DSA: Chapter 15

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Chapter 15

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The spring was sucked dry.

Shen Shian’s first reaction was to find Shen Xun and think about it. This thing was absolutely related to that great change. However, the child didn’t know what he was asking, the big, dark green eyes clean, clear and completely ignorant.

Yes, he couldn’t explain these things. How could a puppy who had just transformed a few days ago know the answer?

Shen Shian had some worries but accepted the reality. Every one in a while, he entered the space to observe it in detail. He recorded the water volume of the spiritual spring and the condition of the spring, not daring to let go of any clues.

Fortunately, apart from the spring drying up, nothing else abnormal occurred in the space and outside items could still be brought in. The new tomato trees bore fruit normally while the cherry pits buried in the soil grow into small saplings high a metre high.

At the same time, without Shen Shian’s permission, Shen Xun couldn’t get close to the spiritual spring and was blocked by the golden barrier.

Shen Shian finally understood the role and significance of the protective barrier.

In the blink of an eye, February 4th which was Lunar New Year’s Eve arrived.

Shen Shian opened his eyes at 6 o’clock as usual. Shen Xun lay in bed, curling up under the quilt to form a ball. Then he was struck by the rich fragrance of meat coming from outside the door. He followed the aroma into the kitchen and trembled as he hugged Shen Shian’s calf with sleepy eyes. “…Meat…”

Shen Shian tasted the chicken soup and continued to cook. “Speak well and say everything in complete sentences.” This child wasn’t familiar with the human language but Shen Shian found that when the child spoke, he would only use one word resolutely. This wasn’t a good habit. Shen Shian might be able to understand it but there would be flaws when Shen Xun had contact with the outside world. Thus, Shen Shian was committed to correcting it as soon as possible.

Shen Xun hadn’t fully woken up, yawned and rubbed his face against the pants. The fabric was soft, comfortable and full of the owner’s fresh and pleasant smell. After a while, he spoke again, “…Meat… I want to eat…”

Shen Shian wiped his hands and carried the child to the bathroom. “First brush your teeth and wash your face. Wash carefully and don’t swallow the toothpaste foam.”

“…Sweet…”

“…You can’t swallow it even if it is sweet.”

He watched the child standing on the stool to wash and peeled two eggs and poured a glass of milk. The meat isn’t done yet. Wait a bit longer and you can eat after I finish pasting a few Spring Festival couplets.”

Shen Shian stuck them up while Shen Xun helped by handing over the scotch tape. He also looked up and supervised to make sure the couplets weren’t crooked. Finally, there was the little golden pig left. Shen Shian was deep in thought for a while. He didn’t pay attention to the child sticking things to his back and calmly invited Mo Feng across the corridor to eat.

Out of the two bodyguards, only Mo Feng was left. Fan Guoping’s wife and daughter were in B City and he reunited with them for the Spring Festival. It wasn’t good to be away from the family during New Year’s Eve so Shen Shian asked Mr Gu for three days off for Fan Guoping ahead of time. He thought it would take some time to convince but Mr Gu unexpectedly agreed. Fan Guoping was naturally overjoyed and set off for home last night.

Shen Shian also planned to give Mo Feng a leave of absence. First, nothing unusual happened to him after the accident. Second, he had the space and it wasn’t easy for someone to take his life. However, Mo Feng refused, stating that he was the only one left in the family and it was the same for the New Year.

This was already an early lunch. According to the Shen family’s practice, it was noodles with broth. The soup base was a bone soup that had been cooked for several hours. It had the strong aroma of cow’s milk and there were bubbles in the casserole. The cooked noodles were placed into cold water and then an open bowl, with chopped green onions sprinkled on them. There were cooked vegetables, a few slices of ham and a golden poached egg. Then he poured in some milky white bone soup and a spoonful of the chicken soup with golden fat. The green onions were green, the ham was pink and the poached egg was tender. The hot vegetables were refreshing and mixed with the bone marrow, chicken soup and onions. After finishing the meal, everyone was sweating.

