UNCLTRD chapter 7

“Boss? We’ve arrived.”

Chen Qiusu opened his eyes and glanced at the night scene outside the car window. After parting ways with Yang Tao earlier, he had gone to the hospital to spend some time chatting with his grandmother.

It was the same old conversation—she hoped he would get married soon and have children. Each generation seemed to have its own views on marriage. To the older generation, marriage was an essential life stage, a task to complete as one aged, like fulfilling a required milestone.

But Chen Qiusu had always believed that living with someone without a foundation of genuine feelings would be exhausting. Humans were emotional creatures to some degree, and mutual understanding was crucial.

Sighing deeply while pinching the bridge of his nose, Chen Qiusu was just about to instruct the driver to pick him up again the next morning when his phone rang. Surprisingly, the caller was Yang Tao.

Why would Yang Tao be calling at this hour?

Without hesitation, he answered, “Hello?”

“Waahhh…”

On the other end of the call, Yang Tao was crying so hard he could barely catch his breath. Chen Qiusu paused in concern and quickly asked, “Yang Tao, what’s wrong?”

“Uncle Chen… wuuuu… my dad… wuuuu…”

The child’s sobbing made it nearly impossible to make out his words. Chen Qiusu tried to calm him, “Yang Tao, listen to me. Let’s stop crying for now, okay?”

Hearing Chen Qiusu’s voice seemed to settle Yang Tao slightly. Sniffling, he muttered, “Mm…”

“What happened?” Considering Yang Tao’s distress and his poor impression of Yang Tao’s father, Chen Qiusu couldn’t help but worry. Did Yang Tao get scolded or hit?

“My dad isn’t home…” Talking about his dad made Yang Tao tear up again. “When I went to sleep, he was still here… wuuuu… I tried calling him, but his phone is off… wuuuu… so I came out to look for him…”

“You came out by yourself?” Chen Qiusu’s brows furrowed deeply.

It was one thing during the day, but now, it was past 10 p.m. Who knew what kind of danger a child might encounter?

“Don’t wander around. Where are you now? Are there any open shops nearby? Go into one and wait for me.”

Yang Tao hadn’t gone far. He had just reached the entrance of a pedestrian street, where a convenience store was still open.

“Good boy. Go wait inside the store.”

After hanging up, Chen Qiusu quickly gave the driver the address. The driver didn’t ask questions, speeding up as they left the garage and disappeared into the night.

….

The house help at the Chen household heard the commotion at the door and came to check, only to find the entrance empty.

…..

Thanks to the absence of traffic at night, they reached the destination in half an hour. Before getting out, Chen Qiusu told the driver, “Wait here for me for a bit.”

Crossing the overpass, he spotted a familiar small figure crouched outside the convenience store. Picking up his pace, he called out, “Yang Tao?”

A tall figure loomed over him, and Yang Tao looked up with tear-filled eyes. “Uncle Chen…”

Yang Tao had rushed out in his pajamas. The wind at the corner by the store had turned his cheeks bright red.

“Why didn’t you wait inside?” Chen Qiusu took off his coat, then removed his suit jacket and wrapped it around Yang Tao.

The jacket carried the warmth of Chen Qiusu’s body and his pheromones, which gave Yang Tao a strange sense of comfort. Feeling even more aggrieved, the child’s lips quivered, and tears began to fall again.

The convenience store’s night-shift clerk had been dozing off at the register, and Yang Tao hadn’t dared to go inside and disturb him.

Without prying further, Chen Qiusu wrapped the jacket snugly around Yang Tao and picked him up. “Let’s talk in the car.”

The driver saw him return with a child and quickly got out to open the door, adjusting the car’s heater to a warmer setting. Maintaining professionalism, he refrained from asking questions about the child, only glancing curiously at them through the rearview mirror.

“Don’t cry anymore, okay?”

“Shall we try calling your dad again? If we can’t reach him, we’ll go look for him at places he might be.”

Chen Qiusu’s large hand patted the boy’s back gently. His expression remained calm, his voice steady but unusually tender.

The child clung to his neck and sobbed into his shoulder, dampening the coat.

“Mm…”

Chen Qiusu pulled out his phone and dialed the number Yang Tao had recited. The call still didn’t go through.

Hearing the cold automated message, Yang Tao’s attempts at composure crumbled. His lips tightened, his eyes filled with tears, and his trembling grew worse.

Chen Qiusu patiently coaxed him, pulling out a tissue to wipe away the tears and snot on his face. He asked softly, “Do you have any other relatives’ phone numbers?”

Yang Tao shook his head. “Grandpa and Grandma are back in the village…”

“What about your dad’s friends?”

Yang Tao shook his head again. He didn’t have contact information for any of his dad’s friends. Ever since his dad had broken his arm, he hadn’t had time to meet them, and it had been a long while since they’d last seen any of those uncles.

“Then what about places your dad often goes?”

When he passed by the small store downstairs earlier, Yang Tao had noticed that his dad hadn’t gone there to buy cigarettes. The supermarket he usually frequented was already closed.

“Maybe your dad’s already back home?” Chen Qiusu suggested.

Yang Tao pouted. “But… if he went home, he’d definitely call me… Daddy’s been so unhappy at home lately. I’m really worried about him…”

Given that Yang Tao’s dad had only been missing for a few hours, the police wouldn’t accept a report, nor could they take Yang Tao away. Chen Qiusu thought for a moment and instructed the driver to drive slowly around the neighborhood.

