The next day.
Father and son, both under a cloud of gloom, had expressions devoid of emotion on their faces. One was sitting in the driver’s seat, while the other sat in the back, their solemn and melancholic expressions unusually synchronized.
Cheng Le Duo no longer had the softness in front of Cheng Jun. His face showed ruthless indifference. “I want Mom to accompany me.”
Cheng Jun, one hand on the steering wheel, said slowly, “Do you think I don’t want that?”
Cheng Le Duo: “…”
Cheng Jun: “…”
Indeed, there was nothing to say between the two men.
The appearance of the father and son at the kindergarten caused a sensation. Little girls from the neighboring class were pulling their parents to come and play. Several teachers, facing Cheng Jun, couldn’t help but blush with shyness. After coming to their senses, they quickly advised the parents to take their children back to their own classrooms.
After much effort, discipline was finally established.
Between the two main culprits, father and son, there still lingered an unspeakable awkward atmosphere. It persisted until the start of the competition when they could have some freedom to move around. Cheng Jun sat in a chair lost in thought, while Cheng Le Duo reluctantly prepared for the competition project under the teacher’s instructions.
At this moment, a few little girls approached timidly, looking at Cheng Jun and shyly asking, “Uncle, where is Auntie?”
Cheng Jun: ?
Seemingly aware of his bewilderment, the few little girls chattered away, their faces turning red as they said, “It’s okay, please forgive our abruptness. Please take care of us in the future.”
Cheng Jun: ???
As soon as they left, Cheng Jun immediately sent a message to Ruan Jiujiu.
Cheng Jun: [I want to leave early.]
Ruan Jiujiu replied quickly: [You can try it:)]
Cheng Jun: …
Cheng Le Duo had an unhappy expression on his face. It was supposed to be a fun activity that he would participate in with Ruan Jiujiu, but now his expectations had been dashed. He walked up to Cheng Jun, not too pleased, and said, “Later, you have to carry me on your back for the relay race and burst the balloon.”
Cheng Jun clicked his tongue, even more impatient than Cheng Le Duo.
He instinctively wanted to refuse, but an image of Ruan Jiujiu’s angry face flashed in his mind, and he swallowed his words. Cheng Jun put his hand in his pocket and stood up. “Let’s go.”
Cheng Le Duo: “Don’t approach the competition with a negative attitude; it’ll be very embarrassing.”
Cheng Jun, surprisingly struck at his core by the little brat, gave him a slow, disdainful glance and decided to make a note of Cheng Le Duo in his blacklist.
The competition required participants to carry their child and run back to the starting point, then pop the balloon tied to their feet without stepping on it. Most families held their children in their arms, but Cheng Jun and his son stood out as an odd pair. Cheng Jun carried Cheng Le Duo on his shoulder like a bag of rice, even though this posture wasn’t particularly graceful. Nevertheless, their presence still garnered enthusiastic reactions from everyone, including applause and cheers from the families of their opponents. They almost forgot they were still in a competition.
Screams from little girls echoed in the corner.
“Ah, hubby, go for it! Uncle, go for it!”
“Our Le Duo is so handsome!”
In an instant, it seemed like the entire amusement park had turned into a grand runway for the two of them.
Cheng Jun: …
Cheng Le Duo, carried on Cheng Jun’s shoulder, refused to hug him and had a cool expression. “Don’t be surprised; I have a lot of fangirls.”
Before he could finish speaking, the referee announced the start of the race. Cheng Jun ran forward with Cheng Le Duo in his arms. The intense shaking of his body scared Cheng Le Duo, and he quickly clung to Cheng Jun like an octopus, feeling the rush of wind as they sped past.
Cheng Jun didn’t hold back at all. He completed the relay, popped the balloon, and executed his moves swiftly and smoothly, securing first place amidst the screams of the little girls.
Cheng Le Duo was left in a daze.
He had originally thought that Cheng Jun would take his time and drag out the competition, but he hadn’t expected Cheng Jun to put in even more effort than him and actually win first place.
