Ming Qiao calls out “daddy”. Wu Ye, who has been tugging on his hair in frustration, hasn’t reacted yet when Qing Heng quickly turns his head to look at the little one.

Sitting on Wu Ye’s shoulders, the child meets Qing Heng’s gaze, pouting slightly, and says: “Daddy always lets Qiao Qiao ride on his shoulders.”

Qing Heng: “……”

Seeing the little one’s sad expression, Qing Heng understands that the child is nostalgic and misses his dad.

His adam’s apple moves. And while he maintains a calm expression, he’s already thinking about how to explain himself.

Before he can gather his words, Wu Ye, holding the child up, widens his eyes. “What did you say?”

“I’m lifting you up here, and you’re thinking about your dad?”

Wu Ye, irritated, wants to shake the child off. “I’ll tell you now—I don’t do stand-ins! And I won’t be a stand-in for your dad!”

Wu Ye’s protest stops Ming Qiao from feeling sad, his little hands gripping tighter as he pouts. “Daddy is silly.”

Young daddy wasn’t very stable and seemed a bit absent-minded!

Hearing this, Wu Ye’s face brightens up, laughing. “Exactly, your dad is silly.”

Someone who could win Qing Heng’s favor and still abandon both Qing Heng and his child? Either blind or foolish.

In a good mood, Wu Ye no longer minds the little guy tugging on his hair. With both hands holding the cub’s chubby arms, he takes a few steps forward.

Ming Qiao, shaken and wobbling from side to side, laughs uncontrollably. Hearing the laughter, Wu Ye shakes him even more, on purpose.

Watching their playful interaction, Qing Heng quietly feels a touch of warmth.

After laughing for a while, Ming Qiao is tired, his little face flushed and breathing quick. “Wait for mom.”

“Alright, we’ll wait for your mom.”

Despite the misty path and eerie atmosphere, sitting on daddy’s shoulders with mom by his side, the child isn’t scared at all.

Walking together, they soon reach the gate of Wu Xiang City. The black gate is tightly closed, with no visible gap. Aside from the three of them, there’s no one around.

In the corner to the far right of the gate, there’s a soup vendor. “Sweet soup! Delicious sweet soup, ready to serve!”

“Sweet soup from Meng’s shop, a century-old recipe!”

The old lady selling the soup has a scarf wrapped around her head and sits on a dark stool. With her withered hands, she holds a large ladle, stirring it in a pot.

Wu Ye lifts the child off his shoulders and holds the cub in his arms. He steps forward and asks the old lady: “Ma’am, do you know when the city gate will open?”

The old woman pauses her stirring. She raises her head, her face wrinkled with eyes that resemble black holes, almost without whites.

“Would you like some soup? Meng’s sweet soup, thirst-quenching and refreshing. One bowl makes you want another.”

Wu Ye doesn’t want soup, he just wants directions. But his questions seem to go unheard as the old lady insists on selling soup.

One persists in asking, the other in selling soup. The situation stalls. The child, sitting in Wu Ye’s arms, glances at the old lady, feeling a bit scared. “Ma’am…” 

Ming Qiao asks in a trembling baby voice: “Is this Meng Po Soup^[1]Meng Po Soup – 孟婆汤: Is a dish associated with the mythology of the afterlife. Souls must drink this soup before they are reincarnated, as it erases all memories of their past lives.?”

He’d heard daddy tell stories about how people would meet Meng Po on the Yellow Springs Road^[2]Yellow Spring Road is considered a place where souls go after passing away, and the road symbolizes the transition from the earthly realm to the afterlife.after death. 

The soup Meng Po served would make people forget everything before they went to be reincarnated with empty minds.

The child’s trembling voice makes the old woman fix her gaze on him. They stare at each other for a while.

Finally, she responds to his frightened little face, “It’s not Meng Po Soup, it’s Meng’s sweet soup.”

Ming Qiao asks: “Is it poisonous?”

“No.” the old lady answers.

Hearing this, Ming Qiao nods seriously, then quietly says: “But Qiao Qiao is still afraid to drink.”

