Chapter 21: Three-in-One (Part 1)

The Qin family’s yard was very flat and didn’t have any dangerous areas. The gate to the yard was also closed. Because Dongdong liked playing in the yard, Aunt Zhang usually kept it tidy. There was only this one child at home, and the adults all liked him very much. They would not allow him to bump or fall.

“Is this your bike?” Qin Jiadong asked enviously. He wanted to touch it, but didn’t dare stretch out his hand.

“Mm.” Dongdong nodded heavily. There was no pride in his eyes, only the joy of sharing the bike with his big brother. “Brother, ride.” He very generously let Qin Jiadong sit on it. His little hand even patted the seat of the children’s tricycle. “Here, ride.”

Qin Jiadong was a little overwhelmed. “I… I really can?”

“Mm, ride, sit.” Dongdong spoke clearly and firmly.

“Thank you, little brother.” Qin Jiadong was only four years old, just over three years old in full, and didn’t look much taller than Dongdong, but his build was sturdier than Dongdong’s. So sitting on the children’s tricycle posed no issue.

Children don’t know how to restrain themselves and are easily tempted. Seeing that little brother let him sit, he didn’t refuse, happily sitting down. “Then I’m going to ride now?” Though he had sat on it, he still politely asked his little brother.

“Mm, ride.” Dongdong nodded, then stepped aside. Grandma said that when someone is riding the bike, Dongdong should stand to the side. Otherwise, if the bike hits him and he falls, it will hurt. Dongdong was most afraid of pain, so he very consciously stood to one side.

Once he heard little brother say “ride,” Qin Jiadong didn’t hold back. His thin little legs pedaled happily on the pedals.

“Big brother, awesome.” Dongdong clapped his hands. He was a great atmosphere booster.

Meanwhile, in the main hall, Qin Shun and Qin Wenjing had unknowingly stood by the doorway, watching the two little children playing in the yard. Once again, Qin Shun felt certain that he had made the right choice.

Qin Wenjing was already of an age to understand things. She saw her little brother having fun and felt happy too. When she and her younger brother lived at the county police station’s family housing, the kids inside didn’t like playing with them. They said bad things about their mom.

Whenever they went to Grandma’s house, their cousins also bullied them. At first, they would complain to their parents. But their mom said that they were guests, and guests shouldn’t argue with the host. It was they who were impolite. And dad always listened to mom. Over time, they stopped complaining and became quieter and reserved.

Qin Shun naturally didn’t know what was on his daughter’s mind. If he had, he would regret it even more. There was a lot of work at the police station. Sometimes, in order to investigate a case, he wouldn’t come home for several days. He didn’t know his children were mistreated at their mother’s parents’ house. He thought what his wife said was true, that it was the children who were impolite.

If not for…

Qin Shun didn’t want to think about it anymore. Anyway, he and Li Yuelan were already divorced. He had already paid the price for his past choices. But he still had a pair of children. Even if he had to pay a price, he was willing.

“Time to eat.” Aunt Zhang came out carrying a tray with three bowls of noodles.

“Coming.” Qin Shun called out to his son in the yard. “Jiadong, time to eat.”

“Okay.” When Qin Jiadong heard it was time to eat, he reluctantly got off the children’s tricycle.

“Time to eat…” Dongdong was the first to dash off to eat, running straight into the house.

Dongdong ran to the dining table and saw that Qin Shun and Qin Wenjing were already seated. There was only one bowl of noodles left on the table. He quickly went to get his children’s chair.

Yes, Dongdong had his own special chair. Regular chairs weren’t safe for him, so Mother Qin had someone specially make a children’s chair.

Although Dongdong was small, he had a lot of strength. The little chubby boy had great power. Pushing the children’s chair across the flat living room floor was no trouble at all.

Aunt Zhang saw this and asked, “Dongdong, why are you pushing the chair?”

“Dongdong, eat.” Dongdong replied.

Aunt Zhang quickly explained, “Dongdong, we’re not eating yet. Your uncle, brother, and sister have been traveling for several days without proper food. They’re hungry, so they’re eating first. We’ll wait for Grandpa and Grandma to come home from work, then we’ll eat together.”

But Dongdong didn’t understand this reasoning. He saw that big brother and sister were eating, so he thought it was time to eat. He pointed at his belly. “Dongdong hungry, eat.”

“You’re hungry again? You already had a bowl of egg custard with rice at noon. Your grandma even said yesterday you were walking around the room to lose weight. Now you want to eat again. Aren’t you afraid of getting fat?” Aunt Zhang teased him.