Cheng Jun stood in place, hiding his accomplishments and fame.
If he didn’t bring back some proof for Ruan Jiujiu, he might not be allowed on that soft big bed later. Winning the competition meant winning the competition, and his attitude couldn’t be lax.
In the next few events, Cheng Jun performed exceptionally well. Cheng Le Duo, cooperating with him, played hard and was exceptionally happy.
Amid the cheers of the fangirls, the two of them returned to the car, closed the doors, and blocked out the noisy outside world. Cheng Le Duo held a pile of prizes, and the corners of his cool lips curled up slightly. He turned his head to look out the window and, pretending to be mature, said, “You did pretty well.”
As a father.
This time, Cheng Jun didn’t say anything strange.
He sat in the driver’s seat for a moment and then said, “Do you want to have some mini cakes?”
Cheng Le Duo was momentarily stunned and instinctively nodded. “Sure.”
Cheng Jun drove, and the father and son remained silent on the way. Cheng Le Duo probably didn’t expect Cheng Jun to invite him, and the corners of his lips couldn’t help but curl up until Cheng Jun parked the car by the roadside. They frequented this cake shop, not far from where they lived, and it was well-known for its cakes. Some varieties would be sold out by mid-afternoon.
Cheng Le Duo loved mango layered cake the most. He appeared calm on the surface but secretly prayed that there were still some mini cakes left.
They got out of the car, and as the wind chimes tinkled, they entered the shop. There were two people in front of them in the queue.
As soon as the father and son appeared, they attracted everyone’s attention. People whispered and stared in amazement. The shop owner was much calmer and greeted them with a slight smile.
“Hello, what can I get for you?”
“I’d like…”
The two people in front made their choices of mini cakes, and not long after, a few more people lined up behind Cheng Jun and his son, all adults with children.
Cheng Le Duo nervously stared at the mango layered cake in the insulated cabinet, with only one piece left. Fortunately, the people in front didn’t order that cake.
When it was Cheng Le Duo’s turn, he pointed to the mango layered cake and said, “Hello, auntie, I want this one.” He ordered the mango layered cake and a few other mini cakes that Ruan Jiujiu liked. Cheng Jun stood by, waiting to pay.
Just then, the little boy behind them started crying and pointed at Cheng Le Duo, saying, “I want that too!”
“Sorry, but there’s only one left. If you want it, you can come back tomorrow.”
The little boy was slightly shorter than Cheng Le Duo and, upon hearing the news, sat on the ground and began to cry, leaving his parents feeling helpless. Cheng Le Duo looked at the packaged mango layered cake, feeling reluctant and hesitating as he looked at the little boy.
“Give it to me, give it to me!” Perhaps used to getting his way through such tantrums, the little boy cried out while his parents looked hopefully at Cheng Le Duo.
He pursed his lips and decided to give the cake to the little boy. His parents had taught him to be harmonious and friendly, not to grab things, and to take care of younger brothers and sisters.
Cheng Le Duo’s gaze shifted to Cheng Jun.
Cheng Jun, holding a bag of cakes, walked straight toward the glass door without looking back and said, “Let’s go.”
Cheng Le Duo: ?
The crying child froze for a moment but then cried even louder.
The child’s father couldn’t help but mutter, “Dads don’t set a good example for their children when it comes to being considerate…”
Cheng Jun’s footsteps came to a halt.
He slowly turned his face to the side, glancing at them. The little boy stopped crying and looked at Cheng Jun expectantly as he approached. Then, Cheng Jun used his finger to hook onto Cheng Le Duo’s hat and said, “What did I teach you?”
Cheng Le Duo blinked in confusion.
With his gaze lowered, Cheng Jun’s voice was crystal clear in the silent cake shop, making everyone present hear him loud and clear. “Even if there are times when you don’t have to be considerate, don’t feel guilty. You’re just a kid.”
Cheng Jun’s words were polite enough.
His meaning was clear: they were both kids of similar ages, so why should they be criticized for not being considerate? Who were they to act like they were any better?
