Hearing the knock, Chen Qiusu quickly came to the door. There stood Yang Tao, hugging his pillow with a pouty expression.
“Why did he kick you out?” Chen Qiusu asked.
Still debating whether to send Yang Tao back to his room or let him stay, the little boy had already slipped into Chen Qiusu’s room with practiced ease.
“Because I told my dad I wanted you and him to sleep with me,” Yang Tao replied matter-of-factly.
Well, no wonder Yang Shao had thrown him out.
Yang Tao looked around, noting that Uncle Chen’s bedroom decor was much more mature than his own, and the bed was also much bigger. Placing his pillow on the bed, he climbed up and lifted the blanket, patting the empty spot beside him to invite Chen Qiusu.
“Uncle Chen, come to bed,” Yang Tao said with a smile.
Amused, Chen Qiusu lay down next to him. Yang Tao immediately snuggled into his arm. “Uncle Chen, did you make daddy angry? Why won’t he sleep with you?”
Yang Tao couldn’t understand it. Last time, when both adults were supposed to sleep with him, he woke up in the morning only to find Uncle Chen gone.
He had hoped their relationship would have improved by now, but his dad still refused to join Uncle Chen.
The question stumped Chen Qiusu. Even though Yang Tao’s idea of “sleeping together” was entirely innocent, it was impossible for Yang Shao to share a bed with him, given the tension between them.
Yang Tao concluded that the two adults must still be arguing. Worrying that Uncle Chen might feel discouraged, he tried to cheer him up.
“Uncle Chen, my dad isn’t petty. When I make him mad, I just apologize and act sweet, and then he’s not mad anymore. You should try that too!”
“Apologize to Yang Shao?” Chen Qiusu asked, incredulous.
The idea was so far-fetched he couldn’t imagine it. Yang Shao’s temper was not the type to take kindly to coaxing, and Chen Qiusu himself wasn’t good at it.
“Actually, I don’t think my dad hates you. If he really hated you, he wouldn’t let us live together,” Yang Tao said earnestly.
Surprisingly, this did comfort Chen Qiusu. “Really?”
“Really!” Yang Tao said confidently. He didn’t want his dad and Uncle Chen to keep fighting. What if they made him choose between the two? That would be a nightmare. Of course, he would choose his dad, but he couldn’t bear to give up Uncle Chen either.
Chen Qiusu patted Yang Tao’s cheek gently. “How about I read you a bedtime story?”
Yang Tao’s face lit up, and he sat up eagerly. As Chen Qiusu went to the bookshelf to pick a book, Yang Tao’s eyes followed him the whole way.
“Uncle Chen, I’ve already been to three parent-child events at kindergarten. For the first two, only my dad came with me. We couldn’t sign up for activities that required more people. But this time, it was the first time I had so many people with me. My dad says I just like crowds.”
Maybe it was because he used to be so lonely that he longed for liveliness and envied other children who had grandparents or extended family around.
Yang Tao flopped back onto his pillow and burrowed into the blankets. “Great-grandma even bought the toy gun store I used to visit all the time at the shop. Now the owner doesn’t shoo me away anymore.”
Chen Qiusu returned with a book and sat down beside the bed. Yang Tao smiled up at him.
“Uncle Chen, I’ve got grandparents and a great-grandma who read me stories, but my dad never does. When it’s bedtime, he just throws me onto the bed and that’s it,” Yang Tao said with a pout.
If he weren’t already lying down, he would’ve acted out exactly how his dad tosses him onto the bed.
“He didn’t have time before; he was busy making money,” Yang Tao mumbled. Now that he was at Uncle Chen’s house, with everyone spending so much time with him, he felt really happy.
Chen Qiusu pulled Yang Tao into his arms. They would only be together for a year, and there was no guarantee they’d even see each other again in the future. “Is there anything else you’d like to do?”
“I want… Daddy to pick me up and bring me home after he finishes selling things. If Daddy agrees to let me keep a pet, that’d be great—then I’d have a pet to keep me company while waiting for him. I also want to go see the snow with you and Daddy. Oh, and… I want you two to help me do a somersault.”
It had to be two people. Without either of them, his wish couldn’t come true.
Children’s wishes are simple and innocent. Chen Qiusu tucked the blanket snugly around Yang Tao. “Let’s start with a bedtime story tonight. The rest of the wishes can be done after the sun comes up.”
“Is it the three little pigs again?” Yang Tao mumbled, hiding half his face under the blanket. He’d already heard that story countless times. He had even wanted to pretend to be the Three Little Pigs with his dad and Uncle Chen, but his dad, not understanding kids at all, insisted that only he and Uncle Chen should play the pigs.
Before Chen Qiusu could say anything, Yang Tao, already drowsy, slumped to the side. The storybook he picked out was ‘The Tadpoles Looking for Their Mother.’
……
Meanwhile, the wedding preparations were underway. The old lady had already chosen an auspicious date for Chen Qiusu and Yang Shao to register their marriage. It happened to be right after Yang Shao’s uncle and aunt left, and during Yang Tao’s winter break.
