TIPS – Chapter 78

Shen Junxi was in the yard, dumping out freshly dug water chestnuts to clean them. Once they were washed clean, they could be peeled and chopped for making dumplings at noon.

Yang Shi instructed her son to put the washed water chestnuts in a wooden basin and take them inside to peel them with his wife. The three of them each held a small knife, chatting and laughing as they quickly finished peeling a whole basin of water chestnuts. Yang Shi said, “These will be chopped up for the dumpling filling, and these will be kept to make water chestnut cakes for our daughter-in-law tonight.”

“Okay.” Shen Junxi carried them to the kitchen.

Yang Shi smiled at Song Jingwei and said, “Junxi knows how to make water chestnut cakes too. Let him make some for you.”

Song Jingwei was quite surprised. He had also heard before that Shen Junxi was good at making dumplings and that they looked very nice.

Today, Shen Dongming didn’t go to the fields. When he heard that the family was making dumplings in the living room, he joined in with a big smile and said, “I’ll roll out the dumpling wrappers for you.”

“That would be great.” Yang Shi grinned and introduced a child in the room to him. “Look, dear, this little one was picked up on the road.”

Shen Dongming curiously touched Qiu Tianbao’s chubby face and laughed heartily. “A plump little boy, not bad at all.” He wondered if his own eldest grandson would also be this chubby and adorable.

“Exactly.”

On this winter noon, the family sat around the table, a charcoal stove burning nearby, chatting and laughing as they made dumplings.

Song Jingwei finally got to see Shen Junxi’s skills firsthand—he was indeed fast and precise. Curious, he asked, “Do you make dumplings often?” His skill made it seem like he had practiced a lot.

“Yeah.” Shen Junxi placed a finished dumpling onto the plate and gestured as he explained, “My family likes to eat dumplings.” In the past, when they were poor, they couldn’t afford meat dumplings and had to make vegetarian ones instead. Even though the fillings were simple, he always tried to make them taste as good as possible so his family could enjoy them.

“Oh.” Song Jingwei nodded, then picked up a dumpling wrapper and tried to imitate him.

“That’s not the right way to wrap it.” Shen Junxi demonstrated again, then patiently guided Song Jingwei’s hands, slowly wrapping a dumpling together with him. After finishing, he smiled and let Song Jingwei place it on the plate himself.

Looking at the neatly made dumpling in his hand, Song Jingwei smiled and continued wrapping another one.

“Uncle, I want to make dumplings too!” Qiu Tianbao, who had already eaten his fill, squeezed in eagerly.

Yang Shi quickly coaxed him, “Tianbao doesn’t know how to make dumplings. Go play over there, okay?”

Qiu Tianbao shook his head and insisted, “Tianbao knows how! Tianbao wants to make dumplings!”

Song Jingwei wasn’t good at coaxing kids, so he simply threatened, “If you keep making noise, I’ll send you away and let a tiger take you.”

“…” Qiu Tianbao looked at Song Jingwei in fear and immediately quieted down.

The whole Shen family looked at Song Jingwei with the same thought in their minds—this future father would definitely be a strict one. Would the scene in the future be like this: Song Jingwei punishing the child while they all tried to comfort him?

Meanwhile, Yuan Guanlin arrived at the entrance of the Shen family’s house and suddenly realized that he had been here before—he had even drunk tea in this house. More importantly, he had just met the daughter-in-law of this house the day before. He felt complicated, thinking he never expected to see him again so soon; he had assumed they would never cross paths again.

“Who is it?” Shen Dongming opened the door and saw a young man he didn’t recognize. “Who are you looking for? What’s the matter?”

“Uncle, I’m looking for a child,” Yuan Guanlin said, glancing inside the house.

“Oh, so that kid belongs to you?” Shen Dongming immediately let him in while saying, “He’s inside, just finished eating. You really weren’t careful, how could you lose a child like that?”

Yuan Guanlin scratched his head irritably. Losing the child was indeed his fault, so he admitted, “Who knew he’d be so restless? I just turned around for a moment to relieve myself, and he disappeared.”

