TPW – Chapter 6 Am I Going to Die?

“Table Four! Dishes for Table Four!” The server’s loud voice calling out orders shattered the pink bubble of intimacy surrounding the two of them.

Xu Haizhou quickly stood up, his tone a bit rushed: “I’ll go get them.”

With that, he vanished from sight. He moved quickly, practically taking three steps in two, and brought all five dishes to the table in no time.

After that, he went to get bowls and chopsticks. Just as he sat back down, he realized something was still missing and turned around to ask the server for a small wooden spoon.

So attentive. That was the second time Qiao Lu found herself thinking this.

Xu Haizhou handed the small spoon to Qiao An. Qiao Lu noticed his hands—well-proportioned, with long fingers like bamboo, an elegant shape with just the right touch of strength and structure. A rare sight—truly beautiful hands.

Hand fetishists, rejoice?

On the other side, the little guy didn’t move for a long moment. Finally, Qiao Lu took the spoon for him.

“An’an, Uncle brought you a spoon. Why are you just staring blankly? What should you say to Uncle?”

Since her time-travel, Qiao Lu had made a conscious effort to teach her son basic manners and etiquette. Back in the village, no one taught him these things. Though Qiao An was quiet and easily shy, he was very clever. Once Qiao Lu taught him something, he usually remembered it after one or two times.

He thought long and hard, his little face scrunched up, and after a while, finally squeaked out a tiny mosquito-voice: “Thank you.”

But he said it right into Qiao Lu’s ear.

She couldn’t help but laugh. Gently, she turned his head toward Xu Haizhou: “Uncle gave you the spoon. Why are you saying it to me?”

The little guy’s face turned visibly red like an apple. Shyly pressing his lips together, he glanced at Xu Haizhou and blurted out a quick “Thank you,” then immediately buried his head into Qiao Lu’s arms like a turtle hiding in its shell.

“This kid,” Qiao Lu sighed, stroking his soft hair.

“He seems a little shy,” Xu Haizhou remarked to Qiao Lu as he looked at Qiao An.

Qiao Lu laughed, her eyes curving in delight—genuinely charming. “He is. Been shy since he was little, though he’s gotten better. Back in the countryside, he used to hide behind me whenever someone came near.”

“Well, that’s progress. He’s doing great,” Xu Haizhou said with a smile.

Qiao Lu smiled too and poked the little one in her arms. “An’an, Uncle says you’re doing great.”

The boy remained silent, showing Xu Haizhou only the back of his head. But Qiao Lu, perceptive as always, noticed the embarrassed smile creeping onto his face as he lay in her arms.

She scooped a spoonful of egg soup over his rice. Qiao An couldn’t handle strong flavors—anything like scallions, ginger, or garlic made him nauseous. Qiao Lu carefully picked those bits out for him.

“Thank you, Mama,” he said this time—cheerful and straightforward, no hesitation.

The mealtime atmosphere was much more pleasant than Qiao Lu had expected. The two adults ate and chatted casually, with Xu Haizhou continuing to share more details about his life—everything down to the approximate monthly profit he made from his stall.

Qiao Lu was slightly surprised and teased him with a smile: “You’re telling me all this? What if we don’t end up together?”

Xu Haizhou answered seriously, “It’s not like I gave you my bankbook password—no big deal.”

Qiao Lu couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “You really have a sense of humor.”

The corners of Xu Haizhou’s lips lifted slightly, a flicker of joy flashing through his eyes.

After the meal, the three of them strolled around the area near the restaurant. It was part of the city center, lined with all kinds of state-owned shops and including the local department store.

Xu Haizhou invited Qiao Lu to go inside for a look, but she politely declined.

It was obvious that Xu Haizhou had a good impression of her. During the short time they had spent together, Qiao Lu found him to be quite genuine. She worried that if they went inside the store, he might spend too much, so after thinking it over, she decided to just refuse.

Xu Haizhou didn’t insist. Instead, he stopped by a grocery store and bought a pack of butter cookies, a crab shell pancake, three bottles of Beibingyang soda, and a can of expensive canned yellow peaches—the kind only bought when visiting a sick person.

Beibingyang soda cost fifteen cents a bottle, plus a twenty-cent deposit. After drinking, you return the bottle to get the deposit back. So they didn’t go far, just strolled around a nearby park to help digest.

Actually, compared to her previous blind date experiences—where they only ate without any other activities—this time she and Xu Haizhou even went to the park, which was definitely “progress.”

The sky in ’82 was very blue, white clouds like lumps of sugar. The warm sunlight felt as if it was melting everything. Even in winter, it was quite comfortable to walk outside if the sun was out.

