A Single Father’s Troubles - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Satisfied

Guagua didn’t have a single clue about his father’s worries. As long as he was full, he was in high spirits. Right now, he was rolling around on the sofa like a happy little piglet.

Lin Tingwan snapped out of his daze from the commotion and caught Guagua’s kicking little feet, signaling him to sit properly. “Baby, Daddy has something to tell you.”

Seeing his father’s serious expression, Guagua tucked his hands behind his back and sat up straight. “Daddy, I’m sitting properly. You can talk now.”

Lin Tingwan looked at the tiny feet stepping on the sofa, measuring them against his own palm. They were only about as big as his hand—short, stubby, and chubby, with five little toes stuck on like tiny beans. It was incredibly cute.

Guagua originally stayed perfectly still to let his father play with his feet, but when Lin Tingwan’s finger tickled his sole twice, he couldn’t hold it in anymore, and his whole body began to quiver.

Lin Tingwan found it hilarious to watch him try to hold back the ticklish sensation, so he added a bit more pressure.

Guagua suddenly burst into giggles, squirming in his arms. “Daddy, don’t tickle me anymore~~”

Hearing that silver-bell-like laughter, Lin Tingwan couldn’t help but chuckle along. As he laughed, his eyes suddenly grew warm. This vibrant little guy actually came from me!

After playing with the child for a while, Lin Tingwan pulled him into his lap, stroking the little face that was flushed red from laughing, and said softly, “Baby, we’re going to look at a house tomorrow. If you like it, we’re going to move there.”

Guagua had heard the word “move” several times tonight. His little head was a bit muddled, but he had a faint impression of it. He looked up excitedly at Lin Tingwan. “Okay, Daddy, I’m ready!”

“Daddy, are we moving on a big iron bird tomorrow?”

Lin Tingwan froze for a second before realizing that Guagua’s impression of “moving” likely came from the memory of when they flew from City S back to City B.

“Baby, we don’t need a plane this time. We can just take a car. It’s not far,” Lin Tingwan said, nuzzling his son’s head with his chin.

“Oh! A car. Cars aren’t as comfy as Little White, they make baby dizzy,” Guagua said with a hint of regret.

“Little White” was the name of Lin Tingwan’s electric scooter. Guagua gave names to all sorts of objects in the house, besides Little White, he named his favorite pig plushie “Lulu.” When Lin Tingwan asked why it wasn’t named Peppa Pig, Guagua answered quite logically: Peppa was a character in a cartoon, but “Lulu” was his very own pig.

It was amazing how many whimsical thoughts a child that small could have.

Clutching Lulu, Guagua asked a question with half-understanding: “Daddy, do you not like it here anymore?”

He looked at his beloved table and stools, and his favorite Mickey Mouse chair, feeling a bit sad. He liked it here very much, but if Daddy didn’t like it anymore, what could he do?

“Daddy doesn’t dislike it… it’s just, it’s just…” Lin Tingwan didn’t know how to explain to Guagua that they couldn’t let Kuang Ye find them. He thought for a moment and asked, “Don’t you like complexes with big playgrounds? Last time we went to Bengbeng’s house, you really liked the big playground in her neighborhood, right?”

“Mhm, baby likes it! There were so many things that go spin-spin-spin, and then my brain went dizzy!” Lin Guagua was clearly remembering some wonderful times, waving his hands and feet in excitement.

Bengbeng was Guagua’s best friend from kindergarten. In the spring, Bengbeng invited Guagua to play at the family park in her neighborhood. Guagua had played on a huge slide there and was so happy he talked about it for days.

While Kuang Ye was the primary reason Lin Tingwan wanted to move, giving Guagua a neighborhood with a playground had always been a wish of his. When he first returned to City B, he didn’t have much money, had to raise a child, and didn’t have a job, so he didn’t dare spend recklessly. Now that things were stable and Guagua was in kindergarten, he wanted to provide better for the child within his means.

“We’ll go look at a house tomorrow. My baby can play on slides and in sandpits every day, okay?”

This made Guagua incredibly excited. But despite the excitement, the child was very sentimental and still remembered his little table and chair. “Daddy, if we go to a new house, will Lulu, Mickey, and Table-Brother come with us too?”

“Daddy, let’s all go together. We are a loving family!”

