and again, frowning, ¡°Is there something wrong with these glasses of mine, why does it seem that the child looks all blurry?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Mrs. Qin was helpless, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s because the level of photography is bad. It¡¯s blurred, of course you can¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°Oh my, how can Zhuopu be so clumsy? Can¡¯t he take a clear picture so I can have a good look?¡± The old lady threw down the tablet in disappointment. ¡°Mom, Zhuopu did it on purpose. You can¡¯t expose photos of children indiscriminately, there are many bad people in society nowadays.¡± Mrs. Qin was reluctant but she still had to explain. ¡°That¡¯s also true. Then you hurry up and call Zhuopu and ask him to send you a picture of his face. I want to take a good look at him.¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± Mrs. Qin was annoyed, ¡°What¡¯s the use of you looking at him?¡± It¡¯s not like he¡¯s your own. She had recently taken medicine and her mood had calmed down a lot. It was out of her control who her son was in love with, so she didn¡¯t need to think about it. It was just that it had gotten to this point and it was impossible for her to accept it with tolerance. At best, she would avoid them in the future and wouldn¡¯t bother to see them. The old lady scolded, ¡°I¡¯ll just see what it¡¯s all about. There¡¯s nothing I can do if he¡¯s not my own, some things can¡¯t be forced, especially children.¡± She couldn¡¯t be too serious, she was old and sometimes she had to believe in fate. She felt that her grandson was young and healthy, and the fact that he couldn¡¯t get a child five or six times could only mean that it was not meant to be. But he didn¡¯t care about blood relations and insisted on recognising his lover¡¯s child, so it was also fate. Unable to resist her old mother, Mrs. Qin sent a message asking Qin Zhuopu to send a photo. She also added, ¡®It was your grandma who wanted to see it.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t her who wanted to see it. Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t dawdle and directly sent two clear birthday photos of Lu Zaizai. The old lady once again put on her old-fashioned glasses, nimbly held up the tablet and observed carefully. After a long time, she grinned in excitement. ¡°What a good-looking boy! He looks so much like Zhuopu¡¯s son, I like him!¡± The corners of Mrs. Qin¡¯s mouth twisted, her heart sinking. How nice it would be if he was really Zhuopu¡¯s son. *** Mini-theatre: Reporter: Mr. Qin, many people say that you are particularly down-to-earth and close to common people. Did you know that? Mr. Qin: I don¡¯t know. Reporter: It is rumoured on the internet that when you were courting your lover, you took the subway back and forth. Mr. Qin: Yes. Reporter: Oh, he must have been very touched at the time, right? Did he return the favour? Mr. Qin: Yes, he helped me recharge my subway card. Reporter: (¡Ño¡Ñ)¡­ CH 33 ¡°Ooh, the more I see the kid, the more I like him! He¡¯s so attractive! I¡¯d love to squeeze his face, hahaha¡­¡± The old lady laughed cheerfully while holding the tablet, her wrinkled face full of heartfelt love and tenderness. She muttered, pointing: ¡°It¡¯s just that these eyes are a bit smaller, otherwise they would look more like Zhuopu¡¯s¡­¡± The words that fell from the old lady¡¯s lips stopped. Although her daughter didn¡¯t say anything at the moment, how could she not know that her daughter was feeling bad! The old lady was in her eighties and had lived a smooth and happy life. Sometimes it was hard to convince her daughter to do some things but when she saw her daughter cornered, sullen all day long, instead of living a good life, this was definitely not a good feeling. To put it bluntly, her daughter had given up on herself and didn¡¯t want a good life, but why shouldn¡¯t her grandson enjoy a happy life while he was young? There was no one close to him and he was not like those fun-loving young people who didn¡¯t get married and didn¡¯t have children, but lived their lives in style, eating, drinking and having fun all their lives. Her grandson had been a good boy since he was a child and never let anyone worry about him, and he hadn¡¯t changed much since he grew up. Except for confessing his sexuality in high school, he had always just studied hard. He had neither puppy love nor any handsome guys around him. After the death of her son-in-law, her grandson came back from abroad to lead the company, and finally fell in love, but her daughter did that kind of unethical thing. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, don¡¯t bully these father and son again. If you don¡¯t like them, just play dumb.¡± The old lady admonished her silent daughter and her eyes returned to the screen. Suddenly, her mood improved. Mrs. Qin propped her head up and muttered rather unconvincingly, ¡°Why are you talking nonsense about me again, Mom, when did I bully someone¡¯s child?¡± No matter how angry she was, she wouldn¡¯t be like that. ¡°I¡¯m just giving you a precaution, I don¡¯t think you would either. Mom took you to volunteer in the orphanage when you were very young, to help those poor children. My intentions should be clear to you. All these years you have also been persistent in doing charity work. In a family like ours, where there is no shortage of anything in life, it is all the most important to learn to be tolerant and kind. Think about it, you can help those unfamiliar children without hesitation, why not share a little tenderness with those around you? Whether it¡¯s Zhuopu or Lu Ying, you are at fault.¡± ¡°Fine, fine, whatever you say is right.¡± Mrs. Qin was depressed and didn¡¯t want to argue with her mother. The old lady rolled her eyes helplessly, ¡°Try to be open-minded about things. Why bother to change what you can¡¯t change and hit the wall? It¡¯s better to change your own perspective and give yourself a way out. As I see it, it¡¯s only a matter of time before Zhuopu and Lu Ying become a couple. In the future, his child will come to play; don¡¯t make a face to spoil the fun. Not to mention that the big one will be upset by you, the baby will be scared to tears.¡± ¡°Mom! Where am I scaring babies¡­¡± Mrs. Qin wanted to vomit blood. Her mother was literally saying that she was a bully who specialises in bullying the weak. ¡°When I met Lu Ying at the hospital, I even gave his son a Year of the Pig jade ornament, worth at least tens of thousands¡­¡± Mrs. Qin sighed helplessly. At that time, she still felt a little guilty in her heart. She just never expected that in the blink of an eye¡­ When the old lady heard that, she immediately smiled and said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what you should do. Even if it¡¯s a superficial effort, you have to do it, ah. Come, come, teach me how to send red envelopes, I learned it during the New Year, but now I forgot again.¡± ¡°¡­who do you want to send the red envelope to?¡± Mrs. Qin asked, knowing the answer. The old lady glared, pointed to the child on the screen and chuckled: ¡°Of course it¡¯s for my grandson. I want to laugh as soon as I see him, he¡¯s so funny and cute. It¡¯s the child¡¯s sixth birthday, how can you be an elder without something to show for it.¡± Mrs. Qin squirmed and found an excuse: ¡°The birthday was yesterday, it¡¯s already over. You¡¯re in such a hurry before the things even begin to take shape¡­¡± she said, sullenly thinking about the situation. Now she and Lu Ying had had an ugly fight and she had made it clear that she would not accept Lu Ying and the child. Lu Ying¡­ she was afraid he wouldn¡¯t want to see her either. Just like back then, she was simply trying to frighten Lu Ying and wanted him to back off knowing the difficulties. She never thought that the result would be so rapid and effective. The result was that the young man was white as a sheet and ran away with the cheque as fast as he could. He never came back and never touched any of the money in the bank. When her son came back alone a week later, never mentioning Lu Ying¡¯s name again and going to work calmly every day as if nothing had happened, she was terrified for a while, fearing that her son was preparing a big move. Eventually, many years had passed¡­ Thinking about it now, she was afraid that something went wrong with her son at that time, but they never knew it. If she hadn¡¯t scared Lu Ying away, if she hadn¡¯t intervened¡­ nothing would have happened later. As her mother said, why should she care what kind of person her child chooses to fall in love with? In her eyes, Lu Ying had nothing to offer except for a good looking face. He had not even gone to primary school, how could he be worthy of her son? But if a person is really unattractive, who will like him? If he was shallow, ignorant and stupid, even if her son liked him, he wouldn¡¯t continue to like him. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just sit back and wait for the breakup? But what was the result of her separating them? Lu Ying went back to his hometown to live his own life, just as she wanted, and had a lovely child. Her son had been infatuated for many years, and there were still unknown hidden problems with his mental state. ¡°Anyway, it doesn¡¯t matter whether you recognise the child or not. Zhuopu doesn¡¯t care, and this old lady cares even less. I like whoever I like, huh, don¡¯t bother with me, I¡¯m your mother, not your daughter.¡± The old lady shook her fist triumphantly and urged her daughter to help her, ¡°Teach me how to give out red envelopes. They are all my babies, I must give him a big red envelope without discrimination. It would be great if you could bring the father and son back now. Oh, I really want to meet the fat boy. And what about Lu Ying, I haven¡¯t seen how good looking this young man really is. Ooh ooh ooh, I am so anxious. When Zhuopu praised him to the skies I couldn¡¯t believe it, haha.¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± Mrs. Qin looked helplessly at the urchin-like old woman. What else could she do but go along with her? She had to take her phone and open WeChat to teach her, ¡°If you want to send it, you can only send it to Zhuopu, I don¡¯t have Lu Ying¡¯s number.¡± The old lady lowered her head and entered the numbers carefully, muttering under her breath, ¡°I have to hurry up and ask Zhuopu to give me Lu Ying¡¯s number, but I don¡¯t know if the child will agree to video chat with me. Maybe as soon as he hears I¡¯m Zhuopu¡¯s scary mother¡¯s mother, he will be too frightened to see me, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Mrs. Qin choked and rolled her eyes, ¡°Okay, okay, stop it, didn¡¯t you want to send a red envelope? You can¡¯t stop talking about it, hurry up and send it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting old and I like to nag, I can¡¯t help it. My grandson never thinks I talk too much when he accompanies me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Mrs. Qin took a deep breath. Wasn¡¯t she the one who gave birth to Zhuopu?¡­ A tinkling sound of money sent rang out; the old lady was successful. She immediately brought up the phone to her mouth again to send a voice message, ¡°Zhuopu, this is the red envelope for your son from Grandma. Although it¡¯s a day late you have to make up for it. You should have told me before so I could prepare a gift for the child. When are you going to bring him home to meet Grandma?¡± It took a while for the other side to reply. Qin Zhuopu received the red envelope and replied, ¡°Thank you for the red envelope, Grandma. Zaizai has to go to school every day, Lu Ying has to work, and I¡¯ll be busy abroad, so I definitely won¡¯t be able to see you anytime soon. I¡¯ll talk to him about what you want and see if he¡¯s willing. Then I¡¯ll take him to see you.¡± When he was alone at home, he was anxious and had trouble sleeping because of his thoughts, but every time he saw Lu Ying¡¯s face, saw him talking, saw him smiling, he felt very satisfied, as if his heart that had been empty for many years had finally been filled. ¡°Fine, you guys go about your business and come when you are free. Zhuopu, Grandma really likes this boy, I like his face very much. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m talking nonsense, but this boy and you really do look like father and son, which means that you two have a deep fate. I¡¯ve never met Lu Ying, but I think you have a husband and wife look. I¡¯ve seen many families that look more and more alike as they live together, especially husband and wife, hahaha, people who don¡¯t know think they are brother and sister.¡± The old lady even thought to herself that perhaps this was Zhuopu¡¯s fate in this life, that there was no blood bond with the child, but another kind of fate. As long as children are raised with care and love, they will not grow up to be crooked, and it doesn¡¯t matter whether they are biological or not. Biological children are not necessarily filial and adopted children are not necessarily unfilial. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s heart was soothed by her words, and his face was beaming with joy: ¡°You are worthy of being my grandma. I¡¯m sure you will like them both if you meet them. The little guy is called Lu Zaizai, he¡¯s very good and sensible. Grandma, I really treat him as my own son.¡± Perhaps at the beginning he was constantly convincing himself that if he loved Lu Ying, he had to try hard to love Lu Ying¡¯s child. Yet after meeting Zaizai, in just a few encounters, Qin Zhuopu felt there were new rewards and new joys every time he met the child, and his fatherly love had been easily awakened. ¡°Good, good, well said. I am relieved that you are like this. Grandma has long wanted to say that you like Lu Ying so much and have been obstinate for so many years, but it is not easy to say whether you can fully accept other people¡¯s children or not. The human heart is very difficult to control, the more you like some, the less you can turn a blind eye to something, and there might even be jealousy, indifference, madness¡­ If you can¡¯t fully accept other people¡¯s children, why bother to provoke the child¡¯s father.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled bitterly. He had had all the thoughts his grandmother mentioned, but he made sure about himself at the beginning, otherwise he would not take the first step. ¡°So his name is Zaizai. The name is cute, too.¡± ¡°He and Lu Ying are both very cute.¡± Grandma laughed, ¡°Okay, okay, then you do your best, try to get married and become a father sooner.¡± ¡°Thank you, Grandma.¡± ¡°You go and get busy, Grandma won¡¯t bother you.¡± ¡°Grandma, is my mother well?¡± The old lady glanced at her silent daughter and replied with a nod, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s fine, she eats and sleeps well and has put on a few catties.¡± ¡°Mom!¡± Mrs. Qin was at her wits¡¯ end with her old mother. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to work then. See you later, Grandma.¡± ¡°Bye bye,¡± the old lady said, sounding like a happy child. Compared to her, the daughter next to her looked like a wooden figure. ¡°I¡¯ve sent a red envelope and you don¡¯t know how to express yourself. You¡¯re too stingy.¡± The old lady shook her head. Mrs. Qin was speechless: ¡°This is not a matter of money¡­¡± The old lady sighed: ¡°You¡¯re just stubborn. I don¡¯t think that Lu Ying, that child, will want to live with you either. Maybe in the future Zhuopu will just go to live with them over there. Anyway, young people are happy wherever they are, so why bother to find happiness with their elders.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Mrs. Qin¡¯s chest was tight, but she had no words to say. Advertisements Lu Zaizai¡¯s last term of kindergarten officially started. When Lu Ying was returning from a parent-teacher meeting a week after school started, the sky in Caifeng City was overcast. Every day was cloudy and rainy, either showering or drizzling, and you were guaranteed to get wet. The sun had not been seen for a long time, the apartment was damp and the socks and underwear that couldn¡¯t get dry were hanging in rows, fluttering in the draught in a spectacular manner. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been on a date with my boyfriend. It¡¯s raining every day and he can¡¯t even come over to see me. I want to buy a car.¡± Fei Qiqi sighed sadly during a lunch break. Lu Ying followed suit with a sigh, ¡°Me too.¡± As soon as the words left his mouth, several colleagues looked at him oddly, ready to gossip. As an afterthought, Lu Ying felt that something was wrong and added in a small voice, ¡°I mean the car.¡± It wasn¡¯t about a boyfriend! ¡°We understand!¡± Several people nodded in unison. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying blushed silently. At that very moment Qin Zhuopu sent a WeChat. ¡°The meeting is over, I just ate the bread from your shop with my secretary. I like the new product very much. I¡¯ll send you tomorrow¡¯s order later.¡± ¡°En, thank you for your patronage!¡± Lu Ying straightened his back and replied in a businesslike manner. Their shop originally didn¡¯t do remote online sales. Brother Yang said that if you wanted to eat, you needed to eat the freshest; what¡¯s the point of eating overnight bread. Not to mention the smell and the shelf life; he didn¡¯t want to bother with making that kind of money. As a result, Qin Zhuopu, who had a membership card, called and insisted that he wanted to eat the freshest food in their shop on the same day, and that he would pay for the packing and delivery costs. Qin Zhuopu personally communicated with Boss Yang, and Boss Yang seemed to have no reason not to agree. It wasn¡¯t difficult to pack, it wasn¡¯t difficult to call a courier, so what was there not to agree to? Brother Yang put Lu Ying in charge of this matter. So every time, Qin Zhuopu placed an order a night in advance and the shop would send his share out as early as possible the next day. Basically Qin Zhuopu could eat it in three to five hours. It was good for lunch or afternoon tea, all that. ¡°I¡¯ve sent you a package, keep an eye out for it.¡± ¡°En.¡± Lu Ying didn¡¯t ask anything else. Qin Zhuopu often sent express mail, mostly stuff for Zaizai, sometimes fresh fruit, and yesterday he received a box of frozen fresh imported beef, enough for him and Zaizai to eat for two days. Today he brought two catties for Brother Yang. The express package arrived at the bakery and Lu Ying skillfully signed for it. He saw the big box and thought it was food again. He picked it up and realised it wasn¡¯t heavy. When Yang Sigu saw it, he teased, ¡°Something delicious again?¡± Lu Ying blushed. Qin Zhuopu was quite attentive; basically he would send everything for Zaizai to his home and if it was food, he would send it to the shop so that Lu Ying could share it with his colleagues and get closer with them. Lu Ying looked down and opened the box. His smile gradually froze¡­ embarrassed. ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Yang Sigu shook with laughter. Sending so many panties was really timely. Lu Ying quickly closed the box. Yang Sigu patted his shoulder and said: ¡°Not bad, not bad, very attentive. Each one is individually wrapped in a sterile bag, so they should have been washed and sterilised before being sent to you and Zaizai. Who is to blame that your shabby little apartment doesn¡¯t even have a dryer for clothes?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t fit. I reserved a one-bedroom, one-living room apartment with my landlady, but it¡¯ll be more than half a month before anyone moves out.¡± The embarrassment faded and Lu Ying gladly accepted the package. Brother Yang was right, very attentive (*^¨Œ^*). ¡°Why did you send the package to the shop? Brother Yang laughed at me!¡± Lying in bed at night, Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help but criticise. ¡°Accidentally posted the wrong address. Do they fit?¡± Today his butt felt strangely comfortable. Lu Ying blushed slightly and cursed shamelessly, ¡°If they didn¡¯t fit, I¡¯d send them all the way back to you.¡± On the other end, Qin Zhuopu smiled: ¡°I asked if they fit Zaizai, not you.¡± Lu Ying hadn¡¯t changed at all from years ago, and Qin Zhuopu clearly remembered his size. Lu Ying was annoyed and embarrassed, ¡°Nonsense, I told you Zaizai¡¯s size myself, you would be too stupid if you bought the wrong one.¡± ¡°Ha, they are all the styles I picked out myself, do you like them?¡± Lu Ying wanted to gag him, but unfortunately he could only poke his phone indignantly, ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep!¡± Qin Zhuopu sighed, ¡°I am going to go abroad on a business trip soon. It is estimated that it will take a month. I won¡¯t be able to come to see Zaizai in a short while.¡± Lu Ying paused, ¡°Zaizai won¡¯t blame you, work is most important.¡± ¡°Lu Ying, there will be a package tomorrow evening, remember to check it.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Advertisements Early the next morning, Lu Zaizai woke up from his sleep, smelling the smell of food at home in a daze. He sniffed, his eyes finally opened a little wider, and he ran to Lu Ying in his slippers: ¡°Dad, let me tell you, I had a dream last night!¡± ¡°What dream?¡± Lu Ying asked with a smile, handing him the plate of pancakes. Lu Zaizai took the plate, his eyes shining, ¡°I had a dream about a toy, hehehe.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A new trick for asking for toys, he¡¯s not falling for it! Lu Ying glanced coolly at his son and urged him, ¡°Brush your teeth and eat.¡± Lu Zaizai nodded and said quickly, ¡°I dreamed of a big, big toy factory, Dad, you took me there to play, and then a big gift box fell in front of us. Guess what happened next?¡± He stared at Lu Ying with a look of magical anticipation, waiting for the answer. Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help it, ¡°The gift box opened?¡± ¡°Yes! Keep guessing! What¡¯s in the box?¡± His heart was so tired, he just wanted to eat quickly: ¡°Transformers, right?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Ultraman?¡± ¡°No, neither!¡± ¡°Dinosaurs?¡± ¡°No, no, no! Keep guessing!¡± Zaizai covered his mouth and giggled, as if expecting that his father would definitely not be able to guess. Lu Ying took a bite of his pancake and replied vaguely, ¡°Lego blocks.¡± ¡°Haha, you guessed wrong! I knew you wouldn¡¯t be able to guess, you confused dad,¡± Lu Zaizai giggled. ¡°¡­so what exactly was it?¡± Lu Zaizai tilted his head and couldn¡¯t stop laughing out loud before he could say anything. ¡°Hahaha, this dream is so funny, there¡¯s actually no toy in the gift box!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying sneered; already very funny, enough. Lu Zaizai continued. ¡°But!¡± Lu Ying stared at him, biting the pancake and pretending to be looking forward to the next words. ¡°Inside the box was Uncle, ah!¡± Lu Zaizai loudly revealed the mystery, laughing non-stop. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that! Uncle in the gift box! This dream is really amazing and fun.¡± Lu Ying planted his head on the dinner table, unable to complain. Fat boy, how much do you like your Uncle? Enough for him to toss and turn with you in your dreams, putting himself in a box and pretending to be a toy without fear of breaking his old back? ¡°You miss Uncle a lot?¡± ¡°En en en, I miss him.¡± Lu Zaizai nodded honestly. Lu Ying sighed, ¡°Uncle has been very busy lately, he has to go abroad for a month to work.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ is going to a foreign country again.¡± Lu Zaizai was disappointed, then nodded good-naturedly, ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Lu Ying comforted him, ¡°Eat quickly.¡± Lu Zaizai dutifully ate but couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°I wanted to tell Uncle about the dream I had, he would find it particularly funny. I¡¯m sure he can¡¯t guess what¡¯s in the box either, can he?¡± Lu Ying said deliberately, ¡°Not necessarily, Uncle is very smart. He read a lot of books and went to a very, very good university.¡± ¡°Uncle is awesome!¡± Lu Zaizai had an admiring look on his face. ¡°En.¡± ¡°Then I want to be as good as Uncle when I grow up.¡± Lu Ying genuinely smiled and stroked his son¡¯s head. ¡°You sure can.¡± It was a rare day when it didn¡¯t rain. The sun still didn¡¯t come out, it was cloudy and the wind was a bit chilly. Lu Ying had a busy day as usual and was ready to get off work at almost five o¡¯clock in the evening. Fei Qiqi walked into the workroom, smiled at Lu Ying and said, ¡°Brother Lu, your delivery has arrived. Hurry up and check it.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Lu Ying washed his hands and pushed the door open but when he walked to the entrance of the shop, there was no courier or package! There was only an unexpected visitor. ¡°Lu Ying.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled at him. Lu Ying was simply speechless: ¡°Why are you so childish and doing this? You think you¡¯ve come as some kind of big surprise, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I hope I am a surprise.¡± It was a surprise to him that he could find time to come over and see the person he wanted to see before he left on his business trip. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s gaze was so burning that Lu Ying avoided looking him in the eye and whispered, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you put yourself in a gift box?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu considered seriously, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s a bit difficult.¡± Lu Ying puffed out a laugh, ¡°Can you two stop being equally stupid! The little fat guy laughs at me every day that I¡¯m a confused dad. I think you¡¯re a confused dad¡­¡± The air was suddenly quiet. Lu Ying¡¯s smiling face froze. Qin Zhuopu lowered his head and closed his eyes. When he looked up again, he grabbed Lu Ying¡¯s hand and held it tightly, his voice trembling a little. ¡°Lu Ying, I can.¡± Lu Ying didn¡¯t break away, looked at the sky and slowly said, ¡°I¡¯m going to pick up Zaizai from kindergarten now, what about you?¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s face looked delighted and he nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°What about your car?¡± Qin Zhuopu was taken aback, ¡°I didn¡¯t drive, I took the subway from the airport and came straight here.¡± Lu Ying shyly pointed to the worn out electric moped, ¡°Ahem¡­ then you sit behind me, I¡¯ll take you.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled deeply: ¡°Good.¡± Lu Ying got on the moped first, and Qin Zhuopu sat behind him. Lu Ying felt uneasy and couldn¡¯t help but ask him, ¡°Are you afraid?¡± ¡°Pfft.¡± Qin Zhuopu laughed, ¡°I can ride a motorbike.¡± ¡°¡­¡­huh, so great, oh.¡± Lu Ying had no more worries and the electric moped quickly set off on the road. The cold wind blew against the two men¡¯s faces. Lu Ying noticed in the rearview mirror that Qin Zhuopu had a smile on his face all the time, the most relaxed and comfortable expression that only appeared when you were with someone you liked. Qin Zhuopu suddenly straightened up and put one hand on Lu Ying¡¯s shoulder and the other on Lu Ying¡¯s waist. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, look at the road.¡± Lu Ying shivered a little, ¡°Who, who is looking at you!¡± The moped speeded up; Lu Ying no longer dared to look around, allowing the man behind him to hold him all the way to the kindergarten. Many children had already been picked up at the kindergarten entrance, so Lu Ying hurriedly ran to the door and looked around. The teacher saw him at a glance and immediately brought Lu Zaizai forward. Lu Zaizai ran to the door head over heels and darted to Lu Ying¡­¡¯s side. ¡°Uncle!¡± ¡°Zaizai¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu opened his arms to the fat kid and steadily caught him. So solid to hold in his arms. Lu Ying looked aside at the big guy and the little guy hugging each other and gently raised the corners of his mouth. ¡°¡­when the child goes to kindergarten in the future, I will pick up and drop him off together with Zhuopu every day¡­¡± The future that he had once told Grandpa Lu about was finally coming true today. *** Mini-theatre: Mr. Qin: Grandma, this is Lu Ying. Lu Ying: Hello, Grandma! Grandma£ºQuickly, get me my glasses! Grandma: ¡­can Grandma ask you for a dance? o(*////¨Œ////*)q Lu Ying: ¡­¡­ Mr. Qin: ¡­¡­ CH 34 On the way back, Lu Ying was still in charge of driving the moped. Lu Zaizai was sitting in the front, and Qin Zhuopu was sitting in the back. The small electric moped persisted, carrying three people home. Although the speed was slow, it ran very steadily. All along the way, Lu Zaizai couldn¡¯t stop his mouth from babbling and his neck from twisting from the front to the back. It would have been better if he could squeeze into Qin Zhuopu¡¯s place. Who was to blame that he hadn¡¯t seen Uncle for a long time, he just wanted to have a good chat with Uncle now! He wanted to tell Uncle about the dream he had yesterday. ¡°So, Uncle, guess what was in the gift box in my dream?¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s low voice brushed past Lu Ying¡¯s ear, his smile obvious: ¡°I guess it must be, hm¡­ someone you would be very surprised to meet?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Lu Zaizai shrieked and almost stood up in the front. Lu Ying hurriedly scolded him: ¡°Sit down, just talk if you want to talk. Please don¡¯t move, the moped is running out of power!¡± Lu Ying looked at the electricity grid on the verge of the critical line and panicked. Damn, almost nothing left! ¡°Uncle, how did you know there was a person in the gift box?¡± Lu Zaizai exclaimed, ¡°Uncle, did you also have the same dream as me, that¡¯s why you know there were you in the gift box!¡± Qin Zhuopu laughed out loud, ¡°Uncle didn¡¯t have this dream, Uncle just guessed it.¡± He really wanted to stroke the child¡¯s head and thank him for having him in his dream. Lu Zaizai was impressed, and the admiration in his smiling eyes was as sweet as chocolate: ¡°Dad was right, Uncle is a very, very smart man!¡± It was as if Qin Zhuopu could smell the sweet scent of happiness enveloping him, ¡°Zaizai is also a smart little baby.¡± Lu Zaizai giggled at the compliment and rubbed his chubby face coyly: ¡°Dad and Teacher also say I¡¯m a smart baby. No, no, I¡¯m not a baby anymore!¡± Zaizai strongly corrected, ¡°I¡¯m six years old, I¡¯m a big brother! I¡¯m not a little baby, huh!¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled, ¡°But you¡¯ll always be a cute baby in the eyes of your Dad and Uncle.¡± Lu Zaizai didn¡¯t appreciate this and shook his head adamantly, ¡°No! If you say I¡¯m a baby, I¡¯ll get mad!¡± Qin Zhuopu conceded, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m wrong, you¡¯ll be a big brother from now on.¡± Lu Zaizai smiled brightly and continued to educate, ¡°Uncle, let me tell you, the younger brothers and sister in the junior class are the little babies! They still pee in their pants at school, cry all day and are not obedient at all.¡± Lu Ying interjected, ¡°You were the same when you were in the junior class.¡± ¡°How can that be!¡± Lu Zaizai didn¡¯t believe it. ¡°It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, it¡¯s going to run out of power!¡± Lu Ying let out a wail as the moped slowed to a snail¡¯s pace. ¡°Oh my goodness, I don¡¯t want to walk¡­¡± Lu Zaizai squirmed. Qin Zhuopu was taken aback: ¡°It¡¯s still a bit far from home.¡± Lu Ying turned back to glare at him, ¡°It¡¯s your fault! You¡¯re too heavy and pressed on the back seat so the power ran out fast.¡± ¡°What do we do?¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu looked confused. He had ridden a motorbike but not an electric bike. Lu Ying raised his eyebrows, ¡°What else can we do, you hurry up and get off.¡± Qin Zhuopu immediately got off the moped and Lu Ying continued to drive slowly with his son. Qin Zhuopu, who was left behind, held his forehead for a few seconds and then¡­ then what else could be done? Of course, he had to keep up, ah! ¡°Uncle, quickly keep up, ah, you must not fall behind, come on, Uncle, oh!¡± Lu Zaizai was cheering on the moped. Qin Zhuopu fell behind a little, but fortunately, the speed was as slow as a snail¡¯s pace and he would not be left behind if he moved faster. ¡°Zaizai, don¡¯t move around, be careful or Dad will blame you later.¡± Qin Zhuopu warned the lively fat boy with a smile. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Lu Ying stopped with a huff: ¡°Lu Zaizai, get down, you go with Uncle, I¡¯ll ride back alone. Hey, I don¡¯t know if I can ride home.¡± If you can¡¯t ride back you¡¯ll have to push the moped back. Just thinking about it made his heart blocked. ¡°Ah, Dad, don¡¯t¡­¡± Lu Zaizai pouted. Lu Ying rolled his eyes at him. Qin Zhuopu stifled his laughter and hurriedly extended his hand towards Lu Zaizai: ¡°Come down, Uncle will hold you, so you can walk with Uncle.¡± Lu Zaizai hesitated for a few seconds and nodded, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll show you the way, Uncle.¡± He took Qin Zhuopu¡¯s hand, swung his arm forward and walked quickly, ¡°We¡¯ll definitely be faster than Dad on his moped! Dad¡¯s moped is just a little snail crawling around, hehe.¡± Lu Ying grunted in exasperation, ¡°You¡¯d better pray that Dad¡¯s snail can crawl back.¡± As he said this, he threw Zaizai¡¯s school bag to Qin Zhuopu and instructed him, ¡°Take care of the child and pay attention to the cars. Zaizai knows the way, I¡¯ll go first.¡± Advertisements ¡°I know, be careful on your bike too.¡± Qin Zhuopu, who was holding the little school bag, had a serious face. Lu Ying waved his hand and rode his moped alone, soon disappearing out of sight at a junction. ¡°Hey, what a confused dad, didn¡¯t even know if the moped was fully charged before picking me up.¡± Lu Zaizai sighed sadly. Qin Zhuopu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°If your dad is a confused dad, then you are a confused son.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not, I¡¯m smart!¡± Lu Zaizai was unimpressed. ¡°Dad is smart too, he learns things quickly.¡± Qin Zhuopu said with a smile. Lu Ying was naive at times, but he was also a quick learner, depending on whether he was interested in something. Lu Zaizai looked proud again, ¡°That¡¯s for sure, my dad must be very smart, he knows everything.¡± Qin Zhuopu looked at him intently, seeing his face tilted up with a vivid expression, his chubby cheeks white and his little mouth curved, indescribably cute. He took out his mobile phone, ¡°Can I take a picture of you?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, hehe!¡± Lu Zaizai immediately made a super funny face. Qin Zhuopu held up his mobile phone and snapped a series of pictures. Zaizai was soon hopping forward, picking up leaves and kicking small stones along the road, waving at Qin Zhuopu who was taking pictures every now and then, telling him to hurry up and follow. The adult and the child were walking home, and along the way they could see parents and children on mopeds, bikes, in cars, or walking like them. Moms, dads, grandparents, no matter which elder was responsible for picking up the child, in this crowded street, the school bags in their hands and the child next to them were symbols of their identity at this moment. When Qin Zhuopu promised his mother to go for the in vitro fertilisation for the first time, he was ready to become a father. At that time, he thought that when the child was born and came home, he would have to reduce his workload and strive to spend more time with the child every day. Since the child didn¡¯t have a mother, he should take full responsibility. When the child went to kindergarten, he would not just throw him to the driver and nanny to pick him up and drop him off. For his own child he should try to do as much as possible himself. ¡°Uncle, hurry up.¡± Lu Zaizai ran ahead again, urging him loudly. Qin Zhuopu approached, stroked his head and bent down to whisper, ¡°Come, take a picture with Uncle. Uncle¡¯s Grandma likes you a lot.¡± ¡°Okay, is Uncle¡¯s Grandma very old?¡± The two of them were head to head, next to each other. Qin Zhuopu quickly took a photo and sent it to his grandmother before answering Lu Zaizai, ¡°Grandma is over eighty years old and her hair is all white.¡± ¡°Wow, over eighty years old is awesome, so she¡¯s almost a hundred years old!¡± Lu Zaizai looked amazed. ¡°Yes, Grandma is very impressive, and she especially wants to meet you. When you are free next time, can Uncle take you and Dad to meet Grandma? Grandma¡¯s house is full of good food and fun things, and there are children about your age, so you can play together in the amusement park.¡± Without hesitation, Lu Zaizai nodded, ¡°I want to go!¡± ¡°Good boy.¡± The two turned around the corner towards the new street and Lu Ying stood holding the moped under a large tree. From a distance, he saw Qin Zhuopu¡¯s leisurely figure and his lively son. The happy fat boy couldn¡¯t wait for the whole street to hear his laughter. Holding the moped with no electricity, the depressed Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help but curl the corners of his mouth in a smile as his frustration dissipated. He shouted at the two guys, ¡°Hurry up, you two.¡± ¡°Coming.¡± Qin Zhuopu shouted back and quickly pulled Lu Zaizai to run over: ¡°Still out of power? You should change this bike¡­ before it¡¯s too late.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my business whether to change or not, so help me push it back.¡± Qin Zhuopu stepped forward and held the moped, and Lu Ying was right behind it: ¡°Just push it like that, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll help you!¡± Lu Zaizai also stepped forward to help. The rest of the journey was not far, and the three of them worked together to push the moped forward smoothly. It was the rush hour after school and it was a rare day when it wasn¡¯t raining, so there were a lot of young people out on the street. It was a crowded place, but it was definitely not very often that a presence could catch the eye at a glance like that. Two handsome men and a fat kid, all three of them eye-catching, pushing a tiny, rickety electric moped, looked inconsistently and funny. Everyone who passed by looked at them curiously. Qin Zhuopu couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°There¡¯s always a lot of attention with you.¡± When he used to go out with Lu Ying, Lu Ying would definitely be the brightest presence in the crowd. Lu Ying was not a high-profile person, but he was just that dazzling. Lu Ying instantly disagreed, ¡°Yes, yes, a bunch of people are staring at the big boss Qin Zhuopu helping me push the broken moped! If you¡¯re afraid of being ugly, don¡¯t push it, no need to find who¡¯s to blame. Let go if you dare.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t dare, I¡¯m not that capable.¡± Qin Zhuopu shook his head helplessly, ¡°There is no one else in the world who can afford to hire me as a cart pusher except you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t brag there, you pushed a cart for your grandfather, a wheelchair is also a cart.¡± Lu Ying immediately retorted. ¡°¡­okay, a wheelchair is also a cart! What you said is right.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled a helpless, doting smile. Lu Ying, in turn, was embarrassed and blushed slightly, ¡°Actually, I can push it by myself.¡± It was no big deal! He wouldn¡¯t even pant pushing it back. He just wanted to torment the big boss Qin Zhuopu, it was fun to see him pushing a little moped! (#^^#) Lu Ying immediately took out his mobile phone and clicked it. He took a series of 360-degree circle pictures of Qin Zhuopu. Qin Zhuopu had no choice but to maintain his demeanour: ¡°Make me look handsome.¡± ¡°I want too, I want to be handsome too!¡± Lu Zaizai raised his hand. ¡°Let me see? ¡°Qin Zhuopu wanted to check. ¡°No way.¡± Lu Ying was very satisfied with the pictures, dodged Qin Zhuopu, buried his head in his mobile phone and admired the shots, secretly laughing non-stop. Well, even if Qin Zhuopu was pushing the little broken moped, he was still¡­ so handsome. His mobile phone came with filters, so the photos really looked like posters! Or the model was well chosen (*^¨Œ^*). Lu Ying tucked away the phone and waved his hand: ¡°Let¡¯s go, hurry home for dinner. I¡¯ll make beef hotpot today.¡± Advertisements The three returned to the community, parked the electric moped, Lu Zaizai took the hands of each of them in his, and the three walked into the lift. ¡°Do we look like a family of three?¡± Qin Zhuopu looked at Lu Ying and asked with a smile. Lu Ying had a teasing look on his face, ¡°You¡¯re right, Zaizai¡¯s Mom!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu was dumbstruck. ¡°Hahaha, Uncle is not my mother!¡± Lu Zaizai laughed. ¡°No, he is your Mom, silly boy, call ¡®Mommy¡¯!¡± Lu Ying was naughty. Lu Zaizai had tears in his eyes from laughter, shaking his head, ¡°No, no, Uncle will be angry. Dad, you¡¯re so bad, don¡¯t bully Uncle!¡± Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry. It was like he was accompanied with a lively younger son and a slightly rebellious elder son. In the evening, Lu Ying made a beef hotpot and stir-fried a few side dishes. The three of them ate to the point of sweating, wiping clean a table full of sumptuous dishes. It had been a long time since Qin Zhuopu had eaten so much that he didn¡¯t want to move and was hot all over. But when he was eating, the sweet child Lu Zaizai kept picking up food for him; what else could he do besides eating it? Lu Ying quickly began to clean up the dishes and chopsticks; Qin Zhuopu got up to help, and the two crammed together in the narrow kitchen. Lu Ying disapproved: ¡°Don¡¯t crowd on me, go out and play with the child.¡± Qin Zhuopu shook his head, ¡°You hate washing dishes, I¡¯ll do it, you go out.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A little thing that he actually remembered so well. Lu Ying didn¡¯t argue with him and got out of the way to let him wash the dishes. But he didn¡¯t go out either. Qin Zhuopu said: ¡°I still have the birthday red envelope that Grandma gave to Zaizai, I will send it to you later.¡± Lu Ying whispered, ¡°No need.¡± He wanted to refuse when he thought that it was Mrs. Qin¡¯s mother. Qin Zhuopu continued, ¡°Grandma really likes Zaizai and she loves me. Whatever I like, she will support me. From a very young age, when we juniors had birthdays, she would give us the same red envelope, treating everyone equally; and now Zaizai too.¡± Lu Ying lowered his head and didn¡¯t say anything. Qin Zhuopu washed his hands and turned to face the silent Lu Ying, shoving his mobile phone at him, ¡°Trust me, Zaizai is so cute, it would be strange if Grandma didn¡¯t like him. If you don¡¯t accept the red envelope, Grandma will be upset. If you don¡¯t believe me, look at my phone, she really likes Zaizai.¡± Lu Ying curled his lips, ¡°Of course she likes Zaizai, Zaizai is so cute.¡± But she doesn¡¯t necessarily like me. Staring into Lu Ying¡¯s eyes, Qin Zhuopu seemed to be able to see right through him. His heart ached as he touched Lu Ying¡¯s face with his palm and Lu Ying turned away to avoid him. Lu Ying could avoid his hand but Qin Zhuopu wrapped his arms around him, preventing him from moving. Lu Ying¡¯s lower back was pressed against the freshly cleaned white stove and he couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart beating rapidly as he was blocked in the small space. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s hot breath touched his face, brushing over his ears, making him feel numb and itchy. Lu Ying¡¯s fair cheeks suddenly flushed. ¡°Get out of here¡­ woo¡­¡± His lips and tongue were suddenly blocked, and there was no escape. He didn¡¯t want to escape either. Just for a moment, he obeyed his heart¡¯s desires, responding passionately to the hugs and kisses he had not felt for many years. He wanted to take them all for himself. He wanted them to hold each other for the rest of his life. *** Mini-theatre: Mr. Qin: Kiss me. Lu Ying: No. Mr. Qin: I miss you, kiss me. Lu Ying: No! Mr. Qin: If you don¡¯t kiss me, I¡¯ll leave. Lu Ying: ¡­okay, then I¡¯ll start kissing, oh? Mr. Qin: Come. (((((? (????) ? ))))) Mr. Qin: ¡­please stop. Lu Ying: En? Mr. Qin: You can go on¡­ CH 35 It was very late and only a few people were entering or leaving the subway station in front of the community. Lu Ying and Qin Zhuopu stepped into the station, neither of them speaking for a while. ¡°You should go back, I don¡¯t feel comfortable leaving the kid alone at home. It¡¯s easy for me to take the subway to the airport.¡± Qin Zhuopu offered to say goodbye. It was enough that Lu Ying came to see him off, not to mention that his mouth was still full of Lu Ying¡¯s taste¡­ Even though he didn¡¯t want to leave, he was incredibly happy and satisfied. ¡°En¡­¡± Lu Ying responded in a low voice, taking out a card from his pocket and handing it to Qin Zhuopu: ¡°This is the subway card I charged for you. There are two hundred yuan in it, which is enough for you to take many subway trips. You can take it and use it.¡± It was ten yuan for a trip from here to the airport, and twenty yuan for a round trip. Two hundred yuan was enough for ten round trips. After all, Qin Zhuopu was very busy and had no free time to run to him every day. Lu Ying pondered, it should be enough for one year, right? ¡±¡­¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu lowered his head and quickly concealed the trembling smile on his face, taking the festive red recharge card. The fat golden pig on it looked naive and was grinning, strangely similar to Lu Zaizai. ¡°Isn¡¯t it very similar to our Zaizai?¡± Lu Ying asked with a smile, ¡°As soon as I saw this card, I thought that little pig looked a lot like him, so I bought it immediately. Look, I have two more of the same series, both I and Zaizai have them.¡± He spread out the cards and leaned close to Qin Zhuopu; the two of them admired three recharge cards of the same red colour head to head. The posture of the pig on each card was different, but it was undeniable that they all were very cute. The smile on Qin Zhuopu¡¯s face never faded, and he couldn¡¯t help rubbing Lu Ying¡¯s hair as he said: ¡°You are also like a cute little pig. In my heart, you are the cutest.¡± ¡°Who is cute? I¡¯ll be thirty soon on my ID card.¡± Lu Ying blushed and retorted, ¡°The girls in the shop say I¡¯m a good-looking guy, not cute, okay? You¡¯re the only person in the world who compliments me on my cuteness, what¡¯s wrong with your eyes?¡± Seven years ago, Qin Zhuopu was complimenting like this, and now he was still doing the same thing; he hadn¡¯t improved at all. It¡¯s too corny ©·( ` )©³. ¡°In the whole world, it¡¯s enough that I¡¯m the only one who knows you¡¯re cute.¡± Qin Zhuopu murmured in a low voice, forcing Lu Ying into a corner: ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave.¡± Lu Ying clearly felt the strong eruption of testosterone, immediately pushed at Qin Zhuopu¡¯s chest and cursed through the clenched teeth: ¡°You, you be careful! Don¡¯t look that it is a corner, the subway station is full of surveillance. You¡¯re shameless but I¡¯m not shameless!¡± He pushed Qin Zhuopu out of the way, quickly put something in his hand and hastily instructed, ¡°This is the little blessing bag I made, you have to take it with you when you go out. Don¡¯t lose it, okay?¡± Qin Zhuopu was not the kind of person to behave wildly outside; even though he couldn¡¯t control himself for a moment, reason prevailed eventually. Now that he was pushed away by Lu Ying and heard his instructions, Qin Zhuopu subconsciously nodded. Lu Ying waved his hand and left, reassured, ¡°Then go slowly, bye.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Qin Zhuopu reluctantly said goodbye to Lu Ying¡¯s distant back. Looking down at the little red pig¡¯s head blessing bag in his hand, he couldn¡¯t help but press it to his lips and kiss it. Then he turned and swiped his brand new recharge card to go home. In the cramped rental apartment, Lu Zaizai was already asleep. After Lu Ying freshened up, he carefully got under the quilt, swiped his mobile phone, looked at the huge extra deposit in his internet bank card and counted it three times in a row, one zero, two zeroes, three zeroes¡­ Not long after, Lu Ying buried his head under the blanket and snickered. He couldn¡¯t control it, couldn¡¯t stop laughing! What could he do? He was helpless! It was a red envelope of 660,000 yuan! It was worth several years of his hard-earned savings. You want him to hold back his laughter? It¡¯s too embarrassing¡­(*^¨Œ^*) Qin Zhuopu¡¯s grandma was really a good person. Sure enough, Grandpa Lu was right, there were still good people in this world! Mrs. Qin¡¯s mom was so different from Mrs. Qin. Tsk tsk, so generous without even meeting them. And after reading Qin Zhuopu¡¯s chat with his grandma, Lu Ying could really feel her kindness and affection for Zaizai. Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help but sigh; ginger gets spicier as it gets older (the older, the wiser). The old lady only saw the photos of Zaizai and noticed that he and Qin Zhuopu were father and son, yet Mrs. Qin¡­ didn¡¯t believe even when others said so. In turn, she scolded him for fooling people and even tried to hit her own son. If she weren¡¯t Qin Zhuopu¡¯s mother, he would have blown a mouthful of bad luck at her and let her have it! Fortunately, not everyone is blind like her! Lu Ying was in a very excited mood all night, holding up his mobile phone to watch the hot topics in the news, watching for a while and then going to deposit money for a while, the smile in the corners of his mouth never subsiding. After more than three hours of tossing and turning, a message popped up. Qin Zhuopu: I¡¯ve just arrived at Guanlan City Airport. Grandpa sent a car to pick me up. Are you asleep? Perfect Dad: Ready to sleep. Go home and have a good rest. I¡¯m sleepy, good night. Qin Zhuopu: Good night [kiss] Perfect Dad: kiss you.jpg Qin Zhuopu: ^_^ I¡¯m going to lose sleep tonight Perfect Dad: You¡¯re getting older, be careful not to get bald. Qin Zhuopu: ¡­¡­ Perfect Dad: (*^¨Œ^*) Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯ll help you grow it if you go bald. Qin Zhuopu: Hurry up and go to sleep. Don¡¯t say these things! If you¡¯re stressed, you can¡¯t sleep. If you can¡¯t sleep, you¡¯ll lose your hair, and feel even more stressed. If you do go bald, will you look good standing next to your young and beautiful lover? What if you meet some nasty person who says: is this your son? I don¡¯t want to lose face! Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t like old men who were looking for young girls at their old age. When they stood together, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say they were father and daughter, or even grandfather and granddaughter. Such couples were not just an eyesore, they also looked lewd. He didn¡¯t want to look like that! Qin Zhuopu shook his head helplessly, put away his phone and got into the car. The driver closed the door for him, returned to the driver¡¯s seat and was about to start the car when he saw Mr. Qin in the back seat touch his hair and ask, ¡°Xiao Wu, do you think my hairline is okay?¡± Xiao Wu, the driver, was stunned, looked at Mr. Qin carefully and replied seriously, ¡°Mr. Qin¡¯s hairline is perfectly fine. It¡¯s very enviable. Your hair is thick, and Elder Qin¡¯s hair is also particularly thick at his age. Even I envy you. Your family has good genes. My grandfather and father were both bald, and now my wife always laughs at me for looking like her elder brother. It also has a lot to do with work and rest. You can¡¯t stay up late at night, have to have less stimulation, less coffee or something.¡± Qin Zhuopu got a satisfactory answer and nodded, ¡°Well, let¡¯s go back.¡± No matter how busy you are, you still can¡¯t be lazy with your fitness. In the past, there was no place for using physical strength, but in the future¡­ he needed to be well prepared! His youthful-looking little lover was not somebody to be easy to deal with. At night, Qin Zhuopu had insomnia. Lu Ying got up early in the morning and saw the eye-catching mobile phone message, thick with dissatisfaction almost overflowing from the screen. After eating your fried pig kidneys, I couldn¡¯t sleep all night from excessive fire. Boarding the plane, talk to you later. Lu Ying snapped back: ¡°You like to eat this stuff, I was meaning well.¡± They used to live together, and he knew Qin Zhuopu liked to eat it. On the other side of the ocean, Qin Zhuopu saw the message very late and was heartbroken and relieved. Before he met Lu Ying, he didn¡¯t eat pig kidneys! After they met, he was tired and happy.(1) Qin Zhuopu: Thank you for remembering my taste. Next time we meet, I hope you¡¯ve moved to a bigger apartment. At least with enough place for me to stay. In the bakery, Lu Ying secretly replied hiding from his colleagues, ¡°I¡¯m looking for it. Work well!¡± Advertisements After a long period of rain, Caifeng City had officially entered the warm spring and Lu Ying put Zaizai¡¯s registration for primary school on the top of his list. Grabbing people in charge without hesitation, Lu Ying inquired about the enrollment situation of nearby primary schools. Qixia Town was just that big and had only a handful of primary schools. Their ranking was basically indistinguishable from each other. Lu Ying had selected two primary schools, both closest to home and convenient to get from work. In the end, after comparing many aspects, he chose Primary School 12 that was closer to the bakery. The ¡®discounted school fee¡¯ for this primary school was 20,000 more than for the other one because it was close to a certain company and most of the parents were working there. The student base also was supposed to be better, except that the school was very new and had only been open for three years. The other cheaper one was basically for local residents. To be honest, the residents of the small town had a very average education. Those who had gone to university were the best of the best, and their percentage was exceptionally small. Lu Ying was already very biassed towards Primary School 12. In the past, he would have struggled with the extra 20,000 yuan, but now he could forget about it. There was more than enough money in Zaizai¡¯s red envelopes. Besides, although Primary School 12 was farther from where they lived, it was only a ten-minute walk from the bakery, so it would be easier to pick up the child from work than from kindergarten. Why not then? Lu Ying was busy with his work and learning while preparing all the information needed for the primary school and repeatedly approaching the school person in charge for advice. ¡°I¡¯ve finally relaxed a little and feel more grounded.¡± After receiving the call from the school person in charge, Lu Ying was relieved to learn that the answer to his problem was not a big deal. Yang Sigu laughed at him, ¡°You¡¯re so anxious when your child is only in primary school. What are you going to do when he gets into middle school and high school later?¡± ¡°Brother Yang, you don¡¯t know how I feel, being a parent nowadays is so stressful. Let alone me worrying about it every day, the parents in the kindergarten who were university students and have a household registration and a corresponding school are still busy running around for their children¡¯s sake. Everyone wants to choose a better school. After choosing a primary school, you can¡¯t just change schools like with kindergarten. Six years of studying in one place, the impact is too great.¡± Lu Ying talked about the problem of children¡¯s schooling in a serious way. Yang Sigu listened thoughtfully and couldn¡¯t help but repeat the same old words: ¡°I¡¯ve said it several times, you don¡¯t have to worry about the household registration. I¡¯ll help you transfer Zaizai to me, and then let him go directly to the private primary school in our community. That primary school has good facilities of all kinds, and the feedback from parents is good. On the contrary, the public primary schools in town have an average reputation.¡± Lu Ying didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry, ¡°Brother Yang, please give me a break, your private primary school is too expensive!¡± The annual tuition fee was 200,000 yuan, but this was only the tuition fee, not including the everyday expenses and the school¡¯s various annual activities. Summer camps for the children of rich families, winter camps, and then organised trips abroad! Go out to breathe some fresh air and experience life. Even at school, there were a variety of colourful interests and hobbies. Piano, painting and so on were almost compulsory courses. Although these were included in the tuition fee, don¡¯t you want to practise when you go home? Then can you buy musical instruments and painting tools? Will you hire a private tutor? There was also the most important thing. After graduating from a private primary school, you had to go to a private middle school. After finishing middle school, you will go to a private high school¡­ and then go abroad! Are you kidding me? He never thought about Zaizai going to study and live abroad, and travelling abroad too. He only wanted Zaizai to receive a regular education in their homeland, then work hard to get into high school and take the entrance exams to the university. If Zaizai had the ability to study abroad at that time, he would definitely support it. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s circumstances were so good that he hadn¡¯t gone through the university entrance exams in China before choosing to go abroad. Lu Ying felt that by that time his son would already be an adult and could make his own decision whether to go abroad or not. But now, what he was choosing for his child was compulsory education. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to rent an apartment? I have a small two-bedroom apartment for you to live in. It will be convenient for you to go to work and even more convenient for the child to go to primary school. Why are you still stuck in that shabby community? Apart from the cheap rent, there¡¯s no quality of life at all.¡± Yang Sigu suggested. Lu Ying was very moved when he heard that, ¡°You have an apartment for rent, Brother Yang?¡± Yang Sigu nodded: ¡°Yes, it¡¯s on the sixth floor of a small high-rise building, just eleven floors in total. There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a terrace, and the environment is also good. I rented it to a university teacher before, but now that teacher has moved out. It¡¯s a good place for you to live.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s great! Brother Yang must leave it to me! I can¡¯t live there for nothing, the rent will be as much as I should pay.¡± Lu Ying was very happy to agree. Zaizai had always envied the beautiful environment of Brother Yang¡¯s community. The playground was big and plentiful, there was a swimming pool, and the pedestrian and car traffic was separate and clean. Who wouldn¡¯t like that? The bakery was located at the south entrance with a lot of traffic while there was also a row of shops at the north entrance, not as crowded but very beautiful. There were trees, flowers and plants, and the bricks and tiles were decorated in a very English style. All kinds of training classes, gyms and beauty clubs were also gathered there. Every time Lu Ying passed by there, he would take a special look at the training classes. Yang Sigu was surprised. He thought it would be difficult to convince the frugal Lu Ying and didn¡¯t expect Lu Ying to say yes right off the bat. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°Are you getting rich?¡± Lu Ying smiled, a little silly, ¡°Sort of.¡± ¡°Okay, then you can come and take a look. If you¡¯re not happy with it, you can say so, and if you think it¡¯s okay, you can go and live there anytime.¡± Yang Sigu was also quick and immediately went to the lounge and took out a small booklet from his bag, flipped through it, tore out a sheet and handed it to Lu Ying: ¡°This is the password for the apartment, change it when you move in.¡± ¡°En! I¡¯ll pick up Zaizai after work and go to see it!¡± Lu Ying looked at the apartment that day and couldn¡¯t wait to start moving. It took them three days to move everything to their new home, and then on his day off he and Zaizai cleaned up the rental apartment they were leaving. They even washed the kitchen hood as best as they could. The apartment was clean and fresh, except for the walls that couldn¡¯t be scraped white. Only then did the father and son hand back the keys for the vacated apartment. Liu Dichuan took the keys and laughed, ¡°If every tenant was like you, landlords would have saved themselves a lot of trouble.¡± ¡°It should be so, after all, we¡¯ve lived here for so long. I¡¯m already embarrassed for leaving early. It¡¯s good that Auntie Tong doesn¡¯t blame me.¡± ¡°How could she blame you? If it weren¡¯t for your kindness, she wouldn¡¯t be able to go to Dr. Hu¡¯s clinic. Now her daughter is much better. Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you to the new place.¡± ¡°En, thank you, Brother Liu.¡± On the way to the new home, Liu Dichuan said, ¡°I recently took a fancy to a very cost-effective apartment. I want to buy it and live there myself. But the purchase of real estate under my name has been restricted and I¡¯m not qualified to register for the lottery(2). Lu Ying, do you have any plans to buy a house in the next two years?¡± Lu Ying shook his head, ¡°No, I don¡¯t plan to buy. I might consider it when Zaizai is in middle school.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯d like to borrow your housing status to buy it, is that okay? I¡¯ll buy it first, sell the other place later, and then you¡¯ll transfer it to me. You¡¯re in need of housing, you¡¯re qualified and there¡¯s a discount for the first housing purchase. When it¡¯s done, Brother will send you a big red envelope.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Lu Ying agreed immediately; there was absolute trust between them, ¡°I¡¯m lucky this year, I even won two thousand with a lottery ticket a few days ago. I can help you with the lottery too!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes! I almost forgot, right, maybe when you do the lottery, you¡¯ll be able to grab a good floor that I like.¡± ¡°En en, tell me what information you need to buy it and I¡¯ll get it ready for you later.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Advertisements At the door of their new home, Lu Zaizai immediately stretched out his finger happily, pressed the buttons and the door opened with a swish. Lu Zaizai jumped in with a smile, quickly took off his shoes and socks and then ran around barefoot: ¡°Wow, wow, the new home is so beautiful, the carpet is so soft! Dad, I won¡¯t wear shoes at home in the future! Dad, look at the flowers on the balcony, they are all blooming, so pretty!¡± Lu Ying let out a sigh and entered the apartment barefoot, just like his son. There were comfortable wooden floors and a beige carpet in the living room. The kitchen also had a waterproof carpet, so the two of them were happy to finally liberate their feet. The apartment had a small balcony and a terrace, which was convenient for drying clothes. You could also raise flowers on the terrace. The former tenants took good care about the apartment and left several large pots of beautiful succulents and Chinese roses on the balcony, simply a bargain for Lu Ying and his son. The kitchen was small, but all kinds of utensils were nice and useful. Lu Ying hummed a pleasant tune while he cooked dinner. After eating and drinking, he took his son to the north entrance for a hobby class. Today was also the first day that Lu Zaizai attended hobby classes. Lu Ying let him choose two subjects by himself. One was his favourite Lego, and the other¡­ actually was street dance. He thought his son would choose painting or English or something quiet. He didn¡¯t expect Zaizai to just pass by the door of the dance studio and see a group of kids dancing in a cool way; his eyes lit up and then he signed up for street dance. Lu Ying didn¡¯t interfere with his son¡¯s choice; he was not short of money now anyway (*^¨Œ^*) As long as it was healthy and his son liked it, it was good. Today his son was going to have his first Lego class. ¡°Lego class is 380 and street dance is 180. Since you have chosen them yourself, learn well, you cannot give up halfway, understand? Especially street dance, you have chosen it, you have to take it seriously.