“I don’t know what An’an likes to eat, so I just bought a few things for him to try. Which one do you think he’ll like?”

Xu Haizhou handed over the snacks. As he got close to her, he suddenly caught a faint scent of soap mixed with her unique sweet fragrance, floating gently in the air and creeping into his nose.

For a moment, Xu Haizhou felt as if he had just walked past a garden. Even though he had no intention of picking any flowers, the scent made him reluctant to leave.

Qiao Lu didn’t know what Xu Haizhou was thinking. She casually took a cookie and smiled brightly, saying, “Thanks. My An’an isn’t picky; he’s just a little foodie.”

“Is that so? Little foodie?”

As she spoke, she poked the boy’s neck. The little guy was very ticklish, and under Qiao Lu’s hair brushing against him, he giggled uncontrollably. Usually, he wore a serious, stern expression like an old official, but now, his smile revealed the innocence of childhood, melting the heart of his mother.

She smiled, then suddenly glanced at Xu Haizhou, her apricot-shaped eyes bright and clear. The warm light cast a soft shadow beneath her lashes, partly obscuring her gaze, making her look calm and gentle.

Xu Haizhou’s heart thudded wildly, filled with an inexplicable joy.

On a weekday in broad daylight, few people visited the park, so walking along the tree-lined paths was peaceful. Though it was winter, wild grass grew thick on both sides, and hardy chrysanthemums stubbornly stretched their leaves, adding a splash of color to the cold season.

After finishing the cookies, Qiao Lu handed her son a soda bottle. It was the first time little Qiao An had ever tried this. He took a gulp, and the sudden sting in his throat made his facial expressions delightfully vivid.

Qiao Lu was about to laugh when the little guy’s eyes welled up with tears.

Startled, the mother quickly took the bottle away, but the little one just shed a few drops. Then, looking curious, he said: “Mom, want more.”

Uh-oh, the kid’s hooked.

Qiao Lu couldn’t help but laugh and placed him on the ground. She handed him the soda bottle again. He gulped down several mouthfuls until half the bottle was gone.

After finishing, he burped and felt a strange, indescribable tingling sensation in his throat that he had never experienced before.

Little Qiao An had successfully been scared into tears.

This time, Qiao Lu truly couldn’t hold it in. Even though he was her own son, she laughed out loud without restraint. Her laughter could be heard across the trees.

“Oh, son, it’s okay, it’s okay, totally normal, ha ha ha,” she said, wiping his tears in a flurry while laughing so hard she was out of breath.

Xu Haizhou, nearby, thoughtfully pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Qiao Lu, trying not to laugh.

Qiao Lu took it and thanked him, wiping the crumbs and tears from her son’s face.

The little guy, still crying a bit, said mournfully, “Mom, am I going to die…”

Pfft—who could hold back from laughing at that?

“Oh, son, you won’t die. How could you die? This is soda—it’s supposed to be like that. After you drink it, bubbles form in your stomach,” she said, placing her hand on his little belly and slowly moving it upward, “Then the bubbles rise up from your stomach to your mouth, and you burp. It’s okay, don’t be scared.”

But that feeling was too unfamiliar, and his teeth felt a bit rough and bitter—he had really been scared just now.

With Qiao Lu’s soothing, the little guy gradually calmed down. Later, he hiccupped a few times intermittently. It seemed like everything was really okay, so he stopped crying with sniffles, though he didn’t dare drink the remaining half bottle of soda.

“Have a cookie to calm your nerves.”

Xu Haizhou handed him a crab shell pancake and reached out to pat his head, but the little guy dodged away.

Qiao An looked at him warily, then grabbed Qiao Lu’s hand and took a step back.

“Uncle gave you a crispy biscuit, come on, take it.”

He hesitated for a long while, glanced up at Xu Haizhou, then looked down to confirm it was just a plain crispy biscuit before putting it into his mouth.

At this moment, a few tears still clung to the corners of his eyes, shaking along with his chewing — absolutely adorable.

Crab shell pancakes, shaped like crab shells and also called “little crispy biscuits,” are mostly filled with dried pork and vegetables or honey, baked over charcoal. Although the ones Xu Haizhou bought were from a state-run small shop, the brand was once a famous century-old establishment in all of Lian before the founding of the country. Their pork-filled crispy biscuits were especially authentic — crispy outside, fragrant inside, with plenty of filling that was oily but not greasy, leaving a lasting fragrance.

“Good?” Qiao Lu asked her son.

“Good~” His eyes lit up; how could he say it wasn’t?

“Who gave you the biscuit?” Qiao Lu asked again.