“Well… that depends on whether you’re a good boy tomorrow.”

Guagua’s eyes widened, looking visibly hurt. He pouted his lips. “I’m always a very, very good boy.”

“Daddy, don’t you say every day that I’m the best baby in the whole world?”

Seeing his aggrieved little face, Lin Tingwan suppressed a smile and asked with feigned confusion, “Oh? Then which baby was it that wet the bed last night?”

Guagua had just turned three. When he was two, Lin Tingwan started trying to wean him off diapers. Guagua adapted well, but sometimes when he played too hard during the day, he would wet the bed at night. Actually, bedwetting was no big deal, and Lin Tingwan wouldn’t scold a child for it. The problem was that this morning, after he discovered it, the little boy—likely afraid of being criticized, insisted that it was Lulu who wet the bed.

No matter how much Lin Tingwan doted on the child, he couldn’t exactly hold his breath and admit that a stuffed pig could wet the bed. Moreover, lying is a bad habit. Lin Tingwan wanted to correct him, but no matter how he tried to lead the conversation, Guagua refused to admit it.

Guagua suddenly felt guilty. He quickly scrambled off Lin Tingwan, walked toward the bathroom with an air of immense seriousness, and started fumbling with his shirt buttons, muttering to himself: “Mhm, baby needs to shower now.”

“After the shower, I have to go to sleep early, and then we move tomorrow.”

By the time he reached the bathroom door, he had stripped himself stark naked. When Lin Guagua was a baby, he was breastfed; he didn’t just have as much baby fat as his peers, he had a surplus of energy. His arms and thighs were made of circles of little meat rolls, looking absolutely adorable.

He puffed out his little belly, held onto the bathroom doorframe, and waved urgently to Lin Tingwan. “Daddy, come give baby a bath quickly.”

“Baby is going to freeze to death!” He made a deliberate shivering motion as he spoke.

Seeing his precocious, mischievous act, Lin Tingwan couldn’t stop laughing. He forgot all about the bedwetting, rolled up his sleeves, and went to bathe the child.

The next day was the weekend.

Early in the morning, Lin Tingwan held his son with one hand and Guagua’s little backpack in the other, preparing to ride the electric scooter to Luhu.

At the entrance of the building, a iron-gray Volvo V90 was parked quietly. An exceptionally handsome young man sat on the hood, tossing his car keys up and down. His presence made the residents out for morning exercise turn their heads frequently.

Bian Wang heard the movement and looked back. Seeing the father and son, a soft smile bloomed in his cold, sharp eyes. He propped one hand on the hood, hopped down gracefully, and waved. “Brother Tingwan, over here.”

“Eh? Bian Wang, what are you…”

Lin Tingwan looked over at the sound and then saw the car beside him.

Bian Wang patted the hood and revealed a row of neat white teeth. “The old man told me to drive you guys to Luhu.”

Bian Wang pulled open the car door, there was actually a car seat installed in the back. He lied without a hint of hesitation or a blush: “It’s from my sister’s place. She doesn’t need it anymore, so the old man told me to bring it over.”

“Bian Wang, I really don’t know how to thank you guys.” Lin Tingwan was both grateful and moved, at a loss for words.

Looking at those eyes that seemed to hold a layer of mist, Bian Wang’s heart hammered against his ribs. He quickly averted his gaze. “It’s a small thing, don’t worry about it.”

He pretended to be calm, got into the car, and kept his eyes on the rearview mirror, watching the father and son as Tingwan buckled the safety seat straps. Bian Wang’s gaze softened. He couldn’t help but give himself a little mental cheer.

Yes! Another chance to spend time alone with Brother Tingwan!

The Bian family’s house at Luhu was employee welfare housing allocated by B-University. Back then, the allocation quotas were quite tight. An old professor with decades of service like Bian Wenmao only managed to get a unit under 70 square meters. However, even for a house this small, the current market value exceeded ten million.

The neighborhood environment truly lived up to its price tag; it was high-end residential living. Beautiful greenery, well-ordered walkways—it didn’t just have landscaped gardens, it even had a pond where various colored koi swam.

Guagua clearly loved this neighborhood. From the moment he stepped out of the car, he showed extraordinary excitement. Especially when he saw the large, luxurious children’s playground, he could barely move his legs.

