Chapter 38: Family Bonds and Fatherly Love

Summer nights were so stifling that it was hard to breathe. Many people liked to escape downstairs to the roadside barbecue stalls, grab a couple of beers, and skewer some meat, letting the alcohol work its magic so they could drift home and fall into a deep, satisfying sleep.

Xinjiang Road was the busiest spot for barbecue in Beining City. The stalls lined the street one after another, and even late into the night, the crowds never dwindled, making the place lively and bustling.

Yuan Ye parked his BMW at the intersection, and the group walked inside.

Every barbecue stall here was thriving, filled with the clamor of voices and almost no empty seats. After much searching, Lin Chuan finally found a stall deep inside with relatively fewer guests.

Perhaps the location was less favorable; of the dozen tables, more than half remained empty, sparsely occupied.

As soon as they sat down, a man who looked like a waiter tossed a menu onto their table. Lin Chuan glanced at him—his appearance was remarkably casual. He wore a tank top, floral shorts, and slippers. He held a small notebook, a cigarette hanging from his mouth, and leaned against the wall with an air of insolence.

Lin Chuan picked up the menu for a quick look and said, "First, bring us a pot of tea."

“Tea? Brother, this is a barbecue stall. We don’t have tea. How about some beer to quench your thirst?” The waiter glared at him.

Lin Chuan gave an awkward smile and nodded, “That works, bring four beers. By the way, what drinks do you have? Tell us.”

“Black tea, green tea, cola, Sprite…” The waiter rattled off the drinks.

Lin Chuan thought for a moment. “Bring me a bottle of peanut milk—the kind in a glass bottle.”

The waiter paused.

“What would you like grilled?” He flicked ash from his cigarette and raised his brow.

“Twenty mutton skewers, ten kidney skewers, ten cartilage skewers. Yuan Ye, what do you guys want? Order whatever you like.” Lin Chuan generously passed the menu over.

Yuan Ye had just begun to look at it when Lin Chuan asked, “Do you have grilled lobster?”

The waiter was startled and shook his head.

“Grilled crab?”

Another shake.

“Grilled sea cucumber?”

“Brother, are you here to stir things up? How would you even grill those? Even if you could, who could afford them?” The waiter threw his cigarette to the ground, glaring angrily.

Lin Chuan laughed and waved it off, unconcerned. “You must have crayfish, right?”

“We do. Want a serving?” The waiter was about to jot it down.

Before he could write, Lin Chuan added, “And a plate of spicy fried chicken bones. That’s all.”

The waiter stormed off, furious, leaving Yuan Ye and Tang Qinru wishing they could disappear into the floor.

Embarrassing—utterly embarrassing.

All those dishes together probably didn’t cost a hundred yuan, yet Lin Chuan had made such a fuss.

“Xiao Chuan, I remember you weren’t like this before. How come you’re so stingy now?” Yuan Ye glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention, then lowered his voice.

“Sigh, you’re still young. You can’t imagine how hard it is to raise a child…” Lin Chuan sighed deeply, speaking with heartfelt seriousness.

Yuan Ye and Tang Qinru exchanged a look, seeing a trace of pain on each other's faces.

In any case, the meal was awkward, but also full of laughter.

Though the food was simple, the table was packed, and in the warmth of that atmosphere, everyone relaxed.

They gulped beer and devoured skewers without a care, bragging and gossiping about anything and everything.

The conversation ranged from their mischievous childhoods to funny incidents at school, including how many girlfriends Yuan Ye had, Lin Chuan’s old blunders, and the fact that Wang Yue once had a boyfriend in high school but broke up for reasons unknown. She, always picky about relationships, took months to recover and hadn’t dated since.

As for Tang Qinru, she was a true oddity. Even as a child, she showed signs of being a tomboy, often getting into fights with the boys. Even in university, she never settled down, frequently clashing with classmates and leaving both her advisor and parents exhausted.

The worst incident happened after the principal singled her out for criticism; the next day, his car was found smashed. If not for her parents pleading for mercy, she would have been expelled. In the end, they still had to pay a hefty sum in compensation.

As they laughed loudly, Lin Yiyang was completely bewildered, unable to follow the stories. He kept thinking—grown-ups are so strange.

By the time they returned home, it was already midnight. Lin Yiyang had fallen asleep in the car, and Lin Chuan himself was a bit tipsy.

