Zi Yan returned home as dusk settled.
Originally, Wei Lai had planned to invite Zi Yan to grab a quick dinner at Wanda Plaza.
On the mall’s fifth floor, right next to the hair salon, there was a Korean barbecue restaurant — affordable and quite tasty.
The main reason was that two months ago, Wei Lai and her friends had dined there and the restaurant had given them two 50% off coupons. It would be a waste not to use them.
Unfortunately, Zi Yan and the others had just finished their haircuts when Comrade Zheng Quan happened to call Zi Yan’s phone—
“Tonight we’re having barbecue at home. When you come back, pick up some drinks you like.”
So that plan was scrapped.
Wei Lai accompanied Zi Yan to the bus stop and waited for the bus together.
She said, “Ah, ah, I lost at least a hundred yuan this time.”
Zi Yan ran his fingers through his hair. “If we’d gone out for barbecue, then losing a hundred would have made sense, right?”
At this time, there weren’t many people waiting for the bus, and there were still some spots left on the benches at the bus stop. Zi Yan and Wei Lai sat chatting.
Wei Lai pinched the coupons in her hand. “But the coupons expired, so if we eat there now, it’ll be full price. Thinking about it, it really feels like a loss.” Zi Yan smiled and didn’t say anything.
Discount coupons were always meant to stimulate spending. Consumers felt like they were getting a bargain, but in reality, they were just shelling out money from their own pockets.
The bus approached, and Zi Yan saw the route number on the window—it was the bus that would take him home.
Wei Lai was headed in a different direction and needed to take another bus.
They waved goodbye. Zi Yan got on, and through the window, he saw Wei Lai waving back, holding a cream-colored cloth bag (the holiday homework Zi Yan had packed for her).
She slowly faded from sight until she disappeared.
Interacting with people was a complicated thing, Zi Yan always thought.
Even now, he still felt that way. Even after dealing with his teachers at Haizhou No. 3 Middle School’s Class 6 in Grade 9, communicating with teachers was something he found quite awkward.
But with Wei Lai, things were different — it never felt troublesome, but rather easy and enjoyable.
Wei Lai was straightforward; talking with her wasn’t tiring.
“Approaching final stop: Haizhou City Cadre Dormitory. Passengers preparing to get off, please be ready.”
The sudden announcement interrupted the quiet bus ride.
At this point, Zi Yan was actually the only passenger left on the bus. The Haizhou City Cadre Dormitory, together with Haizhou City Courtyard, was located on the outskirts of Haizhou City.
Checking his phone, it was already six o’clock. Most people who took the bus here were those handling official business.
By now, cadres had long finished work, so naturally, there wouldn’t be many passengers heading to this stop.
So from the Haizhou No. 3 Middle School stop three stops ago, Zi Yan had been enjoying the quiet solitude of a nearly empty bus.
The bus was electric, producing very little noise. Zi Yan could barely hear the tires rolling on the road through the thin layers of metal and glass.
His gaze fixed on the window, reflecting the outside scene.
The Lake City District he had briefly visited during a recent trip… was simply incomparable to Haizhou.
The streets there were narrow. Near the train station, perhaps because it wasn’t the city center, the asphalt was worn and full of potholes, presenting a gray and dreary appearance.
Even closer to the center, near Lake City Third Middle School, there was a vegetable market.
Outside the market, vendors selling tofu set up stalls, and the roadside was covered in dirty, milky-white residue, emitting a foul stench.
Zi Yan couldn’t understand how people there felt comfortable cooking with ingredients bought in such a place.
By contrast, Haizhou’s streets were wide, clean, and bright, naturally giving one a pleasant feeling.
——
“Back?”
Zi Yan entered the house, greeted by Zheng Quan who was placing dishes on the table one by one.
“Yeah, I’m back.”
Zi Yan put a large bottle of chilled cola he had bought at the convenience store downstairs on the entryway table and took off his shoes.
Zheng Quan, carrying meat to the table, caught sight of Zi Yan.
He noticed Zi Yan’s hair. “Hm?”
He put down the meat, leaned closer, and looked carefully. “Did you get a haircut?”
“Yeah.”
Zi Yan responded simply.
When he left earlier, he had only told his father that he was going to Wanda Plaza with a classmate to drink juice. He hadn’t mentioned the haircut.
Zi Yan figured that if he did mention it, Comrade Zheng Quan would inevitably nag him with comments like, “Cut it shorter,” so he chose to remain silent.