¡± Lu Ying admonished his son. Lego had always been his son¡¯s favourite but street dance was a whim, and Lu Ying didn¡¯t know if Zaizai could stick to it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad, I¡¯ll listen to the class teacher.¡± Lu Zaizai nodded vigorously and suddenly threw his arms around Lu Ying¡¯s neck: ¡°Dad has worked hard!¡± ¡°¡­you.¡± Lu Ying rubbed his forehead against Zaizai¡¯s: ¡°Go in, Dad is waiting for you outside.¡± After Lu Zaizai went into the classroom, Lu Ying wandered around the lobby of the Lego training centre, took a few pictures with his mobile phone, then walked up to the glass window at the entrance of his son¡¯s classroom to glance inside. The class was small, with only a few children there. Lu Ying looked for several minutes, saw that the teacher had a very friendly smile and interacted very well, and his son was also very active. He felt more at ease and took a few more pictures. He was satisfied. After that, Lu Ying, like other parents, waited in the lobby. An hour and a half was a long time. Lu Ying played with his mobile phone, bored, picking out a few photos of his son in class and posting them to his Moments. He rarely posted, and Zaizai¡¯s godfather Ji Xiaofeng gave him a like within a second. After that he noticed Qin Zhuopu. Lu Ying immediately frowned and singled him out for a greeting, ¡°You¡¯re up?¡± Qin Zhuopu replied, ¡°No, I¡¯m in the country now.¡± ¡°When did you come back?¡± ¡°Today at noon. The negotiations on the project with the other side were completed. It was quite tough this time, there were too many competitors, so it was a bit of luck. There¡¯s still a lot of additional work on the company side, so I can¡¯t come to visit you guys in the near future, sorry.¡± Lu Ying breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°It¡¯s good that the work is going well, you get busy.¡± Qin Zhuopu briefly told him about the difficulties he had encountered during his business trip. Lu Ying was quite anxious, but he couldn¡¯t help. He could only pray that his little blessing bag would add a little luck to Qin Zhuopu. ¡°I saw a picture of Zaizai, he¡¯s taking a hobby class?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s always been his favourite. I couldn¡¯t afford to enrol him in it before, a class was too expensive. Now¡­ ahem, thanks to your grandma¡¯s red envelope, thank you.¡± Lu Ying said sincerely. In the office, Qin Zhuopu closed his eyes and sighed. After a long time, he said, ¡°No need to say thank, you¡¯re too polite.¡± ¡°¡­oh.¡± Lu Ying pursed his lips. ¡°I¡¯ve brought many gifts for you and Zaizai, would you like me to send them to you in advance or wait for me to give them to you in person?¡± Lu Ying thought for a moment and said, ¡°Is there anything delicious?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Send the delicious food first. Anything else is up to you.¡± ¡°¡­heh, he says he¡¯s not a pig, just thinking about food.¡± Qin Zhuopu teased. Lu Ying was righteous: ¡°I am a pig, so what! You complimented me on my cuteness, didn¡¯t you!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes, from now on I¡¯ll call you Little Piggy Lu.¡± ¡°Brother Ji keeps calling me that.¡± ¡°¡­people have families, you have to be careful to keep your distance.¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s tone was tense. ¡°He¡¯s Zaizai¡¯s godfather, huh.¡± Qin Zhuopu complained, ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s a godfather, and I¡¯m just an uncle.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying sighed, ¡°I can smell this vinegar through the phone.¡± ¡°You know full well how much I want Zaizai to call me dad!¡± It was not that easy to get a child to change his way of addressing and Qin Zhuopu had to work harder for it. But as long as Lu Zaizai was willing to acknowledge him, he was willing to do anything. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s determination was practically palpable. Lu Ying walked all the way outside, looking up at the clear night sky, full of stars shining brightly. He seemed to see the man in front of his eyes, jealous and anxious. However, the missing time couldn¡¯t be made up in an instant, especially when it came to children. If you don¡¯t see them for a few days, they will grow up in the blink of an eye, and then in the blink of an eye, the rebellious period will be there. In the child¡¯s short childhood, there was no such person. For Lu Zaizai, there was only one father. Uncle was very good, but Uncle was Uncle. Even though he was concerned for Qin Zhuopu, there was no alternative. Lu Ying took a deep breath and stared at the stars, blinking, ¡°You want to be a dad that badly?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Lu Ying muttered in a low voice, ¡°Why don¡¯t I call you dad?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!!!¡± Qin Zhuopu snapped his computer shut and yelled at his phone in a low, repressed voice, ¡°You wait for me!¡± Simply outrageous! You need to be taught a lesson! Deserve a beating! Deserve¡­! *** Mini-theatre: Going for an evening walk. Neighbour: Hello Mr. Qin, I heard your son is already very big? Mr. Qin: Yes, he is already a young man. Lu Ying runs over. Neighbour: This is your son, isn¡¯t it? Gosh, he¡¯s grown so well! He¡¯s so tall! Mr. Qin: ¡­¡­ Lu Ying: Dad, come on, let¡¯s go ride a horse~ Mr. Qin: (£þTT£þ) CH 36 Holding the beeping mobile phone, Lu Ying felt his heart palpitating. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to rush over here at night, right? At half past nine, Lu Zaizai¡¯s class ended. Lu Ying walked home with his bouncing son in tow. When they entered the community with the beautiful green lawns, there was no need to worry about cars. Lu Ying said: ¡°Street dance classes are every Thursday and Sunday. I can take you there on Thursday evening, but can you go to the Sunday morning street dance class by yourself? It¡¯s so close, you don¡¯t have to cross the road and there¡¯s no traffic. So easy, right?¡± He had to work in the morning tomorrow, on Sunday. Lu Zaizai pondered for a while and nodded: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad, I already know the way. It¡¯s so close.¡± ¡°Very good. Can you sleep in your own little room tonight?¡± Lu Ying asked tentatively again. After all, with the new environment that had only been changed today, he was worried that his son who had slept with him since he was a baby would be afraid. Before moving in, Lu Ying personally took his son to decorate his little room with his favourite cartoons on the walls, and then set up a child¡¯s desk. Even the four-piece Ultraman set on the bed was specially bought. A robot bookcase was added to the wall, with Zaizai¡¯s favourite picture books and stories. Everything was done to Zaizai¡¯s liking, to encourage him to sleep independently. Lu Zaizai frowned and mused, and it took a long time before he shook his fist to cheer himself up: ¡°I won¡¯t be afraid! I am already the big brother, and the big brother has to sleep by himself, otherwise the girls will laugh at me.¡± Lu Ying smiled and encouraged him: ¡°Yes, you are a very courageous big brother. And there are Ultraman and Transformers in your room, and Dad is also next door to you. What would you be afraid of? ¡± Lu Zaizai asked in a small voice: ¡°Are there really no monsters¡­¡± ¡°¡­no!¡± ¡°Huh, when the monster comes, I¡¯ll beat him up!¡± Lu Zaizai swung his fists and kicked his feet valiantly. ¡°You¡¯re so powerful, the monster wouldn¡¯t dare come.¡± The two of them went home to wash and go to sleep. Lu Ying coaxed Lu Zaizai to bed and told him a story. Lu Zaizai was obviously still nervous, but as the drowsiness hit, accompanied by his father¡¯s familiar gentle voice, he finally went to sleep peacefully. The sleepy Lu Ying got up quietly and left the child¡¯s room cautiously. Back in the big bedroom next door, Lu Ying rolled comfortably on the large bed. The four-piece set on this bed was also brand new, light grey, clean and stylish. Anyway, the apartment was dotted with such new bits and pieces, looking as comfortable as it could be. Having moved into a new home, Lu Ying was in an extraordinarily good mood. Before falling asleep, Lu Ying looked at his quiet mobile phone. It was almost eleven o¡¯clock; he hesitated for a long time and finally simply curled under the blanket. He was always a good sleeper and slept particularly soundly. With a soft beeping sound of the password, the door opened. Qin Zhuopu walked into the apartment softly, switched on the dim wall lamp and changed his shoes. He put down his bag and coat and took a look around at will. Then he walked to the closed bedrooms and carefully opened the first door. The night light was on in the room. He saw the fat child sleeping soundly on the Ultraman bed, and his eyes couldn¡¯t help but become exceptionally soft. After bending over to pull up the quilt for the child, Qin Zhuopu went to the next door. ¡°¡­¡­¡± As soon as he entered, Qin Zhuopu almost had a nosebleed. The night light was also on in Lu Ying¡¯s room. He slept very restlessly and was afraid of being hot. He was spread on the bed with his limbs stretched in all directions, his long bare legs pressing down the quilt very conspicuously. This was not sleeping, this was killing people. Qin Zhuopu held his breath, turned around quietly and quickly, and entered the bathroom of the master bedroom. With the sound of water rushing, Lu Ying, who was asleep on the bed, opened his eyes, bewildered, and held up his head blankly to look at the bathroom. Then he yawned, got out of bed lazily, walked barefoot to the bathroom and peed. The glass door opened, and the man who was taking a shower looked at him¡­ Looking down, he smiled and said, ¡°If I didn¡¯t come, you¡¯d have to hold it until tomorrow morning.¡± Lu Ying pulled up his pants, looked at the man in the steamy vapour sleepily and muttered: ¡°Who told you to come, waking me up from a good dream¡­¡± ¡°Zaizai wanted me to come, okay?¡± Zaizai had given him the address and password, could he not come? ¡°Then you can sleep in the child¡¯s room with him.¡± Lu Ying grinned and turned around to go back inside. Lying back on the bed, Lu Ying took a look at the time. Three o¡¯clock at night¡­ One more toss and it would be dawn. ¡°Who said he wanted to call me dad?¡± The bed beside him was sunken and a familiar smell enveloped him. Lu Ying curled under the quilt and pretended not to hear. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s lips brushed over his ear as he whispered hoarsely, ¡°If you don¡¯t speak, I¡¯ll spank you.¡± Lu Ying showed his head, his face flushed. He replied in a soft, sticky voice: ¡°You can only touch it, you can¡¯t slap it¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu turned him over to pull him into his arms: ¡°You¡­¡± Whether he was a fairy or a demon, Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t want to resist the deathly trap, even if he drowned in the boundless temptation. ¡°¡­put it on!¡± ¡°I remember you didn¡¯t like it before¡­¡± ¡°Put it on!¡± ¡°¡­good boy, it¡¯s all up to you¡­¡±(1) The moon was shining like water outside, the Chinese roses on the balcony bloomed quietly and the night was beautiful. The night wind blew; pink petals drifted into the sea. The gale suddenly rose and the ups and downs were endless. The night reached its summit, and after the wind and waves calmed down, the sky was already bright. At seven o¡¯clock in the morning, the room was silent. Qin Zhuopu opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the sleeping face of the man in his arms. Right in front of him, the same sleeping face, the same snuggling, as if he had never left. As in the past, every morning when he woke up. His arms couldn¡¯t help tightening, and he firmly pressed the person in his arms to his chest. He really wanted to engrave Lu Ying into his body. ¡°¡­what time is it?¡± Lying on Qin Zhuopu¡¯s chest, Lu Ying squinted and muttered in confusion. ¡°Seven o¡¯clock, you can sleep a little more.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lu Ying replied in a low voice; then his body stiffened abruptly and he scrambled to his feet, ¡°Too late! I have to take Zaizai to school and get to work after that!¡± In a panic, he jumped out of bed to grab his clothes. Qin Zhuopu reminded him, ¡°You¡¯re confused, it¡¯s Sunday and Zaizai doesn¡¯t go to school. Your shift is at half past eight, there is time.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I forgot.¡± Lu Ying suddenly deflated and fell backwards heavily, with all his weight on Qin Zhuopu¡¯s body. ¡°Don¡¯t catch a cold.¡± Qin Zhuopu helplessly wrapped him in the quilt. Lu Ying was content to stay in his arms and asked him, ¡°What about you? Aren¡¯t you going to rush back to the company?¡± Qin Zhuopu lowered his head and kissed Lu Ying¡¯s mouth hard: ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to the company anymore, I will stay with you every day from now on.¡± ¡°¡­want me to raise you?¡± Lu Ying rolled his eyes: ¡°Dream on.¡± ¡°Why won¡¯t you raise me? I work so hard.¡± Qin Zhuopu criticised him, ¡°You are crossing the river and demolishing the bridge. Use it and throw it away, abandoning your husband and son.¡± Lu Ying shook his head: ¡°I can¡¯t afford you, the young master, so I¡¯ll throw you away not to abandon my son.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so cruel, I am not yet old enough to discard. I¡¯m young and strong, it¡¯s a good year for you to swing the whip and ride the horse.¡± Qin Zhuopu teased. ¡°How can there be such a happy horse as you.¡± As Lu Ying said that, he lifted the quilt and got up. He would be late if he stayed longer. Lu Ying fished out his shirt and put it on, his slender fingers carefully buttoning it. The scenery of his chest and lower abdomen was infinitely beautiful. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s gaze fell on Lu Ying¡¯s flat belly and a pink scar across it. It was very straight and must have been very smooth, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have felt nothing last night. It was strange to see it with his own eyes now at dawn. If it had been a surgical scar, it would have been more or less noticeable to the touch. Qin Zhuopu got up and bent over to take a closer look, but Lu Ying was already dressed, turned around and went to the bathroom, ¡°I¡¯m going to the shop half an hour earlier. Are you really free today? Then you will take Zaizai to breakfast later, send him to the north entrance for the hobby class, and we will find a restaurant outside for lunch at noon. If you are busy, you can go directly, and Zaizai will come to the shop to find me.¡± Lu Ying quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face. When he came out, his face was still a little moist. He took his mobile phone and hurriedly told Qin Zhuopu: ¡°There are clothes you can wear in the wardrobe on the left. Find them yourself. I¡¯m gone.¡± Seeing Lu Ying dart out the door, Qin Zhuopu frowned helplessly and muttered in a low voice: ¡°Appendix surgery? The location doesn¡¯t look like it. Is it a burn¡­¡± How could a burn be so even, like a knife cut, and the kind of a knife cut that was close to perfection? The phone rang; it was Grandpa calling. ¡°Good morning, Grandpa.¡± Qin Zhuopu opened the wardrobe to look for clothes. The old man on the other end asked warmly, ¡°You left your job to me, the old man, to take care of it and ran off to fall in love by yourself, how come you¡¯re acting like a brat?¡± His tone was reproachful but there was an indulgent smile on his face. As soon as he woke up, the secretary told him that his grandson had gone on a date and asked him to come and sit in the office today to preside over and complete the supplementary contract with the foreign guests. As soon as the old man heard it, he was in high spirits. ¡°Grandpa, you¡¯re old and strong. I just flew back from America and need a holiday.¡± ¡°You wanted a holiday and flew out of town overnight, so desperate! Why don¡¯t you bring them home? I told you so during the New Year, but now half a year has passed and I still haven¡¯t seen anyone. By the way, what is that kid Lu Ying doing now?¡± Qin Zhuopu said, ¡°He¡¯s working in a bakery to learn craftsmanship and he¡¯s almost ready to become a master.¡± ¡°Then you can bring him home and open a shop in Guanlan City and do whatever you want. It¡¯s not good for a young couple to live apart for a long time.¡± ¡°Grandpa, Lu Ying has his own ideas and plans, I won¡¯t force him.¡± When his grandson said this, the old man didn¡¯t nag, ¡°Okay, you guys take care of yourselves, pay attention to your health, and later¡­¡± ¡°Uncle!¡± The door to the room slammed open and the fat boy ran in, full of surprise, ¡°Uncle, it¡¯s really you, I thought I was dreaming when I heard your voice!¡± ¡°Are you hungry, Zaizai? Be a good boy, go brush your teeth and wash your face, then Uncle will take you out for breakfast.¡± Lu Zaizai nodded and then shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go out for breakfast. It¡¯s very expensive and wasteful to eat breakfast outside. Because I have to eat several bowls. I want to eat fried rice and fried eggs at home, Uncle, do you know how to make fried rice? Dad makes it for me to eat at home every day.¡± ¡°Okay, Uncle will go to the kitchen and make the rice now.¡± ¡°Uncle is so nice! Thank you, Uncle.¡± Qin Zhuopu went to the kitchen and only then remembered that the phone hadn¡¯t been hung up: ¡°Grandpa, I have to cook for the kid, I¡¯ll talk to you later?¡± The old man on the other end sighed, ¡°En, you get busy.¡± After hanging up the phone, the old man was slightly lost in thought, sitting in the car. He could hear the child¡¯s voice clearly on the phone just now. The child was only six years old and was already so sensible. He wondered when he would be able to meet him. Advertisements Lu Ying¡¯s kitchen was stocked with food, and rice was cooked in advance.Qin Zhuopu knew Zaizai was a big eater, so he unceremoniously stir-fried a large pot of rice with green vegetables and ham, plus made five fried eggs. Qin Zhuopu ate one bowl and was full, the rest was polished by Lu Zaizai. ¡°Uncle¡¯s cooking is also delicious.¡± Lu Zaizai was not stingy with his praise. ¡°Uncle will buy food at noon and come back to make more delicious food. Let¡¯s go. Now I will send you to class.¡± It was rare to take a vacation and Qin Zhuopu wanted to accompany Lu Ying and the child all day long. There was nothing better than that. Who would want to go to work when thinking about how hot your lover was last night? Lu Zaizai took his uncle¡¯s hand and shuttled through the community, chattering non-stop. Qin Zhuopu asked him softly: ¡°Zaizai, there is a scar on your dad¡¯s belly. Tell Uncle, why did Dad get hurt?¡± Hearing this, Lu Zaizai said immediately: ¡°Dad is so powerful, he can send a thief flying with one punch, Dad will never get hurt! When I was very young, Dad once beat a thief to tears, and then the thief begged the police uncle to take him away.¡± ¡°Yes, Dad is very good.¡± Qin Zhuopu sweatdropped; asking the child about such things, what could the child say? The scar on Lu Ying¡¯s abdomen was almost fused to his skin, so it had been many years since then, Lu Zaizai was probably still a baby. Then he heard Lu Zaizai say: ¡°Dad always had that little pink fish on his belly. Dad said that he had the little fish because of me. Hehe, Uncle, do you have one, too? Li Xiaoqiang said that his mother also had a little fish on her tummy, and Wang Yuhan also said that her mother had a little fish on her tummy¡­ Many mothers have little fish on their bellies. I don¡¯t have a mother, so my dad has one.¡± At first glance, it sounded like the child¡¯s innocent and ignorant babbling, but Qin Zhuopu¡¯s heart was thudding, buzzing and echoing, and his whole body went cold. ¡°Uncle, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Qin Zhuopu stared at the child, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Come, Uncle will take you to class first.¡± He held the child¡¯s hand tightly and took him to the dance studio. This morning¡¯s teachers were a man and a woman, and the female teacher kindly went up and took Lu Zaizai¡¯s hand before consulting with Qin Zhuopu, slightly embarrassed, ¡°You are Lu Zaizai¡¯s dad, aren¡¯t you? You look so much alike, both tall and long-legged. Your son has good conditions, he must be great at dancing. Mr. Lu, please wait outside for your child, or come back in an hour and a half to pick him up. If you have something to do temporarily and can¡¯t come, you can call us in advance and tell us so that we¡¯ll have a dedicated teacher to look after the child.¡± Alike? Grandma also said they were alike. Qin Zhuopu was in a daze. ¡°Mr. Lu?¡± Qin Zhuopu drew a breath, ¡°Thank you, Teacher, I¡¯m sorry to trouble you.¡± Qin Zhuopu was sitting on a bench outside the dance studio, waiting, but his eyes were staring at the mobile phone screen, at all kinds of hideous pictures of caesarean section scars¡­ they were not like Lu Ying¡¯s at all. He lowered his head and rubbed his temples, laughing at himself secretly. What¡¯s wrong with him? For no good reason, because of a scar and a few innocent words from a child, he somehow started to doubt in earnest. No, Lu Ying was not a woman. If Lu Ying had been a woman, Qin Zhuopu would have suspected Zaizai¡¯s origins as soon as he got the information. In less than nine months after the breakup, the baby was born, so it was most likely his child. But Lu Ying was a real man. Qin Zhuopu confirmed it seven years ago, and last night clearly reconfirmed it inside and out. Lu Ying was a man, a man¡­ Advertisements The bakery. Sunday morning was exactly when Lu Ying was the busiest, making bread and entertaining customers, otherwise Fei Qiqi simply wouldn¡¯t be able to cope. Fortunately, the big boss, Brother Yang, didn¡¯t slack off today and came to the shop early in the morning. When Yu Yourong came in, he saw Lu Ying adding freshly baked bread to the empty window. His back was turned to the door and he was slightly bent at the waist, presenting a perfect line. Just his butt was a bit too perky, ruining the elegance and adding a bit of flirtatious aura. Yu Yourong¡¯s heart felt blocked. Ignoring the person he didn¡¯t want to see, he introduced the place to his friend beside him, ¡°Ray, you¡¯ll be happy with this bakery.¡± The tall, blond, blue-eyed man looked very excited as he surveyed the bakery, ¡°You found it so far away, it must be good. Wow, I love this shop. Your Asian boys look so supple, especially that one. I want to draw him naked.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yu Yourong rolled his eyes. His friend was referring to none other than Lu Ying. Before he could say anything, this young admirer of flowers had already rushed to Lu Ying, ¡°Hello, little handsome boy.¡± Lu Ying looked blankly at the blonde foreigner who suddenly appeared in front of him, ¡°May I ask what you need?¡± Unconsciously, he took a step back. He couldn¡¯t stand the strong perfume of this foreigner, too suffocating. The big blonde¡¯s eyes were burning with excitement. He hurriedly approached and stared straight at Lu Ying, ¡°Boy, I fell in love with you at first sight and want to date you!¡± Lu Ying was calm as if nothing in this life could surprise him: ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t want to go out with you.¡± ¡°Ray, this is not your country, beware of being accused of sexual harassment like this.¡± Yu Yourong stepped forward, as if to warn his friend. Lu Ying stared at him, in an extremely bad mood. ¡°No, I just want to ask him to have dinner with me and visit my painting studio. Why do you turn me down?¡± Yu Yourong shrugged: ¡°Maybe you¡¯re not charming enough unless you¡¯re very rich.¡± ¡°How much do you want to keep me company?¡± The blond man hurriedly asked Lu Ying. ¡°Ray, don¡¯t do that, this is not a place to do business.¡± Lu Ying originally was about to leave but when he heard the words, he stopped and looked at Yu Yourong, ¡°You came all the way here with the foreigner, I guess the price wasn¡¯t cheap? Something like 438?¡±(2) ¡°You!¡± Furious, Yu Yourong raised his hand to slap Lu Ying¡¯s face. Snap. ¡°Qin Zhuopu¡­¡± The tray in Lu Ying¡¯s hand dropped regretfully as he stared at the man who suddenly appeared to block Yu Yourong. If Qin Zhuopu hadn¡¯t jumped out, he would have slammed the tray on Yu Yourong¡¯s face, and the guy would be lucky if he didn¡¯t lose a mouthful of his dirty teeth. ¡°Yu Yourong, I have ways of getting you sent back to your country. Get out.¡± Qin Zhuopu glared at Yu Yourong with a look that could have killed. Yu Yourong had never seen such a look from him before and was suddenly angry: ¡°You don¡¯t want to help me, you are making things difficult for me?¡± Qin Zhuopu slapped his hand away, ¡°You still want me to be polite to you? Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about me?¡± This dude grew up pampered and coddled, always thinking himself to be the centre of everything, self-righteous and full of selfish hedonism. The shop owner, Yang Sigu, stepped forward at this moment, his face very unpleasant. ¡°Mr. Yu, please take your friend and leave my shop. You are not welcome here from now on.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a customer, why are you driving me away?¡± Yang Sigu didn¡¯t look happy and was not in the mood to discuss it. He waved his hand in disgust: ¡°You are insulting me by insulting my shop staff. Lu Ying is not only a shop staff but also my brother. Your mouth is so dirty, don¡¯t eat my bread. If you don¡¯t leave now, don¡¯t blame me for calling the police.¡± All the men in the shop gathered around, forcing Yu Yourong to pull his foreign friend away quickly. ¡°Lu Ying, are you okay?¡± Qin Zhuopu hurriedly approached Lu Ying. Lu Ying nodded, ¡°If you had come a little later, he would have been the one in trouble. What a psycho, coming here to annoy me, heh, what kind of first love¡­¡± Lu Ying muttered. Qin Zhuopu was about to say a few words in his defence when Fei Qiqi suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Boss, what¡¯s wrong with you¡± ¡°Brother Yang!¡± Lu Ying turned around to see Yang Sigu who was quietly collapsing. Quickly rushing over, Lu Ying caught him, ¡°Brother Yang, Brother Yang, what happened?¡± He was extremely anxious, ¡°Call an ambulance!¡± ¡°Oh oh, right!¡± Yang Sigu opened his eyes weakly and told Lu Ying in distress, ¡°Take me to Dr. Hu¡¯s house, not to the hospital.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.¡± Lu Ying picked up Yang Sigu easely. ¡°Lu Ying, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll drive you.¡± Qin Zhuopu asked the shop assistant to borrow the car keys and immediately took the two of them to Qiushan Street, where Dr. Hu¡¯s clinic was located. Inside the car, Yang Sigu kept breaking into a cold sweat. Lu Ying was on the verge of tears, wondering why Brother Yang, who had always been so healthy, was suddenly sick. How could Brother Yang get sick? He was afraid that there was something big going on. For a moment he thought of Grandpa Lu who had suddenly weakened, and his eyes turned red. When they reached the intersection of Qiushan Street, Qin Zhuopu stopped the car and Lu Ying ran into Dr. Hu¡¯s clinic as fast as he could with Yang Sigu in his arms. Ji Xiaofeng, who was sitting with his legs crossed, eating a snack, jumped up in shock: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lu Ying whimpered, ¡°Quickly check on Bother Yang!¡± ¡°Hurry to the back.¡± Elder Xu came out and ordered hastily, and Lu Ying immediately ran out of sight. When Qin Zhuopu came in, the hall was deserted. He went straight to the backyard, only to find that there was something else there, a beautiful and elegant antique house. He searched for Lu Ying but couldn¡¯t find him. In the courtyard room behind a moon gate, Dr. Hu put down Yang Sigu¡¯s hand and got up to get some medicine. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Brother Yang?¡± ¡°He¡¯s pregnant.¡± The words were thunderous. *** Mini-theatre-1: Grandpa: Zhuopu, hurry up and bring your wife and son home. Mr. Qin: We are good as we are now. Grandpa: What¡¯s good about it? Mr. Qin: I¡¯m eating his food and drinking his drinks. Being raised by him feels especially good. Grandpa: ¡­¡­ Mini-treathe-2: Mr. Qin: Why is Boss Yang treating you so nicely? Stay away from him. Lu Ying: Nonsense, it¡¯s impossible for us. Mr. Qin: There is nothing impossible, huh. Brother Yang: I¡¯m coming here to eat. Mr. Qin: How many months are you eating to get such a big belly? Brother Yang: I¡¯m about to give birth ^_^ Mr. Qin: ¡­¡­ Brother Yang: Oops, why did you faint? CH 37 ¡°Whose child is it?¡± Ji Xiaofeng blurted out, staring at Lu Ying. Lu Ying hastily denied it: ¡°It has nothing to do with me!¡± Ji Xiaofeng sneered, ¡°If you had that ability, I¡¯d call you ¡®Big Brother¡¯! You are with Brother Yang every day, you must have noticed something?¡± Lu Ying laughed dryly, ¡°This¡­ I haven¡¯t seen Brother Yang¡¯s lover¡­¡± Shocked, Lu Ying nervously looked at the pale Yang Sigu. In the past six months, he could be regarded as one of the people who had the most contact with Yang Sigu, but he really didn¡¯t have any clues. Ji Xiaofeng sighed helplessly: ¡°Lao Hu, why is Brother Yang so weak when he is pregnant? Is he going to be okay?¡± ¡°Doctor Hu, is Brother Yang alright?¡± Lu Ying was worried. When he had a baby, he was confused and didn¡¯t understand anything at all, and if Grandpa Lu hadn¡¯t found out, he would have thought that he¡¯d just gotten fat¡­ He didn¡¯t have any other symptoms, which was lucky if you thought about it. Dr. Hu quickly dispensed the medicine and came over with a small cup, ¡°Feed it to him.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it, Brother Ji, help me hold him up a bit.¡± Together with Ji Xiaofeng, Lu Ying fed the steaming medicine into Yang Sigu¡¯s mouth. Yang Sigu lay down again. Perhaps because he had drunk the medicine, in a short while his face regained some blood. He looked less weak at last. Dr. Hu checked his pulse again, and when he met Yang Sigu¡¯s eyes, he smiled lightly: ¡°Your situation is rather complicated. Let me put it this way, when Zaizai was expected, Lu Ying only needed to take a bowl of yuling grass soup once every three months. After Zaizai was born, he took one yuling pill every six months at first. Now that he is older, he will take ten, or at most twenty, pills a year. Because Zaizai¡¯s other father is an ordinary human.¡± Yang Sigu closed his eyes and clenched his fists. ¡°What does that mean? Brother Yang¡¯s lover is not human?¡± Ji Xiaofeng asked hurriedly, ¡°Then who exactly is he? Liu Dichuan? Impossible.¡± ¡°Ahem ahem¡­!¡± Yang Sigu suddenly choked and coughed, giving Ji Xiaofeng a fierce look. Lu Ying smiled embarrassedly and tugged at Ji Xiaofeng, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, Brother Liu and Brother Yang are very innocent, and Brother Liu likes girls.¡± ¡°How do you know? Hasn¡¯t he always been single?¡± Lu Ying said bluntly, ¡°Brother Liu told me, ah. He has a girl he likes, but she doesn¡¯t like him.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to sympathise with Lao Liu for a second¡­¡± Ji Xiaofeng held his forehead, ¡°Then who else can it be? Those single dogs are basically gone from the beginning of the year, counting the months it doesn¡¯t fit. Brother Yang, tell me, or I¡¯ll lose sleep.¡± Yang Sigu had recovered a lot and was in good spirits, so he finally had the strength to speak up for himself: ¡°Why should I tell you? Your insomnia has nothing to do with me. Doctor Hu, I¡¯m going to bother you next. You can charge for the medicine as much as you want, I¡¯ve had some savings over the years and they¡¯re finally coming in handy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so calm, Brother Yang¡­ you didn¡¯t panic at all.¡± Lu Ying looked at Yang Sigu with admiration. He had admired this man before, and now he did even more. Unlike when he first learned of his situation; he was so scared that he cried and didn¡¯t sleep well for several days. He was happy to have a child, but he couldn¡¯t stop fearing the unknown. Yang Sigu half-sat up, smiled faintly and couldn¡¯t help but reach out and put his hand on Lu Ying¡¯s head, rubbing his hair: ¡°I expected it, so I won¡¯t panic. It¡¯s thanks to the good luck from you that I have this result. Thank you.¡± ¡°¡­but I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Lu Ying dared not take credit for it and asked in a whisper, ¡°So, Brother Yang¡­ you wanted a child?¡± ¡°En. After Zaizai was born, I was a bit tempted. But at the time, I didn¡¯t think much about it. Later¡­ suddenly the thought deepened.¡± It was not so much an expected thing as the result of the calculation. Anyway, he got what he wanted. Lu Ying sighed in relief and smiled brightly ¡°Then congratulations to Brother Yang on becoming a father.¡± He was worried that Brother Yang would find it difficult to accept the news and was ready to comfort him. Dr. Hu crossed his arms and said coolly, ¡°Yang Sigu, I haven¡¯t finished speaking yet. I have a limited reserve of the yuling grass. It is more than enough for Zaizai until he reaches adulthood, but your situation is serious and it is not just the matter of taking the medicine. Do you understand what I mean? I suggest you don¡¯t have a child. Save yourself the worry.¡± ¡°¡­no way. There must be something you can do.¡± Yang Sigu was full of determination. Lu Ying and Ji Xiaofeng both panicked and looked at Dr. Hu nervously. Dr. Hu spread his hands: ¡°Then the best way is for you to let him show up and serve you closely until the situation stabilises. But after the baby is born, you still have to rely on him to raise it. You can¡¯t raise it well on milk powder.¡± Yang Sigu was silent. ¡°You can think about it, I¡¯ll go make the medicine first.¡± Dr. Hu waved his hand and went out. Lu Ying didn¡¯t dare to leave, worried and anxious for Yang Sigu. ¡°Brother Yang¡­ you¡¯d better listen to the doctor. Life is at stake, you must not be negligent.¡± Yang Sigu smiled bitterly, ¡°Go ahead and get busy, I want to be alone for a while. Lu Ying, I have to trouble you with the shop in the near future. I may have to live here for the time being. If something happens, you can call me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Brother Yang, I¡¯ll keep an eye on the shop.¡± Lu Ying assured loudly. Lu Ying and Ji Xiaofeng gently withdrew, leaving Yang Sigu, who was lying down, alone in the room. He looked at the ceiling in a daze and murmured after a long time, ¡°What are you going to do¡­¡± It was as if he was talking to himself, and as if he was talking to the air. Advertisements ¡°Lu Ying.¡± In front of the moon gate, Qin Zhuopu quickly stepped forward when he saw Lu Ying appear. Lu Ying tapped his head, ¡°I almost forgot about you¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Qin Zhuopu was anxious, ¡°Is Boss Yang okay?¡± ¡°En, he¡¯s fine¡­ needs to recuperate for a while.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± ¡°He¡­¡± Lu Ying couldn¡¯t answer; that was Brother Yang¡¯s secret. Qin Zhuopu patted his head, ¡°Forget it if it¡¯s hard to say, I won¡¯t force you.¡± Lu Ying nodded: ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go back to the shop first, it¡¯s almost noon, don¡¯t forget to pick up Zaizai.¡± ¡°How could I forget the kid? I¡¯ll go shopping later, we¡¯ll eat at home at noon, I¡¯ll cook.¡± ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± Lu Ying smiled brightly, ¡°Zaizai must like your cooking, because I quite like it too. Especially the chicken wings you make, I just can¡¯t get over them.¡± Qin Zhuopu suddenly tightened his grip on Lu Ying¡¯s hand, wanting to say something but finally not saying a word. He wanted to ask about the little fish on Lu Ying¡¯s belly. Lu Zaizai¡¯s childish words lingered in his head, as if he was possessed, and he desperately wanted a confirmation. In the morning he had walked to the bakery unconsciously, his mind full of questions, but they were put aside the moment he saw Yu Yourong¡¯s rudeness. Now Boss Yang¡¯s health was in another unknown condition, and Lu Ying clearly didn¡¯t want to tell him more. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Lu Ying thought he was a bit strange. Qin Zhuopu was usually very willing to behave wildly behind closed doors but was very reserved and conservative when outside. It was rare to hold hands in broad daylight. Qin Zhuopu shook his head: ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I don¡¯t feel comfortable seeing you so nervous about Boss Yang.¡± Lu Ying smiled speechlessly and rolled his eyes, ¡°Brother Yang is an elder brother and has helped me a lot. You are also too jealous, one moment it¡¯s Brother Ji and the next moment it¡¯s Brother Yang. I have ten brothers and a sister, you should simply soak in the vinegar jar.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled faintly, ¡°En, I¡¯m jealous.¡± Lu Ying hummed softly, ¡°I haven¡¯t settled the score with you yet, but you¡¯re talking about me instead. What¡¯s up with that guy surnamed Yu, is he still trying to have an affair with you? Why else is he always targeting me? If he hadn¡¯t brought his friends here to cause trouble today, Brother Yang wouldn¡¯t have gotten emotional.¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s eyes went cold as he sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t have time to eat your bread anytime soon.¡± Some people couldn¡¯t change their shit; even if you didn¡¯t do anything, they would dig their own graves. Lu Ying frowned slightly at his words, ¡°You, you don¡¯t want to do anything illegal, oh.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Qin Zhuopu pinched his ear and teased the worried Lu Ying, ¡°Anger me, and I¡¯ll go through a mountain of swords and a sea of fire, not to mention breaking the law and committing a crime.¡± Lu Ying slapped his hand away with a serious face: ¡°If you do something bad, I don¡¯t want you anymore. Discredit to the family reputation! What if Zaizai wants to take civil service exams in the future, ah, to be a policeman or something? Such a father will be dragging him down.¡± Seeing how serious he said it, Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t know whether to cry or to laugh, ¡°Am I that kind of bad man with no sense of responsibility?¡± ¡°Of course not, haha.¡± Lu Ying smiled, ¡°You¡¯re good at everything, okay?¡± Qin Zhuopu couldn¡¯t stop smiling. The two of them went back to the bakery and Lu Ying continued to work. When Qin Zhuopu came out, he stood at the door for a long time, staring at the ground, his thoughts drifting who knows how far away. He smoked several cigarettes before he came back to his senses and went to the north entrance to pick up Lu Zaizai. ¡°Lu Zaizai, your father is here to pick you up, remember to come to class on time next time.¡± The dance teacher pointed to Qin Zhuopu who was walking outside the window, and Lu Zaizai shook his head and laughed happily, ¡°Teacher, that¡¯s my uncle, not my dad.¡± ¡°Zaizai.¡± Qin Zhuopu waved at him, hearing the child¡¯s words with mixed emotions. ¡°Uncle, are we going home now?¡± ¡°Uncle will take you to buy food and will cook something delicious for lunch, then we¡¯ll wait for Dad to come home.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± The two of them went to the supermarket to buy groceries and bought a lot of snacks for Lu Zaizai. After coming out of the supermarket, Qin Zhuopu crossed the street, holding the child¡¯s hand, heading for the steps of the community. Just as he stepped onto the steps, Lu Zaizai suddenly shook off Qin Zhuopu¡¯s hand and darted towards the top of the steps, shouting, ¡°Grandpa Lu! Grandpa Lu! Grandpa!¡± ¡°Zaizai!¡± Qin Zhuopu ran after him and saw that Lu Zaizai was chasing after a man¡¯s back, shouting ¡°Grandpa¡±, but the man was unresponsive. In the blink of an eye, the man had entered the community gate and disappeared. Zaizai gasped and frowned angrily, ¡°I clearly saw Grandpa Lu, but why is he gone again? It¡¯s really strange, didn¡¯t Grandpa hear me? Why is he ignoring me¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu frowned, his heart thudding, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have run away suddenly, Uncle was worried about you. You must have mistaken someone, your Grandpa Lu¡­¡± Passed away a long time ago. It must have been someone similarly looking. Besides, Qin Zhuopu had caught a glimpse of that back and the man looked young, not like any grandfather. ¡°Mistaken¡­¡± Lu Zaizai was depressed, ¡°I miss Grandpa Lu.¡± ¡°¡­good boy, let¡¯s go home and Uncle will make you something delicious. Help Uncle peel the beans later, okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the best at peeling beans!¡± When Lu Ying came home for his lunch break, Qin Zhuopu had already prepared a sumptuous meal. This kind of day when there was a hot meal waiting for you when you returned home was really the best. ¡°Wow, this eight treasure fish (a dish made of eight ingredients or sometimes stuffed with eight ingredients) is delicious.¡± ¡°I think the chicken wings are the best.¡± ¡°Eat more if it¡¯s good.¡± Qin Zhuopu was already full and smiled as he watched the father and son in front of him eat happily. The deep smile in his eyes was full of tenderness and affection. ¡°Dad, I saw a man who looked like Grandpa Lu when I went home, but unfortunately I was mistaken.¡± Lu Zaizai suddenly sighed sadly. Lu Ying froze and said grimly, ¡°Silly boy, Grandpa Lu, he¡­ we can¡¯t see him anymore.¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± Lu Zaizai said listlessly. Qin Zhuopu stroked Lu Zaizai¡¯s head and comforted him, ¡°Uncle will take you out this afternoon, where do you want to go? Playground? A museum? Is there anywhere in particular you want to go?¡± ¡°Yes, yes! I want to go out and play!¡± Lu Zaizai clapped his hands happily, ¡°Uncle, I want to go to the dinosaur museum, many children in our class have been there, but I have never been there, Dad is too busy.¡± In one sentence Lu Ying was made to feel guilty, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Qin Zhuopu took a deep breath, ¡°Lu Ying, it¡¯s not your fault. Zaizai, tell Uncle where you want to go to play in the future, no matter where it is, Uncle will take you there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great, Uncle is amazing.¡± ¡°This afternoon, Uncle will take you to the dinosaur museum.¡± Qin Zhuopu made the final decision. Lu Ying was happy to have someone to take the child out, ¡°Then you guys have a good time, just keep an eye on the child. Be careful not to give him too many drinks, but let him drink plain water. It¡¯s a bit hot today, I¡¯ll pack two t-shirts for you to take with you, Zaizai is afraid of heat and sweats a lot.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of the kid.¡± Lu Ying nodded, not doubting Qin Zhuopu. Advertisements After lunch, Lu Ying personally took Qin Zhuopu and his son to catch a bus, and continued with the afternoon¡¯s work. Throughout the afternoon, Qin Zhuopu kept having fun with Zaizai, took a lot of photos and reported to Lu Ying every once in a while. Qin Zhuopu chose a few pictures of Lu Zaizai playing, taken from the back, and posted on Moments. Qin Zhuopu: The first time I took my child out to play. [Picture 1][Picture 2][Picture 3] Many people liked the post, while others asked curiously. When did you get to be a father? Your son is actually this old? You actually know how to bring up a child? Cool. Is this your relative¡¯s child, or your son? Qin Zhuopu replied uniformly: My son. Never mind the fuss in Moments, today¡¯s Lu Zaizai was undoubtedly very happy, and today¡¯s Qin Zhuopu also felt incredibly happy. In the quiet of the night, he and his lover were cuddling closely, and as if unconsciously, Qin Zhuopu couldn¡¯t help but stretch out his slightly rough palm to caress Lu Ying¡¯s flat, firm belly, back and forth, over and over again. Lu Ying was so enthralled that he didn¡¯t notice Qin Zhuopu¡¯s inquisitive, contemplative eyes. ¡°Do you have your subway card with you?¡± The next morning, Lu Ying took Qin Zhuopu to the subway station. He packed a box of freshly baked meat floss puff pastries for Qin Zhuopu. He had made them himself and it was the most popular snack he had made since he had started his studies. Although he was sad to see Qin Zhuopu leave, they were all adults and had their own careers, not to mention the fact that Qin Zhuopu¡¯s company was huge, so how could he really stay here every day and leave the old man in his eighties to fight at the office? Really, how many billions would be lost if you delay for a day? ¡°The card you gave me, of course I carry it with me. You got me up before I was awake and had to ruthlessly kick me out, tsk.¡± Qin Zhuopu shook his head in displeasure and huffed, ¡°Do you have any conscience, knowing how hard I worked last night?¡± ¡°You shut up.¡± Lu Ying didn¡¯t hesitate to send him away: ¡°Don¡¯t eat in the subway, eat when you leave the station. Send me a message and call when you arrive. Next time you come over, tell me one day in advance¡­ Well, I¡¯ll prepare more pig kidneys for you, pfft haha.¡± As soon as the words came out, Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help laughing himself. Qin Zhuopu looked helpless, ¡°I don¡¯t need that thing now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you like it very much? Don¡¯t be stubborn.¡± Lu Ying laughed. Qin Zhuopu glared at him, ¡°My mouth is still full of a filthy smell.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re slutty.¡± Lu Ying mocked him, what a rascal! Qin Zhuopu suddenly laughed and hugged Lu Ying, pinching his buttocks and whispering, ¡°You¡¯re the sluttiest.¡± Before Little Piggy Lu exploded, he quickly let go and walked to the subway station, ¡°Behave yourself while I¡¯m away.¡± ¡°Same to you!¡± Lu Ying roared. Qin Zhuopu laughed as he entered the station. In Brother Yang¡¯s absence, Lu Ying had become the shop manager and had to be responsible for more things every day, such as purchasing goods. He had originally done it a few times with Brother Yang and now he had to do everything by himself. Except for Lu Ying, Brother Yang didn¡¯t trust anyone. He was never afraid of losing money due to high costs, but he was afraid of cutting corners and ruining his reputation. After work, Lu Ying made a special trip to see Yang Sigu at Dr. Hu¡¯s clinic. ¡°Brother Yang, how are you now? I¡¯ve brought you your favourite bread.¡± Yang Sigu was sitting in the courtyard pavilion, drinking tea. When he saw Lu Ying coming he couldn¡¯t help but smile: ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like a patient, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll be able to go back to work tomorrow.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush, Brother Yang¡¯s health is the most important thing.¡± Lu Ying looked at Yang Sigu carefully and found that he was a far cry from his frail appearance that day. Not only did he look healthy, he looked incredibly good, and his whole body seemed to emanate a¡­ do you call it a tart smell of love-making? Lu Ying felt ashamed of his own sudden description, but¡­ ¡°Brother Yang, is your lover with you now?¡± ¡°¡­ahem ahem.¡± Yang Sigu coughed dryly and refused to answer. Lu Ying didn¡¯t understand but was happy for Brother Yang: ¡°It¡¯s best if there is someone to take care of you. I was worried about what Brother Yang would do if he was alone. Back then I didn¡¯t understand anything, I was so confused and scared, but I was lucky to have Grandpa Lu to comfort me and keep me company. Brother Yang, if you need any help, do let me know.¡± ¡°I will. Lu Ying, have you and Mr. Qin made up?¡± Lu Ying blushed slightly and nodded, ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve made up. I¡¯m not very good at resisting temptation¡­¡± ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Yang Sigu laughed shakily, ¡°Okay, frank enough. I really don¡¯t know how Mr. Qin tempted you.¡± Lu Ying covered his face in embarrassment, ¡°It¡¯s not what you think¡­ Anyway, I like him and he likes me. He comes and goes, it¡¯s good. And he doesn¡¯t know that Zaizai is his own son, but he still keeps trying to be good to Zaizai, really treating Zaizai as his own child. My instincts don¡¯t lie to me, and Zaizai is particularly close to him.¡± ¡°So will you tell him?¡± Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help but look at Yang Sigu¡¯s flat stomach, ¡°I can¡¯t hide it from him for the rest of my life, I will definitely tell him one day.¡± But not now, otherwise Qin Zhuopu would suspect something about Brother Yang. How could Yang Sigu not understand what he meant? He patted Lu YIng on the head, ¡°Little fool, if you trust him, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. Xiaotu¡¯s father knows everything, isn¡¯t that fine? But this is your own business, you can talk about it if you want to, or not if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Lu Ying nodded, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I originally thought. Didn¡¯t Dr. Hu say it for me before? It turned out that neither he nor his mother believed, and Mrs. Qin was even furious. Anyway, it¡¯s pretty good now. When he doesn¡¯t come, I have a family of two, and when he comes, I have a family of three.¡± Yang Sigu looked at Lu Ying with considerable surprise, ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot.¡± ¡°Have I?¡± Lu Ying looked confused. Yang Sigu smiled and nodded, ¡°It¡¯s already very good. If your Grandpa saw it, he would be very relieved.¡± Lu Ying was complimented and felt shy, and then felt sad again, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Grandpa is no longer around¡­¡± ¡°Grandpa.¡± After work, Qin Zhuopu came to the old mansion. The family was having a big gathering today, so it was impossible not to come. Even his mother had rushed back from the capital. Tomorrow, it was the anniversary of his father¡¯s death. Time had washed away the grief of parting, and the relatives came mainly to eat, chat and get closer. His mother was no longer in a gloomy mood, entertaining the guests at home with a calm smile. ¡°Zhuopu, when will you bring your son and wife home?¡± ¡°Yeah, I heard that you have an illegitimate son living outside, why don¡¯t you pick him up now?¡± ¡°Tomorrow is your father¡¯s death day, so why haven¡¯t you brought the child and the child¡¯s mother to kowtow to Grandpa?¡± ¡°Zhuopu, you¡¯ve always been a stable and disciplined person, but you didn¡¯t do a good job with the child. It¡¯s a waste of time to talk about it now. What did you do all those years? You only say you have a son when he is this old. Don¡¯t you know what people are saying?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, a good biological son is called an illegitimate son. I¡¯m so angry.¡± ¡°No matter what, at least Zhuopu has a son, so the old man can finally rest assured.¡± One by one, Qin Zhuopu swept past the uncles and aunts who were asking questions. There were many relatives, and not everyone had a unified opinion. For example, if he had never had any child, many of his relatives would be happy. Now that he said he had a child, many people panicked. ¡°Uncles and aunts are more worried than I am, more worried than Grandpa.¡± Qin Zhuopu laughed in a low voice: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether they kowtow or not, since he¡¯s my son, my father¡¯s spirit in heaven will naturally protect him. Mom, am I right?¡± Mrs. Qin had her own dislike for these relatives, and had always been most protective of her son in front of the others. ¡°What Zhuopu said is right. The child is busy with his studies. When he is older, it is up to Zhuopu to arrange for him to come home. Old Master is in no hurry, and neither am I.¡± Grandpa Qin thought to himself: I¡¯m really in a bit of a hurry. But there was no point in being anxious. He could see that Lu Ying would not easily set foot in the Qin family¡¯s house, and if Lu Ying himself refused to come, how could he be happy to let his child come. Who was to blame for this? He blamed his daughter-in-law for her extreme behaviour back then. It was also his fault that he hadn¡¯t taken care of it by default back then. But he found it a bit strange that since his grandson liked Lu Ying so much, why did it take all these years before he went looking for him? ¡°Who is that child¡¯s mother?¡± ¡°When is Zhuopu going to hold the wedding?¡± ¡°I thought Zhuopu really didn¡¯t like women.¡± ¡°Zhuopu has always been the most handsome-looking in the family, that kid must look like him.¡± Who didn¡¯t know that the child¡¯s real father was Lu Ying, an old lover whom Qin Zhuopu had been in love with for years? The child was most likely the result of a woman Lu Ying found, and was not even remotely related to Qin Zhuopu. Qin Zhuopu couldn¡¯t have a child all these years, so he rushed to recognise a bastard. He was really out of his mind. Raising nieces and nephews at home was not good enough, was it better to bring a bastard from outside? No matter what the relatives were thinking in their hearts, Qin Zhuopu was not affected at all. However, Mrs. Qin was so upset that she wanted to explode on the spot and throw out those bad-mouthed people. The phone rang pleasantly and the caller ID made Qin Zhuopu¡¯s hand tighten as he got up and walked to the balcony at a steady pace to answer it. ¡°Congratulations, Mr. Qin, the DNA identification results show that you are the biological father of the child.¡± *** Mini-theatre: Mr. Qin: You can¡¯t even solve such a simple maths problem? You¡¯re still watching TV, do you want me to beat you up? Do your homework! Zaizai: Woo woo, Uncle doesn¡¯t love me anymore! Uncle is mean to me! Mr. Qin: Uncle loves you, but Father wants to beat you up! Zaizai: Woo woo, since you became my dad, you don¡¯t love me anymore! Mr. Qin: Finished crying, are you? Do your homework! Lu Ying: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q Like father, like son. CH 38 Biological father¡­ Biological father! Qin Zhuopu was dumbfounded, and the layer of haze that had been gathering in his chest these days was suddenly blown away by a paper of DNA identification. Originally, he just couldn¡¯t control the seeds of doubt that sprouted, and then he couldn¡¯t stay sane and sober anymore. He wanted to check and figure it out as if he was obsessed. Zaizai couldn¡¯t give him an accurate answer, and Lu Ying seemed to be hiding something, unwilling to confess. If it was in the past, Qin Zhuopu would not have tried to investigate Lu Zaizai¡¯s bloodline in private; doing it on the mere suspicion was wrong and he felt it was disrespectful to Lu Ying. As long as the two of them had a good relationship and got along well, no matter how many secrets Lu Ying had, he would not keep them forever. Qin Zhuopu only needed to wait patiently for the confession of his lover. But now, he just couldn¡¯t wait to do something so sneaky. When he stroked the pink fish on Lu Ying¡¯s belly, the thought became stronger and stronger. The morning he left, he subconsciously took a few hairs with him. When he returned to Guanlan City, he sent them to the identification agency. These days of waiting, Qin Zhuopu hardly dared to think about it, completely drowning himself in his busy schedule, sometimes in a daze, sometimes on edge. He even regretted it. It was a stupid move to make. If the test result was not¡­ he would laugh to death. However¡­ What a miracle! A few hairs completely overturned his cognition of many years. In an instant¡­ He had his own son. He was really, really the father of that child. Lu Zaizai was his and Lu Ying¡¯s son! ¡°Haha¡­ haha¡­¡± The phone slipped onto the cold hard floor. Qin Zhuopu supported himself on the balcony railing with both hands, and his uncontrollable laughter came from the depths of his heart. His whole being was full of excitement, happiness and unbearable chaos. Zaizai is actually his own son! Lu Ying actually gave birth to him! They are both real men. Is this a miracle or a hallucination? A boundless panic suddenly appeared under the uncontrollable smile. Is all this true or false¡­ Is his brain confused again? Is he seriously sick? Will he wake up and find that this is just an absurd nightmare?! Qin Zhuopu held the balcony railing, his head lowered, taking a big breath. The guests in the living room who hadn¡¯t dispersed yet couldn¡¯t help but look at Qin Zhuopu, who was almost dancing on the balcony. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s so good that makes him so happy? It¡¯s so rare.¡± A quick-mouthed aunt smiled while watching the show. It was really a bit novel. Her nephew Qin Zhuopu had been very stable when he was a child, and even more so when he grew up. He had never been seen laughing in front of his relatives. The sky could collapse and he would stay calm. In this regard, he had the same virtue as his dead father. ¡°Heh, I remember the day my sister-in-law gave birth to my nephew. My big brother was like this, laughing ¡®hahahaha¡¯, like a big fool.¡± A junior commented while poking at his phone. The big brother of the junior instantly frowned: ¡°Do you want a beating? Your sister-in-law gave birth to my baby, the mother and son were safe, what¡¯s wrong with me ¡®hahaha¡¯!¡± The sister-in-law smiled and said, ¡°Little Brother is saying you laughed stupidly, not that it was wrong.¡± ¡°Xiao Mo is good at talking. I¡¯m afraid Zhuopu has hardly encountered such a great thing as giving birth to a son. Maybe having a second child¡­¡± The teacup in the old man¡¯s hand slapped heavily on the table: ¡°Tomorrow is the third anniversary of Lao San¡¯s death. If you have something to say, say it to the grave tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Seeing that everyone lowered their heads and didn¡¯t dare to say a word, the old man sighed wearily. There were many family members and many interests involved, and it was difficult to set them aside. Originally with him watching, these people were always obedient. But with Zhuopu recognising a son, some became anxious, fearing that their children would get a lesser share of the money as a result. Such shallow hearts, could you blame Zhuopu for not liking them? These unpleasant elders were making a show of themselves in front of Zhuopu all day long. The old man was afraid that when he was gone, they would suffer. While he was here, the company still paid dividends to them. After he was gone, Zhuopu wouldn¡¯t care about them and there would be no one to defend their interests. Qin Zhuopu came in from the balcony, took a few steps upstairs and rushed to the study. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Elder Qin asked. Mrs. Qin was nervous, inevitably worried. The old man didn¡¯t know, but she had always kept in mind that her son had problems with his memory, which even Master Yuan had found too tricky, and that her son had been to foreign countries but didn¡¯t find out the cause. She was anxious all the time. Whenever she thought of her husband, who died early, she was even more scared. Sometimes she really wanted to ask her son to leave his career and let himself relax and have a good rest. Even¡­ falling in love would be good. Advertisements After turning on the computer and receiving the document, Qin Zhuopu printed out the identification form, held it tightly in his hand, looked through it slowly and carefully, reading it over and over again. Every time he saw the seal confirming the parent-child relationship at the end, Qin Zhuopu¡¯s clenched hand couldn¡¯t help trembling slightly. Every cell in his body was throbbing and shivering, the data in front of his eyes blurring. He lowered his head and endured an indescribably complicated mood. After the joy, only a full sense of self-blame remained. He hated himself seven years ago. He couldn¡¯t forgive himself now. Seven years ago, it was his negligence that caused Lu Ying to leave alone. However, at that time, Lu Ying already had a child! Lu Ying, who was still a child himself, suddenly had the responsibility to bear and had no one to turn to. How did Lu Ying come through all those years? On the day they met again, Dr. Hu blurted out the truth, and Lu Ying¡¯s eyes were stunned and expectant at the same time. When Qin Zhuopu thought about it now, the scene was shocking. He regretted it so much that it hurt. It was him¡­ He heard the truth and didn¡¯t believe it! It was him who had missed so many years and had missed the opportunity that was delivered to him for nothing. How good would it have been if he had recovered Lu Ying back then! He would have definitely taken good care of Lu Ying, would have definitely accompanied the child to grow up. Instead they hadn¡¯t seen each other for many years. Lu Ying had been disappointed. The child had grown up and called him ¡°Uncle¡±, ¡°Uncle, you are so kind to me, Uncle, I like you so much, Uncle¡­¡± What a good uncle! Just an uncle, ah¡­ He had missed so much. The smoke choked him and Qin Zhuopu coughed violently, coughing as if his heart was breaking, his eyes red. At a loss, he dialled Lu Ying¡¯s phone, pretending to have something to say to him. The phone rang, but no one answered. Over and over again, what echoed in his mind was the cheerful ringtone, a childish, funny song from ¡°Peppa Pig¡±. Zaizai often hummed it; even if he was tone-deaf, he was still very cute when he did it. Cute Zaizai, his lovely baby. The unbearable emotions finally subsided slowly with the memory of the innocent song, and Qin Zhuopu pounded his slightly cramped stomach, painful and happy. Who knows how long it took but Qin Zhuopu suddenly got up. ¡°Where are you going so late?¡± Mrs. Qin, who had just sent away the guests downstairs, asked immediately. Grandpa Qin also looked at his grandson with a puzzled expression on his face. Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t look back and hurriedly walked out: ¡°I¡¯m going to find Lu Ying. ¡± Mrs. Qin wanted to tell him not to forget the anniversary of his father¡¯s death, but then swallowed her words. Never mind, just like her son had said, if his father was in heaven, he would protect his own child and would not blame him. The old man shook his head helplessly, smiled at his daughter-in-law and asked: ¡°Since you are back, you should care more about Zhuopu. He is over thirty and it is not a good thing for him to be running between two places all the time. He¡¯s the one who¡¯s tired, don¡¯t you as a mother feel sorry for him?¡± Mrs. Qin lowered her head and didn¡¯t dare to answer. ¡°In any case, long-distance relationships are not conducive to physical and mental health.¡± The old man was quite avant-garde in his thinking, and now he was even more determined to see his grandson have a happy event quickly. Since he had already recognised the child, the old man wanted him to do everything properly. ¡°Lu Ying has no one to turn to, but he has a backbone. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have left for years after being scared by you. In my opinion, if you care for your son, you¡¯d better put down your stance. You should apologise, you should care, and you should show your attitude.¡± Mrs. Qin, who wanted to say something, wept quietly, still aggrieved: ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to persecute anyone. I wasn¡¯t too angry at the beginning, I even liked him at first. He was simple and careless. But he had obviously never studied and yet he said he graduated from high school. How could he lie¡­¡± The old man frowned: ¡°He lied to you that he graduated from high school? No, I asked him what school he went to, and he honestly told me that he hadn¡¯t gone to school. The child had sincere eyes and wouldn¡¯t lie.¡± Mrs. Qin stiffened and said with difficulty: ¡°He didn¡¯t say that¡­ But he was so close to Zhuopu, of course I had to investigate. I checked his background and found that he obviously hadn¡¯t studied, but he had a fake graduation certificate¡­¡± The old man sighed deeply: ¡°But he didn¡¯t take it out and use it. He stayed in Guanlan City for a year and honestly moved bricks on the construction site before he met Zhuopu¡­ and moved them for quite a long time after they met, too. Besides, Zhuopu was with him every day, could there be something he didn¡¯t know about him?