The little guy paused mid-chew, with a blackish dried vegetable speck stuck to the corner of his mouth, like a mole. Combined with his pink, tear-streaked nose, he looked both silly and cute.

Qiao An raised his eyes to meet Xu Haizhou’s — a rare serious gaze between big and small — but he didn’t hold it long before bashfully leaning against Qiao Lu’s leg, quietly whispering, “Uncle…”

Qiao Lu helplessly rubbed his head and coaxed, “What should you say to Uncle?”

After a long pause, Qiao An finally spoke.

“Thank you…” The words were whispered close to Qiao Lu’s thigh, barely audible.

“What? Mom didn’t hear, and Uncle didn’t hear either.”

The little guy closed his eyes and then shouted loudly as if he was going all-in: “Thank you!”

After saying it, he opened his eyes and suddenly realized being brave wasn’t all that hard.

“Good job,” Qiao Lu rewarded him with a thumbs-up.

Xu Haizhou also praised him sincerely: “Qiao An is a very polite little boy.”

The little guy finally showed the first joyful smile of the day. His walking steps changed from hesitant to a lightly upbeat rhythm.

Later on, Qiao Lu never expected it: the little boy Qiao An, whom she had thought would be a stumbling block, actually became the very reason for the two adults to connect.

Starting from talking about Qiao An, the two adults warmed up to chatting about child-rearing, growing deeper and branching out into more profound topics.

Qiao Lu strangely discovered that their values and outlooks were inexplicably aligned.

At that moment, the clouds parted layer by layer, and the sunlight playfully peeked out, coating the two in a golden glow.

On the tree-lined path, the little guy ran ahead of the two adults chasing butterflies, while the wind rustled the leaves and the chirping birds alternated as background music.

Xu Haizhou suddenly lowered his head, and Qiao Lu suddenly raised her eyes. He saw her clear eyes, reflecting only his face.

It was a little blurry.

But the more she looked, the clearer it became.

Though it was their first time together, both felt as if their souls were already half connected.

Plop—

A small stone was kicked by Qiao An into the lake, sending shimmering ripples spreading out.

Qiao Lu’s breath caught, sensing something. Her heartbeat suddenly skipped a beat.

“Qiao Lu.”

“Hmm?”

In the quiet surroundings, he suddenly called her name. After saying it, he fell silent—a silence so deep and overwhelming it seemed even the sunlight hushed, leaving only the fiery beating of his heart thundering in his chest like drums.

After a long while, he finally forced out a few words.

“What do you think… what do you think of me?”

After he spoke, Qiao Lu was stunned for a moment; her mind went blank for a second, then she smiled faintly.

“Pretty good.”

Xu Haizhou nodded seriously and replied, “I think you’re pretty good too.”

Qiao Lu stifled a laugh, “Hmm.”

The man gave her a quick glance, but the moment their eyes met, he quickly turned his head away to avoid her gaze.

His voice carried a barely noticeable nervousness: “Do—you have time tomorrow?”

Qiao Lu blinked, “Yes.”

“I’m setting up a stall at Qing Teng Alley, right across from No. 1 Middle School. If you…”

Before he finished, Qiao Lu interrupted, “I’ll come find you tomorrow.”

“Ah, okay.” For some reason, every time he looked into Qiao Lu’s eyes, Xu Haizhou felt like she could see right through all his thoughts.

He covered his mouth with his fist and coughed twice, then said, “Then we…”

Before he finished, Qiao Lu blurted out, “Let’s be together!”

“Cough cough cough—”

Caught off guard, those six simple words sounded utterly shocking to Xu Haizhou. His heart boiled like it was being fried in oil, and his face flushed red from coughing.

Qiao Lu tilted her head and touched the back of her neck. “Was I too forward?”

But she thought, given Xu Haizhou’s indecisive nature, if she didn’t take the initiative, the man might circle around the point for days without ever saying it outright.

“No.” The two words slipped out instantly, his face tightening like a battle-ready soldier, expression stiff as a board. “Comrade Qiao Lu, have you thought it through? You want to date me?”

Startled, he immediately shifted from calling her “Qiao Lu” to “Comrade Qiao Lu.”

“Uh…” Looking at his serious face, Qiao Lu rolled her eyes and stammered, “Actually…”

For a full two minutes, Qiao Lu put on a very conflicted expression. Xu Haizhou’s heart, which he’d barely managed to calm, thumped even harder, as if a fire was burning inside him, then water flooding it, and finally a heavy stone pressing on his chest.

Just when Xu Haizhou was anxiously thinking Qiao Lu had regrets, a bombshell exploded.

“Actually, I think getting married right away would be easier.”

Xu Haizhou: “!!”