Chapter 32 New Clothes and Candied Haws

Chapter 32: New Clothes and Sugar-Coated Haws

Shen Shiyan didn't go to Jinting; there were too many luxury brands there, not suitable for casually strolling around with a child.

Shen Ci followed behind Shen Shiyan with a gaze full of admiration. Before entering the mall, Shen Shiyan suddenly extended a hand toward Shen Ci.

The latter clearly didn't catch on right away, probably still amazed from when he'd circled the car in the garage and seen the distance from the yellow lines on both sides was exactly the same.

He kept his hand out for a moment. When Shen Ci didn't take it, Shen Shiyan looked slightly awkward and uncomfortable. "We always hold hands, don't we?"

As if it finally clicked, Shen Ci broke into a sweet smile at him, quickly grabbing the little finger of the outstretched hand, and let Shen Shiyan lead him inside.

After winter break started, the foot traffic in major malls was huge. Shen Shiyan walked slowly, his gaze sweeping over the shops on both sides.

"Look around and see what you want to buy," Shen Shiyan stopped in a less crowded area, bending slightly to speak near Shen Ci's ear. "Think of it as a reward for your 399 points."

Reward.

For a moment, the mall seemed to fall silent. The discount announcements at the supermarket entrance, the bright laughter of groups of middle and high school girls, the distant cries and screams of babies—all went quiet. In his ears, only those two words remained, spoken in Shen Shiyan's cool voice.

He didn't reply. Shen Shiyan, thinking he was thinking it over, waited quietly and patiently.

The mall's bustling noise returned.

"Can I really?" Shen Ci tightened his grip on Shen Shiyan's hand a little more and asked softly.

Shen Shiyan was taken aback. "Yes."

Shen Ci asked again, "Anything?"

Shen Shiyan nodded. "Yeah, anything I can afford."

So, Shen Ci pulled him along, skipping past one boutique and toy store after another, browsing floor by floor, finally stopping in the children's clothing section on the third floor.

"Want to buy clothes?" Shen Shiyan looked into Shen Ci's peach-blossom eyes, somewhat surprised.

They had plenty of clothes at home. When they first met in the summer, Shen Ci's two sets of new clothes were prepared by Shen Wenzhou's butler. Later, most of the pajamas, autumn clothes, and recent down jackets, scarves, hats, and such were bought by Shen Shiyan, with a few pieces gifted by Qi Zizhu and Song Xianghan.

Shen Ci felt a surge of excitement and said, "Will you shop with me, Daddy?"

Shen Shiyan was a bit puzzled but still accompanied Shen Ci as they browsed.

Occasionally, when Shen Shiyan spotted something he liked, he would take it off the rack, hold it up in front of Shen Ci to check the fit, then select the color Shen Ci liked and take it to the fitting room to try on.

They shopped until evening. Shen Shiyan held Shen Ci's hand with one hand and was carrying five or six shopping bags with the other.

While driving, Shen Shiyan looked at the bags in the passenger seat three times before asking, "Don't you like the clothes at home?"

He briefly worried his taste was bad, leading Shen Ci to pass up the toys and other things kids usually go for and choose clothes instead.

Shen Ci was still sitting in the back right seat, a happy, satisfied smile on his face. He shook his head. "I like them."

Shen Shiyan rolled down the window to pay the parking fee, smiling politely at the attendant in the booth before stepping on the accelerator.

He didn't ask further. Just a few pieces of clothing, not expensive. If the kid wanted them, fine; no need for many reasons. He just needed to know his taste wasn't bad.

Fireworks bloomed in the sky on the right side of the road. Shen Ci's face was almost pressed against the car window as he exclaimed "Wow!" several times.

Shen Shiyan slowed down, only speeding up again after the last spark of the brilliant fireworks faded from Shen Ci's eyes.

"Daddy," Shen Ci sat up straight. "New Year's is almost here."

"Mm," Shen Shiyan grunted in response.

Shen Ci felt like reaching out to touch the shopping bags containing the new clothes in the passenger seat, but he'd have to unbuckle his seatbelt. After a moment's thought, he decided against it.

Suddenly, Shen Ci said out of the blue, "It's so nice."

Shen Shiyan, following Shen Ci's leaping train of thought, didn't know what he was referring to now.

Before he could ask, Shen Ci continued on his own: "Daddy, every New Year, there are lots of people selling delicious food and big red paper on the streets. Then kids on the street get led by their parents to buy new clothes, and when they come out, they can get sugar-coated haws."

The car slowed down again. Shen Shiyan didn't speak, lost in thought.

Shen Ci's voice was tinged with sadness, but it quickly turned cheerful and happy again: "But this year, Daddy is with me!"

Shen Shiyan suddenly understood. It wasn't that Shen Ci thought the clothes at home were unattractive, nor that he disliked those eye-catching toys. Compared to these, what he truly wanted was the process itself.

The process of Shen Shiyan holding his hand and selecting from various clothes.

The process of trying on clothes in the fitting room, then coming out to look in the mirror and asking Shen Shiyan if they looked good.

The process of finally not having to endure hunger and cold on the roadside but having family accompany him to prepare for the New Year.

Shen Ci had never really seemed like an eleven-year-old child. He had lost far too much since childhood. Others always thought he had now obtained what he lacked before, but only he himself knew how much companionship and patience were needed to slowly mend that missing piece of his childhood.

Shen Shiyan wasn't much better off, but he had long felt that he no longer needed this intangible kind of love.

He could buy clothes alone, prepare New Year's red envelopes alone, and have New Year's Eve dinner alone.

Shen Shiyan's chest tightened, and the corners of his eyes grew sore.

"Mm."

He only acknowledged, keeping the unspoken words buried in his heart.

Shen Ci, you're keeping me company too.

Shen Shiyan took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. At the next intersection, he decisively made a U-turn and headed back the way they came.

Only when Shen Ci saw the glowing lights of the large mall in the distance again did he look at Shen Shiyan with some confusion.

They didn't enter the garage. Shen Shiyan just found a place to park across the street, opened the rear door, and Shen Ci, somewhat bewildered, followed him out of the car.

After locking the car, Shen Shiyan took Shen Ci's hand, his warm, dry palm enveloping Shen Ci's entire hand. They walked all the way to the small cart selling sugar-coated haws.

He ordered two sticks of strawberry sugar-coated haws, paid, and handed them to Shen Ci.

The frozen, pale yellow sugar coating reflected the distant lights, giving off an enticing sheen. A piece of the rice paper on top had cracked and was about to fall off. Before Shen Ci could react, he leaned over Shen Shiyan's hand and bit the nearly falling piece of rice paper into his mouth.

It didn't have much taste.

But as Shen Ci leaned close, he caught the faint sweet scent of strawberries mixed with sugar.

"Take it."

Shen Shiyan extended his hand a bit further, and Shen Ci finally took it.

He didn't eat it because he wanted to cry.

Then he started crying, clutching the sugar-coated haws and trying to hug Shen Shiyan with big tears rolling down his face, but someone stopped him.

All the rules Shen Shiyan had never broken in his eighteen years, and all the tenderness and affection he'd never shown anyone else, he poured out on Shen Ci alone.

His ears tinged slightly red as he said, "If you get my clothes dirty, I'll get Sister Song to dump you in the sea."

Shen Ci kept crying, nodding through his tears while asking if the sugar-coated haws could be frozen in the fridge.

Shen Shiyan reached out to wipe away his tears and said, "Go ahead and eat it. I can buy you more whenever you want."

Shen Ci cried even harder.