After saying this, he hooked Cheng Le Duo’s hat and led him out of the cake shop, leaving the husband and wife staring at each other in utter disbelief, their faces as dark as the bottom of a pot. The child wanted to continue crying but didn’t realize that his parents had left him behind. Feeling unhappy about it, he grabbed him and gave him a few spanks on the buttocks, scolding him, “Why are you so foolish! All you do is cry all day!”
The child really began to wail loudly.
…
Father and son got back in the car, with Cheng Le Duo sitting in the back and still not quite processing what had just happened.
Cheng Jun fastened his seatbelt and said leisurely, “Being considerate is important, but if someone makes you uncomfortable, there’s no need to be overly polite.”
Cheng Le Duo’s eyes brightened, and he responded decisively, “I understand!”
They fell silent for a while.
Cheng Jun continued, “When I used to win awards at school, my mother would always take me to buy cakes.”
Cheng Le Duo asked cautiously, “My grandmother?”
Unlike other families with grandmothers, Cheng Le Duo had a vague understanding that his grandparents had gone to “another world” when he was very young. Because of this, he dared not easily mention his father and mother’s parents. He thought that parents without grandparents(parents) must have a difficult time.
Cheng Jun nodded.
He said, “You should study hard at school, but also live happily. If you have any worries, you can talk to me.”
This was a phrase Cheng Jun had heard countless times from his own mother since childhood.
In his mind, he could still see her gentle smile, always encouraging him. Every time he heard those words, Cheng Jun felt exceptionally content. Perhaps he should also encourage Cheng Le Duo like his mother had encouraged him.
Cheng Le Duo’s young face was filled with seriousness.
Just like Cheng Jun had responded when he was young, he nodded and said, “Okay.”
…
Ever since young Cheng Le Duo could sleep on his own, Cheng Jun’s study had been taken over and transformed into Cheng Le Duo’s room. The walls were covered with all sorts of quirky cartoon stickers. Every time Cheng Jun entered Cheng Le Duo’s room, he felt like hitting Cheng Le Duo when he looked at his study that he had used for over a decade.
In Cheng Le Duo’s room, besides the wardrobe, bookshelf, play area, and desk, there was a small, soft bed. Despite his outwardly cool demeanor, the bed was adorned with Peppa Pig bedsheets.
Most importantly, there was an old and worn-out cardboard box at the head of the bed. Whenever Cheng Le Duo was upset with his father and in a cold war, he would curl up in the box, waiting for Ruan Jiujiu to come and comfort him.
He regarded the cardboard box as his most treasured possession. Whenever he asked Ruan Jiujiu why she had such a box, she would laugh heartily and give him a big kiss, saying that he was an express delivery sent by heaven, so they had kept the box too.
Young Cheng Le Duo even wrote a simple article titled “Love is Like a Cardboard Box,” which won first place in the city-wide essay competition for first graders.
Ruan Jiujiu, who knew the truth, was left speechless.
Cheng Le Duo didn’t understand why every time Uncle and Auntie came to their house, they would stifle their laughter when they saw the certificates hanging on the wall. Especially Uncle Tu, despite his age, he always had an unserious demeanor. After becoming a father, he always got scolded by Auntie Wen. Cheng Le Duo suddenly felt that their family’s father had a bit more stature in comparison.
Uncle Jiao Fan and the beautiful auntie had visited a few times, with their visits being the least frequent since they had settled abroad.
Uncle Fu Zicheng was still unable to escape the single life. Every time they gathered, they couldn’t bring up his heartache, or he would definitely cry his heart out.
Cheng Le Duo had also met Uncle Gu You.
He always felt that his dad didn’t seem to like Uncle Gu You very much. However, Uncle Gu You’s two twin daughters were just too cute, so pure and easily fooled. They willingly shared anything delicious or fun with Cheng Le Duo. Cheng Le Duo was focused on getting sweet candies and wasn’t interested in the little girls. They even suggested playing house and pretending to be a married couple together, but he coldly rejected them.
