“Youyou, want to go out and have a look?” Su Siwen wasn’t in his wheelchair today. Holding an umbrella, he picked up his son.
“Dad.” The little guy squirmed, struggling to get down and walk by himself.
“It’s okay. Dad’s leg doesn’t hurt today.”
At the Su family’s doorstep, Shen Minyan stood in the rain holding an umbrella, with an excited Shen Lin beside him. Raindrops pattered against the umbrella surfaces, the rhythm almost syncing with Shen Lin’s heartbeat. The father and son looked very much alike, and their expressions were equally serious.
When the Su family’s door opened, and Su Siwen walked towards them holding the little guy, both father and son’s eyes lit up simultaneously. Completely in the dark, Youyou smiled like a blooming sunflower. Today, Little Dad had held him for so long, and his dads were taking him out to play.
The little toddler was overjoyed. He cupped his dad’s face and kissed it: “Dad, I love you so much!”
Raindrops fell on Su Siwen, seeping through his pores into his heart, making him feel as if he were immersed in icy seawater.
“Youyou, Dad will love you forever.” Su Siwen’s slightly cool lips pressed against the little guy’s chubby cheek.
Don’t forget Dad, okay? The little guy was still immersed in the joy of going out to play. No amount of rain could dampen a human toddler’s excitement. But in the next second, the little guy’s smile completely disappeared. His dad lifted him up and stuffed him into a cold, slightly stiff embrace.
Youyou: “…”
Meeting his son’s clear, innocent big eyes, Su Siwen almost stumbled. He quickly turned and left.
“Dad—” The little guy struggled in Shen Minyan’s arms, his little hands waving helplessly in the air.
Instantly, tears welled up in the little guy’s big eyes. His mouth puckered as he looked at Kunkun, who was still standing nearby, yet to leave.
“Youyou, remember what Dad told you a couple of days ago? You go to Beicheng with Shen Dad first to live. When Kunkun takes Dad for treatment, and his leg is better, we’ll come see you, okay?”
The rain was falling harder. Qin Kun stepped out from under the umbrella, his hands icy cold, not daring to touch Su Youli’s soft face. Standing at the doorway, he handed the suitcase beside him to Zhang Shun, then turned and walked back into their yard without any hesitation. It all happened too fast.
The three-year-old toddler couldn’t understand why his dads were doing this. Qin Kun walked back step by step through the rain, forcibly restraining himself from looking back. His dads had packed his suitcase, not to take him out to play, but to drive him away. His dads… didn’t want him anymore.
“Waa—”
A heart-wrenching child’s cry pierced the air, followed by the frantic sounds of Shen Lin and Shen Minyan trying to soothe him.
“Youyou, don’t cry. Brother will give you candy, okay?” Shen Lin had long prepared Youyou’s favorite lollipops, trying to shove one into his mouth to distract him.
But he was wrong. Although Youyou was a bit greedy, how could a single lollipop compare to his dads?
“No, don’t want candy. Dad… Youyou wants Dad!”
Su Youli kicked his legs and waved his arms, trying to get down from Shen Minyan’s embrace. For the first time, Shen Minyan felt his heart ache at the sound of a child crying. But no matter how much it hurt, he had to take back the youngest son he had been searching for for three years. On this rainy day, the residents of Yunshui Street were all cozied up at home. The child’s cries shattered the peaceful, pleasant morning.
Grandma Yang was busy in the kitchen. Hearing the sound, she exclaimed, “Oh my, that sounds like Youyou crying!” Still wearing her apron, she went to the door and listened carefully for a moment.
“It really is Youyou! What’s wrong with Xiao Su and Qin Kun, letting the child cry like that and doing nothing!”
Grandma Yang took off her apron, grabbed an umbrella from behind the door, and headed out.
“Mom, just leave it be.”
Yang Shiqing knew today was the day Youyou was being taken away. Although the two families were close, it wasn’t good for them to meddle in other people’s family matters.
“How can I just leave it? I’ve watched Youyou grow up. Crying like this could make him sick!”
The old lady stepped outside, wiped her hands on her apron, picked up the umbrella leaning against the eaves, and went. With a creak, the door next to the Su family opened, and a spirited old lady emerged. Grandma Yang was also startled by the scene before her.
If her son Yang Shiqing hadn’t told her earlier that Youyou’s biological father was coming these days… Seeing Youyou, held in the arms of a stern-faced, strange man, crying so hard he could barely breathe, she would have thought these people were kidnappers.
“Oh my, oh my! What are you doing? The child is crying like this, and you do nothing!”
Grandma Yang scolded loudly, stepping through the rain quickly towards Shen Minyan and taking the child from him. Finding his arms suddenly empty, Shen Minyan was momentarily at a loss for what to do next. He opened his mouth to speak, but ultimately closed it.
Youyou was his son, not some project he could just sign off on. In those few minutes holding his youngest son, he had thought a great deal. His son didn’t like him at all, just like his eldest and second sons. He even seemed to hate being with him. Shen Minyan lowered his eyes. Silently, he took the umbrella from Zhang Shun and held it over the old lady and his grief-stricken youngest son.
“Youyou, don’t cry, don’t cry. Grandma will take you to Brother Yang Yang, okay?”
While soothing the child, the old lady cast a reproachful glance at Shen Minyan standing at the door.
“Grandma, Dad doesn’t want Youyou anymore…” The little guy was crying terribly. His neatly styled little curls were now a mess, his collar askew.
He had sweated while struggling in Shen Minyan’s arms, and now his whole body felt a bit warm to the touch. Held carefully by Grandma Yang, his face was covered in tears, his body trembling from his sobs.
Grandma Yang, with her straightforward temper, carried the little guy up the steps and banged on the door: “Xiao Su! Open up!”
The two men hiding behind the door, their plans disrupted by the unexpected appearance of the old lady, had no choice but to open it. When they saw Su Siwen and Qin Kun, Grandma Yang’s reproachful words got stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
Neither of them had an umbrella. Their clothes were completely soaked through. Qin Kun was holding Su Siwen protectively. Both had red-rimmed eyes. Su Siwen’s face was downcast, his shoulders still trembling slightly.
Seeing this, Grandma Yang understood everything. They clearly didn’t want to let Su Youli go either.
“What are you doing this for?” she said.
“Dad… please don’t give Youyou away… Youyou will be good.”
The little guy was still crying, his small chest heaving violently. His eyes were so blurred with tears that he could barely see.
“Youyou, Youyou be good… Dad… please… please don’t leave Youyou.”
The little guy was crying so hard, his usually clear voice had become hoarse. Held by Grandma Yang, as soon as he saw Su Siwen and Qin Kun, his whole body leaned towards them, his arms reaching out.
Tn/ I’m not sure if the last part is a repetition or intended to be that way. I’ll leave it as it is tho’.
If you like what I do, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi.
