The little one was completely oblivious to the adults’ worries. Three-year-old Youyou, holding Brother Yang Yang’s hand, got into Uncle Yang’s car.
“Brother Yang Yang, my house is so lively today!”
“I saw! There are so many cool cars parked at your doorstep!”
The two children sat in their car seats. Though separated by an unbridgeable gap, they strained forward, their small hands tightly clasped together. That Su Youli was the adopted child of Su Siwen and Qin Kun was no secret on Cloud Water Street. When the family of three first returned to town, every time Su Siwen went to work and ran into neighbors, he’d be asked, “So I heard your Youyou is a child you two found?”
The neighbors meant no harm. Their tone even carried deep envy. Sure enough, several of the older aunties would follow up with, “Where did you find him? I might try my luck there too.”
Su Siwen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In the aunties’ eyes, his Youyou was practically a divine angel baby. Never mind how well-behaved and adorable he was; wherever he went, he was quiet, his voice soft and milky, completely lacking the naughtiness of other boys his age. The Yang family’s black car carried the two little children to the town’s taekwondo dojo.
“Little ones, we’re here.”
Yang Shiqing opened the door and got out, then went to the back seat to lift the two kids from their car seats. The taekwondo dojo was run by Yang Shiqing. As soon as Yang Yang got out of the car, he shot toward the dojo entrance like a cannonball. He’d been brought here by Yang Shiqing to learn taekwondo as soon as he could walk steadily.
Whether he learned well or not was another matter—at this point, if he got into a fight, his only move would be headbutting someone in the stomach. Su Youli had been left behind by Brother Yang Yang. His eyes darted around, his little hand grasping at empty air as he called out softly, “Brother Yang Yang, wait for Youyou!”
The little cannonball was already out of sight. Su Youli’s mouth curved downward, and he rested his head against Yang Shiqing in grievance.
“Uncle will take you inside. Brother went to get your uniform.”
Yang Shiqing held the disheartened little cub, not setting him down. Instead, he lifted his arm and bounced the soft, small body upward.
“Youyou, do you know what place this is?”
Youyou thought seriously, then answered: “It’s Uncle Yang’s territory.”
Yang Shiqing laughed. “That’s right. The taekwondo dojo is Uncle’s territory. There are many big brothers and sisters inside exercising their bodies. Youyou needs to exercise his body too, understand?”
Su Youli clenched his little fist. “Want to grow taller!”
He knew he was too short. Every time he went to the hospital for a check-up, when they got to the height measurement, Su Siwen and Qin Kun always looked so worried. To properly supplement their child’s nutrition, Qin Kun and Su Siwen had even enrolled in online nutrition courses. Yet Su Youli was still a few centimeters shorter than other children his age. Though both fathers were grown men, when it came to raising their child, they were meticulous to a fault.
At first, Yang Shiqing thought they were simply overanxious. Children changed day by day, and their developmental paces were completely different. Maybe Youyou was just one of those kids who wouldn’t have his growth spurt until he was five or six. His own Yang Yang, raised roughly, had turned out just fine.
Su Siwen had shaken his head and said, with deep meaning, “You don’t understand.”
Now, Yang Shiqing had already carried the little one to the dojo entrance. The boy was placed on the ground, standing on the red carpet, hugging Uncle Yang’s leg as he peeked inside. The town had only this one taekwondo dojo, yet it had quite a few students, all dressed in white doboks[mfn]A Dobok is the official Taekwondo uniform, consisting of a jacket, trousers, and a belt (tti) representing rank. Typically white, these garments feature V-neck (WT) or cross-over (ITF) designs. Made of cotton or polyester blends, they are designed for durability, flexibility, and comfort[/mfn]. Su Youli followed his uncle inside and was immediately startled by the explosive, continuous shouts of “Hiyah!” all around him.
He raised his hands to cover his little head, his big eyes darting everywhere. So many big brothers and sisters here were fighting. Yang Shiqing felt the little one’s grip on him tighten. He looked down and met a pair of tearful eyes. In the little one’s view, people throwing punches and kicks at each other was exactly that—fighting.
“Youyou—” The solid little weight that was Yang Yang came dashing over, his voice ringing loud.
Youyou let go and ran toward him, having completely forgotten that he was still supposed to be mad at Brother Yang Yang.
“Brother Yang Yang.”
The first thing he noticed was that Brother Yang Yang had changed clothes. He was wearing a small-sized taekwondo uniform perfectly fitted for a child, with a white belt tied around his waist. Even his shoes were brand new. Brother Yang Yang looked so different like this. Somehow, he seemed very mighty.
“Youyou, I’ll take you to change clothes!”
Yang Shiqing led the two little cubs to the changing room. When he helped put the uniform on the little one, he finally understood that Su Siwen and Qin Kun’s worries weren’t unfounded. The little guy stared at the sleeves that covered his hands, extending far past his fingertips. He lowered his head and looked at his small feet, completely buried under the pants’ legs. The uniform seemed a bit big.
Yang Shiqing pressed his lips together and patted his head. “Youyou, let’s change into a different set. Uncle will go get it now.”
Youyou nodded obediently and sat on the mat, playing with his own feet. Yang Shiqing brought him a set meant for a two-year-old. It fit Youyou perfectly. Even little kids had a sense of ceremony. Wearing clothes he had never worn before, Youyou held Brother Yang Yang’s hand and stood up, feeling mighty and grand. Since there were no suitable shoes, he still had on his own little cloth shoes.
Yang Shiqing looked at Youyou, who was clearly a whole size smaller than his own solid little cannonball of a son. He raised a hand to his forehead and quickly sent messages to Su Siwen and Qin Kun. Maybe the little one needed calcium supplements. More meat and protein, too. Perhaps proper sun exposure and regular, structured exercise…
Uncle Yang Shiqing didn’t realize he had already become more anxious than Su Siwen and Qin Kun. By the time it dawned on him, he had already ordered the best-selling children’s calcium tablets online, along with a set of taekwondo gear and little shoes sized for a two-year-old.
The mighty little one had no idea that the uniform he was wearing belonged to a two-and-a-half-year-old little boy who had gone back to his grandmother’s house a couple of days ago and hadn’t had time to take his new clothes with him. By such coincidence, it had ended up on Su Youli.
The little guy was exceptionally excited. He had never fought before. Could it be… today? Was he going to learn how to fight today? Su Youli squeezed his little chubby fist, mustered his courage, and stepped into the dojo. The closer he got, the louder the “Hiyah!” shouts and the thuds of impact became. The little one pressed a hand to his chest and called out softly, “Brother Yang Yang.”
Brother Yang Yang puffed out his chest and led him around a corner. “We’re going to the kids’ class.”
Right. The kids’ class was the only one they could take. Yang Shiqing, now changed into his instructor uniform, walked over and picked up the little one, who stood there somewhat timidly. He patted his back. “Youyou, are you scared?”
Youyou wasn’t scared. Youyou wanted to learn how to fight. The kids’ class instructor was a young man with a very warm and friendly demeanor. The moment he saw Su Youli in his miniature taekwondo uniform, his heart nearly melted from the cuteness.
“Sweetheart, can you tell Coach what your name is?” The coach instinctively slipped into a high-pitched, cutesy voice when talking to the little one.
The little guy’s eyes widened. He stared incredulously at the coach, who was crouching in front of him, whose muscles were even bigger than Kunkun’s, and whose skin was dark. He seemed to be thinking: Why is this uncle talking like that? It’s very strange.
“My name is Su Youli,” the little one answered truthfully.
Update: I found the rest of the chapter. Yayyy. Turns out it just kept breaking away during the translation(sometimes not fully loading).
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