“Hahaha…” Shen Dongming burst into laughter, finding it quite amusing.

Inside the house, everyone was surprised to see Yuan Guanlin, except for Song Jingwei, who remained indifferent and simply said, “Since you’re here, take him with you. Be more careful next time. If he had run into bad people instead of us, he might never have made it back.”

“…” Yuan Guanlin opened his mouth but had nothing to say—losing the child was indeed his fault.

“Uncle Guanlin!” Qiu Tianbao happily ran toward the familiar figure, but after a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

“Tianbao, come here. Uncle will take you home,” Yuan Guanlin said, his usually stern face softening for once.

“Um…” Qiu Tianbao shook his head, turned around, and hopped back to Song Jingwei’s side, saying, “I’m not going back. I want to stay with my little dad.”

Yuan Guanlin’s mouth twisted in confusion, his expression looking as if he had just seen a ghost. “What did you say? You called him ‘little dad’?”

Qiu Tianbao clung to Song Jingwei’s clothes and said, “Yes! He is my little dad! I finally found him!” His tone was filled with hardship and longing, making Yuan Guanlin feel utterly baffled.

“Are you out of your mind? Who told you he’s your little dad?” When their leader Qiu Rui had found this child, he had been all alone. No one knew whether his father or mother was still around, but one thing was for sure—he definitely wasn’t born from this pregnant man standing in front of him. Yuan Guanlin’s face twisted in disbelief, feeling like the world had suddenly stopped making sense.

“I asked my dad, and he said my little dad is very good-looking. I look just as good-looking as my little dad,” Qiu Tianbao said, lifting his small chin with a proud expression.

“Come on, he is not your little dad,” Yuan Guanlin wanted to say that his real little dad had been gone for years, maybe even dead.

“You’re lying. He is my little dad!” Qiu Tianbao insisted, clinging tightly to Song Jingwei.

“Hiss…” Yuan Guanlin sucked in a breath, feeling helpless. He turned to Song Jingwei and said, “Tell him yourself that you’re not his little dad, so he can come home with me already.”

Song Jingwei was willing to comfort Qiu Tianbao, not for Yuan Guanlin’s sake, but because he wanted the child to return to his real parents. He gently said to Qiu Tianbao, “Your uncle is here. Go back with him, okay? Isn’t your dad waiting for you on the boat? Don’t you miss him?”

Qiu Tianbao frowned in distress and said, “I do miss my dad, but… I also want to be with little dad…”

“I’m really not your little dad,” Song Jingwei said, placing the child’s hand on his own belly. “Feel this—this child here is my baby, but you are not.”

Children’s thoughts are often unpredictable. Instead of being discouraged, Qiu Tianbao was thrilled when he felt Song Jingwei’s belly. “I have a little brother now!” he exclaimed happily.

Everyone in the room exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. This kid didn’t want his real dad anymore and was set on sticking to someone else’s dad.

“Kid, get over here, or I won’t want you anymore!” Yuan Guanlin tried switching to threats, figuring that if soft words didn’t work, he would just grab him outright.

“If you don’t want me, that’s fine. Little dad wants me,” Qiu Tianbao blinked his big eyes and inched even closer to Song Jingwei.

“You—fine! I’m leaving! I’m not taking care of you anymore!” Yuan Guanlin said in frustration. He turned and walked a few steps away before suddenly lunging forward to grab Qiu Tianbao.

But Qiu Tianbao had clearly been through this situation before. He darted away and crawled under a wooden table, shouting, “Uncle is bad! Uncle wants to catch me!”

“…” Yuan Guanlin, being tall and muscular, had no way of fitting under the table. He was so angry that his nose nearly went crooked. “You ungrateful little brat! I’m your real family, and yet you’re clinging to some outsider and refusing to even acknowledge your own dad!” He added, “Fine, I’m going back to tell your dad to come and get you himself!”

Qiu Tianbao, filled with wild ideas, said, “Go ahead! Tell my dad to come and take my little dad with him, too!” That way, the three of them could all be together.

