TPW – Chapter 9 Kicking Dad

Little Qiao An had no idea that Uncle Xu was going to become his dad. He didn’t understand what getting a marriage certificate meant, nor what marriage meant, until Sister Liu told him he was going to have a new dad. Then he finally realized.

Uncle Xu didn’t want to be just an uncle—he wanted to be a dad!

Qiao Yan and Yuan Jianghe were both startled. Just a moment ago, everyone was happily enjoying themselves, so why was the boy now silently crying?

“Weren’t you happy today? You happily took cookie from Uncle Xu and said the bicycle was fun. So why don’t you want a dad now? Don’t you like Uncle Xu?”

The little guy shook his head, tears dropping down in big splashes: “Don’t want dad, don’t want cookie, don’t want bicycle….”

He didn’t want anything—he only wanted his mom.

“Why don’t you want a dad?” Yuan Jianghe asked, puzzled.

“Yeah, An’an, tell second aunt, why don’t you want a dad?”

Qiao Yan was anxious too. Although Qiao An wasn’t her own son, after so many days together, who wouldn’t love this obedient little guy? Seeing him shed tears felt even more heartbreaking than watching one’s own child cry… though she didn’t have kids yet.

Qiao Lu was busy trying to hold back his tears with both hands.

Qiao An hiccupped, rubbed his eyes, and said in a deep voice, “Dad is bad.”

Qiao An was only three years old, and many ideas he didn’t know how to express clearly.

Back in the countryside, many men wanted to be his dad. Qiao An didn’t understand why. Most of those men were ugly and old, always grabbing him and asking if he wanted a dad. He knew that “dad” meant father.

If he said yes, they would grin, showing big yellow teeth with evil looks and say, “Then I’ll be your dad, how about that?” If Qiao An refused, they would scold him for being ungrateful, pinch him, hit him. He’d run all over the hills being beaten, and when caught, the “dad” would hit him even harder—until his mom came with a hoe and chased the bad men away…

Since childhood, Qiao An thought “dad” or “father” wasn’t anything good.

He didn’t want a dad, didn’t want a father.

“Do you think Uncle Xu is bad?”

The little guy shook his head, sobbing, “I don’t know.”

Qiao Lu suddenly understood—this kid was scared.

Thinking back to the memories of the original self, it seemed the mother and son had indeed gone through a rough time related to “father” in the countryside.

But you can’t stop eating just because you choked—you have to be careful but also accept.

“If Uncle Xu becomes your dad and treats you badly, we’ll just kick him out, okay?”

“Kick dad out?” Qiao An’s tears suddenly stopped in his eyes.

Not only Qiao An, but Qiao Yan and her husband also looked at Qiao Lu, bewildered.

Qiao Lu gently stroked his head and smiled, “Yes, kick dad out. If dad dares to treat our An’an badly, we’ll kick him right out the door!”

Qiao An’s little hands fiddled together, his mouth slowly curved into a tiny smile. Then with a kick of his little legs, he suddenly pressed against Qiao Lu and hugged her.

“I’m scared.” He said, burying his face in Qiao Lu’s neck, warm tears soaking her shoulder.

“What are you scared of? Mom’s here.” Qiao Lu patted the little guy’s back, soothing him softly.

“Trust Mom. Mom won’t let anyone bully you again. If anyone bullies you, we’ll kick them out and chase them away.”

The little guy’s eyes shone, feeling it was incredible.

“Mom…”

“Good boy, don’t be scared, Mom’s here.”

“Mom.”

With Qiao Lu’s comfort, the little guy gradually dropped his guard.

Qiao An thought, he really liked the mom he had now—he liked the mom who was a little fierce, the mom who carried a hoe and chased bad men away.

What a safe mom she was.

…

The cold wind howled, snowflakes swirled in the air. After seeing Yuan Jianghe off, Qiao Lu boiled a big pot of hot water to soak her feet.

Soaking feet in winter is a poor person’s cheap pleasure—big feet stepping on small feet, mother and son playing happily.

After soaking, the two played parent-child games on the bed. Qiao Lu finally coaxed her son to sleep and sighed, exhausted.