¡± The old man felt sorry for Lu Ying. It was what happened when a child had no elders; he wouldn¡¯t have much choice in life and could only work at the bottom of society. But the good thing was that Lu Ying had a good temperament, was optimistic, didn¡¯t complain at all and didn¡¯t feel ashamed to move bricks. Later, his grandson got upset with it and Lu Ying didn¡¯t move bricks anymore. He changed to a clean job and worked part-time in a flower shop. When the child came to visit for the first time, he gave the old man a big bouquet of flowers¡­ The child had a smile that looked better than a flower. It was no wonder that his grandson was obsessed. A boy like that, where could you find the second one? ¡°I¡­ I was impulsive¡­¡± Mrs. Qin answered with difficulty. The old man shook his head. His daughter-in-law was not impulsive. She thought she had finally found an excuse and decided to strike, didn¡¯t she? ¡°I know what was on your mind. You saw that he had a good relationship with Zhuopu and you were afraid Zhuopu wouldn¡¯t want children in the future¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine to be selfish, everyone is selfish, including me. But no matter what, you shouldn¡¯t have acted behind Zhuopu¡¯s back. If you had any concerns or grievances, you should have discussed them with Zhuopu in person and learn more about his thoughts and wishes.¡± ¡°Zhuopu was a grown up man and he just took over such a big burden at that time. It was precisely when he needed confidence and encouragement, and you suddenly went behind his back and got rid of the person he liked. Heh, anyway, Zhuopu¡¯s temper is good. If it was me, the relationship between mother and son would have frozen stiff.¡± Mrs. Qin covered her mouth, afraid she would cry out. It was not that Zhuopu had a good temper and hadn¡¯t fallen out with her, it was that he had calmed down after the fuss because he was having mental problems! But how could she dare to tell the old man. If she could do it all over again, she would never have taken it upon herself to scare Lu Ying away. ¡°Forget it, there¡¯s no point in talking about this now. Still, if you feel sorry for Zhuopu, you can figure out what to do. If you can¡¯t, this old man will go and pick Lu Ying up himself, I hope that he doesn¡¯t hate me at least.¡± ¡°Dad!¡± Mrs. Qin cried, ¡°Don¡¯t do this¡­ let me think about it¡­ let me take a breath¡­¡± The old man sighed: ¡°Okay, okay, I won¡¯t force you. This is originally something you have to be willing to do, otherwise I am afraid that after picking him up, you two will have a small quarrel every three days and a big quarrel every five days. What should Zhuopu do if you fight? With his own mother on one side and his wife on the other, wouldn¡¯t my grandson be even more miserable?¡± When Mrs. Qin heard this, she cried even harder. The old man slapped his thighs and smiled: ¡°Don¡¯t be scared to cry. No matter what Lu Ying thinks, he is not a kid who will be a punching bag, haha¡­¡± Today was destined to be a sleepless night for Mrs. Qin. Around ten o¡¯clock, Lu Ying finally got off work. Since Brother Yang went to recuperate, Lu Ying had consciously worked the evening shift every day. Zaizai also liked to sit in the bakery with him after dinner. Today, Lu Ying took advantage of the free time and practised decorating again. Desserts must first have a delicious taste, but a lovely, exquisite appearance is also indispensable. Moreover, Brother Yang said that baking was art. Learning the craft well was the foundation but only by adding your own thoughts and innovations could you make a lasting impression. As he became more and more skilled in his craft, he received more and more recognition and compliments. Lu Ying finally developed a little bit of an idea of opening his own bakery one day. It was no longer like the past, when he only went to work to get a salary and didn¡¯t dare to think about other pursuits, not to mention that there was really nothing to pursue. Now in the process of learning, he had experienced joy and a sense of achievement. No wonder Brother Yang always said, ¡°If you want to do something, do what you are interested in. Any work that is not fun is a waste of time.¡± But with many people just struggling to survive, how would they dare to rush to pursue their interests? Now, Lu Ying finally dared to think about it. There was no rush anyway, just take your time and plan it out. ¡°Hey, so many calls.¡± After changing his clothes, Lu Ying took out his mobile phone and saw several missed calls, so he quickly dialled back. ¡°Beep beep, the phone you have dialled is switched off¡­¡± Lu Ying was so frustrated that he rested his forehead on the cabinet door and continued to dial, but the call couldn¡¯t get through several times! He felt irritable. What¡¯s the matter with this guy? Is there anything urgent? Why don¡¯t you just send a message? ¡°Dad, can we go home now? I¡¯m sleepy¡­¡± Lu Zaizai yawned wildly, urging Lu Ying listlessly. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go home now.¡± Lu Ying led his son to the community, looking at his mobile phone from time to time. After settling the child to sleep, Lu Ying took a shower and lay back on the bed. He checked his mobile phone again. He still couldn¡¯t get through. His eyelids felt heavy and he became more and more sleepy until he fell asleep unconsciously, holding his mobile phone. Half asleep, half awake, he felt a strong sense of presence. Lu Ying suddenly woke up, staring at the dark shadow beside the bed. Advertisements ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Lu Ying was surprised, and then furious: ¡°My soul is scared away by you!¡± He was really scared, his heart pounding. Who the hell knew what was going on with Qin Zhuopu! He¡¯d run over in the middle of the night without saying a word, and now he stood by the edge of the bed and stared at him intently. Wasn¡¯t he dressed properly? What was there to look at? What¡¯s so good-looking? If it weren¡¯t for him to suddenly feel something, how long was Qin Zhuopu going to watch him? No, it was just too wrong¡­ Lu Ying sat up with a grunt, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? You don¡¯t look good. Why did you come here in the middle of the night again? It¡¯s bad for your health. Are you missing me that much?¡± As he said that, he couldn¡¯t help laughing a little, half kneeling on the side of the bed, reaching out and wrapping his arms around Qin Zhuopu¡¯s neck. Qin Zhuopu buried his head in the nook of Lu Ying¡¯s neck and breathed in the familiar smell deeply: ¡°Lu Ying¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you today? What happened? Something is wrong with you¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s hoarse, muffled voice made Lu Ying a little panicked. He didn¡¯t know what the problem was, nor did he know how to comfort the man in front of him who seemed to be very fragile. In his eyes, Qin Zhuopu had always been strong and powerful. Unless¡­¡­ Suddenly thinking of something, Lu Ying came up with an idea. Tomorrow! No, it¡¯s already early in the morning, so it¡¯s today. Today is the anniversary of Qin Zhuopu¡¯s father¡¯s death. Lu Ying felt unsettled when he thought about it. Seven years ago, he accidentally saw Qin Zhuopu in the study, sad and painful. Lu Ying firmly remembered that day. At that time, he thought that next year, he would accompany Qin Zhuopu to pay respects to Uncle who had passed away early. With him, Qin Zhuopu would not feel so bad. Lu Ying wrapped his arms around Qin Zhuopu¡¯s waist and pressed his forehead to Qin Zhuopu¡¯s ear to comfort him like a child: ¡°I know you have something on your mind. Don¡¯t be sad. Let the past be the past. You must look forward. Anyway, Zaizai and I are with you¡­ um¡­ Zaizai and I can always be with you¡­ you¡­¡± The cold liquid slid into the socket of his neck. Lu Ying felt as if he was stabbed violently, about to explode. He held Qin Zhuopu¡¯s waist and dared not speak again. He could only support him silently, hoping that the man in his arms, no matter how sad he felt, could be as vulnerable as he wanted in front of him. He would stay with him, always. He had already missed it once, and he didn¡¯t want to miss it the second time. From the moment he accepted Qin Zhuopu again, he secretly made up his mind that for the rest of his life, he wanted to stay together. Even if Mrs. Qin came again, or even if they encountered difficulties that were more challenging to deal with than Mrs. Qin, Lu Ying would no longer run away in a hurry. He already had the courage to face any problems head on. ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t be afraid¡­¡± Lu Ying comforted awkwardly, struggling with his blushing and saying, ¡°Why don¡¯t you¡­ call me dad tonight?¡± The man in his arms suddenly stiffened. Lu Ying sensed something bad, immediately let go and jumped to the other side of the bed. Qin Zhuopu blocked his face that was wet with tears. His shoulders trembled. He didn¡¯t know whether to cry or to laugh, or perhaps he couldn¡¯t either laugh or cry at all. What a lover he had! He felt helpless. ¡°You, get your ass over here!¡± Qin Zhuopu glared at Lu Ying and beckoned to him. Lu Ying smiled flatteringly and immediately rolled over. Qin Zhuopu caught him, pressed him to the bed and nibbled on his red lips, ¡°Your mouth is sometimes too naughty.¡± He must have learned it from Ji Xiaofeng. Lu Ying felt very aggrieved, ¡°I¡¯m not being naughty, I¡¯m seriously trying to comfort you! I know that tomorrow is the anniversary of Uncle¡¯s death, you feel sad¡­ you¡­ think of me when you are sad in the future. I¡¯m the one who is living and breathing and I¡¯m with you. I may not be as powerful as Uncle to be your strong backer, but I have a way of surviving, and if the sky collapses, I can help you hold it up.¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s heart surged. As he stared at his lover¡¯s delicate and demure face and his incomparably clear and sincere eyes, Qin Zhuopu¡¯s soul felt warming up like water. This man he liked, ah, always so cute. To outsiders, it seemed that Lu Ying was relying on him. But when two people are together, how can they not rely on each other? At the beginning of his acquaintance with Lu Ying, it was two years since his father and his grandmother had passed away. He had left his studies abroad and returned home to take over his grandfather¡¯s business. Every day was a test and torment. It was the time spent with Lu Ying in his busy schedule that healed him and gave him the motivation to keep moving forward. Lu Ying, who was so good, had to hide back in the mountains alone and give birth to their child. ¡°You¡­¡± Lu Ying trembled. The scorching kiss slid to his lower abdomen and Lu Ying¡¯s whole body tightened, ¡°Can you stop doing this? It¡¯s so weird¡­¡± He felt that it was not quite usual and was embarrassed to enjoy it. ¡°Lu Ying, why do you have a scar on your belly?¡± Lu Ying shivered and replied: ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ it¡¯s just a little injury.¡± Sure enough, he still didn¡¯t want to tell him. Was there a lack of trust in him? Qin Zhuopu¡¯s eyes were sad and his heart was sour. ¡°Don¡¯t keep asking¡­ I¡¯m healthy, don¡¯t worry about it. Anyway, when the time comes, I will definitely tell you.¡± After Lu Ying finished speaking, he saw that Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t move. Suddenly, his heart was on fire. He raised his foot and kicked: ¡°What the hell are you doing here!¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s shoulder hurt. He gritted his teeth and got up, swallowed the bitterness in his heart and got energised, ¡°Fucking.¡± Lu Ying was still so angry, ah. Those who didn¡¯t know would have thought he was impatient! Not at all! The next day, when Lu Ying woke up, Qin Zhuopu had already flown away. Today was Uncle Qin¡¯s death anniversary; he had to go. Lu Ying frowned and looked at the empty pillow, remembering in a daze that someone seemed to whisper softly in his ear after he had fallen asleep, tired from tossing and turning. Lu Ying, thank you. Did he hear it right? Hehe¡­ Lu Ying blushed slightly and thought, it would be better to say¡­ I love you. *** Mini-theatre: Reporter: Mr. Qin and his lover have been in a long-distance relationship for a long time, right? Mr. Qin: Yes. Reporter: Then how often do you get to meet? Mr. Qin: Sometimes once a week, sometimes once a month or two. Reporter: It¡¯s not easy. What do you usually do when you meet? Mr. Qin: Eat together and take the child for a walk. ^_^ Reporter: Hey, Mr. Lu¡¯s face is red, what¡¯s the matter? Lu Ying: ?(? ? ? ? w? ? ? ? )? CH 39 Afew cars were parked quietly by the cemetery in the east of Guanlan City. Qin Zhuopu was wearing a dark suit, holding a bouquet of white chrysanthemums. Next to him was his mother, offering her late husband his favourite red roses, as she had done for the previous ten years. Eleven years had passed. It didn¡¯t seem long but the sorrow was still diluted. This year his mother didn¡¯t shed silent tears; she seemed to be in a more relaxed mood. As for Qin Zhuopu, he felt even better. For the first time, he looked at the black and white photograph on the tombstone and smiled. Qin Zhuopu bent down and offered the white chrysanthemums. Half crouching, he reached out and brushed off the dust from the photo, saying, ¡°When I used to come to see you, I never knew what to say to you, what there was to say.¡± So every year, on this day, he was always silent. He stood by his mother¡¯s side, afraid she would grieve too much. ¡°This year, I want to tell you something. I¡¯m a father, and the child is already six years old.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled at the man on the tombstone; the man who had shielded him from all the worries when he was alive. Like many happy children, Qin Zhuopu had been able to focus on his own preferences and pursuits. At that time, his father had even said that their family had nothing lacking and that if Qin Zhuopu liked reading and mathematics, it would be enough for him to become a great scholar in the future while his father would be the one to make the money. Really, except for the last words that came suddenly before he died, his father hadn¡¯t failed him in anything. Now in a flash, Qin Zhuopu became a father himself. ¡°Zaizai is a chubby boy. Very sensible and caring, better than me.¡± When he thought of Lu Zaizai, Qin Zhuopu smiled even more gently, ¡°Zaizai is a sweet little cotton-padded jacket, just like Lu Ying, and always makes people feel good. They both are very attentive and very kind. As long as you are with them, all the worries are not a problem.¡± Listening to her son beside her praise Lu Ying and Lu Zaizai, Mrs. Qin thought that it was really true love from the heart. She looked at the red roses in a daze and then at the photograph of her late husband on the tombstone, a black and white photograph in which he was always smiling and elegant. She wondered if he could gain a little comfort when he heard his son¡¯s words¡­ The son would no longer be around her, accommodating her, indulging her. He had found someone he could be with for the rest of his life. She shouldn¡¯t cling to the past either. It was time to let go of what she should have let go of. ¡°Next year, I¡¯ll bring them to see you.¡± Qin Zhuopu promised. He would work hard with all his heart for a year to gain Lu Ying¡¯s trust and reliance, for Lu Ying to share his secret. And Zaizai, he couldn¡¯t wait to hear Zaizai call him ¡°Dad¡±, not ¡°Uncle¡±. He had no strong backing, but from now on, he was going to be the backing of his family. ¡°Mr. Qin, you are so spontaneous and generous. If Mr. Lu knew that, he would be very touched.¡± In the office, Secretary Huang, who had just sent away the lawyer, kept sighing. Overnight, in black and white, Mr. Qin¡¯s personal assets had shrunk drastically and all of them had been transferred to Lu Ying. This was really¡­ how to say that, just leaving yourself some pocket money to buy cigarettes, tsk tsk¡­ Why didn¡¯t such a rich and generous man take a fancy to him instead? A building near the water sees the moon first, how come he couldn¡¯t be this building¡­ Lucky Mr. Lu Ying, all he had to do now was sign his name and he could immediately rush to the top of the wealthy people list. Tsk tsk, my eyes are bleeding with envy. Secretary Huang rubbed the top of his balding head, his big belly cramped as if he was about to go into labour, and suddenly the lemon spirit possessed him, all his being feeling sour. Qin Zhuopu rolled his eyes, knowing what the fat secretary was thinking. He couldn¡¯t help but say with disgust, ¡°Calm down. How is your daughter¡¯s primary school going?¡± Secretary Huang immediately replied seriously: ¡°Although it¡¯s nothing new, I feel very sorry for my daughter. Oh mom, poor kid! When I was a child, I just had fun all the way smoothly into the key university without feeling very tired.¡± ¡°But now with my daughter it¡¯s completely different. She is studying so hard and she can¡¯t finish her homework every day, so she has to make up for it on her days off. She is busy like a spinning wheel. Sometimes I really want her to stop studying and have a rest. Hey, my wife is holding on tight, in fact, she is even more stressed than the child. I really don¡¯t know why it is so hard to be a parent now.¡± ¡°So hard?¡± Qin Zhuopu frowned, twirling his pen and thinking back to when he was a child. He seemed to go to school regularly and learned many additional things as hobbies, but he didn¡¯t feel particularly tired. Learning was what it should be, and a hobby was a matter of trying it out first and then focusing on what you liked. He was a little stressed about learning languages, English, French and German, but after he got over it, he was fine. The key was that his father didn¡¯t push him too much and took him to travel when he could, so he was able to combine work and leisure. The teachers who taught him also had fun methods to teach, and his father said that if something felt dull, he should stop doing it. ¡°That¡¯s right, the general situation is like this now.¡± Of course, it concerned ordinary families with no golden mines at home. Mr. Qin¡¯s worries were totally superfluous¡­ Hehe, if it¡¯s not easy for the child to go to school, big deal! Donate a building, and if it¡¯s not enough, donate another one, ^_^. Qin Zhuopu leaned back in his chair and frowned, deep in thought. The summer vacation was coming soon, and he planned to find time to take Zaizai out for a trip before primary school started. It would take less than a month; ten days would be okay. The boy¡­ grew up with too little money. He was more than six years old, but he had never taken a train, never taken a plane, never been out of the province¡­ not even played with decent authentic toys. When it came to travelling, flying or taking a ship, Zaizai¡¯s eyes were full of little stars of expectation¡­ Such a simple wish, delayed for so many years. Was there a father who failed more than him? All these years, he had not appeared, nor had he contributed money and effort. Right now, he wished to give everything best to Lu Ying and Zaizai. If only Lu Ying didn¡¯t still have a grudge in his heart, Qin Zhuopu would desperately want to take care of everything. ¡°Mr. Qin¡­¡± Secretary Huang carefully called out to Qin Zhuopu. Suddenly Mr. Qin¡¯s face changed, gloomy, looking painfully remorseful, full of worry about something. Did he possibly¡­ regret the transfer of the property? Alas, it was too late to regret it now. ¡°Help me collect information on the top ranked primary schools now, both public and private.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Advertisements In the afternoon, the sun was shining brightly. Caifeng City was rainy in spring and cold in winter, but as soon as the cold spring was over, from April to October, month after month, the sun was baking you! If it was cold, it was cold. If it was hot, it was hot. Lu Ying wiped off the sweat from his forehead, purposely walking through the neighbourhood with his head lowered to spare his fair delicate face all the way into the bakery, where the cold air of the air conditioner blew on him. So cool! ¡°Come alive¡­¡± Lu Ying exhaled a long breath and took the empty food box to wash it. Today he had stewed white gourd rib soup and after going home for lunch at noon sent a portion over to Brother Yang, who had returned to his home in the community to recuperate. Now that the weather had entered the hot May, Brother Yang¡¯s stomach was gaining momentum. Although Dr. Hu and Brother Yang himself said that he felt very stable and healthy now, Lu Ying was still not at ease. He was disappointed to find that Brother Yang still lived alone¡­ he had never seen any boyfriend. When he asked Brother Yang, Brother Yang always smiled and said nothing. Lu Ying felt distressed. Back then he still had Grandpa Lu to take care of him, but Brother Yang was alone and had to do everything by himself, and no one accompanied him to talk to relieve his boredom. If he was far away, Lu Ying wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything about it. But they lived in a small community, just a few buildings away. If he made some delicious food, of course he had to send a portion to Brother Yang. If there was free time, Lu Ying also wanted to chat with Brother Yang to relieve his boredom. As a result¡­ Well, Brother Yang had many interests and hobbies and was originally pretty quiet. Every time Lu Ying went over, Brother Yang was either reading a book in the sun in the courtyard, or drawing under a sunshade, sometimes cutting and arranging flowers, and occasionally he was even playing chess alone¡­ o(¨i©n¨i)o, interesting people live an interesting life even if they live alone! Lu Ying also really wanted to be a leisurely and contented adult like Brother Yang. The goal was ambitious, and he had to continue to work hard. ¡°Brother Xiao Lu, are you really not going to take the baker¡¯s exam this time?¡± Fei Qiqi handed Lu Ying a glass of ice water and looked at him regretfully. Lu Ying shook his head and smiled soothingly, ¡°You guys go, I¡¯ll think of something later. Anyway, first I need to practice my skills and accumulate experience.¡± The staff in the shop were preparing for the upcoming baker¡¯s certificate exams, some applying for the junior baker and some for the senior level. But Lu Ying couldn¡¯t enrol; he didn¡¯t have a school certificate. The Caifeng City level baker¡¯s certificate required a high school diploma as the bottom line. In fact, the baker¡¯s certificate was not very useful; after all, no one looked at your theory, only at whether you were good at your craft. But if you were looking for a job in a high-end place, a senior baker¡¯s certificate was a stepping stone. Brother Yang had the highest-level baker¡¯s certificate in China. Not only did he have to be good at his craft, he also had to be in the business for more than fifteen years. But Brother Yang said this was all a gimmick. As long as he learned the best, he would still be popular internationally, and who cared whether he had the certificate or not. Lu Ying was a bit sorry that he couldn¡¯t sign up, but he was not discouraged at all. He didn¡¯t know if he would be looking for a job in a fancy hotel or something like that; but if he reached that level in the future, he would open his own shop one day, whether he had a certificate or not! Fei Qiqi whispered: ¡°Actually, Brother Lu doesn¡¯t have to worry, as long as you ask someone to make a fake certificate. You don¡¯t need to go too high, you can use a junior school or high school one. The examination certificate is just a good-looking decoration anyway, but to deal occasionally with difficult guests having one is still more convenient than having none. I¡¯ll tell you something, that¡¯s what Chen Xiao¡¯an did. He has his certificate for two years and he is absolutely fine.¡± Chen Xiao¡¯an was a male employee of the bakery, quite good at his craft and a hard worker. Lu Ying didn¡¯t feel bad about it; it was just that he himself¡­ didn¡¯t want to do that after all. ¡°Thank you, Brother Yang told me it doesn¡¯t matter if I take the test now or not. I still have to study hard.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Go for it, Xiao Lu! You¡¯ll always be the best!¡± Fei Qiqi gave him a cheer. Lu Ying smiled, took out the strips of lean meat and started chopping them, ready to fry up a pot of fragrant meat floss. Two hours later, Lu Zaizai and his favourite uncle Qin Zhuopu walked into the shop hand in hand, both hot and sweaty, and found a place to sit down, looking exhausted. Qin Zhuopu put down the fishing gear and went to the front desk to ask Fei Qiqi for two iced drinks and some snacks. Standing at the front desk, Qin Zhuopu looked towards the back of the workroom and asked, seemingly inadvertently, ¡°It looks like you¡¯re not busy now, right?¡± Fei Qiqi smiled, ¡°Business is relatively slow on hot days, but Brother Xiao Lu is very busy. He is now responsible for most of the shop¡¯s goods. You can sit and wait for a while, Mr. Qin, Brother Xiao Lu will be ready to go off work at five o¡¯clock.¡± Qin Zhuopu nodded and said nothing else, taking the food and enjoying it with the child. Lu Zaizai, whose face was flushed with heat, ate happily, ¡°It¡¯s too hot today, I¡¯m so tired of fishing, ah. Uncle, let¡¯s go to the slide this afternoon, okay?¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled helplessly. On the phone the child had begged to go fishing, so he immediately prepared the fishing gear after he arrived yesterday. Today, he took the little guy to the lake to grab a spot to fish. It turned out that Lu Zaizai couldn¡¯t sit still. Half an hour into the experience he was whining about how boring it was. When Qin Zhuopu caught a fish, Lu Zaizai clapped his hands happily but released the fish a few minutes later, saying that the fish was too pitiful¡­ are you angry, huh? Who said we would catch big fish together and go home to give Dad extra food?! Fickle brat. The scariest thing was when after less than an hour by the lake the child suddenly said he had to poop! Qin Zhuopu was even more anxious than Zaizai. He couldn¡¯t find a toilet nearby, so he had to drag the kid a long way before he found the place. He was afraid that Zaizai would poop in his pants but when they got to the toilet, the boy said he wasn¡¯t going to poop anymore. He immediately asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you poop anymore?¡± Lu Zaizai said naturally, ¡°The stinky has already gone back, so I don¡¯t want to poop.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He was so nervous that he was about to pee! Wait for the day you call me ¡°Dad¡±, you¡¯ll sure get a good beating! ¡°It¡¯s past two, it¡¯s already afternoon. We can go play on the slide after eating, but I¡¯m going to teach you to do your maths exercises at home later. You¡¯ll be graduating from kindergarten in June, and you¡¯ll be a big brother in the first grade in September, so you need to stop playing and focus on your studies. Do you understand?¡± Qin Zhuopu handed the child a cupcake and spoke to him seriously. Lu Zaizai swallowed the cake in one bite, flattening his mouth, aggrieved, and complained, ¡°Uncle, why do you have to take me to do so much maths every time you come¡­ Huh, I hate maths the most! Maths is so hard and boring.¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s breath caught in his throat, his heart feeling stuffy, ¡°Who told you to be so confused in maths, you can¡¯t even count double digits. Listen to me, maths is not hard at all, it¡¯s fun when you learn it well. Uncle loves maths and his best subject is maths, how can you be bad at maths with me around?¡± It had to be learned! How could his son not be good at maths! Lu Zaizai was not convinced: ¡°I¡¯m still a child, of course I can¡¯t count. Anyway, Dad says I¡¯m the best, so it doesn¡¯t matter if I don¡¯t know maths.¡± ¡°You have to know maths, it¡¯s important.¡± Lu¡¯s Zaizai shouted anxiously, ¡°If you keep doing that, I won¡¯t like you anymore! I won¡¯t play with you anymore!¡± The brat was trying to threaten him? Qin Zhuopu snorted, ¡°Who said he wanted to go on a plane ride, a boat ride, see the sea, dolphins and whales with his uncle in the summer?¡± Lu Zaizai immediately stopped talking and looked at Qin Zhuopu hesitantly. Seeing the little one¡¯s obvious interest, Qin Zhuopu added with a smile, ¡°We can also go skydiving, play football and basketball, and ride horses in our estate. The little white and little black raised by old Uncle Henry are very docile. You will definitely like them very much. When I was your age, I could already go out racing on my horse and won lots of fun prizes.¡± Lu Zaizai looked full of yearning and admiration: ¡°¡­why are there so many fun things in your family? Your family is so big.¡± ¡°Silly boy¡­ My family is also your family.¡± Qin Zhuopu sighed and smiled: ¡°You just have to tell me whether you want to go or not.¡± Lu Zaizai nodded, dumbfounded: ¡°I asked Dad and he said I can go on holiday with you. Then, Uncle, don¡¯t forget to take me with you when you go to play. I, I will do maths with you obediently. Don¡¯t be angry¡­¡± He stared at Qin Zhuopu, speaking flatteringly. As expected of his son, cute! ¡°So, do you still like me?¡± Qin Zhuopu asked with a smile as he took a tissue to wipe the crumbs from the corner of Zaizai¡¯s mouth. Lu Zaizai immediately nodded, smiling and affirming loudly, ¡°I like you the most most most!¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu laughed heartily, extremely happy. Lu Ying took a break from his busy schedule to see the big one and the little one getting along so well. He couldn¡¯t help but feel that Qin Zhuopu had been infected by Zaizai, and now he was always laughing and giggling, just like a silly dad_. Advertisements After eating the snacks, Lu¡¯s Zaizai obediently went home with Qin Zhuopu to study maths. When Lu Ying got off work at five o¡¯clock, Qin Zhuopu insisted on taking the two of them out for a nice meal, and they finally went to the Shen family¡¯s restaurant, where the three of them had a wonderful dinner. On the way out, Lu Ying also packed a Buddha jumps over the wall to take back to Brother Yang. The three of them strolled together through the community, slowly walking towards Brother Yang¡¯s house. As they approached the house, Lu Ying was the first to hear the familiar sound of music. It was ¡®Spring River and Moonlight Night¡¯ played on an erhu. Startled, Lu Ying said in a daze, ¡°Grandpa Lu?¡± He strained his ears to listen carefully, but the sound of the music was gone. Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help but speed up his pace towards Brother Yang¡¯s house. Yang Sigu opened the door and saw him, smiling slightly, ¡°You came back so quickly, I thought you would be stuck in traffic. Thank you.¡± Lu Ying cocked his head with a pensive look, looking at the empty living room and the closed courtyard door of Brother Yang¡¯s house, ¡°Brother Yang, was that you playing the erhu just now?¡± Yang Sigu nodded, ¡°Yes, I played for a while and then I was a bit tired.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lu Ying sighed, ¡°I thought it was¡­¡± he scratched his head in embarrassment and added in admiration. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to even know how to play the erhu, Brother Yang, geez, is there something you cannot do?¡± Yang Sigu took the Buddha jumps over the wall and smiled, ¡°There are many things I can do and many things I can¡¯t. I learned to play the erhu a long time ago, it¡¯s just that I rarely stayed in the mountains, so you don¡¯t know. Speaking of which, your Grandpa Lu used to teach me to play the erhu¡­ before you¡­ were born.¡± ¡°Wow, that long ago! No wonder you play so well, you¡¯re much better than me. Grandpa also taught me to play the erhu, but I didn¡¯t learn it well. Grandpa said I played like a saw, haha¡­¡± Lu Ying recalled the old days and found that there were many happy times. There was no need to always be sad, even though Grandpa Lu was gone. He would forever remember how good Grandpa Lu was. Yang Sigu smiled, ¡°Come sit down for a while, I happen to have cut up a lot of fresh fruit.¡± Lu Ying shook his head and gestured behind himself to Qin Zhuopu and Lu Zaizai, ¡°No, we¡¯re going for a walk, and Zaizai still wants to go play on the slide. Bye, Brother Yang.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Standing next to the playground watching his son play, Qin Zhuopu said curiously, ¡°You can play the erhu, I didn¡¯t know that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s normal not to know. I¡¯m not good at it, so of course I don¡¯t show it off.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled, ¡°Then I¡¯ll buy you an erhu next time and you can play it for me.¡± ¡°Better get me a pair of glasses and give me a broken bowl, I¡¯ll go under the flyover and play ¡®Butterfly Lovers¡¯, hahaha¡­¡± Lu Ying laughed. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu suddenly took advantage of the dark and pinched Lu Ying¡¯s ass fiercely: ¡°Being naughty in front of me all day! I don¡¯t know how well behaved you are in front of some Brother Yang, Brother Ji or Dr. Hu, but let¡¯s see how I¡¯ll deal with you tonight.¡± Lu Ying¡¯s eyes were teary as he clutched his butt and muttered, ¡°It hurts like hell! How many times have I said: no pinching, only touching!¡± A paw immediately went over and touched it. ¡°How¡¯s that, it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore, does it?¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled wickedly. Lu Ying stared at him viciously, ¡°Let¡¯s see how I¡¯ll deal with you tonight!¡± ¡°Whatever moves you have, just use them.¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s smile deepened and his voice sounded a little hoarse. Each time they met was too short, often just one night, but this time two days and two nights were earned. The daytime was spent with the child playing and studying, and the nights were spent with Lu Ying¡­ a tight schedule. But even this way, it was still far from his ideal good life. He wanted the family of three to live in a comfortable house. Every morning when he opened his eyes, he could see his lover on the pillow next to him; could have breakfast with his lover and his child, then send the child to school together with his lover. And every day when he got home from work he could see their smiling faces, enjoy dinner in their company, watch TV together, go for a walk, do anything together. Late at night, Qin Zhuopu kissed Lu Ying¡¯s ear over and over again and asked him softly, ¡°Take Zaizai to school in Guanlan City and let¡¯s live together?¡± Trembling, Lu Ying dodged and responded in a whisper, ¡°We are living together now too, this is my home.¡± ¡°¡­Zaizai would be better off studying there.¡± Lu Ying turned his head: ¡°Although I¡¯m not as good as you and can¡¯t give Zaizai very good conditions, we¡¯ve come well over the years. I have no intention of changing my environment, not to mention that I like my current job and want to continue doing it.¡± Qin Zhuopu sighed helplessly, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, I¡¯m not forcing you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t feel happy now?¡± Lu Ying asked him rhetorically. Qin Zhuopu shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m greedy and want to see you every day. Want to live with you.¡± Lu Ying was silent for a long time and said, ¡°¡­I know it¡¯s hard for you to run around. But I can¡¯t stop learning yet, I want to learn more, and when I can afford to open my own shop, I¡­ will also consider going to you and starting over. About a year or two, okay?¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled and hugged Lu Ying tightly, ¡°I believe in you.¡± Lu Ying smiled, too, and pressed back, flaunting his authority, ¡°Lie flat, I¡¯m going to ride a horse!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± This is really, so cute! (*^¨Œ^*) In a blink of an eye, Lu Zaizai¡¯s kindergarten life was completely over, and a hot summer vacation started. Qin Zhuopu arrived as scheduled and flew overseas with his child, preparing to be a full-time dad for a period of fifteen days! Lu Ying was busy in the bakery every day, but when he could spare time, he and Qin Zhuopu would video chat, and the other side sent back countless pictures of their trip. Lu Ying looked at the child¡¯s happy smile and felt very comforted. Zaizai was getting closer and closer to Qin Zhuopu. If this continued, one day he would surely accept the fact that there was one more father to love him. ¡°Brother Xiao Lu¡­ there is an auntie looking for you.¡± Fei Qiqi walked into the workroom and whispered to Lu Ying. She felt that the extraordinarily dressed auntie¡­ was a bit unapproachable. When she came in and ordered some drinks and snacks, she said she was looking for Lu Ying. It was clear that she had come for Lu Ying. Lu Ying was taken aback and immediately had a guess who it was. He carefully washed his hands, wiped them clean meticulously and walked outside. *** Mini-theatre: Passerby A: I heard that the man surnamed Lu had never studied and has no skills at all. Passerby B: He is good-looking. Lu Ying: Did you hear that? People say I don¡¯t have any skills. What do you like about me? Mr. Qin: Nonsense. Obviously you can bake, play the erhu, arrange flowers, and especially ride a horse! Lu Ying: That¡¯s your luck! Mr. Qin: Of course (*^¨Œ^*) CH 40 Sitting in the bakery, Mrs. Qin looked out the window. The sun was bright and dazzling outside, and the roadside was full of crepe-myrtle in bloom. The air-conditioning in the bakery was very good and she even felt a little chilly. Thinking of the man she was about to meet and what she had to say, Mrs. Qin didn¡¯t have any mood to look at the scenery anymore. She lowered her head and took a sip of a hot drink that had a somewhat soothing effect on her. She took a bite of a small cake and the taste was unexpectedly delicious, so she took two more bites. When Lu Ying came out, the small cupcake in front of Mrs. Qin had already been eaten. ¡°Mrs. Qin.¡± Lu Ying sat down in the empty seat opposite her, greeted her and said nothing more. Mrs. Qin pushed another drink and a cake towards him: ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to see me, but I¡¯m still here to meet you. I don¡¯t want to talk too much about the contradictions between us. Talk more and make more mistakes.¡± Lu Ying¡¯s expression was calm and he didn¡¯t answer. He propped his chin with one hand and looked sideways at the street outside the window. Mrs. Qin pursed her lips and continued: ¡°In short, Zhuopu¡¯s grandmother likes your son very much. The old man also hopes that you and Zaizai will come home with Zhuopu as soon as possible. Since you choose to be together, of course it¡¯s better to live under one roof. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen how busy Zhuopu is with his career, and how hard it is for him to run from place to place, right? You can see that with your own eyes.¡± ¡°Besides, there are many hidden dangers in living in two places. Can you rest assured that he is alone in Guanlan City? There are many people who want to get close to him.¡± Lu Ying looked away and finally said: ¡°Why do you suddenly want me to go to the Qin family? You were very firm at first.¡± Mrs. Qin averted her eyes and said stiffly, ¡°Because the elders are willing to accept you. Since they nod, of course I have no say.¡± ¡°Then what do you yourself think, Mrs. Qin?¡± Lu Ying asked again. Mrs. Qin took a deep breath and said slowly, ¡°My starting point is what is good for my son. I don¡¯t want him to work too hard. Now I just want him to be healthy and happy.¡± Anyway, she completely gave up on the matter of in vitro fertilisation. Since the old man had spoken, she didn¡¯t want to care about anything in future. Lu Ying was speechless. He really didn¡¯t know what this person was doing here. She had such a hard temper, so why did she come here to ¡®try soft¡¯? Lu Ying pursed his lips and said bluntly, ¡°You should stop talking about what is good for him. Why don¡¯t you think about all the things you¡¯ve done to Zhuopu over the years, and whether he felt good as a result?¡± Mrs. Qin couldn¡¯t answer because she knew the answer too well. Lu Ying sighed, ¡°So what if you are under pressure from your elders to accept me into the Qin family? I can¡¯t live that kind of distorted life.¡± ¡°He and I are fine now, we each have our own business to attend to and it¡¯s enough to get together when we can. Your family is your family, my family is my family. Qin Zhuopu is your son when he is at home, and he is my family when he is with me. There is no need to forcefully twist them together.¡± Lu Ying added, ¡°I know it¡¯s hard for him to run around, but he didn¡¯t ask me for anything himself, so there¡¯s no need for Mrs. Qin to stand up for him. He is not a child and can say what he needs on his own. Our future plans and intentions are also a private matter for both of us.¡± In short, he will make his own decisions about where he wants to come and what he wants to do, and will discuss it with Qin Zhuopu, but it has nothing to do with Mrs. Qin. ¡°I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t told him you¡¯re coming to see me, right?¡± Mrs. Qin¡¯s hand holding the cup trembled slightly, whether from anger or excitement. She took a deep breath, ¡°I am here this time with a simple purpose. It¡¯s not to quarrel with you.¡± Lu Ying smiled, ¡°I know it¡¯s not to quarrel, but you can let him know. It¡¯s very simple, a phone call will do.¡± Mrs. Qin was silent for a long time and said, ¡°Grandpa Qin knows.¡± ¡°But Zhuopu doesn¡¯t know.¡± Lu Ying curled his lips. Mrs. Qin was impatient and felt that Lu Ying was too severe. She had not come to argue today, but to follow the old man¡¯s wishes to show goodwill to Lu Ying, so that he could take the child to live in Guanlan City and stay by her son¡¯s side in the future. It was as simple as that! There was no need to talk to her son at all. Lu Ying saw her looking like that and frowned, ¡°You don¡¯t care about him at all. In front of you, he is rarely laughing and happy, right? In front of me, he laughs when he wants to and cries when he wants to.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Mrs. Qin looked shocked, ¡°He¡­ cries?¡± She found it incredible. Of course her son had cried in front of her, when he was a child. Has he ever cried since he grew up? She didn¡¯t know¡­ She remembered something all of a sudden; had her son cried when her husband died? Had her son cried when her mother-in-law died? She hadn¡¯t paid attention at all! In all these years, the only time her son lost control of his emotions in front of her was when he found out Lu Ying was gone and he was furious at her. She actually knew that after her husband¡¯s death, too many things had been done by her son to appease her and comfort her, with Lu Ying being the only bottom line. Now Lu Ying¡¯s words made her panic. ¡°Mrs. Qin, do you look up to your son too much? He¡¯s not a god made of iron, he¡¯s just an ordinary person, he has all seven emotions and six desires(1). Crying and laughing are all basic human needs.¡± Lu Ying flipped through his phone and opened a random photo. It was of Qin Zhuopu with Zaizai in a children¡¯s playground in the UK. His face was painted with oil paint by Zaizai and was a mess, but Qin Zhuopu smiled happily, taking a selfie with his mobile phone. He complained: ¡°Look at what your son did. He disfigured my handsome face. But I painted him even uglier, hahaha¡­¡± Mrs. Qin looked at the picture on the screen and couldn¡¯t recognise her own son for a long time. Not only because his face was painted, but also because the way he was laughing happily, showing a mouthful of white teeth, was too unfamiliar. Lu Ying shook his head when he saw Mrs. Qin lost in thought. When he first met Qin Zhuopu, he felt that the man was strong on the outside but soft on the inside. Every time they met, Qin Zhuopu was very happy. Lu Ying felt curious and asked him why he didn¡¯t go home to accompany his lonely mother. Qin Zhuopu shook his head and said that going home would only make him more tired because his mother didn¡¯t smile much. On his mother¡¯s birthday, he bought gifts and flowers, and invited her to dinner to make her happy. She shook her head and said she wouldn¡¯t go, she would just eat a bowl of noodles at home. There was no joy when she saw flowers and gifts. When she found out that the gift was a beautiful cheongsam, she felt that the colour was too bright, and said that she didn¡¯t need to dress up too nicely and told him not to bother too much in the future. She completely shut people out and immersed herself in the things she was obsessed with, the things she thought were ¡®right¡¯. On Qin Zhuopu¡¯s birthday, she made delicious food and didn¡¯t even mention anything about the relationship between her son and Lu Ying, as if she didn¡¯t mind too much. But then, behind Qin Zhuopu¡¯s back, she approached Lu Ying, prying secretly, and immediately became rude when she found something on him. Lu Ying was so stupid at the time that he thought that the ¡®believe it or not, I know of your evil and I¡¯ll get someone to seize you¡¯ that came out of Mrs. Qin¡¯s mouth was to get a Taoist priest to catch him¡­ he was scared witless. Only later did he find out that it was just a matter of a fake graduation certificate. When he came down from the mountain, Brother Liu gave him a good ID card, bank card and graduation certificate. He carried them on the road and went directly to Guanlan City with Brother Ji to move bricks on the construction site. There was no need for any fake certificate. Since then, he had a psychological shadow over fake certificates. Advertisements ¡°Mrs. Qin, I¡¯ve said all I have to say. If it¡¯s okay, I have to go to work.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± As if awakened from a dream, Mrs. Qin hurriedly put down her cup, got up quickly and left her seat. She walked two steps and turned back, slowly saying, ¡°No matter how bad I am in your heart, I have never been mean to a child. The old man likes to be lively with children. If you have time¡­ you can take the child over to play anytime.¡± ¡°You¡¯re busy.¡± Mrs. Qin hurriedly left the bakery and went to her luxury car that drove away soon after. In the car, she sat in the back, frozen. She had personally come to say that she was willing to accept Lu Ying, not expecting the other party to refuse. She should have been furious and scolded him for not knowing what was good for him. But as a result, Lu Ying¡¯s words in turn made her heart¡­ feel as uncomfortable as if there was a needle there. She had to admit it. Lu Ying knew and cared more about her son than she did. He was a subtle and considerate person. No wonder¡­ her son could never forget him. On the contrary, as a mother, she had really been more demanding than considerate of her son in the years since her husband¡¯s death. She regarded her son as an invincible mountain, and her son regarded her as a fragile and brittle vessel. Talking to her son about his feelings, such a trivial thing didn¡¯t exist for her. He would talk to his grandmother, to his grandfather, never to her. At home alone in the evening, Lu Ying and Qin Zhuopu had a video chat. It was still a lively day over there. Lu Ying saw the green grass and heard the joyful laughter of the child. Qin Zhuopu was panting slightly and leaned close to the camera to talk to him, ¡°We¡¯re playing football today. Fortunately, we have some little friends now, so I don¡¯t have to run all over the field with him at last.¡± In the video, he was sweaty, wearing a sun hat on his head, and his skin was obviously a little tanned. Lu Ying snorted, ¡°With your old arms and legs you still want to run with him. Needless to say, you¡¯re at the bottom of our family in terms of physical strength.¡± ¡°¡­give me some face!¡± Qin Zhuopu said helplessly to his lover in the video, ¡°You two have extraordinary physiques and eating capacity alike. You are both demons, I am an ordinary person who can¡¯t compare. I admit defeat, I am at the bottom.¡± When he first met Lu Ying, he was stunned by Lu Ying¡¯s superb physical strength and mobility. He thought he was going after a fresh, lovely, beautiful boy, but as soon as Lu Ying applied his hand¡­ he wondered for a moment if he¡¯d get rubbed raw. Now when he thought about it, Lu Ying¡¯s physique was really special and rare, otherwise¡­ he wouldn¡¯t have given birth to Zaizai. Qin Zhuopu felt even more determined in his decision to protect Lu Ying and the child no matter what. After he got the identification results of Zaizai earlier, he subconsciously went to erase all traces. Lu Ying lay on his pillow, laughing, and poked the man¡¯s sweaty face on the screen: ¡°Good, good, you¡¯re very self-aware.¡± Qin Zhuopu hurriedly spoke for himself, ¡°But among ordinary people, my physique is definitely superior, otherwise how can I serve you, huh, right?¡± Lu Ying smothered his face in the pillow and laughed sheepishly, ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, you make it sound like I¡¯m bullying you.¡± ¡°No bullying, no bullying, I especially like it when you bully me.¡± ¡°Get lost, shut up! You tease me on the phone, believe it or not, I will change the password and you will not be able to enter the door next time.¡± ¡°Go ahead and change it, that¡¯s exactly what I want. I¡¯m too tired these days, dealing with the child is more exhausting than dealing with you. I won¡¯t have the strength to keep up with you when I get back, so you might dislike me for being too hasty. Tsk tsk, I have to take a break first when I go back, so I can make up for it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re big pig trotters, Qin Zhuopu!¡± Lu Ying threw his phone in annoyance. Qin Zhuopu stared at the lover who was hammering the pillow to vent on the screen of his mobile phone. He laughed very happily. With his back to the child, he bent over and kissed the person on the mobile phone: ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, don¡¯t be angry, when I return home, I will go to you immediately! I bought you a gift, you will definitely like it.¡± ¡°What is it? ¡°Lu Ying asked hurriedly, adding smoothly: ¡°Is it delicious?¡± Qin Zhuopu was delighted: ¡°Eat and eat, always eat, always looking for something delicious. Be careful of becoming like Zaizai.¡± ¡°Huh, if I¡¯m going to be fat like a ball, what about you? You won¡¯t like me, will you?¡± Lu Ying glared at him fiercely. Qin Zhuopu shook his head, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare. I¡¯d like you even if you were a ball of fat. I¡¯d still love you.¡± Lu Ying laughed, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie, chubby is also good, it must definitely feel better.¡± ¡°¡­big pervert.¡± Qin Zhuopu said honestly, ¡°I¡¯m not as good as you in this aspect.¡± Back then, he was still trying to figure out how to get Lu Ying¡¯s first kiss without getting beaten up when he got pinned against the wall unexpectedly and his lips were nibbled on! Who¡¯s the pervert, do you even need to ask? ¡°Shut up, you! Go kick your ball.¡± ¡°No more kicking, I just want to talk to you.¡± Qin Zhuopu sat down on the grass and stared at Lu Ying¡¯s messy hair and delicate face on the screen, praising, ¡°My favourite person is so pretty.¡± Lu Ying snorted, ¡°If I don¡¯t look good, you won¡¯t like me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that superficial. I like your inner side more than your good-looking face.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­(*^¨Œ^*)¡± Lu Ying giggled, ¡°What a sweet mouth you have today.¡± Qin Zhuopu pulled out a lollipop from his pocket, ¡°I ate candy with my son today.¡± ¡°No wonder.¡± Squinting his eyes and smiling, Lu Ying couldn¡¯t have been more charming. Qin Zhuopu said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re really a demon.¡± Even through the screen, the charm could not be stopped. Lu Ying¡¯s eyes widened and he coughed lightly, ¡°Then guess what kind of demon I am?¡± Qin Zhuopu whispered, ¡°A fox spirit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a fox spirit!¡± Lu Ying frowned, ¡°Keep guessing!¡± Are you serious? Qin Zhuopu was helpless, ¡°White Bone Spirit.¡± ¡°Fuck! You¡¯re scaring me.¡± He wasn¡¯t a miserable white bone spirit, terrible! ¡°A flower demon, I guess.¡± Qin Zhuopu laughed, ¡°Flower demons are the ones who look as good as you and smell as good.¡± Lu Ying¡¯s eyes curved with laughter again and he waved his head, ¡°Flower demons are indeed good looking, but how can I be a flower demon when I eat so much?¡± Qin Zhuopu held his forehead. The game was not over yet, was it? ¡°A bear, I guess. Bears can eat and sleep, and have great strength.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a blind bear!¡± Lu Ying was furious, ¡°Keep guessing.¡± ¡°A snake demon, I think, entangling people.¡± ¡°Nice try.¡± How could he be as flexible as a snake? Qin Zhuopu saw a flock of ducks swimming in the lake next to him, ¡°Just like you with their butts up. You¡¯re a duck.¡± Lu Ying took a deep breath, ¡°Qin Zhuopu, I¡¯m going to blacklist you!¡± The screen really went black. Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t know whether to cry or to laugh. ¡°Uncle, did you just talk to my dad?¡± Lu Zaizai came running over, drenched in sweat. Qin Zhuopu nodded and took out a towel to wipe his face: ¡°Yes, he¡¯s going to bed now, it¡¯s late there.¡± ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t even get to talk to my dad today. Does my dad miss me?¡± Lu Zaizai asked happily. Qin Zhuopu handed him water and smiled deeply, ¡°Yes, he misses me.¡± He missed Lu Ying too, so much so that he couldn¡¯t sleep at night. Advertisements Qin Zhuopu¡¯s vacation was only fifteen days, and he had a lot of work to catch up on when he returned. But this half month he did his duty and put all his heart and soul into taking the child to have fun. He deeply experienced the difficulty of being a father. He was tired from playing with the energetic child every day. It was absolutely physical work! His heart was also tired as he didn¡¯t dare not take it lightly even for a minute, fearing that the child would leave his sight in a flash. These days, even his bodyguards were on edge, focused on following the child. And this was already a big boy who could run, jump and communicate. He couldn¡¯t imagine how he would dare to carry a baby who was completely unable to communicate for half a month on his own. Half a day would be too much. Lu Zaizai had been brought up by Lu Ying from birth for six years. Without the help of relatives or good financial conditions, Lu Ying relied on his own hands and physical strength to provide food and clothing for the child. Lu Ying had always been optimistic, but during these years of raising the child, had he ever cried in secret when he was tired? Originally, at his young age, he should have had the best years of his youth, having fun and enjoying himself. Instead, he had to devote all his time and energy to his child. Many times Qin Zhuopu asked himself, if he were in his early twenties, would he dare to have a child? No, he would never even have thought of the word ¡°child¡±. He was the one who had caused all this. Lu Ying was still willing to love him, it really was¡­ a blessing. Right after eight o¡¯clock in the evening Beijing time, at Guanlan City Airport, Qin Zhuopu led Lu Zaizai off the plane. Lu Zaizai had been asleep for a long time and was full of energy at this moment. ¡°Uncle, wait a minute. Is there anything delicious in your house? I am hungry again.¡± Lu Zaizai begged as he shook Qin Zhuopu¡¯s hand. Qin Zhuopu lowered his head slightly and said to him, ¡°What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll ask the auntie at home to prepare it.¡± ¡°Anything delicious, rice, noodles, dumplings and steamed buns, I don¡¯t want to eat burgers anyway.¡± Lu Zaizai looked disgusted. A lot of foreign things tasted really bad. They were not as delicious as the ones Uncle made. ¡°Okay, you can eat it when we come home.¡± The flight was direct to Guanlan City; he was going to take Lu Zaizai home tonight to rest first, and then send him back to Lu Ying tomorrow. ¡°Mr. Qin!¡± Secretary Huang waved at Qin Zhuopu from afar, and when they came closer, Secretary Huang hurriedly whispered, ¡°Old Master and Mrs. Qin are here, waiting for you.¡± Qin Zhuopu paused: ¡°Grandpa is actually here at this late hour?¡± Grandpa was old; he rarely went out and went to bed early every day. ¡°Yes, I did try to persuade them not to come. But the Old Master asked about your flight arrival time and said he had to come over to see¡­ ahem, not to see you, Mr. Qin, but to see the child.¡± ¡°¡­oh.¡± Qin Zhuopu understood. Lu Zaizai pointed to himself curiously, ¡°Is it to see me? Who is the old master?¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled and stroked the child¡¯s head: ¡°Old Master is my grandfather. Zaizai will call him Great-grandpa when he sees him later, okay?¡± Lu Zaizai nodded, ¡°Okay, I remember, Great-grandpa.¡± The two of them quickly walked out of the airport, and Qin Zhuopu saw the white-haired old man at the exit, standing there with a cane and a serious face, as if he was afraid they would run away. Qin Zhuopu was helpless and walked forward quickly with the child in his arms: ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m back.¡± Elder Qin nodded, his eyes fixed on the fat child Qin Zhuopu was holding, his serious expression softening to a kind smile, ¡°Good boy, that¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Zaizai, this is Great-grandpa.¡± Lu Zaizai was amazed by the abundance of the white hair on the old man¡¯s head. This was the whitest and the hairiest old man he had ever seen, almost like Santa Claus, but he didn¡¯t have a white beard! How strange. Lu Zaizai said loudly, ¡°Great-grandpa!¡± ¡°Good, good, good!¡± The old man laughed and said it three times in a row, and couldn¡¯t help but reach out and touch the top of the child¡¯s hair, ¡°Good boy. Great-grandpa has prepared a lot of delicious snacks in the car, are you hungry?¡± He had heard from his grandson that the child was a big eater, so he had come here fully prepared. ¡°En, I¡¯ve been hungry a long time ago, the food on the plane wasn¡¯t good at all.¡± Lu Zaizai nodded honestly. ¡°Grandpa, let¡¯s get in the car and talk.¡± Qin Zhuopu helped the old man, who handed his cane to his secretary and insisted on taking Lu Zaizai¡¯s hand: ¡°Child, did you have fun out there?¡± ¡°Yes, there was a lot of fun there, I even flew into the sky!¡± There was so much fun, but Lu Zaizai thought the most amazing thing was to ride a hot air balloon and skydive, something he had only seen in cartoons and books before! ¡°Haha, that¡¯s because you¡¯re brave enough to do it, Great-grandpa wouldn¡¯t dare¡­¡± ¡°Actually it¡¯s not scary at all¡­¡± Several people laughed as they walked towards the car. Mrs. Qin was standing by the car waiting. Qin Zhuopu called out, ¡°Mom.¡± ¡°Grandma!¡± Hearing the child¡¯s loud voice, Mrs. Qin hurriedly responded, ¡°Zaizai¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve met before, so you¡¯re Uncle¡¯s mother!¡± Lu Zaizai was surprised, quickly pulling out the red rope around his neck, ¡°Grandma, look, the little pig you gave me in the hospital, my dad put it on the red rope for me. I¡¯ve been carrying it all the time, oh. Thank you, Grandma, the little piggy is very cute.¡± Mrs. Qin took a breath to hide her inexplicable excitement. ¡°Good, that¡¯s good that you like it.¡± Mrs. Qin had mixed emotions that were hard to describe, not to mention the fact that the child was really cute. ¡°Let¡¯s get in the car, I¡¯m hungry too.¡± Qin Zhuopu took the child into the car. The car was spacious and arranged like a small restaurant with lots of delicious food on the table. The family went in and sat down. Qin Zhuopu took off all the lids and Lu Zaizai became even more hungry when he smelled the aromas. Qin Zhuopu put a portion of dumplings for the child and also ate them unceremoniously. The old man and Mrs. Qin were not hungry, so they sat next to each other and watched the two of them eat. In fact, they watched Lu Zaizai eat. The old man filled Lu Zaizai¡¯s bowl with wontons, fried dumplings, shredded pork noodles, seafood porridge and white grilled prawns¡­ Looking at it, the old man laughed, ¡°This kid is really the same as Lu Ying, he can eat and drink! I remember the first time Lu Ying came to my place, he had a good appetite when he ate. When I¡¯m old, I like to watch people with a good appetite eat, it¡¯s very mouth-watering.¡± Qin Zhuopu was full after one bowl and watched his son¡¯s mesmerising eating from the side, handing him a tissue from time to time. The old man smiled and sighed, ¡°It¡¯s a blessing to be able to eat. Are you coming home tonight?¡± Qin Zhuopu nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll take Zaizai to my place and send him home tomorrow. Grandpa, Mom, you go home and get some rest.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The old man didn¡¯t force him. Anyway, he had finally met the child today and there was one less thing weighing on his mind. In any case, it was better to see than to hear. He believed that there was a family connection; this boy, the first time he saw him, he liked him and felt inexplicably affectionate. The boy was so chubby, so white, so cute. It didn¡¯t matter whose son he was; if his grandson recognised the boy, he did too. The following day, Qin Zhuopu sent the child back to Caifeng City in person and only had time to kiss Lu Ying before he had to leave in a hurry. Throughout the hot summer, the two of them only met three times in total, and the time passed in the blink of an eye. One early morning at the end of August, Lu Ying got up refreshed, put on clean and decent clothes, and took the information and money. ¡°Come on, Zaizai, Dad will get you enrolled. From September 1, you¡¯ll be a primary school student!¡± *** Mini-theatre: Lu Ying: Guess what kind of demon I am? Mr. Qin: A chrysanthemum spirit?(2) Lu Ying: (beating up violently) CH 41 Early in the morning at the entrance of Primary School 12 in Qixia Town, there were already two long queues. At a glance, there were mothers, fathers and grandparents standing in them. Lu Ying and Lu Zaizai were also in the middle of the queue, and there was a lot of commotion around them. Many of the families consisted not just of one or two members, but several, taking turns in the queue, and the errand runners were responsible for buying food and drinks. Many women wore sun hats and held umbrellas. Next to them were some fathers and mothers, either holding their babies or pushing prams. Lu Ying and Lu Zaizai had their heads lowered, their mouths dry from the sun. It used to be so simple to sign up for kindergarten. You could just come, pay and leave, and it didn¡¯t matter if you paid a few days later. So there were no queues. Of course, it was also because of the small number of kindergarten students. There were only twenty or thirty children in the class. Lu Ying had heard that the average number of children in a class at Primary School 12 was forty-five, with seven classes in a year, so the number of new students in the first grade alone was huge. In addition, primary school demanded a lot of complicated documents and had strict requirements. The efficiency was not really high. Lu Ying took the day off today to register. Even though he was too hot and sunburnt, he couldn¡¯t leave! Tomorrow he had to go to work, and the day after that, on September 1, the school would officially start. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m so hot¡­ I¡¯m going to have a sun stroke.¡± Lu Zaizai showed his tongue, panting exaggeratedly, his white chubby face flushed. Lu Ying hurriedly took out a paper towel to wipe his son¡¯s sweat, and sighed: ¡°When you go out, you need to wear a hat, but you didn¡¯t listen to me. I told you it would be very hot today.¡± Lu Zaizai grunted: ¡°But it¡¯s even hotter with a hat on, Dad, you also hate wearing hats.¡± Lu Ying was speechless; he hated sweaty summer days and hated wearing hats in the heat. If he didn¡¯t have the kid at home, he¡¯d rather run around naked to be comfortable! But there was no way. Although summers in Caifeng City were long and stinky, he would get beaten up for going bare-assed. ¡°Didn¡¯t Uncle buy you some sunscreen and an umbrella last time? Why didn¡¯t you bring them?¡± Lu Zaizai looked at his dad whose face was red from the sun. Qin Zhuopu knew that Lu Ying was afraid of the sun and the heat, so he bought a sun umbrella, but Lu Ying had his own little stubbornness. His colleague said that boys with umbrellas were too girly, so how could he take the umbrella? Anyway, he was just hot, he wouldn¡¯t tan. And he applied sunscreen to his son. This little guy and Qin Zhuopu played in the UK for half a month, and they were used to applying sunscreen every day. ¡°Ah ah, Dad, I¡¯m thirsty, I want some water!¡± Lu Zaizai squatted down, propped his chin and wailed. Lu Ying looked around. There was a row of shops opposite the school. He looked at the queue and said to his son, ¡°Then you line up here, don¡¯t leave, or you¡¯ll be waiting for so long for nothing. Dad will go across the road to buy you some water.