DLRC – Chapter 77 A Smile That Comes from the Heart

When they arrived at the dessert shop, Yu Wei riding up on her bicycle caught the attention of quite a few neighbors. It was a leisurely time of day—no one was busy—so everyone was gathered at the shopfront, basking in the sun and chatting. Curious glances turned her way as they saw her pedaling up to open her store.

A group of women sat outside Zhao Shufang’s fruit store, all knitting sweaters. When she saw Yu Wei return, she suddenly paused in the middle of knitting a pair of woolen shoes, looked up, and called out, “Yu Wei, you’re back. Where’d you run off to this afternoon?”

“I went to buy a bicycle!” Yu Wei replied with a cheerful smile as she pushed the bike toward the backyard. Since that back courtyard was now owned by Huo Mingwang and he wasn’t using it, she figured she might as well use it to store her bicycle.

The only way to the backyard was through Yu Wei’s dessert shop. At the far end of the shop, next to the bathroom, there was a small door—the only entrance to the back. So even if she didn’t lock her bicycle, it was still very safe in there.

Anyone wanting to access the backyard would have to pass right under Yu Wei’s nose.

When she came back out after parking the bike, Zhao Shufang and a few other older ladies started questioning her curiously.

“Hey, Yu Wei, your dessert shop doing that well? It’s only been open a little while and you’ve already bought a bicycle?”

These tenants had all been running their own little businesses in the area for two or three years. Monthly profits usually only reached 20–30 yuan, maybe 40–60 on good months. After family expenses and utilities, there wasn’t much left to save. But Yu Wei—how had she managed this? Her dessert shop had only been open a few months and she already had the money for a bicycle?

Was the business really that profitable? Their curiosity was thoroughly piqued.

Of course Yu Wei understood what the aunties were thinking. Naturally, she couldn’t go bragging about how much her shop actually earned. In truth, she was pulling in at least ten yuan a day—around a hundred a month at minimum. Compared to the others, it was quite profitable.

But she couldn’t say that. So instead, she smiled and replied, “Oh no, it’s not that profitable. I actually had to borrow money from a friend to buy this bike.”

A friend? What kind of friend would be so generous to lend a couple hundred yuan just like that?

“You’ve got good connections!” one of the ladies chimed in. “No more walking everywhere—saves your legs!”

Yu Wei just smiled without answering and turned to go into the kitchen to make her desserts, start her livestream, and earn some pocket money!

Outside, the women continued to chat idly, knitting away with balls of yarn in hand.

Zhao Shufang clicked her tongue in amazement. “Yu Wei’s quite capable, huh? That bike looks like a high-end one. Must’ve cost a couple hundred yuan.”

“I bet it did!” Luo Chunhua lowered her voice, “Still, your neighbor’s really something. I never see her hanging out with anyone, and yet she’s got such well-off friends?”

Zhao Shufang didn’t know either. She wound a loop of yarn and replied, “How should I know who her friends are? That girl’s either making desserts in her shop or inside drawing and writing with her son. She doesn’t really come out and chat with us, so I don’t know her very well.”

“Exactly! Your neighbor’s quite the odd one. Doesn’t like to chat with us at all. I saw her son with his backpack this morning—must’ve started school, right?”

Zhao Shufang nodded. “Yeah, he started kindergarten yesterday. Heard it’s the one run by the subdistrict office on Sishui Road.”

“The subdistrict office? That kindergarten is a good one! You need connections to get in.”

Zhao Shufang wasn’t too familiar with kindergartens anymore—her son and two daughters were already in middle school.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

The woman knitted a stitch, glanced toward Yu Wei’s shop, then leaned in and said softly, “That kindergarten’s not open to just anyone. All our kids went to the factory’s kindergarten, right? But the subdistrict one is way better, and spots are limited. Getting in usually takes a lot of connections. And Yu Wei’s kid only just started yesterday—must’ve transferred in. That’s even harder!”