Mom had said he was even more stubborn than Dad, which Cheng Le Duo couldn’t quite understand.
What kind of adjective was “stubborn” anyway?
…
A heavy snowfall blanketed the steel jungle, and as Ruan Jiujiu drew back the curtains, the dazzling whiteness made her squint involuntarily. She rubbed her eyes uncomfortably and said, “It’s snowing.”
As soon as she spoke, she heard the pitter-patter of footsteps in the living room. As expected, Cheng Le Duo knocked on the door and then rushed in, wanting a hug from Ruan Jiujiu.
Despite being in elementary school, he still had that childlike, cute demeanor when he came home. Who could resist hugging such a adorable little face when it begged for it? Ruan Jiujiu hugged him and kissed his cheek, saying with a smile, “Did you sleep well?”
Cheng Le Duo clung to her in her arms and said softly, “Mom, can we go build a snowman?”
“Sure. Let’s have something to eat first and then go out.”
Cheng Le Duo got a positive response, gave her a kiss, and happily trotted off to the bathroom to freshen up.
Cheng Jun, lying in bed, lazily sat up in his soft blanket. The soft blanket slipped off, revealing his bare upper body, with a little strawberry mark left by Ruan Jiujiu near his collarbone. Ruan Jiujiu blushed and her heart raced as she walked over and handed him his clothes, saying, “Hurry up and put these on, don’t let the child see.”
Cheng Jun casually grabbed her wrist and pulled Ruan Jiujiu into his arms. Ruan Jiujiu let out a soft exclamation as a handsome face loomed in front of her and planted a gentle kiss on her lips.
“You haven’t said good morning to me yet.”
“Mom, I…”
Cheng Le Duo’s voice suddenly sounded, and the door was pushed open. Ruan Jiujiu instinctively pushed Cheng Jun under the blanket, but in the eyes of Cheng Le Duo, Mom was clearly angry and was going to scold Dad.
Cheng Le Duo blinked and smiled, “Mom, go for it!”
He would come back later.
Ruan Jiujiu watched her child walk away, “…”
Cheng Jun, who was still trapped in the blanket, said, “I think we need a bigger house.”
Ruan Jiujiu replied, “Maybe.”
This house was no longer big enough for their family of three.
After breakfast, they bundled up and went downstairs. They planned to build a snowman, but they found that there wasn’t enough snow, and the result might not be very good. Cheng Le Duo was a bit disappointed. To cheer him up, Ruan Jiujiu threw a small snowball at him. Cheng Le Duo shouted in delight and immediately threw a snowball back.
The two of them played happily back and forth. After a while, Ruan Jiujiu got a little tired and sat down on the ground to rest.
“You two are having so much fun!”
Cheng Le Duo directed his hopeful gaze towards Cheng Jun.
Cheng Jun’s face remained expressionless as he picked up some snow from the ground, clenched it tightly, and threw it towards Cheng Le Duo. Cheng Le Duo reacted quickly, dodging the snowball and retaliating by throwing one back at Cheng Jun. This harmonious scene filled Ruan Jiujiu with happiness.
She picked up her phone to capture this beautiful moment.
Coincidentally, one of Cheng Le Duo’s snowballs hit Cheng Jun’s black down jacket, creating a burst of white. Cheng Le Duo laughed joyfully and wanted to run away after the throw.
Cheng Jun, however, molded another snowball.
In Ruan Jiujiu’s phone camera, you could only see Cheng Jun’s snowball accurately hitting the back of Cheng Le Duo’s head with a crisp sound. Like a kite with a broken string, Cheng Le Duo, who had been happily running around just moments ago, suddenly lost his strength and fell headfirst into the snow pile.
Cheng Le Duo, face down in the snow.
…
Cheng Jun: “I win, game over.”
Ruan Jiujiu, raising her phone: “…”
She knew Cheng Jun couldn’t resist causing mischief!