The cold wind blew through the window cracks, and Qiao Lu tucked the blanket around her son.

Tonight, Qiao An was restless in his sleep, clutching her collar tightly with both hands, pushing himself hard into her arms.

Qiao Lu thought he was cold, so she reached out to touch him—but his back was covered in sweat.

“Mom…”

The little guy mumbled drowsily. Qiao Lu thought he had woken from a nightmare and turned on the light, only to find Qiao An sound asleep.

The dim light fell on his face—his lips puckered, brows tightly furrowed. Something bad must have happened in his dream.

Qiao Lu sighed, turned off the light, and held her son close. He rubbed against her in his sleep, mumbling softly.

“Don’t go…”

Qiao Lu gently patted his back, “I’m not going anywhere, I’m right here. Sleep now, sleep well, Mom’s here.”

In the darkness, the little guy’s furrowed brow slowly relaxed.

Outside, the sound of rain grew louder.

Winter mornings were the coldest. The howling wind swept rain pellets against the window glass. The wind rattled the window, making a tapping noise that disturbed peaceful dreams.

Qiao Lu lay sunk deep in her covers, reluctant to move. Thoughts of the promise she made with Xu Haizhou yesterday flashed through her mind—no more wallowing in comfort.

She threw back the covers—whoosh!—that chill was sharp.

“Mommy~” The little guy, freezing, crawled into her arms, his bottom wiggling high in the air.

“The sun’s shining on your bottom, time to get up.”

“Mommy…” he hugged her tighter.

Qiao Lu patted his small bottom, which was plump and springy, perfect to squeeze.

“We’re like pests in this house—get up and work!”

After coaxing for a long time, Qiao An still wouldn’t wake. He kept burrowing into her arms or back under the covers, crawling around like a little puppy.

Of course, a mom had to set an example. So Qiao Lu got up first. When she was dressed, she looked back to find the little guy imitating her.

He was a bit rushed and clumsy, seemingly afraid she’d leave him behind. He didn’t really know how to dress himself—his head stuck in the sweater with no clue where the collar was, buzzing around inside like a headless fly.

“Uh-uh—” After a couple of tries, he toppled over.

Qiao Lu laughed heartily at her son’s antics and quickly helped him find the collar. When he finally saw the daylight, his little face turned bright red, and seeing Qiao Lu, he let out a small cry and threw his arms around her neck.

“Mommy…”

“Here, Mommy will teach you how to get dressed.”

Qiao Lu patiently showed him step by step. The little guy watched intently, eyes wide and round, nodding softly after each step to show he understood.

Whether he actually learned was another story.

After dressing, she boiled water and washed her face. While waiting, she grabbed a broom to sweep the floor and reheated the leftover food from last night, which turned into a fairly decent breakfast for the two of them.

After washing, it was time to apply snow cream.

Back in the countryside, the original self never used such creams. The Qiao family was poor—their yearly income came from work points earned in the fields. Life was hard; they barely made ends meet and had to support the elder sister’s schooling. Rural folks were used to living without creams, and they just endured it.

Qiao Lu was luckier—she was young, and her cracked skin from the cold would heal naturally by the next spring every year.

Later, after moving to the city, Qiao Yan shared her snow cream with her, so that winter Qiao Lu and her son didn’t have cracked faces.

These days, snow cream was considered a luxury skincare product for ordinary people—one jar was almost worth a pound of meat! For two adults and a child, one jar lasted only half a month, and her sister never once complained about being stingy.

Qiao Lu looked forward to earning more money someday to repay her sister.

…

Southern winters often had rain—sometimes it rained continuously for half a month. The cold wind slipped through her collar, making her shiver.

Walking outside, the little dumpling in Qiao Lu’s arms kept burrowing into her chest. His soft little hands were warm and toasty, resting on her neck like a self-heating scarf—it felt cozy and comforting.

Qiao Lu pressed her cheek against her son’s and gently reminded him, “When we go see Uncle Xu later, no crying, okay?”

