UNCLTRD chapter 26

Yang Tao was fully equipped, wearing a raincoat and rain boots. He was so eager to see Yang Shao that he didn’t want Chen Qiusu to carry him. He ran straight toward Yang Shao, causing Chen Qiusu to chase after him with the umbrella.

“Yang Tao, stop running! Watch out for the car!”

When kids get excited, they don’t listen to instructions. The more Chen Qiusu yelled, the faster Yang Tao ran, as if he were afraid of being caught by him.

See? This is the consequence of Chen Qiusu being too indulgent with Yang Tao. He had no authority in front of him, and Yang Tao wasn’t afraid of him. Now, he was reaping the results.

As Yang Tao ran closer, Yang Shao opened the driver’s side door to wait for him. Soon, the little bundle of energy ran right up to him. “Daddy! I came with Uncle Chen to pick you up.”

Yang Shao pinched Yang Tao’s nose. “Didn’t I tell you to stay put?”

Luckily, with the raincoat on, Yang Tao only had a little rain on his face, but Chen Qiusu’s umbrella was blown around by the wind, and his coat soaked up a lot of water, leaving him drenched.

Chen Qiusu didn’t seem angry with Yang Tao. He wiped the rain off his clothes. “Did the tow truck say when it will come?”

“They just said it’s coming soon.”

Chen Qiusu looked at the road ahead. The fog was thick, and the visibility was low. Being stuck in the middle of the road like this was dangerous. “How about we wait in my car?”

Yang Shao shook his head. “I don’t know when the tow truck will come, but we can’t let the truck block the road. Even if we have to wait, we should move it to the intersection ahead.”

Yang Tao was familiar with this situation. After all, he had experienced it before with his dad. Last time, his dad had asked a passerby to help push the truck, and while pushing, the truck had started.

Yang Tao proudly raised his hand. “I know! We can push it!”

But with the rain, finding someone to help was not an option. Besides, the car dealership’s owner had told Yang Shao that if the truck had any more problems, it would be beyond repair, and driving it back would be dangerous.

But pushing the truck was the only option. Despite the fact that Chen Qiusu had gotten a bit wet, he was still dressed neatly. Yang Shao found it hard to imagine asking him, a big boss, to help push the car. It would be embarrassing if others found out.

“Well, let’s push it,” Chen Qiusu said casually, glancing around to make sure no other cars were coming. He handed the umbrella to Yang Tao, took off his coat and suit jacket, and his wet shirt quickly clung to his body. He then said to Yang Tao, “Stay by the roadside away from the truck.”

Yang Shao was a little surprised by how quickly Chen Qiusu agreed. When Chen Qiusu motioned for him to get out of the truck, Yang Shao hesitated for a moment.

The dirt road was muddy from the rain, and the truck wheels sank into the soft, wet earth, surrounded by puddles.

The two of them stood in the rain, trying to push the truck. With the truck’s weight and the cargo, their combined strength wasn’t enough to move it.

Chen Qiusu glanced at the distance to the intersection. “If we’re going to push, there’s no way we can move it. Why don’t you try to see if it can start?”

Yang Shao got back into the driver’s seat and leaned his head out the window. “Let’s try it! One, two, three!”

Standing by the roadside, Yang Tao eagerly shook the umbrella, shouting, “Uncle Chen, you can do it!”

The truck remained still. Yang Shao saw Chen Qiusu behind the truck in the rearview mirror, completely drenched, with his rolled-up sleeves revealing the bulging veins in his arms.

The foolish father and son, using all their strength for nothing.

Yang Shao couldn’t help but laugh as he casually turned the key in the ignition. With a hum, the engine roared to life. Yang Tao was the first to react. “Daddy! It started!”

But the wheels were still stuck in the puddle. Yang Shao tried to press the accelerator, and the mud splashed onto Chen Qiusu. His shirt was soon covered in mud, and his face was a mess.

Yang Shao’s eyes widened in surprise, then he laughed in delight. He was in the mood to tease Chen Qiusu. Pressing the accelerator to the floor, the truck roared loudly and suddenly sped forward, leaving a flustered Chen Qiusu standing behind.

Yang Shao parked the truck at the intersection, laughing for a while before heading back. From a distance, he saw Chen Qiusu squatting in front of Yang Tao, who was holding an umbrella and trying to wipe the mud from his face.

As he got closer, he heard Yang Tao muttering, “Uncle Chen, you’re so pitiful, all dirty.”

“Ahem…” Yang Shao coughed lightly. Chen Qiusu’s custom suit probably couldn’t be cleaned even at a dry cleaner, but his face had been cleaned up somewhat, and now it was visible.

“It’s not my fault. The truck finally started, so of course, I had to drive it forward,” Yang Shao said with a grin.

Chen Qiusu wiped his face, not bothering to argue with Yang Shao. He wasn’t sure whether Yang Shao did it on purpose, but he didn’t feel like dealing with it.

Both of them were soaked, and there was no point in holding onto the umbrella anymore. Back in the car, the only one still somewhat dry was Yang Tao.

Chen Qiusu turned on the heater. “Let’s go home first. I’ll call someone to take care of the rest.”

At this point, staying outside in this weather much longer would surely cause them to catch a cold.

