It was a month later when the Wen-Su couple finally brought the little boy home.
Upon learning of their decision, Wen Yan’s parents had nodded in approval. On the day the child was to arrive, his parents and his sister, Wen Miao, were already waiting at Wen Yan’s place.
Wen Yan drove while Su Jingming sat in the back with the boy, making sure he was settled into his child safety seat.
The boy was four years old. He was still somewhat hazy on the concept of adoption; all he knew was that these two uncles were very handsome and spoke with very gentle voices.
Fearing he might get carsick, Su Jingming checked on him frequently. "Do you feel dizzy? Do you want something to eat? Maybe something sour?"
The boy shook his head timidly, his speech not yet perfectly clear. "...No, thank you."
That polite "thank you" made Su Jingming’s heart ache slightly.
They arrived just before noon. Wen Yan’s mother had already prepared a full table of food, and Wen Miao had readied toys and clothes for the nephew she had never met. As she folded the clothes, she asked her father, who was sipping tea nearby, "Dad, didn't you and Mom object at first?"
"Object to what?"
"The adoption. Didn't you both hope they’d have their own biological children before?" Wen Miao said. "With how advanced technology is now, they could have used other methods..."
Before she could finish, her father interrupted her. "That is their choice."
Ever since the two had married, the Wen family had given them nothing but full respect and understanding.
When they finally heard movement at the front door, Wen Miao dropped the half-folded clothes and rushed to the foyer. Seeing Su Jingming carrying a fair-skinned, clean-looking little boy, she immediately beamed. "My dear nephew! Come to your auntie."
The boy was clearly startled by his aunt’s enthusiasm. He curled into the crook of Su Jingming’s neck and murmured a muffled, "He... hello."
Wen Yan’s mother walked over. "Don't scare the child. Come in first, wash your hands, and let's eat. Let’s give..."
She realized she had forgotten the child's name.
Wen Yan spoke up: "Shenghan. Wen Shenghan."
After a long day of settling in, little Wen Shenghan finally warmed up to Wen Miao. This made her very proud; she was indeed the first one to win the child over.
After dinner, as Su Jingming and Wen Yan stood at the foyer seeing his parents off, the sound of breaking glass echoed from the bedroom. Su Jingming immediately ran toward the sound.
Wen Yan’s mother asked in a low voice, "Is it really alright for the child to take your surname?"
Wen Yan smiled. "That was Jingming’s idea."
Only then did his mother feel at ease. "Since life has brought you to this stage, then raise Shenghan well. We like him very much, and we hope he will grow to like us too."
Wen Shenghan had just woken up from a nap and wanted some water, but the table was too high and his legs were too short. He had managed to grab the glass with great effort, but it was too heavy for him to hold steady.
When Su Jingming entered, he saw Wen Shenghan standing there looking utterly lost, even reaching down to try and pick up the broken shards.
"Shenghan, wait." Su Jingming walked over gently. He picked the boy up, carefully checking to ensure he wasn't injured, then placed him back on the bed before cleaning up the glass himself.
When Wen Yan walked in, he saw Wen Shenghan sitting on the bed with rimmed red eyes, looking as though he wanted to cry but didn't dare to.
Wen Yan knelt by the bedside and asked softly, "What’s wrong?"
"I... I accidentally broke... the... Uncle..." He was just a child, after all. At Wen Yan’s question, the emotions he had been suppressing suddenly erupted.
Wen Shenghan sobbed loudly. "I... I didn't mean to... I didn't..."
Su Jingming heard the crying from the bathroom and poked his head out. He saw Wen Yan looking flustered and unsure of what to do, wanting to hold the boy but not knowing how to start.
It was Su Jingming who walked over and pulled Wen Shenghan into his arms, coaxing him gently. "Don't cry, Shenghan. It’s just a small thing. This is your home; you don't need to be so cautious."
Only then did Wen Yan realize why the boy had suddenly burst into tears. Having stayed in the welfare house for so long, his inner insecurity and fear were easily magnified.
