Chapter 31: 31

“Happy birthday to you… happy birthday to you…”

Lu Zaizai was sitting happily at the little table; the cool and magical looking ‘Lego’ birthday cake in front of him was such a surprise that he couldn’t stop smiling with joy. Grinning brightly, he looked at the cake, then at his dad and uncle, pursed his lips and closed his eyes as they sang their blessings, smiled and made a wish: I wish I had more and more toys! I wish my dad would never have any troubles! I wish my uncle would spend my birthday with me every year from now on!

Of all the uncles, this one is my favourite!

The cake and the gift (*^▽^*)

“Fufufu-“ Lu Zaizai made his wish for the second time tonight, puffed out his cheeks and blew out all six candles in one fell swoop.

Lu Ying and Qin Zhuopu finally stopped the birthday song and both breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. Lu Ying picked up the cutter and made quick strokes while Lu Zaizai pointed out, “This way to this way, a big piece!”

Lu Ying obeyed him, cut a big piece and put it on a plate. Lu Zaizai received it, turned around quickly and handed it to Qin Zhuopu: “The biggest piece for Uncle! Don’t be angry, Dad, I still love you. But I told you a long time ago, Uncle is a very good and kind person, when I meet him I have to say thank you to him properly, right? So give the biggest piece to Uncle, don’t be too stingy.”

He really seemed to think that Dad would be jealous and blame him for being biassed.

This little look was indescribably annoying… too cute.

Lu Ying rolled his eyes: “I didn’t stop you. Today is your birthday, you make the decision.” Huh, you’re so popular being an uncle, can you still do it if you’re a father? What a cunning uncle who can buy people’s hearts. The fat kid who knows how to please his uncle is also cunning.

Lu Ying added with mixed feelings, “But don’t make a rule out of it, ah.” I can’t be a stingy man, I don’t want to be ‘jealous’ of someone who is spending the first birthday with his child.

Receiving Lu Ying’s ‘disdainful’ look, Qin Zhuopu didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. He wanted to squeeze this stinky face out of shape to see if Lu Ying could still frown.

“Okay, okay, when I turn seven next year, I’ll give Dad the biggest piece, okay?” What a petty adult his dad was; Lu Zaizai felt so frustrated.

Flattered, Qin Zhuopu hastily took the biggest piece of cake. Not to mention the surprise in his heart, small gains were also good.

“Thank you, Uncle, for always giving me things and coming to spend my birthday with me! Cheers!” Lu Zaizai excitedly held his own cake and then reached to Qin Zhuopu’s cake and touched it with a bang.

Qin Zhuopu laughed happily and cautiously touched his cake with Lu Zaizai’s again, “Yes, cheers, cheers!” The two cakes instantly mixed and became a muddled mess but Lu Zaizai tilted his head back and laughed, happy, then quickly lowered his head and took a big bite, praising heartily: “Oh oh oh, it’s delicious!”

Lu Ying tasted the first bite and his eyes lit up: “It’s really delicious!” His expression was almost the same as the six-year-old’s.

Qin Zhuopu, who was staring at him, felt his heart itch. He swallowed the sweet cake silently and couldn’t help but raise his hand. His slender fingers touched the corner of Lu Ying’s mouth, gently wiping off a little bit of cream.

Still a familiar feeling, as smooth and creamy as…

Lu Ying, who felt as if struck by electricity, froze, and then his soul returned with a jolt. His face turned red with anger and he glared at Qin Zhuopu but didn’t say anything. How can one be violent in front of a child? Blame the man for being so immodest.

“It’s a little bit of cream.” Qin Zhuopu smiled softly, as if he meant nothing else.

Lu Ying turned his head and continued to eat the cake. Can’t afford to mess with him!