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, and I want a popsicle or an ice cream!¡± Lu Zaizai immediately stood up and bargained. Lu Ying tapped him on the forehead, ¡°I see, stand still.¡± Lu Ying left the group to buy water from the shop across the road. He didn¡¯t notice that a person on the side of the road looked at his back in surprise, then walked away quickly and entered the school through the side door a short time later. On the way back from buying water, Lu Ying walked with his mobile phone pressed to his ear, talking to Qin Zhuopu: ¡°My son and I are getting sunburnt, the queue is long and inefficient. I should have let you try this out. Heh, how many days do you think there is for registration? I¡¯m just telling you, you¡¯d be out cold by now. No, I don¡¯t want you to come. I¡¯m halfway through, how can I give up halfway? How can I be so weak? You¡¯re underestimating me¡­ eek, I forgot to put on sunscreen, that¡¯s a pain in the ass, it¡¯s sticky and I don¡¯t like it. Not with an umbrella! Isn¡¯t it too girly to carry an umbrella?¡± In the cool office in Guanlan City, Qin Zhuopu stopped tapping on the keyboard, clutching his mobile phone and sighing helplessly: ¡°Why are you as disobedient as a child, you¡¯re not learning anything. You¡¯re a dad and still so willful and arrogant. I¡¯m saying this for your own good, sunscreen is not sticky when applied properly. How can you be girly if you carry an umbrella? It¡¯s all sophistry! Discrimination! Do men deserve to get sunburnt in this heat? The UV rays are so strong that sunburn can be very serious. It¡¯s bad for the skin, this is how many skin diseases come about. You don¡¯t apply it yourself, but do you let the child get sunburnt too?¡± Lu Ying smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t be so fierce, it¡¯s my freedom to sunburn or not. I¡¯ve applied layers and layers of sunscreen to your son, so relax, okay? You¡¯re so far away, and you¡¯re still commanding and lecturing people remotely. Impressive!¡± Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry, so he took a sip of cold water before saying, ¡°Where am I fierce to you, I¡¯m obviously trying to reason with you. You don¡¯t listen to what I say but you take it seriously if others fart casually. Don¡¯t mind what your colleagues say about being girly, just be comfortable with yourself. Next time you carry an umbrella, if someone says that to you, just show them how you chop bricks with your bare hands and see if they dare to talk about you being girly.¡± ¡°Pfft, haha¡­ ahem ahem! Ahem ahem!¡± Lu Ying, who was drinking water, was so amused that he snorted water through his nose, coughing to the point that his face was red and his eyes were teary. There was even a snot bubble, so embarrassing! After he finished coughing, Lu Ying wiped his nose and his wet face, and only after a long time did he manage to blink back tears and whine, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go on working and making money in your air conditioned office? You have to call me and keep talking! I nearly choked on my snot! It¡¯s all your fault for talking too much nonsense!¡± Qin Zhuopu sucked in his breath, speechless to the extreme, ¡°It was you who called me, okay? I was working in the air conditioned office to make money and didn¡¯t provoke you. You¡¯re the one who messed with me, you choked yourself and you¡¯re blaming me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, you shut up, I don¡¯t want to hear you talk. Keep blowing your air conditioner and I¡¯ll keep baking in the sun!¡± Lu Ying cut the call and returned to the queue with his head up. The sight of the queue in front of him was ominous. Advertisements The phone soon rang again. Lu Ying saw the caller ID, grunted and picked up, ¡°What do you want again?¡± Qin Zhuopu sighed quietly, ¡°It¡¯s too far away, it¡¯s not even easy for me to send someone to help you. It takes time. Why don¡¯t you just let Zaizai come to me to study?¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy, I¡¯ve got all the information for registering. I told you before, I can¡¯t come to your place¡­ for a year or two. I can¡¯t come, how can Zaizai come alone?¡± Lu Ying once again refused Qin Zhuopu¡¯s offer. Now that Brother Yang had promoted him to shop manager, the bakery was completely under his responsibility. If he left, what would happen to Brother Yang¡¯s shop? Brother Yang¡¯s due date was at the end of September/the beginning of October, and they were all very nervous and looking forward to it. After the baby was born, Brother Yang would not have time to manage the shop for at least a year. A newborn baby was the most testing and torturous thing for a father, and there was no telling if Brother Yang¡¯s partner was a man or a ghost. He was so elusive and no one knew what was going on! Thinking of Brother Yang, Lu Ying had quite a few words for that ¡®lover¡¯. Every time he went to visit Brother Yang, he only saw Brother Yang alone. But on the other hand, Brother Yang said that the other party was very good and often accompanied him. It was thanks to him that Brother Yang¡¯s health condition remained stable. Lu Ying only dared to think about it in his heart and would never say it out loud. ¡°Well, it¡¯s all up to you.¡± Qin Zhuopu flipped through his calendar and schedule, circling something, and then smiled, ¡°I can take a day off next week to come and see you. Are you happy?¡± Lu Ying grunted into his phone, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! Come if you like.¡± Qin Zhuopu chortled, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to wash up and wait for me to come?¡± ¡°What, you want to slaughter a pig for dinner?¡± Lu Ying laughed lightly. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu stammered, ¡°How come it¡¯s about slaughtering a pig?¡± It was obviously a declaration of adult sexuality, what did it have to do with killing an animal? ©·(;_£à)©³ ¡°Your little mouth is really ruining the atmosphere.¡± Qin Zhuopu sighed, ¡°Can¡¯t wait to wash it for you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, when the time comes, you will be yelling that I¡¯m exploiting you again! Boss Qin, you¡¯re too difficult to serve. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m the only one in the world who can stand you. You have a bad temper, you are spoiled, your mind is more narrow than a needle-eye, you love to preach, you want to control everything. You are also a neat freak, and you are a picky eater. Hey, there are more problems than I can count.¡± Listening to his lover¡¯s sweet voice, Qin Zhuopu was so angry that his teeth itched, ¡°¡­okay, so disgusted with me, huh? Your mouth is much better gagged. I¡¯m going to meet a beautiful female partner now. I won¡¯t talk to you anymore.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± What? What beautiful partner? Lu Ying was staring at his phone, so angry he wanted to bite someone! If Qin Zhuopu was in front of him, he would have chewed a piece of meat off him! Lu Ying crackled a series of emojis on WeChat to Qin Zhuopu, a uniformly popular one, a chubby red pig holding a hammer ¡®knock knock knock¡¯, a red pig warning! After venting, Lu Ying felt happy. Advertisements Nearing noon, Lu Ying finally got to the front of the queue. From the perspective of the people in the queue, they could only see the teacher in charge of registration and fee collection at the window. They couldn¡¯t see what was going on inside. Soon it was Lu Ying¡¯s and Lu Zaizai¡¯s turn, and Lu Ying stood at the window with a smile on his face, his tiredness from the morning dissipating. He was as pleasant as he could be to the teacher who was registering Zaizai. The young male teacher at the registration desk blushed slightly and quickly finished his task, handing the slip to Lu Ying: ¡°It¡¯s done, Lu Zaizai is in Year 1, Class 7, just come straight to the start of school on September 1.¡± ¡°Good, good, thank you, Teacher!¡± ¡°Not at all, you¡¯re welcome.¡± Lu Ying was so happy that he quickly led his son out of the school. There was no tuition fee for primary school, but you had to eat at school at noon, which required a meal fee, as well as book fees and other fees, less than two thousand yuan in total. That¡¯s n times cheaper than kindergarten! Shortly after Lu Ying left, two women were whispering quietly in an office at the school. ¡°Lu Zaizai, Class 7, the class teacher happens to be you.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s just a kid¡­ what can I do?¡± The younger woman felt uneasy. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to do anything bad, just pay more attention, don¡¯t you understand? Do you need someone to teach you that? You¡¯re so dumb, no wonder you can¡¯t get a job in the system. Don¡¯t worry, since your father asked me, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re transferred. It¡¯s a piece of cake for me.¡± ¡°¡­thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look so scared. If he hadn¡¯t had something on me, I would have taught him a lesson. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s just a poor orphan with no one to turn to and no one to step on. He won¡¯t think it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll do my best.¡± If Lu Ying were here, he would have recognised one of the women as none other than Manager Zhang, who had disgusted him to no end. On September 1, Lu Ying got up early in the morning and dressed Lu Zaizai in a brand new tracksuit and shoes, put a red scarf on him and gave him a brand new school bag. Even Zaizai¡¯s hair was freshly cut last night. The little man looked very refreshing. Maybe it was because he had started primary school, but when Lu Ying looked at his son in front of him, he felt that Zaizai had grown a little taller. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s walk to school. You¡¯ll have lunch at school at noon and school will end at 3:50 in the afternoon. Dad will pick you up at the school gate after school, just like before.¡± ¡°En, I know.¡± Lu Zaizai was curious about his new school and couldn¡¯t wait to go there. With the bright red scarf on his neck, he felt especially proud of himself. From now on, he was the successor of socialism! Looking at his son full of righteousness, Lu Ying was a bit startled: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± In the future, could it be that his son wanted to be a soldier, punish evil and promote good, slay demons and defend his family and the country? o(¨s¡õ¨t)o If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s actually quite, quite good -_-|| *** Mini-theatre: Lu Ying: What do you want to be when you grow up? Zaizai: A superhero! Lu Ying: ¡­choose something else! Zaizai: An invincible hero! Lu Ying: Something else. Zaizai: Iron Man hero! Lu Ying: ¡­¡­ Mr. Qin: Come on, tell Dad, what do you want to be when you grow up? Zaizai: An overbearing president! Lu Ying: ¡­¡­ Mr. Qin: Like father, like son (*^¨Œ^*) CH 42 ¡°Good morning, I¡¯m Lu Ying, the father of Lu Zaizai, I¡¯ll be grateful for you taking care of my son in the future.¡± Arriving at the school early, Lu Ying sent the child inside and was even more excited and nervous than Zaizai when he saw the female teacher at the door of the classroom. ¡°Oh, good morning, Mr. Lu, my name is Teacher Wang, I will be the class teacher of Class 7, teaching Chinese.¡± The female teacher smiled politely. Facing such a handsome and stunning parent, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little dazed. If she didn¡¯t know his family situation, at first glance she would have thought that he was a noble young master from a wealthy family. ¡°Hello, Teacher Wang!¡± Lu Ying smiled back. It was great that the Chinese language teacher was the class teacher; he was afraid it would be the maths teacher. Zaizai was a bit of a maths headache, but he had no problem with Chinese. His memory was super good, and pinyin recognition, writing, and recitation were all a cinch. What¡¯s more, during the summer vacation, Lu Ying had also enrolled his child in a kindergarten intensive primary school preparation class, which should have made it foolproof. Even in maths, as long as Lu Zaizai didn¡¯t need to do quick mental arithmetic, he would be able to do well in the subject. The teacher in the preparation class also said that the first and second grades were very simple and few children couldn¡¯t keep up. Zaizai was a particularly good student in the preparation class, so there was no need to worry. After saying goodbye to the teacher and the child, Lu Ying left the school quickly. Lu Zaizai stood holding his schoolbag in the classroom of Class 7 and looked around curiously. He came very early, but two classmates had already found a place to sit together. He immediately went to sit next to them, so that it would be lively. Teacher Wang came in at this moment and shouted loudly: ¡°Classmate Lu Zaizai, sit here.¡± She pointed to the position next to her. ¡°Oh!¡± Lu Zaizai stood up and obediently walked over with his schoolbag. The seat was in the last row of the classroom, the closest to the side, with the chair in the back door¡¯s doorway. It felt as if half of the person was outside. Zaizai didn¡¯t like this position. Lu Zaizai sat down helplessly, looking at the empty classroom full of tables and chairs. If they were all full, how many people would there be? Lu Zaizai couldn¡¯t help but count one by one, and finally finished counting. His little eyes looked stunned, ¡°Oh my goodness, Teacher Wang! Are there a total of sixty-eight classmates in our class?¡± Teacher Wang frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t make any loud noises in the classroom. That¡¯s right, there are sixty-eight students in our Class 7, the largest number in the whole grade, huh. Because there are too many misfit students whose parents find connections and spend money to stuff them in.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ oh.¡± Lu Zaizai actually didn¡¯t quite understand what it meant to be a misfit student, but he felt that the teacher was not happy. It seemed that too many people in the class had something to do with him, so Lu Zaizai didn¡¯t dare to say anything else. In the blink of an eye, it was time for lunch, and the cafeteria auntie brought the food to the classroom and handed it out to every student: one dish, one soup and one bowl of rice. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Zaizai deflated. This meal was so small, and each person had an allocated portion, so you couldn¡¯t add more after eating it like in kindergarten. Kindergarten had several dishes at a time and fruits! Hmph! Primary schools are so stingy. Lu Zaizai finished his meal in two bites and felt even hungrier. Luckily, he had prepared for this and had brought some snacks with him, as well as three boiled eggs and two steamed buns. He was just about to start eating when a hand grabbed him quickly: ¡°Lu Zaizai! No eating your own food at school!¡± ¡°But Teacher, I haven¡¯t eaten enough¡­¡± ¡°Then be hungry!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Zaizai wept bitterly. At 3:30 in the afternoon, Lu Ying, who had been thinking about his son all day, left the bakery and set off for Primary School 12. When he arrived at the school gate, he saw a black mass of parents waiting for their children. Lu Ying looked left and right and waited for a long time. A lot of students came out, which made it more difficult to find his child than in kindergarten. When he finally saw his son¡¯s class, Lu Ying hurriedly guarded the door and looked closer, only to find his son hanging his head listlessly, in a very bad mood. ¡°Zaizai!¡± ¡°Dad¡­¡± Lu Zaizai was full of grievances when he saw his dad. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He wanted to ask Teacher Wang, but the teacher was at the back of the group. Lu Zaizai went straight out of the yard door and jumped into Lu Ying¡¯s arms to complain, ¡°I was criticised by the teacher today.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Lu Ying¡¯s first reaction was anger. It was only the first day of school, why would the teacher criticise the child? Lu Zaizai sucked in his breath, ¡°I brought food to school and the teacher confiscated it from me. I was criticised for being greedy. The teacher said that the school didn¡¯t allow us to bring snacks, and I was the only one in the class who disobeyed and brought food. But Dad¡­ school lunch is so small, it¡¯s not tasty and I didn¡¯t have enough at all.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying was heartbroken. He was the one who had stuffed eggs and snacks into Zaizai¡¯s bag because he was worried that his son would not get enough to eat. The school didn¡¯t mention these rules when he registered. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, it¡¯s Dad¡¯s fault. Tomorrow Dad will talk to Teacher and ask if I can send you food for lunch.¡± ¡°En. Dad, I want to go back to kindergarten, primary school is no fun. There are no friends either.¡± ¡°¡­primary school is not for fun.¡± ¡°I have to sleep on my desk at noon, my hands are numb.¡± ¡°Hey¡­¡± Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help it. Primary school was all like that, ¡°Come on, Dad will take you to try the freshly baked meat floss toast now. Dad¡¯s improved meat floss this time smells better than before.¡± It was still early for dinner, so he would make two toasts for his son to pad his stomach. ¡°Okay.¡± That evening Lu Ying entered the class WeChat group. He wanted to talk with the class teacher privately to apologise for bringing snacks and also to ask in passing if he could bring lunch to Zaizai at noon. As a result, he hadn¡¯t even finished his dinner when he saw that he had been tagged. The class teacher had sent several photos in a row: eggs, snacks and the picture of Lu Zaizai eating an egg with his head down. Lu Ying immediately felt bad. Sure enough, he scrolled down to see the class teacher posting some words: Parents, school rules do not allow to bring snacks and toys. Meals must be uniformly eaten at school, and you can bring your own water bottle. Today is the first day and only one student and parent demonstrated the wrong behaviour. I hope next time will be better! Parent A: Roger that! Parent B: Roger that! ¡­¡­ ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying almost spurted out a mouthful of food and immediately messaged the teacher privately: ¡°Teacher Wang, I didn¡¯t know the rules when I asked my child to take food today. My child has a big appetite. And Teacher, you should have chatted with me privately instead of posting photos in the group to criticise.¡± Class teacher: All other parents know they can¡¯t bring food, so why just your family doesn¡¯t? How can it act as a warning if I don¡¯t say it in the group? ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t know and it was my mistake. But please, Teacher, pay attention to the child¡¯s self-esteem, he was upset that you criticised him on the first day.¡± ¡°Knowing your mistakes is the way to correct them. I treat all students equally.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Lu Ying almost lost sleep at night, but fortunately Zaizai slept soundly. Advertisements When Qin Zhuopu sent a video call over, Lu Ying regained his spirits: ¡°You just got off work?¡± It was already half past nine. ¡°Yes, I came back and took a shower and finally lay down. How was Zaizai¡¯s school day? He should be adjusting well.¡± ¡°Lots of discomfort, he still talks about kindergarten.¡± ¡°Haha, what a nice thought.¡± ¡°How are you and your beautiful female partner?¡± Lu Ying inquired with a fake smile on his face. Qin Zhuopu raised the corner of his mouth and said, ¡°How else could it be? Of course we had a good talk.¡± ¡°Yeah, I had a good talk with the ¡®beautiful teacher¡¯ today too.¡± I can¡¯t sleep with joy! ¡°Eh, keep in mind your status, as a parent you have to keep a moderate distance from the teacher.¡± Lu Ying grunted and fell silent. ¡°Why don¡¯t you say anything? Are you angry?¡± Qin Zhuopu frowned helplessly. The screen was dark and under the dim bedside lamp, Lu Ying¡¯s appearance could only be seen as an outline. Lu Ying rolled his head on the pillow and asked in a low voice, ¡°Do you think I should send a red envelope or a gift or something to please the teacher? I don¡¯t know if other parents have sent them secretly. But I¡¯ve heard before that some parents do this in private, to please the teacher and get her to take care of their child. But what is appropriate? How much would be better?¡± Qin Zhuopu frowned, ¡°You want to send a gift just after the school year starts? I suggest that you don¡¯t send gifts to the teacher, because the first grade teachers are probably very young and fresh out of the university, so they may not dare to accept your gifts. It is not appropriate to send a gift that is too light or too heavy. You can observe for a while to see how your child adapts and whether the teacher is of good character. If Zaizai can¡¯t adapt by himself, you can send a gift. If he fits in well then there¡¯s no need to do so.¡± ¡°That means not to send it?¡± ¡°If you want to send it, just send it to the headmaster, he¡¯s definitely more effective than the teacher.¡± Qin Zhuopu said bluntly. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying rolled his eyes, ¡°What you say makes so much sense. I¡¯ve never even met the headmaster.¡± Qin Zhuopu said with a serious expression, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this. I¡¯ve been too busy and negligent lately. I¡¯ll take care of the gift-giving.¡± He actually still wanted Zaizai to come to him to study, after all, the educational resources were better. Lu Ying didn¡¯t object but hurriedly told him, ¡°Don¡¯t be too generous. If the teachers don¡¯t dare to discipline Zaizai in the future and only speak well of him, this will be worse.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. The headmaster must know which class is the best and which teacher is the most responsible, and I¡¯m not asking him to condone the child by giving gifts.¡± ¡°All right then.¡± ¡°Give me a quick kiss, be a good boy and go to sleep.¡± Lu Ying didn¡¯t object, pouted and gave a flying kiss to the screen, ¡°Woohoo! Good night.¡± He almost blinded Qin Zhuopu¡¯s eyes, how could he sleep now? Damn long distance relationship! No matter how unsettled Qin Zhuopu was, Lu Ying went to sleep peacefully. The next day, when he dropped the child off at the school gate, there was no one else but the teacher on duty. Lu Ying comforted the kid and went back to work. When he picked up the child in the evening, Lu Zaizai was again upset. ¡°What¡¯s wrong today?¡± Lu Zaizai¡¯s voice shook a little and he told Lu Ying angrily, ¡°The teacher criticised me again.¡± ¡°¡­come on, tell Dad why?¡± Lu Ying looked at Zaizai seriously, hiding how angry he was in his heart. Lu Zaizai said, aggrieved, ¡°Today in Chinese class the teacher asked us to write pinyin, and I finished it correctly. But the teacher criticised my handwriting and told me to rewrite it. But after I rewrote it, she said I didn¡¯t write it properly. She punished me by writing it ten times at home¡­ oooh, I don¡¯t want to write it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Dad knows. Let me see what you wrote.¡± Lu Ying took the child¡¯s school bag to check the written pinyin. Not that he was boasting but his son¡¯s written pinyin was all within the grids, yes, it was not crooked, it was very good. Why should he be punished for not writing neatly? He felt that the teacher was deliberately targeting his son. But writing could be a big thing or a small thing. It was hard to argue with the teacher. Perhaps the teacher was just being strict with the students, and it seemed unreasonable for parents to argue about it. Lu Ying could only be optimistic and comfort his son: ¡°The teacher is strict with you and wants you to write better. Why don¡¯t you think about it, has the teacher ever praised you?¡± Lu Zaizai raised his head and smiled: ¡°In maths class, the teacher asked me to go to the blackboard to do a problem, and I got it right. The teacher praised me. And the English teacher also praised me for my pronunciation.¡± ¡°Really? Zaizai is awesome!¡± Lu Ying was happy for his son. Immediately, Lu Zaizai stopped being sad and pulled his father to run quickly, impatient to go and eat. ¡°Brother Yang! Why have you come today?¡± As soon as he returned to the shop, Lu Ying saw Brother Yang and quickly stepped forward in surprise. Brother Yang¡¯s eyes were calm and he looked like an ordinary middle-aged, fat man. He pruned the long branches and leaves of the green plants and said with a faint smile, ¡°It¡¯s too boring at home, so I came out for a walk. How do you feel about your new school?¡± Lu Zaizai said obediently, ¡°Uncle Yang, the new school is not as fun as the kindergarten.¡± ¡°Pfft, little naughty.¡± Yang Sigu was amused. Lu Ying continued to be busy with work and enthusiastically invited Yang Sigu to eat at home in the evening. After a little hesitation Brother Yang agreed. Advertisements After getting off work, Lu Ying went home and cooked a sumptuous dinner. They were all very healthy and warm dishes, and there was absolutely no spicy food. Yang Sigu was not polite and ate happily, ¡°The food is really good, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve had such a satisfying meal.¡± Lu Ying looked at him in a panic and said in a daze, ¡°What does Brother Yang eat at home every day? Who cooks?¡± Brother Yang¡¯s cooking was a masterpiece. Yang Sigu paused and coughed lightly, ¡°Of course it¡¯s not me who cooks.¡± ¡°¡­that is, Sister-in-law Yang cooks for Brother Yang?¡± Lu Ying came up with such a name, although he knew the other party was a man. And a man whose cooking skills were very average. ¡°Ahem ahem! Ahem¡­¡± Yang Sigu choked, his face red. Lu Ying hurriedly got up to pat him on the back and instructed his son, ¡°Zaizai, go and pour a glass of water.¡± ¡°Right away!¡± Lu Zaizai jumped off the chair and went to pour water. Yang Sigu calmed down, took the water handed to him by Zaizai and drank half a cup. His shoulders were still shaking with laughter, ¡°Sister-in-law Yang¡­ haha¡­ Lu Ying, you are so funny, no wonder your Grandpa Lu likes you so much.¡± Lu Ying continued to eat, slightly embarrassed, ¡°Sister-in-law may not be appropriate¡­ but I really don¡¯t know what to call him. Or should I call him Brother, what is his last name?¡± ¡°¡­he ¡­his surname is Lu, like yours.¡± Yang Sigu replied softly. ¡°Ah, what a coincidence, it¡¯s fate!¡± Lu Ying was a little happy. ¡°En¡­ when the baby is born, you will see him. Right now he¡¯s in a bit of a special situation, it¡¯s not very convenient.¡± ¡°Oh oh oh.¡± Lu Ying felt that he shouldn¡¯t be too nosy about Brother Yang¡¯s lover but somehow he just couldn¡¯t help being very curious and vaguely looking forward to meeting him. Yang Sigu laughed again, ¡°Actually, I think calling him Sister-in-law is good. I like this name.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ do you? Won¡¯t he be angry?¡± Lu Ying was a little unconvinced; how could a man be completely fine with being called Sister-in-law? Anyway, if Qin Zhuopu¡¯s brother or whatever called him Sister-in-law, he would not be happy about it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t be angry with you. There¡¯s nothing good about this guy, except that he¡¯s very good with children and never loses his temper with them. Compared to him, you¡¯re a child.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to like children, to be caring and patient.¡± ¡°Can I pack one of these dishes to take away?¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll go and pack it for you.¡± After the meal, Lu Ying personally took Yang Sigu to his doorstep before leaving in peace. When Yang Sigu returned home, the light in the living room was on and a young man sat cross-legged on the carpet. On the dining table were a few lame dishes that looked like they were getting cold. Yang Sigu placed the packed food on the coffee table: ¡°Lu Ying made the dinner, and it tastes good. Your handiwork is pig food compared to his.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The man sighed, took the food and opened it to enjoy it slowly. Yang Sigu sat next to him, lazily leaning against the sofa, his left hand propping up on his chin. He smiled, ¡°Guess what Lu Ying called you?¡± ¡°¡­what?¡± The man asked curiously. ¡°Pfft.¡± Yang Sigu laughed before he could speak and said in a shaking voice, ¡°Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law Yang, haha.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nonsense! Drivel!¡± The man¡¯s face instantly blackened. He even dropped his chopsticks and stopped eating! ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Yang Sigu laughed even more happily, his fingers tracing circles on the man¡¯s back: ¡°Actually, it¡¯s right to call you that. After all, you have no car, no house, no savings. Since you came out of the mountains, you eat, drink and live at my expense, completely relying on me to support you not to let you wander in the streets. I am the head of the family and you are the sister-in-law who is ashamed to be seen. Oh yes, there is a difference, Sister-in-law goes to bed with me for free and gets a little bundle of joy. Who is as blessed as you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The man¡¯s face was as black as the bottom of a pot, but he was speechless, silently picking up his plate to eat. Yang Sigu poked him in the back: ¡°Every day with a stony face, can¡¯t you smile at me more? Can the child like you if you behave like this? Didn¡¯t Lu Ying cry because of you when he was little?¡± ¡°¡­shut up and stop nagging.¡± Yang Sigu got up quickly, ¡°Okay, I won¡¯t nag you. I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t wash alone.¡± The man said standing up and followed him in. After guarding Yang Sigu while he was taking a shower, the man went to the kitchen, cut the fruit, mixed it with the yoghurt and brought it out. Yang Sigu, dressed in a loose robe, took the fruit and happily ate while watching TV. The man washed the dishes after eating, did the laundry and mopped the floor. He did the chores silently, but did them all cleanly. At nine o¡¯clock, it was time for music, a soft piano piece. With the soft music, Yang Sigu, who was watching television and yawning, fell asleep on the sofa. The man came out of the shower, picked up Yang Sigu and put him on the bed in the bedroom, turned off the lights and had a good night¡¯s sleep. ¡°Hey, transfer Zaizai to Class 1?¡± Lu Ying asked Qin Zhuopu in surprise, coming out of the kitchen with a kitchen knife in his hand. Qin Zhuopu took a step back, ¡°Be careful. I¡¯ve already made arrangements with the headmaster. The teachers of Class 1 are experienced excellent teachers, and the students in the class are better overall. It was the headmaster¡¯s initiative. Those in Class 7 are all rookies with no experience.¡± Lu Ying was stunned, ¡°No wonder the standards are so poor and the character is so nasty.¡± ¡°What? Is the teacher giving Zaizai a hard time?¡± Qin Zhuopu asked hurriedly. Now Lu Ying didn¡¯t hide anything and complained in annoyance, ¡°It¡¯s been a week since the start of the school year, and the class teacher, Teacher Wang, is really sick. Every day, she finds something to criticise Zaizai for. Either he¡¯s not writing well or having a bad attitude. Friday was even funnier, she said Zaizai was fighting in the classroom and the child was punished by standing. I asked Zaizai and found out that they were just playing together. Three kids were playing together and only he was punished? It¡¯s not a big deal, but it happens every day. Zaizai is upset every day after school and doesn¡¯t want to get up in the morning to go to school.¡± ¡°¡­why didn¡¯t you tell me about this earlier?¡± ¡°At first I thought maybe I didn¡¯t understand and was afraid of causing a misunderstanding. I didn¡¯t expect it to be like this every day for a week. Although it¡¯s all minor, it feels bad, like deliberately targeting Zaizai. But neither I nor Zaizai know her, let alone offend her, so it¡¯s inexplicable. Could it be that all the other parents have secretly sent gifts and I¡¯ve foolishly not done so, so I¡¯m being targeted?¡± Qin Zhuopu spread his arms: ¡°This possibility can¡¯t be ruled out. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take Zaizai to school tomorrow and see him change classes in person. I¡¯ll also find someone to check out that Teacher Wang.¡± ¡°Okay. Go wash your hands quickly, dinner will be ready soon.¡± Lu Ying naturally agreed, as the child¡¯s school life was at stake. The next day, Qin Zhuopu sent the child to school. Having contacted the headmaster in advance, he met the headmaster directly at the school gate. It was quickly confirmed that Lu Zaizai¡¯s class had changed and Qin Zhuopu went to Class 7 to move his son¡¯s desk and chair. When he saw his son¡¯s corner position, his face turned ugly. If it was winter, the back door would not be closed and the child would have to sit by the door right in the draught. It was obvious that he could be squeezed into the middle of the classroom, but he was left at the back door. Qin Zhuopu stroked the child¡¯s head and left as quickly as he could with the desk and chair. Teacher Wang only had classes in the afternoon today and came to the office in the morning to correct yesterday¡¯s homework. When she found Lu Zaizai¡¯s notebook, she took a picture of it and sent it to the WeChat group, ¡°This kind of homework is not up to my requirements. These check marks are written out of the grid. Lu Zaizai¡¯s father, please supervise your son¡¯s homework next time. If you make a mistake in writing, you should revise it in time. Don¡¯t make me criticise you by name every time.¡± Here we go again; Lu Ying, who had been tagged, poked at his phone in the bakery and typed indignantly, ¡°Please show me other students¡¯ homework so I can see if it¡¯s written exactly as it is in print! Teacher Wang, I mentioned to you privately on the first day not to criticise the child in the public group. Very good, you only ever criticise my child. Once a day, are you on a schedule? Kindergarten teachers know to respect the child¡¯s heart, aren¡¯t you too unethical? Is it hard to find me in private?¡± Teacher Wang didn¡¯t expect Lu Ying to explode today and immediately replied: ¡°If you think the teacher is asking too much, you can treat it as if you haven¡¯t heard or seen it. This group is the group that arranges homework and discusses homework. I criticise your child because he needs to be corrected. If other children make mistakes, I will criticise them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your turn to correct him or not. I don¡¯t think you are a good teacher. I hope other children will not be treated like this by you. Goodbye.¡± Lu Ying directly withdrew from the group and deleted Teacher Wang. Teacher Wang breathed a sigh of relief and called to tell her cousin about the results of her battle. She didn¡¯t know what Lu Ying¡¯s withdrawal from the group meant, transferring to another school? It was not until she went to class in the afternoon that she learned that Lu Zaizai had gone to Class 1 and that it had been arranged directly by the headmaster. Teacher Wang suddenly panicked. If she had known that Lu Ying had connections with the headmaster, she wouldn¡¯t have helped her cousin toss and turn! After settling the child¡¯s affairs, Qin Zhuopu went back to the community. He was ready to go to the bakery to work remotely and ask Lu Ying out for lunch at noon. It sounded like a perfect plan. He entered the north gate of the neighbourhood, walked to the first flower bed and turned the corner when he happened to come face to face with a man who looked quite familiar. Qin Zhuopu subconsciously squinted his eyes at the other man, and when he got closer, he blurted out, ¡°Lu Ying?¡± No! How could this be Lu Ying! CH 43 The man raised his eyes and gave Qin Zhuopu a glance, then walked past him without any expression. Qin Zhuopu was frozen in place. His brain ached for a moment. He had a feeling as if he had seen this stare before. No matter how he looked, he still felt that the man and Lu Ying really resembled each other. If he hadn¡¯t known that Lu Ying had no blood relatives, he would have suspected that the man was Lu Ying¡¯s brother or father! How could there be such similar faces in the world? Lu Ying¡¯s face was absolutely rare, not in the sense of how unique and perfect his eyes, nose and mouth were, but in the sense that his beauty was in the bones, not in the skin. Qin Zhuopu subconsciously turned around and asked, ¡°Sir, do you know Lu Ying?¡± The man stopped walking and turned back to face him solemnly. When he saw the man¡¯s face up close, Qin Zhuopu felt a little more at ease. At first glance, the man looked very similar to Lu Ying, but on closer inspection, he was quite different. Lu Ying¡¯s eyebrows were long and slender, his eyelashes were thick and black as if he was born with his own eyeliner. There was no other way to describe it: Lu Ying looked bewitching. Although he was tall, he couldn¡¯t be called strong or heroic. The man in front of Qin Zhuopu, however, seemed very strong and aggressive, with thick eyebrows and deep-set eyes, not angry but arrogant, and the corners of his mouth were turned down as if someone owed him a few billion¡­ Qin Zhuopu frowned. Was he out of his mind when he thought that this man and Lu Ying were like a family? Unless Lu Ying was angry or unhappy, the corners of his mouth were always slightly upturned; he was born with a smiling face. When Qin Zhuopu saw Lu Ying for the first time, even though Lu Ying was covered in dust on the construction site, wearing a helmet and moving bricks, his face grey and sweaty, a glimpse of Lu Ying¡¯s smiling face made his heart beat faster in an instant. Lu Ying and this man¡­ there was resemblance in the bones. No way to deny it, they were similar. Only this man was older. Qin Zhuopu couldn¡¯t decide for a moment if this man was in his thirties, forties, or fifties and sixties? It seemed that either age would not be too much. The man was wearing a simple shirt and trousers, with a strong figure and an aura that didn¡¯t fit in with the modern style of the surrounding buildings¡­ as if he should not be here, but rather in a place like the deep mountains and forests, in the wild. The man suddenly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you again.¡± ¡°You know me?¡± Qin Zhuopu was surprised, ¡°You are an¡­ elder of Lu Ying¡¯s family? A relative?¡± ¡°Somewhat.¡± The man said very little. He suddenly raised his hand, plucked a green leaf from a nearby tree and handed it to Qin Zhuopu. Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t know what this meant, but subconsciously took the green leaf and stared at it in his hand. The more ordinary the leaf was, the more bizarre he felt. When he looked up again, the man had already disappeared. Qin Zhuopu stood frozen in place for a moment before remembering that he had to go to the bakery to find Lu Ying. He turned around, casually slipping the green leaf into the breast pocket of his shirt. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you said anything since you got back?¡± In the small townhouse, eating the fresh fruit the man had just bought, Yang Sigu leaned back in his recliner and asked lazily. The man kept silent as he lowered his head, struggling with a durian. Yang Sigu looked up at his serious face and sighed with a smile, ¡°Did you run into Lu Ying on your trip out? No, if you ran into him, you wouldn¡¯t have come back so quickly.¡± ¡°I ran into that boy surnamed Qin.¡± ¡°So it was him. Was he shocked to see you? Lu Ying looks like you when he¡¯s not smiling, but when he smiles, he¡¯s much cuter than you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve long advised you to have more trust in people. Even if you don¡¯t trust him, you should trust Lu Ying¡¯s instincts. After going round and round, Lu Ying still chose to be with him. What else do you have to say?¡± The man put down the durian with a sigh, ¡°I¡¯ve given it back to him.¡± ¡°In that case¡­ let¡¯s hide in the mountains, shall we?¡± ¡°Why should I hide?¡± The man looked tense. Yang Sigu rolled his eyes: ¡°I¡¯m afraid your old bones will be torn apart. Then I¡¯ll be widowed.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu arrived at the bakery, turned on his computer to work purposefully and then went home with Lu Ying at noon to eat western food. There were still more than forty minutes left in Lu Ying¡¯s lunch break and, full of warm thoughts, the two of them naturally stuck together at home. Lu Ying was immersed in a heady, passionate kiss. Breathing rapidly, all he could smell was the familiar scent of Qin Zhuopu, no different than usual. It was very stable and wouldn¡¯t change easily. But then, out of the blue, a very different scent mixed with the smell that Lu Ying was most familiar with. Lu Ying, with hazy eyes, suddenly felt as if he was electrocuted. He pushed Qin Zhuopu away abruptly, grabbed the clothes on his chest and lowered his head to sniff: ¡°This smell is not right!¡± Qin Zhuopu, whose clothes were about to be torn apart, wiped his mouth and said, ¡°What¡¯s the smell?¡± As soon as he asked, he saw Lu Ying¡¯s long, slender fingers slide into his shirt pocket and pull out a small, inconspicuous green leaf. Lu Ying¡¯s expression grew more and more excited. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± Lu Ying asked in a trembling voice. Qin Zhuopu answered honestly, ¡°I met a man this morning who gave it to me. By the way, he looks so much like you that I was taken aback at the first moment.¡± Lu Ying was ecstatic, ¡°Where did you see him? Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡± Qin Zhuopu closed his eyes and held his slightly aching forehead: ¡°I was going to tell you, but suddenly forgot¡­ hmm¡­¡± How could he forget? Lu Ying was in a very anxious mood and wanted to ask for more information; but when he saw Qin Zhuopu¡¯s headache, he hurriedly helped him to sit down on the sofa: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden? Another headache? Quickly lie down, I¡¯ll help you press the acupuncture points.¡± He let Qin Zhuopu¡¯s head rest on his lap and sat down to gently massage Qin Zhuopu¡¯s temples with both hands. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s eyes were tightly closed and he let Lu Ying massage him, but his thoughts were sinking as fast as if they were filled with lead, and he couldn¡¯t even lift his eyelids. Very tired, very tired¡­ Yes, he was hurrying home after work, thinking he could have a late dinner with Lu Ying tonight, and then ideally a swim and a bath together. He promised to cut Lu Ying¡¯s toenails today, and not only did he not mind, but he was looking forward to it. His body was tired, but his heart was exhilarated. When he finally returned home, however, he saw only an empty house and traces that his mother had been here. Lu Ying left without saying goodbye, and Qin Zhuopu couldn¡¯t bear it and had a big fight with his mother. He went looking for Lu Ying like a madman. At the airport, he didn¡¯t see Lu Ying but only found the emptied mobile phone. He booked the fastest flight to Qixia Town and then walked to the bottom of Qixia Mountain, where, as Lu Ying had said, there was Lujia Village with only a few families living there. He found the family closest to the foot of the mountain, asked for some information on how to get up the mountain and gave them some money casually. Then he walked towards Qixia Mountain alone. Qixia Mountain didn¡¯t look high at all from the outside, at most half an hour to climb up, but Qin Zhuopu climbed for a long, long time, not knowing whether it was an hour or two hours, a day or two days¡­ He was getting tired, and he wondered if he was lost in the mountain forest. Could it be that he had gone to the wrong place? Did Lu Ying really come back here? But if Lu Ying didn¡¯t go back here, where could Lu Ying be? Lu Ying had often told him about his friends on Qixia Mountain, and he knew that Lu Ying loved the place where he was born. Lu Ying must be very angry to leave without saying goodbye. If he didn¡¯t find him soon and get him back, he would probably lose Lu Ying forever. No, he couldn¡¯t let it happen! ¡°Lu Ying! Lu Ying! Lu Ying, are you here?¡± He collapsed on the ground in exhaustion, shouting Lu Ying¡¯s name. Almost as soon as he finished shouting, footsteps suddenly sounded from behind him. He was so ecstatic that he got up and turned around: ¡°Lu Ying, it¡¯s you¡­¡± It was not Lu Ying! It was not even a human being! ¡°Human boy, you have a lot of nerve!¡± The stag, as tall as an adult man, stood a few metres away from Qin Zhuopu and opened its mouth to roar at him in human language! A deer, talking to him??? Qin Zhuopu was stunned and speechless, watching the stag getting closer and closer to him with vigorous steps, a pair of red deer eyes full of anger, ¡°Shameless child, you dare to come after him? You have broken his heart and hurt his body! Never again will you come near Lu Ying. Lu Ying and you have nothing to do with each other. Your fate is over. If you go down the mountain immediately, I will pretend you have never been here. If you keep pestering, don¡¯t blame me for being unkind.¡± The real deer was speaking in human language. The words were clear and unmistakable, sounding absolutely unimpeded. Qin Zhuopu should have felt fear but Lu Ying¡¯s name filled him with courage, ¡°You, you¡­ what is your relationship with Lu Ying¡­ You have no right to stop me from seeing Lu Ying!¡± Was this a demon or a mountain god? Was he dreaming? It was simply too bizarre. ¡°Huh, you overestimate yourself.¡± The stag¡¯s angry eyes stared at him, the green trees in the mountain forest began to sway wildly, and the rustling sound echoed in his ears¡­ Qin Zhuopu¡¯s thoughts were getting blurred and all the sounds were getting farther and farther away from him. Only the stag¡¯s voice echoed in his head with a constant warning, ¡°Lu Ying belongs only to the mountain, not to you. Do not remember.¡± ¡°No -¡° Qin Zhuopu awoke from his dream and sat up with a start, his eyes still full of shock. ¡°Zhuopu, you finally woke up!¡± Lu Ying was overjoyed, holding a soft towel in his hand to wipe Qin Zhuopu¡¯s sweaty body, ¡°I was so frightened by you just now. You suddenly fell asleep as if you were having a nightmare and couldn¡¯t wake up! You were talking nonsense anxiously and sweating wildly, and your body was hot. I thought you had a fever, so I was going to call Dr. Hu over if you didn¡¯t wake up. Did you have a nightmare? You¡¯re still panting now¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu suddenly hugged Lu Ying fiercely, his body trembling, and managed to say through the clenched teeth, ¡°Lu Ying¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­ really had a nightmare?¡± Lu Ying comforted him: ¡°Okay, okay, don¡¯t be afraid, dreams are all fake, and nightmares are all the other way round. The scarier the dream, the better the reality. So no matter what bad things you dream about, don¡¯t take them to heart. You are a man, don¡¯t be such a wuss, Zaizai is better than you.¡± Qin Zhuopu took a deep breath holding the man in his arms and said in an inaudible voice: ¡°It was not a dream¡­¡± He was pretty sure that those things were all true, all of them were his own experiences from seven years ago. It was the confusing memory that had plagued him for a long time, and it was the factual evidence of the truth that he had been unable to explain to Lu Ying. Advertisements He knew that seven years ago, with his character, how could he have never looked for Lu Ying? How could he have calmly turned back from the airport? Even during those seven years, he remembered Lu Ying in his mind, recalling the bits and pieces of the time they had spent together, but he lacked the urge to find Lu Ying. He thought about Lu Ying and remembered him, but he went about his day as if everything was fine. It was only when he saw Lu Ying¡¯s photos and videos on the internet, when he saw the living, breathing Lu Ying, that the black and white picture in his memory finally regained the beautiful colours that it should have had. The impulse, the urge to go to Lu Ying and to get him back was renewed. So, he didn¡¯t lie to Lu Ying. Burying his head in Lu Ying¡¯s chest, Qin Zhuopu completely relaxed. When he closed his eyes, the eyes of that huge stag flashed in his mind, angry eyes¡­ slowly overlapping with another pair of eyes, very similar. The eyes he had seen this morning, the eyes of the strange man. A man and a stag, two pairs of eyes, just magically fused perfectly in his mind. Qin Zhuopu felt cold and stiff all over. The man and the stag¡­ The man and Lu Ying¡­ The stag and Lu Ying¡­ ¡°Why are you cold again? What dream has scared you like this?¡± Lu Ying helplessly hugged Qin Zhuopu. ¡°Is it warmer? Otherwise, go to bed and sleep, forget it, I¡¯ll go and get you a cup of hot water first.¡± Lu Ying was about to get up, but Qin Zhuopu suddenly pulled him back, ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± He fell onto the sofa with his arms around Lu Ying, not wanting to let go of him no matter what. He resigned to his fate, he let go of everything in his mind, wanting only to embrace the lover in front of him. Lu Ying belongs to the mountain, not to you. No, Lu Ying belongs to me. The air conditioner was running dutifully, the mobile phone slipped off the sofa and no one had the heart to care. The rough palm of Qin Zhuopu¡¯s hand gently traced every cell of Lu Ying¡¯s body. No matter how different Lu Ying was, he would never let go of him again. Lu Ying was his for life. Lu Ying was late for work in the afternoon and scolded Qin Zhuopu for it. Qin Zhuopu let him scold, just smiling at him and not saying anything. When Lu Ying ran out of the house in a hurry, Qin Zhuopu was left alone in the empty apartment, staring at the sky in a daze. The smell of Lu Ying¡¯s body still lingered on his palms, the warmth under his touch incredibly reassuring. Regardless of the past or present, including the future, Lu Ying would always be Lu Ying. It was Lu Ying he had always loved. This was something that would not be shaken in the slightest by anything. He believed that in Lu Ying¡¯s heart, he was also an irreplaceable existence. What¡¯s more, they had a lovely son. They were destined to be forever entwined and inseparable in this life. In the bakery¡¯s workroom, Lu Ying kneaded the dough dexterously, while the rest of the team went in and out doing their jobs. Fei Qiqi suddenly stood next to Lu Ying and whispered with a chuckle, ¡°Brother Xiao Lu, you guys are too enthusiastic!¡± ¡°Hmm? Enthusiastic about what?¡± Lu Ying was puzzled. Fei Qiqi quietly raised the makeup mirror, showing the back of his neck, ¡°See? Tsk tsk¡­ oops, don¡¯t make people say it!¡± Lu Ying¡¯s face suddenly turned red. He shrank his neck and tugged at his clothes, but no amount of tugging could completely block the scenery. He felt extremely annoyed with Qin Zhuopu¡¯s nonsense. The man had always been very disciplined and measured in the past and would never leave traces in easily exposed places to attract attention. Today Lu Ying didn¡¯t know what happened¡­ everything suddenly became particularly¡­ messy. Also leaving such an eye-catching hickey, it was clearly done on purpose. ¡°Heh¡­¡± Lu Ying sighed and continued to knead the dough, a little worried about today¡¯s perverse Qin Zhuopu. There was also that ordinary leaf; Lu Ying was pretty sure he felt Grandpa Lu¡¯s scent, but the leaf appeared on Qin Zhuopu. And Grandpa Lu was clearly no longer there¡­ If Grandpa Lu was still around, Lu Ying was sure that they would see each other again one day. Qin Zhuopu stayed at home today, picked up the child and made dinner. Lu Ying went home for dinner and then continued his evening shift. When he returned home at ten o¡¯clock, he found that there was a tall, sturdy man at home in addition to Qin Zhuopu. That man was not an ordinary person at first glance, ¡°This is¡­¡± When Lu Ying saw the man¡¯s appearance clearly, his words stopped abruptly. Those wide-set eyes, flat nose, thick lips¡­ the guy looked genuinely ugly. ¡°Dad, this is Uncle Avatar! Uncle said that he will be responsible for picking me up and dropping me off at school in the future, so Dad won¡¯t have to work so hard. Uncle Avatar will protect me and also teach me to practise boxing, oh!¡± Lu Zaizai immediately explained clearly to Lu Ying. The little one seemed to really like this big brother. ¡°Hello Mr. Lu, I am Jin Dachu, the bodyguard hired by Mr. Qin. I used to be in charge of Mr. Qin¡¯s security work. From today onwards I will be at Mr. Lu¡¯s service.¡± ¡°Oh oh, a bodyguard.¡± Lu Ying suddenly realised and squeezed over to Qin Zhuopu, ¡°Why are you suddenly arranging a bodyguard for us? I don¡¯t need one.¡± And such a look, was it really unintentional? No wonder Zaizai called him Uncle Avatar, he really looked like that. Qin Zhuopu smiled: ¡°I know you are very good, but he is mainly responsible for picking up and protecting Zaizai. No matter what, Zaizai is still a child, just in case. And in addition to his security work, you can ask him for help in anything that is inconvenient, no problem using him as an assistant. Like school matters, you can ask him to go if you don¡¯t have time.¡± He had long wanted to place a few people around Lu Ying and the child. But knowing that Lu Ying wouldn¡¯t like it, he didn¡¯t take matters into his own hands. However, now he felt he couldn¡¯t give in to Lu Ying too much. The biggest hidden problems and doubts in his heart had been solved, and in the rest of his life, apart from living a good life with Lu Ying and Zaizai, protecting them was the most important task. Jin Dachu was only the bodyguard on the surface, and as for the other secret arrangements, Qin Zhuopu would not take the initiative to say anything until Lu Ying found out by himself. Lu Ying didn¡¯t agree immediately, but then he heard Qin Zhuopu snort coldly, ¡°By the way, I forgot to tell you, Teacher Wang has been expelled from the school.¡± ¡°Ah, so fast? It¡¯s only been a day.¡± Lu Ying was astonished. ¡°She herself confessed her misdeeds to the headmaster in panic, so she was just dismissed and expelled. I¡¯ll have someone keep an eye on her and tell her not to think about becoming a teacher again for the rest of her life. Do you know why she targeted our Zaizai?¡± Lu Ying shook his head honestly, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t know her before.¡± ¡°She has a distant cousin called Zhang Enhui¡­ I¡¯ll take care of this person surnamed Zhang.¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s heart was full of anger. If he didn¡¯t check, he wouldn¡¯t know, but when he did, he was furious. That ugly, old woman was actually trying to force the unspoken rules on Lu Ying! It was more disgusting than cow dung, what the hell, her mind was so dirty! When she didn¡¯t get what she wanted, she made trouble, trying to persecute his son. Let¡¯s see; Qin Zhuopu was not a magnanimous person. Lu Ying looked confused: ¡°Who is Zhang Enhui again?¡± Qin Zhuopu rubbed his hair: ¡°You don¡¯t need to remember disgusting people too well, leave them alone anyway. This kind of person has a lot of shady things in her life, so one doesn¡¯t even need to think of ways to deal with her.¡± When he said that, Lu Ying finally guessed, ¡°Could it be Manager Zhang from the shopping mall?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s her.¡± Lu Ying was furious: ¡°Is it actually her? This woman is so rotten and immoral! I was kind enough to let her off the hook once, but I didn¡¯t expect that she would try to get back at me and drag Zaizai into it. If I had known, I would have put a sack on her and beat her up!¡± ¡°A beating and a sack are too cheap for her and would get your hands dirty. Just wait and see.¡± Lu Ying trusted Qin Zhuopu¡¯s methods and felt relieved. The next day, Qin Zhuopu flew back to the company, but even though he was not in Qixia Town, he did a good job of cleaning up. Within half a month, Zhang Enhui was exposed for embezzlement of five million yuan of public funds. At the same time, the entire shopping mall overnight received the exciting gift of the scandalous photos of her and a number of sturdy men. The same photos were received in her community and at her husband¡¯s work. Zhang Enhui was a regular at nightclubs and private clubs, with all kinds of bad records listed. Surprisingly, evidence of her taking drugs, gambling, threatening male subordinates at her former job and an affair with a married executive was found. In the small, isolated Qixia Town, Zhang Enhui¡¯s experience could truly be described as a ¡®life well lived¡¯, quite appalling. Zhang Enhui was sued by the company and hounded by the victims¡¯ families for moral damages. Her husband filed for divorce. Even her blood relatives cried that they had no face to leave the house and would no longer recognise such a disgraceful daughter. After failing to repay the public money, Zhang Enhui was sentenced to twelve years in prison. She unsuccessfully tried to kill herself and then served her time. When she was released from prison, she found that her family had long since disappeared and she was left alone with nothing. Advertisements Now, when Lu Ying saw the thick pile of evidence on various bad habits and criminal records of Manager Zhang, he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head and sigh: ¡°It¡¯s amazing, this woman is so desperate. She has done everything from eating, drinking, sleeping around and gambling, so how come she never thought there would be times when the horse would lose its horseshoe?¡± ¡°Some people who have riches in their hands tend to fall into the golden cave and cannot extricate themselves.¡± Jin Dachu, the bodyguard who brought the information, said from the sidelines. Lu Ying closed the information and threw it to Jin Dachu, raising an eyebrow at him, ¡°What does your Boss Qin usually do?¡± ¡°Mr. Qin is clean and disciplined, even smoking and drinking only occasionally. Basically, he¡¯s busy with work and will take time to accompany Elder Qin for regular medical check-ups, walks and chess games.¡± ¡°Ahem, I don¡¯t doubt him, you don¡¯t need to say so much. I know what kind of man he is and trust him very much.¡± Lu Ying waved his hand with a smile on his face and went happily about his work. After Lu Zaizai changed classes, his mental state also changed greatly. As in kindergarten, he looked forward to going to school every day. When he went home, he happily showed off what he had done today, which teacher had praised him, what new friends he had made, and so on. One month after the start of the school year, it was time for the National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival, combined into the long holidays. Lu Ying was very busy. The holidays were a good time for them to make more sales, not to mention the annual Mid-Autumn Festival when moon cakes and mung bean cakes were essential. There was no time like the present for bakeries to make profit. Lu Ying gathered the shop staff and started preparing and planning long in advance. In addition to product taste selection and pattern innovation, Lu Ying also included the packaging design. Brother Yang was close to his due date, and Lu Ying didn¡¯t dare to disturb him. He was tired but he learned a lot. On the holiday¡¯s eve, Lu Ying settled everything in the shop and took his son home to rest. Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t have a long vacation, but he said he would come over to spend the evening with the two of them at the Mid-Autumn Festival, and both Lu Ying and Zaizai were looking forward to seeing him. At night, as usual, Lu Ying slept peacefully after having a video chat with Qin Zhuopu. In the middle of the night, when he was sleeping soundly, his mobile phone rang. Seeing that it was Ji Xiaofeng¡¯s call, Lu Ying picked it up in a frenzy: ¡°Brother Ji! Is there any news from Brother Yang?¡± Brother Yang had returned to the mountain a week ago, and Dr. Hu was on standby. ¡°Good news to you, the baby has been born safely!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Lu Ying exclaimed. ¡°Congratulations, little piggy Lu, you have a new little aunt.¡± ¡°(¡Ño¡Ñ)¡­??¡± *** Mini-theatre: Mr. Gao: Lao Qin, come and try today¡¯s grilled venison, it is nourishing, a man should eat venison! Mr. Qin (angry): The deer is so cute, how can you eat it! Mr. Gao: What? (Didn¡¯t you eat it happily before?) Lu Ying: Let me try it, omg, venison is so delicious (*^¨Œ^*) Mr. Qin: ¡­¡­???? Mini-theatre-2: Mr. Qin: Let me call you by your nickname from now on. Lu Ying: Sure, what are you going to call me? Xiao Ying? Mr. Qin: No, no, I¡¯ll call you Xiao Lu (l¨´ here is ¡°deer¡±, not Lu like in Lu Ying¡¯s surname). Lu Ying: Xiao Lu? I don¡¯t like it, a lot of people call me Xiao Lu. Mr. Qin: Then I¡¯ll call you Xiao Lulu! Lu Ying: Why don¡¯t you call me Little Piggy? I like that, it¡¯s cute. Mr. Qin: ¡­¡­ Mini-theatre-3: Zaizai: What is your favourite animal, Dad? Mr. Qin: Of course it¡¯s a little deer, it¡¯s kind and cute. Lu Ying: Let¡¯s get a divorce. Mr. Qin: Why? Lu Ying: I like pigs and I can¡¯t stand you if you like deer. Mr. Qin: ¡­Wait, what¡¯s wrong? A long time later, Mr. Qin, who knew the truth, shed tears. Mr. Qin: I¡¯m sorry, I ate a lot of your kind¡­ Lu Ying: It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m also eating (gnawing on a pig¡¯s trotter). Hmm, want some? Mr. Qin: ¡­¡­ CH 44 Ji Xiaofeng¡¯s cheerful laughter caused the dumbfounded Lu Ying¡¯s head to spin for a few seconds. He then rolled over and got up, dressed quickly and left the house. In the middle of the night, he ran alone towards Qixia Mountain. Only halfway there did he remember to give Jin Dachu a warning in case Zaizai woke up and couldn¡¯t find him. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s bodyguard now lived opposite his apartment, keeping a low profile at night, but appearing at the doorstep during the day to wait for Lu Zaizai to go to school. When Lu Ying was particularly busy, Jin Dachu would also do the grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning and other chores, which was very handy and made it much easier for Lu Ying. Only Qin Zhuopu¡¯s watchful eyes reminded him from time to time to be careful; even a male bodyguard was not allowed to live under one roof with Lu Ying. When Lu Ying heard it, he was speechless. Qin Zhuopu had purposely arranged for a bodyguard with such a ¡®distinctive¡¯ look; wasn¡¯t his narrow mind too obvious? Hehe, he was clearly lacking trust in Lu Ying, as if Lu Ying would be tempted when meeting a good-looking guy. If it were so, he would have been with Brother Ji years ago! There was also such an elegant and handsome man as Brother Yang, who was even more likely to make a heart grow fonder¡­ Ouch; Lu Ying shivered. Shaking his head in the cold night air, he remembered that Brother Yang¡¯s daughter had been born, and Brother Yang¡¯s never-to-be-seen lover would finally show his face¡­ Lu Ying didn¡¯t know if his constant suspicions and guesses were right all along, but Ji Xiaofeng¡¯s teasing was like a shot that pierced his heart and made his scalp feel numb. A little aunt, oh, an aunt younger than his son¡­ Lu Ying was about to vomit blood. As soon as Lu Ying arrived at the intersection near Lujia Village, he happened to run into Liu Dichuan who got out of the car. The two met and smiled at each other, and then Liu Dichuan couldn¡¯t stop laughing. His ¡®hahaha¡® was shaking the mountain and fields for a long time. Lu Ying: ¡°¡­¡­ ¡± It feels like all of you knew the secret and hid it from me! Am I still the most favoured Little Piggy Lu on Qixia Mountain, after all? t©nt ¡°Is it that funny?¡­ Brother Liu, I¡¯ll be angry if you laugh again.¡± Lu Ying pouted and sighed. ¡°Hahaha, Lu Ying, why aren¡¯t you laughing? Are you so unhappy that your little aunt was born? No, it should be said that your little niece was born, Brother Yang¡¯s daughter, oh. I wonder if Brother Yang will agree to let me be the godfather of the little princess. I like cute little girls the most.¡± Liu Dichuan was full of energy that almost matched Ji Xiaofeng¡¯s. Lu Ying was walking fast and furious. He didn¡¯t want to care about the ¡®gloating¡¯ Liu Dichuan but he couldn¡¯t help but blurt out, ¡°Brother Liu likes little girls so much, he can have one himself. Brother Yang can do it, so you can too. Go for it!¡± ¡°No! I can¡¯t.¡± Liu Dichuan waved his hand with a frightened look on his face: ¡°I only like ladies with delicate soft bodies and big sisters with nice front and back curves.¡± Lu Ying showed no mercy: ¡°But you¡¯ve always been a single dog.¡± ¡°!!!