After quitting his job at the nightclub, Yang Shao bought an electric scooter and started delivering food. The work was grueling but paid well, and the flexible hours allowed him to continue working even while pregnant without fear of losing his income.
Before knowing about the little one, Yang Shao never felt anything he did was risky. But now, with his big belly, even his delivery speed had slowed down.
Since deciding to keep the baby, the first issue Yang Shao had to tackle was registering residency. He didn’t have a stable job or housing in the city, nor any relatives to rely on. There was no way he could let the child’s registration fall under his uncle’s household—he couldn’t even bring himself to tell them about it.
He had to buy a house. For the child’s future education, for their life together—a house was a must.
With his savings and some borrowed money, Yang Shao managed to gather enough for a down payment. From pregnancy to childbirth, he avoided socializing and threw himself into his food delivery work.
The little one was well-behaved and didn’t cause Yang Shao much trouble. When the time came to give birth, Yang Shao went to the hospital alone, bringing his documents and essentials.
Hospitals often saw omegas giving birth alone, so the staff were kind and attentive, bringing a touch of warmth to the sterile environment.
A six-pound baby boy was handed to Yang Shao. He looked at the wrinkled little thing with a blank expression. “So ugly,” he thought. “Are all newborns this ugly? All these wrinkles look like crumpled tissue from under a steamroller.”
“Waaah!” The baby, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly began to wail.
The piercing cries jolted Yang Shao awake. Flustered, he held the baby and murmured, “Why are you crying? I wasn’t really calling you ugly—Daddy was just joking.”
Daddy?
The word carried a profound sense of responsibility. Carefully, Yang Shao poked the baby’s cheek. Amazing. He had actually given birth to a child!
Raising a child was a bittersweet journey. For the first few months after giving birth, Yang Shao lived off his savings. Once he recovered enough, he had to start working again, baby in tow.
Since his efficiency had decreased and food delivery had become oversaturated, his income dropped. With mortgage payments, debts, and daily expenses, Yang Shao needed a more profitable job. So he began trading local goods and fruits.
From then on, their little beat-up truck became the second home for Yang Shao and his child, Yang Tao.
…..
One morning, Yang Shao woke up to find Chen Qiusu sitting beside him, lost in thought. Stretching lazily, he casually asked, “What are you doing?”
Before he could finish stretching, Chen Qiusu pounced on him like an oversized dog, pinning him back onto the bed.
“I had a dream,” Chen Qiusu said, burying his face in Yang Shao’s neck.
“What kind of dream?” Yang Shao teased. Even if it was a nightmare, how could a man in his thirties still need comforting?
“I dreamed about… you and Yang Tao’s past.”
“Huh?” Yang Shao was confused, then burst out laughing. “You dreamed about it? How does that even make sense? You didn’t know me or Yang Tao back then!”
Saliva slid down Chen Qiusu’s throat. He couldn’t explain it, but the dream was vivid and clear, and he was certain it was about Yang Shao and Yang Tao.
Yang Shao stretched out a hand with some effort, fumbling on the bedside table for his cigarette box and lighter. After lighting one, he took a drag and spoke unhurriedly, “What did you dream about? Let’s hear it.”
“I dreamed about you taking Yang Tao to sell things…”
Yang Shao tapped the ash off his cigarette, indifferent. After all, even after they got together, he had still driven out to sell fruit, so it wasn’t strange that Chen Qiusu’s imagination would lead him to dream about it.
“I dreamed about your little house. At first, you just did some simple renovations, and soon you and Yang Tao moved in. There was no furniture or appliances; you bought everything piece by piece with the money you saved.”
Yang Shao froze for a moment, looking at Chen Qiusu in shock. Back then, all his savings had gone into the down payment and mortgage. Even the renovations had been done hastily, let alone furniture and appliances. Yet those events had happened long ago, and he’d never mentioned them to Chen Qiusu.
“Really?” Yang Shao propped himself up, scrutinizing Chen Qiusu’s face. “Did Yang Tao tell you?”
That didn’t seem right either. Yang Tao was only three or four years old at the time. He wouldn’t have remembered events from back then, let alone told anyone about them.
Chen Qiusu shook his head. No one had told him anything, and he hadn’t imagined Yang Shao’s struggles. Yet the dream felt so real that he was convinced it was Yang Shao’s past life.
Yang Shao chuckled and extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray. “That’s spooky.”
But seeing Chen Qiusu’s serious expression and the hint of gloom in his demeanor, Yang Shao quickly stopped laughing. He knew what Chen Qiusu was thinking—he was sensitive and tended to dwell on certain things. There were wounds in Chen Qiusu’s heart that he’d never fully moved past, requiring Yang Shao’s reassurance and understanding.
“Chen Qiusu, stop thinking of me as so pitiful. Sure, I’m not as well-off as you, but I’m not as bad as you imagine.”
Pitiful? Maybe. Not pitiful? Also true. Life had been tough, but it was manageable. He had even managed to scrape together enough to buy a house and keep himself and Yang Tao clothed and fed. Sure, compared to others, he fell short, but there were plenty of people worse off. Just having enough to eat meant he wasn’t truly pitiful.
Back then, there wasn’t any time to wallow in self-pity. He was too busy earning a living. Having a goal kept him from feeling lost, and all the pressure turned into motivation.
Chen Qiusu had this tendency—he couldn’t let go of the thought of Yang Shao and Yang Tao struggling in the past, and it broke his heart. But Yang Shao thought, as long as he didn’t seem so tragic, Chen Qiusu wouldn’t be so hung up about it.
Keeping an eye on Chen Qiusu out of the corner of his eye, Yang Shao noticed his words weren’t having much of an effect. He decided to casually change the topic. “How about we go back and grab Yang Tao’s childhood photos?”
What Chen Qiusu regretted most was not having a single photo with baby Yang Tao.
“And while we’re at it, we can look for your childhood photos. I want to see just how alike you two look.”
Chen Qiusu nodded. “Alright.”
“Let’s bring Yang Tao too.” Yang Shao glanced at the clock. It was five in the morning. He wasn’t one to cut Yang Tao’s sleep short, but comforting people wasn’t his strong suit. With Yang Tao around, Chen Qiusu’s mood would naturally lift.
The two of them went to the kids’ room, where Yang Shao woke Yang Tao from his dreams with a pat. “Son, let’s go out and have some fun.”