Mo Feng offered to wash the dishes while Shen Xun sat on the stool, gnawing on chicken legs. Shen Shian started to prepare for tonight’s highlight: dumplings.

Mo Feng didn’t talk much. Unlike Shen Shian’s cold alienation towards most people in the world, Mo Feng either had no sense of existence or a strong sense of existence that could frighten children into crying. He washed the chopsticks cleanly and with a cautious attitude like he was holding sophisticated weapons. Then he turned around and saw Shen Shian’s skilled kneading movements and was a bit surprised. “Here in H City, New Year’s Eve seems more about cooking.” Eating dumplings was more of a custom in the north.

Shen Shian’s hands moved nonstop as he slammed the dough back and forth. “My grandparents were originally northerners and went to the south in the 80s to study. After graduation, they settled in H City and lived here for decades. They preserved some of the habits of a northerner and they ate dumplings every year on New Year’s Eve.”

Mo Feng was amazed. It turned out to be like this. After watching for a while, he said, “Mr Shen is skilled.”

Shen Shian smiled and didn’t speak. He learnt the craft of making dumplings from his mother, who learnt it from his grandfather. After his mother passed away, he followed his grandfather and practiced cooking. After several years of study, the dumplings he made were similar to those made by his mother.

The dough was thoroughly kneaded and rolled into many dumpling skins. Three types of fillings were prepared: a pork and corn filling, a garlic, egg and shrimp filling and a shrimp and pork filling.

The fillings were finely chopped and the juice splashed. They weren’t cooked yet but the aroma was very attractive. Shen Xun learnt from Shen Shian’s appearance and held a dumpling skin. While placing the filling inside, he couldn’t help sneaking some. He was caught by Shen Shian and thrown out of the kitchen.

Mr Gu arrived at seven in the evening.

Wind and dust entered along with cold air. He closed the door and first apologized to Shen Shian. “I didn’t expect to arrive so late. I was temporarily delayed by something. Were you waiting a long time?”

Mo Feng greeted his employer and returned to the house opposite them. Shen Shian stood in the entrance, a light expression on his face. “No, I just finished making dumplings.” Then he gave a pair of disposable slippers for guests.

Mr Gu took off his coat and saw the child holding onto Shen Shian’s leg as soon as he bowed his head. He had long known about the child’s existence from the bodyguards but he was still surprised when he saw it. “…Is this?”

Shen Shian replied, “My son.”

Mr Gu’s handsome and elegant face seemed to twist for a moment, opening his mouth as if to say something. However, Shen Shian had already turned with the child and walked away. Mr Gu stood in place for a moment, temporarily suppressing his questions as he sat on the sofa bench and changing into slippers.

He was no stranger to Grandpa Shen’s house. He came here many years ago when he was going to propose to Qingran and then after the death of Grandmother Shen and Grandfather Shen. Shen Shian had lived here alone for two years and the number of times he came had increased a lot.

There was no change in the decor. It still contained the neatness and generosity of the Shen family. It was just that there was a mushroom-shaped kennel next to the blue sofa, which seemed incompatible with the overall style.

HIs gaze swept over the kennel and he immediately went to the storage room. Waves faintly appeared in his eyes and he told Shen Shian, “I will first light some incense for your mother.”

The storage room was clean and elegant, the offerings placed in front of Shen Qingran’s photo every day. The aroma of the sandalwood was mixed with fruit and flowers. It was quiet and soft, making people feel clear.

Mr Gu looked at the photo with red eyes and he shouted with a smile, “Qingran, I came to see you.”

Shen Shian didn’t follow. He sat on the sofa with Shen Xun for around half an hour until he heard the child’s stomach start to scream. Then he walked over and knocked on the door. “Mr Gu, it’s time to eat.”

The dumplings were cooked very quickly. They were steamed and soon turned white. Shen Shian first sent two plates to Mo Feng and the rest were placed on the table. He set up the bowls, chopsticks, soy sauce and vinegar and opened a bottle of red wine. The main position was empty. Mr Gu sat on one side and Shen Shian and Shen Xun sat on the other.

