Chapter 1 A Family of Three

Chapter 1: A Family of Three

Early morning in Yunshui Town, the sounds of crowing roosters and barking dogs heralded a new day.

Ancient buildings were scattered picturesquely, and white-walled, black-tiled homes lined the bluestone-paved alleys.

A young man with rugged features opened the second-floor window, and sunlight joyfully streamed in, illuminating two figures—one large, one small—on the bed.

The man swiftly dressed, completed his ablutions, and returned to the bedside.

On the bed, a tender-aged child lay on his stomach, his soft, plump cheeks adorably puffed out.

Qin Kun was amused by his son’s unrestrained sleeping posture. He reached out, scooped the boy into his arms, and then leaned over to kiss his beloved, Su Siwen, on the cheek.

Su Siwen remained still, his breathing steady, deeply asleep.

Qin Kun gently patted Su Youli’s soft little bottom to rouse him.

Placed on a low stool, Su Youli stood unsteadily before the washbasin, rubbing his eyes with his chubby, lotus-root-like hands, mumbling as he yawned.

Seeing him awake, Qin Kun expertly wrung out a towel and wiped his face.

Forcibly awakened, Su Youli grumbled and reached out for a hug: "Kun Kun."

Su Youli wasn't usually grumpy upon waking, but his dad's strength was simply too much; the towel rubbed his cheeks until they stung, making him whimper in protest.

He obediently brushed his teeth, then proudly displayed his clean, white baby teeth to Qin Kun.

"Wow, our You You’s teeth are so beautiful!" Qin Kun didn't stint on praise, immediately planting a loud kiss on Su Youli’s soft, plump cheek.

Su Youli, his face pressed against his dad’s prominent nose, quickly pushed his father’s face away with both hands.

Qin Kun deliberately nuzzled his tender cheek, making Su Youli giggle. After a few moments of play in the bathroom, Qin Kun carried him out.

The person on the bed was still asleep, the blanket forming a gentle mound.

Su Youli covered his mouth, stifling a giggle, and whispered into Qin Kun’s ear, "Kun Kun, little dad is a lazy pig."

He was already up, but little dad was still sleeping.

Qin Kun gently tapped his little nose and shushed him: "Let your little dad sleep a bit longer."

Su Youli sat on the bed, his pajamas having been removed by Qin Kun. He now sat bare-bottomed, propping his face on his hands as he watched his little dad sleep.

Their home was a two-story house with a courtyard filled with flowers and greenery in front of the attic.

In the courtyard, a little one in a navy blue vest and ruffled shorts sat on a low stool.

"You You, eat your breakfast on your own. I’m going upstairs to wake your little dad!" Qin Kun placed the child and stool securely at the table and instructed him.

Su Youli, busy drinking milk from a cup held with both hands, waved to his dad without looking away, his eyes fixed on the milk before him.

The low stool was handmade by his little dad, Su Siwen, and the little one sat in it very steadily!

After finishing half a cup of milk, Su Youli awkwardly picked up his chopsticks and began eating the potato pancake.

Actually, the little one was most skilled with a spoon, but his dads had recently been teaching him to use chopsticks.

The shredded potatoes, mixed with a bit of potato starch and diced ham, were so delicious that Su Youli ate with a bobbing head, holding a piece in each hand, clearly savoring every bite.

He was an easy child for his parents to care for.

In the second-floor bedroom.

Sunlight crept into the quiet room as Qin Kun softly approached the bedside and sat down, gazing at his beloved’s sleeping face.

The man on the bed had delicate features, fair skin, and dark hair and eyebrows.

"Siwen, time to wake up," Qin Kun whispered softly, leaning down to rouse him.

The sleeping man seemed to sense his presence and slowly opened his eyes.

As soon as Su Siwen saw him, he smiled and reached out to embrace him.

Qin Kun slipped an arm around his waist and said with a laugh near his ear, "You You also reached out for a hug as soon as he woke up. He learned it from you."

His voice was deep and pleasant. Su Siwen nestled into his neck and chuckled softly. "Where’s You You?"

Qin Kun slipped his arms under Su Siwen, scooped him up, and carried him to the window, tilting his chin downward for him to see.

"There."

Su Siwen looked down. Su Youli’s round head was turned away from him, his small chopsticks already discarded. His chubby little hands held a golden potato pancake, and his round cheeks made him look like a little bun.

Seeing his son eating breakfast so obediently on his own, a bright smile instantly spread across Su Siwen’s face. He turned to Qin Kun with a mildly chiding look. "How could you let You You eat breakfast alone? There must be mosquitoes in the yard by now."

