Chapter 22
He Renyuan had the most peaceful sleep he’d had in a long time. He even dreamed of the scene a few days ago when Uncle Qi showed him the work uniform designs for his approval.
Among a dozen different styles, he immediately chose the wrap-around style similar to what Bai Qingyu usually wore, but with the fabric changed to the smoothest and softest mulberry silk.
The tailor’s designs were based on Bai Qingyu’s proportions; the shoulder line, wrist line, waistline, every detail perfectly fitted the clothes.
Uncle Qi brought several bolts of fabric for him to choose the color.
He Renyuan thought light green was suitable, white was also good, but Bai Qingyu’s work would easily stain it. Durability was more important than color, Bai Qingyu was too rough.
Seeking durability in silk was ridiculous, but who said it didn’t exist?
The fabric in his hand was good. No matter how hard he rubbed it, it didn’t deform or fray, always smooth like grease, like warm panna cotta.
Decided, this one.
He Renyuan opened his eyes. He moved his fingers and did feel the soft and smooth mulberry silk.
No, it didn’t seem like clothes.
He Renyuan froze: his hand was inside Bai Qingyu’s clothes, resting on his back like a magnet.
All the intense tactile stimulation came from the skin under his palm, not the silk pajamas on the back of his hand.
Bai Xiaocha sat on the pillow above Bai Qingyu’s head, his eyes crinkling, “Oh, Uncle, you’re awake!”
“Shh!” He Renyuan couldn’t stop him in time and watched as the little one’s voice woke Bai Qingyu instantly.
He Renyuan quickly withdrew his hand, too fast and too forcefully. The lines of his palm brushed against Bai Qingyu’s fair and firm back. After withdrawing his hand, he also withdrew his foot, as if he had slapped someone.
It was Bai Qingyu’s first time wearing silk, it was so comfortable it felt like he wasn’t wearing anything, so he didn’t realize that there wasn’t a layer of clothing between his and He Renyuan’s hands.
Bai Qingyu sat up in a daze, asking with his eyes: Why did you hit me?
He didn’t ask out loud to give He Renyuan face, otherwise, Cha Bao would take it seriously.
He Renyuan: “…”
He raised his hand and slapped himself, looking indifferent to life and death, “We’re even.”
He said that, but only he knew how shocking his inappropriate behavior was, they weren’t even at all.
Bai Qingyu: ?
“Uncle, what’s wrong?” Bai Xiaocha’s eyes were full of confusion.
He Renyuan, “There was a mosquito.”
Bai Xiaocha said understandingly, “I was also bitten by a bug at Uncle’s house.”
“Ah… huh?” He Renyuan looked at Bai Xiaocha seriously, “Where were you bitten?”
There were bugs in his villa? Were there not enough cleaners?
Bai Xiaocha pointed to the back of his foot, where the mark had long since disappeared, “Here.”
He Renyuan frowned, “Where were you bitten?”
Bai Xiaocha, “In the dirt!”
He Renyuan asked Bai Qingyu, “What happened?”
Bai Qingyu, “He was, he was playing in the garden, I was turning the soil, and he was bitten by a bug that came out of the dirt.”
He Renyuan closed his eyes and imagined the scene of Bai Qingyu and Bai Xiaocha basking in the sun in the villa garden. He had missed so much. Bai Qingyu was being vague again, not entirely trustworthy. He Renyuan chose to continue asking Bai Xiaocha, “Did it hurt? Did you apply ointment?”
Bai Xiaocha, “No.”
He Renyuan, “Why?”
Bai Xiaocha said with a good memory, “Dad carried me to buy medicine, but it was too expensive, Dad didn’t have any money.”
“Dad touched it, and it didn’t hurt anymore.”
He Renyuan’s eyes stung, and his heart ached.
Carrying his child to seek medical treatment, but not having enough money to buy medicine at the pharmacy.
During the time he didn’t know, the father and son had lived such a hard life. How much could a tube of ointment cost? Cha Bao was already so sensible that he didn’t cry out in pain after being touched.
He Renyuan couldn’t help but wonder if Cha Bao really didn’t feel pain when he bumped his head on the headboard last night, or if it was because he was being sensible.
Bai Qingyu pursed his lips. Children’s words were too realistic, sometimes distorting the truth.
Did it really not hurt after being touched? That was because he used his divine power to heal him!
This was an episode that couldn’t be explained to mortals.
He Renyuan’s throat was silent for a moment, then he said, “Uncle will never let this happen again.”
“You can have whatever you want.” He Renyuan suddenly felt a sense of clarity. He understood the reason for his anxiety these past few days. It was the unexpected encounter with Cha Bao and the heartache that broke through his defenses. When he was exploring the boundaries of his relationship with Bai Qingyu and Cha Bao, his reason and intuition clashed, leaving him in a dilemma.
Since he didn’t deny being Cha Bao’s uncle, he should fulfill his duty and give Cha Bao the inheritance rights of a He family member. Approaching thirty, He Renyuan had a clear understanding of his life. He probably wouldn’t have his own biological children in the future.
Bai Xiaocha didn’t understand the weight of these words. Bai Qingyu vaguely felt something was wrong. Bai Xiaocha seemed to have played the pity card, making He Renyuan want to do charity.
They were tea deities, healthy and strong. Wasn’t this scamming humans for donations?
A huge amount of money would be against the law, and tea deities wouldn’t do anything illegal.
Just as Bai Qingyu was about to speak, a vague image flashed through his mind. He seemed to be saying to someone, “This is the tribute I stole, how many years do you think I’ll be sentenced to?”
