Watching the Setting Sun Along the Same Path - Chapter 24

Until the age of three, Lu Ketong spent most of his time in a full-time kindergarten, only being picked up to go home once a week. Lu Ruopei was far too busy to take care of him, and besides, Lu Ruopei wasn’t very good at looking after children anyway.

In his memory, it was a beautiful, sunny day—though at that age, how could he possibly remember such details? But Lu Ketong had a habit of imagining all good days as bright, clear, and pleasantly breezy.

Lu Ruopei took him to Qiu Luomin’s house. He carried a small backpack, with his bangs swept to one side and held in place by a tiny hair clip. Qiu Luomin was five years old at the time and was already practicing reading and writing from a young age, engrossed in a bilingual storybook.

Mrs. Qiu was absolutely delighted to see him. She picked him up and asked, “Lulu, did your dad put that hair clip on you?”

Lu Ketong was still just a little bean sprout, but he remembered what Lu Ruopei had told him before they arrived—he had to greet people properly first. “Hello, Auntie,” he said, still a bit shy. “My teacher gave it to me. She said I need a haircut.”

Lu Ruopei went to pick up Qiu Luomin and said, “I haven’t had time to take him for a haircut either. Some parents cut their kids’ hair themselves, but I’m afraid I’d mess it up.”

“Having trouble, huh?” Mrs. Qiu laughed heartily. “You should’ve brought him over sooner. I could’ve braided Lulu’s hair.”

Lu Ruopei chuckled. “That wouldn’t do. He looks well-behaved, but if you upset him, he’ll run wild around the house all day.” He then lifted Qiu Luomin gently and coaxed, “Qiuqiu, how about playing with your little brother?”

Lu Ketong mimicked him, calling out, “Qiuqiu.”

Qiu Luomin took Lu Ketong off to play, while Mrs. Qiu, Mr. Qiu, and Lu Ruopei sat down to chat. “I really feel bad about this, troubling you so much,” Lu Ruopei said, raising his teacup as if it were wine, ready to drink it in one go.

“What’s there to be polite about? It’s perfect! Qiu’er gets a playmate, and we don’t have to think about having a second child,” Mr. Qiu boomed with laughter, earning a playful slap from his wife.

“Ruopei, these next couple of years are crucial for you. Just focus on your work. As for kids, looking after one is the same as looking after two—don’t worry about it,” Mrs. Qiu said, refilling their teacups. “Besides, Lulu is so adorable. I love having him around.”

Lu Ruopei sighed. “There’s been a chickenpox outbreak at the kindergarten. I’m afraid he might catch it. He was born premature, so his immunity and resistance are weak. If he gets sick, I wouldn’t be able to take good care of him either.”

Lu Ketong climbed onto the bed to play with Qiu Luomin’s toy cars, while Qiu Luomin continued reading his storybook nearby. “Qiuqiu, let’s play crash cars!” Lu Ketong looked at him excitedly, but Qiu Luomin ignored him.

He put the car down, waddled over on his little bottom, and asked, “What are you reading?”

“A storybook,” Qiu Luomin replied. As a child, he had an air of noble aloofness, feeling like a little prince. Lu Ketong placed his small hand on the book, covering the cartoon character’s face. “When will you finish?”

“About ten more pages.”

Lu Ketong rolled to the side and played by himself, occasionally glancing at Qiu Luomin but staying quiet and not saying a word. As noon approached, Qiu Luomin finally grew tired of reading and closed the book, setting it aside.

“Are you done now? Let’s play crash cars!” Lu Ketong had been waiting eagerly, clutching a big toy truck with excitement. Qiu Luomin, looking down on the younger child, asked, “Why are you staying at my house?”

Lu Ketong answered honestly, “My dad told me to.”

“He doesn’t want you anymore?” Qiu Luomin noticed that the hair clip on Lu Ketong’s head was coming loose. He leaned over and fixed it back in place. With a click, it probably pressed against Lu Ketong’s forehead, making him pout with a tearful expression.

“Then what about your mom? My mom said your mom left.”

Lu Ketong picked at the truck’s wheel, whispering, “You already know, why ask me?” He actually admired Qiu Luomin a little because Qiu Luomin was older than him, and both of Qiu Luomin’s parents were at home.

Just as they were talking, Lu Ruopei came upstairs. Seeing them getting along well, he felt a bit more at ease. He picked up Lu Ketong and sat down by the bed, asking, “Chatting with your brother?”

