Later, Shen Yan simply stood in the middle of the path, completely forgetting that the production team had told him to hide. In the night, the tall, slender young man stood on tiptoe, gazing into the distance. At the far end of the path, a small light flickered, accompanied by the little one’s clear voice.
“Big Brother, where are you?”
Shen Yan’s eyes lit up. “Youyou, I’m here!”
A path of several hundred meters was far too long for short-legged Su Youli. He felt his legs aching. But he still hadn’t found his big brother. The cameraman recorded every move the little one made. He felt a weight on his pants and looked down to see that Su Youli’s small hand had quietly grabbed hold.
“Uncle, my feet hurt a little.”
The cameraman crouched down. “Does it hurt a lot? Can you keep going?”
To be honest, Su Youli had never really suffered hardship. Whenever he got tired walking, Qin Kun would carry him. After returning to the Shen family, everyone doted on him, too. The uneven village paths invisibly increased the difficulty for Su Youli. When the cameraman asked if he could keep going, the little one immediately thought of his two fathers.
Whenever Su Youli wanted to give up on something, his big Dad would ask if he could keep going, and his little Daddy would encourage him to hold on for just one more second. Therefore, Su Youli always persevered with his fathers’ encouragement, and each time, he lasted more than one second.
Su Youli grabbed the cameraman’s pants, his little brows furrowed tightly. “Youyou can keep going!”
The cameraman patted his little head. “Do you see that place ahead? Your big brother is there.”
Su Youli held onto the cameraman’s pants for a short distance, his eyes fixed on the small light ahead. Finally, the little one saw Shen Yan waving his hands at him in the darkness.
“Big Brother!”
The little one started sprinting, as if his legs hadn’t been hurting just moments ago. Seeing the small figure running toward him in the moonlight, Shen Yan’s heart melted. He quickly stepped forward to meet him, opening his arms to catch Su Youli’s little body. The little one in his arms was panting heavily, but when he looked up, his eyes were full of excitement. He had finally found his big brother!
“Our Youyou is so amazing! You’re the bravest little kid in the whole world!”
Shen Yan pinched the little one’s chubby cheek, his voice full of pride. He had just heard from the production team that his little brother was the first child to complete the task.
Just like a true son of the Shen family—always striving to be first, wherever he goes!
Su Youli was floating on cloud nine from his big brother’s praise. He stood up straight, his little belly puffed out. On the way back, Su Youli didn’t forget to educate his big brother.
“Big Brother, don’t wander off next time. What if I hadn’t come to find you?”
His serious little expression was so earnest that Shen Yan couldn’t help but laugh.
He asked back, “What if you couldn’t find me?”
Su Youli hadn’t considered that possibility. He shook his head and said he would definitely find him. The two brothers, holding hands, walked slowly along the path back to their accommodation. The evening wind rustled through the treetops.
Shen Yan crouched in front of Su Youli and carried the brave little night-walker on his back. In the quiet night, their soft whispers were full of warmth. Su Youli leaned on his big brother’s shoulder. His energy was nearly spent, but his tone was still very excited as he repeated what he had done today with Mi Le and Niu Niu. Grandma Zhang had also said she’d make them scallion pancakes tomorrow. At this, the little one gulped.
Shen Yan paused, then suddenly said, “Youyou, I’m going to speed up. Hold on tight to me.”
Su Youli obediently wrapped his arms around his neck, feeling the wind rush past his ears. Bounced around a bit on his big brother’s back, the little one found it fun and giggled. Soon, Shen Yan carried Su Youli to the winding path from earlier. A little further along the path, they would reach their accommodation.
As they approached, they saw a stooped figure standing by the wall of the house. Under the moonlight, they could see smoke coming from his mouth. The dark figure seemed to hear them, leaned against the wall to look, and after recognizing Shen Yan and Su Youli, his old, stern face frowned, and he turned and walked away.
“It’s the landlord grandpa,” Su Youli said to Shen Yan.
Shen Yan nodded. He had asked around today. The old landlord’s name was Tian Hai, and he had always lived alone.
“Grandpa Tian, have you eaten?” Shen Yan followed, carrying his little brother on his back.
Tian Hai’s footsteps paused for a moment, his back rising and falling faintly—imperceptible unless you were paying close attention. The old man didn’t speak. He took a few puffs from his pipe, then stepped forward and pushed open the gate.
“What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and get in,” the old man said, using his not-so-straight body to hold the other door open for Shen Yan.
Shen Yan guessed that, seeing him carrying Youyou and with his hands full of the basket, the old man was helping out.
A warm heart behind a cold face.
As his big brother stepped over the threshold, Su Youli, resting his head on his big brother’s shoulder, saw the landlord grandpa still holding the door for them.
“Thank you, Grandpa.”
The clear child’s voice injected a bit of vitality into the dull, remote house. The old man looked up at the little one, who was curving his small mouth to call him Grandpa. He moved his lips but didn’t say anything. Only when the two brothers entered their room did the old man close the door and drop the latch. Su Youli had been set down. When the light came on, Shen Yan finally got a clear look at his little brother’s face.
Well, what exactly had his Youyou experienced while he was away?
His fair little face had black grime on it, and there was still sweet potato puree at the corners of his mouth. His little hands were sticky. Shen Yan took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
A little kitten Youyou, is also quite cute.
Shen Yan decided not to clean him up right away. He’d wash his hands first, then eat. There was no table in the room, so the food had to be placed on the cabinet. Su Youli didn’t have a high chair either, so the two brothers sat on the bed to eat. Shen Yan put a spoonful of tomato scrambled eggs on Su Youli’s rice and mixed it in.
The golden eggs, the sweet and sour tomato sauce, and the rice bought from a village farm—Su Youli took big spoonfuls, eating with relish. Shen Yan checked his Stitch water bottle. It was empty. The room was dimly lit. Neither brother spoke. The aroma of food wafted through the air, giving this temporary lodging a feeling of home.
Washing up in the evening was a challenge. The temperature dropped at night in the countryside, and Su Youli definitely couldn’t wash with cold water. Shen Yan rummaged through the suitcase, hoping Tang Dou had packed a collapsible kettle or something.
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