“…” Yuan Guanlin snorted coldly and shot Song Jingwei a glare before leaving. It was all this man’s fault—what was he doing attracting Qiu Tianbao like this? Now the kid wouldn’t even acknowledge his own father.

Song Jingwei met Yuan Guanlin’s glare with an expressionless face, completely unfazed. It wasn’t like he had intentionally tried to win Qiu Tianbao over—the child had clung to him all on his own. He had nothing to feel guilty about.

“Tianbao… I’ll leave you here for now, but I’m going back to get your dad to pick you up,” Yuan Guanlin said before striding off. Strangely enough, when he met Song Jingwei’s calm gaze, his own aggressive energy seemed to diminish significantly.

Song Jingwei simply replied, “I’ll take care of him until someone comes for him.”

With one last glance at Qiu Tianbao, Yuan Guanlin turned and left.

He was tall and had long legs, so it didn’t take him long to get back to the docks. One of the boatmen saw him return so soon and asked curiously, “Hey, Second Boss, why are you back already? Didn’t the old man invite you to stay for a meal?” Then, noticing that the little kid wasn’t with him, the boatman added, “Wait, where’s Tianbao? Didn’t he go out with you?”

“I’m back because of that kid,” Yuan Guanlin replied irritably, ignoring the boatman as he stormed off toward Qiu Rui’s cabin.

Qiu Rui, the head of the group, was about five or six years older than Yuan Guanlin, making him around twenty-five or twenty-six. He had adopted Qiu Tianbao when he was twenty and never remarried. As far as Qiu Tianbao was concerned, he was his biological father. Qiu Rui often told the child that his “little dad” had gone missing. Ever since Qiu Tianbao learned to talk, he had been pestering Qiu Rui with questions—was his little dad doing well? Was he good-looking? Did he miss him? And every time, Qiu Rui would casually reply, “Your little dad is doing well. He’s very good-looking. And of course, he misses you.”

Qiu Tianbao had kept that in mind all these years. Living on the boat, he had never met anyone who matched his imagined version of his little dad—until he saw Song Jingwei. The moment he did, he was convinced that he had found him.

When Yuan Guanlin explained the situation, Qiu Rui found it both amusing and exasperating. He had just been making things up to comfort the child—he never expected Qiu Tianbao to actually take it so seriously…

“What kind of person is he?” Qiu Rui asked, curious about what kind of man had managed to make Qiu Tianbao instantly recognize him as his little dad.

“Why are you even asking? Just go get the kid back already,” Yuan Guanlin said suspiciously, urging him to get off the boat.

As they walked, Qiu Rui said, “If Tianbao really likes him, and if he’s a good person, maybe I should consider finding him a little dad for real.” He had never thought about marrying a woman—his line of work wasn’t suited for that, and he had no patience for it.

Yuan Guanlin stopped and looked at him with a complicated expression. “You’re thinking too wishfully,” he said, without explaining why he thought Qiu Rui was being too optimistic. Then, he went straight off the boat.

Qiu Rui frowned in confusion but quickly followed, moving swiftly and gracefully. The two of them rushed down the road and soon arrived at the front door of the Shen family’s main house. Counting the previous visits, this was Yuan Guanlin’s third time coming here.

“What a nice smell,” Qiu Rui sniffed the air and caught a refreshing aroma.

“They’re having dumplings today,” Yuan Guanlin said, rubbing his stomach. It was already lunchtime, and here they were, chasing after a troublesome kid on empty stomachs.

Hearing the knocks on the door again, the Shen family members all thought, That must be the child’s father this time. Shen Dongming put down his chopsticks and ran to open the door. Seeing the two men, he smiled and asked, “Are you the father of that boy, Tianbao? Come in, come in! The child is having lunch.”

Yuan Guanlin strode in casually, while Qiu Rui was much more refined in his demeanor. He smiled apologetically at Shen Dongming and said, “Sorry for all the trouble this child has caused you.”

“Not at all! The boy is adorable—our whole family likes him,” Shen Dongming waved his hand dismissively and invited them inside. “We’re just having lunch now. Have you two eaten? Why don’t you join us for a simple meal?”

