Chapter 14

The nickname “Playboy Radish” was honestly a bit unjust. Chen Annan felt that although he had many, many good friends outside, the best in his heart was always Brother.

However, recently he had stopped calling Lu Qingyuan “Brother.” It started at the end of the year when Lu Wenyuan swapped their beds for a standard-wide double bed, letting the two kids sleep in one bedroom first to look after each other.

Chen Annan was sleeping under his own little blanket, his face half-buried. As Lu Qingyuan finished washing up and was about to get into bed, he suddenly paused.

Chen Annan’s breathing was steady, the blanket rising and falling with his breath.

Lu Qingyuan watched in silence for a moment. Without any warning, Chen Annan’s eyes suddenly snapped open. His fingers neatly grabbed the corner of the other’s clothes, and he excitedly said, “Gotcha!”

He still hadn’t had enough of that game from before. Now, at every turn, he was grabbing Lu Qingyuan to play Little Ghost Tag. Lu Qingyuan was deeply speechless at this childish behavior. He lifted Chen Annan’s blanket, and his fingertip touched a damp spot on the corner—soaking wet, chewed by Chen Annan. He asked, “Are you a little dog?”

Chen Annan thought Brother was playing with him. He rolled over and sat up, hugging the other’s arm and shaking it: “Puppy, puppy! Woof, woof…”

Lu Qingyuan moved his arm, pushing the person inside, and said, “No biting things when sleeping.”

“I wasn’t biting.” Chen Annan defended himself.

It wasn’t really a defense, though. Kids just have many unconscious little habits they aren’t aware of. If it feels comfortable, they keep doing it. If no one tells them, they don’t notice it at all.

“Puppies bite,” Lu Qingyuan said. “Only puppies like to bite things.”

Chen Annan retorted, “Then you’re a puppy too.”

Lu Qingyuan glanced at him, wanting to say something but stopping. That day, Chen Annan bit him, and he only bit back in retaliation. How could that make him a puppy?

So, he silently turned off the light and ignored this annoying “little dog.” Chen Annan also burrowed back into his own blanket, his face tucked down a bit, eyes closed. Not long after, he heard Lu Qingyuan turn over, the warmth of his breath landing on his eyelashes.

Chen Annan liked this toasty feeling. The two of them sticking together gave him a great sense of security, so he snuggled a bit closer, pressing tightly against Lu Qingyuan. Soon, he fell into a deep sleep.

Lu Qingyuan propped his head on one hand, lying on his side watching Chen Annan.

Chen Annan was biting the blanket again, his mouth pursing and unpursing—an unconscious action. Lu Qingyuan stared at him like this for a good while, then suddenly reached out. Using his fingertip, he slowly pried open the child’s teeth and gently pulled down the corner of the blanket held in his mouth.

Suddenly, Chen Annan’s eyelashes trembled, startling Lu Qingyuan into quickly withdrawing his hand. But Chen Annan just slightly turned his head, letting out a faint, indistinct hum, and ultimately didn’t wake up.

Lu Qingyuan’s fingers were damp. Frowning, he tucked Chen Annan’s blanket in properly. All around was quiet. The warm yellow lamplight cast over half their faces, making Chen Annan look like a reflection in the water, nurturing all the tiny, hidden emotions in one’s heart, giving rise to a faint illusion of sweetness.

After that night, who knew what Chen Annan was thinking, but he started calling Lu Qingyuan “Puppy.” Whenever Lu Qingyuan ignored him, he’d call the name even more warmly, hugging Brother’s arm day in and day out, using that childish nickname.

Chen Annan had fully adapted to his new family. But even in the smoothest of days, quarrels over trivial, everyday matters still happened. Every few days, Lu Wenyuan had to act as a peacemaker, coaxing this one and teasing that one.

Days rolled on slowly amidst the creaking sound of the years’ wheel. Moving slowly, yet they etched the small, lively bustle of life into the grooves of time with rich, heavy strokes.

After the New Year, Chen Annan was another year older. His birthday happened to fall on the fifteenth of the first lunar month. That day, the Confucius Temple was lit with a continuous expanse of festive lanterns. Lu Wenyuan took them on a boat ride on the Qinhuai River. The river water was murky, bringing a salty, damp scent to their faces. From the far shore, someone was singing loudly under the moonlight and lantern shadows.