¡± Liu Dichuan was heartbroken: ¡°Ouch, I can¡¯t afford to mess with you!¡± Quickly shutting his mouth, he chased after Lu Ying and ran towards Qixia Mountain. When they arrived at the mansion in the mountain, Lu Ying stopped at the door and took a few deep breaths, mentally preparing himself before stepping inside. Liu Dichuan was already a few steps ahead of him and rushed to the inner room. The door to the room was open, and the sound of lively laughter came out from time to time. When Lu Ying walked in, the first thing he saw was the profile of the man sitting at the mahogany table, holding a swaddled baby and concentrating on feeding it with a bottle. It was a face that was all too familiar, yet inevitably unfamiliar. ¡°Lu Ying, you¡¯re here.¡± Without waiting for the bewildered Lu Ying to speak, the man looked up at him. A familiar voice, a familiar gentle smile; it was the same as before, as if he had never left at all. Lu Ying instantly burst into tears: ¡°Grand¡­ Grandpa¡­ woo! Why didn¡¯t you¡­ tell me?¡± Obviously he was alive and well and so close to him, and he didn¡¯t let him know, he even deliberately avoided him. Grandpa did it and Brother Yang was also an accomplice. Lu Qianchuan let out a long sigh, ¡°This is a long story. Do you want to see¡­ your little aunt first?¡± Lu Ying was so annoyed that he immediately snorted a snot bubble, wiped his hands and corrected through the gritted teeth: ¡°Okay! Let me see Brother Yang¡¯s little princess, my little niece!¡± As he said that, he stepped forward with reddened eyes and looked intently at the newborn baby who was drinking milk powder. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Qianchuan¡¯s heart stuttered and his old face turned red. Liu Dichuan and Ji Xiaofeng in the room clapped their hands and laughed, and Yang Sigu, who was lying on the bed pretending to be asleep, couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter and pulled the wound, which was not a pleasant feeling. But his heart was happy; he wanted his daughter to be Zaizai¡¯s little sister, not some aunt. ¡°She looks so much like Brother Yang, elegant and beautiful.¡± Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help but smile and praise. The little baby was white and clean, with round eyes and double eyelids. Although she was only a newborn, she was already very energetic and looked excited with her big eyes wide open, staring ahead and quietly drinking milk. Lying in Lu Qianchuan¡¯s embrace, she was enjoying herself, feeling very comfortable. Soon, the bottle of milk was drained by her and she burped a little. Lu Ying¡¯s heart melted and he couldn¡¯t help but reach out, ¡°Let me hug her! I want to hug her!¡± The little baby reminded him of when Lu Zaizai was born; he also looked so cute but of course Lu Zaizai¡¯s fleshy face was a lot bigger than hers. How could Lu Qianchuan refuse Lu Ying? He carefully gave the child to Lu Ying. Lu Ying accepted her skillfully. The little girl arched in his arms, as if resisting the strange embrace. She wriggled twice, her little face turned red, she opened her mouth and started crying¡­ Lu Ying panicked and quickly stuffed the child back into Lu Qianchuan¡¯s arms: ¡°Is she afraid of me?¡± It was amazing that the little baby immediately stopped crying as soon as she returned to Lu Qianchuan¡¯s arms. She yawned, closed her eyes and fell asleep. ¡°Sure enough, she recognises her origin.¡± Lu Ying sighed helplessly. ¡°Yeah, yeah, she doesn¡¯t even want me, she cries as soon as I hug her, this little princess is really of a different kind.¡± Ji Xiaofeng almost laughed out loud. The past few days were hard. Ever since he found out who Brother Yang¡¯s lover was, he had felt shocked and suffocated, and now he could finally let off steam. ¡°What else would a little princess be? She must be sensitive and delicate. It¡¯s not the same as a little brat.¡± Liu Dichuan agreed, helplessly spreading his hands, ¡°It¡¯s a pity she won¡¯t let me hug her either.¡± Lu Ying laughed, ¡°A lot of little kids are like that. I guess she only wants to be hugged by Brother Yang and Grandpa Lu.¡± ¡°En, she doesn¡¯t want anyone, she only wants to be hugged by the two of us to stop crying.¡± Lu Qianchuan smiled, his eyes full of uncontrollable tenderness and pride. When Lu Ying saw him looking intently at the little girl in his arms, he couldn¡¯t help but think of himself when he was a little boy. Lu Qianchuan loved him and Zaizai very much, didn¡¯t he? No matter how little Grandpa Lu said in front of outsiders, he was always responsive to them and answered all their questions. Only this time Lu Ying was kept completely in the dark. But he was sure that Grandpa Lu had a reason and would give him an explanation anyway. Lu Ying adjusted his mood and felt much lighter. No matter what, he had to congratulate the first-time fathers, his grandfather and Brother Yang. Lu Ying said softly with a sly smile: ¡°Congratulations on becoming a father, Sister-in-law!¡± Then he quickly scurried to Brother Yang¡¯s side and squatted down. ¡°¡­Lu Ying, you!!!¡± Lu Qianchuan was furious, glaring at Lu Ying fiercely. ¡°Hahaha, no, my stomach hurts from laughing today!¡± Ji Xiaofeng clutched his belly and bent back in laughter. Even Dr. Hu, who had just entered the door, couldn¡¯t help but gloat at his old friend¡¯s black face. ¡°Wow, hahaha¡­¡± Liu Dichuan was too loud, so he covered his mouth and rushed out to laugh. ¡°Good job, little piggy Lu, this ¡®Sister-in-law¡¯ sounds really moving.¡± Ji Xiaofeng shivered, ¡°Today Brother Ji is convinced and calls you ¡®Big Brother¡¯!¡± ¡°What a load of nonsense!¡± Lu Qianchuan was so angry that his eyes crossed. He reacted too much and the daughter in his arms suddenly shrunk and wanted to cry. Lu Qianchuan quickly changed his face, picked up his daughter and shook her gently, shutting his mouth and not daring to admonish anyone again. Lu Ying, who escaped the catastrophe, chuckled in a low voice, ¡°Heh¡­ I¡¯m so happy! Brother Yang, congratulations on becoming a father, with an extra sweet little padded jacket!¡± Yang Sigu wanted to laugh but didn¡¯t dare. When he heard the words, he felt relieved, ¡°Thank you, Lu Ying. Your sister-in-law is right, you¡¯re really funny. You made me laugh as soon as you came. How come your little mouth is so sweet? I really like it so much (*^^^*)¡± Advertisements ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s not true, Sister-in-law praises me too much.¡± Lu Ying scratched his head and smiled: ¡°Is Brother Yang feeling well? I¡¯ll bring you the stew tomorrow and get you anything else you want to eat.¡± ¡°Thank you, I don¡¯t want to bother you with all the running around, I¡¯ll take the baby home in a few days anyway.¡± ¡°No trouble at all, I¡¯m definitely bringing Zaizai over tomorrow to see his¡­ little sister. I had originally prepared some daily necessities for the little one, so I¡¯ll bring them along tomorrow.¡± Heh, what little aunt, not recognising any little aunts! Yang Sigu bowed his head and smiled: ¡°Okay, okay, Zaizai, her big brother, is always welcome to visit her. The little girl will definitely be very happy, and she will need Zaizai to take his little sister to play in the future.¡± ¡°No problem, Zaizai always envied other kids who have a little brother or sister to play games together. Now it¡¯s okay, finally he has a little buddy.¡± Lu Qianchuan, who was holding the baby, listened to all their chatter, feeling indescribably helpless as Lu Ying and Yang Sigu pulled his seniority status down to the ground and trampled on it! There was nothing he could do about it. He couldn¡¯t even yell at the kid if he wanted to. Okay, he could yell but then he would have to coax the little girl when she got scared. And to yell at Yang Sigu? This was even more impossible, don¡¯t dare, don¡¯t dare. Lu Qianchuan had no choice but to hold the child, sulking, his brow furrowed into a ¡®chuan¡¯ frown (¡®´¨¡¯ ¨C chu¨¡n ¨C river). After chatting with Brother Yang for a while, Lu Ying consciously went out, closed the door and let Brother Yang have a good rest, leaving only Lu Qianchuan and the baby guarding him. Elder Xu prepared supper, and everyone sat down to eat and chat. No matter what, today was a good day, and the addition of a new baby in the mountains was a joy. The rest of the group were still on their way. They heard that Brother Yang had given birth to a daughter, and everyone wanted to see her. Although Lu Ying still had some unanswered questions on his mind, he was happy. On the way back, he couldn¡¯t resist posting on Moments. Perfect Dad: Welcome my little niece (*¨Œ*) [Picture 1] The photo was just a white tender paw of a little baby that he stole from Brother Ji in the group. In the morning Lu Ying told Lu Zaizai the good news as soon as the child woke up. But Lu Zaizai was not so happy after hearing it; instead he was confused, ¡°Dad, then who gave birth to my little niece?¡± ¡°She¡¯s¡­ ahem, your Uncle Yang¡¯s daughter.¡± Lu Ying rubbed his forehead. Lu Zaizai frowned:, ¡°But Uncle Yang is not married. Last time I saw him he was still a bachelor!¡± ¡°Geez, you know the word bachelor? Don¡¯t ask so many questions, anyway, your little sister¡¯s father is Uncle Yang and¡­¡± Lu Ying covered his face, really unable to explain to his son. Lu Ying thought frantically, secretly cursing Grandpa Lu for being a dishonourable old guy! On the first day of vacation, Jin Dachu was responsible for taking Lu Zouxiu to play in the community playground, and Lu Ying went to work in the bakery by himself. On the way, he looked through his mobile phone; now he received many likes from friends and colleagues, as well as Qin Zhuopu¡¯s message. Qin Zhuopu: The little hand is the hand of a beautiful little princess at first glance. Congratulations on becoming an uncle. Perfect Dad: Very cute, right? Thank you. Qin Zhuopu: Really cute. If only Zaizai were a girl. I¡¯d like a daughter. Perfect Dad: You can¡¯t force it, just accept your fate. Qin Zhuopu: Anyway, although my son is a big guy, he is also a little padded jacket and a sweetie. Perfect Dad: Tsk, don¡¯t be shameless, who is your son? Did I agree? Did Zaizai agree? Wait for him to call your Dad, then you can talk about it again. Qin Zhuopu: Disagreeing doesn¡¯t change the fact. The fat kid can call me anything he wants, I don¡¯t care now. Perfect Dad: Just cry in your heart. Let¡¯s not talk anymore. I¡¯m going to start work. Qin Zhuopu: Go ahead! The mooncake gift box was already received in the office. The employees all said that the mooncakes this year are delicious. You are awesome! Perfect Dad: (#^^#) kiss.jpg Putting down his mobile phone, Qin Zhuopu turned the pen in his hand, his eyes a little distant. Advertisements Although Lu Ying hadn¡¯t told him who his little niece¡¯s parents were, he could more or less guess that one of them should be Boss Yang of the bakery. Last time Boss Yang was sick and almost fainted, he and Lu Ying personally sent him to Dr. Hu¡¯s house. Since then, Boss Yang had been recuperating behind closed doors, and Lu Ying was making delicious soups and delivering them to Boss Yang¡¯s house every day. What¡¯s more, once he accidentally saw Boss Yang himself. If it had been before, Qin Zhuopu would have reasonably thought that Boss Yang had put on a little weight in his middle age. But now, he was almost 100% sure that Lu Ying¡¯s little niece was born to Boss Yang himself. He just didn¡¯t know who the other father of the child was. Lu Ying¡¯s siblings all probably were not mere mortals. Lu Ying had been busy all day, and in the evening he took Lu Zaizai to Qixia Mountain to visit Brother Yang and the little baby. He had already prepared his son on the way, but when Zaizai really saw Grandpa Lu, the little guy still rushed over like a little cannonball in surprise: ¡°Grandpa Lu! It¡¯s really you!¡± Lu Qianchuan subconsciously reached out and hugged him, showing a doting smile: ¡°Little Zaizai, you¡¯ve grown up.¡± One big guy and one little guy hugged each other happily, and Lu Ying was very relieved watching this picture he hadn¡¯t seen for a long time. No matter how angry he was at Grandpa Lu for this ¡®secret¡¯, he would never really blame him. Not only had Lu Qianchuan raised him; Zaizai was also in Grandpa Lu¡¯s care until he was three, otherwise Lu Ying would have had problems trying to go out to work. ¡°Where have you been, Grandpa Lu? Dad said we would never see you again after you died, but why are you alive again now? And Grandpa Lu, you seem to be a little younger! Zaizai missed you so much!¡± Zaizai kept babbling happily. Lu Qianchuan was very patient with the child he had brought up for three years, able to put away any bad temper he had. Lu Qianchuan wanted to explain everything to Lu Ying today, and now was a good time to do so. ¡°Zaizai, Grandpa Lu was reborn in fire.¡± Lu Qianchuan stroked the child¡¯s hair and said, ¡°Grandpa Lu missed you too, good boy.¡± He gave Lu Zaizai a hug. During his weakest and most difficult time, this innocent and lovely child accompanied him and watching him grow up, Lu Qianchuan had managed to change his mentality a lot unconsciously. ¡°Then Grandpa Lu won¡¯t go away from now on, right? Will I still be able to see Grandpa Lu often?¡± Lu Zaizai looked at the man nervously. Lu Qianchuan nodded, ¡°Grandpa Lu won¡¯t leave in the future. Grandpa Lu can watch cartoons with you.¡± ¡°Great! Are you happy, Dad?¡± Lu Ying smiled, ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy.¡± Lu Zaizai suddenly hugged him, ¡°It¡¯s so good, Grandpa Lu comes home and Dad won¡¯t be sad anymore.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying sighed. He was very sad and depressed when Grandpa Lu left, but he didn¡¯t expect the child to still remember it. Lu Qianchuan¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, full of guilt. ¡°Zaizai, go to see your little sister. She is very cute. Remember not to touch your little sister carelessly, just protect her.¡± Lu Ying instructed his son. Lu Zaizai forgot what he had asked and went to see his little sister with great interest. Lu Qianchuan sighed and corrected, ¡°It¡¯s his aunt, not little sister, how can you lower our seniority so much? You even dare to call me Sister-in-law, really, really¡­ whose bad example did you learn from, hey!¡± The guy still wanted to talk about seniority! Lu Ying sat down at the table and took a sip of cold water, unceremoniously saying to Lu Qianchuan, ¡°I have a good relationship with Brother Yang, of course I count according to his seniority. Besides, this looks more reasonable. Otherwise, if Zaizai takes the little princess out to play on the slide in the future and calls her ¡®Aunt¡¯, Grandpa, don¡¯t you think it¡¯ll be creepy?¡± ¡°What¡¯s creepy about it¡­? The truth is the truth, I am the elder, my daughter¡¯s seniority is higher than yours.¡± Lu Qianchuan was unconvinced. Lu Ying hummed, ¡°Hehe¡­ how come I didn¡¯t know before that Grandpa Lu was so shameless, an embarrassment to all the elders! You¡¯re an old cow eating young grass! Brother Yang has such a good personality, is versatile and capable, and he is the man I call Brother Yang. You are already a grandfather, a real old-timer, how can you have the nerve to do a thing like this to him¡­?¡± Lu Ying¡¯s words made Lu Qianchuan¡¯s blood pressure soar and he retorted with an angry glare, ¡°You¡¯re offending your elders and you¡¯re calling me shameless? How can I be shameless? I am in love with Yangyang, and we are willing to do it, why do you make it sound so unpleasant? You think I¡¯m an old bastard? There¡¯s not much difference in age between me and him! Don¡¯t talk nonsense if you don¡¯t know.¡± Yangyang? Sheep sheep? (the character for ¡®y¨¢ng¡¯ is ¡®sheep¡¯, not Yang in Brother Yang¡¯s surname) o(¨s¡õ¨t)o Lu Ying¡¯s teeth suddenly ached, ah¡­ this elder was killing him, oh horror. Quickly shaking his head to stop himself from fantasising about the pictures he shouldn¡¯t have imagined, Lu Ying muttered: ¡°I didn¡¯t say you¡¯re an old bastard, you admit it yourself, not bad.¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± Lu Qianchuan was so angry that he slapped the table, ¡°Following bad examples, you, you never dared to speak to me like that before. So rude and impolite, what have I done to make you lecture me like that?¡± Lu Ying propped up his head and continued, ¡°You¡¯ve been hiding from me, not telling me anything. Brother Yang also kept it from me and didn¡¯t let me know until the baby was born. Were you afraid that I would laugh at you? Or were you afraid that I would stop you? Although I think you¡¯re particularly cheeky for doing this, Grandpa Lu, but Brother Yang and you did it willingly, so how could I say anything against it? I don¡¯t know anything if you hide it from me. As long as I¡¯m told, of course I¡¯ll support you.¡± Lu Ying said in exasperation, ¡°You¡¯ve actually lived at Brother Yang¡¯s house this year, haven¡¯t you? And I haven¡¯t seen you. You were deliberately avoiding me.¡± Lu Qianchuan didn¡¯t expect Lu Ying¡¯s words. He explained, ¡°I didn¡¯t see you not because of that. Your Brother Yang and I had known each other for many years long before you were born. But we weren¡¯t together for too long before, we broke up because of our incompatible personalities.¡± Lu Ying was shocked; so it turned out to be a reunion of old lovers! No wonder he had grown up living in the mountains but rarely saw Brother Yang come there. Grandpa stayed in the mountains all year round and never went out, while Brother Yang was always out and about experiencing life, probably travelling around the world several times. When Brother Yang later settled in Qixia Town, Lu Ying was already sensible. No one on the mountain ever talked about their past. It was possible that no one had even known about it. Forget it, forget it, it was none of his business what the elders did with their twilight romance. The baby was born, so of course it was better to bless them. What Lu Ying cared about was not the fact that the elders were in love; he was angry that Grandpa Lu was around but wouldn¡¯t show up. ¡°If it¡¯s not because of that, then why did everyone know but I didn¡¯t?¡± Lu Ying said sullenly, ¡°If the child hadn¡¯t been born, would you still have kept it from me?¡± Lu Qianchuan shook his head, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hide it from you. My situation was more complicated before.¡± Exhaling, Lu Ying took the initiative to change the subject and didn¡¯t intentionally anger Grandpa Lu anymore. ¡°When Zaizai was three years old, you clearly¡­ I, I buried you in the stone chamber with my own hands. What is the situation now?¡± Lu Ying asked grimly. At that time he was grief-stricken and sad and it took a long time to get over it. Lu Qianchuan said guiltily, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have woken up. You could also see, I was already very weakened then.¡± ¡°En, could it be that Brother Yang¡­?¡± Lu Ying guessed a possibility. Lu Qianchuan nodded, ¡°He was the one who woke me up, at a great cost.¡± He said with a smile, ¡°But it¡¯s okay to accept this condition. To join hands for life and grow old together.¡± ¡°You guys¡­¡± Lu Ying had a dull ache in his heart. He didn¡¯t expect Brother Yang to pay so much. He knew what it meant. For a moment, there was nothing to say except admiration. Lu Qianchuan stroked his hair and said soothingly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much about the two of us, you child. It¡¯s all fine now, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a child.¡± Lu Ying retorted, adding, ¡°I want your family to be happy.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll always be a child in my eyes.¡± Lu Qianchuan smiled kindly. Lu Qianchuan continued, ¡°I was very weak when I woke up and my situation was uncertain. So I didn¡¯t let him or the old fox tell the public.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s what happened¡­¡± Lu Ying understood. But he wasn¡¯t an outsider, was he? ¡°I deliberately avoided you¡­ because I did something wrong to you.¡± Lu Qianchuan sighed. Lu Ying was confused: ¡°Grandpa Lu, you would do something wrong to me?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Jingle bells, jingle bells. Lu Ying smiled apologetically, ¡°I¡¯ll take a call.¡± He stepped aside and lowered his voice, ¡°Hello, what is it? Ah, you¡¯re over here already? I¡¯m on Qixia Mountain, not at home. You bought my niece a present? This¡­¡± He hesitated, wondering if he should ask Qin Zhuopu to come up the mountain at this time. After all, Brother Yang had just given birth. Lu Qianchuan put down his teacup and said, ¡°Let him come here, just in time for you two to be together so that I can make it clear all at once.¡± ¡°Is it okay?¡± Lu Ying looked into the room. Lu Qianchuan nodded, ¡°He should know what he should know. You¡¯re sure of him anyway, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°En.¡± Lu Ying blushed, his attitude very clear. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Lu Qianchuan had a headache. The more Lu Ying cared for that boy, the more he felt guilty for what he had done back then. Lu Ying asked carefully, ¡°Then I¡¯ll let him up here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Ying joyfully informed Qin Zhuopu, ¡°Come straight up to Qixia Mountain, my Grandpa Lu wants to see you.¡± In Qixia Town, Qin Zhuopu hung up the phone; a smile appeared on his face as he walked towards Qixia Mountain. The place he had not been able to reach seven years ago, this time he could finally walk into it openly and honestly. *** Mini-theatre: Zaizai: Let me introduce to you all, this is my little sister Yang Xiaolu (Little Deer)! She¡¯s under my protection! Xiaolu: No, I¡¯m his aunt! Zaizai: ¡­¡­ Mini theatre-2: Zaizai: Don¡¯t be mad, dear, that was my sister just now, you misunderstood! Xiaolu: He lied to you! Don¡¯t listen to him! I¡¯m not his sister! Zaizai: Yes, yes, yes! You¡¯re my aunt! Onlookers: ¡­¡­ Mini-theatre-3: Mr. Qin: I bought a lot of gifts for your niece. Your niece is my niece. Lu Ying: ^_^ Not bad, not bad.. Mr. Qin: My little niece is so cute, come on, come on, here¡¯s a red envelope, take it! Lu Qianchuan: This is your little aunt! Mr. Qin: ¡­¡­ Lu Ying: Little aunt is an elder, so why don¡¯t you take back the red envelope? Mr. Qin: ¡­¡­ Lu Qianchuan: ¡­¡­ Brother Yang: Ahem, she¡¯s your niece! Where¡¯s the red envelope?l CH 45 The brighter the smile on Lu Ying¡¯s face was, the more restless Lu Qianchuan¡¯s heart became. He had been lectured by Yang Sigu for what he had done for such a long time that his ears almost fell off. He admitted that he had done something wrong, but what was done was done and there was no turning back time. He had no other choice but to tell Lu Ying honestly, and he was afraid that the child would not trust him in the future and would be disappointed in him. After all, it was the child he had brought up, and it would be very difficult for him if there was a rift between them. Lu Ying¡¯s mood was not much calmer at the moment. Qin Zhuopu was coming up the mountain. This was a very exciting moment, and he was coming to see Brother Yang¡¯s child. Would Qin Zhuopu be suspicious? Lu Ying stood at the door looking down the mountain and wondered if he should take this opportunity to tell Qin Zhuopu about Lu Zaizai¡¯s origin and let Qin Zhuopu know that Zaizai was his own son and that Lu Ying had a special physique. Or wait until Zaizai was able to openly accept two fathers and could willingly call Qin Zhuopu ¡®Dad¡¯¡­ Lu Ying was torn for a moment. He was curious to see how Qin Zhuopu would react if he knew that Zaizai was his own son. Lu Ying thought suddenly: I really want to see what he looks like at that time, will he be happy like a fool? Elder Xu brought over tea and snacks, ¡°Lu Ying, come and try the snacks I made today and the flower tea we just collected in the autumn. Ahem, you can communicate properly about anything, don¡¯t get angry with your grandfather.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you, Elder Xu.¡± Lu Ying was a little puzzled, biting into a small snack and looking at the silent Grandpa Lu strangely: ¡°Why should I be angry with Grandpa Lu?¡± Elder Xu laughed dryly and Lu Ying blinked, ¡°I¡¯m not angry, I¡¯m just a little annoyed that he woke up and didn¡¯t tell me. He lived in the same community and still hid from me, huh? But it¡¯s just a little bit annoyed. Now that Grandpa Lu is well, of course I¡¯m happy more than anything. And now he¡¯s with Brother Yang and has a little baby. It¡¯s good there¡¯s someone to keep him company. Grandpa Lu used to be so stubborn, staying in the mountains all the time and refusing to go out to meet people. Now he has changed a lot, and I think that¡¯s good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Lao Lu has changed a lot. Before¡­ ahem, he was indeed a bit stubborn.¡± Elder Xu put down the refreshments and hurried away. Lu Ying ate two small biscuits and finally felt that Grandpa Lu who was silent for a long time was very strange. ¡°Grandpa Lu, why aren¡¯t you talking? You aren¡¯t angry with me for talking back to you, are you?¡± Lu Ying looked at Grandpa Lu: ¡°I won¡¯t do that in the future, just as long as you¡¯re well.¡± Grandpa Lu drained his tea in one gulp and let out a long sigh. ¡°As I said, it was Grandpa who did something wrong and Grandpa is sorry.¡± Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help but tense up, ¡°What exactly?¡± He couldn¡¯t imagine what Grandpa Lu would do. After all, he was now living a good life with his son and Qin Zhuopu, every day fulfilling and happy. A long-distance relationship occasionally made him miss his absent lover, but every time they met again, they could experience a deep joy. There was nothing wrong with this life. Lu Qianchuan estimated that Qin Zhuopu should almost be here, and he had to say it sooner or later. ¡°I deliberately avoided you because I didn¡¯t know how to face you. Seven years ago, I took it upon myself to prevent you and that person surnamed Qin from seeing each other. This time when I regained my life, your Brother Yang scolded me when he found out and lectured me a lot before I reflected on the fact that I was wrong. He was right to scold me. I used to be stubborn and old-fashioned and hated people outside, thinking that we should stay in the mountains away from humans.¡± Hearing the truth, Lu Ying was stunned and spilled half a cup of water in his hand. ¡°What did you do back then?¡± Lu Ying¡¯s eyes widened; he couldn¡¯t believe it. Lu Qianchuan said bluntly, ¡°That boy found his way to Qixia Mountain. I stepped in and asked him to leave and erased that memory¡­¡± At that time, as soon as Lu Ying had come back, he immediately noticed that something was wrong with Lu Ying¡¯s body. Still in shock, before he had time to tell Lu Ying, he found out that Qin Zhuopu came looking for him. Lu Ying stood up abruptly, his chest heaving. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that Grandpa Lu, who had doted on him so much and indulged him so much, would do such a thing. And he was stupid and ignorant, and kept blaming Qin Zhuopu for not coming to him. Qin Zhuopu himself thought that his brain and his memory were confused and he was physically ill. ¡°You¡­¡± Lu Ying panted, unable to speak for a long time. ¡°At that time I just found out that your body had changed and I was very angry.¡± Lu Qianchuan said. ¡°But you knew I was waiting for him, and you said as long as I liked him¡­¡± Lu Ying¡¯s eyes were red and his voice was trembling. Lu Qianchuan¡¯s expression darkened, ¡°I actually had no other thoughts but anger at the time. I was afraid you would be sad before I had time to coax you. In my eyes he was not a good thing, and his mother dared to bully you, even more inappropriate. I never went down the mountain because I hated humans. How could I tolerate him when you went down for a year and were driven back in disgrace? He was not good enough for you!¡± His white, tender little pig that was raised so well was dug up by a stinky cabbage gang, and he was almost irate(1). ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you tell me the truth? You kept it from me, and I waited foolishly, resenting him and missing him, and it turned out it wasn¡¯t like that at all! No wonder you said that if he didn¡¯t come for three years, I wasn¡¯t allowed to look for him, you knew he wouldn¡¯t come at all¡­ anymore and might even forget me.¡± Lu Ying was really crying, unable to control his tears. He couldn¡¯t say the words of forgiveness to Grandpa Lu, nor could he hate him. If, after those three years, he had forgotten Qin Zhuopu, then he might have just smiled when he mentioned it now. Unfortunately no, there was always the only person he had liked. ¡°Lu Ying¡­¡± Yang Sigu pushed the door open and walked in, looked at the two with a complicated expression and said helplessly, ¡°Lu Qianchuan is a dummy, you can scold him if you want, don¡¯t be polite. I understand how you feel. He is particularly old-fashioned and stubborn, unable to accept new things. He was not even willing to accompany me on trips down the mountain. I had to nag him every day to set his brain right, and it took him a long time to realise that his behaviour was wrong.¡± Advertisements Lu Ying wiped his tears, drew in his breath and said, ¡°Qin Zhuopu thought he had a problem with his brain. He kept saying he couldn¡¯t have done that, but I didn¡¯t believe him. He had headaches several times and I didn¡¯t suspect for a second that someone had done something to him, and that it was Grandpa Lu.¡± Lu Qianchuan was silent. ¡°He¡¯s just an ordinary guy who doesn¡¯t know anything. He doesn¡¯t even know that Zaizai is his child. You treat him like this, when he finds out, how am I going to face him? Even if you think he¡¯s bad and doesn¡¯t fit with us, you should have told me.¡± Lu Ying¡¯s heart was clogged. Lu Qianchuan sighed, ¡°He should have recovered his memory. I gave it back to him.¡± Lu Ying was stunned, ¡°Recovered?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Lu Ying recalled in a daze the abnormal Qin Zhuopu of the last time, and the leaf in his pocket. Suddenly it became clear: Qin Zhuopu regained his memory. But he didn¡¯t even mention it to him. Lu Ying lowered his head and didn¡¯t speak for a long time. He didn¡¯t want to talk to Grandpa Lu now. No amount of talk could change the past. This kind of uncomfortable, heavy and complicated feeling he had experienced seven years ago, the day Mrs. Qin asked him to leave. Elder Xu pushed the door open again and looked at Lu Ying, ¡°Mr. Qin has arrived at the foot of the mountain, do you need me to go and pick him up?¡± Lu Ying rubbed his eyes and stood up, ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°Lu Ying¡­¡± Lu Qianchuan wanted to say something else but didn¡¯t know what to say. He could only watch as Lu Ying darted down the mountain. Yang Sigu sat down to pour himself a cup of tea, ¡°Hey¡­ it¡¯s good to say it, you finally confessed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll still be willing to recognise me in the future¡­¡± Lu Qianchuan drank two cups of tea in a row. Yang Sigu glanced at him: ¡°You deserve that. What if your daughter brings a boyfriend back when she grows up?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll break that man¡¯s legs!¡± Lu Qianchuan blurted out. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yang Sigu took a deep breath, got up and walked away with a cold snort: ¡°You¡¯d better live alone in the mountains.¡± Lu Qianchuan was instantly chagrined and hurriedly followed behind him to reflect and admit his mistake. Qin Zhuopu, dressed in a light sports outfit and shoes, carrying a backpack, was climbing up Qixia Mountain. The clothes he had found at Lu Ying¡¯s place, brand new and in the right size. They looked like they had been bought especially for him. Although they were not necessarily expensive, he liked Lu Ying¡¯s choice. Last time he wore a .99 t-shirt as pyjamas, he had a very good night¡¯s sleep. Despite the sweltering heat of the night and the fact that he was already sweating from the rush, Qin Zhuopu was in a happy mood, as comfortable as on a spring walk. He even hummed a light-hearted tune as he walked along the mountain path with his flashlight in hand. He remembered the time he had entered Qixia Mountain on New Year¡¯s Eve, when the path was rocky and thorny and there was no way to go. Today, the mountain path was magical, open to his eyes and accepting him. In the darkness of the night, Qin Zhuopu made his way forward. Far away, Lu Ying in the forest could already hear Qin Zhuopu¡¯s footsteps and the softly hummed tune. Without seeing him yet, Lu Ying knew that he was in a happy mood. It was not often that one saw such a relaxed Qin Zhuopu. Lu Ying¡¯s irritable and heavy mood was relieved by half. He wiped his face, pulled himself together and ran quickly to Qin Zhuopu. Qin Zhuopu raised his eyes and saw his lover rushing to him in a gust of wind. He subconsciously opened his arms and caught his lover¡¯s strong impact. Fortunately, he spent an hour a day lifting iron recently, otherwise he would not have been able to keep his balance so steady. ¡°Why are you so excited to come to pick me up?¡± Qin Zhuopu asked with a smile as he hugged his lover firmly. Lu Ying wrapped his arms around Qin Zhuopu¡¯s neck and wrapped his legs around his waist, burying his head in his shoulder like an aggrieved child, making himself completely dependent on him. Qin Zhuopu held Lu Ying¡¯s ass with both hands and pawed it with a smile on his face, saying nonchalantly, ¡°You can¡¯t learn from your son to be coquettish and expect me to carry you around. To be honest, I can¡¯t walk a few steps with you in my arms. Tsk, you look thin, but you hide all the flesh under your clothes. You¡¯re really heavy, what if I sprain my old back?¡± Lu Ying moved, but still didn¡¯t go down. His head rubbed against Qin Zhuopu¡¯s neck as he said in a cranky voice, ¡°Are you a fool?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Qin Zhuopu was helpless, ¡°Come on, why don¡¯t you get onto my back and I¡¯ll try to piggyback you?¡± ¡°No, I want it this way.¡± Lu Ying decisively refused. ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll try my best. Let¡¯s just think of it as lifting iron for fitness.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled and really carried Lu Ying as he continued his way. It was a heavy burden, but he was willing and quite enjoying the sweetness. Lu Ying bowed his head and muttered, ¡°I¡¯m not a lump of iron¡­ I said you were a fool, didn¡¯t you hear me?¡± ¡°I heard. Last time you even called me big pig trotters, what¡¯s next time?¡± Qin Zhuopu teased. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying bit him on the ear, not too hard, not even leaving a mark, only to make Qin Zhuopu itch and shrink his neck, swaying on his feet and almost dropping Lu Ying. Qin Zhuopu was distraught and yelled at Lu Ying softly, ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me, do you want to fall? Don¡¯t even think about it now, I still have to meet your grandfather in a decent manner, so be good.¡± ¡°No!¡± Lu Ying stiffened and gasped. Qin Zhuopu was stunned, ¡°Why, what happened?¡± Lu Ying buried his head, ¡°You fool, the person who gave you a leaf that day was my grandfather. Your memory was restored, you obviously know better than I do. Why didn¡¯t you tell me then?¡± ¡°¡­your grandfather told you?¡± Qin Zhuopu breathed a sigh of relief and patted his back, ¡°I would be lying if I said I didn¡¯t care at all. I found the mountain but lost you, missing out on seven years. But¡­ I can understand how he feels.¡± In the short time after his memory was restored, the fire of his anger had no time to rise before it was completely extinguished by the mystery of Grandpa Lu and Lu Ying¡¯s origin. More than dwelling on the painful events that had passed, he cared about what was in front of him. Grandpa Lu and Lu Ying were both non-human beings, and the differences between the races were so great that Grandpa Lu might still oppose him. Would the other clansmen on the mountain be unable to accept him as an ordinary human either? But thinking about it in a different way, he was already a father, and Zaizai was a good boy. How would he cope as a father if Zaizai fell in love with someone particularly different in the future? Without having encountered and experienced it himself, he would not dare to say that he would be 100% supportive of his child¡¯s choice. Advertisements Besides, Grandpa Lu¡¯s family was so magical and mysterious that he wouldn¡¯t have believed it existed if he hadn¡¯t met it in person. The more alternative it was, the more cautious you needed to be against the eyes of the outsiders. If you accidentally met someone and exposed yourself, more than just one or two people would be involved. There were many other companions on the mountain. Grandpa Lu wanted him to forget about Lu Ying, and Qin Zhuopu could really understand that. It is impossible to argue with the fact that different people have different hearts. Not to mention the hearts of non-humans. Lu Ying¡¯s eyes widened. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s tolerance made his heart beat nervously, ¡°You can understand?¡± Qin Zhuopu nodded, ¡°I have long since reconciled. As long as he is willing to bless us now, it is more important for us to be happy together as a family than anything else.¡± After a pause, he sighed sadly, ¡°Really, I¡¯m happy that your Grandpa Lu allowed me to come up the mountain. I¡¯m not afraid of anything, but I was afraid he would still oppose us. But now it feels like he has accepted me?¡± ¡°¡­you¡­¡± Lu Ying, who was full of sorrowful thoughts, was dumbfounded, grabbed Qin Zhuopu by the shoulders and stared at him in a daze, ¡°Why are you like this¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu pressed his forehead to Lu Ying¡¯s: ¡°What else? If he makes me lose my memory again, I don¡¯t know if I will meet you again in the next seven years. A fairy like you, where can I find the second one in the whole world?¡± ¡°You, woo¡­ there will never be a second time. Even if there is, I will take Zaizai to you, and I will definitely come.¡± Lu Ying whimpered in a low voice, remembering that he had wanted to go to Qin Zhuopu many times. Even if he was shameless, he wanted to go. But in the end it all remained a fantasy. He hadn¡¯t acted on it, he felt that Qin Zhuopu, who hadn¡¯t appeared once, might really not care too much about him. He was timid, and he didn¡¯t have the courage to go and make sure. Raising his hand to wipe Lu Ying¡¯s reddened eyes, Qin Zhuopu comforted him softly: ¡°Don¡¯t cry. What if Zaizai sees you, he will definitely laugh at you.¡± ¡°He won¡¯t¡­¡± Lu Ying smiled and sniffled, ¡°He will comfort me and say ¡®Dad, don¡¯t cry¡¯.¡± Qin Zhuopu kissed his eyes, ¡°Yes, with such a sweet son and such a handsome husband, don¡¯t cry in the future. If you are happy every day, we will be happy.¡± ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Lu Ying snorted out a snot bubble and hurriedly wiped it off, glaring bitterly at Qin Zhuopu, ¡°You are so lame, nice try, I won¡¯t call you husband.¡± ¡°You really won¡¯t?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± ¡°I have the proof on my phone, haha.¡± ¡°¡­when did you record that?¡± ¡°Not telling you.¡± ¡°Honestly!¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m going to treasure it¡­¡± ¡°You piss me off!¡± Lu Ying really wanted to transform and stomp all over this guy with pig¡¯s hoof prints. The two of them walked up the mountain hand in hand together, laughing and joking. Lu Qianchuan who had been waiting in the house for a long time could barely believe it. What was happening here, already happy in the blink of an eye? Elder Xu, who was with him, smiled slightly: ¡°Young people are impatient and their temper comes and goes quickly. Even if you have a problem with your family, you can¡¯t keep thinking about it. Lu Ying is a child who doesn¡¯t hold grudges, and Mr. Qin is also very considerate and stable. The fact that he recovered his memory but didn¡¯t rush to tell Lu Ying the truth speaks volumes about his attitude. More than anything else, I see that he cares about the stability of the relationship between the two of them.¡± Lu Qianchuan shook his head, ¡°I hope so.¡± As they chatted, Lu Ying led Qin Zhuopu into the house. When Qin Zhuopu saw Lu Qianchuan in the room, he was sure that it was indeed that man, the young Grandpa Lu. ¡°Mr. Qin, welcome to Qixia Mountain as a guest.¡± Elder Xu rose first and greeted him with a smile, politely pouring him some tea. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Mr. Lu or Grandpa Lu, this was the question¡­ Lu Qianchuan glanced at the silent Lu Ying and coughed lightly, ¡°You can just call me Grandpa Lu.¡± Qin Zhuopu gladly accepted, ¡°Grandpa Lu.¡± Unfortunately, he came in a hurry and only prepared a gift for his young niece, nothing for his elders. ¡°Huh¡­ Didn¡¯t you come to see my little niece? Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll show you.¡± ¡°En, I¡¯ve bought a gift for her.¡± Lu Ying immediately pulled Qin Zhuopu to the back of the house. The sound of Lu Zaizai giggling reached them and the two of them smiled. A few people were sitting under the porch in the courtyard, and Brother Yang was no exception, looking in good spirits. Ji Xiaofeng and Lu Zaizai were playing a game; no wonder their son was laughing so happily. Even the little baby in Brother Yang¡¯s arms was staring with round eyes, sleepless. ¡°Brother Yang, Zhuopu has come to see his little niece. Zaizai, look who¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Uncle!¡± Lu¡¯s Zaizai jumped up happily. Qin Zhuopu took off his backpack and handed the gift he had prepared to Brother Yang: ¡°Congratulations, Mr. Yang, on your newborn daughter. This is a small token of my appreciation.¡± Yang Sigu smiled, ¡°You are too kind, thank you, Mr. Qin. I¡¯m too embarrassed to accept such a big gift.¡± This gold inlaid jade was of outstanding quality and was pricey at a glance, not to mention there was a red envelope. ¡°It should be so. Lu Ying usually thanks Boss Yang for looking after him, and now he is happy at work, all thanks to Boss Yang.¡± Qin Zhuopu was sincerely grateful. ¡°Then I¡¯ll accept it.¡± Lu Ying took Qin Zhuopu for a stroll around. Qin Zhuopu asked him curiously, ¡°Isn¡¯t Boss Yang¡¯s lover in the mountains?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying rolled his eyes and glared at him, ¡°Guess?¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled bitterly, ¡°I just didn¡¯t see, so I¡¯m asking you. He wouldn¡¯t¡­ be alone with the child?¡± Lu Ying sighed, ¡°Guess?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± How naughty! It was getting late, and after Qin Zhuopu had seen his little niece, Lu Ying wanted to go down the mountain. Originally he was going to stay on the mountain tonight, but now he preferred to take the child and Qin Zhuopu home. When Lu Ying said he wanted to go down the mountain, Lu Qianchuan was a bit anxious. Lu Ying told Lu Zaizai to get their things and urged Qin Zhuopu to get his bag. The family said goodbye to everyone and stepped into the darkness. Lu Ying was in a good mood, holding his companion¡¯s hands. Beside him, Lu Zaizai chattered with Qin Zhuopu non-stop, and the 100,000 questions were in full swing. ¡°Lu Ying.¡± Suddenly, Lu Qianchuan¡¯s voice came from behind them. The three of them turned around together and saw that Lu Qianchuan had caught up with them at some point. ¡°Did you come to see us off, Grandpa Lu?¡± Lu Zaizai asked happily. Lu Qianchuan stroked his head, looked at Lu Ying and then looked at Qin Zhuopu: ¡°I came to say sorry to you in person. It was indeed my fault for bullying the big and the little.¡± Qin Zhuopu quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t mind too much, Grandpa Lu, as long as you bless us, I am already grateful, thank you.¡± Lu Qianchuan took a deep breath and said, ¡°Fine. You guys have a good life. However, I still have to say something bad. If you dare to hurt Lu Ying one day, I will never spare you!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying held his forehead. Qin Zhuopu nodded: ¡°Grandpa Lu, don¡¯t worry, in this life I will love and cherish Lu Ying and Zaizai, I will never hurt them.¡± Grandpa Lu looked satisfied, and without further ado, he turned around and went back. ¡°Huh¡­ let¡¯s go.¡± Qin Zhuopu was stunned. Grandpa Lu had that invisible pressure that really made people breathless. It seemed he had seen the stag in front of him again. Lu Ying grabbed his hand and shook it: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of him, Grandpa Lu¡­ is usually very kind.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know.¡± Lu Zaizai tilted his head to stare at his dad and uncle. The two of them ¡°locked their gazes¡±, not even noticing the little fat guy¡¯s probing, curious eyes. Lu Zaizai suddenly howled, ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°What, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Lu Ying was startled. Lu Zaizai pointed at the two of them in an exaggerated manner, as if he had discovered a great secret: ¡°Dad, are you in love with Uncle? It must be so!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu erupted in laughter, ¡°Why would Zaizai say that?¡± Are first graders that precocious? Lu Zaizai gleefully said, ¡°I just know! Hmph, you didn¡¯t expect me to be the smartest one!¡± ¡°Uncle, Dad, let me tell you! It was like that on TV too! The old grandfather opposed the hero and heroine¡¯s marriage, but the hero and heroine wanted to elope and the old grandfather had no choice, so he said similar words to what Grandpa Lu said, oh. It¡¯s a blessing, a blessing! You want Grandpa Lu¡¯s blessing, right? You must be in love! Look, look, you guys keep holding hands, shame on you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The two adults looked at each other, dumbfounded. *** Mini-theatre: Mr. Qin: Today I saw Grandpa Lu pushing a pram. Lu Ying: So what? Mr. Qin: I took a look and inside was Boss Yang¡¯s daughter. Lu Ying: So what? Mr. Qin: ¡­so she¡¯s actually your little aunt? Lu Ying: o(¨i©n¨i)o Mini-theatre-2: Mr. Qin: My little niece is so cute. Brother Yang: Thanks for the compliment. Lu Qianchuan: Call her aunt! Mr. Qin: ¡­little aunt is so cute. Lu Qianchuan: Hmm. Mr. Qin: ¡­¡­????? Mini-theatre-3: Teacher: Now let¡¯s give an example of things that come in pairs, for example, a pair of chopsticks. Classmate A: A pair of shoes. Classmate B: A pair of gloves. Lu Zaizai: A pair of dads. Teacher: ¡­¡­ CH 46 Being told by his own son to be ashamed¡­ Lu Ying¡¯s face was hot, and he was the first to react. He asked his son angrily: ¡°What TV are you watching? Where did you see it?¡± He was still an innocent baby, he shouldn¡¯t know anything about love and elopement -_-|| Lu Zaizai took it for granted, ¡°Of course I watch it at home! In addition to cartoons, there are many other TV series and movies on TV. In fact, the one I just mentioned is not good, and neither the hero nor the heroine are good-looking.¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s shoulders shook, and Lu Ying blushed, feeling helpless. He didn¡¯t expect Zaizai to watch these things, he thought the child only watched cartoons. ¡°Hey, Dad thought you only watched cartoons.¡± Lu Ying sighed. Qin Zhuopu curbed his smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ll lock the other TV channels when we get back, so he can only watch children¡¯s channels from now on.¡± Lu Zaizai made a funny face and said mischievously, ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah! Lock them, I don¡¯t like watching them anyway. TV for adults is too boring! It¡¯s so annoying when they always cry and make noise.¡± ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Lu Ying covered his face and burst out laughing. Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry. ¡°Ahem, Zaizai thinks I¡¯m in love with your dad, is Zaizai happy?¡± Qin Zhuopu asked his son tentatively, his face full of expectation. In fact, Lu Zaizai didn¡¯t really know much about love. But he knew that love was when people who liked each other were happy together. The classmates at school said the same thing. The classmates also said that Xu Sisi liked the class president, but unfortunately the class president liked Du Yuhan. Luo Xiaoyu was the worst, though, he liked both the class monitor and Chen Xiaobei! Everyone called him a skirt-chaser. After hearing the question, Lu Zaizai tilted his head and thought seriously, poking his chin and not answering quickly. The little guy suddenly became so serious that the two adults were nervous. Qin Zhuopu patted Lu Ying on the back of his hand to comfort and gave him an encouraging smile. Lu Zaizai thought that his father always liked his uncle. Every time his uncle came, his father had to buy a lot of dishes and fruits that his uncle liked and put them at home, and he was not allowed to taste them alone. What a stingy dad! And Uncle liked Dad so much that he kept sending messages and videos to Dad when he took Zaizai out to play. He missed Dad more than Zaizai did! What an immature uncle, can¡¯t live without Dad for a few days! So Dad and Uncle must be very happy to be in love. Anyway, every time Uncle came over, the two of them smiled more than ever, and liked to hide from him to sneak a kiss, huh, did they think he didn¡¯t notice anything? He, Lu Zaizai, was the smartest! Proudly straightening his back, Lu Zaizai nodded without hesitation, ¡°I¡¯m happy, I¡¯m happy when Dad and Uncle are happy. I like Dad and I like Uncle, so you have to love each other well and not fall in love with anyone else. Skirt-chasing is the worst, do you know what I mean?¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Lu Ying couldn¡¯t keep from laughing anymore. Qin Zhuopu picked up his chubby son and twirled him around, giving him a big kiss on the cheek: ¡°Thank you, my good son! Dads love you the most, too.¡± Lu Zaizai was a bit dumbfounded and didn¡¯t forget to remind him, ¡°Uncle, I am not your good son.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu covered his face, feeling hurt, ¡°I¡¯m in love with your dad, we¡¯re just like other people¡¯s Mom and Dad. Other people have one dad and one mom, you have two dads, isn¡¯t that good? In the future, you will be my son and I will be your father.¡± Lu Zaizai pondered and shook his head, ¡°But moms and dads are married, are Uncle and Dad married?¡± ¡°¡­no.¡± Qin Zhuopu choked. ¡°Then when you get married, be sure to let me know. I¡¯ve never been a flower girl before. Our class president was a flower girl last week, and then she got a big box of candy and a red envelope and new clothes and a big toy! And walked the red carpet, awesome, right?¡± Lu Zaizai was full of envy and looked at Qin Zhuopu and his dad with bated breath. Lu Ying instantly blushed, and Qin Zhuopu deliberately squeezed his palm, smiling at the cute chubby boy, ¡°That¡¯s a good point, Zaizai! Uncle is indeed only qualified to be your other dad once he is married to your dad. You are the cutest little baby.¡± He cupped the child¡¯s soft, chubby face and kissed it affectionately. Zaizai really deserved to be his, Qin Zhuopu¡¯s, son, so capable and level-headed! Forget it, even when he calls him ¡®Dad¡¯, he won¡¯t beat him, he¡¯s such a sweet guy! The Mid-Autumn Festival was coming soon; he would send his son a helicopter to make him happy. ¡°Right, right? Haha, I¡¯m the best. Then we have a deal, Uncle and Dad get married and I will be the flower girl. The most important thing is not to forget to give the flower girl a gift!¡± Lu Zaizai squinted with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no one is qualified to be our flower girl but Zaizai.¡± Qin Zhuopu assured his son categorically, looking up and smiling at Lu Ying. Lu Ying covered his eyes; he didn¡¯t want to look at this smug face. Lu Zaizai hugged Qin Zhuopu¡¯s neck and crawled onto his back, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so tired. You guys ask so many questions. I¡¯m sleepy. When can I get home?¡± One second he was still a super chubby little man, and the next second he started to be coquettish and refused to get off Qin Zhuopu¡¯s back. Lu Ying¡¯s mood today was simply a roller coaster of excitement. Only now did he calm down a little bit. He tapped on his son¡¯s head and said, ¡°Fat boy, don¡¯t toss your Uncle, come down, Dad will carry you.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll carry him, it¡¯s not the first time anyway.¡± Qin Zhuopu gladly picked up the fat boy and walked forward, the heavy weight on his body feeling like the most solid happiness. ¡°I like it when Uncle carries me, Uncle¡¯s back is wider¡­¡± Lu Zaizai was drowsy, his face pressed against Qin Zhuopu¡¯s shoulder, squeezed into a cute fleshy curve. Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help but gently pinch the bun-like face, smiled and didn¡¯t say anything else, letting Qin Zhuopu carry the child on his back while he stayed close to the two, putting his hand on his son¡¯s back to prevent him from slipping off. ¡°Zaizai¡¯s weight is scary, if you can¡¯t carry him anymore just tell me and I¡¯ll switch with you.¡± Lu Ying gently reminded Qin Zhuopu. Qin Zhuopu smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me, no matter how heavy my son is, he won¡¯t be heavier than you. My hands were shaking after carrying you for so long.¡± Lu Ying gave him a look and smiled sweetly again, ¡°Qin Zhuopu always strives for improvement. Make sure you keep up the good work.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry.¡± Ever since he knew his lover was a real fairy, Qin Zhuopu dared not slacken off even a little. Even if he was busy, he had to exercise! For the sake of lifelong happiness and sexual well-being. The two adults chatted in slightly subdued voices, and Lu Zaizai lying on his uncle¡¯s back had long since fallen asleep, making subtle snoring sounds. When they left Qixia Mountain and passed through Lujia Village, the road grew wider, and brighter lights illuminated the way home. Advertisements Late at night, the two settled down and finally lay comfortably in bed. ¡°¡­my arms are soft.¡± Wearing a .99 t-shirt, Qin Zhuopu hissed, trying to raise his arms. ¡°I told you to switch with me, but you wouldn¡¯t let me, what a show-off. I¡¯ll give you a massage.¡± Lu Ying sat on his knees next to Qin Zhuopu and gave his arms, shoulders and neck a good massage. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s eyes were closed and he was enjoying himself immensely. ¡°Lu Ying, what do you think?¡± Qin Zhuopu suddenly asked. Lu Ying raised his eyebrows, ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s about making your son a flower girl. Since you promised it to the child, you must do it. You can¡¯t let the child down.¡± Lu Ying curled his lips and hummed softly, ¡°I didn¡¯t promise to him, it was you alone.¡± He slapped the man on the shoulder heavily. ¡°May I ask who I¡¯m marrying alone?¡± Qin Zhuopu said coolly. Lu Ying smiled cheekily, ¡°That¡¯s your business too, you can marry whoever you like.¡± ¡°Pfft¡­ okay, that¡¯s right.¡± Qin Zhuopu raised his hand and dragged Lu Ying into his arms and kissed him fiercely: ¡°I have liked only you in my life. I thought about marrying you seven years ago. At that time, you were still young and I never told you.¡± ¡°¡­do you really want to get married?¡± Lu Ying was surprised. ¡°But how can we two men get married?¡± ¡°Silly, of course, to get married abroad.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡± Qin Zhuopu stared at him. Lu Ying poked his collarbone and muttered softly, ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve never thought about it.¡± Seven years ago his greatest pleasure was eating and playing. He really didn¡¯t have the same kind of mind as Qin Zhuopu. Then, until now, he had been so busy that marriage was someone else¡¯s business in his eyes, something distant, something completely irrelevant to him. But the truth was he was moved by the words Lu Zaizai said, just a little bit. Qin Zhuopu, silent, slowly raised his hand to rub Lu Ying¡¯s hair: ¡°Then you start to think from today. You just need to understand your heart. I want to marry you, think about it when you have time, okay?¡± ¡°¡­en.¡± Lu Ying nodded. After kissing Lu Ying¡¯s forehead, Qin Zhuopu whispered, ¡°This is enough, I can take my time and wait.¡± Qin Zhuopu took a few extra days off this time and stayed with the two of them through the Mid-Autumn Festival before leaving. When he returned to Guanlan City, he didn¡¯t rush to the company, but first went to the old mansion to visit his grandfather. When he went there, the old man was in the courtyard, along with Qin Zhuopu¡¯s mother and a certain familiar lady. It was Yu Yourong¡¯s mother, his mother¡¯s old classmate, Aunt Su; Qin Zhuopu walked up to them without changing his expression. ¡°Grandpa, Mom, Auntie.¡± ¡°Zhuopu is back?¡± The old man immediately sat up, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say in advance you were coming back? I¡¯d ask Sister Yuan to make you some delicious food to supplement your diet.¡± Qin Zhuopu felt helpless; he didn¡¯t know what was going on with his grandfather but every time Grandpa knew he went to see Lu Ying, he would make sure to have some tonics made for him when he came back¡­ incredible! ¡°Dad, Zhuopu looks like he¡¯s grown stronger, don¡¯t feed him with tonics blindly.¡± Mrs. Qin helplessly reminded the old man that it would not be good if he accidentally over-supplemented his grandson. She didn¡¯t care if her son was fat or ugly, but obviously her son himself cared. She had even heard her son¡¯s assistant say that Zhuopu was now paying great attention to maintaining his body. For what purpose, it went without saying. ¡°Nephew is really growing more and more energetic. His body is exemplary, unlike my Yourong who is a very picky eater and is particular about eating light. He is too thin.¡± Aunt Su¡¯s eyes were full of appreciation. Qin Zhuopu smiled and asked the driver to bring over a pile of food, saying, ¡°Lu Ying has made a lot of delicious food for me to bring back. They all are the freshest desserts from this morning. Let¡¯s try them together, Grandpa.¡± ¡°Lu Ying made them? Good, I happen to be a bit hungry.¡± ¡°Grandpa, have this sugar-free snack.¡± ¡°En, it tastes so good!¡± The old man praised genuinely and couldn¡¯t help but nag, ¡°I remember Lu Ying¡¯s favourite dish when he came to our house was the braised pig¡¯s trotters made by Sister Yuan. You should find a way to bring them to him next time. Or you¡¯d better bring him home to eat the freshest! And that kid Zaizai, watching him eat is so refreshing.¡± ¡°Grandpa, I know how you feel.¡± Qin Zhuopu was helpless. Ms. Su also tasted the dessert, didn¡¯t hesitate to praise and asked, ¡°The craftsmanship is really good. Is this Lu Ying the baker or your family?¡± The old man glanced at his daughter-in-law lightly, and Mrs. Qin tilted her head and smiled at her old classmate, ¡°You also know that my Zhuopu only likes boys, and Lu Ying is the one Zhuopu likes. He sent these things to pay respect to the Old Master.¡± ¡°Ah, oh oh oh, so it¡¯s my nephew¡¯s boyfriend. It¡¯s not often that you find a boy with such good skills. Nephew is really lucky.¡± Ms Su¡¯s smile was wide and fake. ¡°It is indeed a blessing for me, thank you, Auntie.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled warmly and said to his mother and the old man, ¡°I still have things to do at the company, so I¡¯ll leave first.¡± ¡°Go ahead, go ahead, do your business.¡± The old man waved his hand. ¡°Zhuopu, wait.¡± Mrs. Qin got up quickly, and when she saw her son turn around, she said, ¡°Yesterday your uncle called and told me that your grandma is having her 86th birthday this year. Although it¡¯s not a round date, Grandma thinks about having a lively event and wants to ask you about your plans. If you don¡¯t have time, then forget it.¡± Qin Zhuopu was taken aback. He instantly understood what Grandma meant. Grandma had a big event last year when she was 85, and she said she would not do it again this year. Now Grandma wanted to celebrate her birthday, but it was just a pretext to get him to bring Lu Ying and Zaizai. ¡°I see, I¡¯ll ask later and tell Grandma.¡± Qin Zhuopu told the truth, turned around and left. Mrs. Qin sighed, filled with helplessness. Even this had to be discussed with Lu Ying personally to have an answer. His son now completely depended on Lu Ying¡¯s decisions. And Lu Ying was so stubborn and refused to set foot in their house because¡­ Not long after Qin Zhuopu left, Ms. Su couldn¡¯t sit still anymore and got up to leave. Mrs. Qin was also about to go home, just in time to accompany Ms. Su. In the car, Ms. Su sighed and said bluntly: ¡°It seems that my Yourong has no fate with my nephew.¡± How could Mrs. Qin dare to mention that matter now? If she mentioned any blind date, her son would really be separated from her, and even the old man would scold her. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t promise anything clearly at the beginning, just said some vague things, so no one¡¯s feelings were hurt. ¡°Your Yourong is a very good boy, so you don¡¯t have to worry about finding a good match.¡± ¡°I hope your words will come true.¡± Ms. Su smiled, ¡°The children are not destined, so adults can¡¯t help it. It¡¯s good enough to have a cup of tea and a chat with an old friend now. I¡¯m not as good as I used to be, and you¡¯re the only one who doesn¡¯t look down on me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that, we¡¯ve been classmates for so many years.¡± ¡°Thank you very much indeed, if it wasn¡¯t for your help, I don¡¯t know what Yourong and I would do.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be polite, it¡¯s all little things. I¡¯m just doing it as a convenience, it¡¯s still up to Yourong to show how artistic and profound he is. If he has that ability, it¡¯ll take just a little effort from me.¡± ¡°Thank you so much¡­¡± After sending Ms. Su home, Mrs. Qin received a call from her son before she had time to sit down. ¡°Mom, there¡¯s something I need to talk to you about.¡± Mrs. Qin was curious: ¡°What is it?¡± Qin Zhuopu sneered, ¡°I want to tell you about Yu Yourong. Last time he went to the bakery where Lu Ying worked and almost slapped Lu Ying. If I hadn¡¯t stopped him in time, can you imagine the consequences?¡± Mrs. Qin was stunned and asked hurriedly, ¡°What do you mean? He went to fight with Lu Ying? Why did he hit Lu Ying?¡± She was genuinely shocked. Yu Yourong in her eyes was an excellent top student like her son. His quality was certainly not bad, but he was beating people? ¡°Mom, you have a very general idea about him. How many times have you met him in total? You don¡¯t know him at all. Yu Yourong and his mother went back to China because they were expelled from his father¡¯s side. They came back to develop here and need more people to back them up. What he was looking for was not a lover, but a backer, someone who could support him playing art and give him a decent living. As soon as he came back to China, he came after me. If I was willing, why would they need to find you? I broke up with him when I was studying in the United States. Not to mention that I like Lu Ying, even if I didn¡¯t like anyone and ended up alone, there would be no way I¡¯d want that kind of person.¡± Mrs. Qin was startled again and raised her voice to ask, ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve known him before?¡± She had absolutely no idea! Yu Yourong was always saying ¡°senior brother¡± without even mentioning it to her. ¡°He¡¯s a real bisexual and absolutely hedonistic,¡± Qin Zhuopu affirmed. ¡°He was dating me for about a week when I found out he was doing crazy things during a party. I broke up with him completely. Now he¡¯s back and has a crooked idea. I wouldn¡¯t care about him but he brought a foreigner to Lu Ying¡¯s shop who asked Lu Ying to accompany him. When Lu Ying didn¡¯t agree, Yu Yourong tried to hit him. He¡¯s really capable!¡± ¡°¡­why didn¡¯t you say so earlier!¡± Mrs. Qin was so angry that she wanted to vomit blood. She never expected that the junior she thought was very well behaved, talented and virtuous, had given her son a green hat when he was studying. And now when he came back, he was still arrogant and domineering. Even though she and Lu Ying were at odds with each other, she had never thought of asking anyone to beat him up, let alone bringing a foreigner to humiliate Lu Ying. It was simply tasteless and mean! ¡°Did Ms. Su come to see you today to ask for your help to make Yu Yourong¡¯s art exhibition in Guanlan City run smoothly?