Bai Qingyu was shocked. He had done such a thing? He carefully recalled the details, but could only vaguely remember his teasing tone, and couldn’t imagine who he was talking to, the police? The judge?
Whether he had stolen or not, he couldn’t add another crime to his record. He hurriedly said to He Renyuan, “You and Cha Bao are not related, we already owe you a lot, Young Master He, you don’t have to give Cha Bao anything, I can raise Cha Bao well myself.”
He Renyuan heard Bai Qingyu’s words of drawing a clear line again, his kindness taken for granted. He gritted his teeth and said, “You’re welcome.”
Bai Qingyu picked up Bai Xiaocha and showed him off, “Didn’t I raise him well?”
He Renyuan was speechless. He had never seen such an unreasonable person. Couldn’t he be like Cha Bao and eat anything?!
He would treat this father and son separately from now on, Bai Qingyu was Bai Qingyu, and Bai Xiaocha was Bai Xiaocha. Could Bai Qingyu control who he gave his money to?
“Fine, raise your child yourself.” He said with a cold face, “Go wash up, I’ll change Cha Bao’s clothes.”
Bai Qingyu, “I’ll do it.”
He Renyuan remembered that he had gotten Cha Bao’s neck stuck when changing his clothes. He stood aside with lingering fear and found that Bai Qingyu was no better.
Bai Xiaocha was being pulled like a mushroom, swaying.
After He Renyuan fell asleep last night, Bai Qingyu remembered to put a diaper on Bai Xiaocha.
Bai Xiaocha mostly didn’t wet the bed anymore, but just in case, he didn’t use it last night.
It had to be washed after each use. Bai Qingyu glanced at He Renyuan and decided to wash it in the hotel, so his companion wouldn’t mind.
He Renyuan looked at the diaper and found it very familiar. He confirmed, “What’s that in your hand?”
Bai Qingyu, “A reusable diaper.”
He Renyuan remembered the day he was hit in the face with a “rag” and closed his eyes. He knew it, how could anyone dry a rag on the third floor?
Good news, it wasn’t a rag.
Bai Qingyu had already taken the diaper to the bathroom and turned on the tap.
He Renyuan followed him in and frowned, “You didn’t turn on the hot water?”
Bai Qingyu, “Cold water can also be used for washing.”
The mountain climate was already cool, and the cold water was even more stimulating. He Renyuan was a little annoyed seeing Bai Qingyu’s oblivious look.
He Renyuan snatched the diaper from Bai Qingyu’s hand with a cold face.
Bai Qingyu said anxiously, “Don’t throw it away, it can still be used after washing!”
He Renyuan, “Get out.”
Bai Qingyu sighed. It seemed he was going to lose a diaper. Oh well, although the hotel had hot water and air conditioning, it couldn’t compare to the He family’s mansion. He Renyuan must have been uncomfortable sleeping here, he had to let him throw away something he didn’t like to vent his anger.
He Renyuan mentally prepared himself for a while, pretending that he was just holding an ordinary piece of cloth.
It wasn’t that he was willing to wash diapers for Bai Qingyu, it was just that he couldn’t stop Bai Qingyu from drying diapers on the balcony. He had to make sure that if a diaper fell from the third floor again next time, it would at least be clean, right?
He felt more at ease washing it himself. Bai Qingyu always saved water and electricity, would he scrub it three times like him?
He was doing this for his own cleanliness.
Half an hour later, the adults each carried their backpacks. Bai Qingyu’s bag was almost empty, while He Renyuan’s bag still contained a pile of clothes and food.
Bai Xiaocha bounced as he walked, “Dad, it’s so beautiful here.”
Huangshan at sunrise was refreshing, magnificent, like a fairyland.
After walking for a while, he said with novelty, “Dad, there are no mosquitoes here.”
When the father and son lived at Old Man Deng’s house, because the house was at the foot of the mountain, the south was humid and hot, and there were many mosquitoes.
Bai Qingyu intentionally tried to lighten the mood and said, “Ask Uncle Boss why.”
Bai Xiaocha, “Why, Uncle Boss?”
He Renyuan rubbed the side of his pants, as if wiping sweat, “Because the altitude is high, mosquitoes don’t like to come up here.”
Bai Xiaocha, “Uncle was bitten by a mosquito just now.”
He Renyuan abruptly changed the subject, “Look, what are those people looking at?”
The tops of the pine trees growing from the cliff were right next to the walkway, and two monkeys, one big and one small, were reaching out to the passing humans from the branches.
Feeding monkeys was forbidden in the scenic area, but some tourists with extra food secretly put oranges, cookies, and chocolate on the railing.
The monkey reached out, skillfully peeled the orange, and after eating, begged for more, and the tourist gave more.
Bai Xiaocha’s eyes followed the monkeys, and he pursed his lips, “Dad, are the monkeys eating for free?”
Bai Qingyu, “Yes, because they don’t have any money.”
“I don’t have any money either.” Bai Xiaocha felt that he was similar to the monkeys, “I’m as big as a monkey.”
He Renyuan was amused, but he didn’t show it. He didn’t dare to take out snacks or fruits for Cha Bao to eat, afraid of attracting monkeys to scratch Cha Bao’s face.
He had heard that some monkeys would snatch bags, so He Renyuan said, “Give me your bag, let’s move on.”
He Renyuan kept an eye on the monkeys and found that the two monkeys kept jumping around in the nearby pine trees.
Bai Qingyu silently held the little one, feeling a little down. He told He Renyuan not to give Cha Bao anything anymore, and He Renyuan really kept his distance, not even giving him food.
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