TPW – Chapter 11 I’m Qiao Lu’s Partner

Xu Haizhou froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Good—great idea!”

He truly hadn’t expected Qiao Lu to educate her child this way. But he didn’t think it was bad at all. On the contrary, he found it amusing—and he strongly approved.

If it had been some other mother, she might’ve just told the child directly: “Don’t be afraid of Uncle Xu, Uncle Xu is a good man.”

But that kind of approach actually wasn’t effective. On the surface, the child might be forced to act unafraid, but deep down, the fear and resistance would remain. That’s because the adult hadn’t given the child any real sense of security—just repeated “Uncle Xu is a good man” like a mantra. That’s simply an adult imposing their beliefs onto a child.

Qiao Lu’s method was better. She gave the child a hypothetical scenario: If Uncle Xu treats us badly, what should we do?—she showed him the worst-case outcome.

Children from single-parent households tend to be more sensitive. In a blended family, what’s the most important thing? A sense of safety for the child, of course. Seeking benefit and avoiding harm is human instinct. Even though Qiao An was just a little boy, that instinct was ingrained—it couldn’t be changed.

So honestly, Qiao Lu really had a knack for parenting.

“If I treat you badly, you can kick me—promise I won’t fight back!”

Pfft—

Qiao Lu couldn’t hold back a laugh. For the first time, she discovered that Xu Haizhou actually had a sense of humor. She quickly patted her son on the shoulder.

“You hear that, An’an?”

The little guy nodded and shyly pressed his lips together.

“Y-you really won’t fight back?” Qiao An cautiously leaned his head forward, a gentle breeze lifting the little wisps of hair on his forehead, making them stick up like a tuft.

Xu Haizhou turned and met a pair of big, sparkling cartoon eyes. Being looked at like that by such an adorable little guy, his heart practically melted.

“That’s right—I definitely won’t fight back.”

Qiao An’s mood instantly lifted. He said cheerfully, “Then I won’t hit you either!”

That one innocent comment made both adults laugh uncontrollably. The bicycle turned easily onto a broader, more open road.

“Qiao An is such a well-mannered little gentleman. Uncle’s very happy to be your dad.”

Having grown up in a poor, remote mountain village, Qiao An had never met a man as polite as Xu Haizhou. Nervous, he clenched his little hands into tight fists.

Then, after a long silence, he suddenly said, “Thank you.”

Even Qiao Lu hadn’t expected her son to say that, let alone Xu Haizhou.

Relieved. Truly relieved.

She remembered how, when she first crossed over to Lian City, she thought her son might be autistic—so quiet, withdrawn, and joyless, like a little old man. But it turned out, her An’an was actually a sweet and courteous little darling deep down!

Mua~ My son is amazing! Mama’s giving you a kiss as a reward!

She cupped her son’s little face and gave him a big, wet smooch on the cheek.

Qiao An burst into giggles. He lifted his chubby arms, wrapped them around his mom’s neck, and gave her a big smacking kiss in return, leaving a not-so-subtle saliva print on her face. Then he giggled again, beaming with a silly grin.

Qiao Lu couldn’t help laughing—My son is too adorable!

Their clothes flapped in the breeze, the wind gentle and cool. Listening to the playful laughter behind him, the curve at the corner of Xu Haizhou’s lips grew wider and wider.

They had lunch at a state-run restaurant—one meat dish, two vegetables, and a soup. It was practically a feast.

Qiao Lu thought, If I marry Xu Haizhou and we eat like this every day, Qiao An’s going to go from a skinny little monkey to a chubby little pig!

Qiao An loved steamed egg custard the most. Mixing it into rice made it taste absolutely divine. But because it had just come out of the pot and was still a bit hot, the little guy ate too fast and ended up burning his mouth. Even with teary eyes, he was still unwilling to slow down.

Qiao Lu, amused and exasperated, pulled back the spoon he was about to put in his mouth. “Slow down, slow down—no one’s going to steal it from you.”

“Mama, you eat.” The little guy scooped a spoonful of egg custard into her bowl.

“Thank you, An’an.”

“Uncle, you eat.” Qiao An pointed at the egg custard but didn’t scoop any for him.

Xu Haizhou was flattered and pleasantly surprised. “Thank you, An’an.”

The little guy gave a shy smile and dug into his rice with gusto, snorting and sniffling as he ate, looking like he was ready to take on three whole bowls.

After lunch, the three of them strolled around the streets a few times to help digest the meal. Once they’d walked it off, they headed to the department store to buy some gifts.

There was only one department store in all of Lian City, located on Zhonggu Street—the most bustling area of downtown. But the city center of today couldn’t compare to what it would look like twenty years later. The main road was wide, but the pavement was rough and cracked in many places. Aside from the grand, three-story department building, the surrounding area was full of old, low-rise houses that didn’t quite match the status of a “city center.”

