TPW – Chapter 10 Xu Haizhou, That Guy’s Really Bold

Qiao Lu suddenly stopped in her tracks and stood in front of him. Her long hair, tousled by the breeze, curved through the air with her movement before softly settling onto her shoulders.

“Didn’t we agree to meet? Was it inconvenient for you?”

The two of them stood face-to-face. The tall, upright young man and the petite, delicate woman stood by the wall, speaking in hushed tones. From a distance, they looked like a beautiful painting.

Xu Haizhou lifted a hand to ruffle his hair and quickly shook his head. “No, no. I just thought you’d come in the afternoon. It’s only nine right now… ahem, my stall’s over there—I’ll take you.”

“Alright.” Qiao Lu smiled at him, pretending not to notice his awkwardness.

It was only about thirty or forty meters from the alley entrance to his stall, but Xu Haizhou somehow made the walk look like a zombie shuffle. It was painfully stiff.

Qiao Lu held back her laughter. Just how nervous was this man about seeing her?

Perhaps her gaze was a bit too intense, because Xu Haizhou felt prickles all over his back. He turned around—and caught her staring right at him.

Qiao Lu returned his glance with a composed smile, which only made Xu Haizhou even more flustered. His hands and feet went out of sync, and his heart began to race uncontrollably.

Shifting his gaze downward, he noticed that little Qiao An was walking timidly beside Qiao Lu, just like yesterday. His dewy, deer-like eyes were wide open as he peeked up at him, cautiously curious.

Amused by the kid’s cute expression, Xu Haizhou suddenly remembered something and pulled out the sour plum candy from his pocket.

“Wanna try it?”

Of course Qiao An wanted to. His head instinctively tilted up a couple centimeters—but he didn’t reach out. Qiao Lu suddenly felt the small hand holding hers grow damp.

“He probably doesn’t want it. Look, he’s not making a move.”

Xu Haizhou understood and was about to put the candy away when the little guy suddenly blurted out, his babyish voice hoarse from anxiety: “I do… I do want it…”

Qiao Lu couldn’t help but laugh. She teased him, “An’an, you didn’t say anything. Mommy thought you didn’t want it.”

This child—guess reverse psychology really does work best on him.

The little guy bit his bottom lip and looked helplessly at Qiao Lu.

“If you want it, just tell Uncle Xu.”

That one sentence earlier had already drained all of Qiao An’s courage. Now there was no way he could say anything more.

“…Don’t want it,” he mumbled.

Such a tiny body, such a dramatic change of mind. A little rascal, but already knows how to be “fickle.”

He couldn’t even muster the courage for a piece of candy. It seemed the mission to help little Qiao An grow confident would be a long one.

As the little one wrestled with his shyness, Xu Haizhou suddenly unwrapped the candy and held it up to his mouth. Qiao An froze for a second—then his gloomy mood lifted instantly.

Xu Haizhou had picked a pretty decent spot for his stall. It was near the intersection at the mouth of the alley. To the east lay an industrial area, to the west was Lian City No.1 High School, the south side had residential buildings for chemical factory workers, and to the north was a small hospital.

His stall sold trinkets and accessories for girls. Just a small table and a stool, with a blue polyester cloth spread over the table. The accessories were laid out casually on top.

The setup wasn’t fancy, but among the nearby vendors, it was considered decent. Some didn’t even have tables—they just spread burlap sacks on the ground and sold from there.

Next to Xu Haizhou’s stall was a young man selling socks. He looked about the same age as Xu, and was his good friend, Li Hongjun.

Even before they reached the stall, Li Hongjun had already started teasing from afar: “Whoa there, Haizhou—someone familiar? When did you get to know such a pretty girl?”

Xu Haizhou paused for a moment and said, “Yeah, this is my partner, Qiao Lu. And her son, Qiao An.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Qiao Lu gave Li Hongjun a once-over, then turned her gaze back to Xu Haizhou.

Xu Haizhou pointed at Li Hongjun and introduced him, “This is my friend, Li Hongjun.”

“Huh?” Li Hongjun was stunned. He rubbed his ears, thinking he must have misheard.

His first reaction was: This beautiful woman is Xu Haizhou’s girlfriend? Then, the more crucial part of the sentence hit him.

—Son? Her son?

Damn. A two-for-one deal?

Li Hongjun couldn’t wrap his head around it. He stood there dumbfounded for a good while before snapping out of it, quickly squeezing out a warm smile and extending his hand.