Dongdong heard Grandma Zhang teasing him for being fat and immediately stopped pushing the chair. He quickly shook his head. “Walk, not fat.” Little kids also want to look good. He then looked at his big brother and immediately felt that he really was fat. So he walked around the dining table in circles.

He could skip eating, but he still had to enjoy the smell of food.

Qin Shun finished his noodles in a few big bites. After greeting Aunt Zhang, he went out to run errands. Qin Wenjing and Qin Jiadong didn’t eat as fast as him. The two children ate while watching their little brother walk around them. Round and chubby, they found him quite amusing.

After they finished eating, Dongdong stopped walking. He pulled Qin Jiadong. “Big brother, go play.”

“Okay. Where are we going to play?” In Qin Jiadong’s heart, he already felt very close to Dongdong. No one had ever invited him to play before. Now that his little brother had asked, even if he didn’t want to play, he wouldn’t be able to say no. Let alone the fact that he really did want to play with his little brother.

“Let’s go to the small park.” Dongdong said, “It’s a small park with swings, seesaws, and slides.”

“What’s that?” Qin Jiadong, who had never played with those things, was very curious.

Aunt Zhang didn’t feel safe letting them go alone. She said, “Dongdong, wait for Grandma Zhang to finish washing the dishes, then I’ll take you there.”

“Okay,” Dongdong answered loudly.

There were only a few dishes. Aunt Zhang washed them quickly. After she was done, she took Dongdong, Qin Jiadong, and Qin Wenjing to the small park.

It was a weekday afternoon, and the compound was quite quiet. After all, most people in the compound were office workers. Only on weekends was it especially lively.

When they arrived at the small park, they saw that there were quite a few people. After all, this was the most populated area in the compound.

“Dongdong…” Some children who had played with Dongdong before saw him and greeted him. Many children in the compound liked Dongdong because he always had lots of snacks and would share them with everyone.

“Hey.” Dongdong led Qin Jiadong to the other children. “My brother,” Dongdong proudly introduced him, his little chest sticking out straight.

“Wow, you have a brother now, too.” The child was called Lu Min, one of Dongdong’s playmates. No matter what the adults in the compound said about Dongdong behind his back, they were all still willing to let their own children play with him. After all, he was the grandson of the Qin family, even if adopted, the relationship was still closer than with ordinary people, right?

Moreover, this was no ordinary adopted grandson. Dongdong was the grandson of Qin Zhan’s lifesaver. To put it bluntly, as long as the Qin family did not fall, Ji Dong’s life would be smooth for the rest of his days.

So in everyone’s mind, having their children befriend Dongdong was the same as befriending the third generation of the Qin family. The eldest and second sons of the Qin family were not in the capital, and their children were not there either. For now, Dongdong represented the third generation of the Qin family.

“Mm, my brother.” Dongdong then pointed at Qin Wenjing on the side. “And my sister, they’re both mine.”

“Wow.” Lu Min let out a sound of envy. He also had a brother, but no sister.

In Lu Min’s envious gaze, Dongdong giggled: “Let’s go play.” As he spoke, he pulled Qin Jiadong over to the seesaw.

Lu Min followed. “Dongdong, I’ll play with you.”

Dongdong cheerfully replied, “Okay.”

There were several seesaws in the small park. The one Dongdong and the others played on was designed for children their age, with a backrest and handrails in the front, so kids wouldn’t fall forward or backward while sitting.

Dongdong nimbly climbed to one side and sat down, his small hands gripping the front handrail. But as soon as Dongdong sat, the other end of the seesaw lifted up. Lu Min was about the same age as Dongdong but didn’t weigh as much. He couldn’t press down the end of the seesaw to sit on it by himself, so he called out to the person nearby, “Grandma, I can’t get on.”

Lu Min’s father was a son-in-law who had married into the family. Lu Min took his mother’s surname.

Lu Min’s grandmother, both amused and exasperated, came over to pick him up. Every time her grandson played seesaw with Dongdong, he couldn’t get on by himself. The Qin family had raised Dongdong so well that there were few kids in the compound his age who weighed more than he did.

After Lu Min finally sat on it, his end was still lifted high in the air. He couldn’t bring it down.

Dongdong’s little legs gave a push against the ground, lifting his end into the air and sending Lu Min’s end down. Then Lu Min’s skinny legs kicked the ground, lifting him up and Dongdong down. The two children began to play joyfully.

Aunt Zhang seemed to be chatting with others, but her eyes never left Dongdong’s side.

After playing for a while, Dongdong got off. “Brother, your turn.”

Qin Jiadong had been itching to try while they played. Now that his younger brother offered, he quickly sat down.

