It wasn’t until Xiao-Qi wet herself that Yan Jun brought her to their room. He poked his head back out to ask Zhang Yuwen, “Will we disturb you?”
“Of course not!” Zhang Yuwen said quickly. He was drinking milk and chatting with Chen Hong at the dining table. “This house has great soundproofing. Even if she bawls, it won’t disturb us.”
Yan Jun had already tested the room’s soundproofing, and it was indeed great.
“Is your niece spending the night here?” Chen Hong asked.
“I’ll send her home later,” Yan Jun said. “Her parents are very busy; they work overtime a lot.”
“Man, that’s tough.” Chen Hong understood it all too well, though it was hard to say whether his comment was about Yan Jun or his brother and sister-in-law.
“Just call for us if you need help,” Zhang Yuwen said. “We don’t go to bed that early.”
Relief washed over Yan Jun when he saw his roommates’ enthusiasm. “I’m used to it.”
He closed the door and filled the basin with water to bathe Xiao-Qi. Then he dressed her, placed her in her crib, and turned the TV on for her before he took his own turn in the shower.
The new house was a comfortable environment. No noisy neighbors, plenty of hot water, and no cold drafts in the bathroom. Zhang Yuwen had already turned on underfloor heating for the whole house, so he didn’t have to worry about Xiao-Qi catching a cold. In fact, the house was even warmer than the childcare center. The room was clean, and the air was fresh and free of dust from the road outside.
Yan Jun was grateful to Zhang Yuwen from the bottom of his heart. Zhang Yuwen had saved him.
That night, he observed again, but the others soon went back to their own rooms, and he no longer needed to put up an act. With Xiao-Qi, he went to bed with peace of mind and slept through the night.
As usual, he didn’t run into anyone when he woke up the next day.
The weekend rolled around, and Chang Jinxing kept his promise. He went to the supermarket with Zheng Weize and bought a lot of groceries so he could whip up a feast to celebrate everyone moving in and getting to know each other.
Yan Jun felt a little put on the spot. “I might have to take care of my niece today.”
“Let’s eat together!” Chang Jinxing still had yet to meet Xiao-Qi. “I can make her some baby food?”
“You can even make baby food?” Yan Jun was amazed.
“It’s just mashed carrots and potatoes. Easy-peasy.”
The kitchen was fully equipped with a variety of cooking utensils. As Chang Jinxing cooked, Chen Hong assisted him, commenting from time to time that his methods were unhealthy. Together, they made quite a mess of the kitchen. Zhang Yuwen didn’t mind, though, and anyway, the housekeepers would be there the next day to put everything back to usual.
Overall, Zhang Yuwen was satisfied with his observational subjects. He was never bothered by any of them, though he didn’t know if they bothered each other. Gradually, he was coming to see them as friends and not model dummies—and even beginning to like them a bit.
“You have the day off, right?” Zhang Yuwen asked Yan Jun. “Let Xiao-Qi sit here and eat with us. I’ll go and borrow a baby chair from the café next door.”
“I’ll go,” Yan Jun said hurriedly. “And in that case, I’ll pick Xiao-Qi up later.”
“Bye-bye,” Zhang Yuwen said.
It was still raining outside. Yan Jun was wearing a black, knee-length trench coat and carrying a black umbrella. He was in a good mood. It had been a long time since he’d experienced such a heartwarming atmosphere. His roommates even felt a little like family…
He forced himself not to harbor any wishful thoughts. After all, the world was full of liars, and people often gave the illusion of warmth and tender affection before their disguises were ripped away. But even if it was just for one day, Yan Jun couldn’t help but daydream. What if he was successful in his career? What if the house was his? What if he had a lover like Zhang Yuwen? And what if that lover was willing to raise Xiao-Qi with him…?
It was no easy task to start a new phase in life with so many what-ifs.
He abandoned his what-ifs. It was clear that Zhang Yuwen had no interest in him beyond friendship, and his observation told him that Zhang Yuwen’s friendliness extended to everyone he met. Yan Jun was no different from the rest.
Winter had come, and a flu was set loose upon the city. Many people wore masks, coughing incessantly. Yan Jun worried about infection in the childcare center; many parents had already come to take their children home. He considered keeping Xiao-Qi home for a day. He could take another day off tomorrow, but how was he going to explain it?
The heating in the childcare center was turned up, and Xiao-Qi’s face was flushed red. After he picked her up, Yan Jun shielded her from the drizzle with an umbrella as they walked back, trying his best to protect her from the chilly wind. They arrived home to chaos in the kitchen.
“You’re back!” Zhang Yuwen was wiping up some borscht that had spilled on the floor. Earlier, Chen Hong accidentally scalded himself while bringing out the soup, adding to the mayhem. Yan Jun was struck dumb by the sight.
“Oh wow! Xiao-Qi! You’re here!” Zheng Weize made a beeline for her. He adored the baby, though his fondness came partially from the heart and partially from thinking it was the right way to act when there was a baby around. “Still remember me?”
“Still remember Uncle Weize?” Yan Jun asked.
“I’m too young to be an uncle,” Zheng Weize protested.