Chapter 30 Insomnia

She hesitated for a moment, but eventually took a seat. The noodles were already prepared; ignoring them would seem deliberate, wouldn’t it? She picked up the chopsticks on the table and tasted a mouthful of noodles, surprised by the flavor. Then she tried the fried egg—how could it be this delicious? She had thought it was simply cooked, but the noodles were done just right, perfectly seasoned. She broke up the egg yolk and mixed it into the noodles, and the taste was simply exquisite.

She had expected to feel a touch of awkwardness with Anan absent, but once immersed in eating, she forgot all about it. Halfway through her meal, she stole a glance at the man. He had his head slightly lowered, and she could see his long, curled lashes half-drooped, utterly focused on his food.

Lu Yan sensed his wife’s gaze and paused, his dark eyes carrying a gentle smile. “Is it good?”

Shen Qingyi was startled for a moment, then nodded. “It’s delicious!”

Goodness, that smile was so similar to Anan’s that she nearly reached out to pat his head and praise him, just as she did for Anan when he wore that expression, seeking approval.

“That’s good,” Lu Yan replied, then continued eating. Once finished, he glanced at his watch. “I’m heading to work now. Would you mind washing the pots and dishes?”

Shen Qingyi nodded. “Of course.”

It wasn’t until Lu Yan had left that Shen Qingyi came to herself. Why did he smile at her?

Lu Yan left the house in high spirits. He’d slept well the night before, now had a fixed place to store his belongings, and no longer needed to carry everything with him. He felt light and unburdened.

After finishing her noodles, Shen Qingyi saw Anan emerge, still drowsy, looking around the house. “Mom, where’s Dad?”

“He’s gone to work.”

Anan rubbed his eyes and went to the backyard to brush his teeth. When he returned, Shen Qingyi ladled him a bowl of noodles, smiling, “Dad cooked these.”

“Dad can cook noodles?” Anan took the chopsticks with delight and tasted a few bites. “Wow, Dad’s noodles are delicious too!”

After eating, Shen Qingyi asked him, “Have you made your bed?”

Anan shook his head. “No!”

“Then go make your bed.” After giving instructions, Shen Qingyi went to the kitchen to wash the dishes and scrub the pots.

When she returned to the hall and still hadn’t seen Anan, she knew he was likely still hiding in Lu Yan’s room. Entering, she found the little one not making his bed, but seated at the desk, staring dazedly at a stack of manuscript paper. She approached and saw that the top sheet was covered with lines of English letters.

Fortunately, she had seen her father’s drafts before and recognized that these were not English, but advanced mathematical formulas.

“Anan, what are you looking at?”

Anan didn’t move. Shen Qingyi reached out and patted his head. “Did Dad write all these?”

Anan finally came back to himself and nodded vigorously. “Yes, Dad said last night he’d stay up and finish writing before coming to tell me a story, but I fell asleep. Now I just want to see what Dad was writing.”

“All from last night?” Shen Qingyi flipped through a few pages—there were at least seven or eight.

She couldn’t help but marvel; Lu Yan truly worked hard, pouring himself into his work.

She turned and went to the bed to make it, only then catching a faint musty smell. She realized the bedding hadn’t been aired out, having lain unused for a long while.

Despite her many grievances, she had to admit his work was exhausting and mentally demanding, leaving him no energy for other matters.

She stripped the covers, carried the quilt and mattress out to sun them, and took the sheets and covers to the backyard for washing.

Luckily, it was summer and blankets weren’t needed at night; otherwise, he’d surely have slept poorly.

After washing, she called Anan, “Let’s go buy groceries!”

Anan came out, “Mom, let’s buy a cooling mat for Dad’s bed. I was so hot last night too.”

“You’re sleeping with him again tonight?”

“I’ve grown up; from now on I’ll sleep with Dad.”

Shen Qingyi couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ve grown up?”

Anan’s big eyes blinked, and he nodded. “Mm, I even helped Dad with chores yesterday.”

“What did you help him with?”

“I put Dad’s clothes into the wardrobe.”

Shen Qingyi opened the wardrobe and saw Lu Yan’s few sets of clothes. She rummaged through them—a blue work uniform, socks worn thin at the heels, and, most strikingly, underwear with threads coming loose. The best pieces were probably a pair of black trousers and a white T-shirt.

This...

She recalled when her father went on television, he always prepared his own clothes. Was Lu Yan supposed to wear his uniform, or just the white T-shirt and black pants? Neither seemed appropriate to her.

She closed the wardrobe and took Anan out with her.

They first visited the Overseas Chinese Store and bought a white shirt, a pair of dark blue jeans, black leather shoes, a tie, and four pairs of cotton underwear.

“Mom, do you know Dad’s size?” Anan was thrilled she was buying clothes for his father and worried she’d get the wrong size.

Having designed clothes for the Xia family for so long, Shen Qingyi was already very sensitive to sizes and combinations.

Only the shoe size was a bit uncertain.

At checkout, she asked the clerk, “If the shoes don’t fit, can I exchange them?”

The clerk nodded. “Of course, just keep your receipt.”

With their purchases in hand, Shen Qingyi headed to the market for groceries.

“Mom, we still haven’t bought the cooling mat.”

“Yes, yes,” Shen Qingyi felt a touch of jealousy—how quickly he’d become so dear.

After buying the mat, they returned home.

After lunch, Anan took a nap, and Shen Qingyi began wiping down the mat and washing the new clothes. Fortunately, the summer sun was strong; within three hours, everything was dry. Afraid they’d retain heat come evening, she brought them in early.

That afternoon, Lu Yan seemed to finish work earlier than usual. As he reached the gate, he saw Anan squatting, watching DouDou spin a top, surrounded by two other children.

“Anan!” Lu Yan called loudly.

Anan turned quickly, ran to his father, and grabbed his hand.

Lu Yan took Anan’s hand and walked over, “Dad will watch with you.”

Today, he had no backpack and didn’t need to drop anything at home. The other children stared at Anan with envy. “Anan, your dad is so handsome.”

Anan’s big eyes curved with pride. “I look just like my dad.”

“But you’re not as tall as your dad!”

Anan’s dad was really tall.

Lu Yan didn’t respond. He rarely saw his son playing with other children, always worried Anan would be withdrawn because of past events. Unexpectedly, his son’s social skills were quite good.

“Anan, come back for dinner…”

Shen Qingyi’s voice called from inside. Father and son quickly turned. As they left, Anan said to DouDou, “I’m going to eat now. Let’s play again tomorrow!”

Hand in hand, father and son entered the house, only separating once seated at the table. Shen Qingyi pulled at the corner of her lips, unsure what to say.

After dinner, Anan hopped off his chair, leaned close to Lu Yan’s ear, and whispered, “Dad, eat quickly. There’s a surprise waiting in your room!”