Qiu Luomin chimed in, “Uncle, where did Lulu’s mom go?”

Before Lu Ruopei could answer, Qiu’s mom, who had just entered the room, overheard. She walked over and gave Qiu Luomin a light smack on the back, saying, “Why are you so annoying? Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner!”

“It’s fine, kids say what they think,” Lu Ruopei said with a smile. Qiu’s mom clapped her hands at Lu Ketong, saying, “Lulu, how about Auntie takes you to wash your hands? After washing, we’ll go eat something delicious.”

Lu Ketong reached out to be picked up. Resting his head on Qiu’s mom’s shoulder, he asked, “Is the delicious thing pineapple lollipops? I eat one every day, or else I’ll die.”

Qiu’s mom found this hilarious and couldn’t stop laughing. “We don’t have any at our house. What should we do then?”

“My dad will buy them,” he said. After washing his hands and drying them, he even sniffed them to see if they smelled nice. There were many dishes on the table, but he couldn’t reach them anyway. He ate whatever Qiu’s mom served him and hid the things he didn’t want to eat under the edge of his plate.

After dinner, it was time for Lu Ruopei to leave, but he was reluctant to go. He carried Lu Ketong to take a nap, planning to leave only after the boy fell asleep. “Lulu, this card has Dad’s phone number on it. I taught you how to make a call, remember?” he asked softly, patting Lu Ketong’s belly.

“I remember,” Lu Ketong said, gesturing in the air. “Just press, press, press, press, press, and after pressing, you’ll come.”

“Good boy. Do you like it here?”

He nodded vigorously. The lunch dishes were better than at kindergarten, Qiuqiu had more toys than at kindergarten, and Qiu’s mom loved holding him and talking to him about this and that.

When he woke up, it was already past five, and Lu Ruopei had already left. Afraid he might fall off the bed, a large stuffed animal had been placed by the bedside as a barrier. He climbed up, jumped off the bed, and landed on his bottom.

There were so many rooms that he couldn’t remember them all, so he went back to find his little backpack. Inside, there was nothing else—just pineapple lollipops. Lu Ruopei had said he could eat one each day, and when they were all gone, he would go home.

He wanted to give one to Qiu Luomin, but eating two in one day would mess up the count. Gritting his teeth, he took one and ran out to find Qiu Luomin’s room. “Qiuqiu! Are you awake?” he shouted at the door before running in.

Qiu Luomin yawned. “You woke me up…”

“Here’s a lollipop for you,” he said, handing the lollipop he was clutching to Qiu Luomin. After Qiu Luomin unwrapped it and put it in his mouth, Lu Ketong couldn’t help but swallow his saliva, then unconsciously stuck his own finger in his mouth and started sucking on it.

In the evening, Qiu’s mom gave them a bath. The two sat facing each other in the bathtub. “Lulu, how about Auntie ties your hair into little braids?” she asked. He didn’t really want to because only girls at kindergarten wore braids, but he was afraid Qiu’s mom would be unhappy, so he nodded.

After the bath, they rolled around on Qiu Luomin’s big bed, their shouts loud enough to pierce the roof. Qiu Luomin punched him down, and he got back up to pounce on Qiu Luomin. He probably thought this was much more fun than crashing toy cars.

The bath felt like it had been for nothing, as sweat beaded on his forehead again. It wasn’t until Uncle Qiu came in to tell a story that he finally settled down. After finishing the story, Uncle Qiu said, “Lulu can sleep in this room tonight. It’ll be easier for Auntie and me to check on both of you together during the night.”

Qiu Luomin objected, “No way! What if he wets the bed?”

“I don’t wet the bed,” Lu Ketong protested anxiously. “I don’t wet the bed. The teacher scolds kids who wet the bed.”

Once the lights were off, the two boys squeezed together under the covers. Qiu Luomin gave him another playful punch, and Lu Ketong giggled happily. Then, he brought his hand to his mouth and whispered, “Qiuqiu, I want to tell you a secret.”

“What secret? My mom says I can’t have secrets. I have to tell her everything.”

Lu Ketong said, “Actually, my mom died.” Qiu Luomin didn’t quite understand and asked, “Don’t people only die when they’re old? My grandpa died, and my mom said it was because he was old.”

“I don’t know either. That’s what my dad said.” After saying this, he felt a little uneasy, unsure if Qiu Luomin liked him. He asked softly, “Qiuqiu, can I call your mom ‘Mom’ too?”

