AGRCIW CH13

Lin Songyu left the hotel and drove aimlessly. With the Lunar New Year approaching, the city seemed a little emptier.

His mother, Tang Feizhu, had heard from somewhere—okay, it was definitely Li Xiuyu who had tipped her off—that he recently liked men, especially highly educated intellectuals. So she introduced him to two university professors, one from literature and one from physics. Surely one would suit him.

It wasn’t that Tang Feizhu was particularly open-minded or thrilled about her son liking men. She was a results-oriented career woman. If her son was too busy at work, thin, and gloomy, then a sweet romance could boost his energy. If blind dates with girls were fruitless, then try boys. Especially after Lin Songyu woke up from his car accident coma, Tang Feizhu felt even more strongly that life was full of unexpected events; one couldn’t just work, one had to live too.

Right after Lin Songyu had dinner with the literature professor, Tang Feizhu called him: “How was this one?”

Lin Songyu: “Not handsome enough, and no baby ‘pendant’ on his hand.”

What pendant? Was he picking on people’s jewelry now?

Tang Feizhu was silent for a moment, seemingly regretting having given birth to such a handsome son, which made him too picky. After hearing his evaluation, she didn’t say a word for the professor but brought up the family gathering: “Don’t forget dinner tonight.”

Tang Feizhu had three biological sisters and three cousins from her maternal grandmother’s side. Their relationship was so good that they decided their children’s names should all include “Yu,” clearly marking them as siblings. When the six sisters gathered, if Tang Huhu was there, the grand-aunts wouldn’t even finish calling out all the names.

As he realized what he was thinking, Lin Songyu found his car had driven to Xie Zhuo’s apartment complex. Had Xie Zhuo locked the door when he left? They had left together that day, and Lin Songyu found he couldn’t remember if the door was locked.

During the New Year, thieves worked overtime, targeting people who had returned to their hometowns. Owners might not even notice things were missing until they returned after the holidays. It would be a minor issue if Xie Zhuo’s wife’s 10,000 yuan silk quilt was stolen, but a major issue if Huhu’s toys were stolen.

Lin Songyu parked his car downstairs and walked up. He felt some regret when he reached the fifth floor, and forcibly stopped at the sixth floor, walking into the corridor on the sixth floor expressionlessly. He was just here for some fresh air, not intending to go to the seventh floor.

Creak—the iron door of a house on the sixth floor opened. An auntie, around forty or fifty, was about to go out to dump trash. She bumped into Lin Songyu head-on and, seeing a handsome young man, couldn’t help but strike up a conversation: “Young man, who are you looking for?”

Lin Songyu’s mind was on the “thief” issue, and his thoughts stalled. Fearing he might be mistaken for a thief staking out the place, he replied, “I’m looking for Xie Zhuo.”

The auntie smiled, “Xie Zhuo? The one whose son is Tang Huhu? He’s one floor up.”

Lin Songyu thanked her: “Thank you, I forgot to check the floor.”

The auntie was very aware of her neighbors’ movements: “He went back to his hometown with his child; you came at a bad time.”

Lin Songyu’s heart stirred, and he started chatting: “He told you? Do you know where his hometown is?”

Auntie: “I don’t know, actually. I just haven’t heard any movement upstairs for many days. The floorboards in this complex are thin, not soundproof.”

Lin Songyu subconsciously apologized for Tang Huhu: “I’m sorry, children are active, did he disturb you?”

Auntie: “That’s normal, no need to be sorry. Whose family doesn’t have children? And Huhu is so well-behaved, I love him just looking at him, he just cried every day for a while when they first arrived.”

Lin Songyu’s heart tightened. Hearing the word “cried,” he instantly recalled the little fella with red-rimmed eyes at the event, the air in his chest squeezed dry by salty tears, leaving only a bitter ache: “Sorry, he—he might not have adapted well to moving…”

Auntie: “Oh, why do you keep apologizing for the child? My grandson is like that too. At the age of learning to walk, he falls and cries, cries and forgets. How can you learn to walk without falling and crying?”

