UNCLTRD chapter 14

When asking a child to help with a lie, Chen Qiusu felt guilty. Lies inevitably cause harm—not just to his family, but to Yang Tao as well. He just hoped it wouldn’t hurt everyone too much in the end.

Yang Shao didn’t have as much of a moral burden. Money could fix everything. He might not have studied much, but he didn’t overthink things like Chen Qiusu did. He and Yang Tao would not only have access to money now, but they would also get to live in a big house for a while, with plenty of people taking care of Yang Tao…

Wait, Yang Shao suddenly realized something. Did this mean he had to live with Chen Qiusu’s family? That big family? Could he handle it? His hand still wasn’t fully healed, so would he have to face them all day long? When Yang Tao went to school and Chen Qiusu went to work, would he be stuck alone in the Chen family, feeling awkward?

“Hey, do we really have to live with your parents?”

Chen Qiusu understood. That was his family, and he was used to it. But Yang Shao might take a while to adjust. “I can talk to my parents about us moving out, but… whether we move or hold the wedding, my grandmother insists we consult with someone to pick a lucky date first.”

Ugh, rich people and their superstitions.

…..

Chen Qiusu didn’t stay at the hospital for long. After Yang Shao and Yang Tao ate, he had to hurry back home. Everything had happened too quickly and chaotically that day, and he still needed to explain things to his parents.

The VIP hospital room was really more like a hotel, with its own bathroom and everything. Yang Tao was a bit clueless and still thought they were in a hotel until the nurse came to knock the next morning.

“Daddy! You lied to me!” Yang Tao pouted. He had stayed in a hospital overnight and felt like he was no longer clean.

Yang Shao, feeling guilty but not regretting it, touched his nose. “You didn’t know it was a hospital last night, but you still slept just fine.”

That morning, Chen Qiusu’s family arrived very early. As usual, the doctor came in to check on them, and Chen Qiusu’s mom and grandmother were already anxiously waiting.

Grandmother couldn’t help but ask, “Why is Yang Tao so afraid of hospitals?”

It wasn’t entirely Yang Tao’s fault. Previously, he’d had to get a vaccine, and the nurse who was new to the job seemed even more nervous than he was. She kept hesitating with the needle, and the few minutes of staring at each other was pure torture for Yang Tao. He screamed in fear, and since then, he had developed a psychological trauma towards hospitals and doctors.

Normally, Yang Tao would have been full of energy in the morning, but that day, he looked grumpy and upset.

“We’ll go home soon,” Yang Shao said.

He’d already lied through the night, but there was no way to continue that tonight. Before Yang Shao could speak, the grandmother said kindly to Yang Tao, “Why don’t you come home with your great-grandmother tonight?”

“Great-grandmother, am I going to live at Uncle Chen’s house?”

The grandmother corrected him, “Why are you calling him ‘Uncle’? You should call him ‘Dad’.”

Usually clever, Yang Tao fell silent at this point. He bit his lip and glanced at his dad.

Yang Shao felt puzzled. Yang Tao had no trouble saying things like “grandpa” and “grandma,” but now, when it came to calling Chen Qiusu “Dad,” he hesitated.

Yang Shao wasn’t petty. After all, Yang Tao was Chen Qiusu’s biological son, and he wouldn’t be jealous if Yang Tao called him Dad. But if he didn’t call him that now, he would lose the chance later.

The pressure from the adults was invisible. Chen Qiusu didn’t want to force Yang Tao. He subtly changed the subject and asked the doctor if Yang Shao and Yang Tao could be discharged. After receiving the doctor’s approval, he immediately began the discharge procedures.

Actually, not many people came to the hospital that day—only Chen Qiusu’s parents and grandmother. Perhaps Yang Tao was still groggy after waking up, so he seemed a bit sluggish while waiting for the discharge procedure.

Outside the hospital, there were two cars parked. Yang Shao led Yang Tao to stand a few meters away from the vehicles. Yang Tao softly asked, “Daddy, what about our own house?”

What about it? First, let’s stay in the big house, and later, we’ll have a smaller one too.

“It’s not going anywhere, it won’t grow legs and run off,” Yang Shao said, pinching Yang Tao’s chubby little hand. “What happened to you just now? Didn’t you promise to help Uncle Chen? Why didn’t you call him Dad? You don’t like Uncle Chen anymore?”

Well, how to put it? He definitely liked him, probably second only to his dad. Yang Tao thought that besides his dad, Uncle Chen was his favorite. But to change and call him “Dad,” he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He only had one dad, and the word “dad” was special—it was different from calling the elders grandparents.

His grandmother and great-grandmother both wanted to ride in the same car as Yang Tao, so Chen Qiusu ended up in the car with his father.

“Everything is here. If we’re missing anything, we can get it later.”

This was directed at Yang Shao, and he nodded in acknowledgment.

The weekend was almost over, and the next day was back to school. Yang Tao remembered his backpack was still at home, so he hurriedly said, “Daddy, what about school tomorrow? My backpack is at home. Also, I don’t know the way to school.”

Last night, the Chen family had discussed it, and it was decided that they would transfer Yang Tao to a better private school, even for kindergarten. They thought a better environment was important.

“Taotao, how about we change schools? New school, new teachers, you’ll definitely like it.”

This was a bit unexpected for Yang Tao, and he wasn’t very keen on it. “But… I really like my kindergarten teachers, and I still have friends there.”

What was most important was that the kindergarten was about to hold its annual parent-child event, which was Yang Tao’s favorite day, and he didn’t want to leave.

