It was the weekend, and Chu Ying and her two sons were home. After receiving Hua Zhao’s message, Chu Ying went upstairs to get her second son, who was playing games, and her eldest, who was reading a script, to come downstairs. To help Qiqi practice, they stood behind the door. Shen Lin peeked through the peephole and saw three little ones walking side by side toward the house. Pei Qiqi looked nervous, checking over his shoulder every few steps.
Pei Yi pumped his fists: “Go, Qiqi! You’ve got this!”
Pei Qiqi swallowed. When he reached the Shen family’s gate, he first looked toward the garden. Yuanzi loved running in the garden. If they could see him from the gate, they wouldn’t have to bother Aunt Chu. The garden was empty. No Youyou’s cheerful laugh. No Yuanzi running around. Pei Qiqi looked disappointed.
The Shen house had a small doorbell at a child’s height. Pei Qiqi let go of his friends, pressed it, and the gate opened. He’d been here many times. He led Lele and Niu Niu inside. Qiqi was still in front, stepping up to the door and pressing the small bell. Inside, they were ready. Shen Lin opened the door with a grin.
“Qiqi’s here! Did you come to see Second Brother?” Shen Lin leaned against the doorframe, showing off.
Pei Qiqi looked up: “Shen Lin, these are my friends Lele and Niu Niu. We… we want to…”
Shen Lin crouched down, taking both their hands.
“What do you want?”
Pei Qiqi’s heart was pounding. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small Ultraman figure.
He held it out: “Can we play with Yuanzi?”
Shen Lin was amused by his serious face. He tossed the figure in the air: “Say something nice, and I’ll let you.”
“What’s something nice?” Pei Qiqi asked, confused.
Mi Le stepped forward: “Compliments!”
Pei Qiqi was stumped. After a long pause, he said, “Shen Lin, you’re really cool.”
Shen Lin pressed: “Cool how?”
Pei Qiqi: “You’re good at games.”
Shen Lin felt his mother’s stare and laughed awkwardly.
“Woof, woof!”
Before Qiqi could pass the test, a white fluffy dog came running.
“Yuanzi!”
Yuanzi sat by the door, leaning against Shen Yan, panting. He’d grown up with Youyou and had been trained well. He didn’t scare children. The three little ones were excited to see the fluffy white dog.
Mi Le’s eyes lit up: “Is that Yuanzi? He’s so well-behaved!”
Shen Yan and Chu Ying appeared, greeting them and putting a leash on Yuanzi. Even though Yuanzi was calm, an adult should supervise when kids and dogs play. The children took turns petting Yuanzi, giggling at him. Dinner was a big gathering at the Pei house. When it was time to leave, the three kids were reluctant. Yuanzi wagged his tail and tilted his head, as if saying goodbye. Before bed, Chu Ying called Shen Minyan. After a brief chat, the phone was passed to Su Youli.
“Mom.”
Chu Ying smiled: “Youyou, do you miss Mommy?”
Su Youli held the phone, in his pajamas, sitting on the sofa while Qin Kun dried his hair.
“Yes. Have you been eating well?”
Chu Ying laughed: “Yes. I had dinner with your big brothers at Uncle Pei’s house.”
She told Youyou about the day. Youyou patted his chest in relief. Lele and Niu Niu had gone to play with Qiqi. That was good. Qiqi wouldn’t be lonely. After the call, the little guy climbed onto Qin Kun. His wet hair was even curlier, like a pile of instant noodles. Qin Kun held the hairdryer, shoulders shaking.
Youyou noticed. He tugged Qin Kun’s collar. “Dad, what are you laughing at?”
“Nothing, nothing. I just thought of a joke.”
Youyou tilted his head: “What joke? Is it funny?”
Qin Kun had forgotten that Youyou was at the age where he questioned everything and couldn’t be easily fooled. He searched his mind for a joke and told one to the little guy.
After hearing it, the little guy tugged at the corner of his mouth: “Not funny.”
Qin Kun was speechless. That night, it was the little guy’s turn to sleep with Shen Minyan. Qin Kun dried the little guy’s hair, waited for Shen Minyan to come down from the second floor to watch TV with Youyou, and then went upstairs to find Su Siwen. In the blink of an eye, they had been in Country D for half a month. The little guy had fully adapted to the weather and life there, and had even gotten to know several dogs in the neighborhood. Qin Kun took him out for a run every day. After running, he would wait for the little guy to greet all the dogs and play with them for a while before heading home.
The cartoon he watched was also about dogs, something called “PAW Patrol.”
Shen Minyan had never seen it, and neither had Shen Yan or Shen Lin when they were young. On the occasional two days when he joined them for the morning run, he would inevitably hear a powerful, spirited little voice:
“No job is too big, no pup is too small!”
Shen Minyan was speechless. Qin Kun was speechless.
The dogs: “Woof woof woof, woof woof woof!”
The little guy, obsessed with brave dogs, was carried into the room by Shen Minyan. As soon as he touched the bed, he crawled into the covers on his own. In the room on the second floor, Su Siwen and Qin Kun had already finished washing up. Before bed, Su Siwen wanted to walk a little without his cane. Qin Kun stood beside him the whole time, following every step. A gentle eye-protection lamp was on in the room, its soft light falling on Su Siwen’s face.
He had been recovering well recently. The severe side effects from the medication had passed. The little guy was particularly concerned about his father’s eating habits. Every day, he would diligently watch his father finish his meal, finish all the meat, and not be picky, making sure he ate plenty of vegetables. Su Siwen’s condition had improved greatly, and the hollows in his cheeks were slowly filling back in. After walking along the edge of the bed for a while, a light sweat appeared on his forehead.
He walked two laps and stopped, unable to hide his excitement: “Ten more steps than yesterday.”
Enjoying the story? There’s more where this came from. Patrons get to read the next chapters early, before they go live on the site, so you never have to wait on the cliffhanger. If a subscription isn’t your thing, a one-time tip on Ko-Fi or PayPal works just as well. Either way, every bit keeps the late nights and coffee going. Thank you for reading. 💙