It was forbidden to set off firecrackers in an urban area but there were still a few explosions and children’s laughter heard sporadically. The living room TV started to play the Spring Festival party. The sound wasn’t too loud but it added a flavour along with the dumplings and lighting of the room.

Mr Gu raised his glass and he couldn’t see anything abnormal. He smiled gently as he said, “An An has worked hard. I wish you all the best in the new year and that you have good years in your youth.”

Shen Shian also raised his glass and gently touched it to the other glass. “I also hope Mr Gu has your wishes come true and for you to rise in the world.”

Shen Xun arms were short and he couldn’t reach even on the chair that had been specifically raised. He could only drag Shen Shian’s hand down and touch the glass. After seeing the attractive red wine in the glass, he opened his mouth and expressed his desire to taste it.

“It is wine. Little children can’t drink it.” Shen Shian pulled back his hand and rubbed the child’s head. “Drink your tomato juice.”

Mr Gu observed, his eyes looking between his son and the child. He thought about it for a long time before asking, “An An, is this really your child?”

Shen Shian placed a few shrimp dumplings and fish into Shen Xun’s bowl and nodded. “He is called Shen Xun and he is three years old this year. His mother doesn’t want him so I will raise him.” He didn’t expect Gu Jingchen to believe these words but it made no difference to him if the other person believed it or not. He looked up and told Mr Gu, “His mother and I have an ugly relationship and have completely cut off any exchanges. I don’t have his birth certificate and can’t register him. This, he is currently a black member of the household. I can’t solve this problem on my own. I don’t know if Mr Gu can help?”

Mr Gu was a bit sour because of the obviously untrue words but he was a bit grateful because his son rarely took the initiative to ask him for help. He immediately promised, “You can rest assured and hand this matter over to me.”

A short silence fell over the table. Only Shen Xun didn’t care and mindlessly stuffed dumplings into his mouth. He hadn’t finished eating the one in his mouth when there were already more on his fork.

Mr Gu was all-powerful in the business world and was like a fish in water when it came to using money and power. He looked at his son who looked 70~80% similar to Shen Qingran and felt that it had never been so hard to start a conversation.

He drank several times from his glass before finally finding a topic.”I talked to your counsellor and you have achieved good grades this semester. You missed a month of classes but you still got the best grades among the professional courses. This way, you have the right to choose your specific direction of study next semester. Have you thought about it? What direction do you want to focus on in the future?”

“I’m going to choose pediatrics.”

Mr Gu was surprised. “Pediatrics? Didn’t you want to study cardiac surgery?”

Shen Shian’s expression was unchanged as he placed a few more dumplings into the child’s bowl.”Yes but I changed my mind.”

Mr Gu was silent before nodding. “Pediatrics is fine as long as you like it. Wanting to learn everything is the same. Your grades are very good and there should be no problem after graduation. You can stay in the medical university for research projects, go to a hospital to observe the internship or abroad for further study. No matter what you want, I will arrange it for you in advance.”

Shen Shian took the initiative to honour him. “Mr Gu is troubled.”

Mr Gu had a bitter heart. “You don’t need to be so polite with me.” He drank the red wine in the glass and poured another glass. “Apart from wanting to spend New Year’s with you, I came over because I have some good news. There have been some changes in the family since the beginning of the year. I am now the official leader of the family. If you want, I plan to take you back after the end of the year and record you on the Gu family tree. From now on, you are the oldest son of the Gu family and it should be yours. I will get it all back for you. Of course, you are still studying. If you want to continue living in H City, you can completely…”

“Mr Gu,” Shen Shian interrupted him. “In regards to the matter of being added to the Gu family tree and becoming the oldest son, you asked me when my mother passed away, and once again when my grandfather passed away. Today is the third time you asked me. My answer is still the same, I don’t want to. My mother wasn’t interested in becoming a family member and I’m also not interested. I hope Mr Gu can properly convey my wishes to the family or there will always be people thinking about taking my life.”

Shen Shian’s voice was very light but Gu Jingchen seemed to be stabbed several times. His face was completely white.

Then he gave a self-deprecating style. “…An An, do you hate me?”

