A few years ago, when the office relocated to the outskirts of Haizhou City, the Haizhou City Cadre Dormitory naturally moved as well.
This place was far from the city’s hustle and bustle, making it very peaceful.
When Zi Yan woke up early in the morning, all he heard were a few bird calls faintly filtering through the triple-layered thick glass window.
The bird calls were soft but crisp.
Zi Yan pushed open the window, and before him stretched a vast expanse of green fields. The cool air, mixed with the fragrant scent of rain-soaked earth and grass, wafted in.
“…Hah.”
Zi Yan took a deep breath, using the slightly cool air to soothe the heat lingering in his chest after a night’s sleep.
How embarrassing, he thought, covering his face.
Last night, after dinner, he cried until late into the night before finally falling asleep.
The furniture in Zi Yan’s room was specially purchased by Zheng Quan. The entire set was made of light-colored white ash wood.
The bed was wrapped with soft light gray cushions and fitted with linen sheets, topped with a creamy white down quilt.
A milky white desk lamp sat quietly on the desk opposite the bed. Next to it stood a fully open bookshelf against the wall, empty.
To the left of the bed was a wardrobe, tightly shut; it was obviously empty. Beside the wardrobe was a simple clothes rack, naturally empty as well.
Honestly, when Zi Yan first opened the door last night, he was momentarily stunned by the furniture.
Why was he stunned?
Because almost everything in this room— the furniture, the layout— was nearly identical to his bedroom in Antwerp.
Zi Yan felt a warm glow inside, thinking these must have been arranged by his father after seeing his room in Antwerp and asking someone to prepare them.
But…
Despite that, Zi Yan still couldn’t find a sense of familiarity in this bedroom. It still felt strange and uncomfortable.
Probably because his mother stayed in Antwerp and couldn’t come back, right?
“I can’t keep crying.”
Zi Yan patted his cheek, sniffled a bit from the lingering soreness in his nose, rubbed his eyes, and forced back the tears.
During dinner last night, Zheng Quan mentioned the general schedule for today’s errands.
Hmm… just as an aside, Zi Yan thought his father’s way of cooking Convenience Noodles was actually quite tasty.
Dad said the trick to cooking Convenience Noodles was to use less water while boiling, and once the noodles were done, don’t rush to eat them.
Instead, cover the pot and let them sit for a minute— it makes them taste even better. Ah, getting off-topic.
Because it was a weekday, others had gone home to rest on the weekend.
So today, Thursday, Zheng Quan took a day off specially to accompany his son and take care of urgent matters.
After breakfast, they would go to the Public Security Bureau after eight o’clock to get Zi Yan’s ID card.
After getting the ID card, they would go to Haizhou City Third Middle School to handle enrollment procedures.
Although Zi Yan hadn’t attended school in Antwerp, he had been taught by a Home Tutor.
So Zheng Quan thought it over and decided to have Zi Yan start directly in the third year of middle school.
At fourteen years old, that was about the right grade, so there shouldn’t be any problems. Also, this middle school was carefully chosen by Zheng Quan.
It was close to Home— about two kilometers away— just a ten- or fifteen-minute walk, making Zheng Quan more at ease.
After finishing these tasks in the morning, they would rest in the afternoon, and the evening would be spent eating, shopping for clothes and daily necessities.
Zi Yan was thinking about this when he heard the “click” of the door lock at the entrance.
The sound of the key turning was still rough, making Zi Yan uncomfortable.
“Dad’s home?”
While Zi Yan was still sleeping, Zheng Quan had gone out to buy breakfast. Now he came in carrying the breakfast. “Hey, son, come eat!”
“Oh.” Zi Yan responded.
Zheng Quan bought baozi and porridge from the breakfast cart at the gate of the cadre dormitory.
Four baozi: two chive and egg, two beef; two bowls of porridge: one millet, one eight-treasure.
Oh, and a small bag of cucumber sticks and pickles.
“Eh?”
Zi Yan left his room and, seeing the baozi on the table, walked over to pick up one that was still warm, white and tender, examining it closely. “Baozi?”
