Chapter 17 Dad, Are We Going on a Trip?

Chapter 17: Dad, Are We Going on a Trip?

The little one who hadn't eaten for half a day was seriously committed to refusing to eat.

But when the rumbling of his stomach overpowered his cries, Shen Lin picked him up and took him home.

The atmosphere among the three adults was noticeably less strange than before. Qin Kun even poured tea for Shen Minyan himself.

"Are you really not considering accepting my help?"

Shen Lin heard his father say these words as he entered, carrying You You through the door.

Qin Kun and Su Siwen, much calmer than yesterday, declined with a smile.

If they were to accept the Shen family's help, no matter what agreement they reached with Shen Minyan, others would assume they had given their son away for money.

Qin Kun and Su Siwen had seen plenty of stories online about wealthy people using money to buy their way out of relationships.

When Shen Minyan left, he intentionally had Shen Lin stay behind to bond with Su Youli, hoping to make the child less upset about leaving in a couple of days.

After half a day of hunger strike, Su Youli finally couldn't resist the temptation of milk. When his dad inserted a straw and brought it to his lips, he automatically pursed his lips around the straw and gulped down the bottle in two minutes.

In the evening, after the family finished dinner, Su Siwen and Qin Kun held the little one, and the three of them snuggled together on the soft sofa.

"You You, think of it as just visiting North City, okay? Kun Kun and I will come to North City to find you very soon."

"North City has big castles, lots of delicious food and fun things, and the kindergarten is huge too..."

Su Youli covered his ears with his hands, not wanting to listen.

"Dad, I don’t want to go. I want to stay with you." No one could resist the little one when he was being clingy.

Su Siwen thought of the 5% shares and hardened his heart.

"You have to go, understand?"

"Dad." The little one nuzzled against Qin Kun’s chest with his soft body, like a little kitten, his eyes sparkling.

He sighed. Well, never mind. There were still two days left; they could talk about it later.

Qin Kun carried the little one upstairs to get ready for bed, telling stories while soothing him to sleep.

When the little one in bed began breathing steadily, Su Siwen wheeled himself to the storage room and found a Stitch-themed children's suitcase.

He started packing Su Youli's things.

Going to the Shen family meant he would want for nothing, but these were items the little one had been used to since childhood.

Su Siwen silently opened the wardrobe and packed several sets of Su Youli's favorite little clothes. Almost everyone in Yunshui Town used cloth for tie-dye.

Children wearing clothes made by their parents was a sign of love and a beautiful wish for the child's future.

The clothes were small; a few sets of spring and summer outfits took up only a quarter of the suitcase.

"Tomorrow, we need to pack You You's security blanket and his favorite Stitch doll. If he has trouble adjusting there, he can still hold them to sleep..."

At 10 p.m., the sound of a cane tapping on the wooden floor echoed from the second floor.

Qin Kun, seeing his partner struggling to move but stubbornly insisting on packing for their son, hurried over to reassure him. "I’ll be home these next few days. I’ll pack tomorrow. Don’t push yourself."

Su Siwen paused, then crouched down and pulled a small box from the drawer.

Inside were a pair of small gold bracelets and a longevity lock.

The bracelets were bought when You You turned one, after they had saved up for them. The longevity lock was bought by Qin Kun for You You’s birthday this January.

Su Siwen pressed his lips together and thought silently.

What he could give You You was so little, nothing compared to the shares Shen Minyan offered.

Su Siwen crouched in front of the drawer and tucked all the cash they had at home into the very bottom of the suitcase.

His thoughts were quietly falling apart, almost uncontrollably spilling out.

Every corner of the house held traces of You You. Packing up You You's things felt like slowly stripping away the memories of You You from this home.

Both fathers were unable to sleep that night. After having Yuanzi stay on the second floor to watch over the little one, they moved chairs and sat silently in the yard.

"Do you remember what You You grabbed during his Zhuazhou ceremony?"

It was their first year after adopting You You, after they had returned to Yunshui Town.

Since having a son, Su Siwen's phone had started getting recommendations about parenting.

So Su Siwen held a belated Zhuazhou ceremony for his son, just for the three of them.

The little white bundle was surrounded by a pile of items, while both fathers used bells to guide him to crawl over.

In the end, Su Youli grabbed a child's model camera.

Su Siwen was slightly surprised but quickly used his phone to capture that precious moment.

The past three years flashed through his mind like scenes from a movie. Children change every day, and You You was already three years old.

Qin Kun held him, his voice slightly hoarse. "Do you think You You will still remember us when he grows up?"

Su Siwen didn’t know, but just the thought of standing in front of You You and hearing him ask, "Who are you?" made him unbearably heartbroken.

The nights on Yunshui Street were quiet, so quiet they could hear the sound of the river flowing nearby.

Su Siwen was held in Qin Kun's arms as the two of them flipped through the phone album named "You You" over and over.

"You You is very well-behaved. Even when he cries, it never lasts long." Su Siwen said suddenly, though it was unclear who he was comforting.

Qin Kun murmured in agreement, thinking it was for the best.

Their little one was indeed easy to soothe. Children, when first separated from familiar people, often have uncontrollable emotions, but it gets better with time.

The next two days were the countdown to You You's departure.

During these two days, the two fathers didn’t bring up the matter of him leaving with his biological father for North City.

You You sat on the doorstep, whispering secrets with Yang Yang.

"Yang Yang, my dad made me cake, hamburgers and pizza!"

These were all foods Qin Kun usually rarely let him eat, but now he could eat them every day.

The three-year-old little one, distracted by tasty food, quickly forgot his unhappiness.

Early on the third day, a rumbling clap of thunder sounded, and he was woken up by Kun Kun's dad.

As usual, the little one climbed onto his little stool all by himself, brushed his teeth and washed his face, then held onto Kun Kun and played with him.

While changing clothes, the little one noticed that the clothes he was wearing were new.

"Dad, You You is wearing new clothes!"

His tiny finger pointed at the raised tree design on his clothes, and he grinned from ear to ear.

Qin Kun smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes: "Do you like it, You You?"

"Yes, I do!" He loved the little green tree the most.

Qin Kun's voice grew hoarse as he gently stroked the child's soft hair.

The hair at his temples was slightly curly. Shen Minyan had mentioned that You You's mother had naturally curly hair, and he had inherited it from her.

Not only did You You have new clothes, but he also had new shoes and socks. Holding his dad's hand, he skipped cheerfully downstairs and ate his breakfast with great relish.

Outside the window, the rain grew heavier—it was nasty weather that day.

The little one sat on his Stitch suitcase and asked his dad with a smile, "Dad, are we going on a trip?"

"But it's raining today, so let's just have our adventure in the yard!"

The sound of pouring rain was mixed with several loud honks.

Qin Kun knelt down to help his son put on his raincoat and switched his shoes for rain boots.