Chapter 28: This Is Really a Tough One

Su Qinghu nodded, adjusted the watch on her wrist, and turned to leave the kitchen.

Chen Lie: ""...""

His hand was still suspended in midair, and the sudden disappearance of the weight Su Qinghu had placed on his thumb left him with an inexplicable sense of loss.

Neither of them noticed that the faintly unusual atmosphere between them faded away like mist in the air, as if it had never happened at all.

Why did Su Qinghu just turn and leave, so clean and decisive, without warning?

That was because her allotted time was up.

""Five minutes are up. Have you figured it out?"" Looking at the two brothers standing close together, Su Qinghu knew they must have been huddling to analyze the situation.

Da Dan: ""...""

Da Dan didn’t want to speak, because admitting it would feel like he’d lost.

Er Dan: ""Because we went out looking for Dad without telling you...""

Su Qinghu’s face softened, then she looked at Da Dan.

This kid was clearly having quite the internal struggle in his head~~~

Er Dan glanced anxiously at his brother, nearly dying of worry. Why was he being so stubborn? This was obviously both their fault—what good would it do if only one of them admitted it?

He kept frantically signaling Da Dan with his eyes, to the point his eyes nearly cramped, but still Da Dan wouldn’t say a word.

""Bro! Bro, can you say something?"" Er Dan grabbed Da Dan’s arm. ""Bro! I can’t do this alone!""

Da Dan, annoyed by Er Dan’s shaking, finally looked up at Su Qinghu. ""We shouldn’t have gone out without telling you.""

Only then did Su Qinghu nod. ""Mm, and then?""

And then? Er Dan was stumped. There’s more? What else?

Da Dan, however, caught on quickly. ""We made you worry. Sorry.""

Er Dan suddenly understood and hurried to echo, ""We made you worry. Sorry.""

So it wasn’t just about admitting fault—you had to apologize, too.

What’s so hard about that? Just two sentences! He could handle that!

Su Qinghu gave a soft ""Mm"" and spoke slowly, ""Worry about you... Well, it’s not really about worrying, since we don’t have that deep of a bond.""

Da Dan: ""...""

Er Dan’s eyes widened instantly, looking at her in disbelief. What did she mean, not that deep of a bond? If it wasn’t deep, why did she stand up for them? Why did she give them so much good food?

""I’m mainly afraid of giving the police extra work,"" Su Qinghu ignored their indignant looks. ""After all, if you disappeared, my first reaction would be to call the police.""

Er Dan: ""But couldn’t you look for us first? Isn’t that what parents do?!""

""No,"" Su Qinghu lifted her chin, looking down at him. ""And why should all parents react the same way?""

Er Dan opened his mouth, not knowing how to respond. Instead, Su Qinghu turned the question back on them. ""This is your first time being kids, and my first time being a parent. You’ve been kids for six years and nine years, but I’ve only been a parent for six days...""

""You’ve had years of practice—why can’t you cut me, a six-day parent, some slack? Besides, I have no experience as a parent. Of course my first instinct would be to call the police.""

Even Da Dan was stunned by this.

What was she saying?

They were just kids, and now an adult wanted them to take care of her?

""And you’ve never told me where you like to play, or where I should look first if you go missing..."" Su Qinghu shot them a look. ""So don’t expect too much. I haven’t ignored you, that’s good enough!""

Everything’s a two-way street if you want it to last. Did these two brats understand that?

Er Dan hung his head, chastened. Even Da Dan could barely hold up under her words.

Chen Lie came out of the kitchen with the hangover soup, nodded at Da Dan and Er Dan. ""Answer her.""

He wanted them to answer all the questions Su Qinghu had just asked.

Da Dan: ""I don’t have any special favorite places. If you really can’t find me, go to Houhai.""

He’d go there to watch people’s clothes and shoes for them. If he was sweet-talking enough, he could earn up to 1.6 yuan a day.

If he bought popsicles wholesale, he could make even more.

After he finished, Su Qinghu turned to look at Chen Lie—this guy really got results!

But when she turned, Chen Lie was nowhere to be seen, though there was noise from inside the house.

Zhao Liangyan was loudly complaining about the taste, refusing to drink.

Su Qinghu turned back just in time to hear Er Dan answer, ""I like going wherever there are lots of people, but my favorite is being with my brother.""

Su Qinghu nodded. ""Now go write a diary entry of at least 50 words about what you just felt.""

Da Dan agreed and went straight inside to write.

Er Dan hesitated, didn’t follow, and looked Su Qinghu in the eye. ""What does ‘felt’ mean?""

Su Qinghu: ""..."" She’d forgotten—this kid was only six, just started first grade.

She explained, ""It means to write down what you think about what we just talked about, how you feel...""

""Oh."" Er Dan nodded, gave her a smile, and ran off.

When everyone was gone, Su Qinghu suddenly realized—Er Dan was only in first grade, how many characters could he know? Could he even write a diary?

She went to the living room just as Chen Lie finished giving Zhao Liangyan the hangover soup.

""Does Er Dan know a lot of characters?"" Su Qinghu was about to excuse him from the diary, but then thought maybe he didn’t refuse because he actually knew enough?

Chen Lie nodded. ""He should be about the same as Da Dan.""

Though Su Qinghu hadn’t named names, Chen Lie knew who she meant. ""Ever since Da Dan started school, he’s taught everything he learns to Er Dan.""

Su Qinghu understood and stood there talking to Chen Lie. ""By the way, how did your talk with your parents go? Do we need to meet up?""

She asked, but at this point, whether it went well or not, whether they needed to meet or not, both sides just had to accept it.

""It was pretty clear,"" Chen Lie put down his bowl. ""If you want to meet, we could do it at dinner tonight, or another day...""

""But I suggest today. I’m leaving tomorrow, so it’s best to meet and say hello, so we can look out for each other in the future.""

Chen Lie finished and waited for Su Qinghu’s reply.

Su Qinghu paused, and just as Chen Lie thought she would refuse, she nodded.

""Today?"" Chen Lie asked.

Su Qinghu: ""Mm. But what should I wear? A dress or pants?""

""Whatever you like,"" Chen Lie almost laughed. ""Their only requirement for the younger generation is to dress neatly, don’t be too flashy.""

Su Qinghu winked at him. ""Like bell-bottoms and a floral shirt?""

Chen Lie couldn’t help but laugh, showing a few white teeth. His smile was so bright, he suddenly looked ten years younger.

In the side room, Er Dan, writing his diary, suddenly paused, pen in hand."