¡± Mrs. Qin was in the midst of her anger and said stiffly, ¡°That¡¯s right. Yu Yourong¡¯s art exhibition has done well in Caifeng City and he is now quite well-known. This year, he is planning to hold the exhibition in Guanlan City, but he needs approval from above, so his mother asked me to help him. I thought it was a matter of a little effort to help them out, but I didn¡¯t expect¡­ why didn¡¯t you tell me that he treated you like that before?¡± Qin Zhuopu laughed and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t let me say a word and directly arranged a blind date for me at the dining table. In front of so many elders, what did you want me to say? You kept praising him how good and well-behaved he was. If I said he was not good at all then, it was still a question of whether you believed me or not.¡± ¡°¡­you!¡± Mrs. Qin¡¯s chest tightened, ¡°Of course I believe what you said.¡± ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve told you today. Whether you care or not is up to you. Why do you think he didn¡¯t apply for his art exhibition on his own? He¡¯s not that incapable. He ran off to bully Lu Ying and still wants to open an art exhibition? I¡¯ve been kind enough to him.¡± After Qin Zhuopu finished speaking, he simply hung up the phone. Mrs. Qin¡¯s face alternated between blue and red as she listened to the beeping busy tone. She then quickly dialled a phone number and huffed, ¡°Yu Yourong and his art exhibition, forget it!¡± Having sex with both men and women, arrogant and hitting people, what a trash! Mrs. Qin finished the phone call and immediately blacklisted her old classmate Ms. Su, feeling especially upset. She was genuinely happy to be reunited with her old classmate, and she really wanted to help her when she saw that her old classmate was not doing as well as she used to, but she never expected this kind of situation. She became more and more aware of the question whether she had been too confused over the years. Advertisements After a tiring day at work, with Zaizai already asleep, lying in bed after the shower was the moment Lu Ying enjoyed the most and he had no qualms about video chatting with Qin Zhuopu. Lu Ying, who was lying on the pillow at the moment, looked a little dumbfounded, ¡°Ah, your grandma¡¯s birthday party?¡± ¡°Yes, November 8th is Grandma¡¯s 86th birthday. Grandma likes Zaizai very much and especially wants to meet you. Do you want to come?¡± Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t say that if Lu Ying didn¡¯t go, Grandma wouldn¡¯t host the celebration. ¡°¡­this¡­¡± Lu Ying¡¯s expression was hesitant; he sighed: ¡°I go to work almost every day, what should I do?¡± ¡°Just say if you want to go or not. If you want to go, I will personally ask Boss Yang for leave.¡± Lu Ying muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I have to think about it.¡± ¡°Then think about it. Don¡¯t force yourself if you don¡¯t want to go.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to¡­¡± Lu Ying pondered. He had read the chat and he felt that Grandma really liked Zaizai, and she gave such a generous birthday red envelope. She seemed to be really different from her daughter Mrs. Qin. He¡­ he actually quite liked someone who was as refreshing as Grandma! A few seconds later Lu Ying smiled and nodded, ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it, I¡¯ll go!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t expect Lu Ying to agree so quickly. ¡°Of course! There¡¯s so much delicious food waiting for me, why wouldn¡¯t I go?¡± Lu Ying laughed playfully. Qin Zhuopu smiled and scolded, ¡°Foodie.¡± Lu Ying¡¯s consent made him happy, and he was hurriedly urging, ¡°Then I¡¯ll pick you up a day early, and I¡¯ll ask for leave for Zaizai from school.¡± ¡°Come on, you¡¯re not his guardian, I¡¯ll just ask for leave from the teacher.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right, you go to sleep. Good night.¡± ¡°Good night.¡± Since Lu Ying had decided to go to Qin Zhuopu¡¯s grandma¡¯s birthday party, he was worried about what the best gift would be. Although Qin Zhuopu said he didn¡¯t need to prepare anything, Lu Ying also wanted to show his feelings. For Zaizai¡¯s birthday, Grandma gave him a big red envelope of 660,000 yuan. It would be unconscionable for him not to give a single penny to Grandma for her birthday. In the end, it was Grandpa Lu who took the initiative to approach him and gave him an old ginseng, asking him to take it as a birthday gift (the older the root, the higher its medicinal value is). Lu Ying held the ginseng box, ¡°Grandpa, this is very expensive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lu Qianchuan said, ¡°Yangyang said it¡¯s worth a couple of million.¡± ¡°¡­why didn¡¯t you give it to me before?¡± Lu Ying was stunned. ¡°You don¡¯t eat it.¡± ¡°I could take it and exchange it for money.¡± ¡°Then go exchange it now.¡± Lu Qianchuan didn¡¯t care. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying was helpless, ¡°I really want to exchange it¡­o(¨i©n¨i)o¡± ¡°Exchange if you want to, it¡¯s not like anyone is stopping you.¡± Lu Qianchuan said with amusement, ¡°Grandpa still has some valuable things there, next time I¡¯ll give them all to you.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you give them before?¡± Lu Ying was speechless. ¡°You didn¡¯t ask me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying took the box, ¡°Thank you, Grandpa, for lending it to me. Leave the rest for Xiaolu. You don¡¯t have a job or income now, you rely on Brother Yang to support you and the child. If you have any other goodies, hurry up and give them to Brother Yang to deal with.¡± Lu Qianchuan smiled: ¡°Who says I don¡¯t have a job? I¡¯ve already found a job that is close to home and doesn¡¯t interfere with bringing up the child.¡± Lu Ying was surprised: ¡°What kind of job?¡± ¡°Security guard in the community.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It didn¡¯t matter what Lu Ying was thinking at the moment, but he soon found out that Grandpa Lu¡¯s security guard work had been scrapped by Brother Yang after a day of work. So, Grandpa Lu became a jobless guy again. Oh no, he was a full-time dad of the new era. After learning the news, Lu Ying breathed a sigh of relief. A security guard might be attacked some day; he was really afraid that Grandpa Lu¡¯s temper would rise and then he would be so angry that he would harm someone. When everything was ready, on November 7th, Lu Ying and his son dutifully waited for Qin Zhuopu to pick them up. Qin Zhuopu told them to pack their bags and wait by the school playground. Lu Ying was puzzled as to why they didn¡¯t wait at home or in front of the community. The school playground was empty at the moment, and the headmaster came over at some point to chat with him. Lu Ying was flattered. He talked to the headmaster about his child¡¯s situation at school. He had to admire Qin Zhuopu for being rich and able to do things. The headmaster knew everything about his son¡¯s situation so well one might have thought he was a class teacher. Lu Zaizai was gnawing on an apple, bored, when suddenly he saw a shadow flying in the sky in the distance. Then he heard the sound of a helicopter. He couldn¡¯t help staring. Since he was a little baby, as long as he saw a plane or a helicopter flying over the sky, he liked to watch it! Wow, that helicopter was so cool, it was coloured like Optimus Prime! Wow, there were three big characters on it that look familiar, ¡®Lu Zaizai¡¯! Lu Zaizai was dumbfounded, and so was Lu Ying. Until now, he didn¡¯t know Qin Zhuopu¡¯s intentions! The headmaster smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Qin told me long ago that the application for this route had passed and the helicopter would borrow the school playground for a while today, just to pick you up and leave.¡± This Mr. Lu¡¯s family was really lucky, but he was also lucky to know Mr. Qin. The school would soon have an additional library building! Lu Zaizai almost choked on his apple, and then hooted, ¡°Wow! Wow!¡± Lu Ying looked up at the sky; only when Qin Zhuopu actually stepped out of the helicopter did he finally exhale. ¡°Wow, Uncle, I love you the most!¡± Lu Zaizai quickly jumped over to Qin Zhuopu and gave him a bear hug. Qin Zhuopu touched his head, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say before I¡¯d give you a helicopter? Isn¡¯t this one pretty cool?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah! It¡¯s so cool!¡± Lu Zaizai was no longer surprised by Qin Zhuopu¡¯s generosity; he had seen it all before when he was playing abroad anyway. ¡°Go up and have a look for yourself.¡± Qin Zhuopu sent the boy up and walked over to Lu Ying. ¡°Headmaster, thank you for today.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, you¡¯re welcome, Mr. Qin, take care, Mr. Lu, take care.¡± The headmaster kept shaking their hands. When Qin Zhuopu led Lu Ying into the helicopter, Lu Ying finally spoke, ¡°You bought this helicopter specially for Zaizai?¡± ¡°Yes, he really likes it. It¡¯s a funky style, and I changed the colours and wrote his name on it. It¡¯s just for him to have a good time once in a while, to make him happy.¡± Lu Ying sighed, ¡°You just spoil him.¡± Wouldn¡¯t you be even more outrageous if you knew he was your own son? ¡°I know in my heart that Zaizai is like you, he will never learn to be bad.¡± Lu Ying¡¯s mouth curled in a smile, ¡°That¡¯s for sure.¡± Qin Zhuopu couldn¡¯t resist kissing him. The family started their trip happily. *** Mini-theatre: Zaizai: I like planes. Mr. Qin: Buy. Zaizai: I like amusement parks. Mr. Qin: Buy. Zaizai: I like the stars in the sky. Mr. Qin: Buy. Zaizai: I like Dad. Mr. Qin: Thanks. Zaizai: I¡¯m not talking about you¡­ *** Mini-theatre-2: Reporter: I heard that Mr. Qin gave you a villa for your birthday in the first year after you met? Lu Ying: Yes. Reporter: What did you give Mr. Qin for his birthday? Lu Ying: A pair of piggy couple pendants for 9.99. Mr. Qin: And yourself ^_^ CH 47 ¡°Bye, Uncle Pilot, bye! See you next time!¡± The helicopter dropped the family off at their destination, and Lu Zaizai got down reluctantly, waving goodbye to the pilot, who smiled, waved back at him and then took the helicopter away. Lu Zaizai looked back three times, mumbling, ¡°When will I ever get to fly in a helicopter like this again? Didn¡¯t Uncle say it was a gift for me? Can I keep it at home?¡± Lu Ying snickered, ¡°Lu Zaizai, you know what, there¡¯s no place to park a helicopter at home.¡± Qin Zhuopu stroked the child¡¯s head, ¡°There will be plenty of opportunities for you to play with it when you go on holiday in the future. This helicopter is registered under your name, so it belongs to you.¡± Lu Zaizai shook his fist and said, ¡°Then I want to be a pilot when I grow up, I want to fly my own helicopter and take Dad, Uncle and my friends out to play!¡± ¡°Okay, pilots need to take care of their eyes, so don¡¯t watch TV indiscriminately in the future, okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll definitely be a pilot when I grow up!¡± Lu Zaizai was full of confidence. Lu Ying didn¡¯t bother to pay attention to him anymore. Last time, he said he wanted to be a policeman. Qin Zhuopu proudly said: ¡°You¡¯re athletic, you¡¯ll be good at it!¡± ¡°Where are we going now?¡± Lu Ying asked, looking at the night sky. ¡°First take you to eat, then we¡¯ll go back to our house and rest, then tomorrow we¡¯ll go to Grandma¡¯s house.¡± ¡°Wow, we¡¯re going to have a big meal! I can¡¯t wait!¡± Lu Zaizai ran forward happily, in high spirits. Qin Zhuopu smiled and sighed: ¡°Every time I see him, he grows up a little more. It¡¯s so fast. He¡¯ll be as tall as me in two years. I used to think he was a chubby baby, but now he looks like a young boy.¡± ¡°Really? I don¡¯t see that much change looking at him every day. But he has definitely grown taller; it¡¯s just that he hasn¡¯t lost any meat.¡± Lu Ying smiled. Qin Zhuopu coughed softly, ¡°This¡­ he can¡¯t lose weight?¡± He thought it wasn¡¯t good for a child to be too fat. Although Lu Zaizai was not particularly fat, it would definitely be better to be thinner and more handsome. For example, Lu Ying was so good. Lu Ying squinted at him: ¡°What, you think my son is too fat?¡± ¡°No, how can I dislike my own son? But he is little now. When he gets older and enters puberty, what if he becomes sensitive and rebellious because of his appearance?¡± Lu Ying spread his hands, ¡°I don¡¯t think he will. Besides, he has a special physique. Eating helps him grow. Dr. Hu said he is fat only temporarily, he will be fine after he becomes an adult.¡± ¡°I see, that¡¯s good, I just worried about it.¡± Lu Zaizai turned around and shouted at the two men walking side by side, ¡°Will you two hurry up, don¡¯t just talk about love, I¡¯m still hungry!¡± ¡°Haha, coming, coming.¡± Lu Zaizai wanted to eat seafood, so Qin Zhuopu took the two to a private seafood restaurant. The father and son undoubtedly cared more about the food than the pompous luxury. Smiling as he watched the father and son feast, Qin Zhuopu felt that watching them was more enjoyable than eating himself. He was full soon and helped the two guys shell various kinds of seafood. ¡°Why does this place taste so good!¡± Lu Ying couldn¡¯t resist licking his fingers. ¡°It¡¯s really delicious.¡± Lu Zaizai grabbed a large crab, unable to stop eating. Qin Zhuopu smiled: ¡°This old place has always had a good reputation, but I don¡¯t like seafood much, so I don¡¯t come here often.¡± ¡°Uncle, why are you such a picky eater? You don¡¯t like seafood even though it¡¯s so delicious.¡± Lu Zaizai looked at Qin Zhuopu with pity. Qin Zhuopu looked at him blankly, ¡°If you dare to say that Uncle is a picky eater, I won¡¯t peel the shrimps for you.¡± Lu Zaizai scowled: ¡°You didn¡¯t peel them for me in the first place, you gave all the peeled ones to Dad.¡± ¡°¡­hey, I didn¡¯t notice that.¡± Only then did Qin Zhuopu realise that all the peeled shrimps had been put into Lu Ying¡¯s bowl; he was rendered speechless by his son¡¯s comment. ¡°Pfft,¡± Lu Ying laughed, grabbing a piece of shrimp meat and stuffing it into Qin Zhuopu¡¯s mouth, ¡°Thanks for peeling the shrimps, handsome.¡± ¡°Oooh, yummy.¡± Qin Zhuopu tilted his head and swallowed the shrimp, happily, continuing to peel. Lu Zaizai made a face watching him: ¡°Shame on you.¡± The two had developed a thick skin and continued to cling to each other no matter what their son said. Advertisements Lu Ying hissed and sighed, ¡°This tastes amazing, better than the seafood made by the Shen family.¡± ¡°The Shen family has one of the best signature dishes, their seafood is more average.¡± ¡°En en, their chicken, duck and fish are all delicious.¡± ¡°This plate is ready for you, I¡¯m going to the bathroom.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Qin Zhuopu got up and left the private room, went to the bathroom and washed his hands properly a few times, smelled them and still felt the smell, so he tossed and turned for a long time before coming out. ¡°Mr. Qin! It¡¯s really you!¡± There was a voice full of surprise. Qin Zhuopu looked at the woman who was happily walking towards him. Few people wouldn¡¯t recognise her face. She was a big celebrity, popular for many years in the entertainment industry, with excellent abilities and a good family background of a rich n generation. Qin Zhuopu and her brother were classmates for many years and were also considered neighbours. In his eyes, this movie queen was still stuck in the image of a little sister from years ago; he actually hadn¡¯t seen her since he went abroad. ¡°Oh my, it¡¯s been years since I¡¯ve seen you, do you still remember me, Mr. Qin? I¡¯m Ye Suqin, I used to live next door.¡± Qin Zhuopu nodded and smiled, ¡°Of course I remember you. I even met your brother at the conference not long ago. I¡¯ve seen the movies you¡¯ve been in. Your acting skills are amazing. You were outstanding as a child, this path is very suitable for you.¡± Qin Zhuopu complimented genuinely; although he didn¡¯t follow stars, he would remember more or less those with good acting skills, not to mention that this was his childhood neighbour. Ye Suqin was instantly embarrassed by the compliment, her girlish heart overflowing with joy. She lowered her eyes and said shyly, ¡°I never thought Qin Zhuopu would watch my movie, hehehe. Is Mr. Qin here for dinner? Then I won¡¯t bother you. Next time I have the chance, I¡¯ll invite Mr. Qin for tea.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going then.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled and turned to go back to the private room. Ye Suqin watched Qin Zhuopu leave with a sigh. Only then did the agent beside her dare to say something: ¡°Could this be the very same President Qin from Guanhai Group?¡± ¡°Which President Qin?¡± Another pretty actress next to the agent, Chu Weili, asked. ¡°Who else but Qin Zhuopu can be such a handsome and manly-looking president?¡± Ye Suqin¡¯s eyes were full of yearning, ¡°It¡¯s a pity¡­¡± It¡¯s a pity he didn¡¯t like women, otherwise she would have gladly chased her male god since junior middle school! But everyone in the community knew that Qin Zhuopu was not interested in women. She later even fantasised about the male god and her own brother, only to be discouraged within seconds. Her brother¡¯s face was too ugly! Disgusting! ¡°In person he¡¯s even more handsome and compelling than in magazines.¡± The agent didn¡¯t ask what was a pity. Anyway, since it was someone Ye Suqin couldn¡¯t get, everything was a pity. ¡°Mr. Qin of Guanhai Group? Ah, the diamond bachelor Qin Zhuopu?¡± Chu Weili¡¯s eyes were wide and filled with disbelief. She had actually met the real person! ¡°Yes yes yes, that¡¯s him. Don¡¯t be a nymphomaniac, go and eat, it¡¯s time to get out of our misery and have a big meal.¡± Ye Suqin walked on her high heels to the private room at the other end of the corridor. Chu Weili, who fell back, choked and muttered to her agent in a low voice, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I got to meet Mr. Qin in person. Sister Ye, really, why didn¡¯t she introduce us?¡± The agent said seriously, ¡°She has her own arrangements. If you want to be introduced, why don¡¯t you talk to her yourself?¡± ¡°¡­I just talked about it casually.¡± After eating and drinking, Qin Zhuopu took Lu Ying and Zaizai home. After washing, Lu Ying unpacked, took out the ginseng box and handed it to Qin Zhuopu to take a look: ¡°What do you think of this ginseng? It is my birthday gift to Grandma.¡± Qin Zhuopu was surprised: ¡°The quality is very good. It¡¯s rare to see pure natural wild ginseng nowadays, and this one can be worth three to five million.¡± ¡°This really worth so much? Grandpa gave it to me.¡± Lu Ying clutched his chest, it hurt so much! Qin Zhuopu patted him on the shoulder, ¡°Keep the ginseng for yourself, I¡¯ve already prepared a gift from you to give to Grandma.¡± Lu Ying shook his head, ¡°No, I don¡¯t need it. I said I would give it to Grandma, so I won¡¯t go back on my word. Besides, I¡¯m young and healthy and don¡¯t need it, so this kind of supplement is more suitable for Grandma. The gift that I prepared myself represents my feelings, right?¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled, ¡°You seem to be very fond of Grandma.¡± Lu Ying nodded: ¡°She likes me, of course I like her.¡± Qin Zhuopu sighed. Lu Ying¡¯s heart was actually very simple; whoever treated him well, he would treat even better and more sincerely. From behind, he wrapped his arms around Lu Ying and rubbed his neck, urging in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s late, you¡¯ve eaten so much today, let me help you exercise?¡± ¡°Sure ^_^¡± In the morning, outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the greenery was verdant. Birds were singing and a few rays of sunlight were shining through the gaps in the curtains. The two men slowly opened their eyes, cuddling on the big bed. Lu Ying lazily rolled over and sleepily muttered, ¡°The birds outside your house are so lively¡­ greeting you early in the morning.¡± Qin Zhuopu closed his eyes again: ¡°Never mind those birds, let¡¯s sleep a little longer.¡± As soon as the words left his mouth, there was an explosive knock on the door. Once he heard that movement, Lu Ying knew: it was his son Lu Zaizai! ¡°Wake up, wake up! The sun is already shining! Dad and Uncle, get up and have breakfast!¡± Lu Zaizai shouted at the door of the bedroom, continuing to bang. ¡°¡­¡­¡± With this way of being woken up, Qin Zhuopu could do nothing else but resign himself to his fate and say, ¡°We¡¯re getting up, stop knocking. You can go and have breakfast by yourself.¡± ¡°Hurry up, Dad, I¡¯ll go eat with the housekeeper uncle.¡± ¡°Hey, the child is in such good spirits.¡± Qin Zhuopu wiped his face helplessly. ¡°Pfft, you still want to sleep with the kid around? Dream on.¡± Lu Ying was used to it, pushed away the blanket and looked at the new clothes hanging neatly next to the bed: ¡°I¡¯m wearing this?¡± ¡°Yes, I specially customised a few sets from the new autumn collection for you. This set and mine are a couple¡¯s outfits. Today we will wear them together.¡± Lu Ying blushed slightly: ¡°So blatant, you are so high-profile.¡± ¡°That¡¯s for sure, the person I like is so good-looking, so I should show off to everyone and make them envy and be jealous. Come on, let me help you dress¡­¡± Lu Ying covered his eyes and laughed: ¡°So good at praising me. Won¡¯t other people envy me?¡± ¡°But I¡¯m already yours.¡± ¡°Hahaha, of course, that¡¯s true, you only belong to me!¡± Qin Zhuopu was originally going to have someone come and fix Lu Ying¡¯s hair, but as soon as Lu Ying put on his clothes, Qin Zhuopu forgot about that, his mind full of the riveting lover in front of him. Exquisite, aristocratic, carrying a wanton, bewitching aura when he smiled but with his clear eyes filled with youthful innocence and enthusiasm, Lu Ying was impeccable from head to toe. Qing Zhuopu thought how lucky he was that they loved each other. He rubbed Lu Ying¡¯s hair casually; no need to add anything to the perfect picture. With a smile, he leaned down and gave Lu Ying a kiss on the mouth: ¡°Love you.¡± Lu Ying looked at himself in the mirror and was quite embarrassed. It was the first time he had ever worn such a formal outfit. He and Qin Zhuopu were both wearing black high-fashion suits with dark patterns, but Qin Zhuopu¡¯s was short and his was a mid-length tuxedo. Qin Zhuopu himself had combed his hair neatly, but ruffled Lu Ying¡¯s short hair into a little mess, almost making him look like a refined and happy little prince. Lu Ying stifled a giggle for a moment, tilted his head up and pouted before kissing Qin Zhuopu: ¡°Me too!¡± Qin Zhuopu walked out of the room holding Lu Ying¡¯s hand and went down the winding stairs. Advertisements When Lu Zaizai, who was enjoying breakfast in the dining room, saw the two of them, his small mouth suddenly opened into an ¡®o¡¯ shape, and then he burst into a bright smile and clapped: ¡°Wow! Dad and Uncle are so handsome today! Especially Dad is like a prince. I have never seen him dressed so well. Dad, you are 1.9 metres tall today!¡± Looking at his son with a thumbs up, Lu Ying smiled and narrowed his eyes: ¡°Dad and Uncle have always been very handsome. What about you? Why haven¡¯t you changed your clothes yet?¡± ¡°I want to finish my breakfast before I get dressed. Dad, you guys eat quickly.¡± Lu Zaizai cleverly stopped the housekeeper and picked some dishes for his dad and uncle before the housekeeper could do it. ¡°Thank you, Zaizai.¡± The family of three was happy. The housekeeper stood next to them, wondering in his heart: this child keeps calling Mr. Qin ¡®Uncle¡¯, but how can he look like Mr. Qin¡¯s own son? Except for the extra flesh on his face, he looks like a carbon copy of Mr. Qin. After the meal, Lu Zaizai changed into the same style of parent-child outfit and the family stood together in harmony. Qin Zhuopu couldn¡¯t help but smile and ask the housekeeper, ¡°Do we look like a family?¡± The housekeeper nodded repeatedly and said sincerely, ¡°It¡¯s family!¡± Not to mention the way they all had similar smiles, the older ones looked like a married couple and the younger one looked like their son. Qin Zhuopu nodded seriously and took Lu Ying¡¯s hand in his left hand and his son¡¯s in his right. The family walked to the car and headed straight to the Song family¡¯s old residence. Soon after they got into the car, Grandma called and asked, ¡°My grandson and your wife are coming? What time will they be here?¡± Qin Zhuopu said helplessly, ¡°Grandma, I told you several times last night that they were coming, they¡¯re all here. I¡¯ll be at your house in half an hour. Grandma, feel free to prepare delicious food, my son and wife are both particularly good eaters.¡± Lu Ying gave him a little jab in passing. ¡°Hahaha, good, good! I have it all prepared, just waiting for you to come!¡± The old lady laughed heartily over the phone, overjoyed. The mere sound of her joyful laughter made people feel good about themselves. Lu Ying¡¯s nervousness dissipated; no matter what, he had come over today to celebrate Grandma¡¯s birthday and didn¡¯t need to care too much about anything else. The area around the Song family home was wide and usually not very crowded, but today there was a constant flow of traffic. Originally, Grandma planned to hold the birthday banquet just to see Lu Ying. She wanted to have a party for her own family only; but then she thought she shouldn¡¯t. Since Lu Ying had agreed to come, she had to make it a big gathering so that all her friends and relatives could get to know him! It was a good idea to give Lu Ying face and also show her own daughter how to be an elder, haha. She was already eighty-six, so she could make it a lively celebration. Who knows if there will be another one next year? Mrs. Qin¡¯s heart felt very complicated as she watched her elderly mother¡¯s excitement. Her brothers, nephews, sisters-in-law and other family members were all enthusiastic about this banquet. Of course, outsiders didn¡¯t understand why her mother was holding another birthday celebration but the family knew it very well: it was just to see Lu Ying and the child, or even to welcome Lu Ying and the child. Mrs. Qin hung her head in shame; she, Zhuopu¡¯s own mother, was no match to her son¡¯s grandmother. As the sun rose, the guests arrived at the Song family home one by one. The spacious hall connected to the open area outside the house, and a sumptuous spread of drinks and food had been prepared there, with the waiters shuttling back and forth. The adults were chatting and the children played around the fountain. Grandma sat in the hall, looking at her watch every now and then. Mrs. Qin sighed: ¡°Mom, don¡¯t be so anxious, they¡¯ll come when it¡¯s time.¡± ¡°What can I do if I am anxious?¡± Grandma glared. Mrs. Qin was silent for a moment, tempted to ask: who is Zhuopu¡¯s biological mother??? ¡°Grandma! Cousin¡¯s car has arrived.¡± A young man ran over and told the old woman with a smile. Grandma stood up in excitement, ¡°Help me to the door!¡± ¡°Grandma, pay attention, don¡¯t rush. Oh, I just caught a glimpse of my cousin¡¯s boyfriend in the car window, wow, my cousin is so lucky!¡± The young man was usually serious but now he was talking with a playful smile. The old woman was amused and laughed. The driver pulled open the car door and Qin Zhuopu was the first to get out. Then he reached out and half-carried Lu Zaizai down. Finally, it was Lu Ying¡¯s turn. Qin Zhuopu took Lu Ying¡¯s hand and took his son¡¯s hand as well, ¡°Let¡¯s go, follow me in.¡± The big one and the little one followed Qin Zhuopu towards the red carpeted mansion, passing through the neatly arranged green lawn and finally arriving at the front door. Qin Zhuopu caught a glimpse of his grandma waiting at the door and immediately smiled at Lu Ying, ¡°It seems that my grandma can¡¯t wait to see you and Zaizai.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying also saw the old woman. Her face was kind and gracious, and his heart felt a lot relieved ¡°Zhuopu!¡± Grandma greeted her grandson excitedly, but her smiling eyes looked straight at Lu Zaizai, and then at Lu Ying. Her smile grew brighter and brighter. ¡°Happy birthday, Grandma.¡± Qin Zhuopu gave his grandma a hug and leaned in to whisper in her ear, ¡°Look, I¡¯ve brought my wife and son with me. This is Lu Ying, whom you¡¯ve always wanted to meet, and my son, Lu Zaizai.¡± ¡°Good, good!¡± The old woman was genuinely excited. Lu Ying looked at the old woman in front of him and smiled sincerely as he handed over the birthday gift: ¡°Happy birthday to Grandma, live longer than Southern Mountains (an idiom wishing people longevity).¡± ¡°Good boy, I¡¯ve finally met you¡­¡± Grandma¡¯s hands shook with excitement, as if she wanted to take Lu Ying¡¯s hand but shrank back for some reason. After holding back for a while, she exclaimed, ¡°My good grandson¡­ where did you find this little boy fairy¡­ This, this¡­ Grandma really doesn¡¯t know what to say to compliment you, oops! Good, very good! Great! Thank you for the gift to Grandma.¡± ¡°Pfft, Grandma, don¡¯t overpraise him. Your grandson is not bad either.¡± Qin Zhuopu burst out laughing, and the cousins at the back of the room also laughed. Lu Ying blushed from the compliments. Oh my god, Qin Zhuopu¡¯s grandma was so fashionable and good at blowing rainbow farts. He had heard of fairy girls, but it was the first time he was labelled as a ¡®boy fairy¡¯. The sweet-talking old lady was so cute (*^¨Œ^*) ¡°Yes, yes, yes, my grandson is not bad either, you¡¯re a fairy couple together!¡± Grandma hurriedly agreed with her grandson, and everyone laughed at once. Qin Zhuopu put his hand on his son¡¯s shoulder and pushed him over to his grandma, ¡°Zaizai, this is Grandma.¡± The old lady immediately held up her old-fashioned glasses. Lu Zaizai followed in a loud voice, ¡°May Grandma be healthy and live a long life!¡± The old lady couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and took two steps forward to grasp Lu Zaizai¡¯s chubby hands, gripping them tightly and leaning down to face him closely, ¡°Good boy, good boy! You¡¯ve grown so well and are so energetic!¡± ¡°Thank you, Grandma.¡± Lu Zaizai blinked. ¡°Good boy, good boy.¡± The old lady stared at the child, her expression stunned. She was finally seeing this long-awaited child, close at hand, and the more she looked, the more amazed she felt. The child, was he really not Zhuopu¡¯s son? Was it a psychological effect or was it just her old eyes playing tricks on her, making her think that the fat child looked exactly the same as her grandson when he was little? The old lady was not the only one who was surprised. Many of the relatives in the house felt that it was too good to be true. How could Qin Zhuopu and his lover, two men, have such a son that resembled them both so much? At first glance, the boy looked like Qin Zhuopu but at second glance, he also looked like Lu Ying. Those who knew the inside story even sighed: Lu Ying¡¯s child actually resembled Qin Zhuopu. No one was more shocked than Mrs. Qin. She was the first person to see Lu Zaizai, even before her own son. But before, she had never felt there was any resemblance between Lu Ying¡¯s son and her own son. Today, as she watched the three of them walk hand in hand, maybe it was because they were wearing the same colour parent-child outfits, she was in a daze for a moment. Lu Zaizai really looked like Zhuopu¡¯s son. But how could that be? Lu Zaizai was indeed Lu Ying¡¯s biological son, and his appearance was also very convincing. Especially those eyes that looked like Lu Ying¡¯s. The old lady personally welcomed Lu Ying and his son, and all the guests present looked at them and remembered Lu Ying¡¯s appearance and message. From now on, Lu Ying would be a proper member of the Qin family and the grandson of the Song family. When the most waited guests arrived, the old lady waved her hand for the guests to liven up. No need to surround her; those who could dance should dance, those who wanted to chat should chat. Her purpose had been achieved. She kept holding Lu Zaizai¡¯s hand affectionately and went to sit down in the hall. She kept asking Lu Zaizai what he wanted to eat and drink. It looked like she didn¡¯t have time for Qin Zhuopu. Qin Zhuopu smiled helplessly, ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ll take Lu Ying for a walk.¡± ¡°Go on, go on, keep him good company.¡± ¡°Zaizai, you stay with Grandma and talk.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lu Zaizai had food and drink and was not too bored. Qin Zhuopu then took Lu Ying to meet his aunts and uncles, his cousins and a horde of other relatives. Lu Ying followed him around for half a day and got to know many people. He was so relieved that all of Qin Zhuopu¡¯s relatives were very nice, the elders were friendly to him and the younger ones¡­ couldn¡¯t wait to surround him. Especially a few younger ones who brought him food and drink, then secretly glanced at him, blushed and ran away. Finally, a little girl came with a bouquet of flowers and shyly held it up to Lu Ying: ¡°For you!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± What do you mean? Lu Ying was taken aback, smiled and bent down to take the flowers: ¡°Thank you, little fairy.¡± He looked down and sniffed the flowers; they smelled so good. The little girl had tears in her eyes, ¡°I, I want to take a picture with you¡­ woo woo¡­¡± ¡°Pfft, of course you can! Why are you crying, be a good girl and stop crying, if you keep crying the picture won¡¯t look good.¡± The corners of Lu Ying¡¯s mouth twitched and he hurriedly wiped the little girl¡¯s tears. The little girl sobbed and squinted at Qin Zhuopu, ¡°Look at him glaring at me all the time¡­ woo woo, he¡¯s going to eat me¡­¡± Everyone laughed out loud. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying laughed so hard he couldn¡¯t straighten up, looking at Qin Zhuopu¡¯s terrifying and helpless expression. Qin Zhuopu looked up at the sky and rolled his eyes, put on the kindest smile and said to the little girl, ¡°I won¡¯t glare at you anymore. Okay, now I allow you to take a picture with my little boy fairy. Be a good girl and smile.¡± The little girl squeezed out a smile that was worse than crying. ¡°Hahaha¡­ you go away. We¡¯ll take the photo by ourselves.¡± At the banquet, there were professionals responsible for taking pictures, as well as specially invited artists to leave their works as a beautiful souvenir. So, every year when the old lady celebrated her birthday, there was no shortage of family photos. This year was no exception. When the family photo was taken, Grandma strongly requested that Lu Ying and Lu Zaizai stand close to her. Lu Ying originally felt that he was not suitable to participate, but the old woman was so enthusiastic that he couldn¡¯t refuse. In the picture, the old lady, the birthday girl, was sitting in the middle, with her elder sons and grandsons on her left and her only daughter, Mrs. Qin, and her daughter¡¯s only son, Qin Zhuopu, on her right. After the photo shoot, the parts of the big family took photos separately. Qin Zhuopu held Lu Ying and his son, ¡°Let¡¯s have a family portrait too, shall we?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Lu Zaizai was the first to agree; he thought it was fun anyway. Lu Ying tilted his head and smiled, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s great.¡± And so, that day, the first family photo of the family of three was born. Elder Qin, who was too old to travel, was having tea at home. He knew that today was his in-law¡¯s birthday banquet and that his grandson would take Lu Ying and Lu Zaizai to it. When would Lu Ying and the boy come to the Qin family together? The housekeeper hurriedly came over with a tablet in his hand, ¡°Mr. Qin has sent you a message, Old Master, take a look.¡± Elder Qin nodded, took the tablet and swiped it open. A family portrait came into view, a happy family of three. The old man stared at the picture and his old hands suddenly shook. *** Mini-theatre: Old ladies gathering to play cards. Old lady A: My grandson has found a wife who is a top student. Old lady B: My grandson has found a wife who is an artist. Grandma Song: My grandson found a wife who is a little boy fairy. Everyone: ¡­¡­ Mini-theatre-2: Reporter: Mr. Lu, what do you think about your fan support group? Lu Ying: ¡­I have a fan support group? Reporter: Of course you do, look, this one called Grandma Song Always Supports Little Boy Fairy is your number one fan. Grandma: It¡¯s me, it¡¯s me! Lu Ying: (*/w£Ü*) Mr. Qin: ¡­your grandson is ashamed. CH 48 In the picture, Qin Zhuopu and Lu Ying were standing side by side with their hands on Lu Zaizai¡¯s shoulders, a family of three, the happiest of families. Elder Qin was breathing heavily, his old palm caressing the screen as if tracing someone¡¯s face. He had seen Zaizai with his own eyes and his first impression was that the boy was chubby, big and strong. The second impression was that he was a good eater, with a good appetite and a lot of energy. He was fat, but his features resembled those of his father, Lu Ying, not to mention that the father and son had the same good appetite. The old man never doubted that there was a blood relation between Lu Zaizai and Lu Ying. However, at this moment, looking at the image on the screen, he could not help but feel his heart beating wildly, his blood pressure soaring uncontrollably. Elder Qin¡¯s body swayed, and the housekeeper jumped in shock, ¡°Old Master! Someone, come quickly!¡± Elder Qin propped up his body and shook his head with difficulty, desperately trying to stay calm. Most of all, he didn¡¯t want to collapse at this time. He was full of confusion and doubts that had not been confirmed. How could he collapse now! Even if he died, he couldn¡¯t rest in peace. He was carried into the bedroom in a daze by the housekeeper and servants, and the family doctor quickly gave him pills and an infusion. Glancing at the semi-conscious old man clutching his tablet in a death grip, the doctor couldn¡¯t help but scold the housekeeper, ¡°Quickly take away the old man¡¯s tablet. I told you not to let him bury his head in electronic products all the time, he is prone to vertigo when his cervical spine is compressed.¡± The housekeeper was scared to death and smiled bitterly at the doctor¡¯s words, ¡°I know, but the Old Master, he¡­¡± The old man himself wanted to learn about the world of young people, especially to be able to get the photos and messages sent by Mr. Qin; the old man wouldn¡¯t miss them for anything. The old man had never played with electronic products before, nor did he have WeChat and Weibo, but a while ago he suddenly changed and specially asked the housekeeper to get a tablet to register a WeChat, and then added Mr. Qin. Since then, whenever Mr. Qin posted on Moments, the housekeeper had to tell the Old Master in time, and then Elder Qin himself would take a good look at it, like it, or comment on it. Usually, if Mr. Qin reposted certain articles, the old man would at most click on ¡®like¡¯. If Mr. Qin posted something about his personal life, especially something related to the child, the Old Master would definitely comment on it. Occasionally, he chatted online with Mr. Qin, had video chats twice, and specially sent red envelopes of 66, 88 and 99 yuan to Mr. Qin. In short, the old man had a lot of fun. Today, Mr. Qin sent a family portrait. The housekeeper didn¡¯t dare to delay for a second, so he quickly showed it to the old man. As a result¡­ It took a lot of effort for the housekeeper to take away the tablet that the old man was clutching, and he didn¡¯t forget to reassure the old man: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Old Master, that photo will always be there, it definitely won¡¯t be lost. You can look at it again when you are ready.¡± When he said that, the old man really relaxed his grip, but his dazed eyes were still very reluctant, staring straight at the doctor as he said with difficulty, ¡°I can¡¯t go down¡­¡± The doctor said helplessly, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Elder Qin, you are still in good health, you won¡¯t go down so easily. You should rest well, I¡¯ll give you medicine and injections to lower your blood pressure, and you¡¯ll be fine after a while.¡± Only then did Elder Qin fall asleep with peace of mind. In the capital, the Song family mansion. Lu Ying and Lu Zaizai had already eaten several rounds of food, and Lu Zaizai was completely relaxed. After eating and drinking, he went off to play with other children. Whether they knew each other or not, they were just little friends anyway. Grandma¡¯s gaze was following the child, and the people around her noticed that she was absent-minded when chatting with them. Advertisements Qin Zhuopu pulled Lu Ying and his cousins to sit and chat. They were of a similar age and had grown up together, so their relationship was naturally good. ¡°Let me tell you, of all my siblings, Zhuopu was the most stubborn as a child! I remember one summer, we did maths together. When he encountered a difficult problem he couldn¡¯t solve, he kept working on it desperately. When I saw that I didn¡¯t know how to solve it either, I asked the teacher for the answer and the solution. I was so excited and ready to show him, and guess what he did?¡± The third young master of the Song family, who was the same age as Qin Zhuopu, shook his head helplessly and said, ¡°He didn¡¯t want the answer, he didn¡¯t listen to my hints, and he threw me out and told me not to disturb his thinking.¡± ¡°In the end, he spent the whole day over the question, from the morning until after nine o¡¯clock at night, without touching anything like lunch, dinner, tea or fruit, and without even taking a sip of water! He didn¡¯t stand up until he solved the problem himself.¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, can you imagine such a person? And he was only ten years old, I think, in third or fourth grade. My aunt and uncle were shocked. They wanted to ask him to give up and come out for dinner, but they were afraid to disturb him. Since then, my uncle kept a very close eye on him, giving him psychological counselling classes and often taking him out to relax. Hey, we are all middle-aged now. I thought he would be a single dog for the rest of his life with this temper.¡± Qin Zhuopu laughed bitterly, ¡°I only had one episode, there¡¯s no need to label me.¡± Third Young Master Song snorted silently. One episode? Who would believe it? Zhuopu was stubbornly in love for a long time, too. Fortunately, he was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and got the beauty back. Lu Ying, who was drinking juice, listened to the story and looked at Qin Zhuopu: ¡°It turns out that you like to solve problems so much, no wonder your maths scores are so good.¡± Qin Zhuopu was touched. It seemed that Lu Ying was the only one who thought that he simply liked to solve problems. That time he had gotten too carried away with it and forgotten the measure, causing his family to worry about him. Since then, he kept it well under control. ¡°Hey, if only Zaizai was like you. He doesn¡¯t want to do maths when he encounters a problem he can¡¯t do.¡± Lu Ying sighed. Zaizai was obviously Qin Zhuopu¡¯s own son, how come he hadn¡¯t inherited this advantage from him? Qin Zhuopu suddenly felt a headache but didn¡¯t forget to comfort Lu Ying: ¡°He is still young, he is only in the first grade and doesn¡¯t understand the fun of mathematics. I will keep an eye on him in the future, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Oh, mom, is maths still fun?¡± Third Young Master Song suddenly shook his head wildly: ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the compulsory exam in school, I wouldn¡¯t touch it for the rest of my life. Only a maths madman like you will find it fun.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± The crowd was still chatting away when Lu Ying got up to go to the bathroom, and when he came out of the cubicle, he found Qin Zhuopu washing his hands there. ¡°Why are you here too?¡± ¡°Came over to keep you company.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled. Lu Ying was speechless, ¡°You¡¯re afraid I¡¯ll get lost after such a short walk?¡± Qin Zhuopu hugged his shoulders, ¡°I said I¡¯d stay with you today.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a child.¡± Lu Ying shook his head in amusement, ¡°Did you watch where Zaizai was playing?¡± ¡°No, he won¡¯t get far anyway.¡± Qin Zhuopu was very relaxed. The two of them walked slowly outside and just as they turned the corner, they met a middle-aged man with a young girl, who approached them enthusiastically. The man extended his right hand and his voice was loud and passionate: ¡°Mr. Qin! I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time! Last week I wanted to visit you in Guanlan City, but I was too busy and missed the opportunity. Today, at the Song family¡¯s old lady¡¯s birthday banquet, I figured you would definitely be there, and sure enough, you are!¡± ¡°Mr. Chen, it¡¯s been a long time¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu said; it was an acquaintance from his circle, and he couldn¡¯t help but exchange pleasantries. ¡°Mr. Qin is getting younger and younger, I envy you, how do you take care of yourself? Who can imagine, I¡¯m only seven or eight years older than you, but I can¡¯t compare. No wonder all those young people on the internet like you, haha, and are clamouring for you to be their husband.¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s face didn¡¯t change: ¡°It¡¯s just a daily fitness routine. Never mind casual remarks on the internet. I wonder what Mr. Chen wants to see me about?¡± Mr. Chen suddenly remembered and pointed to the young girl beside him, introducing her, ¡°This is my niece, Lu Ying, who has just graduated from the film and television academy and is working in the entertainment industry.¡± (Same character for ¡°Lu¡±, different for ¡°Ying¡±.) ¡°Hello, Mr. Qin, nice to meet you.¡± Lu Ying smiled and extended her hand. Her bright eyes blinked; she was indeed quite spirited and looked good enough to be an actress. Qin Zhuopu paused; this name was really¡­ Even Lu Ying looked up at the girl a few more times and muttered in his heart: Is her name Lu Ying (his ¡°Ying¡±)? Or is it Lu Ying (her ¡°Ying¡±)? I don¡¯t know which character it is. Qin Zhuopu shook her hand politely. Mr. Chen smiled and said, ¡°Lu Ying was the female lead in that movie ¡®Youth Show¡¯ that was so popular a while ago. I heard that Mr. Qin and Mr. Gao have jointly invested in a big production movie, ¡®The Emperor¡¯s Tomb¡¯, and Lu Ying liked that original novel very much and studied it dozens of times. I wonder if there¡¯s any chance that she can give it a try?¡± Qin Zhuopu frowned and shook his head, ¡°I only invested a portion of the money in that project, which actually counts as a loan to Mr. Gao. I¡¯m not involved in any aspect of the details of the project. It¡¯s purely a friendly help to Mr. Gao. You¡¯d better go to him for this, he¡¯s an investor and a professional producer.¡± Mr. Chen sighed: ¡°Of course I know he¡¯s the boss, but I haven¡¯t met him much. I already had to be thick-skinned enough to come to you.¡± Qin Zhuopu handed him a business card, ¡°Mr. Chen, just ask him directly, I can¡¯t guarantee anything else, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s fine to ask for a chance to audition. Now I have something to do, I¡¯ll leave first.¡± ¡°¡­okay, thank you, Mr. Qin.¡± Seeing Qin Zhuopu leave, Mr. Chen hung his head, ¡°Half a day of talk, but he didn¡¯t loosen up. In the end you still have to go through the trouble to audition. Anyway, to win an important role, you should give a lot of face. If you can¡¯t do the first female lead, there is the second female lead too. Ye Suqin didn¡¯t help you to ease the way?¡± Lu Ying pouted unhappily, ¡°She didn¡¯t even want to introduce me. She wanted me to audition for the role, and it was the fourth female lead.¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy for you to play the first female lead, I can invest in a movie for you, why do you have to be in ¡®The Emperor¡¯s Tomb¡¯?¡± ¡°No way! I want to make this blockbuster, it¡¯s no fun to be in a small movie. This is a rare big production! It¡¯s full of big names.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll think of another way.¡± Mr Chen felt helpless. ¡°En en.¡± Lu Ying stared at Qin Zhuopu¡¯s distant back and bit her lip as she asked, ¡°What¡¯s the relationship between Mr. Qin and the man next to him?¡± The two were dressed like a couple, and the man really surprised her. In the entertainment industry, which was full of beautiful men, she hadn¡¯t seen anyone as good-looking as this one. Because they stood so close, she could immediately tell that it was a purely natural beauty, without any make-up. His features and skin texture were a blessing from gods, making people sour with envy. Mr. Chen came late today and didn¡¯t know too much about the man. He said disapprovingly: ¡°Of course it¡¯s not a simple relationship. Most likely he¡¯s someone Mr. Qin supports. Look at it like that and you¡¯ll know what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°¡­ Mr. Qin likes men?¡± Lu Ying was surprised. Mr. Chen shook his head: ¡°I don¡¯t know, no matter what he likes, it¡¯s just playing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Lu Ying and Zaizai stayed at the Song family¡¯s house until the evening. All the guests had dispersed and they were the only ones left. In the Song family¡¯s dining room, the family sat around a table, and Grandma, who was in her eighties, even cooked a ¡®vegetarian chicken¡¯ herself and placed it in front of Lu Ying and Lu Zaizai for them to taste: ¡°Grandma hasn¡¯t cooked in years, so I had to show my skills on the rare occasion you came over. This ¡®vegetarian chicken¡¯ is my best dish, eat it quickly, no one is allowed to steal it.¡± ¡°Thank you, Grandma, you¡¯re too kind, sit down and rest.¡± Lu Ying was flattered. The rickety old lady was personally cooking for him, he really didn¡¯t expect it. ¡°It¡¯s delicious! Grandma is amazing!¡± Lu Zaizai praised. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s good if you like it.¡± ¡°Grandma is really biassed today, we all feel like foster kids.¡± Qin Zhuopu joked with a smile. Grandma laughed, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if we¡¯re blood related or not, the point is, I¡¯ve lived for over eighty years and this is the first time I¡¯ve seen a little boy fairy! I¡¯ve met such a good-looking guy, of course I have to treat him well.¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ Great-grandmother is a proper face-con!¡± The young girls of the Song family were straight up happy. Qin Zhuopu frowned at Lu Ying. Was his Lu Ying a little boy fairy? Oh no, he was a little demon boy! A little demon boy who could steal people¡¯s hearts, suck their blood and drain their bodies. The day was a happy one, and when they left Grandma¡¯s house, Lu Ying was a bit reluctant to leave, mainly because of the way the old lady couldn¡¯t let go of Zaizai and her eyes were red. It was really¡­ ¡°Grandma, you are getting older, so you have to go to bed and rest quickly. I will definitely bring Lu Ying and Zaizai to visit you next time I have the opportunity.¡± Qin Zhuopu helplessly coaxed the old lady. He actually was puzzled. It was not surprising that the old lady liked Lu Ying and Zaizai, but she cared a little more than expected? ¡°That¡¯s right, you can come back next time you have a chance. Mom, don¡¯t be like this.¡± Mrs. Qin hugged the old lady¡¯s shoulders to comfort her, even more confused than Qin Zhuopu. Why did her mother like Lu Ying and Zaizai so much? The old lady lowered her head, let go sadly and sighed for a long time, ¡°Go. I¡¯ll wait for you to come to play next time.¡± ¡°Okay, goodbye, Grandma.¡± Back home, lying comfortably in bed, Lu Ying was still talking, ¡°Your grandma is really nice.¡± ¡°En, she calls it ¡®family love¡¯.¡± Qin Zhuopu dried his hair and came to the bed in a robe. Remembering how Grandma had acted today, he felt it was a little abnormal. ¡°Isn¡¯t it because I¡¯m a ¡®little boy fairy¡¯?¡± Lu Ying said, patting his handsome face. ¡°Ha, a little demon boy is more like it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not as sweet-mouthed as Grandma, huh.¡± Lu Ying kicked him. ¡°So Mr. Little Boy Fairy, do you need me to ¡®offer myself¡¯ tonight?¡± Qin Zhuopu cupped Lu Ying¡¯s chin and rubbed it delicately, a scorching fire leaping in his smiling eyes. ¡°Pfft¡­ what do you think?¡± Lu Ying pouted. Qin Zhuopu leaned in for a kiss, ¡°I¡¯m happy to give myself to you.¡± The night before parting would always feel too short, and no amount of hugs would be enough to fill the discomfort of separating. The next morning, Qin Zhuopu had to send the father and son home. Lu Ying had to go to work and Zaizai had to go to school, and Qin Zhuopu was busy, too. He also received a call from his grandfather¡¯s housekeeper in the morning that the old man¡¯s high blood pressure and cervical pain had returned. He had to go back to check on him. In Guanlan City, Qin Zhuopu returned to the old house in a hurry. The old man was already much better and was half resting on his bed. When he saw Qin Zhuopu coming in, he immediately struggled to sit up, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Grandpa, are you feeling better?¡± Qin Zhuopu stepped forward in worry. After only a few days of not seeing him, he felt that his grandfather got older, and the years were not kind to him. The old man shook his head and suddenly reached under his pillow, took out the photo and handed it to Qin Zhuopu. It was the big photo of the family of three at Grandma¡¯s birthday banquet that he personally sent to Grandpa to see. Grandpa printed out the photo. ¡°This is¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu held the photo, but stared at his grandfather. The old man snorted coldly: ¡°Since you have the guts to send it to me, you won¡¯t be afraid that I will see it.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled: ¡°What do you see? It¡¯s not the first time Grandpa has seen them both.¡± ¡°Still arguing!¡± The old man looked agitated and pointed at the photo of Lu Zaizai, ¡°This face, this look, how dare you say he¡¯s not yours? If this is not your own son, I will write the word ¡°Qin¡± on my old bones upside down!¡± ¡°¡­Grandpa, take it easy, beware of high blood pressure.¡± Qin Zhuopu patted the old man¡¯s back. The old man gasped a few times and took a deep breath: ¡°Don¡¯t try to fool me, tell me the truth. I don¡¯t believe you don¡¯t know anything about it yourself, you¡¯re addicted to being an uncle. If you don¡¯t tell me, that¡¯s fine, huh, I have ways to confirm and find out. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t harass them, I promise no one will notice anything.¡± Qin Zhuopu was helpless; as soon as his grandfather became suspicious, he could no longer hide it from him. He didn¡¯t want to hide it from the old man forever anyway. Nodding, Qin Zhuopu told him clearly, word for word, ¡°Yes, Zaizai is my biological son, and the paternity test has confirmed it. So, he looks like me, right?¡± ¡°!!!¡± When he heard the definitive answer, the old man almost fainted with excitement. Fortunately, Qin Zhuopu was prepared, nimbly patted the old man¡¯s back and familiarly gave him a pill: ¡°Grandpa, calm down! Don¡¯t be too happy, don¡¯t be too sad, Zaizai will need your support when he comes home. He is Grandpa¡¯s only great-grandson.¡± ¡°Ahem¡­¡± The old man coughed and sighed in relief. His whole body was comfortable, and his face was flushed. He chuckled a few times, holding the photo and staring at it with rapt attention: ¡°Sure enough, sure enough! This child is really the blood of our Qin family, hahaha¡­ God is kind to me!¡± Advertisements The old man burst into tears, laughing at the same time, and Qin Zhuopu was overwhelmed with emotion. After the death of his father and grandmother, his grandfather¡¯s mentality changed. In fact, he became pessimistic. He was so devastated in his twilight years that he always said that it was fate. In the old days, he was the last person to believe in fate, believing only in the beginning and the end, in perseverance and in man¡¯s determination. ¡°No wonder I liked him when I saw him. Not to mention how affectionate and caring he is, it¡¯s a bond of blood.¡± The old man couldn¡¯t stop talking. His mood couldn¡¯t be calmed down for a long time, and his eyes couldn¡¯t move away from the photo. ¡°It¡¯s a great, great blessing!¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled, ¡°The Qin family has always insisted on doing charity, and good deeds have a good reward.¡± ¡°Right, to be a man you have to accumulate virtue.¡± Elder Qin let out a long breath, ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me what¡¯s going on with Zaizai? He and Lu Ying¡­ are also very similar.¡± But Lu Ying was a man; the old man couldn¡¯t figure it out. Qin Zhuopu paused and said, ¡°Zaizai is the son Lu Ying gave birth to for me, and the two of us are the child¡¯s two parents.¡± ¡°This, this¡­ how is it possible?¡± The old man¡¯s eyes widened, and then it dawned on him, ¡°Oh oh, that child Lu Ying is actually a girl? A girl disguised as a boy?¡± ¡°¡­Grandpa!¡± Qin Zhuopu helplessly held his forehead, ¡°What are you saying? You¡¯ve watched too many TV series. Lu Ying is a real man, it¡¯s just that¡­ ahem, his physique is rather special.¡± He certainly wouldn¡¯t tell his grandfather the truth. It wasn¡¯t that he was afraid that his grandfather would have difficulty accepting Lu Ying, it was that he was afraid that his grandfather¡¯s body wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the stimulation. When the old man heard this, he was not much surprised, but sighed: ¡°So¡­ this kid is really not simple.¡± The world was a big place; the special physique was easier to accept. ¡°So if you count the time¡­ when he left alone, he already had Zaizai?¡± The old man asked in distress. Qin Zhuopu nodded sullenly and said in a slightly distorted voice, ¡°En, he only found out when he returned to the mountains¡­ and then Zaizai was born, and he raised him all by himself. No family to help, no money, no house. He rented a dark room less than fifteen square metres with the child¡­ He had no education to find a good job and worked three odd jobs for the child to study¡­ He worked as a porter, waiter, courier, delivered takeaway¡­ When I found him, he still went out to sweep the streets at three or four o¡¯clock in the morning every day¡­ At that time, I didn¡¯t know that Zaizai was my own son.¡± The old man quietly listened to the end; he couldn¡¯t control his red eyes for a long time, his hands clenched in fists couldn¡¯t help but tremble. For a while, he couldn¡¯t say a word. He just felt pouring acid clogging his throat, extremely uncomfortable. ¡°Grandpa!¡± Noticing that something was wrong, Qin Zhuopu immediately patted the old man¡¯s chest and rang the bell to call the doctor. The family doctor was on standby and rushed in to help Elder Qin quickly. Qin Zhuopu was anxious but there was nothing he could do, so he could only wait aside. He kind of regretted telling his grandfather too much, but he couldn¡¯t help but want him to know that Lu Ying and Zaizai had been wronged all these years. This time, Elder Qin was really sick and after staying at home for a day was sent to a big hospital for inpatient treatment. It was impossible for Qin Zhuopu to keep an eye on him every step of the way, so Mrs. Qin rushed back as soon as she got the news. When the old man woke up, he was in a very bad mood. Just thinking about what Lu Ying and the child had suffered all those years, he could not feel better. What kind of life did the bloodline of his Qin family lead? His daughter-in-law donated large sums of money every year to unfamiliar children around the world to help those poor children through their difficulties. This was a good deed and he had always supported it. However, she left out her own grandson! She personally pushed the child out of the protection circle of the Qin family. A good baby, born in the mountains, could only afford milk powder and diapers because Lu Ying was moving bricks! He wore old clothes given by others and played with inferior toys for a few yuan! A cherry had to be divided between the two of them! Elder Qin had to vomit blood when he thought about it! The anger in his heart could not be extinguished. When Mrs. Qin hurried to the hospital, she was confronted by the ugly face of Elder Qin who was barely holding back. ¡°Dad¡­ what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Elder Qin closed his eyes, not wanting to speak. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Mrs. Qin didn¡¯t understand, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Dad? Do you feel uncomfortable?¡± The old man turned his back on his daughter-in-law and grunted bitterly, ¡°I want to see my great-grandson, I want to see my grandson¡¯s wife¡­ I can¡¯t see them, I have a headache, chest pains, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, heart pains, I won¡¯t live for a few days¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Mrs. Qin was dumbfounded and at her wits¡¯ end. Was this to force her to invite Lu Ying and the child back? But¡­ Lu Ying had already told her earlier to go their separate ways and leave each other in peace¡­ ¡°Dad¡­ I¡¯ve been there before, Lu Ying doesn¡¯t want to come over, he thinks Caifeng City is good.¡± The old man rolled over and angrily scolded, ¡°You treat people that way, of course he thinks Caifeng City is good! I¡¯m just asking you, did you say sorry to him? Did you say sorry properly, huh?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Mrs. Qin was silent. The old man sighed in disappointment, ¡°The in-law defends Lu Ying at every turn, why don¡¯t you understand? She can gladly accept Lu Ying and his son for the sake of her grandson. As Zhuopu¡¯s mother, have you ever thought about his lifelong happiness from his point of view? Lu Ying is Zhuopu¡¯s wife, have you ever respected him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the one who doesn¡¯t want to come to the Qin family¡­¡± ¡°Forget it, I can¡¯t care about you anymore, do whatever you want¡­ heh.¡± Elder Qin didn¡¯t want to fight with his daughter-in-law but he really felt tired. He could have relied on his status of the elder to bully his daughter-in-law into apologising to Lu Ying, but that would only create an enmity. He finally understood why his grandson had trouble communicating with his mother. Zhuopu knew that the crux of the problem lay with his own mother, but Zhuopu never told her what to do and how to treat Lu Ying. Because he knew very well that the more he said, the more wrong it would be. Mrs. Qin looked at the sleeping old man, unable to sit still. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a corner of something under the old man¡¯s pillow and pulled it out to see that it was a family portrait of her son, Lu Ying and Zaizai¡­ Mrs. Qin¡¯s mood was extremely complicated. The old man had to take the picture to bed with him even when he was sick and hospitalised. It was clear that he really wanted to see Lu Ying and the child. Her father-in-law liked Lu Ying and the people in her mother¡¯s family also liked Lu Ying, the whole extended family liked him, only she had become a snag. Because of this snag, Lu Ying would rather live far away than come to the Qin family¡¯s house. In the bakery in the middle of the afternoon, Lu Ying arranged his work in an orderly manner, checking the schedule from time to time. His son was out of school at 3:50 and should be almost here by now. Jin Dachu went to pick him up, and Lu Ying was very relaxed. Not long afterwards, Jin Dachu did indeed bring Lu Zaizai into the shop. But today, Lu Zaizai¡¯s eyes were red and his school uniform was dirty and messy. His little nose was twitching as he looked at his father, aggrieved and stubborn. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lu Ying asked hurriedly. Jin Dachu sighed, ¡°He had a conflict with someone at school, you¡¯ll have to ask him about that. I can¡¯t go inside the school. I didn¡¯t expect the primary school to be so chaotic.¡± When Lu Zaizai saw his father, he couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and sobbed: ¡°I obediently went out of the classroom to line up as soon as school was over today. And then, some big brothers from the sixth grade suddenly came to me and asked me to lend them money. I said I had no money. They didn¡¯t believe me. They checked my pockets and took away my twenty yuan of pocket money. They also said that they would ask me to hand in the pocket money every day in the future. I was so angry that I smashed them with my schoolbag. They fought back, and then we started fighting¡­ After the headmaster came, we didn¡¯t fight anymore.