“Nice to meet you! I didn’t know you were Haizhou’s partner when we spoke earlier. If I said anything out of line, I hope you’ll forgive me!”

His speech was unusually formal and bookish. Qiao Lu couldn’t help but glance at him a couple more times—tall and skinny, with a long face and single eyelids. His eyes were small but sharp, and with his glasses, he gave off a cultured vibe. But he wasn’t some nerd—on the contrary, he looked like a clever, quick-witted type.

Qiao Lu gave him a polite smile. “It’s fine.”

“Heh heh.” Li Hongjun scratched his head, then awkwardly grabbed a stool and wiped off invisible dust from the seat. “Here, sit, sit.”

“Thank you.”

Qiao Lu didn’t sit down herself—she lifted her son up and placed him on the stool. The little guy’s legs were too short, and he kicked them idly as they dangled off the edge.

Meanwhile, Li Hongjun seized every second to observe Qiao Lu.

Up close, she looked barely in her early twenties. With her delicate eyebrows, bright eyes, and perfect teeth—even after having a child, her figure and appearance left nothing to criticize. From afar she already looked beautiful; now, standing this close, he had to admit—this woman was stunning, with both looks and grace.

The more he looked, the more he marveled. “Very nice, very nice. You two are a perfect match—like beauty and talent, ha ha.”

Even Qiao Lu could hear the awkwardness in his laugh.

Way too fake.

“So yesterday, when he didn’t open his stall, he was actually out on a blind date with you, huh?” Li Hongjun asked. “You two moved pretty fast. I heard you’re getting married?”

Qiao Lu smiled. “Yes, we plan to get married after meeting each other’s parents.”

“Wow, that’s great. Really great, ha ha.”

Qiao Lu just smiled, saying nothing. She had a feeling Li Hongjun wasn’t done. And sure enough…

“Um, Comrade Qiao, right?”

Li Hongjun hesitated, but his curiosity got the better of him. “Is this your son?”

He pointed at Qiao An.

“Yes, he’s my son.” Qiao Lu answered clearly, like she knew exactly what he was thinking. “I don’t have a husband. I’m a single mom.”

Only then did Li Hongjun suddenly understand—Oh, second marriage!

He turned to look at Xu Haizhou, now with a trace of admiration in his eyes.

A man on his first marriage choosing a woman who’s been married before—and with a child, no less. Xu Haizhou, this guy’s got guts!

A mix of surprise and respect stirred in his heart. But beneath the amazement, a flicker of envy crept in.

With that figure and that face—even if she were on her third marriage, how many men could resist? What a shame she got scooped up by a guy as dense as Xu Haizhou.

But in the end, it wasn’t his business. Jokes were one thing—he didn’t want to truly upset Xu Haizhou. So, grinning, he picked up a trinket from the stall and tried to play with Qiao An. But the little one wasn’t having it at all—his frosty expression looked at him like he was watching some clown performance.

Li Hongjun burst out laughing at the kid’s cold attitude and scratched his head, puzzled. “Hey, this little guy’s got some attitude. Almost as cool as your Uncle Li.”

Xu Haizhou: “……”

Qiao Lu couldn’t hold back a chuckle. She looked at Xu Haizhou. “Your friend’s really funny.”

Xu Haizhou sighed helplessly. “He’s always like this. Talks too much.”

That made Qiao Lu laugh again. At least the mood had finally loosened up.

Her attention shifted to Xu Haizhou’s stall. It was full of little trinkets and accessories for girls—bits and pieces in various styles. There was a decent variety, but to Qiao Lu, they were all old-fashioned things, the kind of tacky stuff that should’ve gone out of style back in the early 2000s. Nothing really caught her interest.

“Xu Haizhou, you’re a grown man—what made you want to sell accessories?” Qiao Lu asked curiously as she picked up a glass bead hair tie and played with it.

Li Hongjun jumped in to answer, “Because women’s money is the easiest to make!”

Xu Haizhou: “…Don’t project your own views onto me.”

“Oh, come off it.” Li Hongjun rolled his eyes, then suddenly leaned over and patted Qiao Lu’s shoulder, whispering, “Comrade Qiao, let me tell you a little secret.”

Qiao Lu looked puzzled and leaned in to listen. Unexpectedly, Xu Haizhou also leaned in with his head.

Li Hongjun clicked his tongue. “Hey, what are you doing? I’m telling your girlfriend a secret—why are you getting all nosy?”

Xu Haizhou: “…So you do know she’s my girlfriend?”

