Su Youli loved the garden at home the most. It had just rained, and many snails had come out. They were so soft but carried such big shells. Their antennae retracted as soon as you touched them. So amazing! Su Youli crouched on the ground, his little hands on his knees. When he saw several snails starting to crawl in a line, his little mouth opened slightly.
“Wow~”
Su Youli felt he had made new friends and wanted to show them his toys. So he knelt on the ground and negotiated with the little snails: “Do you want to see my little toys?”
The snails didn’t understand. They crawled on their own, mercilessly passing by Su Youli’s feet. Su Youli was really a bit sad. Although the snails crawled very slowly, he could tell that he was being rejected by his new friends. Su Youli had been taught from a young age to be polite, so he resisted the urge to catch the snails and take them to his room. He was so big, the snails were so small. Daddies said it was wrong for the big to bully the small.
…
Nan City had frequent summer rains. Yunshui Town, located in the southeast of Nan City, was remote, hence the road conditions worsened after rain.
“Young Master, when do you plan to return?”
A luxury car carefully navigated the potholed road. A man who looked like an assistant sat in the passenger seat, speaking cautiously to the youth in the back. Long, vertical drops of water streamed down the car window. The youth squinted, tilting his chin slightly as he looked at the man speaking to him. The man, caught by his glance, immediately turned his head to wipe sweat, not daring to say another word. This little tyrant had somehow gotten wind that he was coming to Nan City to look for someone and, without a second thought, insisted on coming along with a phone call.
“Assistant Zhang, my dad doesn’t care about me, so don’t worry about it.”
The youth raised his arms and stretched. Still in his growth spurt, his voice was slightly hoarse. Assistant Zhang laughed awkwardly. It wasn’t that the Chairman didn’t care; it was just that the people in the Shen family who could control this little tyrant were no longer in the Shen family now. Driving in the rain, now with heavy fog, the driver didn’t dare relax for a moment, occasionally muttering about how the southern weather was torturous—humid, hot, and stuffy.
“How did the search lead to Nan City this time?” the youth in the back seat suddenly asked.
Three years ago, his biological younger brother had been lost right after birth. He was only thirteen then, his heart hanging on his mother, who was critically ill after childbirth. By the time he remembered he had a younger brother, the baby had already been stolen.
“An email from Hong Kong a few days ago seemed quite detailed, saying there was a child seventy to eighty percent similar to the young master. They even checked the blood type. Chairman Shen looked at the photo and thought the child resembled the Madam, so he rushed over that same day.”
So the lead in Nan City could only be left for him to verify. Shen Lin pressed his lips together, made a dismissive sound, and turned to look out the window. Ever since the news of the Shen family losing a child spread, anyone wanting to establish a connection with the Shen family would use this matter, but in the end, it was always in vain. Following the navigation route, the vehicle entered a southern water town. The driver slowed down, driving carefully.
Shen Lin’s gaze was drawn to a father and son getting caught in the rain. The father wasn’t tall. Afraid his son would get wet, he draped his own jacket over his son’s shoulders. The son held the umbrella handle, trying hard to tilt the umbrella toward his father. That father and son gradually disappeared from his sight. A flicker passed through Shen Lin’s dark eyes as he said coldly:
“A waste of effort. They always say it’s my brother. Maybe my brother died long ago.”
Then he added, criticizing Shen Minyan for being foolish, believing whatever others said. The driver and Assistant Zhang exchanged a glance, not daring to utter a word.
…
Su Youli was crouched in the yard, whispering to the dog beside him: “Yuanzi, can I catch a snail? Can you catch one?”
Yuanzi, with its pink nose, bared its teeth at the slowly crawling snail and barked fiercely. The snail immediately retracted its antennae and shrank back into its shell.
Su Youli was startled. He grabbed Yuanzi’s ears with both little hands. “No, no, you can’t do that!”
Su Siwen was having a good day, energy-wise. Hearing the dog bark, he tilted his head to look over. The little boy’s small frame was pressing down on Yuanzi. Yuanzi obediently let him ride, careful not to let its little master fall off.
Su Siwen chuckled. “Youyou, don’t bully Yuanzi.”
Yuanzi: “Woof! Woof!”
“Daddy!” The little boy ran over laughing, kissed his daddy on the cheek, obediently drank some water, and then ran back out to play. He didn’t need anyone to remind him to drink water at all.
The rain had stopped. Children’s laughter and play sounds came from the street. Youyou tilted his head, sitting with Yuanzi on the steps in the yard, ears perked up listening to the sounds outside, his eyes full of longing.
“Baby, let Yuanzi stay home with me. You can go to the door and play with Brother Yang Yang.”
Youyou pinched his little hands, looking at his daddy and then outside. Brother Yang Yang was calling him out to play! They seemed to be playing ‘Cops and Robbers’—so lively! As a toddler who had just turned three, how could he resist such temptation? Youyou stood up and ran to the door, opening a crack to peek outside, his little feet in handmade cloth shoes straining to tiptoe.
So many kids were splashing in puddles. Youyou’s little face, fair and tender, was wrought all over with conflict. His brows furrowed like caterpillars, his mouth pouted, his cheeks puffed up.
He glanced back. Daddy was still sitting in the wheelchair, concentrating on drawing. Daddy drew to raise Youyou. Daddy worked very hard.
“Daddy, drink water.”
The little boy ran back, poured a glass of water for Su Siwen, and watched him finish it. The little guy was incredibly thoughtful. Since summer began, Su Siwen’s legs had worsened. Every day when Qin Kun went to work, he would tell the little boy to take good care of Little Daddy at home.
The little boy looked up. “What’s ‘take care’?”
Qin Kun pinched his cheek. “You not running around, watching Little Daddy eat, drink, and go to the bathroom—that’s taking care.”
Su Youli understood, raising his hand to answer: “Just like how Kun Kun takes care of me!”
Qin Kun found him utterly adorable. “Yes, how I treat you, you treat Little Daddy the same. That’s taking care.”
Goodness, other three-year-olds can barely speak clearly, but his precious one had already learned to care for his daddy. After giving water and supervising his daddy’s bathroom trip, the little boy ran back to the yard with Yuanzi to play.
“Knock, knock, knock.” A knocking sound came from the door.
Yunshui Street had simple, honest folk. Neighbors got along harmoniously, and doors were usually left slightly ajar during the day when someone was home. The little snail that Yuanzi had barked at had crawled onto a leaf. Slowly, but with effort.
“Excuse me, is this Qin Kun’s home?”
It was an unfamiliar uncle’s voice, coming from behind the door. Yuanzi quickly jumped up, barking several times at the main door. Assistant Zhang took two steps back. This house had a fierce dog. A few light, quick footsteps were heard. Then, the door crack widened, revealing a round, cute, bun-like face inside.
“Uncle, who are you looking for?”
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