“Yeah, transferring mid-term is really not easy.”

“That’s what I’m saying—looks like Yu Wei’s got some pull. Look how soon her shop’s been open, and now she’s already got a bike.”

“She said she borrowed it.”

“Even if she borrowed it, that means she knows people with money! What broke person lends out that kind of cash?”

The women all nodded in agreement. “That’s true.”

As the conversation shifted, Luo Chunhua suddenly lowered her voice again and added, “And don’t forget how pretty Yu Wei is! I’ve been seeing a little sedan parked outside her shop lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if…”

That one comment sent the entire group abuzz, smoothly shifting the topic back to Yu Wei. Everyone subtly dragged their stools a little farther from her shop and began whispering amongst themselves.

Naturally, they talked about Yu Wei’s looks, her figure, her personality, her temper, her skills—and of course, her charming, well-behaved little son.

Another afternoon passed in this idle gossip. It was only 3:30 p.m. when, all of a sudden, the bright sun disappeared. A massive dark cloud slowly drifted over the city, casting a shadow across Lu City.

When Yu Wei pushed her bicycle out, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d gotten the time wrong. The sky looked way too gloomy for it to be just 3:30. But a glance at her phone confirmed it: 3:35.

How odd. She looked up again—it was just a regular overcast sky. Nothing felt off. So she didn’t overthink it and happily rode off on her new bike to pick up her son!

When she arrived at the kindergarten, there were still ten minutes left before class ended. She stood outside with the other parents, waiting. A few young moms around her age struck up a conversation.

“Hey, you look like you’re barely eighteen or nineteen. Your kid’s already in kindergarten?” one of them asked.

Yu Wei scratched her head and smiled sheepishly. “Not at all. I’m already twenty-three!”

“Twenty-three?” That wasn’t so unusual, but the surprising part was how young she looked—barely twenty at most.

“You don’t look it,” the woman said with a giggle. She had a baby-face herself and looked around twenty-five or six. She was clearly good at small talk.

In just a few minutes, the two of them already knew each other’s kids’ class. Turned out her daughter was in the same class as Yu Hui!

“Mama!”

Speak of the devil—right as they turned around, a tiny, gleeful figure dashed toward Yu Wei from the kindergarten gate. Her precious son, of course.

“Huihui!”

Before the words were even out of her mouth, a little puffball came crashing into her arms—soft and warm like a plush heater, pure cotton through and through.

Only today, this little “cotton ball” was more enthusiastic than usual. Yu Wei staggered back a few steps, barely keeping her balance as she caught him.

“Whoa there, my sweet boy! You trying to knock Mama over or what?”

The little guy shyly held her hand, his warmth slowly spreading from her palm to her heart.

“Sorry, Mama. I’ll hug you more gently next time.”

Yu Wei couldn’t help laughing, holding back a chuckle—when a sweet little girl’s voice chimed in from nearby.

“Mama!” The girl from earlier ran over to the mom Yu Wei had just been chatting with, and only then did Yu Wei realize—this was her son’s deskmate!

What a coincidence!

“Yu Hui!” The little girl turned and spotted Yu Hui, beaming as she held her mother’s hand. “Your mama came to pick you up too!”

At this point, everyone in their class knew who Yu Hui’s mom was—after all, she’d brought him lunch several times. With food that smelled that good, who could forget?

“Huihui, this is your desk buddy, right? Say goodbye—we’re going home now.”

Yu Hui obediently waved to the little girl. After the two kids said their goodbyes, Yu Wei brought him over to the bicycle.

At first, he hadn’t really noticed it—there were a lot of bikes outside the kindergarten. But when Yu Wei wheeled it right in front of him, his big eyes went wide in amazement.

“Stunned?” Yu Wei teased, tapping his little forehead.

“Mama?” Yu Hui looked up in surprise, pointing to the bike with his small, pink lips slightly parted. “Mama, whose bike is this?”