Yang Shao thought that the tow truck must be on its way, so there was no need for Chen Qiusu to make further arrangements. “I’ll make a call to check.”

When he called, they told him that the road was blocked by large rocks washed down by the rain, and there were many cars stuck. The repair team couldn’t get through.

“No wonder. I was wondering why no cars had passed by for a while.” Yang Shao looked at Chen Qiusu and Yang Tao. “I don’t know if you two are lucky or unlucky.”

If they had been a little later, they wouldn’t have been able to get through, and they might have encountered a landslide.

Yang Tao, the little one, smiled brightly. “Of course, we’re lucky! Good thing Uncle Chen and I are here to keep you company daddy.”

“We don’t know when we can leave. If we can’t leave tonight, we’ll have to find a place to stay,” Chen Qiusu said, coughing a couple of times before he could finish his sentence.

Yang Shao rubbed his nose. If Chen Qiusu caught a cold, he’d be the one to blame. “Let’s find a farmhouse. There are plenty of them around here.”

He got out of the car, grabbed a few pomelos from the trunk, and pulled up the tarp. There was nothing else he could do. If they got stolen, it couldn’t be helped. He took the few pomelos and Chen Qiusu’s coat back into the small car.

“I’ll drive,” Yang Shao said, feeling a little guilty. After all, Chen Qiusu had come all the way to pick him up, and he had been teasing him.

There was only one main road through the village, and all vehicles had to pass through it. They followed the road and found a farmhouse inn. It was the busy season for farmhouse inns during the winter break, and there was only one room left.

Yang Shao was already cold, and so was Chen Qiusu. He appeared calm, but his lips were turning white. One room was all they had.

Though it was a farmhouse inn, the room was in a good location, with an independent bathroom. There were two small beds in the room, and the large balcony outside faced the opposite mountains, offering a broad view.

But it wasn’t the time to appreciate the view. Yang Shao was worried that Chen Qiusu might not be used to such a simple room, so he turned on the water valve. “You go ahead and wash up.”

At this point, Chen Qiusu still maintained his gentlemanly demeanor. “You go first.”

“Don’t argue with me. I’m going downstairs to borrow two sets of clothes from the innkeeper. You go ahead and wash up,” Yang Shao insisted, then reminded Yang Tao to look after Chen Qiusu before leaving the room.

Yang Shao borrowed some clothes, towels, and disposable items from the innkeeper. He was sure he couldn’t use the kettle in the room, so he bought a few bottles of mineral water from the innkeeper and asked where the washing machine was. When he returned to the room, Chen Qiusu was still in the bathroom.

Yang Tao had already taken off his raincoat and rain boots, putting on a pair of disposable slippers Yang Shao had brought. The slippers were too big, so he couldn’t walk properly and had to sit obediently on the bed.

“Yang Tao, are you cold?” Yang Shao touched Yang Tao’s face. Yang Tao was wearing the thickest clothes, but his cheeks were still cold from the wind.

The child didn’t understand what cold was; Yang Tao just thought it was fun. His dad had also turned on the little heater in the room for him, so he wasn’t cold at all.

Yang Shao took out Chen Qiusu’s wallet, car keys, and phone from his coat and put them aside. He then placed the coat and suit jacket next to the heater to dry. Fortunately, only the shirt and trousers got dirty; otherwise, Chen Qiusu would have to go back naked tomorrow.

Probably worried about keeping Yang Shao waiting too long, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped quickly. After a few seconds of silence, Yang Shao guessed that Chen Qiusu was probably too shy to ask for clothes, so he took the initiative to knock on the bathroom door.

“I borrowed these clothes from the innkeeper, so just make do with them. Here are towels and a toothbrush.”

A hand reached out from the bathroom door, taking the items, and a muffled “Thank you” was heard.

Yang Shao took off his down jacket, turned around to grab his toiletries, and was about to call Yang Tao to join him when he heard Yang Tao burst into laughter.

“Daddy, haha, you should see Uncle Chen!”

Yang Shao turned around and saw Chen Qiusu standing at the bathroom door wearing slightly smaller-sized sportswear. His hair was wet and a bit flattened, his clothes were a little tight, and his pants were riding up to his ankles. Without the aura of a big boss, Chen Qiusu looked a bit silly.

Chen Qiusu also felt a bit awkward, rubbing his nose and not daring to make eye contact with Yang Shao. “Hurry up and wash up, so you don’t catch a cold.”

“Stop laughing. What’s so funny?” Yang Shao scolded Yang Tao through clenched teeth, pulling him into the bathroom. Once inside, they couldn’t hold it in and ended up laughing so much they almost rolled on the floor.

How silly.

Chen Qiusu sighed and walked to the bed. His coat felt warm, and the little heater was still on—Yang Shao must have dried it for him. He called home to explain the situation.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Qiusu glanced out the window. If it weren’t for this awkward situation, it would actually be quite pleasant to spend the night in a place like this.

“Achoo…” The wind outside was strong, and with the large windows open, the wind blew into the room, making Chen Qiusu shiver. He stood up and closed the window halfway.

It wasn’t long before Yang Tao came out of the bathroom, and Yang Shao’s voice came from inside. “Dry your hair first.”

Chen Qiusu looked around the room and found the hairdryer on the nightstand. Following Yang Shao’s instructions, he called to Yang Tao, “Come here.”