Qiu Luomin pushed him away slightly and said, “Why should you?”

He didn’t know why either, so he stayed quiet. After a moment of silence, Qiu Luomin said, “Only brothers share the same mom. You’re not my brother.”

Lu Ketong reacted quickly and said, “Then if I call you Qiuqiu Gege, does that mean I’m your brother?”

“I don’t know…” Qiu Luomin burrowed under the covers and mumbled, “But then you have to do whatever I tell you to do.”

Starting the next day, Qiu Luomin gained a little shadow. He didn’t even have to turn the pages of his book himself—Lu Ketong knelt by the coffee table, flipping the pages for him while he lay on the sofa. When Auntie Qiu brought over some fruit and saw this scene, she nearly burst out laughing.

“Lulu, what are you doing?”

“I’m turning the pages for Qiuqiu Gege,” he said, his eyes shining with the pride of a diligent worker, looking quite satisfied with himself. Auntie Qiu picked him up from the floor and placed him on the sofa, then sat down and asked, “Son, why is Lulu so obedient to you? Teach me—I want you to listen to me like that too.”

Qiu Luomin popped a grape into his mouth and said, “He wants to call you ‘Mom,’ so he has to listen to me before I agree.”

Auntie Qiu was taken aback, her heart aching a little. She poked Qiu Luomin’s forehead and said, “Why does he have to listen to you to call me ‘Mom’? Don’t bully the little kid.”

After saying this, she took a grape and fed it to Lu Ketong, speaking gently, “Lulu, how about calling me Auntie Qiu from now on?”

Lu Ketong nodded happily. “Auntie Qiu!” He jumped off the sofa and ran upstairs to find his cards. Even though he tripped and fell in his haste, he didn’t cry. “Auntie Qiu! I want to make a phone call!”

Lu Ruopei had just finished a meeting and was walking back to his office. When he saw the incoming call, he immediately grew worried, but he didn’t expect Lu Ketong to sound so cheerful on the other end of the line.

“Dad, from now on, I’m going to call Auntie ‘Auntie Qiu’!”

Lu Ruopei froze, his heart tightening painfully.

During those two years, Lu Ketong was very happy, though he gradually came to understand that Auntie Qiu and his own mother were different. Still, he felt content. When both he and Qiu Luomin wanted to be held, he would go off to play by himself, stealing a few envious glances their way.

When he was five and Qiu Luomin was seven, Lu Ruopei sent him to elementary school so he could spend more time with Qiu Luomin. But not long after, Lu Ruopei came to take him home.

Auntie Qiu joked, “Why don’t you just leave Lulu with our family? The kid clearly doesn’t want to go.”

Lu Ketong had become much livelier than before. He said, “I still have to do homework with Brother Qiuqiu, so I won’t leave just yet.”

Lu Ruopei wasn’t angry; instead, he smiled as if about to give him a pleasant surprise. In a low voice tinged with anticipation, he asked, “Lulu, if you were to have a mother, would you be willing to leave then?”

Lu Ketong replied blankly, “Mom is dead.”

Lu Ruopei picked him up and said, “You’re going to have a new mother. She’ll play with you, tell you stories, won’t dress you haphazardly like Dad does, and will cook delicious food—she’ll be a mother just for you.”

Later, he met Wen Ning.

The breakfast vendors at the entrance of the alley had already set up their stalls, but the households in the courtyard were still asleep, and everything was quiet. The coldest time was just before dawn. Fei Yuan held Lu Ketong in his arms, leaning against the headboard.

“She always smiled at me, never scolded me, only gently told me what to do, and took meticulous care of me. She would prepare for parent-teacher meetings for a long time every time.” Lu Ketong’s eyes were half-closed, his body slightly feverish. “Year after year, I gradually began to feel that she was my mother. I was so happy she could stay with me for so long, even though I knew it was just her job.”

Lu Ruopei had said that Wen Ning could only stay until he turned eighteen.

Lu Ketong clung to Fei Yuan’s shoulder, his eyes red, and said, “Being together as a family of three felt like a dream, but I knew that each day like this was one day less.”

He knew that the relationship between Lu Ruopei and Wen Ning was just an arrangement, knew that Lu Ruopei liked men, yet he couldn’t help but feel angry and resentful toward Lu Ruopei every time. He couldn’t control his greed—after living with a mother for so long, he couldn’t help but believe it was real.

But those days had come to an end.

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