…

Mother Qin had been distracted all day. She knew Qin Shun was returning today, and thinking of his upsetting affairs made her feel irritable. Back when they got married, she had told him to think carefully. She didn’t think Li Yuelan was suitable to marry.

But somehow Qin Shun had said something to Li Yuelan, and she came to Mother Qin and made a scene, saying she looked down on her. At that time, Mother Qin had been completely disappointed in her son. As a result, she did not get involved in their wedding at all. Because of this, her relationship with Li Yuelan had always been poor.

Even after her grandchildren were born, their relationship did not improve.

Mother Qin was not an old-fashioned person, but she was very principled and valued propriety. She would not lower herself just because Li Yuelan had two children. In her eyes, whoever was in the wrong should admit it first.

Because of Li Yuelan, she even found Qin Shun unpleasant to look at.

If Ning Xin found out about Qin Shun, she would certainly say this was what people nowadays call “love-brained.”

Finally, the time to get off work came. Mother Qin picked up her bag and rode her bicycle home. But just before reaching the entrance to the compound, she heard Dongdong’s laughter coming from inside, clear and loud.

When Mother Qin reached the entrance, she saw the scene in the courtyard. Three children were playing. One was Dongdong, and the other two looked familiar. On closer look, there were faint traces of how they looked two years ago. It should be Qin Wenjing and Qin Jiadong.

Yes, Mother Qin had not seen her grandchildren in two years. This matter began when Qin Zhan adopted Dongdong. After Li Yuelan learned from Qin Shun that Qin Zhan adopted Dongdong and left him at the Qin house for Mother Qin to raise, she refused to let Qin Wenjing and Qin Jiadong come to the Qin house anymore.

Of course, Mother Qin did not know that her grandchildren hadn’t come in these past two years because of Dongdong.

The sound of the bicycle drew the attention of the three children in the courtyard. They all turned their heads.

“Grandma…” Dongdong didn’t care about his brother and sister anymore. He ran toward Mother Qin.

Qin Wenjing and Qin Jiadong stood still for a moment. Then Qin Wenjing, holding Qin Jiadong’s hand, gathered her courage and followed.

Even though Qin Wenjing hadn’t been here in two years, she still remembered her grandma. In her young heart, grandma was very kind and affectionate, completely different from the frightening image of her maternal grandmother. Grandma smiled gently at her, gave her tasty treats, and spoke to her softly—just like how her grandmother treated her cousin.

“Grandma…” Dongdong ran into Mother Qin’s arms.

Mother Qin had already parked her bicycle when she saw Dongdong running over. Ever since Dongdong learned to walk, he loved to run and throw himself into her arms like this.

Mother Qin caught Dongdong and reminded him, “Walk slowly, or you’ll fall and it will hurt.”

Dongdong remembered everything grandma said very well, except for this. Every time he saw Grandma come home from work, he just couldn’t help running to her. So when he heard grandma say this, he smartly let out a string of giggles but didn’t respond.

“Grandma…” Qin Wenjing brought Qin Jiadong over and timidly greeted her, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz. Then she told Qin Jiadong, “Jiadong, say ‘grandma’.”

Qin Jiadong always listened to his sister, so he obediently said, “Grandma.”

Actually, even relationships between parents and children need to be nurtured, let alone between grandparents and grandchildren. Mother Qin did have feelings for them, but because of Li Yuelan, she hadn’t seen them much over the years. So the bond wasn’t as deep as it would be in a typical grandparent-grandchild relationship.

Still, seeing them made Mother Qin happy. She smiled at them, “Wenjing has grown taller and prettier. This must be Jiadong. The last time Grandma saw you, you were still a little baby holding a milk bottle. Now you’re a big kid.”

Qin Wenjing blushed at the praise, but her eyes sparkled.

Little children like Qin Jiadong loved it when adults said they were big kids. Hearing grandma say this made him feel grown up, and he grinned with squinted eyes. “I… I don’t drink formula anymore.” He didn’t even remember drinking formula as a baby. As far back as he could remember, he hadn’t had any.

Dongdong added, “Dongdong too, big kid now.” Nowadays, except when sleeping, he no longer wears split pants during the day. That made him a big kid. In their compound, kids who wore split pants were the little ones. Dongdong actually liked wearing them—they made peeing really convenient—but to avoid being laughed at, he resisted the urge to wear them.

“Yes, yes, our Dongdong is also a big kid. Now grandma needs to go park the bicycle. Can I ask Big Kid Dongdong to take your brother and sister to play?” Mother Qin joked warmly.

“Yes.” Dongdong went and pulled his brother and sister to continue playing. Mother Qin watched their backs. The setting sun cast a golden glow over them, bathing them in warm light, like a painting frozen in time.