The soreness in Lin Songyu’s eyes began to spread to his nasal cavity. Did Huhu fall many times? Did Xie Zhuo not always support him? Did he get bruised and swollen? It must have hurt so much to cry out loud?

“Auntie, when did they move in?” Lin Songyu followed the auntie downstairs, not letting his inquisitive tone show too much.

Auntie said: “I think it was the Lantern Festival this year?”

Tang Huhu was born on the Lantern Festival; he was one year old, exactly at the age of learning to walk.

“The child has no mother, poor thing. I heard sometimes he fell quite hard and cried so sadly, crying and calling ‘Papa.’ With only a dad at home, who else could he call? If my grandson fell face-first, he’d cry to his mom, then cry to his grandma, and then feel wronged again when his dad came home.”

Lin Songyu’s mood was heavy enough to drip water until he walked out of the building. The sunlight stung his eyes, and then, as if something occurred to him, he quickly jogged into a nearby fruit store, picked up five of the most expensive New Year gift boxes, and placed them at the door of the sixth-floor apartment before the auntie finished taking out the trash.

This time, with so many stairs and such heavy gift boxes in his hands, Lin Songyu didn’t feel it at all, quickly reaching the sixth floor. When he came down, he met the auntie and said, “I bought you some fruit. Thank you for being Huhu’s neighbor.” After speaking, he ran downstairs.

The auntie said “Oh,” and walked back, startled by the boxes piled at her door: “So many! Little Xie also often buys fruit… I’ll have to tell him when he comes back.” She was a little puzzled what relation the young man was to Xie Zhuo. Was he an older brother-in-law?

Lin Songyu got back in his car, saw it was getting late, and drove home for dinner. Tang Feizhu’s six sisters loved to gather for meals and meetings for big and small matters. It was like family gossip, but handled like a company board meeting.

He returned to the villa and saw it brightly lit. He parked the car in the courtyard, and the butler came to open the car door. Lin Songyu handed him the car keys: “Is Dad back?”

The butler said, “Sir is working overtime in the laboratory. He said he’ll be back by 8:30.”

Li Xiuyu came out to greet him, cracking melon seeds, and smiled leisurely: “President, where did you detour to?”

Lin Songyu warned him: “Don’t talk nonsense to my mom next time.”

Li Xiuyu rotated his neck: “I’m concerned about you.”

Lin Songyu: “What are they discussing inside?”

Li Xiuyu tossed his melon seed shells, pulling him inside: “Come on, come on, you listen for a bit. It’s still about eldest cousin.”

His eldest cousin, Wang Qianyu, found a promising stock two years ago, and their relationship was originally good. But recently, her husband’s large family has been coming to seek refuge, needing housing and work arrangements, and they’re not even satisfied with ordinary, dispensable positions; they want to manage subordinates.

Her husband acted as if “it wasn’t easy for them to raise me,” and made speeches like: “I didn’t ask you for a position for myself, I just asked you to be considerate of my family. Look, Lin Songyu’s father has even become a vice president, have I asked you for anything?”

My goodness, Lin Songyu’s father, Lin Shi, was a top-notch scientist, and his contribution to Yanshi Group was unshakable. What was her husband comparing himself to? His eldest cousin had reached her limit and was considering divorce. How to divorce was another academic question, and they were currently discussing it.

As Lin Songyu entered, he found his cousin Zhang Jinyu actually holding a baby and coaxing it, looking quite adept. “Isn’t your nephew one year old?” Lin Songyu asked Li Xiuyu in a daze. Why had he shrunk?

Li Xiuyu: “The couple had another one.”

Lin Songyu was speechless. Zhang Jinyu’s son was one year old, and the one in his arms looked about ten months old. How could someone conceive and give birth in two months?

“Where did that come from?”