“Of course, it’s our bike.” She bent down and lifted her son onto the rear seat. “Aiyo, my good boy, you’re so heavy!”

The little guy wasn’t prepared at all and was suddenly seated on the back of the bicycle. His little hands flailed while his bottom landed right on the cold metal frame.

Normally, Yu Hui would have refuted his mom’s claim that he was heavy, but now, all his attention was clearly drawn to the bicycle.

Before he could continue being amazed, the bicycle suddenly tilted to one side uncontrollably, startling Yu Hui into instinctively gripping the back seat tightly.

But the pain he imagined from hitting the ground didn’t come. When he opened his eyes, he found himself saved—by both Uncle Huo and his mom!

“Careful,” Huo Mingwang said, easily lifting both Yu Hui and the bicycle with his strong arms. The bike now stood steadily on the street while Yu Hui sat on the back seat, still a little dazed.

Yu Wei, too, was clearly frightened.

To be honest, this was her first time riding with her son on the bike, and she had no experience—she hadn’t expected the bike to topple so suddenly.

Thankfully, before she could even scream, Huo Mingwang had already arrived.

“Thank you, thank you!” She didn’t even have time to think about how she had run into Huo Mingwang again today. At this moment, all she felt was relief.

Huo Mingwang looked steadily at the woman in front of him, a hint of a smile in his eyes. His large hands thoughtfully supported the back of the bike.

“When did you get the bike?”

Seeing how familiar he acted with her, Yu Wei instinctively replied, “Just bought it today.”

“Mm.” He glanced at the bike, then rested his gaze on the top of Yu Hui’s head—still wearing the same little pom-pom knit hat.

Suddenly, he smiled. “It’s a good bike. Suits you.”

Huh? Yu Wei blinked, not quite sure what he meant. Somehow, his tone, coupled with his words, made it sound like… they were already very close?

Yu Hui heard Uncle Huo’s voice and turned to look at him. His little face lit up with subtle joy. Yu Wei didn’t see it, but Huo Mingwang did—this little guy was clearly happy. Uncle Huo had saved him again today!

He always showed up at just the right time. It was amazing!

While Yu Wei was still trying to decipher what Huo Mingwang meant, he seemed to notice her confusion. But instead of saying more, he simply and politely offered, “Want to get on? I’ll hold the bike for you.”

With that, Yu Wei suddenly understood everything. Hearing his tone, seeing his gentle expression—what wasn’t clear? This man… was clearly interested in her.

“Mama, are we going now?” Yu Hui, who had been holding the same position for a while, was starting to get tired.

“Yes, let’s go. Huihui, hold on to Mama’s waist!” Yu Wei didn’t refuse Huo Mingwang’s help. She swung one leg over the bike, and Yu Hui quickly hugged her tightly. Then, with the man steadily holding the back of the seat, she put one foot down, the other on the pedal, and the bike slowly rolled onto the main road.

As soon as Yu Wei started pedaling, Huo Mingwang let go of the bike. He stood quietly, watching the mother and son’s retreating backs.

The little guy clung to his mom and, all of a sudden, turned his head to look at Huo Mingwang.

The man and child exchanged a gaze across the crowd. Yu Hui unexpectedly gave him a bright smile, then raised one little hand and waved.

“Huihui, be careful! Don’t let go!” Feeling one arm release her waist, Yu Wei reminded him while riding.

“Oh.” Yu Hui quickly turned his head back and hugged his mom again. He rested his cheek against her back, comforted by the warmth there.

He rarely lost focus like this, but in his mind, the image of Uncle Huo standing tall and handsome behind them lingered. He couldn’t help but wave, and then Uncle Huo smiled back at him.

He saw it—clearly. That smile, coming from deep within Uncle Huo, was a warm and genuine one meant just for him.

“Uncle Huo, why are you picking me up again!”

The silhouettes of the mother and son had vanished from view when Sun Aiying’s excited little voice snapped the man out of his daze.