Qin Kun leaned down and kissed him. "I put bug repellent patches on him. Don’t worry."

Su Siwen tilted his head up slightly and rubbed against the stubble on Qin Kun’s chin.

"Put me down and go check on You You."

Qin Kun held him more tightly and shamelessly brought his face closer. "No. You haven’t kissed me yet this morning!"

Su Siwen laughed at his childishness, then—despite his words—cupped Qin Kun’s face and kissed him on the lips.

"Daddies are shameless, so shameless~"

A small, childish voice drifted up from below. The two looked down.

Su Youli sat in his low stool, drawing a finger down his own cheek in a teasing gesture, giggling happily.

"You You, finish your breakfast and play in the yard on your own!" Qin Kun called out loudly.

Su Youli nodded, wiping his hands on his clothes. "Okay!"

The two upstairs withdrew their gaze.

Qin Kun placed Su Siwen in his wheelchair and crouched before him. "How are you feeling today?"

Su Siwen’s skin bore the pallor of someone who seldom saw sunlight. Facing his beloved’s concerned expression, he smiled. "I feel alright."

After washing up, the two went downstairs and had breakfast in the yard.

A three-year-old child is at the age of exploring the world.

Su Youli, followed by a pink-nosed Tu Song Dog, was busy exploring the garden.

After Qin Kun had eaten his fill, he took his car keys and headed out to work.

"Has it really been over a month with no news?" Su Siwen pushed his wheelchair to the door, hesitating for a moment before deciding to ask.

Qin Kun stopped in his tracks, his gaze lingering on Su Siwen's face for a moment before shifting to You You in the yard.

The little boy was sitting on the ground, hugging the pink-nosed Tu Song Dog, grinning from ear to ear.

Qin Kun ran a local specialty goods store and also had an online shop, and business was always pretty good.

"Siwen, if You You's real family really comes looking, could you truly let him go?" Qin Kun's tone was uncharacteristically serious.

Su Siwen bit his lip, his eyes slightly red, fingers digging into his own knees.

After a long pause, he said, "...I could bear it."

Qin Kun knelt down in front of him, placing a hand on his knee, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again. "I know you can't bear it. Don't act tough."

His lips were bitten red, and his throat felt as if stuffed with cotton. Su Siwen's long eyelashes fluttered.

In his ears echoed Su Youli's innocent, gleeful laughter, and his heart ached as if pierced by a knife, his eyes red and puffy.

-

Three years ago, in the dead of winter, Su Siwen and Qin Kun found Su Youli abandoned in a trash bin on a street in Beicheng's inner-city neighborhood.

The newborn was flushed all over, dressed only in a thin onesie, his cries as faint as a newborn kitten's—clearly on the brink of death.

Su Siwen and Qin Kun were only in their mid-twenties at the time and were scared out of their wits, unsure what to do.

They lifted the child from the trash bin. Qin Kun took off his coat to wrap around the baby and hurriedly brought him to the police station.

It was a police station in the city center, but the officer on duty was dismissive, merely glancing at the baby in the coat before telling them to take the child to the hospital first.

The child was badly chilled and was immediately placed in an incubator upon arrival at the hospital.

Qin Kun and Su Siwen were in a tight spot financially at the time. They had to work the next day and could only stay by the hospital room door for a few hours before leaving.

The police informed them that if no one came forward for the child, he would be sent to a local welfare institution.

With the child's future seemingly decided, his survival left to chance, Qin Kun led Su Siwen out of the hospital.

The winter wind cut like a blade. People in the hospital hurried past, brushing shoulders with Su Siwen, who was in a daze.

Someone bumped hard into Su Siwen's shoulder.

"Sorry, my son suddenly developed a high fever in the middle of the night..." The man apologized while rushing inside, calling for a doctor.

Qin Kun pulled Su Siwen close, shaking his head at the man, but his gaze fell on the man's slippers and sweat-soaked clothes.

The flushed child was cradled protectively in the man's arms.

Qin Kun pressed his lips together, suddenly reminded of the child still in the incubator, and sighed at the stark differences in fate.

Such a tiny child, abandoned in a foul-smelling trash bin, had somehow managed to survive.

As they stepped out of the hospital entrance, Su Siwen suddenly turned to glance down the seemingly endless hospital corridor. The faint, desperate cries of the infant still seemed to echo in his ears.

After a long moment, he grabbed Qin Kun's sleeve, his voice choked with emotion: "Kun Kun, that child... he just held my hand."

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The story will include a romantic subplot as the child grows up [tagged with dual male leads]. Reader discretion is advised!!!