“The baozi here are just like those in Antwerp and the Flower Kingdom.”
His joy was obvious. He couldn’t wait to take a bite. The beef broth inside the baozi spilled out as soon as he bit into it, filling his mouth with fragrance.
It had to be said, Zi Yan had always loved baozi.
“Wow, it’s really delicious~ Even better than the ones in Antwerp~!”
Chewing happily, Zi Yan squinted with joy.
“You like it that much?” Zheng Quan smiled. “One day I’ll take you to Qingfeng Baozi. They’re way better than this.”
“Really?”
“Really. Don’t stand there, sit down and eat. Hey, slow down, don’t choke.”
……
The rain stopped in the middle of the night, but the sky was still hung with clouds, with a few rays of sunlight breaking through.
The Haizhou City Public Security Bureau was just a short walk east from their Home. After breakfast, the father and son walked a few steps to get there.
There were many people getting their ID cards; a long line had already formed early in the morning.
“So many people…”
Zi Yan held an umbrella and followed Zheng Quan to the end of the line.
“I should’ve come earlier.”
Looking at the queue, it would take at least half an hour before it was their turn to have their photos taken.
Zi Yan boredly kicked at some small stones on the ground to pass the time.
Unfortunately, Zi Yan guessed wrong. He waited a full hour and only got to the front at nine o’clock.
Look, that middle-aged woman who just came out was still struggling to put her earrings back in.
Even more unfortunately, as soon as Zi Yan stepped inside, a staff member stopped him.
“Little girl—” The staff glanced at Zi Yan, then waved him away. “Your dyed hair isn’t allowed. Go home and dye it black, and take off those colored contact lenses before coming back for your photo.”
Uh, what?
Zi Yan was stunned.
At that moment, Zheng Quan stepped up and said, “Comrade, my son’s hair and eye color are natural due to his physical condition. It’s not dyed hair or colored lenses.”
“Son?” The staff gave Zi Yan a skeptical look. “That still won’t do. Either dye your hair black or shave it off. White hair reflects too much light and won’t pass the review.”
After saying that, the staff even glared at Zheng Quan. But that glare backfired—they recognized Zheng Quan.
“Secretary Zheng?”
Zheng Quan didn’t get angry. He ruffled Zi Yan’s hair and chuckled, “I think our service departments should do more to make things easier for the people.”
The staff also had difficulties and explained, “Secretary, it’s not that we don’t want to help. It’s just that white hair reflects light and makes the contours unclear, so it’s really hard to pass the review.”
In the end, Zi Yan was allowed to go in and take the photo.
Not only was Zi Yan’s hair pure white, but his skin was unusually pale.
This made it difficult to capture a clear image— not just his hair, but his whole face was hard to photograph.
The photographer fumbled and took many shots before finally dimming the studio lights enough to barely get a qualified photo.
“All done, Secretary.”
“Thank you for your trouble.” Zheng Quan thanked the staff.
“No problem, it’s our duty.”
As they left, Zheng Quan looked at Zi Yan standing in front of him under the umbrella, thoughtful.
Although Zi Yan was a boy, his figure was delicate, his features refined.
Now at only 1.58 meters tall, his skin was so white and moist it looked as if it would drip if pinched.
Today, he wore very neutral light-colored jeans and a pure white shirt, paired with his waist-length hair…
Just now, sitting properly for the ID photo with wide, wine-red eyes, Zheng Quan almost felt he was looking at a daughter rather than a son.
This was really not good!
And he heard the person at the door just now call his son a daughter.
When they had gone to Antwerp before, Zheng Quan didn’t like Zi Yan’s long hair and wanted to cut it.
Cut it how? Like the style of soldiers in the army— neat and sharp. Much better!
But Zheng Quan was met with almost suicidal resistance from Zi Yan, and his wife Lina disagreed as well.
Later, Zheng Quan thought, since this time they had forcibly brought the child back to the Flower Kingdom, as long as the child didn’t do anything too outrageous, let him be happy however he wanted.
So he gave up.
But…
He really should have forced him to cut it.
A boy looking like a little girl was just too ridiculous!