“Hahaha—” Li Hongjun was always a bit of a clown, and Xu Haizhou knew his personality well. Sure, he wasn’t the most serious guy, but he was incredibly loyal. Even if he never got married in his life, he’d never lay a finger on a brother’s woman.

Still, Xu Haizhou shot him a side-eye.

Li Hongjun just grinned cheekily and shoved him aside, then turned and whispered conspiratorially to Qiao Lu, “There are three stalls on this street selling little accessories, but Haizhou’s business is the best. Want to know why?”

Qiao Lu was curious. “Why?”

Instead of answering, Li Hongjun pointed to his own face and gave her a meaningful look. Their eyes met—and she instantly got it.

“Instant clarity,” Qiao Lu couldn’t help but laugh. She turned to Xu Haizhou and teased, “So this is the real reason you sell accessories?”

Well, damn—he really knew how to use his natural advantages!

Xu Haizhou looked completely baffled. “What reason?”

Wasn’t it just because accessories are low-cost, don’t expire, and have a broad target market? What other reason could there be?

Why didn’t he know anything about this?

Li Hongjun continued whispering to Qiao Lu.

“But don’t worry, Comrade Qiao, I’ll keep an eye on him for you! As long as I’m around, no woman will dare try anything with him!” Most importantly, once the ladies find out Xu Haizhou’s taken, all those who were into him will turn their attention to me. Perfect, absolutely perfect!

Qiao Lu, unaware of this ulterior motive, covered her mouth and laughed. “Then I’ll be counting on you, Comrade Li.”

They exchanged knowing smiles and sat up straight, saying nothing more. The mysterious vibe between them made Xu Haizhou really curious. But considering Li Hongjun’s personality, what could he possibly have said? Probably just airing his dirty laundry…

He glanced at his girlfriend’s unusually delighted expression and sighed—Forget it, as long as she’s happy.

Li Hongjun cleared his throat and changed the subject. “Look, all the socks I’m selling here are women’s socks too. I embroidered some flowers and leaves on them—they sell like hotcakes. Men’s socks? I’ve only got three pairs. They’ve been sitting here for a month and still haven’t sold. I’ll probably end up using them myself.”

When it came to daily goods, it was true—men generally had less desire to spend. Male customers were more willing to spend money on things like cigarettes, alcohol, and industrial goods.

“Then why not just sell women’s socks only?” Qiao Lu suggested.

Li Hongjun gave her a thumbs-up. “Great minds think alike!”

Qiao Lu smiled, then noticed another detail. “Why don’t you guys set up a canopy? What if it rains? And in summer, it must get really hot too.”

“If we put up a canopy, it’s harder to run when the ‘big hats’ show up,” Xu Haizhou replied.

Li Hongjun added, “Haizhou’s stuff can survive a little rain. Mine’s the real problem—socks can’t get wet!”

It was true—most accessories were made from waterproof materials. Socks, on the other hand, weren’t.

“What are ‘big hats’?” Qiao Lu asked.

Li Hongjun explained, “It’s our code word for the urban management officers.”

Qiao Lu suddenly understood.

Coming to Qingteng Alley wasn’t for anything major. Mainly, Qiao Lu wanted to discuss visiting her sister and brother-in-law with Xu Haizhou.

Naturally, Xu Haizhou had no objections. In fact, once he understood how important Qiao Yan was to Qiao Lu, he even offered to prepare a generous gift for her sister and brother-in-law.

So that day, they closed the stall a bit early—around 10:30. Xu Haizhou said they’d go out for a proper lunch first, then head to the department store.

“Dining out again? Isn’t that a bit extravagant?” In the early 1980s, urban residents usually didn’t even spend a whole yuan per day on food. Thrifty people could manage on just two or three jiao (cents).

But dining out? Even the cheaper meals cost one or two yuan, and pricier ones could be four or five—a significant sum compared to average wages.

“It’s fine. It’s not like we do it every day,” Xu Haizhou said casually, without the slightest sign that he found it burdensome. Clearly, he wouldn’t be this generous unless he was confident in his finances.

But from another angle, the fact that Xu Haizhou could afford a bicycle meant his financial situation wasn’t nearly as bad as Sister Liu had made it out to be.

After thinking it over, Qiao Lu agreed. “Alright then.”

Since he didn’t see it as extravagant, what was she worried about?

“Hongjun, we’re heading out.”

Li Hongjun waved with a grin. “Got it, you two go on ahead. I’ll watch the stall a bit longer. Just make sure to invite me when you throw that wedding banquet!”

