Two mornings later, the sky was clear and cloudless. Qin Kun came down the stairs carrying the little guy, who had been washed and dressed in clean new clothes.
Su Youli wasn’t in high spirits. His little arms clung tightly to his father’s neck. “Dad, you have to come see Youyou.”
The little guy pressed his lips together. He had said this sentence many, many times over the past two days. Each time, Qin Kun and Su Siwen responded to him seriously. They must have pinky-sworn dozens of times. Three-year-old Su Youli gained a sense of security through this method.
In the living room, Shen Minyan and his son had been waiting there since early. Not standing in the rain this time, waiting for Su Siwen to hand the child over to them. After breakfast, Su Siwen did a final check that Youyou’s luggage was all packed, gave a few more instructions, and then led Youyou over.
He squatted in front of the little guy and said with a smile, “Youyou, are you willing to go to Beicheng with Shen Dad?”
The little guy really wanted to blurt out that he didn’t want to go, but…
He looked up, gazing into Shen Minyan’s eyes. Shen Dad didn’t talk much and looked very stern, but he was still Youyou’s Dad, right?
After a long moment, under everyone’s watchful eyes, the little guy gave a slight nod.
“Dad, come see Youyou,” he said to Su Siwen.
Su Siwen pinched his son’s chubby cheek, feeling both relieved and deeply sorrowful. His baby was truly understanding and good. If only he could stay with him forever. His eyes stinging, he reached out and hugged his son tightly, just like in the deep winter three years ago when he had first adopted him.
Back then, he held him tight to give him a home. Now, he held him tight to let him go to an even better home. Putting the child in the car, Youyou sat in his safety seat, still repeating that his daddies must remember to visit him.
Su Siwen and Qin Kun patiently agreed every time. “If you miss Dad, just call Dad.”
“Doesn’t Youyou have Dad’s phone number memorized?”
Su Youli sat in the child seat while Shen Lin buckled his seatbelt.
“178…90,” the little guy recited his father’s number in a milky voice.
“Youyou is so smart.” Su Siwen touched his head, kissing his baby one last time.
Soon, the car door was closed. Su Youli pressed his little hands against the window, looking tearfully at his two fathers.
“…Dad.”
Su Siwen tore his gaze away from his son and looked at Shen Minyan. “Youyou can’t sleep alone yet, and he’s not very good at dressing himself. He can wash his face and brush his teeth by himself, he doesn’t fuss at mealtimes, he’s learning to use chopsticks…”
As he spoke, Su Siwen’s voice grew choked. “Youyou won’t lack for anything in Beicheng, but in that case are all things he’s used since he was little. They’re a bit old, but I’ve washed them all clean.”
Towards the end, he could barely hold back his tears.
Qin Kun finished packing the suitcase and quickly walked to his side, rubbing his back soothingly as he continued, “Youyou isn’t a naughty child. If he does something wrong, please don’t hold it against him…”
Shen Minyan listened silently, committing these details to memory.
“Youyou is quite shy around strangers. He might have trouble adjusting to a new environment. If there’s anything you can’t handle, feel free to call Siwen or me.”
“Okay,” Shen Minyan said. “I will take good care of Youyou. You’re welcome to visit him anytime.”
At that moment, the three fathers finally completed some kind of handover ceremony. Shen Minyan deeply felt that the weight on his shoulders had increased considerably. Su Siwen and Qin Kun were over a decade younger than him, yet they had raised Youyou so well before even turning thirty.
He was afraid he might not do a good job and let down their trust. Even more difficult was that he didn’t know how to interact with Su Youli so the child would no longer be afraid of him. The car hadn’t started yet. The little guy was fidgeting in his safety seat.
Shen Lin simply unbuckled his own seatbelt and held Youyou in his arms. While the three fathers talked beside the car, Su Youli poked his head out to look. The sunlight fell on his long eyelashes, making them flutter like butterfly wings. His soft, fair, chubby face looked incredibly endearing.
Su Youli didn’t cry today, nor did he say he wouldn’t go to Beicheng. He was so good that it made Su Siwen and Qin Kun even more reluctant to let him go. The car had been parked at the gate for almost an hour without moving. Zhang Shun had to urge them along; they still had a plane to catch.
“Youyou, when you’re in Beicheng, you have to listen to Shen Dad and your brother, understand?”
Qin Kun bent down and kissed the top of his son’s head.
“Okay, Youyou will be good.”
“Such a good boy.”
The car started. Shen Minyan nodded to the two men, then opened the door and got in. Somewhat stiffly, he placed the little guy back into the safety seat and buckled him in.
“Youyou——”
A child’s voice came from not far away. Everyone looked over to see a sturdy little boy breaking free from his father’s grasp and dashing over.
“It’s Yang Yang gege!” Su Youli exclaimed excitedly.
Yang Yang, panting, started crying before he could even speak.
He gazed longingly at Youyou sitting in the car. “Youyou, are you leaving?”
Su Youli nodded and waved his little hand. “Yang Yang gege, goodbye.”
Yang Shiqing quickly scooped up his son, afraid the two little friends would start crying the moment they met.
“Youyou, bye-bye.” Yang Yang bravely held back his tears and raised his hand to wave.
It was only after the car drove away that he fully burst into wails. Amidst Yang Yang’s cries, Su Siwen watched the car disappear at the end of the road. It was only then that it truly hit him: Youyou was really gone. His legs, which had been barely supporting him, gave way, and he crumpled to the ground. Luckily, Qin Kun caught him just in time. Su Siwen, red-eyed and silent, clutched Qin Kun’s clothes tightly, his nails nearly digging into his flesh.
“Don’t be sad. Once your legs are better, we’ll go to Beicheng to find Youyou.”
Su Siwen nodded, silently vowing to get his leg treated as quickly as possible. They returned to the empty courtyard. Yuanzhi, tethered by his dog chain, stood with his head raised, barking incessantly at the gate.
Qin Kun untied him, ruffled the dog’s head, and said, “Youyou just went to Beicheng to play for a while. He’ll come back.”
“Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof!”
Sitting in the living room, devoid of the child’s lively laughter, the two leaned silently against each other. The silence around them was terrifying, making even the usually cramped living room feel empty and vast.
“What’s that?”
Su Siwen glanced back and spotted something in the fruit bowl on the coffee table. Qin Kun moved aside the apples in the bowl, revealing a black bank card. They both recognized it – the card Shen Minyan had mentioned, containing a million yuan.
Qin Kun’s immediate reaction was that this was troublesome. Could Shen Minyan have changed his mind, decided to give them the money after all, with the condition that they not see Youyou in the future? Su Siwen’s heart raced. He quickly got up and grabbed the card. As he did, he noticed a piece of paper tucked into the bowl.
He unfolded the paper, revealing two sharply written characters: A LOAN.
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