Chen Annan had an especially wonderful time. When they got home that evening, Lu Wenyuan carried back an exquisite gift box.

Chen Annan let out a soft “Wow.” Something was inside the box, unknown what. It moved a little, then moved again, as if alive.

“Open it and see,” Lu Wenyuan said.

Chen Annan obediently went to open it, but before he could even reach out, the lid of the gift box suddenly popped open, landing on the floor with a thud. Before Chen Annan could see clearly, a furry, soft little thing had already launched itself onto him.

“Puppy!” Chen Annan hugged the little creature in delighted surprise.

A creamy white Pomeranian puppy, with round, shiny eyes staring at him. Its short, stubby tail was wagging so fast it nearly flew off the ground, excitedly greeting its new owner, then licking the little master’s palm.

A wave of damp, ticklish heat ran through Chen Annan’s palm. He gently stroked the puppy, the fine, soft fur threading through his fingers.

“I’ve been hearing you call ‘Puppy, puppy’ lately,” Lu Wenyuan still didn’t know that the “puppy” he spoke of referred to his own son. “Cub, do you like it?”

“I like it.” Chen Annan hugged his pet and looked up at Lu Qingyuan, saying, “Brother, I don’t need you to be my puppy anymore. I have a new puppy now.”

Lu Qingyuan: “…”

Lu Wenyuan’s eyes showed surprise. He turned to look at his son. When realization dawned, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. No wonder he always felt the direction was off when Chen Annan called “Puppy.” He had thought Chen Annan was begging Lu Qingyuan to buy him a puppy.

Lu Qingyuan stood to the side, facing away from his dad’s gaze. He wanted to explain a bit but didn’t know how. Having this nickname called out in front of an adult was just too embarrassing.

It was Chen Annan who, completely unbothered, leaned over and, still reluctant to let go, called out “Puppy” twice more.

Lu Wenyuan burst out laughing, lightly rapping his head with a laugh. “No respect for elders. Call him Brother.”

“Ah,” Chen Annan promptly slumped onto Lu Qingyuan’s shoulder, tilting his head happily. “Brother.”

Lu Qingyuan didn’t speak, just raised a hand and rubbed his face. The baby fat was plump and soft, squeezed out of shape on both sides. But Chen Annan was still beaming, looking at him with a smile. His eyes were very bright, the corners lifting in a soft little arc when he smiled, like ripples reflecting shards of moonlight—innocent, clear, and bright.

From this time on, the family of two kids and one adult now had a new little companion: the Pomeranian called Cotton Candy.

After a few spring rains, a faint, astringent fragrance of grass and trees drifted over the asphalt roads. Tender green, seemingly absent yet present, sprouted from the sycamore branches, flamboyant and bold. Spring arrived fiercely this year; before March had even passed, no one on the streets was wearing padded clothes anymore.

Before they could even enjoy the pear blossoms like snow, before April arrived, everyone had already changed into light clothing. In these past six months or so, with Cotton Candy around, Chen Annan no longer clung to Lu Qingyuan every moment to play with him.

The puppy grew fast, becoming a few sizes larger than when it first came—from a tiny fluffball to a small fluffball. It loved to nudge Chen Annan’s palm with its nose, then nibble his pant leg, grinding its teeth gently. Sometimes it would also carry Lu Qingyuan’s slippers around, making them impossible for Lu Qingyuan to catch.

Only, Chen Annan’s little habit of liking to bite the blanket when sleeping didn’t improve because of this new buddy. Lu Qingyuan thought these two were really alike; were they both in their teething phase?

But this teething phase was honestly a bit too long. Chen Annan’s down blanket was switched for a thin quilt, and Lu Qingyuan was still slowly and persistently correcting him. Every day, after Chen Annan fell asleep, he had to watch him for a while, all while guarding against Cotton Candy’s sneak attacks on his slippers.

Thankfully, by the time the fluffball got a bit bigger and stopped teething, Chen Annan had finally also kicked his blanket-biting habit and welcomed the new semester of first grade.

This made Chen Annan extremely excited—he could finally, finally go to and from school together with Brother!