¡± ¡°Sixth grade little f¡­ know how to rob kids?¡± When Lu Ying heard it, he exploded with anger: ¡°What the hell these students are! What did the headmaster say? Those punks dare to rob you and put their hands on you, I¡¯ll go to school tomorrow to settle the score with them!¡± Lu Zaizai whispered, ¡°I beat them all to tears and the headmaster sent them to the hospital.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying held back for a long time, but couldn¡¯t help laughing secretly behind the child¡¯s back. It was something! CH 49 ¡°Hahahaha, he¡¯s only six years old and he¡¯s already beaten several twelve year olds to tears? Really capable! He¡¯s got talent! As expected of my great-grandson!¡± In the ward, Qin Zhuopu, who had just listened to Lu Ying¡¯s complaints, looked at the laughing old man helplessly, ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t praise the child for that in the future. Zaizai, like Lu Ying, has a special physique and is very strong and nimble. He can beat practically anyone. Lu Ying has been teaching him to behave for fear that he will hurt other people¡¯s children accidentally.¡± The old man was unconvinced and hummed: ¡°It¡¯s wrong to hit someone but it depends on the situation. It was self-defence! Fortunately, our Zaizai is amazing, otherwise he¡¯d be bullied by those little bastards! You hurry up and pick him up for me. I don¡¯t want to wait for a day. I have to watch him with my own eyes. I will follow him when he goes to school in the future. I promise not to let outsiders bully my Zaizai!¡± ¡°Grandpa¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu had a headache and looked at the old man helplessly, ¡°Don¡¯t say that wind is rain. How dare I pick him up with your attitude like this? I don¡¯t know what kind of young master you¡¯ll spoil him into, but if he becomes a little bastard who doesn¡¯t know any rules, Lu Ying and I will be finished for the rest of our lives.¡± Elder Qin was furious: ¡°How dare you speak like an old man! That¡¯s your own son, good bamboo produces good shoots! My Qin family can never raise a loser fop. I¡¯ll spoil him because I like him? How can I spoil him? Even you weren¡¯t spoiled by me!¡± Qin Zhuopu was noncommittal. Many families had good children in the first few generations, but later they got more and more crooked, most likely due to the inter-generational spoiling by the elderly. He certainly agreed with his grandfather that good bamboo produced good shoots. Lu Zaizai was a cute little boy. This time beating those guys up was the right thing to do and he was happy about it. He was more at ease as a father than if the child didn¡¯t know how to fight back, not to mention that he loved Zaizai¡¯s character. ¡°Grandpa, you didn¡¯t spoil me much when I was little. Hehe, you trapped me at home every day to practise calligraphy and beat me on the palm of my hand if I couldn¡¯t write properly, tsk tsk¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu was relentless in exposing the ¡®different from person to person¡¯ attitude of the old man. ¡°Nonsense, disciplining you strictly was for your own good.¡± ¡°Fine, so I can rest assured you¡¯ll do the same for Zaizai.¡± ¡°He¡¯s different. He¡¯s still young, he¡¯s my great-grandson and he¡¯s suffered so much before. I have to be good to him! By the way, I¡¯m going to buy a piece of land right now to build an amusement park to compensate him. What else does he like? Do you want to buy a toy factory¡­¡± The grandfather and grandson were talking a lot, and their emotions were very high. The old man was in very good spirits every time he talked about Zaizai. When Mrs. Qin came over, the two of them restrained themselves at the same time. Qin Zhuopu got up, ¡°Mom is here, then I¡¯ll go back to the office. I¡¯ll see Grandpa again tomorrow.¡± ¡°You go and get busy.¡± The old man waved his hand. He felt tired once his grandson left, after all, he had talked for a long time. Helplessly watching her son leave, Mrs. Qin asked, ¡°Dad, what kind of fruit do you want to eat? I¡¯ll cut it for you.¡± The old man shook his head, ¡°No need. I¡¯m sleepy, I¡¯ll take a nap first.¡± ¡°Then you go to sleep.¡± The old man soon fell asleep, snoring. Mrs. Qin stood by, her heart empty and unable to settle, always full of anxiety these days. When she raised her eyes, she saw that the family photo of her son and Lu Ying had been framed by the old man, and the wooden frame was placed on the edge of the table, in a position that couldn¡¯t be more eye-catching. Whenever relatives or friends came over to visit these days, the old man would introduce them with great excitement and pride: ¡°This is my grandson¡¯s family, on the right is my grandson¡¯s wife and the little fat boy is my great-grandson!¡± ¡°Oh my, what a happy family. The Old Master is blessed.¡± ¡°Congratulations to the Old Master on his new great-grandson.¡± ¡°Now that your grandson has a family and a son, you are relieved, old buddy¡­¡± The constant stream of compliments and blessings that surrounded the old man every day was more effective than the medicine and injections, and the old man was now recovering well and was full of energy. Only Mrs. Qin had mixed feelings, unconsciously feeling like an outsider. Should she break the deadlock and make another showdown? Either give up¡­ or save everything. The next day Lu Ying personally sent Lu Zaizai to school and was, not surprisingly, called to the headmaster¡¯s office. There were also several parents of the sixth-graders. When they saw Lu Ying come in, the grandmother of one of the students immediately pointed at Lu Ying and Zaizai and started screaming: ¡°Your bear child beat my grandson until his teeth bled! At a young age so vicious and so cruel! Headmaster, why do you still have such a black sheep in your school? I¡¯m telling you, you¡¯re going to have to pay for the medical bills, the moral damage and our family¡¯s absence from work!¡± She had heard from her grandson that this little fatty¡¯s family was particularly rich, he even had a private helicopter, so it would be a great opportunity to squeeze some money out of them. Anyway, those rich people cared about their face and didn¡¯t want to be involved in trivial matters, so they would certainly be generous with their money. The old lady was spitting and frothing while pointing her finger at Lu Zaizai. Lu Ying slapped her hand away: ¡°There is surveillance all over the campus. Please ask the headmaster to bring up the surveillance to see what actually happened and who actually started it. If you don¡¯t want to, I¡¯ll just call the police and the reporters.¡± Several parents were all taken aback and looked very uncomfortable. Immediately a father took the lead and apologised, ¡°Mr. Lu, I¡¯m sorry, it was my son who was too disobedient ambushing a first grader. He only had a little superficial injury and he realised his mistake. I hope Mr. Lu will not take offence. Li Zihao, quickly apologise to your little brother!¡± He was busy with work and seldom took care of his child, so he didn¡¯t expect such great deeds from his son, bullying a first grader and getting beaten up in turn. He didn¡¯t have the cheek to go on, he just wanted to retreat and keep a close eye on his son. The teenager who was slapped on the head was a bit reluctant, but he still walked in front of Lu Zaizai and bowed his head to admit his mistake: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was wrong. I won¡¯t dare to do it again next time.¡± Lu Zaizai was generous, waved his hand and nodded, ¡°It¡¯s good that you know your mistake and can change, I forgive you.¡± ¡°Thank you, little student.¡± Lu Ying also smiled along with his son, ¡°Sixth grade is the rebellious period, I hope parents pay good attention to their children¡¯s growth. Don¡¯t go astray in the future.¡± Nowadays, teenage boys were all tall and big, and could be a real pain in the ass, and their parents were sometimes helpless; except for unreasonable bear parents like the old lady, where the family¡¯s child was rebellious and even criminal purely due to their ¡®family history¡¯. The two kids reconciled and the dad immediately took his son to class. Two more mothers soon lectured their children and also left after a smooth reconciliation. There were three more left, the bossy old lady, a round-faced mom and a dad who kept smoking regardless of the occasion. Advertisements ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s no use calling the police! Do you know there used to be a news story where a twelve-year-old didn¡¯t have to go to jail even though he killed his mother? What¡¯s wrong with my son robbing yours of twenty yuan, robbing him is honouring him!¡± The round-faced mother cursed, her eyes bulging. Lu Ying frowned, his face full of disgust. The headmaster couldn¡¯t stand it: ¡°Parent, please watch your words, your behaviour will have a direct negative impact on the child.¡± ¡°Whether it affects him or not is my family¡¯s business! If the headmaster has the ability to expel my son, I will immediately go to the Education Bureau to report a complaint against you. I¡¯ll see if you dare!¡± ¡°You!¡± The headmaster was so angry that his face turned blue: ¡°Rude and unreasonable! Watch your language!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s only natural to compensate for injuries. Even if it¡¯s wrong for our boy to grab something, it¡¯s even more wrong to hit someone.¡± The old lady interjected again, determined not to leave without money. ¡°Anyway, your family has money, wouldn¡¯t it be better to compensate generously?¡± The old lady ¡®kindly¡¯ reminded. The headmaster simply laughed and Lu Ying rolled his eyes, ¡°Not to mention your kid just had bleeding teeth, I wouldn¡¯t pay a dime if his teeth were knocked out.¡± ¡°Rich and still so stingy!¡± The old lady was furious. ¡°A few of your twelve-year-olds are bullying a six-year-old and blackmailing him for money, is there a reason to pay for it?¡± ¡°If it was another child who was robbed and bullied, how pitiful would that child be? You are the black sheep. Students like this appear in primary schools, and there is school violence because of your bad kids and the bastard parents who raise them.¡± Lu Ying was really disappointed. He used to worry about whether his child would experience school violence or violence against others during the rebellious years in middle and high school. He didn¡¯t expect this problem to arise just after starting primary school. Just because they were ¡®rich¡¯, they were targeted by the bad guys from the upper grades. He finally realised the huge difference between primary school and kindergarten. No matter how annoying or bearish the kindergarten kids were, they would cry and howl a bit and remain good friends afterwards. But those eleven and twelve year olds in primary school, all of whom were almost 1.7 metres tall, taller than many adults, were really chilling and alarming. Lu Zaizai was physically strong and had hard fists, so he was not afraid of violence, but what if he was just a normal kid? He would have been robbed of his money and beaten for resisting. Then he would go to school and would continue to be robbed of his money¡­ No wonder so many people worked hard to make money to buy school district housing. There was no best, only better. The difference between a good school and a bad school was not just the admission rate. Facing several underage children, Lu Ying couldn¡¯t use legal means to defend justice, and even the headmaster didn¡¯t have the right to expel the black sheep. The headmaster was more helpless than Lu Ying. He was the new headmaster who was appointed only last year. He knew those bad students and persuaded them to transfer, but it was useless. He just looked forward to them graduating and leaving soon. The parents who wanted to make some money saw that Lu Ying didn¡¯t budge and had no choice but to drag their children away. Lu Ying didn¡¯t want to delay his son¡¯s classes and left quickly. When he returned to the bakery, he was surprised to find Brother Yang and Lu Qianchuan sitting in the shop, next to the little Yang Xiaolu lying in a pram. ¡°Brother Yang, Grandpa Lu, why are you guys here?¡± ¡°I heard that Zaizai was fighting with someone at school? What¡¯s going on?¡± Brother Yang asked with concern. Lu Ying helplessly told the story briefly, and Lu Qianchuan was furious after hearing it, ¡°How dare they! Learning from a bad example at a young age and bullying Zaizai! How dare the school not throw them out?¡± Lu Ying didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry, ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s impossible to expel students from compulsory education.¡± Grandpa Lu sighed with disgust, ¡°This school¡¯s senior management is poor and the school atmosphere is bad. Grandpa just recently sold a lot of good stuff, Zaizai can choose whichever school he wants to attend, I¡¯ll pay for his education.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe that those famous good schools will be so messy, right? Your Brother Yang always tells me that the child¡¯s education is most important. My Xiaolu will go straight to the capital to study in the future. The big cities have good educational resources and the parents and children are of high quality. Someone who starts robbing money as a teenager is incorrigible!¡± Grandpa Lu¡¯s words were also the thoughts Lu Ying had for a while. He couldn¡¯t change other people¡¯s children, nor could he change the school environment. Anyway, he was really disappointed with Primary School 12 now. But it wasn¡¯t that easy to change schools, not to mention the fact that the semester wasn¡¯t over yet. Besides, where would he go? The schools in the vicinity were all the same. Transferring to a good school far away, how would he arrange his work?¡­ For a while, Lu Ying was full of worry. ¡°Changing schools is not just a matter of money, it¡¯s something I have to think through carefully. No matter what, let Zaizai finish the semester first.¡± Lu Qianchuan nodded: ¡°Okay, just make your own arrangements.¡± Once the idea of changing schools took root in his mind, Lu Ying could no longer ignore it. He spent the afternoon deliberately asking customers about their children¡¯s schools. As a result, he didn¡¯t find any good schools, but more than one parent complained to him about how bad Primary School 12 was. The teachers were very mediocre and the student population varied greatly. If the family was well off, it would be better to change schools. Lu Ying took this to heart and thought about it carefully. If he hadn¡¯t had the conditions, like before, he wouldn¡¯t have given much thought to transferring to another school. But now that he had the conditions, of course he wanted to make life better for his son. And even if he could ignore it, there was Qin Zhuopu. Qin Zhuopu had always wanted his child to go to Guanlan City to study, it was just that Lu Ying was not up to it yet. In the evening Lu Zaizai came home, still unhappy. ¡°What¡¯s wrong again?¡± Lu Zaizai huffed, ¡°I had a good friend who broke up with me.¡± ¡°¡­broke up?¡± Lu Ying held his forehead, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°She said I hit people and made my senior brothers cry. She said I was a violent boy and she didn¡¯t want to be friends with me anymore. But I wouldn¡¯t hit her¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying sighed; it was true that a good deed wouldn¡¯t leave home but an evil deed would travel a thousand miles. ¡°You¡¯re right about this, so you don¡¯t have to care about friends who casually break up with you. They don¡¯t count as friends when they don¡¯t even want to figure out what¡¯s right or wrong before they label you as violent.¡± ¡°En en, I don¡¯t want to be friends with her! If you break up, you break up. What¡¯s so great about her.¡± Once persuaded by his dad, Lu Zaizai didn¡¯t care so much. Advertisements During the evening video chat, Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help but complain to Qin Zhuopu, ¡°It¡¯s so hard to teach the kid. Even when you do a good job yourself, you have to guard against other people¡¯s bear kids. Although I know he won¡¯t suffer, I¡¯m still upset.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really doing a good job, don¡¯t put pressure on yourself.¡± Qin Zhuopu sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll say the same old thing again, Zaizai will have a much better environment when he comes to live and study with me.¡± ¡°¡­I know. How is your grandfather¡¯s health now?¡± ¡°Old people always have problems. Now he¡¯s hospitalised for the routine treatment to control blood pressure. He¡¯ll be almost ready to go home in a couple of days.¡± ¡°Well, you take good care of Grandpa. Don¡¯t worry about things on my end, I can handle the little things.¡± ¡°I understand, thank you for your hard work.¡± ¡°Why are you so polite?¡± Lu Ying was a little uncomfortable. ¡°It¡¯s not being polite, it¡¯s the truth.¡± Qin Zhuopu sighed. He was now running between the hospital and the office every day. When Grandpa got sick, he acted like an old child, and because Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t promise to go and bring Lu Ying and Zaizai home immediately, Grandpa was all kinds of ¡®fussy¡¯. An old child was even harder to deal with than a real child. Lu Zaizai was mostly well behaved, but a child is a child, and children can be a bit naughty at any time. On the way to raising a child, the parents didn¡¯t dare be negligent at all. As December approached, it rained in Caifeng City, and the temperature immediately dropped. People put on autumn and winter coats overnight to keep out the cold. The bakery was not afraid of wind and rain and Lu Ying was still busy. Now, apart from regular product innovations, he had mastered all the delicacies in the store and his talent and speed of learning were quite amazing. In the days when Brother Yang was away, Lu Ying¡¯s innovative works were unanimously praised by customers, and the sales were very impressive. ¡°Xiao Lu¡¯s tongue is too keen, he is simply a natural gourmet. The new recipes that come out are one better than the other. Hey, how come I don¡¯t know how to match stuff like this?¡± The old employee nibbled on Lu Ying¡¯s newly baked snacks and sighed with envy. Lu Ying said modestly, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m a glutton by nature. I just want to make something delicious to satisfy myself when I have the chance.¡± Fei Qiqi pushed the door open, ¡°Brother Xiao Lu, someone is looking for you.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Fei Qiqi shook her head and added, ¡°It seems to be the auntie who has been here before.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying muttered in his heart, why was Mrs. Qin here again? He had already calmly and politely said everything before, and he thought that Mrs. Qin wouldn¡¯t come again. When he met her at Grandma¡¯s birthday banquet, Mrs. Qin deliberately avoided him, and not only was he not disappointed, he was relieved. After all, it was Qin Zhuopu¡¯s mother, and he only wanted her not to make trouble and not to disturb him. ¡°Mrs. Qin.¡± Lu Ying took a seat across the table and said straightforwardly, ¡°What is it that Mrs. Qin wants to see me about this time? I¡¯m still at work and I can¡¯t afford to delay for too long.¡± Seeing his hurried demeanour, Mrs. Qin felt helpless. But she had come, so she had no intention of backing out this time. ¡°The old man at home is sick, you know that, right?¡± Mrs. Qin asked, looking at Lu Ying. Lu Ying nodded, ¡°Zhuopu told me. We talk every night.¡± ¡°The Old Master has always loved you and Zaizai, and he always misses you.¡± Lu Ying smiled lightly, ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°¡­en. Actually, I came here hoping you can come¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me for a moment, hold on.¡± Lu Ying saw the time on the wall clock, suddenly got up and quickly went back to the workroom, adjusted the time set for the oven a bit, and confirmed again that it was correct. Reassured, he returned to sit opposite Mrs. Qin. ¡°Mrs. Qin, go on, what did you just say?¡± Mrs. Qin raised her head and drank a whole glass of lemonade. Sighing, she shook her head. By the look of it, she had something on her mind, but Lu Ying didn¡¯t want to care at all. Instead, he wanted to leave quickly. He fiddled with his phone, patiently counting the minutes. Just as Lu Ying was about to give up on the pantomime and walk away, he suddenly heard a muffled voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Mrs. Qin clenched her hands and squeezed them, breathed deeply, sat up straight and looked at Lu Ying, saying clearly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­¡­???¡± Lu Ying froze, thinking that he had auditory hallucinations. Seeing this, Mrs. Qin was even more ashamed and quickly added, ¡°Lu Ying, I came here today to apologise to you. In the past, I did wrong and I am sorry.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The apology came unexpectedly. Lu Ying was dumbfounded and didn¡¯t respond for a long time. Mrs. Qin¡¯s eyes were red. She took out a handkerchief, wiped her eyes and said, ¡°Seven years ago, I shouldn¡¯t have driven you away. I caused Zhuopu to be separated from you for so many years¡­ Zhuopu really likes you, and during the seven years you were away, he never had anyone else around. It was my bigotry that hurt him.¡± Lu Ying bowed his head in silence. He used to dream about the picture of Mrs. Qin apologising to him. Because he did resent Mrs. Qin. He blamed her for taking advantage of Qin Zhuopu¡¯s absence and playing tricks to drive him away. A good relationship was destroyed. All those years of raising Zaizai alone, he thought about the past, sometimes resentful, sometimes hopeful, conflicting thoughts tormenting him all the time. But either way, he hoped that Mrs. Qin would apologise to him. Now after years of waiting, he finally got a belated apology. He should be happy, right? But the truth was that Lu Ying was not happy, just relieved at last. It was as if the boulder that had been weighing him down for so many years was lifted. All those years of resenting Mrs. Qin undoubtedly oppressed him. There was a time when he was a carefree, untroubled man who knew no sorrow or resentment, and the world was bright and shining in his eyes. If one could live like a pure angel, who would be happy to have their wings stained with dark? ¡°Lu Ying, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Mrs. Qin repeated again and again with tears streaming down her face. Once she opened her mouth, the words poured out like a flood that passed the floodgates. Those words in her heart could no longer be held back. It dawned on her that she had actually wanted to apologise to Lu Ying from the first moment she saw him again in Qixia Town. But the words didn¡¯t come out, and the exchange backfired and mistakes were added to mistakes. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to say this apology for a long time, no matter what you think of me in your heart and whether you will forgive me or not.¡± Mrs. Qin took a breath, ¡°But I did hesitate for a long time when I came over today¡­ Someone like me, it takes too much courage to bow my head and admit my mistakes. Before I met you, I didn¡¯t even know if I would be able to say it successfully.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯ve finally said it.¡± Mrs. Qin exhaled, some part of her heart relieved. When Lu Ying didn¡¯t speak for a long time, Mrs. Qin wiped her face clean and got up, ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say, and I don¡¯t expect you to forgive me. Just so long as you know what I think now. You are the partner that Zhuopu chose, and Zaizai is the child he recognised, and the old man likes you too. You don¡¯t have to care about me, and if you have time, you can take the child to the Qin family¡¯s house to play. They will all be very happy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t drag them down because of me.¡± Mrs. Qin bowed her head, ¡°¡­you are busy.¡± Embarrassed and in a hurry, she hid her face and left. ¡°Dad, you¡¯re happy today?¡± In the evening, Lu Ying accompanied the child to do his homework on the balcony. Probably because the smile on his face couldn¡¯t be suppressed, even Lu Zaizai was distracted. Lu Ying stroked his head, ¡°Yes, Dad is happy today.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not happy.¡± Lu Zaizai put down his pencil. Lu Ying raised his eyebrows, ¡°Why?¡± At such a young age, how can you have so many emotions every day? Lu Zaizai¡¯s mouth was deflated. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not happy when I do my homework.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Very good, to hell with Dad¡¯s happiness! ¡°Write, write, do your homework!¡± ¡°Oooh, Dad is so mean, I want Uncle.¡± Lu Ying looked at his son and sneered. ¡°You think Uncle won¡¯t make you do your homework? Dream on!¡± ¡°Uncle just won¡¯t, only Dad will!¡± Lu Ying threw back his head and laughed. ¡°That¡¯s right, he is your dad!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I don¡¯t believe it, I don¡¯t believe it, I don¡¯t believe it! Later, Lu Zaizai wrote in his diary: Whether it was the dad who came first or the dad who came later, they were the most, most loving dads to me. I would love them too if they didn¡¯t guard me left and right to make me do my homework. QaQ *** Mini-theatre: Teacher: Today¡¯s topic is ¡®Dad¡¯, please write an essay with this in mind. Lu Zaizai: It¡¯s written. Teacher: ¡­very good. Teacher: Mr. Qin, Mr. Lu, your son has written an excellent essay about his father. I am sending it to you. Lu Ying: Really? Great, it must be written about me! Mr. Qin: Zaizai is amazing! It¡¯s supposed to be written about me, right? Lu Ying: Let¡¯s see what the title is? Mr. Qin: ¡­¡¯The Devil¡¯. Lu Ying: ¡­it¡¯s about you. Mr. Qin: It¡¯s you. Lu Ying: It¡¯s you. Lu Zaizai: Stop arguing, you pair of devils! Mini-theatre-2: Lu Zaizai: The turning point in my life was not suddenly going from being a poor boy to a rich young master. Reporter: What was it then? Zaizaiby: It was when from having one father I suddenly got two! Reporter: Many people envy you! Lu Zaizai: The person who yells at me to do my homework every day has changed from 1 to 1¡Á2 (smile.jpg) Reporter: ¡­¡­ (sympathy for a second) Netizen A: Please give me a dozen dads who force Zaizai to do his homework! Netizen B: Other people have 1 father-in-law. I¡¯m awesome, I have 1¡Á2 fathers-in-law. Netizen C: I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m a young lady or not, I mainly want two such fathers-in-laws ^_^ CH 50 In the quiet of the night, after the video chat with Lu Ying, Qin Zhuopu was still working in his study. The electronic screen next to him suddenly played music and his mother¡¯s face appeared on it. It was ten o¡¯clock in the evening, and his mother came over at this time; probably it was for something important. Qin Zhuopu immediately unlocked the door and got up to walk out of the study. ¡°Mom, why are you here?¡± Qin Zhuopu actually knew what his mother had done today. To be honest, he was surprised, but he also felt that he had expected it. The conflict between him and his mother had long since been resolved, and afterwards they were still mother and son. But the conflict between his mother and Lu Ying could only be resolved by his mother. No matter how many kind words he said, no matter how much he compensated, he could not replace his mother to say sorry in person. Mrs. Qin put down her bag, ¡°Come here, I want to talk to you about something.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Qin Zhuopu poured tea for his mother, cut some fruit and handed it to her personally. Mrs. Qin picked up the briefcase she had brought with her and handed a document to Qin Zhuopu: ¡°This is a letter of transfer of equity, a gift from me to you and Lu Ying to make amends. Just sign it.¡± ¡°I have a share too?¡± Qin Zhuopu opened the document and looked at it. There was a jewellery company under his mother¡¯s name, one of the dowries given to her by his grandmother, and it was run well over the years. Now his mother generously gave 10% of the shares to him and Lu Ying. Mrs. Qin nodded: ¡°Although all of mine will be yours in the future, this is a small sign of my intention for now.¡± As she said that, she took out another document and handed it to Qin Zhuopu again. ¡°And?¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s smile deepened. His heart was definitely happy. Who doesn¡¯t like money? What¡¯s more, it was given for nothing. Even when he borrowed money from his mother, the interest was pretty high, and it was rare for her to give him money for nothing. Mrs. Qin opened the document straight away: ¡°My gift for the little one, I hope he will like it.¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s eyes lit up. It was a farm in France, also one of his mother¡¯s favourite private properties. The farm was large, containing a beautiful sea of flowers, a variety of crops and a winery. The family usually ate agricultural products from there. ¡°Zaizai will love it, going there to pick fruit to fill his tummy. Mom, thank you.¡± Mrs. Qin pulled up the corners of her mouth and smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t stay up too late, take care of your health. I¡¯ll leave now.¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll see you off.¡± Qin Zhuopu personally escorted his mother out of the courtyard, and waved his hand when he saw her get in the car. Mrs. Qin smiled and left. Once the words of apology were spoken, the gloom in her heart seemed to break open a gap and more and more light poured in, not only relieving herself but also infecting those around her with that warmth. The gift was the one she willingly gave, and it was given without a trace of heartache, but rather as if she had done something very comfortable. ¡°I¡¯ve been so confused and foolish all these years. I helped so many strangers I don¡¯t know, and seeing them happy made my wish to do good deeds stronger. At the same time, I also gained the satisfaction of helping others. But I was less tolerant and patient with the people around me. In fact, even without Lu Ying, I would still have fallen out with Zhuopu over other things; it was my stubborn heart demon.¡± Sitting in the car, Mrs. Qin held her mobile phone and spilled her heart to her closest cousin, ¡°It¡¯s only when I took a step back that I understood. In fact, as long as I can see that my Zhuopu is safe and happy, my original wish is fulfilled¡­¡± She remembered the day her son was born, more than 30 years ago. She and her husband cried tears of joy as they looked at their son in their arms. At that time they both had the same wish, wishing for their son to be healthy, happy and safe for life. But as the child grew up and as they grew old, the years that flowed by unknowingly destroyed and took away a lot, and they were the ones who lost it. Early in the morning, inside and outside the bakery, Lu Ying and a few employees were diligently scrubbing the glass, while the owner of the flower shop next to them hauled in various potted plants they had ordered, giving the shop a new look inside and out. Liu Dichuan got out of the car and strode towards the bakery, saying loudly, ¡°Lu Ying, let¡¯s go to Brother Yang¡¯s house for dinner tonight, I¡¯ve bought a lot of ingredients.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll definitely be there tonight.¡± Ji Xiaofeng and Dr. Hu both arrived at Brother Yang¡¯s house in the evening, and the group gathered around Yang Xiaolu for a while to tease her. Lu Ying personally cooked some of his best dishes; he and Brother Yang worked well together, and the table was full of delicious food. Lu Zaizai ate happily as usual and definitely had the best appetite at the table. Dr. Hu couldn¡¯t help laughing when he saw it: ¡°When was the last time Lu Ying fed him the pill?¡± ¡°Let me see.¡± Lu Ying checked the mobile phone date record, ¡°It¡¯s been 26 days, less than a month¡­¡± Dr. Hu raised his eyebrows: ¡°It¡¯s time for him to take medicine.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give it to him when I get home at night.¡± Lu Ying said immediately. Dr. Hu smiled like a cunning fox, ¡°I have formulated new pills, inspired by the birth of Yang Xiaolu. The new pills are more effective than the old ones, but more expensive. Would you like a bottle?¡± Yang Sigu heard it and said, ¡°My Xiaolu is taking the new formula now. It has a lot of aura and is really good.¡± Lu Ying¡¯s teeth ached: ¡°How, how expensive is it?¡± Dr. Hu held out his fingers, ¡°150,000.¡± ¡°!!!¡± Lu Ying vomited blood: ¡°It was only 50,000 before, and it tripled straight away! You are too¡­¡± Too black-hearted¡­ Lu Ying hurriedly covered his mouth. He could afford to offend anyone but couldn¡¯t offend the doctor, especially Dr. Hu. Dr. Hu raised his eyebrows and hummed lightly: ¡°What, aren¡¯t my pills worth that price? I¡¯m telling you, this is already a price for a friend. I¡¯m not going to use the old recipe anyway now since the new one is selling well. No big deal if you buy it or not, your little aunt will take care of it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll buy!¡± Lu Ying gritted his teeth. Grandpa Lu said, ¡°I¡¯ll pay for this. Before Grandpa didn¡¯t know how to help ease your burden, but now I can.¡± Lu Ying hurriedly shook his head, ¡°Grandpa Lu, don¡¯t be like that, you and Brother Yang still have to raise Xiaolu. I can take care of Zaizai myself, I really can¡­ and I still have Zhuopu, ahem.¡± Ji Xiaofeng suddenly laughed: ¡°Tsk tsk, so affectionate now.¡± Advertisements Liu Dichuan laughed: ¡°I see that Mr. Qin is quite good to Lu Ying. Anyway, if there are any misunderstandings, it¡¯s good to solve them in time. Since they like each other and are the happiest together, just have fun.¡± Lu Ying made the payment to Dr. Hu on the spot; although it was painful, he was also happy with the new formula¡¯s optimised efficacy. When Dr. Hu received the money, his smile deepened: ¡°Okay, that¡¯s quick. By the way, I have some other pills here, would you like to consider them, Lu Ying?¡± Lu Ying was dumbfounded: ¡°What?¡± Why did he need any pills? Even the other guys looked at Doctor Hu curiously. Dr. Hu spread his hands and arranged several porcelain bottles of different sizes, introducing them one by one: ¡°Pill No. 1 focuses on internal regulation of qi and blood. Pill No. 2 focuses on beauty and rejuvenation. Pill No. 3 focuses on nourishing the kidneys and strengthening the body. Pill No. 4 focuses on baldness. And Pill No. 5 strengthens the muscles and bones. All without side effects, you know my medicine is expensive for a reason. If the effect is bad, I¡¯ll compensate a hundred times.¡± Everyone: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Damn, it all sounds great, but they don¡¯t need it at all! Even Yang Sigu and Lu Qianchuan would not be taking this medicine at the moment. ¡°Ahem, I¡¯ll sign up with Dr. Hu first, maybe I¡¯ll have to use it one day.¡± Yang Sigu was most open-minded and blandly placed his order. Dr. Hu nodded, still staring at Lu Ying. Lu Ying blushed and stammered, ¡°I, I can¡¯t use it either¡­¡± ¡°Really? Hey, I thought you would be a big buyer.¡± Dr. Hu sighed slyly, and Ji Xiaofeng held back his laughter. ¡°You can¡¯t use it yourself, but Mr. Qin should be able to use it, right? It¡¯s all good for the body anyway. I see a lot of middle-aged men around with bald heads and big bellies, weak kidneys and lack of body energy, oily faces and whatnot. Dr. Hu¡¯s medicine is very marketable.¡± Liu Dichuan reminded Lu Ying thoughtfully. Shut up, you! Who is bald? Who has weak kidneys(1)? His Zhuopu is fine, absolutely fine! ¡°Don¡¯t miss out on something good.¡± Yang Sigu smiled jokingly. Lu Qianchuan wanted to say something but stopped. ¡°¡­you, what do you mean¡­¡± Lu Ying wanted to cover his face. He said firmly, ¡°I don¡¯t need it! Can¡¯t afford it either!¡± Dr. Hu put away the pills and continued eating. ¡°Hahaha, buy those pills from Doctor Hu, and the house is probably gone. Don¡¯t blame Lu Ying for not wanting them, I wouldn¡¯t bear to part with it either.¡± Lu Ying¡¯s face was flushed and his heart was trembling. ¡°You really don¡¯t want them?¡± Dr. Hu asked again, ¡°If you don¡¯t buy them now, you can¡¯t have them later.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want them¡­ oh, I want, I want them¡­!¡± Really tempting o(¨i©n¨i)o Dr. Hu delivered the goods readily, ¡°All these are for you at a price of two and a half million, and I will allow you to give me an IOU. Anyway, if you don¡¯t pay it back within a year, I¡¯ll go directly to Guanhai Group to demand the debt.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Two million and a half is too harsh, can¡¯t Doctor Hu offer a discount?¡± Lu Ying tried to make a counteroffer. Dr. Hu hooked his lips and smiled, ¡°Two million five hundred ten thousand, no bargaining.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± This old fox, doesn¡¯t he know anything about moderation! After the gathering was over, Lu Ying¡¯s legs were completely weak and he was almost swaying as he walked. From today, he turned from a poor man with the assets of no more than a million to an unhappy man¡­ with the assets of minus 2.51 million. He really was too arrogant and irrational! The old fox poured him the ecstasy soup and he, who usually deliberated whether to spend more than two hundred on clothes, suddenly lost more than two million ¡­life is unbearable.jpg Liu Dichuan slapped him on the shoulder, laughing and comforting: ¡°Don¡¯t look so unhappy, ah, more than two million is actually okay. In our place it is really the cost of a house. But in Guanlan City, it¡¯s nothing. Think about it, you have two luxury houses in Guanlan City, don¡¯t be stingy!¡± Lu Ying¡¯s heart jumped and he looked at Liu Dichuan in dismay, ¡°I don¡¯t have a house.¡± Liu Dichuan glared at him, ¡°Don¡¯t give me that. At the beginning of the year I even asked you to borrow a quota to register for the lottery, but it turned out that you already had two houses under your name, and you bought them seven years ago. Little brother, don¡¯t you know whether you bought a house or not? It¡¯s not surprising that Mr. Qin bought you a house, but you should have signed for it yourself, right?¡± Lu Ying was dumbfounded: ¡°I, I really don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t remember¡­ I have no recollection of it.¡± Qin Zhuopu hadn¡¯t told him at all! ¡°Brother believes you¡­¡± Liu Dichuan was helpless: ¡°Then ask him yourself, it¡¯s not a bad thing anyway. I¡¯m off, see you next time. Zaizai, bye bye.¡± ¡°Bye bye, Uncle Liu.¡± Lu Ying returned home in a daze and after settling his son down to sleep, he couldn¡¯t wait to call Qin Zhuopu. But the phone rang for a long time and there was no answer. Lu Ying¡¯s excitement cooled a little and he lay under the blanket in a daze. Seven years ago when he and Qin Zhuopu were together, Qin Zhuopu did buy him a lot of things, food, drinks, games and clothes, but then he left in a panic and even accidentally lost his darling mobile phone. There was no memory of such a thing as buying a house. Sitting on his bed, Lu Ying propped his head up and sulked. Suddenly, the sound of the combination lock opening reached his ears, and Lu Ying looked up, a smile instantly brightening his face as he jumped to his feet and ran to the living room, where Qin Zhuopu, who had pushed the door open, collided with him. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Lu Ying looked at him with surprise and thoughtfully reached out to help him with his bag and presents. Qin Zhuopu said with amusement, ¡°Why are you so enthusiastic today? Are you missing me to warm your bed?¡± Lu Ying smiled playfully, ¡°If you say so, so be it. Are you hungry? I¡¯ll go and make you a snack!¡± ¡°No, just pour me a glass of water.¡± Qin Zhuopu sat down on the sofa in the living room and waited for Lu Ying, who was inexplicably excited, to hand him a glass of water. He patted the seat beside him, ¡°Come, sit with me.¡± Lu Ying obediently sat down next to him and asked seriously, ¡°Do you want me to sit on your lap?¡± ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu erupted in laughter, ¡°Did you miss me too much?¡± Lu Ying blinked, ¡°I was fine.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu choked, ¡°Then why are you so enthusiastic?¡± Deliberately teasing him! That¡¯s so naughty! Lu Ying cleared his throat, lowered his voice and asked seriously: ¡°I only learned today that you bought me two houses in Guanlan City seven years ago.¡± Qin Zhuopu nodded: ¡°That¡¯s right, the one we lived in was under your name, and now I still live there alone.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help but stare and muttered, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Qin Zhuopu stroked his head, ¡°At that time, I bought the house because I wanted to marry you, but I hadn¡¯t had the time to tell you¡­ later when you disappeared, I was taking care of the place. You may not know but as long as I lived in it, I always felt that no matter how much time had passed, you would still come home and end up living with me.¡± ¡°You never told me that.¡± Lu Ying had mixed feelings. Qin Zhuopu lived in the house registered under his name and waited for him every single day. Yet Qin Zhuopu, whose memory was confused, probably didn¡¯t even understand why he was waiting like that; thinking and thinking, but unable to come to him. Qin Zhuopu pressed his forehead against Lu Ying¡¯s and whispered, ¡°I realised after seeing you again that as long as you are there, no matter where you live, it is home. There can be many houses, but you are unique.¡± Lu Ying smiled as his eyebrow smoothened and he gently bumped his forehead against Qin Zhuopu¡¯s, murmuring, ¡°You¡¯re so good. You¡¯re unique in the world.¡± ¡­¡­ Reunion after an absence is sweeter than being newlyweds. The two of them hugged and had a good night¡¯s sleep. The next morning, Lu Ying had just opened his eyes to get up when his phone rang. When he saw that it was Brother Ji calling, he immediately picked up, ¡°Good morning, Brother Ji.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not good at all!¡± Ji Xiaofeng¡¯s tone was somewhat ominous: ¡°Look at the hot searches on the internet yourself, what¡¯s up with Qin Zhuopu? Isn¡¯t he with you? How can he get involved with a woman?¡± Lu Ying¡¯s heart thudded: ¡°What woman?¡± ¡°A big female star named Ye Suqin. You¡¯d better ask about it, if it is a misunderstanding, it needs to be cleared up as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Lu Ying hung up his phone and found the Weibo hot search. The first one was ¡®Qin Zhuopu holding hands with Ye Suqin¡¯. The second was ¡®What kind of divine couple is this!¡¯ The third one was ¡®Ye Suqin¡¯s overbearing boyfriend¡¯ and the fourth one was ¡®Two childhood sweethearts¡¯. Several consecutive hot searches were all about the two of them. At the airport, Qin Zhuopu and Ye Suqin, who was wearing a mask, faced each other. Ye Suqin seemed to be holding Qin Zhuopu¡¯s hand, and Qin Zhuopu was smiling warmly and leaned slightly towards her. Lu Ying stared at the screen and grimaced; what the hell was this? There was nothing of substance, just a picture to create an unfounded story, and a bunch of netizens screaming and clapping, or cursing. In particular, Ye Suqin¡¯s fans were completely abuzz, partly desperately blessing the two and partly yelling about stopping being fans. Lu Ying was furious and slapped Qin Zhuopu awake. When Qin Zhuopu opened his eyes, the blindingly hot gossip came into his view, and he was wide awake at once¡­-_-|| ¡°Where¡¯s my phone?¡± ¡°Here it is, you turned it off.¡± Lu Ying tossed it to him. Qin Zhuopu smiled bitterly. Yesterday he and Lu Ying were hot and tangled. At that time, he didn¡¯t hesitate to turn off his phone, just in case he was disturbed in the middle! Once the phone was turned on, there were indeed many missed calls and messages. Qin Zhuopu called the secretary directly, and the other party sighed: ¡°Mr. Qin, you¡¯ve finally answered the phone. You can quickly give instructions on whether we should manage the gossip and how to manage it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s purely a rumour, I happened to be on the same flight as Ye Suqin yesterday. You should contact Ye Suqin¡¯s side directly to issue a statement together.¡± He believed that Ye Suqin didn¡¯t want to drag him into the gossip, there was really no need for her to do so. ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll get busy then.¡± Advertisements Qin Zhuopu breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Alright, this is just a small misunderstanding. Ye Suqin was my neighbour when I was a kid, and her brother and I were childhood friends.¡± ¡°Hmph, I knew it was a misunderstanding as soon as I saw it, I don¡¯t care about this nonsense and boring gossip.¡± Lu Ying turned his head and tilted his chin to brush his teeth and wash his face. Qin Zhuopu hugged him from behind, resting his head on his shoulder and rubbing his face against it, ¡°As expected of our Lu Ying, so smart, magnanimous and steady¡­¡± ¡°Wow! Uncle, you¡¯re here!¡± Lu Zaizai yelled and rushed towards Qin Zhuopu whose sweet words were interrupted in an instant. With a look of helplessness on his face Qin Zhuopu caught his fat son who rushed over. When will this child turn eighteen and move out? After the family of three had a lively breakfast, Qin Zhuopu put down a bag of documents and rushed to leave, telling Lu Ying: ¡°Take a look at these two documents when you have time. I have to catch a flight, so I¡¯ll go first.¡± ¡°Okay, then take care and have a safe trip.¡± Lu Ying waved his hand. ¡°Uncle, take care.¡± ¡°Heh¡­¡± Every time they parted, it was sad, but this time Lu Ying¡¯s emotions were especially strong. Putting away the bag of documents, Lu Ying urged his son to go to school. He also had to go to work. ¡°Ah, I forgot to give Zhuopu the medicine!¡± Lu Ying choked. The effect of a two million yuan medicine must be very good, right? No more worrying about Qin Zhuopu¡¯s kidney deficiency, baldness or whatever in the future¡­ (*^¨Œ^*) Lu Ying began a new day at work. The gossip that broke out early in the morning on the internet quickly disappeared, and the most popular item in the hot search was Ye Suqin¡¯s own statement. Ye Suqin: Everything is a rumour, your elder sister is still a single dog! The rumour mongers will be struck by lightning! After that, Ye Suqin¡¯s studio also issued a statement. Guanhai Group issued a statement just after that, giving Ye Suqin enough face. Ye Suqin wanted to apologise and thank Qin Zhuopu in person, but unfortunately she didn¡¯t even have Qin Zhuopu¡¯s personal number. And this man, Qin Zhuopu, didn¡¯t even have a Weibo. Ye Suqin was groaning about Mr. Qin when her agent suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Mr. Qin has opened a private Weibo!¡± ¡°Hehehe, let me see!¡± The brand new certified Weibo, with the original big name, indeed belonged to Qin Zhuopu. Qin Zhuopu: I have a lover and a child, do not disturb. Ye Suqin squealed, ¡°Crap! He actually got married and had a child? A male or a female?¡± The agent sweatdropped: ¡°Watch your image¡­¡± ¡°I so want to follow him and send him private messages asking for gossip¡­¡± Ye Suqin burst into tears: ¡°However, he probably hates me for causing trouble¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you are self-aware.¡± ¡°My male god¡­ oh oh, life is unbearable¡­ I¡¯m falling out of love¡­¡± Ye Suqin wailed. ¡°I need to eat a table of seafood to cheer up!¡± Agent: ¡°¡­¡­¡± A brand new weibo from Qin Zhuopu instantly exploded to the hot search as fans followed it and a group of netizens wailed under the post, their lamenting interspersed with pitiful blessings. Netizen A: From today on, I will no longer call you husband, I will call you father in the future. Netizen B: Dad, do you still lack a daughter in your family? Netizen C: Dad, is there a shortage of drivers in your family? Netizen D: It¡¯s a pity, Qin Zhuopu and the goddess Ye Suqin are really a perfect match. The poor cp just stood for a second¡­ Netizen E: Is there any gossip about who Mr. Qin¡¯s lover is? When did they get married? Unwilling to be reconciled! Netizen F: Shocked! Isn¡¯t Mr. Qin gay? Netizen G: Fuck, upstairs, I¡¯ve lost sleep when you said that! The scandal of Ye Suqin and Qin Zhuopu was handled promptly and quickly drowned in the tide. Netizens were more curious about the fact that Mr. Qin himself showed up and admitted to having a lover and a child, and speculated who his lover could be. Countless young girls woke up to find their dreams broken overnight, biting their fingernails and continuing to pay attention. If you can¡¯t catch up with him in person, you have to catch up with his gossip! ¡°Oh my god, I can¡¯t look at you straight anymore, Brother Lu!¡± In the bakery, Fei Qiqi, shocked, held up the picture of Qin Zhuopu on her phone, the evidence she had managed to turn up to prove that the big, handsome man who often came to the shop and was Lu Ying¡¯s boyfriend, also surnamed Mr. Qin, was actually that Qin Zhuopu! Lu Ying smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to reply. After the gossip came out today, although the misunderstanding was dealt with, Qin Zhuopu¡¯s identity was also exposed. Everyone in the bakery knew that Mr. Qin was Qin Zhuopu. Fei Qiqi¡¯s careless babbling was a better option; several male employees were silent, talking much less than usual. The atmosphere¡­ was very awkward. ¡°Brother Lu, you are¡­ oops, how to say it?¡± Fei Qiqi wanted to say ¡®Brother Lu is a wealthy young lady now¡¯! Before the words were said, Brother Qiang, the oldest employee in the bakery, snorted: ¡°I bet you want to be a male pet of a rich guy?¡± Fei Qiqi was taken aback, ¡°You misunderstood. Isn¡¯t the lover and child that Mr. Qin is talking about Brother Lu?¡± ¡°Bah, only a stupid girl like you can be this naive!¡± Brother Qiang didn¡¯t believe it at all. What was Qin Zhuopu¡¯s identity, and what the hell was Lu Ying? A baker with even less education than him and a son born to another woman. What would Qin Zhuopu want from him, just a good-looking face? Superficial. Lu Ying lowered his head. The reactions of the shop staff were really unexpected. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t just label me crooked like that. Qin Zhuopu and I are in love with each other. My son is his son. You can ignore the two of us if you don¡¯t like it, but don¡¯t insult people!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes, I believe in Brother Lu!¡± Fei Qiqi nodded in panic. ¡°Huh.¡± Brother Qiang was noncommittal and turned away disdainfully, not bothering with this. They were just bystanders anyway. If someone wanted to be a male pet of such a rich guy, not to mention twenty years of struggle, two hundred years of struggle wasn¡¯t enough! He just didn¡¯t expect this kind of person to be around; it was really disgusting. Lu Ying was furious; a colleague, who usually got along with him very well, ended up fighting him indiscriminately over such a small matter. He had always thought that any food-loving baker was wonderful at heart. It was no longer a question of how he proved his innocence, it was that people simply didn¡¯t trust him, or rather, finally found an opportunity to stop being nice to him. After all, his craftsmanship had surpassed everyone¡¯s. For the first time in the beautiful bakery, Lu Ying felt tired. When he went to Brother Yang¡¯s house in the evening to talk about it, Brother Yang smiled and reassured him: ¡°For a mediocre talent to be jealous is their normal reaction. If you¡¯re not happy with their job, you can fire anyone you¡¯d like. As your elder, I was going to give you this shop, anyway.¡± ¡°No, no, no, Brother Yang, leave it to Xiaolu.¡± Yang Sigu teased, ¡°I see you¡¯re distracted now, are you thinking about Qin Zhuopu?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Lu Ying was embarrassed and huffed, ¡°I¡¯m just mad at him for having cheap hands and posting nonsense on Weibo.¡± ¡°Haha, what an unwarranted act! He¡¯s clearly trying to show how much he cares about you. You can always go to him if you want him.¡± Lu Ying¡¯s heart felt warm, but his mouth just wouldn¡¯t admit it. He shook his head, ¡°Why be so sticky, I still have to go to work.¡± Yang Sigu smiled thoughtfully. Lu Ying didn¡¯t expect the matter not to be over yet, and was once again surprised by the hot search the next day. ¡®So Qin Zhuopu¡¯s lover is ly?¡¯ Lu Ying was shocked. Had he already been exposed? The internet is too powerful now! He clicked on the headline with nervous apprehension mixed with excitement, yet his face quickly collapsed and he almost dropped his phone. Where did this Lu Ying (the actress they met before) come from? What a bad character, trying to piggyback someone¡¯s popularity! On Weibo, a blogger who seemed to know the inside story broke the news, ¡°I attended a certain elder¡¯s birthday banquet, so I know that Mr. Qin¡¯s lover is definitely not my goddess Ye Suqin. The initials are LY, and you¡¯ll never guess who it is. They do have a son and are very happy.¡± It was such a seemingly genuine post that was being clamoured over, with all sorts of comments interpreting who ¡®ly¡¯ was. Anyway, by the time Lu Ying went online, there were pictures of Lu Ying (actress) all over the place. Lu Ying was indeed beautiful and young, and coincidentally, she had also updated a weibo at this point. She didn¡¯t write anything, it was just a picture of her holding a boy with his back turned to the photographer in the afterglow of the setting sun. All of a sudden the netizens were abuzz. All of them ran to Lu Ying¡¯s weibo for confirmation, congratulations, insults, all kinds of clamour, and her followers skyrocketed. Lu Ying was full of anger and suddenly wanted to become a keyboard warrior to scold people, but actually couldn¡¯t find a way to vent. That Lu Ying was smart and didn¡¯t say a word. Even Qin Zhuopu couldn¡¯t blame her. It didn¡¯t take long for this hot search to go down again, and Qin Zhuopu posted a second Weibo post. My lover ly, it¡¯s him, not her, thanks. Lu Ying looked at his phone, breathing heavily, his heartbeat all in disarray. ¡°Oh my god, the ly that Mr. Qin is talking about, who else could it be if not Brother Lu! It¡¯s him, not her!¡± Fei Qiqi covered her mouth and exclaimed, even more excited than Lu Ying. Brother Qiang¡¯s face was even uglier than yesterday, sullen and silent, without the slightest intention to apologise. Lu Ying no longer had expectations from this kind of person; he was full of sweetness and happiness. Yang Sigu pushed the door open and waved with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve come today to make an announcement. Our bakery is closing.¡± *** Mini-theatre: Mr. Qin is forty years old Lu Ying: Kidney supplement pill, would you like one? Qin Zhuopu: ¡­¡­(¥Î£à§¥)¥Î Mr. Qin is fifty years old Lu Ying: Baldness pill, would you like one? Mr. Qin: ¡­¡­(¥Î£à§¥)¥Î Mr. Qin is sixty years old Lu Ying: Oh, who¡¯s this 18-year-old boy, so handsome! Mr. Qin: (¤Å£þ3£þ)¤Å¨q? ~ CH 51 The entire staff of the bakery was silent. ¡°Closing??¡± Fei Qiqi covered her mouth and exclaimed, ¡°Are you kidding, boss?¡± ¡°Brother Yang, what are you talking about?¡± Lu Ying stared at Yang Sigu in disbelief. Yang Sigu smiled calmly: ¡°Due to my personal reasons, I have to take my family to live in another city. So I don¡¯t have the energy or time to continue running the bakery. Therefore, I have decided to close down. Don¡¯t panic, I will pay you three months¡¯ salary.¡± ¡°Boss, are you serious? This is so sudden!¡± Fei Qiqi cried out, ¡°Our shop is doing so well, it¡¯s a shame.¡± And there was a lot to learn, and the atmosphere was always good. Lu Ying was dumbfounded, unable to speak. It was the happiest job he had ever had, and he thought he would continue to do it. Now Brother Yang suddenly wanted to close the bakery; he was really taken by surprise. But Brother Yang was the boss and the bakery was his, so he was free to make any decision he wanted. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, Boss Yang! Are you really going to close down? Where are we going to buy bread from now on? After eating your bread, we won¡¯t be able to eat any other!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, Boss Yang, why don¡¯t you keep on doing this? I¡¯m used to buying your food for breakfast.¡± In addition to the shocked staff, customers in the shop came up to ask questions. ¡°It¡¯s a waste to close when business is so good. What about the membership cards we recharged?¡± Unmoved, Yang Sigu continued, ¡°I will ask the shop staff to inform every member who recharged that they can come in anytime in the near future to get their money back. I¡¯m sorry, but my life is more important and I have to close the bakery. Thank you all for your recognition and support all along.¡± ¡°Boss, don¡¯t you want to just sell the store? There are so many professional machines here.¡± Brother Qiang squeezed forward, staring at Boss Yang with scorching eyes; his heart was itching. He had been working for many years and now his skills matured; he had long had the idea of opening a shop. What a good opportunity it was now, everything in the store was ready-made, and there was an accumulated old customer base. Lu Ying looked at Brother Qiang, wanted to say something but stopped. He actually wanted to take over the shop, but he was too close to Brother Yang, so he wasn¡¯t comfortable asking. Moreover, such a large store also included all equipment, and the selling price was not cheap. If he was given a cheap price, he would be even more embarrassed. ¡°Of course I want to sell it, and it¡¯s best if my colleagues take over. But the transfer fee, the equipment, plus the rent, all together, is not cheap. I¡¯ll list the price through the agent later, and if any of you are thinking of taking over, you can call me and tell me if you find the price reasonable.¡± Yang Sigu looked at the time and waved his hand, ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say, you guys get on with it. I will inform you of other minor matters in the work group.¡± ¡°Brother Yang, wait!¡± Lu Ying couldn¡¯t resist and chased after him. When Brother Qiang saw his impatient look, his face sank and he cursed silently. He looked at his other colleagues and asked sharply, ¡°What do you think? Is there anyone who wants to take over the shop? I don¡¯t have much money, we can partner up!¡± ¡°It¡¯s really a shame not to do it, the shop is doing particularly well¡­¡± One male employee was obviously interested. Another asked curiously, ¡°How does Brother Qiang want to cooperate?¡± Brother Qiang¡¯s face showed joy: ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk and talk in detail. Now the question is whether Lu Ying, who is related to Boss Yang, will shortcut¡­.¡± ¡°Him? What¡¯s the point of opening a bakery when his boyfriend is so awesome¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not for sure¡­¡± Fei Qiqi felt angry when she heard them muttering. She wished Lu Ying would take over the shop, then she would continue to work here and not have to worry about the reputation of the shop dropping without Boss Yang. Although Lu Ying was the latest of them to join, his craftsmanship was obvious to everyone. Who was good and who was bad, the sales were not going to lie. ¡°Brother Yang, tell me honestly, why do you suddenly want to close the bakery? Didn¡¯t you say before that you were going to wait for Xiaolu¡¯s kindergarten before moving to the capital? There was no sign at all.¡± Lu Ying followed behind Yang Sigu in confusion. Yang Sigu smiled as he walked, ¡°The plan can¡¯t keep up with the changes. I just happened to receive an offer from Guanlan University and decided to go back to teach at the university. Both Guanlan City and the capital have good education, so I¡¯ll simply take Lao Lu and Xiaolu to live there with me. I¡¯ll entrust Liu Dichuan to deal with the house and shop here, and we¡¯ll come to Qixia Mountain to get together for the New Year holidays in the future.¡± ¡°This, this has already been decided?¡± Lu Ying didn¡¯t expect Brother Yang to make such proper arrangements so quickly. It seemed that he was determined to move. Lu Ying was very upset, but could only wish him sincerely, ¡°Congratulations, Brother Yang. It¡¯s great to go to the university and become a teacher and it¡¯s definitely more appropriate for Xiaolu to live there.¡± He knew that Brother Yang had always been very good, he had been a university professor before returning to Qixia Mountain. Now he was going back to his old job for the sake of his child and his family. It was obviously a good thing. Yang Sigu encouraged, ¡°Your Grandpa Lu and I will leave, but your life will go on. Do you want to take over the bakery? It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t have the money, we¡¯ll see what we can do about it.¡± ¡°¡­I have to think about it.¡± Lu Ying hesitated. Yang Sigu let out a long sigh, ¡°Your Grandpa Lu has always felt guilty about you in his heart. He didn¡¯t teach you how to survive, and he didn¡¯t leave you any property. If you¡¯re willing, why don¡¯t you take Zaizai with you and go with us, don¡¯t forget we¡¯re family. My house in Guanlan City is big enough, so it¡¯s no problem at all to live together. Once you go there, I can also help you open a bakery and you can be your own boss. Believe me, you can definitely do it, even better than me. You¡¯re single-minded in what you do and really more committed than I am. I have a lot of interests and am easy to get distracted and lazy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m such a big guy and I have Zaizai with me. How can I go and disturb your family? There¡¯s no need for Grandpa Lu to feel guilty about me, it was hard enough for him to raise me. Thank you, Brother Yang, for your kindness!¡± Brother Yang¡¯s offer sounded wonderful, but Lu Ying wasn¡¯t tempted. If Grandpa Lu was alone, he would not hesitate to live with him and take care of him for the rest of his life. But Grandpa Lu had his own lover and child, he wouldn¡¯t be that insensitive. Yang Sigu patted Lu Ying¡¯s shoulder, ¡°No matter what your decision is, you should think about it seriously again. I¡¯ll be gone in half a month. Tell me the answer when you think about it, and I won¡¯t sell the bakery to anyone else until you reply. Let¡¯s go, you are busy.¡± Seeing Yang Sigu leave, Lu Ying was torn for a moment. He returned to the bakery sadly, ignoring the stares of the others, and sulked, doing his own work. He had to do a good job while at work anyway. While his hands were busy, his mind was spinning. Firstly, this was a great opportunity, and once he took it, he was confident that he would be able to run the business without ruining its reputation. However, if he became the boss, he would have much less time to spend with his child. Although there was Jin Dachu to pick up and drop off Zaizai, it wasn¡¯t the same. Moreover, he was serious about getting a good primary school for Zaizai, and the nearby ones had long been ruled out. Once he took root here, where Zaizai would go to school was a problem. And¡­ The relationship between him and Qin Zhuopu had gone so far that almost all relatives and friends on both sides knew about it. With them living separately in two places, Qin Zhuopu would have to continue to travel back and forth, and sometimes seeing him come and go in a hurry made Lu Ying feel guilty. And recently, so many inexplicable things on the internet involved Qin Zhuopu; Lu Ying was already very upset. Those people had nothing to do with Qin Zhuopu. He was clearly Qin Zhuopu¡¯s real lover! On his way home from work, Lu Ying swiped the news on his mobile phone and the star called Lu Ying could no longer jump up and down. The netizens were all captivated by Qin Zhuopu¡¯s frankness. It was him, not her! With such an obvious statement, those who were following Qin Zhuopu were shocked. Netizen A: Crap, the big boss is coming out of the closet! Netizen B: Dad is worthy of being Dad, he¡¯s just so open and honest! Netizen C: I¡¯m going to buy a lottery ticket! I¡¯ve always suspected that Qin Zhuopu is gay, I¡¯ve actually won! Netizen D: Crying a river, why do good men like men? Netizen E: Damn, that Lu Ying¡¯s (actress) face must have hurt, so embarrassing! Hahaha, change your gender and maybe everyone will believe you. Netizen F: boing boing, I envy that Mr. ly! Netizen G: Where did the two men get the child? Did they adopt him? Please bring the news, I want to eat melons. Netizen I: The boss of a dignified company is gay! It¡¯s disgusting! May your stocks fall to death! ¡­¡­ Lu Ying swiped through a whole bunch of online comments, and the more he read, the more anxious he became. He sent a message to Qin Zhuopu: ¡°Is it okay for you to say that online? Will it affect your company¡¯s stock? Will the company executives blame you?