“Don’t worry, I could forget anyone but you.”

The two men bumped fists—a gesture that showed just how close they were.

Xu Haizhou grabbed the two corners of the tablecloth, lifted it in one swift motion, and all the little accessories clinked and clattered into a pile. He tied it up into a bundle and fastened it to the handlebars of his bike.

Then he turned and motioned for Qiao Lu and her son to get on.

Qiao Lu held her son’s hand and walked over. She was just about to bend down to lift the little guy onto the backseat when she saw Qiao An walk over to Xu Haizhou. The child reached out and tugged on the hem of his shirt.

“Do… do you like being called Daddy or Uncle?” he asked innocently, looking up with bright, round eyes that reflected the man’s confused face.

Xu Haizhou didn’t understand and looked over at Qiao Lu, completely lost.

Qiao Lu couldn’t help but laugh and reached over to tousle her son’s hair. “An’an means, if we get married, would you prefer he call you ‘Dad’ or ‘Uncle’?”

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Xu Haizhou’s eyes. He had never expected Qiao An to ask such a question.

He swung his long leg over the bike and got off. Crouching down, he gently patted the little guy’s head.

Surprisingly, Qiao An didn’t shy away. He let that warm hand rest on his hair, but Qiao Lu clearly noticed that her son’s palm was slick with nervous sweat.

“You can call me whatever you like. What matters is that you’re happy.”

The little one studied Xu Haizhou’s eyes carefully. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul—and Xu Haizhou’s were just like him: clean, clear, and without a trace of deceit.

His pupils were a beautiful amber color, full of sincerity—so much so that even a child could feel it.

“I… I…” The boy fidgeted with his hands, twisting them together. After what felt like forever to the two adults waiting in suspense, he finally said, “I don’t know.”

The smile in Xu Haizhou’s eyes grew even gentler, warm enough to melt someone’s heart.

He continued to gently stroke the boy’s head. Qiao An thought Uncle Xu smelled really nice—like soap, and also a bit like the fragrant balm Mom put on him every morning.

“That’s okay. You’ll figure it out someday. For now, don’t worry about it. I’m taking you and your mom out for lunch. What do you feel like eating?” His voice was deep and clear, as warm and soft as a spring breeze.

The little guy turned his head to look at Qiao Lu.

She smiled and pinched his cheek. “He’s asking you—what do you want to eat?”

The boy blinked, thought seriously for a moment, then said, “I… I like eggs.”

Xu Haizhou smiled. “What else?”

Qiao An: “I also like meat.”

Xu Haizhou: “Anything else?”

Qiao An: “And vegetables.”

Xu Haizhou was still smiling. “Anything else?”

The boy thought hard, but in the end couldn’t come up with anything more. “Umm… no, that’s all.”

Xu Haizhou: “Alright, then today we’ll order meat and eggs for you.”

This time, Qiao An took the initiative. He lifted his little face and said sweetly, “Thank you, Uncle.”

But in his heart, Qiao An was thinking: If Uncle Xu keeps being this nice to me, I’ll call him Dad. But if he’s faking it, I’ll just stick with Uncle.

That one sentence made Xu Haizhou feel like a volcano had erupted in his chest.

He tried lifting Qiao An onto the backseat of the bike. The boy didn’t resist—in fact, he even wrapped his arms around his neck and sat down obediently.

Xu Haizhou’s hands, gripping the handlebars, trembled with excitement.

Qiao Lu climbed on right after and once they were all seated, the bicycle sped off down the road—anyone who saw them would say they looked just like a picture-perfect family of three.

The day was sunny, the air crisp and bright. Breakfast stalls had popped up along the street. Wonton pots steamed away with bubbling heat, and the smell of fried pastries could be picked up from dozens of meters away.

For the first time, Qiao Lu felt that seeing the scenery from the back of a bicycle was much more interesting than riding in a car.

“An’an doesn’t seem as afraid of me anymore.” He remembered how before, the boy not only avoided physical contact but wouldn’t even walk on the same side of the street as him.

Qiao Lu lowered her eyes and glanced at her son, holding back a smile. “That’s because I told him a secret yesterday.”

Xu Haizhou turned his head slightly, curious. “What secret?”

Qiao Lu leaned closer, and Xu Haizhou tilted his body slightly back to match her. He was pedaling slowly, and with the wide, car-free streets of this era, there was no danger at all.

“I told him, if Uncle Xu ever treats us badly, we’ll just kick him to the curb—me and him, together!”