Even though it was near a commercial street, this area wasn’t particularly bustling. During the day, the open shops gave it a bit of life, but at night, it was eerily quiet.

The car moved slowly. With Yang Tao in his arms, Chen Qiusu sat by the window, carefully scanning for any sign of his father. The car stopped in front of each open shop or street vendor, letting Yang Tao look for his dad.

After checking one spot and finding nothing, they moved to the next, and still, there was no sign. It wasn’t until they drove to a night market behind the neighborhood that Yang Tao spotted someone slumped over a table at a food stall and shouted, “Daddy!”

The silhouette looked familiar. But before Chen Qiusu could think more about it, his attention was drawn to the beer bottles scattered on the table.

Leaving a child home alone late at night just to go out drinking? What kind of parent does that?

“Uncle!” Yang Tao tugged at his sleeve, looking up anxiously. “That’s my dad!”

Suppressing his frustration, Chen Qiusu opened the car door and carried Yang Tao out.

“Daddy! Daddy!”

The child’s tender voice wasn’t enough to wake the drunken man. Growing impatient, Yang Tao squirmed in Chen Qiusu’s arms, wanting to be let down but too shy to ask.

“Mr. Yang.”

Standing at the food stall, Chen Qiusu called out politely, but there was no response. Left with no choice, he set Yang Tao down and gently patted the man’s shoulder.

Unexpectedly, the man slumped forward, forcing Chen Qiusu to catch him. His disheveled bangs covered his eyes, and his cheeks were flushed red from alcohol, but Chen Qiusu immediately recognized him.

Yang Shao?

Why is it him?

Chen Qiusu’s mind raced as he turned to look at Yang Tao. The boy was bundled in his oversized suit jacket, his small hands struggling to peek out of the sleeves as he tried to support his dad.

“Daddy, wake up.” Yang Tao turned to Chen Qiusu with pleading eyes. “What do we do, Uncle Chen? My dad’s drunk…”

Chen Qiusu felt a storm brewing in his mind. Memories of Yang Shao resurfaced like a broken string of beads, scattered and impossible to piece together.

But it was winter, and the child couldn’t be left in the cold. Under Yang Tao’s guidance, they helped his dad back to their home.

The small apartment’s layout was simple and could be taken in with one glance. Chen Qiusu instinctively looked for traces of their life here, his mind filled with questions. He turned around just in time to see Yang Tao wobbling out with a basin of water.

After giving a few instructions to the driver, who left the car keys behind, Chen Qiusu hurried into the room. Yang Tao had rolled up his sleeves and was wiping his dad’s face. Gently, Chen Qiusu took the towel from him.

The suit was far too big for Yang Tao, and he had stepped on its hem several times. The sleeves had also gotten wet while wringing out the towel.

“Uncle Chen, I got your clothes dirty…”

Chen Qiusu tousled his hair, swallowing his questions. “You should go to bed now. I’ll take care of this.”

But Yang Tao was reluctant. “What about my dad? I need to take care of him.”

His words reminded Chen Qiusu of something. Yang Shao was completely out of it. If he woke up in the middle of the night and caused trouble, how would Yang Tao handle it alone? There was no way he could leave the boy to face his unreliable father by himself.

“I’ll stay with you tonight.”

After tucking Yang Tao into bed, Chen Qiusu returned to the other room. Yang Shao was sprawled out, the blanket kicked to the floor. He adjusted the blanket and wrung out the towel to wipe Yang Shao’s face. When the warm towel touched his cheek, Yang Shao swatted it away in irritation.

Remaining calm, Chen Qiusu firmly held his wrist to stop him from moving and continued cleaning his face and hands.

The room reeked of alcohol. As Yang Shao mumbled incoherently, he suddenly said, “Yang Tao… pour daddy some water…”

Hearing this, Chen Qiusu couldn’t suppress his anger any longer. He nearly splashed the water on Yang Shao’s face but restrained himself, eventually helping him drink.

After settling Yang Shao, he checked on Yang Tao. The boy was still awake and called out softly when he heard the door open. “Uncle Chen…”

Without turning on the light, Chen Qiusu walked to the bed and sat down. As if afraid he might leave, Yang Tao lifted the blanket and made room for him.

Chen Qiusu took off his coat and lay down beside him. “Didn’t I tell you to sleep?”

“I was scared you’d leave…” Yang Tao’s worry eased when he confirmed Chen Qiusu wasn’t lying to him. “What about my dad?”

“He’s asleep…” Chen Qiusu paused, unsure how to continue. Before he could say more, the warmth in his arms signaled that Yang Tao had already fallen asleep.

Exhausted but reassured by Chen Qiusu’s presence, the boy finally let himself rest.

With a sigh, Chen Qiusu decided to save his questions for another time.

The hangover left Yang Shao not only with a splitting headache but also a bursting bladder. He stumbled out of bed, swaying as he rushed into the bathroom. After relieving himself, he splashed cold water on his face, the faint buzz from the alcohol still lingering. He glanced at the time.

“Damn it! How is it this late already?!”

With a loud “bang,” Yang Shao kicked open the door, intending to yank Yang Tao out of bed. But the extra person on the small bed startled him so much that he froze on the spot.