Qin Zhuopu didn’t eat much cake, so he took a break after eating a piece, and then intently watched the father and son’s live ‘eat and broadcast’ show. The little fat man ate the cake with his small mouth working and his chubby face shaking with the rhythm. The more Qin Zhuopu looked, the more cute the kid became. He really looked like a cute pig. As for Lu Ying, who deliberately turned his back to him, hehe, the behaviour of someone who was a father eating secretly was ridiculous and cute in itself, but Qin Zhuopu had already known that. This person was always like this; whether intentionally or unintentionally, every move, every smile, could so easily touch the string deep in Qin Zhuopu’s heart. The string that had only trembled for this person. 

So, how could he understand the fact that he had been separated from the person he liked so much for seven years?

How could he be willing to let him go?

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“You must have missed dinner, I’ll make you something to eat. Want some noodles or rice? There’s everything at home.” Lu Ying, who had polished a third of the cake, wiped his mouth, cleared his throat, rolled up his sleeves and headed for the kitchen.

“No need for trouble.” Qin Zhuopu refused subconsciously.

“It’s not troublesome to make something to eat, huh, today you are a guest from afar. If I make you go hungry, my son will probably call me stingy again.”

Lu Zaizai, who wouldn’t stop until eating the last bite of the cake, hummed: “It turns out, Uncle, you haven’t eaten yet. It’s hard to be hungry. I have good news for you, my dad cooks very, very well. Oh yes, Uncle had the dumplings Dad made, but in fact, other things Dad cooks are also delicious. Uncle, you must eat more later.”

Qin Zhuopu stroked his head, “Okay, Uncle will listen to you and eat more, so I’ll try your dad’s cooking today. Uncle used to live with your dad for a long time, but I’ve never eaten his cooking. Your dad could do nothing but eat back then.”

Lu Zaizai was amazed, “Dad used to be so stupid!”

“Lu Zaizai! Qin Zhuopu!” Lu Ying roared from the kitchen.

Lu Zaizai rolled his eyes and muttered in a small voice, “Dad doesn’t pay attention to cooking at all, he even eavesdrops on our chat… So how could my dad eat every day when he couldn’t cook before?”

“I cooked for him.” Qin Zhuopu smiled, “Next time Uncle is free, Uncle will cook for you. Tell me secretly what your favourite food is, and I’ll buy it for you.”

Hearing this, Lu Zaizai was in high spirits. He immediately leaned to Qin Zhuopu’s ear to whisper, muttering the names of one thing after another, and the room suddenly became very quiet.

Lu Ying, who couldn’t hear any movement, found it strange. He turned around, a spatula in his hand, and saw the two of them talking and laughing quietly, sitting next to each other. Under the warm yellow light, Qin Zhuopu’s eyes were extremely soft.

Lu Ying held up the spatula, slightly in a daze.

For as long as he could remember, he had heard Grandpa say that humans were a race that valued blood ties the most, but he hadn’t known what those ties were until after Zaizai was born. Before Zaizai was born, Lu Ying had never known that he would like children, let alone know anything about the so-called ‘responsibility’. There were so many things that he realised only when he became a father; like that responsibility that pushed people forward without having to say anything. For the sake of the only child in the world that is bound by blood to you, you can go through hardships, tiredness and even endure starvation.

He didn’t know if it was worth living like that, but that was what fathers did.

There were countless human fathers and mothers who were like him, committed, unassuming, yet gratified and contented, sweet as a pie.

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When he first learned of Zaizai’s existence, he actually had little idea of who he would be as a father. Because he had never known what a father and son would be like in the human world. But he was still happy to have a companion and the family would be more lively with the little one.

He couldn’t wait to tell Qin Zhuopu the good news, he was sure Qin Zhuopu would be especially happy! Because unlike him, Qin Zhuopu was born a son and had a wonderful father who had cared for him from birth. He had seen the smile on Qin Zhuopu’s face when he talked about his father. He had seen Qin Zhuopu in the study, holding old photographs and looking sad. Qin Zhuopu’s father was no longer there but from now on, when Qin Zhuopu had his own child, he would be a good and loving father.

Both of them would become fathers for the first time; they could learn from each other and they would definitely be able to raise the baby big and fat.

At this moment the sight in front of him seemed to overlap with the scene from his dreams once.

Back then, he was the one who woke up from the dreams and raised the baby big and fat alone.