Entering the Bians’ apartment, Guagua loved it at first sight. The walls were a warm pale yellow, with hardwood floors and matching walnut-colored cabinets. Although no one had lived there for a while, the rooms were spotless and the floors were gleaming. It was obvious someone had been hired to clean it recently.

If it were just to look at a house, there was no need to hire cleaners. Lin Tingwan turned and looked at Bian Wang silently. The Bian family was being too thoughtful; he really felt embarrassed.

Bian Wang clearly guessed what he wanted to say and cut him off proactively. “Brother Tingwan, don’t feel pressured. Even if a stranger came to rent, we’d hire someone to clean first. It’s the basic standard.”

Lin Tingwan was silent for a while. He stopped the polite small talk but noted everything in his heart.

Bian Wang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, scooped up Guagua—who was standing close to Tingwan’s leg—and waved his hand. “Let’s go, Brother Wangwang is taking you on an adventure!”

Gaining permission, Guagua charged like a gust of wind to the small separate balcony. He landed accurately on a beanbag chair, rolling around inside. Hearing the familiar footsteps, Guagua giggled at his father. “Daddy, I-I’m here! I feel like I’ve turned into Mimi!”

Lin Tingwan looked at his son playing happily with gentle eyes. This house was well-decorated, in a great location, and had excellent facilities, but precisely because it was so good, Lin Tingwan knew the rent wouldn’t be cheap. He thought about his savings and felt a bit unsure.

“Brother Tingwan, are you satisfied with this house?”

“With a house this good, how could I not be satisfied?” Lin Tingwan waved to Guagua on the beanbag. “Sweetheart, come here.”

“Coming!” Guagua scrambled up, and even made a show of tugging at the beanbag to tidy it before running over. He said excitedly to Bian Wang, “Brother Wangwang, this house is so pretty! It looks just as good as the ones in books!”

“Hehe, as long as you guys like it.” Bian Wang grinned like a big, silly dog.

“Bian Wang, let’s talk about the price. If it’s too expensive, I might…”

Bian Wang waved his hand to stop him. “Talk to my parents about the price. I’m only responsible for bringing you here to see it.” He grinned, showing his two sharp canine teeth that made him look clean and handsome.

Bian Wang bolstered his courage, mimicking Guagua’s manner to act cute with Lin Tingwan: “Brother Tingwan, let’s go eat. We came out so early, I’m starving!”

Lin Tingwan looked helplessly at Bian Wang, who was strategically avoiding the topic. Bian Wang just kept smiling like a total dork. Lin Tingwan was out of moves and sighed. “Fine, we’ll eat whatever you say.” This family was so good to him, he was willing to show some kindness back.

“Whatever I say?” Bian Wang was stunned, never expecting such a good thing.

“Yes.”

Bian Wang was clearly overjoyed, not knowing where to put his hands. He bounced Guagua in his arms and pinched the boy’s cheek with feigned composure. “Guagua, shall we go eat steak?” As he spoke, Bian Wang felt a bit nervous, not knowing if Lin Tingwan would be willing to eat Western food with him.

Luckily, Guagua was very supportive and responded immediately: “Eat steak! Eat steak! Baby likes meat-meat!”

Lin Tingwan saw his son’s adorable look and couldn’t help but smile with crinkled eyes. “Alright, we’ll go eat the meat-meat baby likes.”

Bian Wang gave Guagua a huge mental thumbs-up. Good boy, Guagua. I’ll definitely make you the happiest kid in the world from now on!

The three walked to the entryway. Lin Tingwan took off the little shoe covers on Guagua’s feet and his own, rolling them into a ball and stuffing them in his pocket. As the door opened, his gaze subconsciously fell on the tightly closed security door next door.

Luhu’s units were two per floor, with the doors facing each other. Bian Wang noticed his gaze, straightened up after putting on his shoes, and said casually, “I heard my parents mention it once—apparently no one lives next door. It won’t affect you guys.”

Because he had a child, Lin Tingwan was very concerned about whether the neighbors were easy to get along with. If they were difficult, he’d rather find another place. Hearing that no one lived next door, he thought it was great; he wasn’t very good at dealing with people anyway.

But soon he mocked himself in his heart. The rent here probably cost several thousands or even ten thousand a month—he might not even be able to afford it. Why was he worrying about neighbors?

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