All the necessary documents were stored at home. Chen Qiusu drove Yang Shao back to fetch them, planning to stop by the civil affairs bureau on the way. When Yang Tao heard about the registration, he insisted on tagging along.
By this point, Yang Shao had no room to back out. Going home to get the documents felt like marching into battle—heavy and unavoidable.
The house had been empty for a while. When they opened the door, there was a faint smell of dust. Yang Tao, ever curious, clung to Chen Qiusu, peppering him with questions. “Uncle Chen, what does registering mean?”
Chen Qiusu explained everything to him. “After registering, it means we’ll be legally protected partners.”
“So, once it’s legal, you two can’t fight anymore, right?”
In the living room, Yang Shao overheard their conversation crystal clear. He scowled as he rummaged through the cabinet for the documents. Why did these two talk so much? And why was Chen Qiusu always indulging Yang Tao?
As Yang Shao went through the folder, he found Yang Tao’s vaccination record, which he had almost forgotten about. Opening it, he saw that Yang Tao was due for his differentiation vaccine.
Since Yang Tao had insisted on coming along, they might as well stop by for his vaccination first before heading to the civil affairs bureau.
Yang Shao packed the vaccination record along with the other documents into the folder. Emerging from the room, he gave Yang Tao a mischievous look. “Let’s go. I’ve got everything we need.”
Yang Tao, clueless, cheerfully followed, eager to see his dad and Uncle Chen “get registered.” But his enthusiasm faltered when he recognized the address his dad mentioned. It seemed familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it until the car stopped in front of the vaccination clinic.
Yang Tao was shocked. “Daddy, aren’t we going to get married?”
“Who’s marrying you?” Yang Shao smirked. “You’re here to get your shot.”
The decision to get the vaccine had been last-minute. Despite Chen Qiusu’s desire to shield Yang Tao, there was no way to avoid it. Yang Tao looked at him pitifully, but Chen Qiusu could only turn away, unable to offer help.
“Daddy, can’t we do it next time?” Yang Tao pleaded, employing the tactic of delaying it as much as possible.
Yang Shao scooped him up. “We’re already here. If we wait until next time, you’ll just be scared all over again. You’re going to have to get it either way, so why not now?”
Scaring Yang Tao was one thing, but delaying the vaccine was another matter entirely.
Inside the vaccination clinic, the place was bustling with parents and children. The sound of crying filled the room, creating a chaotic scene.
Yang Shao handed Yang Tao to Chen Qiusu and went to get a number. When he returned, he overheard Yang Tao muttering on Chen Qiusu’s shoulder, “Bad Daddy…..”
Yang Shao grinned and walked over, putting on a mock-serious face. “Talking bad about me, huh?”
Yang Tao froze, covering his mouth with both hands. He hadn’t even said anything bad yet, and now his dad was going to make him get a shot. If he did talk back, who knows what punishment awaited him?
There were about ten people ahead of them. Yang Shao checked the time. “Should be about forty minutes. It won’t delay anything, right?”
“No, we still have plenty of time,” Chen Qiusu replied.
Yang Tao’s heart sank. Why couldn’t it be delayed? He buried his face in Chen Qiusu’s chest, hoping to soak his shirt with tears. The cold, impersonal announcements over the intercom felt like a death knell, making the wait excruciating.
When his name was finally called, amidst the crying of his peers, Yang Tao couldn’t hold back his own tears.
He silently vowed never to provoke his dad again.
In the vaccination room, the nurse first confirmed Yang Tao’s name and instructed Chen Qiusu and Yang Shao—one to hold the child and the other to secure his arm. Children around five or six years old were notoriously difficult when it came to shots, struggling the most.
Yang Tao felt as if he were being sent to his doom. Uncle Chen held him while his dad crouched beside him, rolling up his sleeve.
“Alright, stop crying. They haven’t even started yet,” Yang Shao said with a hint of amusement.
At that moment, even Uncle Chen seemed to side with his dad. Instead of defending him, he cooperated seamlessly, leaving the five-year-old with no escape.
Chen Qiusu gently pressed Yang Tao’s head against his chest, shielding him from the sight of the needle. “It’ll be over before you know it. Don’t be scared.”
With a mix of coaxing and comforting, the shot was done. Yang Tao cried his heart out on Chen Qiusu’s shoulder, while his dad stood by, thoroughly entertained. It wasn’t until Chen Qiusu bought him a bottle of strawberry milk that he finally calmed down.
When they arrived at the civil affairs bureau, the tables had turned—Yang Shao was no longer smiling. Inside, they followed the staff’s instructions: taking photos, reciting vows, and signing documents. By the end, they walked out holding two marriage certificates.
He and Chen Qiusu were now married, the kind recognized by law. Whether he admitted it or not, the law recognized it, and so did everyone else. He had never imagined getting married in such a way.
“Let me see, let me see!” Yang Tao, having already forgotten the pain of his earlier injection, grabbed the two marriage certificates and critiqued his dad’s sour expression in the photo. “Daddy, why didn’t you smile in the picture?”
Yang Shao, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and shot a cold glare at Yang Tao. “Don’t ask things you shouldn’t.”
