Little Goldfish slept until the evening but was finally woken up by the sound of his hungry stomach gurgling.
He dazedly sat up from the bed, rubbed his eyes without crying or fussing, and called out in a soft voice, “Uncle? Little uncle?â€
Footsteps sounded immediately.
“Our Little Goldfish is awake?†Shi Yunnan approached from the small living room outside the bedroom, still holding a familiar small bag in his hand.
“Yeah!â€
Little Goldfish, who had just woken up, immediately smiled when he saw Shi Yunnan.
Shi Yunnan put the small bag by the bed and bent down to level his gaze with his little nephew, “Are you hungry?â€
Little Goldfish rubbed his shriveled stomach, then aggrievedly and coquettishly said, “I’m starving! Uncle, I want egg custard and steak.â€
“Okay, I’ll ask the hotel kitchen to make these; shall we eat together later?â€
“Yeah!â€
Shi Yunnan rubbed his head and asked cautiously, “Are you still afraid?â€
Little Goldfish thought for a while, and answered seriously, “I was scared at first, but I became brave when I heard your voice on the phone. I was no longer afraid when I saw both of you this morning.â€
“Awesome.â€
Shi Yunnan stroked Little Goldfish’s cheek and solemnly promised, “I promise that such a thing will never happen a second time, and I won’t let you be afraid again.â€
Little Goldfish shook his head and said, “It’s okay, the little protagonists in the story have to go through adventures and fears before they can become stronger and braver.â€
Little Goldfish confirmed to Shi Yunnan, “Little uncle, I have also grown up this time, right?â€
Shi Yunnan generously praised him, “Yes, our little goldfish has become a man.â€
Little Goldfish grinned and picked up the small bag on the side to make room for Shi Yunnan, “Sit here, little uncle.â€
“Ok.â€
Little Goldfish opened the small bag and took out the three intact sugar figurines inside, exclaiming with pleasant surprise, “Wow, they are not broken!â€
Shi Yunnan responded cooperatively, “This is the little sugar figurine you said you would give us on the phone?â€
“That’s right!†Little Goldfish took it out and gestured, happily introducing it to Shi Yunnan.
“The tallest one is my uncle; the one with slightly longer hair is you, little uncle; and this little…â€
The description suddenly stopped, and Shi Yunnan instantly took over, saying, “It’s our cute little goldfish, right? Shall we put them away first until we get home?â€
Little Goldfish nodded happily; the gloom and fear of being “kidnapped†yesterday completely disappeared from his face, and he discussed with Shi Yunnan with great interest where to put his things.
The doorbell rang, and there was a faint voice saying, “Hello, hotel room service.â€
Hearing this, Little Goldfish’s stomach groaned very cooperatively, and his little face blushed immediately.
Shi Yunnan smiled lightly and held his hand, saying, “Go, go to the living room to eat!â€
“Hmm! I want to eat a lot!â€
…
8p.m.
Shi Yunnan was afraid that Little Goldfish would still have lingering fear, so he accompanied him to rest on the bed.
Little Goldfish couldn’t fall asleep, his eyes still wide open, “Is uncle coming back yet?â€
Shi Yunnan recalled what his mother used to do to pacify him during bedtime and imitated her by gently caressing the edge of Little Goldfish’s hair, saying, “He will come back after dealing with some matters.â€
Little Goldfish was so comfortable with the touch that he abandoned the little quilt he was used to sleeping in and burrowed into Shi Yunnan’s arms, calling him, “Little Uncle.â€
Shi Yunnan hugged him, “Hmm?â€
Little Goldfish seemed to have made up his mind about something and whispered what was in his heart, “Little Uncle, I used to be afraid that you and Uncle wouldn’t want me, so I felt that I must be very obedient and clever.â€
“…..â€
Shi Yunnan was startled; apparently, he did not expect Little Goldfish to have such an idea.