Li Xiuyu whispered: “We were just talking about it. A pair of colleagues of my sister-in-law passed away unexpectedly. My sister-in-law plans to adopt this child and brought her today for the grand-aunts to see.”

As they spoke, Zhang Jinyu’s wife, Niu Juan, came out of the bathroom and took the child from her husband. Lin Songyu saw the child’s face during the handover; it was a little girl, looking somewhat frail, gently calling “Mama,” “Mama” while hugging Niu Juan.

Li Xiuyu said, “Niu Juan looks like her mother. I wonder if the silly child has distinguished them yet.” Both wore glasses, had short hair, and were in their lactation period, with the same scent.

Lin Songyu blinked. He felt the child could distinguish them, but she needed a mother. When she needed her, someone picked her up and gave her motherly warmth, which is why she was so attached. Xie Zhuo always drove away those who tried to be Tang Huhu’s stepmothers; perhaps there was sincerity among them, but he didn’t need it.

Would Tang Huhu need him? Lin Songyu suddenly understood. Leaving aside the adults, if he was similar to Tang Yu, it wasn’t a mistake; it was a miraculous bond between him and Tang Huhu. Family affection isn’t only born between biological father and son. With so many adoptive families in the world, do they all lack genuine affection?

If Tang Huhu needed him. Would the little fella need an uncle who was like a dad, an uncle who would pick him up immediately when he fell learning to walk?

Lin Songyu wasn’t quite sure, because Tang Huhu was already two years old. He was no longer like the little baby in Niu Juan’s arms, who would treat anyone who fed them as their mother. The little fella could think, and even compare the prices of vegetables.

Lin Songyu patted Li Xiuyu: “Do you have any more red envelopes?”

Li Xiuyu pulled one out of his pocket: “I saved it for you.”

Lin Songyu gave the new little niece a red envelope and teased her a couple of times. Tang Feizhu saw a rare smile on her son’s lips, clearly urging marriage: “Like children? Have your own then.”

Lin Songyu said seriously, “I like them, but I don’t necessarily have to have my own.”

Tang Feizhu: ?

Li Xiuyu wore an expression of “You’re finished, big egg,” he had given the wrong advice to the auntie. He shouldn’t have looked for highly educated men; he should have looked for those with children from a second marriage.

…

The first day Tang Huhu returned to the countryside with his father, he romped in the fields, played hide-and-seek in haystacks, and dug a hole in the dirt to roast sweet potatoes. The little fella was covered in dirt, his clothes muddy, walking unsteadily along the ridge, refusing his father’s help.

“Papa, I can walk by myself!”

Passing a stone slab bridge only a meter wide, the little fella was also quite rebellious: “Don’t hold my hand, Papa!” The wildness of a young one was there, but it worried the old father greatly.

A flock of goats came from the other side of the bridge, running back to their pen. The leading goat saw the unfamiliar young one on the bridge, “Maaa” it bleated, stopping abruptly. The rest of the flock followed, forming a dense, dark mass.

One child guarding the pass, ten thousand goats cannot open. Both sides were in a difficult position. Tang Huhu confronted the flock of goats, both curious and scared, “Papa!”

Xie Zhuo picked him up, clearing the way. The flock of goats then happily continued forward.

That evening, as Xie Zhuo was rubbing Tang Huhu’s feet, the little fella excitedly pulled out his dad’s phone from his pocket, opened WeChat, “Huhu’s making a call!” He wanted to tell Uncle he had encountered a flock of goats.

Xie Zhuo could already tell from the little fella’s “act first, report later” tone who he wanted to call. If he wanted to draw a clear line, he couldn’t let Tang Huhu disturb Lin Songyu.

Xie Zhuo said, “Uncle is very busy. Huhu, don’t call him, send him a voice message.”

Tang Huhu nodded: “Okay!”

He pressed the voice message button, his long eyelashes lowered, and he told Uncle word by word: “Uncle, Huhu saw a hundred goats!”