He lay in bed, gazing through the window at the starry sky, a faint smile on his lips.

Soon, the effects of the alcohol surged, and his eyelids grew heavy. Gradually, his steady breathing filled the quiet night.

Monday.

Warm sunlight streamed through the window, birds chirped outside, and the early risers were already returning home from their morning exercise.

Having just finished breakfast, Lin Chuan sat leisurely on the balcony, a novel in hand, engrossed in his reading.

He wasn’t seeking refinement or killing time, but searching for that elusive feeling in the pages.

During the recent competition, he faced an unfamiliar song and somehow immersed himself in the story behind it.

That was why he could capture the emotion and sing it from deep within his soul.

At first, he hadn’t thought much of it, caught up in one thing after another, with no time to reflect.

But once he slowed down, the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. The immersion wasn’t just subconscious resonance—it felt as if he was truly in that world, vividly real.

To test his doubts, Lin Chuan would seize every spare moment to pore over the book, hoping to experience that sensation again.

But he failed; no matter what he tried, he could not recapture that sense of being transported.

“Phew!” He exhaled, lifting his head to gaze outside.

“Daddy, why didn’t you wake me up?” Just then, Lin Yiyang shuffled over, still half asleep, a little displeased.

“Yiyang? It’s early yet, no rush!” Lin Chuan turned to his son, surprised.

Lin Yiyang had always struggled to get up, never opening his eyes until the last moment.

Yet today he got up on his own—this was a first.

“Daddy, I had a dream. There was an old witch trying to catch me. She wanted to take me away…” The boy’s face showed a hint of fright.

Lin Chuan smiled gently, pulling his son into his arms. “It was just a dream, it’s not real. With Daddy here, no one can take you away.”

In that moment, sunlight warmed the two of them, filling their hearts with a gentle glow.

For Lin Chuan, as long as his son was by his side, no matter what challenges arose, he could overcome them—even if it meant giving up everything he had.

For Lin Yiyang, barely five years old, Daddy was his whole world; wherever Daddy was, that was home.

After breakfast, father and son set off, heading to kindergarten.

Lin Yiyang, with his little backpack, walked beside Lin Chuan, his face radiating innocent joy.

“Daddy, I want to learn that song ‘Father.’ Will you teach me?”

“How do you know that song?”

“Of course I know! Teacher Xiao Yue showed me the video on her phone the other day…”

“Heh, when you grow up, Daddy will teach you to sing.”

“No, I want to learn now!”

“Honestly, you’re impossible. I’ll sing a line, you repeat after me… ‘Always asking you for things, never saying thank you. Only after growing up did I realize how hard it’s been for you…’ Sing!”

“Always asking you for things, never saying thank you… Daddy, what does ‘asking for things’ mean?”

“Asking for things means… everything you eat, use, the money you spend—it’s all asking for things!”

“Then, when I grow up, you can ask me for things!”

“Why?”

“Because then I can earn money to take care of you! Heehee…”

Their conversation was childish, yet full of tenderness.

At that moment, their silhouettes—one large, one small—were bathed in sunlight, forming a beautiful picture.

Yes, it was beautiful, a kind of beauty that expressed love and fatherhood in its own way.

Arriving at the kindergarten, they saw a dozen private cars parked outside, with parents coming and going. Some young mothers bore faint traces of tears.

Clearly, these were new parents dropping their children off for the first time.

“Teacher Xiao Yue, you’re on duty again today?” Lin Chuan approached the gate, seeing Wang Yue and another teacher greeting the children.

“When have you ever seen me not on duty?” Wang Yue shot him a look.

After their late-night chat at the barbecue, things had eased between them; they’d let go of their former animosity and become ordinary friends.

“Heh, Yiyang, hurry and greet Teacher Xiao Yue!” Lin Chuan prompted.

“Good morning, Teacher Xiao Yue!” Lin Yiyang grinned and bowed, then greeted the other teacher as well, “Good morning, Teacher Zhang!”

Wang Yue, seeing Yiyang’s adorable face, finally broke her icy demeanor and smiled, ruffling his hair.

(Sigh, there’s no recommendation next week. I can only hope you brothers keep voting and help boost this book’s stats. As for rewards, I won’t hope for much—just a bookmark and a few recommendation votes would make me perfectly happy.)