No need to ask for trouble and bring himself down mentally.
But…
Zi Yan asked, “My hairstyle hasn’t changed, and the length is the same. I just had the barber trim the ends a bit… Dad, how did you know I got a haircut?”
Though the sideburns did feel fresher, the overall look shouldn’t have changed much.
Zheng Quan didn’t pause his task, holding a medium-sized brush and brushing oil onto the grill pan. “Because you’re my son. Even a little change, I can tell.”
Actually, Dad, maybe you’re just too focused on my hair.
Zi Yan silently thought.
“But your haircut… it’s just a bit tidier, really not much different from before,” Zheng Quan said as he put the meat on the grill, which sizzled loudly.
“Enough about that, come over and eat.”
Zi Yan sat down and noticed a pot on the table that he hadn’t seen at home before. He asked, “Dad, did you buy this grill specially?”
“No,” Zheng Quan shook his head and pointed, “This was given out at the unit’s event five years ago. It’s still good to use now.”
That afternoon, Zheng Quan had wanted to take Zi Yan out to Huangniu Village for stewed barbecue.
But when he called, Huangniu Village said that because of the upcoming National Day holiday, many people were eating out, and all private rooms were fully booked until 10 PM. Apologies.
Zheng Quan thought for a moment and suddenly remembered that they had this grill at home. He rummaged through the cupboards and found it—it still worked.
So he happily bought two pounds of marinated beef in Huangniu Village, grabbed some fresh vegetables on the way, and came home.
“Five years ago…” Zi Yan put a hand to his forehead.
He asked, “Dad, what kind of life were you living before you picked me up from Sunflower Country?”
Zheng Quan laughed and said, “What kind of life? Just a leisurely one without a little master to support~”
Pfft.
Zi Yan was so annoyed he had no comeback.
Zheng Quan poured himself a full glass of chilled beer and poured cola for Zi Yan, flipping the meat with chopsticks as it cooked.
The aroma of grilling meat filled the air, steam rising.
Zi Yan’s delicate face looked slightly blurred through the steam, very girlish in appearance.
Zheng Quan said, “Compared to when you were little, when I picked you up at the airport two months ago, I didn’t even dare to recognize you.”
Zi Yan was surprised. “Eh? Has the change been that big?”
“Of course.” Zheng Quan paused, leaned back in his chair, and waited for the meat to cook. “Your hair and eye color haven’t changed, but you’ve grown so tall, your hair’s longer, and your face… well, it was just that I didn’t dare recognize you at first.”
His face was so gentle and soft, it really looked like a girl’s.
When Zheng Quan picked him up at the airport, standing outside, watching Zi Yan waiting by the carousel, he honestly didn’t dare to believe it was him.
Because no matter from which angle, this person looked like a refined young lady.
And yet, at the airport exit, Zi Yan was the only one with white hair and red eyes. If this person wasn’t his son, then who else could it be?
“Dad?”
When Zi Yan recognized Zheng Quan and called out—
“…”
Zheng Quan was momentarily dazed.
That voice was high-pitched, slightly androgynous, and sounded like a female voice at first hearing.
Standing before him, Zi Yan’s small frame and gentle face resembled his wife Lina to a remarkable degree.
If Zheng Quan hadn’t personally confirmed the child’s gender at the time of Zi Yan’s birth in the capital, he might have really thought the person in front of him was a girl.
The scent of meat filled the air. Zheng Quan picked up a piece and said, “Back then, I kept wondering whose little girl this was.”
“Pfft, little girl?” Zi Yan almost sprayed his cola.
“Well, she looked like one.”
Zi Yan frowned. “I have always been a purely male boy, okay?”
At this moment, Zi Yan suddenly remembered how Wei Lai teased him a few hours ago when he was in the massage chair, making fun of his girlish moans, and he got even more annoyed.
Zheng Quan said, “How about cutting your hair short?”
“No way.” Zi Yan refused flatly, without hesitation. “There are many boys in the world with long hair. Why are you picking on only me?”
“Because if you keep your long hair, you’ll look even more like a little girl.” Zheng Quan took a sip of beer and cautiously tested Zi Yan’s limits. “Cutting it might reduce misunderstandings, so it’d be better to cut it shorter, right?”
“No.”
Zi Yan’s face turned icy. “Even if I get mistaken for a girl, I don’t care. I absolutely won’t cut my hair short. You can give up on that idea.”