Yuan Guanlin was about to refuse—they had only come to take the kid home—but Qiu Rui suddenly spotted the gentle-looking man sitting next to Qiu Tianbao. Holding Yuan Guanlin back, he nodded and said, “Then we won’t stand on ceremony.”

“…” Yuan Guanlin stared at him in shock. He followed Qiu Rui’s gaze, which kept drifting toward Song Jingwei. In that instant, he understood. He wanted to say something, but Qiu Rui pulled him to the table and sat down. To Yuan Guanlin’s disbelief, Qiu Rui, usually rough and direct, was suddenly acting refined and polite, engaging in friendly conversation with everyone.

I must be seeing things, Yuan Guanlin thought. This is the second time today that these father and son have completely surprised me.

“Tianbao, your dad is here. Aren’t you going to call him?” Yang Shi teased Qiu Tianbao with a smile after finishing her conversation with Qiu Rui.

Qiu Tianbao nestled against Song Jingwei, looking up shyly at his father with expectant eyes.

Shen Junxi had been telling himself not to be jealous of a child, but seeing this scene, he still felt a thorn in his heart. He wished he could just pick up that little brat and toss him straight into his father’s arms—anything to stop him from clinging to his own wife.

“Tianbao, come to Daddy,” Qiu Rui called to his son.

“No, I want to sit with little dad,” Qiu Tianbao pouted.

“…” Qiu Rui finally took a good look at the man his son was calling “little dad.” Now he understood why Qiu Tianbao had instantly latched onto Song Jingwei—he had delicate features, fair skin, and strikingly beautiful eyes. He fit every standard of beauty.

Qiu Rui gave Song Jingwei an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, this child is just spouting nonsense.”

“It’s fine,” Song Jingwei said calmly. “After this meal, you should take him home. Be more careful with your child in the future.” He directed his last words at Qiu Rui, but his gaze subtly flickered toward Yuan Guanlin.

“…” Yuan Guanlin avoided his eyes and quickly grabbed a dumpling to eat. Luckily, the delicious taste distracted him for a moment.

“Thank you. We’ll be more careful next time,” Qiu Rui nodded. Despite his usual stern demeanor, his expression was unexpectedly gentle, his gaze occasionally lingering on the man across from him.

Thanks to the Shen family’s hospitality, the meal went by pleasantly. However, once lunch was over, the real challenge began—Qiu Tianbao refused to leave Song Jingwei’s side. He clung tightly to him, whining, “Daddy, Daddy, take little dad with us too!”

The adults around them couldn’t help but laugh. They tried to console him, saying, “Tianbao, be good. Go home with your father. You can come visit another time.”

Qiu Tianbao said seriously, “Then take little dad home too.”

Song Jingwei pried the child’s hands off him, lifted him up, and placed him into his father’s arms. “Take him home. Kids forget things quickly—he’ll move on in a couple of days.”

“He really likes you,” Qiu Rui said while holding his son. He gave Song Jingwei a deep look, finding his face unforgettable. Somehow, he had a feeling that neither he nor Qiu Tianbao would forget this man so easily.

Song Jingwei didn’t respond. He simply stepped back to Shen Junxi’s side and calmly watched them leave.

“Little dad…” Qiu Tianbao’s voice faded away as the door closed behind them.

Once they were gone, the Shen couple sighed in relief and chuckled. “That child… Why is he so set on Jingwei?”

“Maybe it’s just fate,” someone said with a smile. “Jingwei has a way with kids.”

“That’s a good thing,” they added. “Maybe in three years, he’ll have two of his own, and in five years, three! The house will be lively then!”

“You don’t like kids?” Shen Junxi gestured to Song Jingwei. He had noticed that despite the child’s attachment, Song Jingwei had remained indifferent, not particularly warm toward him.

“Why should I care for someone else’s child?” Song Jingwei replied, touching his stomach. He didn’t hesitate to reveal his own selfishness. “It’s hard enough to love my own child—why should I waste affection on someone else’s?”

Shen Junxi felt that his wife was too cold, but he couldn’t exactly say he was wrong. After all, when it came to their own child, Song Jingwei would definitely care deeply.