The old lady falls silent. Wu Ye almost laughs at the bluntness of the child in his arms. Clearing his throat, he suppresses his laughter and asks the old lady to serve a bowl.

The Meng’s sweet soup is a greenish color, not exactly looking like an ordinary soup. Seeing Wu Ye lift the bowl to drink, Qing Heng frowns slightly and calls out: “Wu Ye.”

Wu Ye glances at him and assures: “Don’t worry about me.”

Then, he drinks the green soup down in one go. “Ma’am, is it extra sweet? A bit rich, but overall, it’s alright.”

The old lady, seeing him finish it, serves him another bowl. “This bowl is for your son.” She says, her gaze landing on Ming Qiao.

Wu Ye is briefly taken aback. He didn’t expect the old lady to mistake the child in his arms for his son. 

He considers correcting her, but seeing that the child doesn’t protest, his words get stuck in his throat and he swallows them back.

With a natural tone, he asks the child: “Want to try? It tastes good.”

“If daddy says the soup is safe, then it must be!” Without a second thought, Ming Qiao stretches out his little hands, holding the bowl and drinking it down.

The soup is a bit too much. After drinking, his small belly bulges. The little one hiccups and hands the bowl back to the old lady.

She fills another bowl. This time, she hands it directly to Qing Heng. “Three bowls of sweet soup for a family of three, complete and whole.”

The old lady repeats “complete and whole”, her hunched figure holding the bowl, not setting it down until Qing Heng takes it.

Qing Heng looks at the bowl, silent for a few seconds, then asks: “Ma’am, could I get a different bowl?”

The old lady: ???

Wu Ye: “……” Understandable, he used it.

Ming Qiao realizes his mother’s dislike for the bowl, his chubby face freezes before he tearfully looks at his mother.

“Mom thinks Qiao Qiao is dirty…”

Qing Heng: “Not it’s not…”

He was going to explain but now seeing the little one’s sad face, Qing Heng takes the bowl.

“Fine. After all, his own child used it just now.”

Ignoring the bowl’s previous user, Qing Heng closes his eyes and drinks the soup. As he drinks, a drop of soup rolls down his mouth, sliding along his neck and faintly visible collarbone.

Though Wu Ye hasn’t drunk the soup, he instinctively swallows. 

“How much for the three bowls of soup?” As Wu Ye’s gaze lingers, Qing Heng asks the price.

The old lady collects the bowls into the empty bucket, a slow smile forming on her wrinkled face. “My payment is a person. A person named Chun Lai.”

“He’s a scholar who lives in Wu Xiang City. Bring him to me.” As she finishes, the previously locked door, without any bolts, opens slowly.

Through the open door, Ming Qiao turns his head and sees red everywhere. Red banners, red lanterns. He points his chubby hand toward the door, “Lantern!”

The red lanterns are pretty, and he wants one. Wu Ye takes his chubby hand and exchanges a glance with Qing Heng.

It’s clear that the opening of the gate is related to the old lady. She offers the soup and opens the gate to get them to do something for her.

“Granny, thank you for the soup. I’ll make sure to bring the person you want to meet.” Wu Ye speaks up with a smile before Qing Heng has a chance to say anything. 

After speaking, he carries the little one and enters Wu Xiang City with Qing Heng. Once they are inside, the gate closes behind them.

Seeing the gate close, Ming Qiao looks worried. “Will Qiao Qiao get to go outside?” He means to ask if he can leave later. 

Wu Ye firmly supports his chubby little bum, deliberately teasing: “We can’t go back out. Qiao Qiao might not be able to leave—what should we do?”

Ming Qiao: “……” He pouts in frustration, his little body leaning back in annoyance, refusing to be held.

“Oh? Not letting me hold you?”

Wu Ye catches onto his intentions and tightens his grip, holding him close. “I’m holding you, and you’re not going anywhere.”

Ming Qiao’s cheeks flush red with anger, his voice high with indignation. “You’re bad! So bad!”

Seeing Wu Ye, a grown man, teasing a child like this, Qing Heng can’t even bear to look. This man is so childish.