Qin Zhuopu had been absent for six years.

But what about the future?

Gazing at the innocent smile on Lu’s Zaizai’s face, Lu Ying knew that it was no longer something he alone could decide.

His son had slowly grown up, and he would make his own choice in his own way.

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“Dinner’s ready.”

A bowl full of egg noodles with shredded meat was placed in front of Qin Zhuopu, dotted with a few strands of green cabbage and exuding the smell of sesame oil.

Qin Zhuopu, who really hadn’t eaten dinner in the rush to get on the plane, couldn’t help but swallow the saliva as he sat down unceremoniously, “Thank you for your hard work.”

“Try to finish it, the noodles are easy to digest and won’t make you feel heavy.” Lu Ying smiled.

Qin Zhuopu took a sip of the noodle soup first, “It smells so good. Your craftsmanship is better than mine.”

Lu Ying was proud, “You are busy every day. Your cooking is like fishing for three days and basking in the sun for two days, how can you compare to me! Besides, Brother Yang said I have a sharp sense of taste and a great talent, so of course my cooking skills are better than yours.”

“I’m blessed to taste it.” Qin Zhuopu smiled at him.

Lu Ying averted his eyes. So angry! This stinky guy knows how to use his beauty to smile at people indiscriminately… he won’t fall for it!

No longer going to watch Qin Zhuopu eat the noodles, Lu Ying suddenly got up and urged his son to take a shower quickly: “Hurry up and go to bed, you will start school tomorrow. What will you do if you are late?”

Lu Zaizai was sleepy a long time ago, and he was looking forward to the first day of school. Obedient, he went to the bathroom to wash up.

Lu Ying stood outside the door, waiting for him. Although the child could take a shower by himself, Zaizai was always fussing and shouting at the top of his lungs for fear that his dad was not around.

When Qin Zhuopu finished eating the noodles, Lu Zaizai had also finished washing up and got into bed with a flushed face, still in good spirits,  asking Qin Zhuopu, “Are my dad’s noodles good?”

“Yes, delicious.”

“Uncle, are you still going home today?”

Qin Zhuopu didn’t answer, looking at Lu Ying. Lu Ying curled his lips; what else could he do if he didn’t go home? He had no place to sleep here.

But he didn’t expect Lu Zaizai to say, “Uncle, you should sleep at our home, it’s already dark outside.”

“…where should he sleep? Sleep on the floor?” Lu Ying asked his son immediately.

Lu Zaizai moved under the quilt, “Sleep on our bed! I can sleep just on a little bit tonight.”

“……” Lu Ying held his forehead.

Qin Zhuopu chuckled and said, “Good, Uncle really doesn’t want to go.”

“No, no, no! This can’t be!” Lu Ying shouted anxiously, blushing and pushing Qin Zhuopu’s back with both hands, “You go stay in a hotel, all the hotels and hostels nearby are open, take your pick. Our bed is too small, if we add you it will collapse!” Are you kidding me, sleeping in the same bed with such a big child and Qin Zhuopu, what kind of sleep would that be! He is not… a saint.

Qin Zhuopu was pushed out, not annoyed at all. Instead, there was an indulgent smile on his face. Lu Ying didn’t relent until getting him out of the doorway. Qin Zhuopu looked back at him, staring at his flushed face for a long time. Lu Ying lowered his head, hiding his red face.

Qin Zhuopu held back and said softly, “You guys rest early, I’ll go directly to the hotel. I have to fly back tomorrow morning.”

“Well… you go slowly. Zaizai is very happy today, thank you.”

Lu Ying muttered these words but the man in front of him didn’t move. He tilted his head in confusion, and Qin Zhuopu suddenly moved closer, held his shoulders and gently dropped a kiss on his forehead.

“I hope that one day you will let me be his father.”

***

Mini-theatre:

Zaizai: Uncle is sleeping with us!

Mr. Qin: Well, I’m just here to keep Zaizai company, I don’t have anything else in mind.

Lu Ying: You don’t! I do! You’re the vixen!

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