Su Jingming’s own childhood had been far from ideal; though he had a home, it was barely different from not having one. He naturally understood Wen Shenghan’s emotions.
Exhausted from crying, Wen Shenghan fell back into a deep sleep in Su Jingming’s arms.
Wen Yan sighed. "Does this make me look a bit stupid?"
Su Jingming tucked the boy in and led Wen Yan by the hand toward the living room. "When are you ever *not* stupid? You didn't even know to pick him up and comfort him when he cried."
Wen Yan wrinkled his nose. "I still need to learn how to be a father."
"Oh," Su Jingming teased. "Then keep at it, Papa Wen."
Wen Yan was a man of his word, but when it came to the finer points of nurturing and education, he couldn't match Su Jingming’s meticulousness. No matter how hard he studied, he just wasn't as good at it.
Wen Yan doubted himself more than once. He even went online to search for advice, only to find a consensus among netizen fathers: when it comes to raising kids, as long as they’re still alive, you’re doing fine.
One day, Wen Yan was off work while Su Jingming had to go out for a consultation. Only Wen Yan and Wen Shenghan were left at home, staring at each other.
Before leaving, Su Jingming specifically urged Wen Yan to take good care of their son, departing with a look of lingering worry.
This was quite a blow to Lawyer Wen.
Who was he?
He was Wen Yan, a fairly famous lawyer in Liang City. How could he be defeated by something like babysitting?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
The morning proceeded according to routine: washing up, breakfast, playing with toys.
Wen Yan developed a strange sense of confidence about solo parenting.
That was until little Wen Shenghan pulled out a 3x3 Rubik’s Cube and handed it to Wen Yan, his eyes sparkling. "Big Dad, solve it for me."
Wen Yan closed his eyes briefly. The last time he had touched a Rubik’s Cube was over a decade ago.
He took it and asked, "Your Little Dad knows how to do this?"
"Of course!" Wen Shenghan said with a hint of pride. "Little Dad can solve it in one minute!"
Wen Yan pursed his lips. *My little hero, how many more surprises are you hiding from me? Secretly playing with Rubik’s Cubes!*
However, a 3x3 cube was nothing to Wen Yan. He calmly pulled out his phone, opened a familiar webpage, found a series of formulas and tutorials, and spent half an hour solving it under Wen Shenghan’s watchful gaze.
Wen Shenghan became excited; Big Dad was just as amazing as Little Dad.
The boy took the solved cube, ran back to his room, and pulled out a 4x4 cube.
Wen Yan fell silent for a moment. "Your Little Dad..."
"Of course!"
Given that answer, Wen Yan could only bite the bullet and continue...
This time, the solution took nearly an hour and a half.
Wen Shenghan was delighted. He ran back to his room again and brought out a pile of strangely shaped cubes—long ones, spherical ones...
Wen Yan couldn't sit still. He didn't spend much time at home during the day, so he hadn't realized Su Jingming was teaching the kid Rubik’s Cubes!
Of course, playing with cubes was good for the mind, but little Wen Shenghan wasn't playing with them himself—he was watching *him* play...
Wen Yan stood up abruptly, ran to the bathroom to splash his face with water, and finally couldn't resist sending Su Jingming a message: *Your son brought out a ton of Rubik’s Cubes for me to solve.*
Su Jingming didn't reply instantly. Wen Yan followed up: *Can you buy simpler ones next time? I really can't handle the long and spherical ones.*
Salted Egg: *You can't even do something that simple??*
This...
Was this simple?
No wonder the netizens said: *As long as they're alive, it's enough. TAT*
***
Glossary:
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
温胜寒 | Wen Shenghan | The adopted son of Wen Yan and Su Jingming.
胜寒 | Shenghan | The child's given name; literally "overcoming the cold."
大爸爸 | Big Dad | How the child refers to Wen Yan (the Gong).
小爸爸 | Little Dad | How the child refers to Su Jingming (the Shou).
咸蛋 | Salted Egg | Su Jingming's online handle/nickname.
凉城 | Liang City | The city where the story takes place.