Hearing that Yang Tao didn’t want to, his grandmother immediately changed her mind, saying, “Alright, alright, we won’t change it. From now on, Grandma will take you to school in the mornings.”

Yang Tao was good at making people happy. He called “Grandma” and said “thank you” repeatedly, making Chen Qiusu’s family smile widely.

Before long, the car entered a wealthy district and finally stopped in front of a villa. Yang Tao pressed his face to the car window, “Is this big house yours?”

“This will be your home from now on,” his great-grandmother said, taking Yang Tao’s hand and leading him inside. “Let’s go see your room. The decorations were done in a bit of a hurry, but I don’t know if you’ll like it. If not, I’ll have someone redecorate it for you.”

Yang Shao was stunned by the sight. He and Yang Tao had come to the city as poor, humble father and son. He knew Chen Qiusu came from wealth, but seeing it in person was a huge shock. It was hard for him to imagine the poverty he came from.

Fortunately, everyone’s attention was focused on Yang Tao, who wasn’t shy. Even if he embarrassed himself, no one seemed to notice.

“Come inside.”

Suddenly, someone approached from the side. Chen Qiusu whispered, and Yang Shao, as if by instinct, followed his steps. It felt like the only way he wouldn’t get lost in this huge house was to stick close to Chen Qiusu.

“Tomorrow, Qiusu, you can take a day off. You and Yang Shao can come with me to the mountain to burn incense.” His grandmother walked ahead. She wanted Yang Tao to get closer to Chen Qiusu, so he would eventually call him “Dad.” She turned back and said, “Qiusu, come, take Yang Tao to see his room.”

Chen Qiusu hesitated. Everyone was watching Yang Tao, ignoring Yang Shao. He was worried that if he left, Yang Shao would feel awkward.

His mother spoke up, “Go ahead. I’ll have a word with Yang Shao.”

The height of the villa made everyone feel a bit small. Yang Shao thought he wouldn’t feel nervous, but stepping into someone else’s home made him feel uneasy. The wealth was just so hard to comprehend.

“Sit down.” Chen Qiusu’s mother was very kind. She personally poured tea for Yang Shao and instructed the maid to fetch some documents from upstairs. “I heard from Qiusu that you used to run your own business?”

Yang Shao thought that Chen’s mother might think he was a disgrace to the family with his previous work and would not let him continue after the marriage. At that moment, the maid came downstairs with the documents.

Chen’s mother confirmed something and handed the documents to Yang Shao, saying, “These two shops are a gift from Qiusu’s father and me as a welcome gift. We picked the locations last night, and they’re good spots. You can either run a business or rent them out.”

Yang Shao was taken aback. He was receiving both compensation from Chen Qiusu and a gift from his mother. He felt guilty, taking both benefits, and hesitated to accept.

“Ah? This…” he didn’t know how to respond.

“Don’t be polite. We’re family now.”

The documents, light as paper, felt heavy to Yang Shao. He was surprised to find that he could only say “thank you” and couldn’t bring himself to call her “Mom.”

“I know Yang Tao is still getting used to us and hasn’t started calling Qiusu ‘Dad’ yet. You’ll need to help a lot between them.” His mother patted Yang Shao’s hand. “Don’t be shy. This is your and Yang Tao’s home now. You’re the master of this house. I’ll make sure Qiusu compensates you for all the hardships you’ve been through these years.”

Yang Shao felt an unexpected wave of guilt. He thought with Chen Qiusu’s family background, his parents would be hard to get along with, and that marriage would surely be full of conflicts. But he had agreed to the deal because of the money. Now that they were being so kind, he wasn’t prepared for it.

Chen Qiusu did have some debts to him, but that was between them, not something he should have involved the Chen family in. Yang Shao regretted the lies.

Perhaps Yang Tao was happy with his room. Chen Qiusu came downstairs alone and saw Yang Shao distracted while holding the documents.

“Are you alright? Where’s Mom?”

Yang Shao shook his head. Chen Qiusu’s mother had said what she needed to, then went happily to the kitchen to plan the dinner menu.

“Is Yang Shao tired?” His mother came out of the kitchen and saw Chen Qiusu talking to Yang Shao. “You should go rest with him.”

Yang Shao did have something to say to Chen Qiusu, and obediently followed him upstairs. When they entered the room, he hesitated, wanting to speak but not knowing how.

“What’s wrong? Did my mom say something to you?”

That wasn’t it. It was more uncomfortable than being scolded. Yang Shao pressed the documents against Chen Qiusu’s chest, “Your mom gave me two shops!”

“Then just take them.”

Chen Qiusu said it lightly. For the Chen family, these shops might not be much, but for someone like Yang Shao, who came from humble beginnings, it could take a lifetime of hard work to afford even one. The thought that it was a gift from Chen Qiusu’s mother made him feel unworthy.

“Maybe we should forget it… I see your family really likes Yang Tao, and I’m worried they’ll be disappointed…”

“Once the bow is drawn, there’s no turning back. My parents have already accepted Yang Tao as their grandchild,” Chen Qiusu handed the documents back to Yang Shao, his eyes lowered. “And don’t worry about me. You don’t have to feel burdened. What they give you, it’s just me giving it to you.”

“Who the hell is worried about you? Stop being so full of yourself.”

Sure enough, reverse psychology worked on Yang Shao, and Chen Qiusu smiled.

That was true. Even if he regretted it now, it was too late. He was already in the same boat with Chen Qiusu.

The same boat…

Yang Shao glanced around the room, suddenly thinking of a question—why did they prepare a room for Yang Tao but not one for him?