The little guy’s eyes were clear as glass, and he pouted slightly, looking rather brave. “No crying.”

Qiao Lu smiled and rewarded him with a kiss. “My son is such a good boy.”

The little guy shyly shrank his neck, then after a long pause, suddenly asked, “Mommy.”

“Hmm?”

Qiao An’s brows knit together in a tangle, and after a moment he finally said, “Why does Uncle Xu want to be my daddy?”

This little rascal… still thinking about that, huh?

Qiao Lu considered for a moment, then answered seriously, “Because Uncle Xu likes Mommy, and Mommy likes Uncle Xu. Mommy wants to marry him and give An’an a home with a daddy.”

Although Qiao An didn’t understand why Mommy suddenly liked Uncle Xu, or why Uncle Xu suddenly liked his mommy, he understood the last part—Mommy said she wanted to give him a home with a dad… That sounded pretty nice.

“So… is he Uncle Xu or Daddy?”

Qiao Lu poked his forehead. “We’re not married yet, so call him ‘Uncle’ for now. Or you can ask him yourself if he prefers you to call him ‘Uncle’ or ‘Daddy.’”

“He likes ‘Daddy,’” the little guy said.

Qiao Lu laughed. “You don’t know that! Go ask him and find out.”

After that, Qiao An didn’t speak again. No one knew what was turning over in his little head, but he obediently lay on his mom’s shoulder and gave a little nod.

Lian City was a small city with a population of under three million. To the south lay the sea, and to the east, west, and north were mountains. It was hilly, the land barren, and there wasn’t much arable farmland. The geography meant people couldn’t rely on farming to get rich—if they wanted a better life, they had to use their smarts.

So after the Reform and Opening Up, this area produced the country’s first wave of private street vendors.

In Qingteng Alley, vendors steadily arrived, carrying their goods and claiming spots along the alley. The earlier you came, the better the spot. If you were late, all that was left were the far-off corners.

“Haizhou, why didn’t you come set up your stall yesterday? That schoolgirl who bought a hair clip last time brought her friends this time. There were so many people, but you weren’t here! I had to tell them to come back tomorrow.”

Xu Haizhou slowly arranged his accessories, the corners of his mouth curved into a faint, cheerful smile as if recalling something.

“Forgot to tell you—I went on a blind date yesterday. I’m getting ready for a wedding, so I probably won’t have time to set up shop in the next few days.”

“What?! A wedding?” Li Hongjun froze, stunned for a long moment.

“Yeah.”

Li Hongjun hurried over to him, flustered. “Damn, your love life doesn’t show up for ages and then suddenly comes in like a rocket! You’re telling me you just met her yesterday and you’re already getting married? Who gets hitched this fast? I thought with your personality, you’d be single for another ten years!”

Xu Haizhou glanced at him with a faint smile. “Can’t you wish me something good for once?”

“Fine, fine, you’re the one winning the girl while I stay single in my… damn… empty room! You’ve left me in the dust, man!” As he spoke, he pulled out two sour plum candies from his pocket. “Ugh! These candies are so bitter.”

“How could they be?” Sour plum candy was sweet and tangy—not bitter.

Li Hongjun exploded, throwing the candies at him. “You’re getting married and I don’t even have a female mosquito around me! I’m bitter on the inside, okay?”

Xu Haizhou: “…”

He couldn’t help but laugh, but before he could say anything, Li Hongjun’s expression changed faster than flipping a page. He suddenly pointed behind him and shouted, “Look, pretty girl!”

Li Hongjun had traveled all over the place and spent some time in Guangdong. When he used the phrase “pretty girl” in Cantonese slang, people who didn’t know better might think he was actually from there.

Following the shout, Xu Haizhou turned around. Yesterday, Qiao Lu had worn her hair up, but today it was loose and casually draped down her back, black and silky smooth. The ends lifted slightly with each step she took—graceful yet poised, delicate yet full of charm.

If she didn’t say it herself, who would believe she was a mother?

Upon seeing Qiao Lu, Xu Haizhou abandoned his stall without a second thought.

Panting from running, his chest heaved up and down. “What are you doing here?”