“Why don’t we want you?â€
“Because I’m different from other children. I don’t have parents anymore… My kindergarten friends said that all adults will have their own babies after they get married, and they will only treat their own babies well.â€
Shi Yunnan didn’t expect his eyes to be sore from Little Goldfish’s words. He held back his emotions and responded, “That’s because they don’t understand. Your uncle and I love our Little Goldfish the most.â€
Little Goldfish pouted as if he were about to cry and asked again, “Will you like me whether I’m good or not? If I’m in danger like today, will you protect me?â€
“Definitely.â€
Perhaps because he has experienced the same growth stage since he was a child, Shi Yunnan can fully understand the current thinking of Little Goldfish.
He feared that if he didn’t do something well, he would cause the adults to resent him, so he tried to be careful, obedient, and smart in every way.
“Whether Little Goldfish is obedient or naughty or mischievous, whether you are a clever little ghost or a little idiot, your uncle and I will always love you very much. â€
“We can’t have other babies because we already have Little Goldfish.â€
Even though the current law allows same-sex marriage and allows same-sex couples to adopt children who were “abandoned at birth,†Luo Lingsheng and Shi Yunnan never had this idea from the beginning to the end.
Little Goldfish nuzzled into Shi Yunnan’s arms and asked repeatedly, “Then will you guys grow up with me? Just like other children’s mothers and fathers.â€
Shi Yunnan’s answer was still affirmative, “Yes, we will accompany Little Goldfish to kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, high school, and then accompany you to university, work after graduation, until you meet the person you like…â€
“The person I like?â€
Shi Yunnan didn’t expect Little Goldfish to turn to this question, and chuckled lightly.
“That’s right, whether it’s a boy or a girl, there will always be someone who’s just right for you in this world.â€
“What if I didn’t meet that person?â€
“Even if you don’t meet them, you can still choose to make your life wonderful.â€
Little Goldfish nodded with half-understanding and then changed the topic, “Little uncle, I love you very much, just like other children love their parents.â€
In the past, he was afraid that he would be abandoned by Luo Lingsheng and Shi Yunnan, but now he wasn’t worried at all.
The two uncles will try their best to protect him and will not leave him alone.
And he just discovered a little secret. The soles of the sugar figurine’s shoes used to be white, but now they are black. Little Uncle must have bought them again for fear that he would be sad.
Such an uncle and little uncle were no worse than other people’s parents.
Shi Yunnan pinched the tip of his nose and responded exactly the same, “We love you too.â€
Satisfied with the answer he wanted, Little Goldfish closed his eyes sweetly and said, “Good night, little uncle.â€
“Good night, Little Goldfish.â€
Shi Yunnan dimmed the lamplight.
One big and one small snuggle up to each other’s warmth as they sleep. Shi Yunnan always has a subtle but warm illusion—Little Goldfish might be able to make up for his incomplete and restless childhood.
…
Shi Yunnan obviously just wanted to accompany Little Goldfish to sleep, but in the end he also fell asleep in this quiet atmosphere.
When he woke up again, there was the sound of dripping water in the bathroom. Shi Yunnan squinted his eyes and laid still on the bed without moving.
Soon, Luo Lingsheng, who had finished the shower, walked back gingerly.
The eyes of the two met under the dim light.
Luo Lingsheng approached slowly, and asked apologetically, “Did I wake you up?â€
“No, I didn’t sleep that deeply.â€
Shi Yunnan took the initiative to move inside; thinking about his lover’s leg injury, he asked, “How’s your leg?â€
“It’s all right. The situation is urgent today. I used a lot of force when dealing with Luo Yanchuan, and it’s a little twisted. I’ll be careful from now on.â€
“The matter is already settled. Why don’t you go to Dr. Bence for a reexamination? I’m still worried.†Shi Yunnan was not at ease.
If his lover’s leg had some more accidents because of Luo Yanchuan, then he could probably carry a knife and rush straight into jail.
Luo Lingsheng complied with his lover’s words, “Okay.â€
The two got closer until they were close enough to exchange a kiss.