There wasn’t an answer and the original silence became more and more stagnant.

Shen Shian noticed that his sleeve was pulled. He lowered his head and saw a pair of dark green eyes full of concern.

Shen Xun had prioritized eating dumplings and didn’t listen carefully to their words. However, Shen Xun was obviously in a bad mood and he could feel it. He immediately slammed his fist against the table and growled fiercely at Mr Gu. “Aowu…”

‘Daring to bully An An, you will die!’

Shen Shian’s heart warmed and he pinched the child on the cheek. Then he shook his head at Mr Gu. “No, I don’t hate you.”

His mother loved this man all her life. Even before she died, she was persuading Shen Shian not to live with resentment, to be open-minded and do good deeds every day. It was better to love someone than to hate them.

His mother wanted his life to be a bit easier so Shen Shian didn’t hate this person.

Still, it was undeniable that seeing him like this and realizing he experienced some pain and suffering caused a nearly vicious pleasure to quietly emerge at the bottom of Shen Shian’s heart.

Shen Shian took a deep breath and pushed the plate of dumplings at his fingertips. “Eat, it will be cold later.”

Mr Gu drank another glass of red wine and his face was red. He ate several dumplings silently and smiled at Shen Shian after adjusting his mind. “It is delicious. It tastes exactly the same as what your mother made.”

“If you like it then eat more. I made a lot in the afternoon and there are still many that are uncooked.”

Perhaps it was because the topic was related to Shen Qingran but the atmosphere of the table gradually warmed up Gu Jingchen felt slightly full after eating the plate of dumplings. Thus, he put down the chopsticks and prepared to slow down.

He inadvertently found that Shen Xun had three empty plates in front of him and couldn’t help feeling surprised. “An An, this child is eating too much. Won’t there be any problems?” As he spoke, he reached out to take the dish in front of Shen Xun, wanted to stop him from eating.

His fingers hadn’t touched the edge of the plate when the child’s eyes abruptly darkened. Two rows of fangs were revealed and he threw himself at Mr Gu with a growl, biting at him.

The sharp sound of teeth hitting each other reverberated for a long time. Mr Gu took back his hand and the blood that had returned to his face instantly drained as he paled.

Shen Shian returned the child to his seat and calmly explained, “It’s fine. His body is still growing.”

After dinner, the trio sat on the sofa and watched the Spring Festival party. Shen Shian poured a glass of tomato juice for Mr Gu. “It is freshly squeezed and should sober you up.”

Shen Xun also held a glass of tomato juice. He drank it and suddenly turned it upside down like a tumble. Shen Shian noticed that something was wrong and took his cup, tasting it. Then he raised his eyebrows and sneered. He didn’t know when but this little thing had poured half of the red wine into the tomato juice and drank it.

Fortunately, Shen Xun was a good drunk and didn’t o crazy. He used Shen Shian’s leg as a pillow and refused to get up. The dark green eyes were wet and shining. He held Shen Shian’s hand and muttered in a low voice, “…An An… delicious… mine…”

Shen Shian didn’t understand this topsy-turvy sentence. It was just that the child still remembered to eat while drunk. Shen Shian felt angry and amused and slapped the child’s ass. ‘You aren’t a dog. You are clearly the reincarnation of a pig.’

Gu Jingchen sat next to him and watched the smile on Shen Shian’s face. His son looked so much like Qingran. In particular, he was exactly the same when he smiled.

Shen Shian sensed his gaze and looked over. “Do you want any more tomato juice?”

“…Ah yes, thank you An An.”

Shen Shian picked up the jug and poured another glass. This caused the sleeve of his sweater to rise, revealing a tattoo of dark blue Buddhist lotus tattoos on his wrist.

Mr Gu saw it and leaned forward. “Where are your beads?” The string of Buddha beads was a relic of Qingran and An An had never taken them off.

Shen Shian pulled his sleeve back down. “They were gone when I woke up in the hospital. The rope should’ve broken in the car accident.” He thought about it and asked, “What did Mother tell you about the beads?” The specific origin of the beads might give clues about the space.

