Of course, Tang Dou hadn’t. With no other choice, Shen Yan went to find the landlord. Unexpectedly, as soon as he reached the door, the stern-faced old man came over carrying a brand new hot water bottle decorated with large red peonies.
“There’s hot water inside, just boiled. Mix it with cold water, and you can use it.” The old man’s voice was hoarse from years of pipe smoking.
Shen Yan quickly took it and thanked him.
“Thank you, Grandpa Tian.”
Shen Yan turned his head and glanced at the little one sitting on the bed.
The little one understood immediately and said obediently, “Thank you, Grandpa.”
Grandpa Tian’s expression softened briefly, then immediately returned to its usual sternness. He had thought these city people would look down on his things. He had only brought the hot water because he was worried about the little one catching a cold if he washed with cold water. The hot water Grandpa Tian brought solved their washing problem for the night. Once the little one was clean, he was a milky white dumpling again.
After changing into his little pajamas, Su Youli obediently got under the covers, waiting expectantly for Shen Yan to come back with the water. The bedding was clean, with a faint scent of laundry detergent. The little one was familiar with this smell. He clutched the blanket with his little hands, his eyes fixed on the door.
When Shen Yan came in, he was carrying a chamber pot, his expression difficult to describe. The eldest young master of the Shen family had never seen such a thing in his life. Fortunately, it was clean; otherwise, he wouldn’t dare let Youyou use it.
“Youyou, do you need to pee?”
Su Youli shook his head from under the covers and reported on his bathroom activities for the day. “Today at Grandma Zhang’s house, I drank soy milk and peed twice.”
The little one stuck two fingers out from under the blanket. Shen Yan thought it over. Maybe next time they went out to film, he should buy some diapers. What if the production team sent them to another remote mountain forest? The house they were staying in was very old. The toilet was a pit latrine, and there was no place to bathe. The conditions were too poor. If he insisted on washing Youyou, he would definitely get sick.
Shen Yan held the little one and whispered, “We’ll go back the day after tomorrow. You can bathe then, okay? Tomorrow morning, Big Brother will help you wipe your back with a towel.”
Su Youli blinked. “Okay.”
It was only 8:30, not yet the little one’s bedtime. Shen Yan took out the handmade picture book filled with plants that the little one looked at every day and gave it to him.
“Big Brother, I want to call Daddy.”
Su Youli wasn’t very interested in the book. Being in a new environment made him miss Kunkun and his little Daddy even more.
The cameras in the room were all covered. Shen Yan tucked him in and said, “I’ll go get my phone.”
The little one’s eyes lit up, and he nodded obediently. Soon, Shen Yan returned, waving his phone at the little one. The call connected. On the other end, it was daytime.
“Daddy!” The little one’s voice reached Qin Kun’s ears.
The slightly weary-looking man relaxed at the sound of his son’s voice. “Hey, does Youyou miss Daddy?”
Su Youli nodded vigorously, saying he missed him very much. The little one was now the young master of the Shen family, and separated by distance, Qin Kun and Su Siwen rarely called Su Youli. But they kept their phone ringer at full volume every day, afraid of missing any call from the little one. Sometimes he used Shen Minyan’s phone, sometimes his brothers’. Youyou had even used Tang Dou’s, the butler’s, and Uncle Pei’s phones. Qin Kun and Su Siwen had saved all their numbers.
“Youyou, are you tired today?” Su Siwen, just awake, had seen the airport photos of Shen Yan and Su Youli earlier.
The little one, clinging to his brother’s neck, had revealed a small, timid face. Su Siwen was afraid he wouldn’t adjust.
“Daddy, Big Brother got lost today, and Youyou found him.”
Su Siwen smiled and asked how he did it. The little one leaned against his big brother and slowly told his two fathers the story of finding him today.
“Daddy, the road was so dark. Youyou was a little scared.”
Su Siwen praised him. “But even though you were scared, you persevered. That’s wonderful.”
….
After chatting with his two fathers for nearly half an hour, the little one reluctantly hung up. Every time after a call, Su Youli felt his longing for his fathers grow by this much, more than his Stitch backpack could ever hold. Shen Yan patted his back gently, his heart aching for him. Soon, the little one fell asleep in his arms.
—
In the village, there was no need for an alarm clock in the morning. After the broom scraped the ground, the rhythmic swishing sound began. Once the animals in the chicken coop and duck cage were fed, they became excited immediately. In the side room, the little one sleeping on the inside of the bed stretched out a pair of small, lotus-root-like arms from under the blanket, rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands, and slowly woke up. The sounds outside the door grew clearer. The little one rolled over, lay on the pillow, pushed himself up with his hands, and sat up.
“Big Brother,” the little one called out in his soft, milky voice, beginning his wake-up service.
Shen Yan instinctively touched his soft, curly hair, his voice groggy. “Big Brother’s going to sleep a little longer.”
Su Youli pouted but said nothing more. He picked up the clean clothes placed by the bedside, put them on himself, and climbed down from the bed using his hands and feet.
Shen Yan opened one eye and said gently, “You can go look at the chicks and ducklings by the door, but don’t go out the gate, okay?”
Su Youli was crouching down putting on his shoes. He looked up and replied, “Okay, Youyou won’t wander off.”
After the little one opened the door with a creak, Shen Yan closed his eyes again. Ever since he had felt Grandpa Tian’s kindness yesterday, he had let down some of his guard. Besides, his father’s bodyguards were stationed around the house. Nothing would happen. The little one, walking on his short legs into the yard, was used to waking up early.
He was now crouching by a small basin by the door, ready to pour water to wash his face. The hot water bottle with the large red peonies was very heavy, and the little one couldn’t lift it. Besides, Big Brother had said yesterday that the water inside was hot and would burn his hands. Holding his little towel, Su Youli was in a quandary.
He stood in place and turned around, then met the gaze of Grandpa Tian, who was carrying a food bowl.
“Grandpa.” The little one greeted him, pointing to the water bottle nearby.
Without a word, Grandpa Tian put down the food bowl, walked over, poured the hot water into the basin, and even tested the temperature with his finger.
“There. Wash up.”
Su Youli crouched down, cupped water in his little hands, and began to wash. After feeding the chickens, the old man didn’t leave immediately. He sat on a chair by the door, his gaze resting on the little one earnestly brushing his teeth.
Such a young child, and he can brush his teeth and wash his face by himself. He can even wring out the towel with both hands and put the basin back in its place.
The old man had never seen such an independent child. He found it very interesting. After washing up, Su Youli went back to the room to check on his big brother. Shen Yan was already awake. When the little one came in, he was stretching lazily on the bed, looking very unglamorous.
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