Luo Ling Sheng glanced at his little nephew, whose face was flushed and who was obviously sleeping soundly.
He said, “I asked Qin Jian to make an appointment with a psychiatrist. When we return to the Imperial Capital in two days, I’ll ask the other party to pretend to be an extracurricular private teacher and accompany Jinyu for two sessions.â€
Shi Yunnan understood Luo Lingsheng’s intention, “Um, you can arrange it.â€
Little Goldfish wasn’t very old after all, and the shadow left by the kidnapping incident can be big or small, so it’s necessary to find a psychiatrist to quietly counsel him.
Shi Yunnan asked again, “How is Luo Yanchuan?â€
Luo Lingsheng said bluntly, “I hit him hard with the car. According to the police, he probably won’t be able to keep his legs.â€
In the beginning, he threatened them with Little Goldfish’s legs on the phone, but now things had taken a dramatic turn, and finally the retribution fell back on him.
The video taken by Shi Yunnan’s dashcam was enough to prove that it was Luo Yanchuan who first moved to harm people. Luo Lingsheng’s behavior can be attributed to self-defense. As long as he followed the process, it could be resolved smoothly.
If Luo Yanchuan was injured like that, the police would provide assistance out of humanitarianism, but the day after tomorrow he would be handed over to the Imperial Capital Public Security for further trial.
The hit-and-run plus the attempted kidnapping for ransom—these two charges were enough for Luo Yanchuan to be jailed.
Moreover, Luo Yanchuan’s legs now had problems. In the future, he would suffer a lot in prison.
With his self-esteem, such a life in prison was worse than death.
“Well, it’s good that it’s resolved.†Shi Yunnan sighed heavily.
As soon as the words were finished, Little Goldfish suddenly turned over with his arms around his little quilt and fell asleep again with his mouth open.
Shi Yunnan looked at the overly familiar old quilt and asked, “How long has this quilt been used by Little Goldfish? I think he’s very attached to it.â€
Luo Lingsheng’s eyes changed slightly, “Ever since my sister got pregnant, my brother-in-law has picked out everything inside and out. This little quilt is the one he personally had made.â€
Even though they passed away unexpectedly, the couple loved the child a lot during their lifetime.
“I discovered early on that Jinyu was particularly attached to this quilt. When I asked the relevant children’s doctor about it later, she said it was a habit that many children will have.â€
Such attachments come in various shapes and colors and are necessary for children to adapt to their new environment and find a sense of security.
However, this wasn’t considered a mental illness. As long as the parents provide enough company, they can naturally get rid of it when they grow up.
Shi Yunnan understood and whispered to Luo Lingsheng about everything that happened just before going to bed, “…I used to think that I couldn’t take care of children, but now I can’t wait to treat him as my own.â€
Luo Lingsheng hugged Shi Yunnan and said, “The three of us form a family, so that’s good.â€
“Very good.â€
Shi Yunnan suddenly remembered the first day when the three of them met. Little Goldfish, who was still a stranger to him at that time, asked Luo Lingsheng in the car—
Uncle, is he your friend?
He’s our family. We will live together in the future.
Shi Yunnan originally thought it was just a perfunctory sentence for Little Goldfish, but he didn’t expect it to be true now.
That’s right!
The three of them make a family just fine.
Shi Yunnan approached him with a smile and said, “Luo Lingsheng.â€
“Hm?â€
“I also learned something new from Little Goldfish.†Shi Yunnan remembered that Little Goldfish talked about love every day.
“What is it?†Luo Lingsheng kissed the corner of his lips.
Shi Yunnan couldn’t control his heart, which beat for the person in front of him. He firmly believed that Luo Lingsheng was the only one for him for the rest of his remaining life.
“I love you.â€
“…..â€
Luo Lingsheng was stunned, and a non-stop smile overflowed from his usually stern eyes.
“I love you too; I have always loved you very much.â€
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