The department store was much better stocked than the rural supply and marketing cooperatives. It sold everything, divided into several sections. The food section was the most crowded, where people mainly came to buy oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. Next was the daily necessities section, where people bought soap, matches, and towels—it was packed as well.

Xu Haizhou led the mother and son straight to the food section. Behind the glass counters were rows upon rows of tempting goods. The wall behind the shop assistants was lined with various groceries.

The counter area was a bit cramped, and many people were just browsing, not buying, getting in the way. Qiao Lu, carrying her son, was just about to squeeze in when Xu Haizhou grabbed her arm.

He turned his body slightly, enclosing the mother and son within the protective circle of his arms. One arm wrapped around Qiao Lu’s shoulder while the other gently pushed aside the crowd in front, shielding them as he led them to the counter.

His tall figure was like a barrier, completely shielding the mother and child. By the time they made it to the front, not even a strand of hair was out of place.

Just as Qiao Lu steadied herself and was about to catch her breath, she heard the man beside her telling the shop assistant, “One box of tea, yes, Pu’er, please.”

“Two boxes of peach crisps, a pound of sunflower seeds, a pound of glutinous rice sticks, one box of water chestnut cake, one box of rock sugar, and a can of canned yellow peaches.” He rattled off the list like calling out dishes, then turned to ask Qiao Lu, “Does your brother-in-law smoke? Drink?”

Qiao Lu nodded unconsciously. “He smokes occasionally. Drinks a little too, sometimes.”

“All right, then two packs of Peony cigarettes, one bottle of Jian Nan Chun liquor, one can of malted milk… and also—”

Qiao Lu quickly grabbed his arm to stop him from pointing randomly. “That’s too much! Enough, really, it’s already too much.”

She couldn’t help thinking about how much money and ration tickets this would cost. These days, unless it was a holiday, most people couldn’t bear to buy so many non-staple goods. It was really expensive.

“Too much?” Xu Haizhou lowered his head and looked at her with amusement.

People in the south tended to be shorter than those in the north, and even in a crowd, Xu Haizhou’s height stood out. That, paired with his handsome features—when he smiled like that, not only women but even some men would sneak glances at him.

Ugh! In public, using that gaze to flirt—what was he doing?

Feeling the heat rise in her cheeks under his tender, lingering gaze, Qiao Lu scratched her nose awkwardly and hurriedly shoved the malted milk powder toward the shop assistant.

“That’s enough, really! Skip the malted milk and the water chestnut cake. Malted milk isn’t that nutritious—it’s basically just sugar water. And the water chestnut cake is too expensive, not worth it. My sister’s alone at home, she won’t be able to eat that much. If we leave it sitting too long, it’ll spoil.”

Truth be told, even without those two items, it still felt like too much. The man’s generosity left Qiao Lu feeling a bit overwhelmed.

It was the first time Xu Haizhou had heard someone criticize malted milk. He chuckled softly, his low, misty voice brushing her ear like a feather, making it tickle.

In the end, he didn’t argue, and respected her wishes. “Okay.”

The shop assistant behind the counter gave Qiao Lu several assessing glances, wondering where this country bumpkin came from—she even looked down on malted milk! That stuff was considered a luxury. Then she glanced at Xu Haizhou, who was spending generously, and couldn’t help but sigh—these days, you really see all kinds of strange pairings.

Xu Haizhou couldn’t carry all the gifts by himself, so he handed some to Qiao Lu. The little guy wanted to help too, loudly insisting on carrying something for Mom and Uncle. Amused and helpless, Xu Haizhou gave him a box of tea—it was light.

“Thank you!” The little guy said seriously, even though he was the one helping. Both Qiao Lu and Xu Haizhou laughed so hard their cheeks ached.

Across from the department store was a consignment shop. Xu Haizhou went in and bought a burlap sack from the owner. He tossed all the items into the sack. Since the back seat of the bike was for passengers, the sack had to be tied to the front bar. The liquor bottle, being fragile, was given to Qiao Lu to carry in her arms.

The three of them worked together to tie the sack securely. Just as they were about to set off, Qiao Lu suddenly saw something, and without warning, grabbed Xu Haizhou’s arm and pulled him toward her. The man’s tall, straight body was instantly forced to act as a human shield in front of her, like a wall.

“What’s wrong?”

Xu Haizhou was confused, but reflexively scooped Qiao An into one arm, and with the other, pulled Qiao Lu close to his chest. His expression turned serious.

The “family of three” huddled together in a rather odd pose, making quite the visual.

Before he could ask again, Qiao Lu spotted someone getting closer from beneath his raised arm. She suddenly clutched the front of his shirt tightly and hunched down even lower.

“I just saw an enemy!”

Xu Haizhou paused. “What kind of enemy?”