He looked down. The little girl was reaching up, wanting to be held.

He cheerfully picked her up. The little one smelled sweet—clearly snacking on sweets behind her mother’s back.

That scent reminded him of holding Yu Hui at the hospital. But that little one smelled completely different—soft and milky, like his whole person was made of fluff. Coupled with his soft baby voice, even someone as cold as him found it hard to resist.

Once in his arms, Sun Aiying grinned like a sunflower. “Uncle Huo, I’m so happy to see you!”

“Mm.” Huo Mingwang carried her to the car. Chen Liang had been waiting for a while. He knew his boss had just gone to see Yu Wei—who didn’t by now? It was clear that the boss was using the excuse of picking up Aiying to get close to Yu Hui’s mom.

Tsk tsk. The factory’s busy as ever, but it seems the boss is truly serious about this.

Little Aiying climbed onto the back seat by herself and lay across it, asking the man in front, “Uncle Huo, where’s my mom? I haven’t seen her come pick me up lately!”

Same in the mornings—her mom was always rushing out early and coming back late. And whenever she asked, her mom would just say, “Grown-up stuff, kids don’t need to know.”

She sighed and hoped Uncle Huo might know something.

But Huo Mingwang only replied, “She’s busy,” and didn’t elaborate.

It’s not that he didn’t want to say more. He had been busy himself lately, only making time to drop by the kindergarten to see Yu Wei and her son. Beyond that, he hadn’t paid much attention to anything else.

So he really didn’t know what Sun Aiying’s mother was up to—nor did he feel the need to find out everything about her life.

“Huh?” Sun Aiying stared at the back of the driver’s head and muttered, “Where’s Uncle Li? Why is Uncle Chen driving today?”

Usually, Uncle Li came to pick her up.

“What, don’t like me driving you?” Chen Liang grinned at her through the rearview mirror.

Sun Aiying giggled. “I like it! I like both! But if Uncle Li comes, he brings me candy!”

Li Guobing always liked kids. Ever since he got married, he and his wife had been trying to have one, but two years had passed with no luck.

“Here.” Huo Mingwang suddenly tossed a small box from the front seat, and it landed right in Aiying’s lap.

She curiously pulled it out and saw—it was a sponge cake!

Without hesitation, the little one grabbed half and stuffed it into her mouth. “Thank you, Uncle Huo!” So awesome! Her stomach had been growling for ages, and this was exactly what she’d been craving—cake made by Yu Hui’s mom!

Chen Liang glanced at her through the mirror and laughed helplessly. “You little rascal, you should be thanking me! That sponge cake wasn’t from your Uncle Huo—it was from me!”

Sun Aiying paused mid-bite and sweetly said, “Oh! Then thank you, Uncle Chen!”

Chen Liang chuckled and shook his head, saying no more. The car slowly rolled down the wide main road. Outside the kindergarten zone, the road had opened up, and most of the people walking were either parents picking up kids or workers heading home.

Through the rearview mirror, Huo Mingwang watched the little girl munching happily. Sometimes he couldn’t understand—Liu Xuehua had money, but never liked giving her daughter cakes. Honestly, even if the girl got a bit chubby, it wasn’t a big deal. The most important thing in life was happiness. If she regretted it later, she could always lose weight.

As he stared out at the scenery flashing past the window, his thoughts involuntarily drifted to Yu Wei and her son on the other side of town.

Thinking about weight, his mind suddenly conjured an image of Yu Hui’s tender little face. That delicate baby body of his was already perfect, but what if they fattened him up? What would he look like then?

When his thoughts finally returned to the present, Huo Mingwang was startled to realize just how much he had changed recently. Even Chen Liang, sitting beside him, noticed something was off when he saw the faint smile tugging at his boss’s lips.

The old boss—grumpy and gloomy—seemed to have gradually disappeared ever since meeting Yu Hui’s mom.