¡± Qin Zhuopu quickly called and smiled as he said, ¡°You¡¯re so concerned about me?¡± ¡°No kidding! Of course I want everything to go well for you.¡± ¡°Ha, what if I go bankrupt and end up on the streets one day?¡± Qin Zhuopu asked, smiling. Even though he felt it was childish, he just wanted to hear Lu Ying¡¯s answer. Lu Ying rolled his eyes at the phone, ¡°You underestimate me, even if you go bankrupt, you won¡¯t live on the streets! I¡¯m not as good at making money as you are, but if it comes to that, I¡¯ll have no problem supporting you.¡± Qin Zhuopu laughed darkly, ¡°What if I go bankrupt and owe a huge amount of money?¡± ¡°Your company¡¯s stock hasn¡¯t really fallen, has it? Otherwise why are you asking these questions¡­¡± Lu Ying held his breath nervously. ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered me, what if I¡¯m in debt?¡± Lu Ying sighed: ¡°Then what else can I do! I¡¯ll help you pay it back slowly, ah! You don¡¯t have to ask questions, tell me if there is any effect or not? Otherwise, you should delete your Weibo, we can just be happy in our relationship, there is no need for others to talk about it.¡± Qin Zhuopu, who was sitting in the boss¡¯s chair, turned around and smiled widely, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the post will not affect the stock. Never mind saying that I chose a man to be with, even if I choose a pig to be with, it won¡¯t be anyone¡¯s business.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying was silent. What else could he say? With him, with a pig, it¡¯s perfectly fine! (*^¨Œ^*) Qin Zhuopu looked out of the window at the sunshine and lush green plants in a pleasant mood, ¡°One day I¡¯m going to marry you in front of everyone. We will be frank and honest so that our child will be frank and honest.¡± Lu Ying was taken aback: ¡°What you say makes so much sense.¡± If two people were cowering and hiding because they were together, after a long time, the child¡¯s heart would definitely change and he might feel that his family relationship was ¡®unmentionable¡¯ to outsiders. He didn¡¯t want his child to become like that. ¡°Did you sign the documents I left you?¡± Lu Ying pulled his hair, ¡°I forgot about that, I haven¡¯t read it yet. I¡¯ll take a look at it when I get home, what is it? You didn¡¯t buy me another house, did you? Actually, two are enough.¡± Qin Zhuopu snorted, ¡°You¡¯ll know when you see it.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll video chat with you tonight.¡± Lu Ying returned home, closed the information after reading it and let out a long breath. He didn¡¯t expect such a big gift from Mrs. Qin after her apology. Although he was not sure how much the 10% share dividends of the jewellery company were, it was definitely an amount that was beyond his imagination. As for the farm that Mrs. Qin gave Zaizai, he was rather calm. Lu Ying told Zaizai about the farm in detail, and the little one really liked it. Lu Ying smiled and put the information away carefully. Lu Ying didn¡¯t tell Qin Zhuopu that the bakery was closing. In the early morning, he stepped into the bakery in a complicated mood; soon everyone arrived one after another. When Brother Qiang saw him, he looked clearly nervous and uncomfortable. Lu Ying ignored him with a faint glance and went to work on the membership refunds, sending a message to Brother Yang in the meantime. Brother Yang, I thought about it all night yesterday, but I don¡¯t plan to take over the shop. You¡¯d better transfer it to others as soon as possible, but I advise you to keep your signboard, it¡¯s all your hard work. Yang Sigu immediately replied: I understand. I had no intention of selling the signboard even if you didn¡¯t say so. It¡¯s okay to tell you secretly, it actually means Qianchuan, at least in my heart. Lu Ying¡¯s eyes lit up, and he smiled and typed: I suspected it before, but I didn¡¯t dare to confirm it. It turns out that there is really a story, hehe, so sweet! Brother Yang: Initially I wanted to call it ¡®deer¡¯ but it seemed too shameless, so finally I changed it to be more subtle. Hahaha¡­¡­ After talking to Yang Sigu, Lu Ying¡¯s whole mood became particularly bright. He felt more and more anxious to have his own bakery, give it his favourite name and make his own favourite desserts. At night, Lu Ying had a dream in which he opened his own bakery and named it ¡®pig¡¯, only to have Qin Zhuopu jump out and strongly oppose it, saying that the name was too unpleasant and tasteless and didn¡¯t fit the style of the bakery! When he woke up in the morning, Lu Ying rubbed his messy hair and wondered what the best name would be. ¡°What do you think would be a good name for Dad¡¯s bakery?¡± Lu Ying was excited, ¡°Wow, is Dad going to open his own shop and be the boss?¡± Lu Ying shook his head, ¡°No.¡± Lu Zaizai sighed, ¡°Then what¡¯s the point of asking. First, you have to have a shop.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± There was no way to retort. The cold wind quickly blew into December, bringing the rain along with it. In an instant it felt like winter, and people put on their warm clothes. The bakery was deserted, everyone was there, but the atmosphere was very negative. Lu Ying and Fei Qiqi sat at the front desk, dealing with the members who came by from time to time to return their cards. The others stayed in the workshop and were not in a good mood. Because Brother Yang was unwilling to transfer the signboard, Brother Qiang, who wanted to take over, felt very upset, but in the end he gritted his teeth and found some people to take over the bakery in partnership. Now they were waiting for the final handover. Lu Ying buried his head in taking notes, while Fei Qiqi was responsible for answering the calls. ¡°Right, this is Mr. Qin¡¯s membership fee, the balance is 18,000. Here, now I¡¯ll transfer it all to you, Brother Lu.¡± Fei Qiqi said with a smile, pointing to the information. Lu Ying was stunned, ¡°Did you tell him?¡± ¡°Of course, I am responsible for informing every member. Mr. Qin is also our member but Mr. Qin told me that the balance can be paid directly to you.¡± Lu Ying held his forehead. He thought he had been hiding well but he had forgotten about this. Qin Zhuopu obviously knew he was unemployed now, yet he didn¡¯t talk to him about it at all¡­ Didn¡¯t he want to take advantage of this opportunity and ask him to go to Guanlan City? What the hell was he thinking¡­ Advertisements In the blink of an eye, on December 10th, it was still raining and the bakery belonging to Brother Yang was officially closed. The old signboard had been taken down and the shop was fenced off. Brother Qiang couldn¡¯t wait to call in the construction team and was determined to get the new signboard installed and re-open quickly. The shop was already equipped with all the equipment and furniture and he had no intention of changing them. Just change the signboard and the customers would come back. ¡°Goodbye, Brother Lu, goodbye, Boss Yang!¡± Wearing her casual clothes, Fei Qiqi waved with a wide smile and was the first to leave the bakery where she had worked. ¡°Bye, Qiqi.¡± After sending Fei Qiqi away, Lu Ying didn¡¯t want to stay, picked up his umbrella and walked into the rain with Yang Sigu. ¡°Brother Yang, now that I¡¯m completely free, I¡¯ll take you to the airport the day after tomorrow.¡± Yang Sigu didn¡¯t refuse: ¡°Okay, it¡¯s just as well since we have a lot of baggage and it¡¯s inconvenient to carry the baby, so it¡¯s better if you help. It¡¯s just a pity, why don¡¯t you come with us?¡± ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t want to be a light bulb!¡± Lu Ying was light on his feet in the rain, and although he was out of work, he felt very relaxed. Yang Sigu smiled like a spring breeze, ¡°You must remember that in Grandpa Lu¡¯s and my eyes, you will always be the child of our family.¡± He had already done as much as he could, and he believed that Lu Ying would gather the courage to pursue his own happiness. ¡°¡­en! I know!¡± Lu Ying nodded vigorously, forcing himself not to let his tears fall. How lucky he was that Grandpa Lu had adopted him when he was at his weakest and had given him support. From then on, he had many friends who laughed at his young age while loving him as he grew up. It was these friends who made him an optimistic person, and it was the most considerate companionship and encouragement that gave him endless courage. On the day that Grandpa Lu¡¯s family left, Lu Ying went to see them off and didn¡¯t look away until they had passed the security check. When Lu Ying returned home alone, he was still in a bit of a daze. It was too awkward for him to do nothing, so he was at a loss. Sitting on the sofa, he watched the news and programs on the English channels for a day until Lu Zaizai came back from school. ¡°Dad, is it true that Grandpa Lu and Uncle Yang and Sister Xiaolu are gone?¡± Lu Zaizai asked with a depressed look on his face as he grabbed Lu Ying. Lu Ying nodded, ¡°Yes, they have gone to Guanlan City.¡± Lu Zaizai instantly deflated and wanted to cry: ¡°Why did they have to leave¡­ I miss Grandpa Lu and I miss my little sister too. Why do they all have to go to Guanlan City? Uncle also lives so far away!¡± ¡°Good boy, don¡¯t cry. We can still see each other later, Guanlan City is not far, it¡¯s the next city.¡± ¡°So when are we going to go to them?¡± Lu Zaizai was instantly looking forward to it. Lu Ying smiled, stroked his son¡¯s head and assured him, ¡°When you have the winter vacation, Dad will take you there.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°But you have to promise Dad one thing.¡± ¡°What thing?¡± Lu Zaizai asked hurriedly. Lu Ying squatted down to be at his son¡¯s level and looked seriously into his innocent eyes, ¡°After we go to Guanlan City, we will live with Uncle. From now on, you have to call him Dad, okay?¡± Surprised, Lu Zaizai stared into his father¡¯s eyes and asked in confusion, ¡°Why?¡± Lu Ying smiled, ¡°Because he is your father.¡± Lu Zaizai cocked his head, still not understanding, and couldn¡¯t help but raise two fingers, ¡°So I¡¯ll have two dads in the future?¡± Lu Ying nodded decisively, ¡°Yes, from now on you have two dads, one more than anyone else.¡± ¡°Wow, that sounds so cool and amazing!¡± Lu Zaizai¡¯s eyes lit up but the next moment he questioned, ¡°But are you married? I can¡¯t call him Dad until you¡¯re married, right?¡± ¡°Married or not, he and I are your dads and we love you very much. You just have to remember that.¡± Lu Zaizai nodded seriously and grinned, ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll do as you say. Next time I see Uncle, I¡¯ll call him Dad, right?¡± ¡°No, no, no! Wrong!¡± Lu Ying immediately admonished his son mysteriously and said quietly, ¡°We have to surprise him, we can¡¯t let him know about our actions, so you have to¡­¡± Father and son muttered for a long time and finally agreed on a plan. When he woke up the next day, Lu Zaizai was still chanting ¡®secret, I¡¯m going to keep it secret¡¯. Advertisements Lu Ying smiled as he sent his son off to school, and when he got home he couldn¡¯t rest anymore. He pulled out the oven he bought for more than 400 yuan and prepared to make some desserts at home. He was afraid of getting rusty from not doing anything all day. He had a full range of baking ingredients and tools at home, all of which he used to practise. The oven was very simple and the tools were not as professional as those in the shop, but he took his time and enjoyed the process, finally baking ten six-inch chiffon cakes and making three more chiffon pieces to carefully shape, resulting in two beautiful and delicious fruit cakes. Lu Ying was so pleased with the finished products that he put them on the table and decorated them, then made a picture and sent it to his Moments! Perfect Dad: Freshly baked six-inch chiffon cakes! Anyone want them? As long as it is not far away, it will be delivered to your door! There were many customers and residents of the community in his WeChat, as well as former colleagues from all walks of life, but before posting his Moments, he had blocked Brother Qiang and others. Soon, there were several messages under his post. Fei Qiqi: Wow! Good job, Brother Lu! Support you! Lu Ying replied: I call this freelancing ^_^ Fei Qiqi: Bang bang da! I¡¯m going to start my own freelance business in the community like you! Lu Ying: Go for it, you can definitely do it! Yang Sigu: Thumbs up! That¡¯s not bad, that¡¯s what I did in the beginning, too. Lu Ying: Thank you, Brother Yang. Pure Mom: Xiao Lu, I want one! Lu Ying: Private chat. Lu Ying quickly sold his first cake for 188 yuan. He took a screenshot and wrote down Pure Mom¡¯s building number, and soon another resident sent him a private message. There were still people leaving messages on WeChat. The cakes were all booked out, and Lu Ying made an appointment with his customers In the evening. He took Zaizai to deliver the cakes to the customers¡¯ homes. After selling ten cakes a day, the money he made was so good that Lu Ying was smiling, and Lu Zaizai, who was delivering cakes, was even happier than he was, finding it fun. When Qin Zhuopu had time to look at his phone, Lu Ying¡¯s Moments stunned him and then he smiled helplessly. This lover of his, he really couldn¡¯t stay idle for a day. But doing this was actually more cost-effective than working part-time, and Lu Ying was definitely happy. ¡°Hehe, guess how much money I made today?¡± In the video chat, Lu Ying was smiling like a lucky cat. Qin Zhuopu held up his forehead and teased, ¡°You made so much money, do you want to give me a red envelope?¡± Lu Ying nodded readily, ¡°No problem!¡± He quickly sent out a red envelope. Qin Zhuopu clicked on it and saw that it was actually ¡®1314¡¯ (1314 means ¡°forever¡±). His heart was suddenly hit hard, oh wow! ¡°I¡¯m generous, right?¡± Lu Ying was happy, ¡°I was worried whether anyone would want it, but luckily those customers trusted me. It was sold out in one go today, and some of those who didn¡¯t get it reserved desserts for tomorrow and the day after. Unfortunately, the weather has cooled down and I don¡¯t have all the equipment at home, so toast and bread don¡¯t ferment well at all and the cakes are the only ones that can be done well. Tomorrow I plan to cut them and sell them piece by piece, the profit is higher!¡± Qin Zhuopu said sincerely, ¡°My wife is awesome! You look best when you¡¯re serious!¡± Lu Ying blushed: ¡°Calling me wife is so unpleasant, it¡¯s so corny!¡± ¡°What should I call you then?¡± Qin Zhuopu asked with a smile. Lu Ying looked magnanimous, ¡°Call me baby!¡± ¡°Pffff, yes, baby, baby,¡± Qin Zhuopu said in a long, deliberate voice, causing Lu Ying to blush. He got a scolding before he stopped. Lu Ying went to the market the next day after dropping off the kid and bought all the boxes he needed, and then went back home and started working. Today he only baked five cakes. After all of them were made, he cut them and divided them into 30 small cakes. He packed them, 15 yuan per box, took pictures and posted them, and sold them! Anyway, he had grown bold; he could sell as much as he wanted and even if he couldn¡¯t sell them, Zaizai could eat them! Absolutely not at a loss. After losing his job, Lu Ying started a brand-new business in this way. It happened that Christmas and New Year¡¯s Day were coming, and Lu Ying¡¯s orders soared. However, he worked single-handedly, so he could only watch a lot of orders slip away. On the two days of Christmas, he didn¡¯t have five hours of sleep all together. He worked hard to make the largest number of orders in his history. He was so tired during the delivery that he couldn¡¯t finish it. In the end, Jin Dachu took Zaizai to help him complete the delivery. When he got up from a nap and was ready to continue to work, Lu Ying¡¯s oven quit and went straight on strike. ¡°¡­woo!¡± Lu Ying wanted to cry without tears; he didn¡¯t hesitate to throw away the broken oven and hurriedly went to the supermarket to buy another one. At night, he couldn¡¯t help muttering to Qin Zhuopu: ¡°This is too wasteful. The household oven won¡¯t last long. Think about it, it isn¡¯t cheap.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s better to open a shop if you want to get bigger. Professional large-scale equipment is durable.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Lu Ying knew that but didn¡¯t say anything to Qin Zhuopu. In the blink of an eye it was New Year¡¯s Day, the end of the Year of the Pig in the Gregorian calendar, ushering in the Year of the Rat. But in the lunar calendar it was still the Year of the Pig, and Lu Ying was inexplicably nervous and looking forward to the future, hoping that before the Year of the Pig ended, he would go to the place he wanted to. On January 20, Primary School 12 officially closed for winter break. A week later, Lu Ying and Lu Zaizai went to school to get Zaizai¡¯s report card. ¡°Headmaster, thank you for taking care of Lu Zaizai this semester.¡± The headmaster smiled and sighed, ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Mr. Lu, it¡¯s something I should do. The library you donated to the school has helped the children immensely and I will be forever grateful to you. Lu Zaizai, you must study hard at your new school.¡± ¡°I will, goodbye, Headmaster.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± The two of them pushed their suitcases and left the campus to board the train to Guanlan City. Lu Zaizai said he had never been on a train before, so this was a good time to experience it. As he walked out of the Guanlan City train station, Lu Ying exhaled a long breath. This place; after seven years, no, already eight years, he had finally returned here. Dragging his luggage and pulling his son through the crowd, he hailed a taxi and gave the familiar community address. Yes, a very familiar address that was always in his heart. It was a smooth arrival at the community, another smooth face-scan to enter the community, and finally a smooth standing at the door of the house. As he stared at the closed door, a nostalgic smile appeared on Lu Ying¡¯s face. Lu Ying stretched out his finger and pressed the code he knew by heart. Beep beep, the door opened and the warm light bloomed in front of him. It seemed to have opened the door to the mysterious fairy tale world, and the ending of the fairy tale would definitely be happy. A pair of large hands reached out and fiercely pulled him into a hug. ¡°Lu Ying, welcome home.¡± *** Mini-theatre: Mr. Qin: Finally, I¡¯ve waited for you to come back! Excited! Lu Ying: I wanted to surprise you, but it seems like you knew. Mr. Qin: No, I didn¡¯t know anything. Lu Ying: Liar, you must have guessed. Mr. Qin: How could I? I was surprised by you. Lu Ying: Really? Mr. Qin: Really. Lu Zaizai: Do you two devils remember having a son outside the door? Lu Ying: ¡­¡­ Mr. Qin: ¡­¡­ Zaizai: Woohoohoohoohoohoohoo Mini-theatre-2: Zaizai: Uncle. Lu Ying: Call him Dad. Zaizai: Okay, Dad, which room do I sleep in? Mr. Qin: Be a good boy, Dad will make a phone call. Zaizai: ??? Mr. Qin: Grandpa, come quickly, pick up your great-grandson! There¡¯s no room for him here. Zaizai: ¡­¡­ CH 52 The familiarity of the embrace was warm and reassuring. All the way, the journey was unhindered. It was as if Lu Ying had never left. It was really as if he had just gone away for a while, and when he returned there was still someone waiting at home with the light on. After eight years, he had finally returned to this place, bringing the child of the two of them with him, into a home full of happy memories. From then on, they were truly a family of three, never to be separated again. Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help but rub against Qin Zhuopu¡¯s shoulder, raised his head slightly and looked at Qin Zhuopu¡¯s handsome, gentle appearance, and said with a wink, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Zaizai is a big eater, I can¡¯t feed him. Zaizai¡¯s primary school homework is too difficult, I can¡¯t do it. I¡¯ll give you guardianship from now on! Can you let me go to your construction site to move bricks? Zaizai, call Dad!¡± ¡°¡­you, ah!¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s eyebrows twitched; he gave Lu Ying¡¯s waist a fierce pinch and once again took him into his arms, wishing he could never let go. How wonderful the warmth of Lu Ying¡¯s body was! He really looked forward to this moment. The house had not changed at all, the password had never been changed, the access control of the community had always preserved Lu Ying¡¯s appearance, and every bit of the place, including him who had lived alone for eight years, had always been waiting for the return of another owner. At last, he had waited for the love of his life. There was also the gift given to them by Heaven. From now on, a family of three, three meals a day¡­ The greatest happiness in life was nothing more than this. Qin Zhuopu was immersed in a shuddering sense of happiness when he heard Lu Ying¡¯s voice filled with a brilliant smile, ¡°I mean it, from now on, Zaizai and I are stuck with you and will never leave again. Eat, drink, sleep and sleep and sleep at your place! Ahem. Zaizai, say ¡®Dad¡¯!¡± Lu Zaizai pushed the two away, aggrieved, ¡°Dad, Dad, Dad, two bad dads! Forgetting me completely, shame on you! Am I still your favourite baby or not, huh? I¡¯m so hungry and tired, I¡¯m dying of anger!¡± He glared at the two men who didn¡¯t take him seriously at all. Dad said that he would have two fathers from now on and that both of them would love him very much. It wasn¡¯t like that at all! Lu Ying laughed awkwardly and pushed Qin Zhuopu away as he stroked his son¡¯s little head, ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten about you, of course you¡¯re my favourite little baby.¡± Qin Zhuopu laughed and bent down to pick up Lu Zaizai and give his chubby cheeks a smooch, ¡°Sorry, I did accidentally leave you out just now. Uncle has prepared a lot of good food, come, I will take you to eat.¡± ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s more like it. If it¡¯s really good, I¡¯ll forgive you.¡± Lu Zaizai burst into laughter, looking at the table full of good food and swallowing his saliva. Then he remembered something, looked at Qin Zhuopu and said, ¡°Not Uncle, but Dad! Are you happy that I will call you Dad?¡± ¡°!!!¡± Qin Zhuopu closed his eyes deeply, his smile almost spilling out from inside. He gave Lu Zaizai a fierce hug and exhaled, ¡°Happy, Dad is happy!¡± The double happiness came suddenly, and Qin Zhuopu almost lost control. A hand pressed on his shoulder, and it was Lu Ying who was giving him strength. Qin Zhuopu picked up the child and whispered sincerely in Lu Ying¡¯s ear, ¡°Thank you, Lu Ying.¡± ¡°Fool¡­¡± Lu Ying smiled at him, ¡°Zaizai is originally your son, do you believe it?¡± Qin Zhuopu nodded, ¡°I already knew that a long time ago.¡± ¡°¡­¡­???¡± Lu Ying was dumbfounded. He had heard wrong, right? But Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t wait for him to ask more questions and was busy urging the two of them, ¡°You must be hungry, go and eat. I¡¯ll talk to you after you¡¯ve had enough to eat and drink. We¡¯ll have plenty of time later.¡± ¡°I want to eat first!¡± Lu Zaizai climbed onto the chair and couldn¡¯t wait to start enjoying the food. Lu Ying¡¯s nose twitched, smelling the rich aroma of food in the room, and his stomach rumbled with hunger. He didn¡¯t have enough food on the train today. After getting off the train, he was busy on the road again. It was indeed the most important thing to eat at this moment. The table was full of sumptuous dishes, most of which he and Zaizai particularly loved, hot and obviously prepared in advance. Lu Ying was both touched and depressed. He thought he could give Qin Zhuopu a super surprise, but he didn¡¯t expect that he would be sitting at home waiting for him to come to his door o(¨i©n¨i)o ¡°This is delicious, did you make all this, Dad?¡± Lu Zaizai couldn¡¯t stop nodding as he ate, looking at Qin Zhuopu with starry eyes in adoration. Qin Zhuopu was all smiles: ¡°Most of these were taught to me by the housekeeper auntie. In the future, if you want to eat anything, Dad can make it for you whenever he has time.¡± ¡°Wow, happy.¡± Advertisements At the dinner table, Qin Zhuopu was very busy, serving dishes to his son one moment and to Lu Ying the next. One little baby, one big baby, no one could be left behind. ¡°Heh, it seems you knew we would arrive today. So you¡¯re not surprised at all? I¡¯ve been so secretive for so long.¡± Lu Ying ate the shrimp indignantly. Had he known, he might as well have asked Qin Zhuopu to go directly to the station to pick them up. In order to create a surprise, he deliberately held back from calling and came all the way here. Qin Zhuopu coughed lightly and shook his head, ¡°No, no. I¡¯m surprised, really.¡± ¡°Who would believe it, it must have been Jin Dachu who told you.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t accuse him wrongly.¡± Lu Ying didn¡¯t know that he personally went to the airport to pick up Boss Yang and Grandpa Lu¡¯s family when they arrived in Guanlan City. How could he not wonder if Lu Ying would be coming or not? Boss Yang said that Lu Ying would definitely come to him, and he was looking forward to it, but he still had doubts. These days of waiting were like years. ¡°Forget it, I won¡¯t bother with you.¡± Lu Ying smiled and fed a piece of beef to Qin Zhuopu who swallowed it without hesitation. Lu Ying smiled, ¡°From now on, we can eat together every day, that¡¯s good.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve waited a long time for this day.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled and sighed. Under the table, their hands were clasped, and the air was full of joy. Everything had long been prepared for Lu Ying and his son coming. Although Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t want to change the furnishings of his home, he changed the original large room on the second floor into a child¡¯s room. The room was full of cartoon-shaped furniture. The wide room had a connected study room. One wall was filled with books, and the other wall had two cool transformers of equal height, as well as a glass toy showroom with a wide range of cartoon models in it. Lu Zaizai fell in love with the new room at a glance and jumped in with a cheer, rolling on the soft floor and laughing: ¡°Great! It¡¯s great! I love it here! I love you, I love you, I love you the most,¡± he said as he darted in and out of the room, without the slightest anxiety and discomfort of coming to a strange environment. His son was happy, and so was Qin Zhuopu, ¡°That¡¯s good that you like it. The lower level is all your playground too, do you want to go and have a look?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, of course!¡± Lu Ying helplessly followed behind the two of them, quite a bit afraid that Zaizai would be spoiled by this big-spending father. The entire basement level was more than two hundred square metres. Now it was like a bright and spacious indoor amusement park full of fun for children, with all kinds of cartoon elements harmoniously coexisting in the same room. Lu Zaizai was smiling from ear to ear. Shortly afterwards, the two dads accompanied their child and blissfully played in the amusement park, making the family of three happy. ¡°I¡¯ve already arranged the school for Zaizai, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Late at night, the two of them shared a bed, enjoying a quiet and beautiful moment after their passion. ¡°I don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Lu Ying smiled and sighed, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Zaizai¡¯s education, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered to leave my hometown to come to you.¡± ¡°Hypocrite. Who was it that cried and begged me to take you in earlier today?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s daydreaming.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Advertisements ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lu Ying rolled over and got up, ¡°I almost forgot to ask you. Tell me the truth, you bastard, you knew Zaizai was your own son? No way!¡± Qin Zhuopu didn¡¯t know whether to cry or to laugh, ¡°I¡¯m so smart, it would be strange if I didn¡¯t know all along. That scar on your stomach, you think I wouldn¡¯t care?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Lu Ying was stunned, covering his belly and stammering, ¡°You knew about it so early?¡± He didn¡¯t expect Qin Zhuopu to get suspicious over a small scar, while he had been kept in the dark himself. Qin Zhuopu nodded, ¡°Once I got suspicious, I needed to find the truth. A few hairs could give me the answer, and whether it was yes or no, I had to carry it in my heart. As a result, I could barely believe that you, in fact, gave birth to my child¡­ At that time, I was not only stunned, but also in deep self-loathing.¡± Suddenly, Lu Ying remembered the abnormal Qin Zhuopu that night. He thought that the other party was nostalgic for his dead father but Qin Zhuopu, who shed tears silently, was actually full of excitement and guilt in his heart. ¡°I never had the chance to tell you. Lu Ying, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Qin Zhuopu hugged Lu Ying and murmured deeply, ¡°Thank you.¡± Lu Ying was unable to speak for a while, and only after a long time did he say sullenly, ¡°There is nothing to be sorry for. I was willing.¡± Everything follows the will of the heart. He and this man had gone from getting to know each other in the beginning to being hand in hand today. When they woke up the next day, the two couldn¡¯t help but look at each other and smile, kiss, get up, brush their teeth together, and make breakfast together. After the meal, Qin Zhuopu went to work. Lu Ying and Zaizai, who was on vacation, stayed at home. After a while, Housekeeper Lin brought three aunties to do daily cleaning. Qin Zhuopu lived alone and didn¡¯t eat at home during the day. Usually, the aunties came over every day to clean, but they didn¡¯t stay at home at night. Housekeeper Lin received a notice from Mr. Qin and hurriedly came over today to meet the other owner of the house. ¡°Mr. Lu, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re here, Mr. Qin was looking forward to your return every day. Now the house is lively. If you have any orders, just let me know. I will be in charge of all kinds of chores over here.¡± Housekeeper Lin stood respectfully in front of Lu Ying and looked at Lu Zaizai blankly. Anyway, no matter what the outside world said, as an employee of the Qin family, Housekeeper Lin knew how to mind his own business and would never discuss his employer¡¯s personal matters. Lu Ying smiled: ¡°Nothing for now. I¡¯ve just eaten and I¡¯m going to take the kid for a walk around the community, is that okay?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll accompany Mr. Lu.¡± ¡°No, we¡¯ll be back after a walk.¡± Leading Lu Zaizai around the community slowly, Lu Ying had a constant smile on his face. The surroundings were still basically the same as he remembered. Even the beautiful flower shop at the entrance of the neighbourhood was still open for business; he had worked at the flower shop for a while back then. The flowers and plants made him feel close to home. It was good to be back. When Lu Ying returned home, he found the house bustling with activity. Elder Qin and Mrs. Qin were both here! ¡°Lu Ying! Zaizai! You guys are finally back!¡± The moment Elder Qin saw the two who had returned, he immediately stood up from the sofa in excitement, his eyes burning like flames. His urgency touched Lu Ying¡¯s heart. He had always been quite fond of Elder Qin. ¡°Great-grandpa!¡± Lu Zaizai shouted loudly, ¡°Are you here to see me?¡± ¡°Yes, yes! Great-grandpa came over just to see you, Great-grandpa misses you every day.¡± The old man¡¯s hands trembled as he tried to touch Lu Zaizai¡¯s head. Lu Ying, who was watching, knew in his heart that the old man probably already knew that Zaizai was his great-grandson. Thinking of this, Lu Ying couldn¡¯t help but glance at Mrs. Qin. No matter what, Zaizai would be happy now and in the future. Other than that, he could care less. ¡°Grandpa.¡± Lu Ying stepped forward and greeted the old man. ¡°Lu Ying, good boy! It¡¯s been hard on you all these years. It¡¯s my family that wronged you, good boy¡­ Grandpa can¡¯t tell you how happy he is to see you, to see you and Zhuopu getting back together.¡± The old man was overwhelmed with feelings and was quite emotional. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if Zhuopu is not good to you, I will never cover him up. In the future, no one in the Qin family will treat you badly. If you have any grievances, just look for Grandpa. Grandpa will take care of everything for you!¡± Lu Ying smiled, ¡°Grandpa is very serious, there is no problem with me. Don¡¯t worry, Grandpa, since I¡¯m back, I¡¯ll live a good life with Zhuopu. Your health is the most important thing, don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, it is most practical to live a good life. You are really a good and down-to-earth boy, Grandpa is never wrong looking at people.¡± The old man sighed. Even though Lu Ying had nothing, he had a sincere heart. It was rare to find such a person. It was a blessing for his grandson, Zhuopu, to find such a person as his lifelong companion, and a blessing for the Qin family as well. Even though he was so old he could be gone any moment, he was no longer afraid to leave his grandson and the Qin family any longer. ¡°Grandpa, let¡¯s eat together at noon. I¡¯ll ask if Zhuopu has time to come back for a meal.¡± ¡°Good, today, our family is finally reunited!¡± Mrs. Qin stood by and tried not to interrupt, looking on, always feeling that something was wrong. She had always known that the old man was fond of Lu Ying and his son. But¡­ the way he was acting, it looked a bit strange. He was just too excited. ¡°Zaizai, play with Great-grandpa for a while, Dad will make something delicious.¡± ¡°Sure. Do you like Transformers, Great-grandpa? Look, my Transformer can turn into four modes!¡± Lu Zaizai held up the transformer toy and happily showed it off to the old man. The old man smiled and nodded straight away, even though he knew nothing about Transformers. ¡°This toy is fun, Zaizai is so smart.¡± ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s for sure¡­¡± Mrs. Qin stayed by the side, watching the old man and the little guy behaving like two urchins. The more she looked, the more in a daze she was. The old man, when had he ever been so indulgent to a child? He took off his shoes and sat on the floor cushion with Lu Zaizai, as they sparred with Transformers. He seemed to have completely forgotten that he was an old man in his eighties, who needed help to walk. Now, together with Lu Zaizai, the old man was laughing like a child. At noon Qin Zhuopu hurried back for dinner, and the family was reunited in a harmonious atmosphere. After lunch, the old man, who was used to taking a nap, showed his tiredness, and Mrs. Qin took the initiative to say goodbye and send him back to the old mansion to rest. ¡°I¡¯m going back to the office too, Mom, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± ¡°Take care on the road.¡± Lu Ying waved to everyone. Closing the door, Qin Zhuopu put the old man and his mother in the car and turned around after giving the driver a couple of instructions. ¡°Zhuopu!¡± Mrs. Qin called out to her son. Qin Zhuopu turned around: ¡°What?¡± Mrs. Qin wanted to say something but shook her head. ¡°Nothing, take Lu Ying and Zaizai to the old man¡¯s place when you have time.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The car started and turned the corner to go far away. Mrs. Qin sighed silently; just now she had an urge to ask her son, but she didn¡¯t know how to ask. ¡°I know what you want to ask.¡± The old man suddenly spoke. Mrs. Qin raised her eyes to look at him, and the old man¡¯s faint voice was like thunder, blasting Mrs. Qin into pieces. ¡°Zaizai is Zhuopu¡¯s own son.¡± *** Mini- theatre: Zaizai: Say, who is your favourite baby? Lu Ying: Of course it¡¯s you. Mr. Qin: Of course it¡¯s you. Lu Ying: Say it again, who is your favourite baby? Mr. Qin: You¡¯re my favourite big baby! Reporter: What does Mr. Qin call you in private? Lu Ying: Lu Ying, Little Piggy Lu and¡­ Reporter: What else? Lu Ying: Big baby! Reporter: ¡­¡­(I never thought Qin Zhuopu would have such a taste) CH 53 It was late at night and most people had fallen asleep. Inside the elegant mansion, shrouded in moonlight, Qin Zhuopu¡¯s family was no exception. The two owners of the simple bedroom cuddled up together, breathing evenly, sound asleep. Suddenly, the landline phone at the bedside rang with pleasant soft music. Lu Ying was deep in sleep and didn¡¯t respond to the music. But Qin Zhuopu turned over, his eyes closed, reached out and grabbed the phone, lowering his voice and saying, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± The next moment, Qin Zhuopu¡¯s sleepy face suddenly changed and he quickly rolled out of bed, saying hurriedly, ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Putting on his clothes as quickly as possible, Qin Zhuopu picked up his mobile phone and quietly left the house. With one person missing from the bed, Lu Ying, groggy, seemed to feel something but couldn¡¯t open his eyes, so he shifted his hand, grabbed a pillow and hugged it in his arms, muttered a few words and went back to sleep. In the morning, Lu Ying opened his eyes, but his mind was a bit confused. When he remembered something, he looked at the pillow and saw that no one was there! Lu Ying got up with a start, pushed away the blanket, stepped into his slippers and went to the bathroom, the living room, the kitchen and Zaizai¡¯s room but didn¡¯t see Qin Zhuopu. He rubbed his head and grabbed his mobile phone to check it; only then did he find a message from Qin Zhuopu. I¡¯m out on some business, you don¡¯t have to wait for me for breakfast today. Lu Ying: ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was sent two hours ago, a little after five in the morning. Lu Ying directly dialled Qin Zhuopu¡¯s phone number, and it took a while to get through. ¡°Hello¡­¡± Hearing his half-awake voice, Lu Ying froze and said, ¡°You¡¯re sleeping? Where are you?¡± ¡°En¡­ Lu Ying, ah.¡± Qin Zhuopu, who struggled to keep his eyes open, pressed his forehead and said weakly, ¡°You¡¯re up? I¡¯m with Mom.¡± He propped up his eyelids and looked at his sleeping mother in bed. Her forehead was wrapped in blinding white gauze; her tightly closed eyes were red and swollen, her face still seemingly streaked with tears. This was not his mother¡¯s home at all, but a hospital that smelled of disinfectant. ¡°What¡¯s happened? Is there something wrong with your mother?¡± Lu Ying asked in a low voice. If there wasn¡¯t something wrong, Qin Zhuopu would not have run over there in the middle of the night. Qin Zhuopu sighed, ¡°It¡¯s always a bit bad when you grow older. It¡¯s fine now, don¡¯t worry.¡± When he received a phone call from his mother¡¯s housekeeper in the middle of the night, he didn¡¯t quite understand what he was hearing. When he rushed to the scene, he was frightened by his mother. His mother was crying without saying anything, banging her head against the wall. The housekeeper was scared to death and tried to stop her. Qin Zhuopu forcefully dragged his mother away and took her to the hospital without saying a word. The doctor said it was depression. Excessive stimulation or excessive sadness could trigger the patient to spiral out of control, and she needed to be hospitalised for a period of time, with medication and physiotherapy. Qin Zhuopu felt powerless when he heard about this condition. After listening to the housekeeper, he realised that his mother often suffered from insomnia, daze and mental trance. Apart from the time she had to work, his mother rarely went out to relax and seemed to have little interest in anything. Lu Ying asked again, ¡°Is it really all right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. By the way, later on Jin Dachu will pick you up, so take Zaizai with you and go with him to see the bakery I chose for you.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Lu Ying was surprised, ¡°You¡¯ve chosen the shop for me?¡± ¡°Of course, how could I not? You can go and see if you like it, and if you¡¯re happy with it, you can start preparing for the opening later in the year.¡± Lu Ying walked around excitedly, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go and see it after breakfast.¡± ¡°Zaizai¡¯s new school is also near the bakery, just five minutes away.¡± ¡°Wow, we¡¯ll stop by and see them all later then.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve instructed Jin Dachu to show you wherever else you want to go. I¡¯m off to work now, call me if you need anything.¡± ¡°Okay, you get busy.¡± Lu Ying cheerfully went to get Lu Zaizai up, and when father and son finished their breakfast, Jin Dachu was already waiting at the door. Today he was both the bodyguard and the part-time assistant. Advertisements ¡°Uncle Jin, so you¡¯re here too.¡± Lu Zaizai was surprised to see Jin Dachu; a familiar face always made the child feel more comfortable. Qin Zhuopu¡¯s arrangements were meticulous and thoughtful. Jin Dachu was also happy to serve the two and smiled, ¡°Mr. Lu, do you want to see the bakery or the school first?¡± Lu Ying held Lu Zaizai and said with a little hesitation, ¡°You can take us to Mr. Qin¡¯s first, right?¡± ¡°¡­Mr. Lu wants to go to the company?¡± Jin Dachu questioned. Lu Ying shook his head: ¡°I have nothing to do in his company. You must know where he is, Mrs. Qin is sick, which hospital are they staying in now?¡± Jin Dachu froze. ¡°But¡­ okay. I¡¯ll take you there then.¡± Mr. Qin didn¡¯t seem to intend for Mr. Lu to visit Mrs. Qin in the hospital, but Mr. Lu himself took the initiative to go, so he obeyed. Jin Dachu drove the two of them to the hospital with one of the most authoritative psychiatric departments, and in a short while they found the ward where Mrs. Qin was. It was a coincidence that when Lu Ying and Lu Zaizai were about to go in, Qin Zhuopu came out of the ward. When they met, Qin Zhuopu was startled. Lu Ying frowned deeply: ¡°You look so¡­¡± Haggard and worried. Lu Ying felt helpless. The relationship between him and Mrs. Qin was indeed awkward. The two of them were ¡®at peace¡¯ after Mrs. Qin¡¯s apology but it would have been difficult for him to pretend that nothing had happened and be as harmonious and cordial with her as with Elder Qin. But no matter how bad it was, Qin Zhuopu¡¯s mother was sick and hospitalised, so how could he completely ignore it? ¡°Why are you here?¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled, his sleepiness half gone. Lu Ying curled his lips and handed the packet of toast Zaizai was carrying to Qin Zhuopu: ¡°I baked the toast this morning, just in time for you to have breakfast. You¡¯d better take some time to rest when you go to the office. You can¡¯t look good with the stubble on your face and your eyes bloodshot.¡± Touching Qin Zhuopu¡¯s chin, Lu Ying shook his head in disgust. ¡°Hey¡­ I really didn¡¯t sleep well.¡± Qin Zhuopu smiled, grabbed Lu Ying¡¯s paw and stroked it. ¡°You go and get busy, I¡¯ll go in and check on your mom.¡± ¡°¡­Lu Ying¡­¡± Qin Zhuopu wanted to say something but stopped. Lu Ying interrupted him: ¡°I know you are very protective of me and you want to say that I don¡¯t have to if I don¡¯t want to. But I¡¯m not that petty. After all, she apologised and also gave such a generous gift.¡± It was not that looking at those priceless gifts, he wouldn¡¯t hold a grudge against Mrs. Qin. But there was Qin Zhuopu. If Mrs. Qin was not in good health, the one who would be most tired and upset would be Qin Zhuopu. ¡°You didn¡¯t ask me what I think.¡± Lu Ying took Qin Zhuopu¡¯s hand and slowly said, ¡°You were so forgiving to Grandpa Lu, how could I be so resentful?¡± Qin Zhuopu was overcome with emotion. ¡°Zaizai knows your mother is sick and wants to come and visit her. I can¡¯t be worse than a child.¡± Lu Ying smiled, ¡°Right, Zaizai?¡± Lu Zaizai nodded in a serious manner, ¡°Yes, Grandma is sick, so of course I have to come and comfort her. Dad, look, I brought two toys, a transformer and a princess doll. This princess doll will be given to your mom to play with, so she will definitely be happy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lu Ying was speechless, ¡°When did you get this toy? I didn¡¯t know about it.¡± ¡°I found it in the toy pile!¡± Lu Zaizai held up the princess doll to show off. Qin Zhuopu stroked his son¡¯s head with relief, ¡°You¡¯re Dad¡¯s little baby, you¡¯re awesome.¡± Lu Ying gave Qin Zhuopu a push: ¡°I¡¯ll go in with Zaizai, so hurry up and eat something.¡± Pushing open the ward, Lu Ying led Lu Zaizai into the room. Mrs. Qin had long since woken up and was half leaning on the bed talking to the housekeeper. When she saw Lu Ying and Zaizai enter, Mrs. Qin obviously shivered with excitement and froze. Lu Ying glanced at the white gauze wrapped around Mrs. Qin¡¯s head and sighed secretly. Jin Dachu had already told him that Mrs. Qin was depressed, and Lu Ying was no stranger to depression. Not only had he heard about it, he had once personally saved a young mother who almost jumped off a building to her death because of depression. She lived above him, the landlady¡¯s own daughter. The young mother suffered domestic abuse from her husband after marriage and was an introverted and reclusive person. After she had given birth to a daughter with a congenital heart condition, it got even worse. Within days of moving in, Lu Ying found out about the young mother¡¯s domestic abuse and told the landlady, who made her daughter divorce at once. But depression was not easy to get rid of. After the young woman tried to jump to her death and was saved by Lu Ying, Lu Ying could do nothing else but take the desperate landlady¡¯s family to Dr. Hu¡¯s clinic. Last time he heard, both the daughter and granddaughter of the landlady had recovered. ¡°I heard you were sick, so I¡¯ve come to see you.¡± Lu Ying had no intention of being abrasive and explained his intention straightforwardly. He would visit the bakery and his son¡¯s school later. Mrs. Qin¡¯s lips moved. She hung her head and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°¡­thank you.¡± At this time, the last thing she actually wanted to see was Lu Ying and Lu Zaizai. She was afraid, afraid that she would be ashamed of herself and embarrassed uncontrollably. But she was also afraid that they wouldn¡¯t come and refuse to face her. So she couldn¡¯t run away and raised her hand to indicate that the housekeeper could leave. Then Mrs. Qin bowed her head in silence. Advertisements ¡°Grandma, are you very uncomfortable? Does the injection hurt?¡± Lu Zaizai rushed to bed, looking at Mrs. Qin with his eyes full of curiosity and compassion. Without waiting for Mrs. Qin to respond, Lu Zaizai raised the princess doll in his hand and handed it to her: ¡°This is the princess doll I found at home. Now I¡¯m giving her to you.¡± Mrs. Qin¡¯s hand shook and her lips twitched, but she was at a loss for words. Lu Zaizai said seriously, ¡°When you are sick, you have to be good and get an injection and have your blood drawn. Although it hurts and is uncomfortable, you still have to be brave. You can¡¯t become a crybaby when you get sick. But I never get sick, hehehe, I¡¯m good, right?¡± Mrs. Qin¡¯s tears welled up in her eyes and she seemed to squeeze out a raw smile as she nodded messily. The more she learned the truth, the more painful the wounds in her heart were. Her son was very good, Lu Ying was very good, the child was so good too. All the bad things were caused by her. It was she who had made her son lonely and painful for several years, and even more so, she had caused her grandson she had longed for and begged for to stay unrecognised right in front of her eyes. Lu Zaizai looked at the white gauze wrapped around Mrs. Qin¡¯s head curiously and fearfully. Seeing that she was trembling, he said with lingering fear: ¡°Grandma, do you have a headache? Oops¡­ this is really scary, you, you¡¯d better bear with it¡­¡± The child¡¯s tone was tender and sincere, and Mrs. Qin couldn¡¯t hold back her tears, not daring to look directly into the innocent eyes of Lu Zaizai. Lu Zaizai shook his head and said modestly: ¡°Grandma, look at it. Now that there is a princess doll with you, you won¡¯t be too scared. You definitely don¡¯t know, she is actually a magical princess! ¡± ¡°She can conjure beautiful dresses and hair every day, and she likes to exercise, run and ride horses. Her health is great. Even if she is sick in one episode, she quickly recovers after drinking a very bitter magic potion! Grandma, don¡¯t worry, you will be the same!¡± Mrs. Qin cried, and Lu Zaizai, a little anxious, panicked and shoved the doll into Mrs. Qin¡¯s hands hurriedly, making sure she held it before he sighed in relief: ¡°Here¡¯s the princess doll for you, you¡¯ll get better soon with magic! Go for it.¡± ¡°Woo¡­¡± Mrs. Qin sobbed as she squeezed the doll tightly in her hands. Lu Zaizai was truly panicked and looked at his dad fearfully. Lu Ying patted his shoulder. Lu Zaizai suddenly relaxed and looked at Mrs. Qin sadly, ¡°Grandma, if you keep crying, my dad will also cry¡­ because you are his mother. Every time I cried when I was little, Dad couldn¡¯t help crying with me¡­ Hey, if you want to cry, just cry, and stop crying when you¡¯re tired of crying¡­¡± The little boy spoke in childish words and that sigh of his simply echoed in Mrs. Qin¡¯s heart. She couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, let out a staggering wail, but finally lifted her deeply bowed head, reached out and clutched Lu Zaizai¡¯s hand, nodding woefully to Lu Zaizai. She wanted to answer Lu Zaizai, but couldn¡¯t speak. She wanted to hug him, but lacked the courage to do so. At this moment, Mrs. Qin no longer had any semblance of her arrogance and superiority of the past, but was just a sick old woman with white hair, a messy face wet with tears, all her wrinkles and blue veins obvious. She was Qin Zhuopu¡¯s mother. Lu Ying took a deep breath and finally said, ¡°I know you¡¯re depressed, but if I don¡¯t make it clear, you might get yourself into a corner. After you apologised to me, I didn¡¯t know whether I should forgive or not, I really didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°After all, you were indeed the culprit, keeping me and Zhuopu apart for seven years, and involving Zaizai into this separation for seven years. But I was really happy to finally wait for you to apologise. At least you realised that you were wrong.¡± Lu Ying said bluntly, ¡°Now I don¡¯t know what you think of me, anyway, even if I get married to Zhuopu, I can¡¯t call you ¡®Mom¡¯¡­ I really can¡¯t.¡± Lu Ying rubbed his son¡¯s hair and continued: ¡°I believe you will really love Zaizai, as much as Zhuopu loves him. ¡­in short, you don¡¯t have to force yourself to deliberately be ¡®nice¡¯ to me, compensate me, give me this and give me that. I feel very awkward and can neither accept nor decline it. In addition to that, you feel guilty and depressed and this is not what I want to see.¡± Mrs. Qin was still whimpering, but slowly calmed down a lot, staring with her red and swollen eyes in a daze. ¡°You are only happy if Zhuopu is happy. And the other way round, if you are safe and healthy, my Zhuopu will not be so tired.¡± Lu Ying exhaled, took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and slipped it to Mrs. Qin, ¡°This is a special tonic made by Dr. Hu to replenish qi and nourish blood. It¡¯s not likely to be effective against depression, but it should be suitable for you. Don¡¯t waste 500,000 yuan pills. Don¡¯t be afraid of that depression, I¡¯ll ask Dr. Hu how to cure it.¡± Mrs. Qin covered her mouth, afraid she would cry again. ¡°It¡¯s no use for me to continue staying here, you should rest. I¡¯ll take Zaizai to have a look at his school.¡± Lu Ying said that and immediately took his son away, shutting out the crying behind him. ¡°Lu Ying, Zaizai¡­¡± ¡°Grandpa, you¡¯re here too, huh?¡± Lu Ying saw the old man and greeted him with a smile. ¡°Great-grandpa,¡± Lu Zaizai jumped forward and held the old man¡¯s cane, taking the opportunity to duck down and touch it a few times. ¡°Hahaha, Zaizai is even more handsome today.¡± The old man praised, smiling at Lu Zaizai, the love on his face simply amazing. Lu Zaizai tilted his head and smiled: ¡°Really? Great-grandpa is also very handsome! This cane looks really cool, I really want to borrow it to play.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± The old man laughed. Lu Ying was speechless and reminded his son tactfully: ¡°Zaizai, speak softly at the hospital.¡± The old man coughed a few times and said with a sigh, ¡°Lu Ying, take the child to play, I¡¯ll go in and see Zhuopu¡¯s mother. This sudden illness of hers is all my fault¡­ hey, I couldn¡¯t help myself for a moment and told her that Zaizai was Zhuopu¡¯s own son, and she had an¡­ emotional breakdown at that moment.¡± Seeing his daughter-in-law being sick, he did blame himself but he didn¡¯t regret it. She needed to face what had to be faced and sooner or later she had to go through it. In the future, when he passed away, she would be the elder in the family. If she couldn¡¯t bear things, how could she be the elder? ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s called depression. Outside emotions are one thing, but the most important thing is to listen to the doctor and take the medicine properly to treat it.¡± Lu Ying explained. The old man nodded: ¡°Yes, yes, have to treat it, treat it well. It¡¯s hard for you¡­ go ahead, you¡¯re busy. Grandpa wants to go to your place for dinner tonight, is it okay?¡± ¡°Sure, Grandpa can come over anytime. I¡¯ll cook you something light and delicious.¡± Lu Ying was all smiles. Personally sending the old man into Mrs. Qin¡¯s ward, Lu Ying closed the door and left. With one less thing on his mind, Lu Ying happily followed Jin Dachu to see Zaizai¡¯ new school. This was a famous private school in Guanlan City. Lu Ying walked around to learn about the school¡¯s facilities. How could there be any dissatisfaction? The environment in classes was already outstanding, and the canteen was the level of a high-end restaurant, particularly suitable for the appetites of both father and son. It was a five-minute walk from the school to the bakery, and when Lu Ying arrived at the closed shop, his heart exploded like a firework. The beautiful and chic shop had two floors, with clean, transparent glass walls, a simple and stylish interior, and a large and well-equipped baker¡¯s workroom, so that even with thirty employees working in it, it would not be crowded. There was also an elegant secluded courtyard at the back of the shop. Under the sun umbrellas, the beautifully carved iron tables and chairs were the best for afternoon tea. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s just what I wanted¡­¡± Lu Ying looked around excitedly, focusing on the various baking equipment in the workroom, which was both professional and sensible. A blind man could see Qin Zhuopu¡¯s intentions. Lu Ying was secretly moved: ¡°Mr. Qin has put a lot of thought into this, hasn¡¯t he? Is this shop particularly expensive?¡± Jin Dachu said, ¡°Mr. Qin specially asked Boss Yang to come over and set it up, and Boss Yang said you would definitely like it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ so it was Brother Yang.¡± Lu Ying suddenly realised. Jin Dachu smiled: ¡°Actually, in about a five-minute walk to the left from the shop there is Guanlan University where Boss Yang works, so it will be convenient for you to visit in the future.¡± ¡°This is really¡­¡± Another surprise! Lu Ying no longer knew what to say. The bit-by-bit arrangements all showed Qin Zhuopu¡¯s intentions. Reluctantly leaving the shop, Lu Ying was in high spirits and took the child to walk directly to Guanlan University. It happened that Lu Qianchuan, who was pushing the pram, was at the entrance of the campus. ¡°Lu Ying!¡± ¡°Grandpa Lu!¡± ¡°Sister Xiaolu!¡± Lu Ying happily ran over, ¡°I was just coming to look for you, Grandpa Lu, I will also live in Guanlan City from now on, Zaizai and I can¡¯t bear missing you¡­¡± Lu Qianchuan smiled, ¡°Your Brother Yang was right, you really will come after us, so it¡¯s to the best. Yanyang and I are now living in a community across the street from the university, and in good weather I take Xiaolu to the campus for a walk. Yangyang still has something to do at school and hasn¡¯t gotten off work yet.¡± As expected of Yanyang, his decision to move propelled Lu Ying too. That was fine; for the sake of his daughter, he and Yangyang would have to enter the world sooner or later. With Lu Ying around again, Lu Qianchuan was finally at ease. Seven years ago he had been displeased with Qin Zhuopu, but now he had changed his mind. The fact that Qin Zhuopu could break through his confinement and get Lu Ying back was proof enough of his true feelings for Lu Ying. Otherwise, all memories would have faded away in the river of flowing years and eventually Lu Ying would have completely disappeared from Qin Zhuopu¡¯s mind. ¡°Grandpa Lu, let¡¯s eat together at noon today¡­¡± After meeting with Grandpa Lu and having a good meal at noon, Lu Ying returned home in the middle of the afternoon in a good mood. In the evening, Qin Zhuopu came back from work, and as soon as he entered the door, he was hugged around his waist and spun around. That¡¯s right, he was hugged, picked up and spun in a circle. ¡°¡­¡­¡± When he was put down, Qin Zhuopu looked down at his lover, who was half a head shorter than him, and blushed. There was nothing he could do about it! It was so annoying and so cute! ¡°Haha, I¡¯m super happy! I love you the most!¡± Wrapping his arms around Qin Zhuopu¡¯s waist, Lu Ying smiled brighter than the sun. The overflowing affection that turned into a smile was really sweet and scary. Qin Zhuopu had difficulty breathing and was dizzy. Lu Zaizai at the table made a face: ¡°Shame on you.¡± ¡°Ahem, Lu, Lu Ying, ah¡­¡± In the dining room, the stunned Elder Qin spoke slowly: ¡°You, you kid hurry up and let go of Zhuopu. Dinner is important, dinner is important! This spinning around¡­ Zhuopu will faint.¡± His old heart was also close to fainting. If not for the fact that Zaizai was born to Lu Ying, he would have suspected that his tall, big grandson was¡­ never mind, it didn¡¯t concern him. No wonder the child¡¯s body was so sturdy, all because of Lu Ying¡¯s good genes, ah¡­ this physical strength was something. Seeing his grandfather, Qin Zhuopu couldn¡¯t help blushing, pinched Lu Ying¡¯s ass angrily, and said fiercely: ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and eat!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ve been hungry for a long time, I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± Lu Ying pulled Qin Zhuopu straight to the table. For this dinner, Qin Zhuopu ate a few more pieces of meat. The next day Lu Ying was still sleeping when Qin Zhuopu was already up early to go lift iron. Why did he work so hard? What else could he do! o(¨i©n¨i)o In a couple of days, Elder Qin delivered a lot of supplements. Lu Ying was grateful: ¡°Is this all for me? Thank you, Grandpa.¡± ¡°Er¡­ hmm.¡± No, no, no, it¡¯s for my grandson. The old man hung his head slightly, not daring to make a sound. Fortunately, soon he heard Lu Ying mutter again, ¡°Hey, these tonics don¡¯t taste good at all¡­ better give them to Zhuopu, I see he likes eating weird things.¡± ¡°En en en, Zhuopu is busy working and staying up a lot, he needs to take tonics.¡± The old man nodded seriously. Lu Ying sighed, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s really hard being a big boss.¡± The old man was busy reassuring him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, now is the busiest time at the end of the year. It will be very leisurely when the spring starts and Zhuopu can take a break for a while. When that time comes, I will cover up for him for a month or two and you can go out on vacation with Zhuopu! It¡¯s better to go to a foreign country and get a marriage certificate.¡± Lu Ying blushed slightly: ¡°That, that¡¯s not urgent. I¡¯m going to be very busy in the spring, I need to open the bakery right away before I can go on vacation. I¡¯m going to get mouldy if I¡¯m idle.¡± The old man didn¡¯t hesitate to support Lu Ying¡¯s decision to open a bakery. As long as the young man was hardworking and diligent, it didn¡¯t matter what industry he was in and it didn¡¯t matter how much he earned. The Qin family was not short of money. Lu Ying¡¯s life would be more fulfilling if he had his own career to pursue. Besides, his craftsmanship was so good that the old man had already told his old friends that if they wanted to play chess or have afternoon tea in the future, they had to go to his grandson-in-law¡¯s shop! Anywhere else? No, no, no. As the New Year approached, although Lu Ying didn¡¯t go out much, he was already busy recruiting employees. The company had posted information on all the major job boards and advertised in WeChat. Qin Zhuopu wanted to help but Lu Ying didn¡¯t let him. ¡°There are some specifics in the industry, I¡¯d rather recruit people myself. Not only do they have to be good at their craft, but also have to catch my eye.¡± ¡°Okay. You¡¯ll probably have no problem choosing people.¡± Qin Zhuopu trusted Lu Ying¡¯s intuition. ¡°Great! Fei Qiqi said she¡¯d come over after the New Year.¡± ¡°That young girl? Not bad.¡± ¡°En. I really didn¡¯t expect her to be willing to leave her hometown.¡± Qin Zhuopu thought it was normal, ¡°The wages are higher in Guanlan City and young people aren¡¯t afraid to move.¡± ¡°Is your mother doing better?¡± Lu Ying changed the topic and asked softly. He had asked Dr. Hu for advice on the treatment of depression, and although Dr. Hu could not come over personally, the medicine he prescribed would be delivered by Ji Xiaofeng after the New Year. Qin Zhuopu hugged his neck and kissed him: ¡°She has been discharged from hospital and returned home. Now she¡¯s very energetic, the medicine you gave her works very well, thank you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Lu Ying smiled and took out the bottle of kidney tonic, ¡°This bottle of kidney tonic, do you want to try it?¡± ¡°!¡± Qin Zhuopu¡¯s face was suddenly as black as the bottom of a pot as he rubbed his hands, ¡°Looks like your ass is itching again¡­¡± Lu Ying quickly let out a miserable scream, ¡°I said no slapping! No slapping!¡± In terms of recruiting people, Lu Ying didn¡¯t bother Qin Zhuopu. However, the pricing of the merchandise was a real headache, so he deliberately asked Brother Yang and Qin Zhuopu to discuss it together before deciding on the level of consumption. After all the hustle and bustle, everything was ready, and the two of them had many arguments over the name of the shop. With the auspicious date on the calendar set, Lu Ying¡¯s heart settled down. He continued to cook a lot of food at home every day, from old classics to new creations. The family always had a hearty breakfast, and Lu Ying gave a lot of things to the neighbours to taste. Three days a week, he visited his little niece at Grandpa Lu¡¯s place and had a meal there. This was the kind of life that Lu Ying enjoyed and was at ease. All the people who loved him, who he loved, were all around him. In a blink of an eye, it was New Year¡¯s Eve again, and as the twelve o¡¯clock bell sounded, the Year of the Pig was completely over. Lu Ying held the hands of his beloved and his child, smiled and looked at the fireworks in the sky, full of gratitude. Many years ago, he was born in the Year of the Pig in 1911 and had nothing. Many years later, in the Year of the Pig, he had a happy and complete home. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, a new year had begun. The Chinese zodiac once again entered a new cycle. *** Mini-theatre: Grandpa Qin: This is a tonic, Zhuopu, you should take more of it. Mr. Qin: Oh, thanks. Grandpa Qin: This one is also tonic, you should take more of it, Zhuopu. Mr. Qin: Okay, thanks. Grandpa Qin: This is even more tonic, you should take more of it. Mr. Qin: ¡­¡­ (drop!) Translator¡¯s note: This ends the main text and there are six extras that will answer very important questions, like: is Lu Ying really a deer? How did Lu Ying and Qin Zhuopu meet? The fate of the baldness pill¡­ and the future of the family