Chapter 6 Child Support

Shen Qingyi gently stroked her son's head. "I want to apply for a border pass to Pengcheng. I’d like your dad to help me out."

Currently, Pengcheng had implemented a border pass policy. To obtain a border pass, one had to go through three steps: review by the neighborhood committee, verification by the police station, and issuing by the Public Security Bureau.

Cheng Youqing’s father happened to be the director of the neighborhood committee here.

At this moment, Mrs. Cheng also brought out a freshly washed bunch of grapes, setting them on the small table in front of the sofa. She happened to overhear that last sentence and immediately objected, "Lu Yan has just returned, and with his status, he’s a prized asset in his unit. After so much hardship, things are finally looking up for you all. Why would you want to go to Pengcheng now? What are you thinking, child?"

Mrs. Cheng had always cherished Shen Qingyi as if she were her own daughter, and after all that had happened, she felt even more tender toward her. Seeing Shen Qingyi’s dejection, Mrs. Cheng softened her tone. "Don’t dwell on those chaotic thoughts anymore. Things will get better. As long as Lu Yan acknowledges Ping’an, those rumors will soon die down. Your most important task now is to keep Lu Yan close."

Shen Qingyi replied, "I can’t let my father’s grievances go unaddressed for a lifetime."

Besides, she didn’t have much faith in her ability to keep Lu Yan by her side. His heart belonged to his childhood sweetheart. But to Mrs. Cheng’s generation, who Lu Yan loved was irrelevant. What mattered was whose husband he was and whether he could bring benefit to the family—this was paramount.

Hearing Shen Qingyi’s words, Mrs. Cheng’s mood grew heavy as well. After a long pause, she said, "It’s all in the past now. We’ve known your father all our lives—we know what kind of man he was. If he’s watching from above, he wouldn’t blame you."

Shen Qingyi knew that continuing this conversation would lead nowhere, so she fell silent. Once she got An’an’s household registration sorted out and coaxed Cheng Youqing, it shouldn’t be too difficult.

Thinking of the soup simmering in the kitchen, Mrs. Cheng quickly changed the subject, "Dinner’s almost ready. I’ve made braised fish—An’an’s favorite. Let’s get ready to eat."

After Mrs. Cheng left, Cheng Youqing continued to persuade her. "Qingyi, my mother isn’t wrong. Think it over carefully."

Shen Qingyi smiled and nodded.

After dinner at the Chengs’ house, Shen Qingyi gathered up her clothes and took An’an home. By then, dusk had fallen, and the cool evening breeze carried away the day’s heat, as if it also swept away some of the melancholy in her heart.

She looked up at the half-hidden moon in the sky. As a child, her father had taken her down this road countless times, telling her different stories each time.

Sensing that his mother had slowed her steps, An’an tilted his little face up, blinking at her as he shook her hand. "Mommy, do you want to tell An’an a story?"

Shen Qingyi pulled herself from her reverie and smiled gently. "Yes. How about Mommy tells you the story of Thumbelina?"

"Okay!"

"Once upon a time..."

As An’an listened, he occasionally asked questions about the parts he didn’t understand.

Lu Yan arrived just as he finished work, only to find the Shen family’s door closed. He sat on a stone bench outside the house and waited for a long time.

When he looked up again, he saw a tall, slender woman in a blue dress, her expression gentle as she told a story to the child beside her. The child would look up and respond with laughter.

The moonlight was faint, but he could clearly feel the ease and warmth between mother and child.

It seemed that even without him, they lived happily.

Lu Yan couldn’t tell if he felt disappointed or relieved.

The voices drew nearer. Feeling a bit uneasy, Lu Yan stood up. An’an spotted him immediately, stopped, and whispered seriously while holding his mother’s hand, "He’s here!"

Shen Qingyi soothed An’an with a gentle pat on the head, then approached Lu Yan with a calm expression. "You’re here?"

Lu Yan nodded. "Mm."

Shen Qingyi took An’an with her to open the door. Once it swung open, Lu Yan followed them inside.

Just as last time, he sat on the same white wooden chair he’d used on his first visit. "I’ve written the statement. I heard that for the birth certificate, you need to take your ID to the hospital to have the document resigned and stamped?"

"Yes, let’s go this weekend."

At the time, all they needed was for Lu Yan to write a statement, have a supervisor sign it, and mail it to the hospital for processing. But the Lu family had stubbornly insisted that the child in her belly was illegitimate, and Lu Yan hadn’t responded to their calls, which led to An’an being unable to get his household registration.

"Alright," Lu Yan replied, his gaze landing on the clothes and toys scattered from the cloth bag onto the sofa.

The clothes still had their tags; clearly, they were bought today. And there was more than one set. She’d bought so much—did she still have enough money?

With this in mind, he reached into his pocket, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to Shen Qingyi. "This is my paycheck from today—there’s three hundred and fifty yuan inside."

He had given eighty yuan to Qian Guihua and her husband for their retirement, keeping twenty for himself.

Shen Qingyi was surprised but quickly accepted it. "Alright."

Since he had acknowledged An’an as his child, it was only right that he should contribute to raising him.

She glanced at the man in front of her. He was still dressed in that same blue work uniform and wore army-green liberation shoes—his appearance was exceedingly modest. Only his childhood sweetheart truly understood him.

Lu Yan looked at An’an again. The boy was well cared for; it was obvious he was being brought up with every comfort. His clothes were the kind rarely seen in the area—even on TV child actors—a white T-shirt paired with loose black-and-white plaid capri pants.

Lu Yan took a packet of candy from his pocket and held it out to An’an. "Come to Daddy."

An’an eyed the milk candies, his beautiful eyes shining, but he didn’t budge.

Remembering the wages Lu Yan had just handed over, Shen Qingyi said nothing. After all, this was his son…

She turned and left the living room, heading to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea.

An’an hesitated, took two steps forward, puffed out his cheeks, and said with a humph, "I don’t want your candy."

He was clearly his father, yet he’d only come to claim him now, after his mother had suffered so much.

Lu Yan wasn’t upset. He placed the candy on the sofa and picked up the Rubik’s Cube that had fallen from the bag.

He toyed with it in his hands, and An’an’s eyes widened instantly.

Before, An’an could only sort the colors onto one side and count that as success. But this man could surround the center with matching colors on the outer edges and restore it in four moves.

His hands moved so quickly that An’an was left gaping in astonishment.

When the man looked up and saw An’an’s expression, he smiled. "Do you want Daddy to teach you?"

An’an nodded quickly, then, realizing what he was doing, shook his head. "No need. Mommy says I’m the smartest."

Lu Yan nodded, placing the Rubik’s Cube in An’an’s hands. "Then give it a try today. Daddy will come back tomorrow."

With that, he stood up and walked to the backyard, where he saw Shen Qingyi sitting in a lounge chair beneath the grape arbor, sipping tea.

When she saw him approach, she stood up at once and asked with a calm expression, "Is there something you need?"