Qiao Lu replied solemnly, “A romantic one!”

Xu Haizhou looked around. There were men and women everywhere—he couldn’t tell who she was referring to.

Just as he was trying to figure out who this “romantic enemy” was, the pleasant scent of her balm suddenly disappeared. Qiao Lu had taken Qiao An by the hand and stepped out of his protective hold. She stood on tiptoe and scanned the crowd, then patted her chest and said:

“I was just messing with you.”

Xu Haizhou couldn’t help but laugh. He could tell the kid’s mom hadn’t really been joking, but he didn’t press her. He straddled the bicycle and waited for her to get on.

On the way back, Qiao Lu gave a brief explanation about Wang Bin.

Since she was sitting behind him on the bike, she couldn’t see Xu Haizhou’s expression or guess what he was feeling. She only heard his voice, calm and steady, carried on the wind.

“Did he bother you again after that?”

Qiao Lu shook her head. “He said some nasty things the day I quit, but I never saw him again after that. I guess he gave up. With his kind of background, I’m sure plenty of women would throw themselves at him—he doesn’t need me.”

Up ahead, Xu Haizhou was silent for a couple of seconds. The wind continued to rush past their ears.

“It’s fine. You’ve got me now.” Protecting his woman—that was a man’s duty. From now on, she wouldn’t need to please anyone just to survive.

Qiao Lu was of course happy to hear something like that, but she didn’t get carried away or let it go to her head.

Words from a man—believe half of them at most. She had already done her part to be honest and open with him. She’d told him everything she could, just to avoid misunderstandings later if anyone decided to spread gossip.

Before long, the bicycle arrived at the communal housing building.

Qiao Lu got off the bike with her son in her arms. “See you tomorrow, then. Don’t be late—my sister doesn’t like people being late.”

“Alright.” Xu Haizhou glanced at her, then rummaged through the burlap sack and pulled out a box of peach crisps. “For An’an.”

Qiao Lu quickly refused, “Those are for my sister. Just leave them.”

“I’ll just buy more,” he said, and firmly handed the box to Qiao An.

The little guy looked at Qiao Lu uncertainly.

“Come on, say thank you to Uncle.”

Qiao An, now very well-behaved, opened his mouth and sweetly said, “Thank you, Uncle~”

Xu Haizhou smiled in satisfaction and gently patted his cheek. He then got back on the bicycle and gave Qiao Lu one last look. A smile lingered on his lips, and her reflection shimmered in his eyes.

“See you tomorrow.”

Qiao Lu replied, “Bye.”

Sunday came with rain, and it was still bitterly cold. Qiao Lu got up early and couldn’t help glancing out the window over and over again—Qiao Yan had already counted, and it had to be at least eight or ten times.

As she peeled bamboo shoots, she laughed and teased, “Alright already! You’re not even married yet and you’re acting like this. What, you wish you had wings to fly over to his place?”

“You’re exaggerating.” Qiao Lu retracted her gaze and happily helped her sister pick vegetables. “You didn’t see it—yesterday, he bought gifts like money was no object. He packed such a big sack! And now it’s raining—he’s riding a bike and has to hold an umbrella. Carrying all that stuff, it’s not safe!”

Qiao Yan tapped her on the nose with a grin. “You think he’s as silly as you? Doesn’t know how to just walk over? Has to ride a bike?”

Qiao Lu froze. “Oh yeah.” The courtyard was only two blocks away from the housing unit.

She patted her head—could falling in love really make someone stupid? But they’d only been together for two days… it couldn’t be that serious, right?

The more she thought about it, the funnier it seemed. A leftover woman like her, falling in love and suddenly acting like a schoolgirl? Or maybe the original host’s “love-brained” genes still lingered subconsciously?

At that moment, the hallway outside the door grew noisy with movement.

“Comrade, who are you looking for?”

“Hello, may I ask if Qiao Lu’s sister lives on this floor?”

“Qiao Lu? You’re looking for Qiao Lu?”

Song Yulian looked him up and down, noting the many bags in his hands. She couldn’t help but wonder about his identity. “And you are…?”

“I’m Qiao Lu’s partner. I’m here today to visit her family.”

Song Yulian was stunned for a moment, clearly skeptical. She gave the man such a thorough once-over it was like she was poking holes in him with her eyes. The longer she looked, the more impressed she became—whose outstanding young man was this?

“Oh wow, Qiao Lu has a partner now? That’s wonderful!”

Her loud voice quickly drew all the neighbors out. In an instant, the hallway was abuzz with chatter.

“What a handsome young man! Where are you from?”

“Which factory do you work at?”

“How did you and Qiao Lu meet? You look so young—are you remarried too?”

“So handsome—why didn’t my daughter run into you instead?!”

Qiao Lu opened the door and hurriedly pulled him inside. “We’ll chat later, chat later!”