Mr Gu thought for a moment before shaking his head. “There isn’t much to say. I only remember Qingran mentioning once that it is an heirloom handed down through generations by the Shen ancestors.” Every jade used to carve the Buddhist lotus beads were very old and the texture was transparent. it was a pity that it was lost when it was so valuable, let alone something that Qingran left behind. He was afraid that his son couldn’t let go and got the tattoo as a substitute.

He thought of the unexplained car accident and his eyes flashed with a cold light.

This caused him to think of something else. “Your car was ruined in the car accident, right? How about I buy you another one?”

“Don’t bother, I can buy it myself.” He had insurance for his car and the damage was too thorough. The insurance company directly paid half the purchase price of a new car. Add the savings left by his mother and grandfather and it wouldn’t be a problem to buy an ordinary car.

“I will buy you the car. What is the problem?” Mr Gu didn’t intend to retreat on this issue. “Your birthday is coming so consider it my birthday present.”

In order to prevent Shen Shian from continuing to refuse, he said, “I don’t want to give just you a birthday present. I also want to give Shen Xun a gift for our first meeting. Xun Xun, what do you want? You can tell me, no matter what it is.”

The half drunk and half awake Shen Xun opened his eyes in a daze. “… No matter…”

“Yes, that’s right.” Gu Jingchen patiently repeated. “I can give it to you, no matter what you want.”

This time Shen Xun understood. HIs eyes suddenly brightened and he spoke his longest sentence. “…Meat… I want meat… I want enough meat to fill a whole house…”

Shen Shian, “…”

Mr Gu was stunned. He apparently didn’t anticipate such an answer but immediately promised. “Okay, it is settled.”

Shen Shianwas about to say something when the countdown on the TV was heard. “…Five, four, three, two, one!!”

Mr Gu smiled and raised his glass. “An An, Happy New Year.”

Shen Shian’s lips curved and he raised his glass to touch the other one. “Happy New Year.”

The New Year’s pendulum started to turn and there was the faint sound of fireworks outside the window. Shen Shian turned off the TV and was ready to go sleep.

The room had been long arranged. The pillow and quilt were sun-dried and the quilt cover replaced. Mr Gu saw it and told Shen Shian, “I want to sleep in the storage room with your mother. Can I?”

Shen Shian said, “There is no bed in the storage room. You will need to lie on the floor.”

“I don’t have a problem with that.”

He brought a quilt and pillow into the storage room and arranged it. Gu Jingchen stood at the door and looked at the young man in front of him, who had an inseparable link with him and Qingran. His heart burst with infinite pride and love. “Can I hug you?”

Shen Shian didn’t move and Gu Jingchen reached out to bring the young man into his arms. A moment later, he released his grip and showed a father’s gesture, lightly touching his son’s forehead. “Good night, sleep well.”

Shen Xun was still drunk and rolling back and forth on the sofa because he couldn’t find Shen Shian. Shen Shian caught the child in time before he fell, wiped the cheeks and hands with a hot towel and placed the child on the bed in the master bedroom.

He got on the bed and lay down, leaving only the small night light. Shen Xun dug into his arms, face red and eyes flashing as he stared at Shen Shian. “…An An…”

“What is it?”

“… Good night…”

“Good night, go to sleep.”

However, the child didn’t close his eyes. He raised his hand to hold Shen Shian’s neck and said, “… Good night…”

Shen Shian thought helplessly, ‘If you say good night then you should sleep.’

Shen Xun once again stressed. “…Good night…”

A light flashed in his mind. Shen Shian stared at the stubborn little thing and suddenly understood what he meant. A smile filled his obsidian eyes as he bowed his head and kissed the child on the forehead. “Good night.”

Shen Xun was satisfied, curled up in his arms and closed his eyes.

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The author has something to say:

February 4th, 2019. There are still 1 month and 26 days before the outbreak.

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Added a ko-fi for the people asking for an alternative to Patreon:

https://ko-fi.com/rainbowturtle

Pledge any amount to my Patreon to access to the BL google drives, where you can get early access to any chapters I have completed.

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