[L has enabled friend verification. You are not yet his friend. Please send a friend verification request first. You can chat only after the other party approves your request.]

A bright red exclamation mark and several lines of gray text appeared simultaneously. Tang Huhu hugged the phone with both hands and asked his dad, “What’s this?”

Xie Zhuo had expected Lin Songyu to delete him as a friend. Xie Zhuo said, “Red means Uncle saw it. This line of text is Uncle replying to you, saying he knows.”

Tang Huhu didn’t suspect anything false; Uncle replied so quickly! He immediately sent another message: “The goats are scared of Huhu!”

[L has enabled friend verification. You are not yet his friend… You can chat only after the other party approves your request.]

“Huhu is scared of goats too!”

[L has enabled friend verification. You are not yet his friend… You can chat only after the other party approves your request.]

The little fella, unaware that there was no one on the other side, pointed to the gray text and said: “Uncle said he knows!”

Xie Zhuo lowered his head to wipe his feet: “Hmm.”

Tang Huhu said into the phone: “Uncle, Huhu is going to sleep.”

“Papa, Uncle says he’s going to sleep too.” Only knowing arithmetic and being illiterate was a huge hidden danger.

Xie Zhuo took back his phone: “No playing with the phone before bed.”

“Okay!” Tang Huhu obediently lay on the bed. Having expended energy during the day, he quickly fell asleep at night. Xie Zhuo softly whispered “sorry” to the unaware little fella.

It was correct not to keep Tang Yu’s WeChat back then, otherwise, if Tang Huhu were to talk to Lin Songyu’s empty account like this today, one by one recounting the fun things that happened during the day, he thought he wouldn’t be able to bear it.

Lin Songyu, seemingly adrift after a family dinner and a disappointing blind date, finds himself drawn to Xie Zhuo’s apartment complex. A chance encounter with a neighbor auntie reveals insights into Xie Zhuo’s life and, more significantly, the early struggles of Tang Huhu and his father.

During his conversation with the auntie, Lin Songyu learns that Xie Zhuo and Tang Huhu moved in around the Lantern Festival, when Huhu was just one year old and learning to walk. The auntie shares heartbreaking details of Huhu’s difficult adjustment, including frequent falls and sad cries for his “Papa”, highlighting the challenges of a child growing up without a mother. This revelation deeply affects Lin Songyu, causing him to feel a pang of guilt and a renewed sense of connection to the little boy. His immediate response is to buy a large amount of expensive fruit for the auntie as a gesture of gratitude and perhaps, an apology.

Back at his own family gathering, a discussion about his cousin’s marital troubles and a newly adopted baby girl further shifts Lin Songyu’s perspective. Witnessing the adopted child’s deep attachment to her new mother, despite not being biologically related, sparks a profound realization in Lin Songyu. He begins to understand that family bonds are not solely defined by blood and that his resemblance to Tang Yu, far from being an obstacle, could be a “miraculous bond” with Tang Huhu. This marks a significant turning point, as Lin Songyu, previously resistant to being a “substitute,” now reconsiders his role in Huhu’s life. He even expresses to his mother that liking children doesn’t necessarily mean wanting to have his own.

Meanwhile, in the countryside, Tang Huhu excitedly attempts to call Lin Songyu to share his day’s adventures. However, Xie Zhuo, anticipating Lin Songyu’s desire to cut ties, gently steers Huhu to send a voice message instead. Unbeknownst to the innocent child, Lin Songyu has already deleted Xie Zhuo as a friend, and Huhu’s messages are met with the “friend verification required” notification. Xie Zhuo, in a poignant moment of self-sacrifice, tells Huhu that the red exclamation mark means “Uncle saw it,” and the gray text means “he knows.” This heartbreaking deception highlights Xie Zhuo’s effort to protect Lin Songyu from further involvement, even at the cost of his son’s innocent connection. He silently apologizes to his son, acknowledging the difficulty of the situation.