The family of three returned home, changed their clothes, and Cheng Le Duo turned on the TV. With familiar music playing, their favorite cartoon began. What Ruan Jiujiu didn’t know was that although Cheng Le Duo didn’t say much on the surface, whenever his classmates talked about buying various stationery and merchandise related to their favorite cartoon and discussed their beloved animated series, he felt a sense of pride in his heart.
This is the one his mom participated in making! He even has an exclusive signed poster!
In Cheng Le Duo’s heart, his mom was amazing at painting, cooked the best food, was the most beautiful woman in the world, and could do anything.
As for Cheng Jun…
Oh, he was just a man with some money.
While the outside world praised Jia Cheng’s Boss and admired Cheng Le Duo’s father, Cheng Le Duo only saw Cheng Jun following Ruan Jiujiu every day, like a giant golden retriever seeking affection. He didn’t have the demeanor of a man at all!
Cheng Le Duo thought like this while allowing Ruan Jiujiu to give him affectionate kisses in a childish manner.
The dignity of being a man could be put aside for now! He would reclaim it later! He would keep his word!
Cheng Jun, on the other hand, stared at them with a look of death.
It seems like he doesn’t have enough homework from school.
…
On Cheng Le Duo’s birthday, uncles and aunts all came to celebrate with him. Ruan Jiujiu ordered a super-sized cake and prepared a delicious feast. Over the years, the number of freeloaders had dramatically increased, and their home was almost unable to accommodate them.
After cutting the cake, Ruan Jiujiu suddenly felt a bit nauseous and retched at the sight of the cake.
Cheng Jun quickly asked, “What’s wrong, not feeling well?”
“I don’t know…”
The person beside her, Wen Xi, asked with a sly look, “You’re not… pregnant again, are you?!”
Ruan Jiujiu calmly thought for a moment and realized that it had indeed been a long time since her last period. She wondered if something had gone wrong with their contraception.
She lifted her head, nervous but also filled with anticipation, and looked at Cheng Jun.
Cheng Jun stood there in a daze.
After a while, he finally spoke, somewhat slowly, “Let’s change houses.”
—End—
Author’s Note: It’s finished! Confetti time! Every time I finish a story, I have a lot to say, but I never know where to start at that moment.
Around this time last year, I finished my first original story, and now it’s the fourth one, totaling a little over a million words (you can see my short-winded nature, right?). Some kind angels who have read my previous works noticed a big difference between the beginning and now, saying I’ve “improved,” and that’s one of the happiest compliments I’ve ever received! My current state is just the beginning for me, and my wish is to keep making noticeable progress with each story. I hope that by this time next year, you all can tease me with, “Wow, your stories from last year are really far behind compared to now!”
I’ll definitely be super happy about it, 2333!
I’ve seen everyone’s comments, and I’m sorry I couldn’t reply promptly. I also apologize for not thanking those who left supportive comments or criticisms. But authors have good memories, so even if I didn’t reply, don’t worry, I still remember many of your names. Here’s a big shout-out to all of you who left comments, silently read the stories, gave valuable feedback, and stuck around until the end—love you all!
For the next story, I still hope to write something “different,” and more importantly, bring happiness to everyone. Although I haven’t figured out the specific plot yet, if you’re interested, you can try bookmarking the column and the pre-order option. The new story will probably start around the end of February, and if there are any changes, I’ll announce them on Weibo. This time, the author wants to have some drafts saved in advance and try to update on time, so you don’t have to wait too long. I’m sorry for the inconvenience!
A lot happened in 2018, and each story accompanied me through a special period. Thankfully, thankfully, I’ve had your company all the way.
Lastly,
Whether we’ll meet again in the future or not,
I wish you all good morning, good afternoon, good night (*￣3)(e￣*)
T/N: TMSCEW is finally done!! Now I can focus on TVTC, btw I plan on translating ‘The Emperor’s Favorite Concubine is an O’ however if you guys have any novels that you want me to translate or pick up feel free to comment down below or @me in our Discord. Thanks for reading my translations~
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