New Year

Early the next morning, the sky slowly lit up. Only a bit of light crept inside the bedroom but Wu Yue still woke up. He maintained his regular routine from when he was a soldier. Craddling the soft body in his arms, Wu Yue hugged Chu Dong and carefully rolled over, but when he lowered his head, he saw that Chu Dong had already opened his eyes, laying on his arm and looking at him.

Chu Dong's eyes were big and round, the corners were a little upturned, like a pair of dust-clean amber crystals, it easily provoked love and affection. Wu Yue touched his face, "Why did you wake up so early?"

"When I was in the orphanage, some children cry very early every day." Chu Dong said, "I got used to it."

He leaned against Wu Yue's chest, moving his head like a kitten. Wu Yue embraced him tightly, "It's quiet at home, you can sleep a little longer."

Wu Yue got up and Chu Dong sat up with him. Wu Yue had to push his wheelchair over, but Chu Dong said: "Dad, I want to use the crutches."

Wu Yue was always reluctant to let Chu Dong struggle, he wanted to hold him and push him all the time. Chu Dong stood up with difficulty with the crutches, and Wu Yue followed him every step of the way. Chu Dong laughed and said to him, "I always walk like this."

Wu Yue felt very uncomfortable hearing him that, he watched him walk slowly to the bathroom with the crutches to wash, change clothes, and take care of himself. Chu Dong especially liked being clean, no matter how inconvenient it would be, he won't make himself look sloppy and indecent. Wu Yue took over a quilted jacket and put it on him. He gave a scarf, hat, and gloves to wrap him up. Chu Dong was as obedient as a doll, wrapped up like a little rice dumpling. He said softly, "Dad, this doesn't look good."

"Why doesn't it look good? Our Chu Dong looks the best."

Chu Dong looked at him and smiled, he lightly put his arms on the man's shoulders, like a vague hug. He tilted his head and asked, "If I didn't look good, would dad dislike me?"

Wu Yue immediately hugged Chu Dong and kissed him hard, "How come? No matter what you look like, dad will still love you the most."

Chu Dong's cheeks turned ruddy, he showed a simple and lovely smile. He held Wu Yue's face and made him lower his head to kiss him gently. The red and soft lips felt like fresh and tender peach blossoms, and the scent of warm fragrance blew into the corners of Wu Yue's mouth, leaving a trace of sweetness in the dumbfoundedness.

"Dad is so nice."

Wu Yue was a little stunned by the kiss for a while, it took a few seconds for him to react. He touched the place where he was kissed, "Chu Dong, how come you... you smell good, it smells so good."

Chu Dong didn't reply, he just leaned on the man's neck. His eyes were cast down, and the corners of his mouth were still smiling.

On the first day of the new year, Wu Yue decided to take Chu Dong home to worship his ancestors. His hometown was in the countryside and two hours away by car. It was difficult travel with the sun that day, but the wind was alright, Wu Yue rushed to his destination early. His hometown was in the mountains, and his parents’ graves were placed on a small hill. Because the road wasn't easy to walk, he carried his things up the mountain with Chu Dong.

The cold wind blew through the mountains, and some people were freezing. Someone was setting off firecrackers, and soot was all over the air. Wu Yue was afraid of Chu Dong being cold or smoked, so they came down not long after staying on the mountain. This could be regarded as taking his child to see his grandparents and recognize his ancestors.

Chu Dong was wrapped tightly from head to toe, neither cold nor tired, he looked around curiously, leaning on crutches in one hand and holding Wu Yue in the other. Wu Yue had an aunt he was close with in his hometown, every time he came to the graves, he'd drop by her house to visit her. His aunt was old and lived alone, she was surprised when she saw Chu Dong. She took his hand and asked questions, Wu Yue had no intention of hiding it from his family and told the truth.

After hearing this, his aunt was very angry, she repeatedly said "bad karma" and scolded Wu Yue: "I never liked your wife from the beginning, she looked frivolous, now look at her, she even wanted to cut off your children and grandchildren!"

She very angry and hit Wu Yue's arm, Wu Yue let her, bowing his head and admiting his mistake in front of her. Chu Dong watched on besides them, he stretched out his hands to embrace Wu Yue's arm and looked at the old woman with a sad expression, "No, Dad did nothing wrong."

Wu Yue's aunt was heartbroken for Chu Dong, she put Wu Yue aside for a while, and coddled and sighed while holding Chu Dong's hand. Seeing that one of his trouser legs was empty, the old woman's tears almost came out, "Your leg... how did it become like this?"

Chu Dong replied: "When I was young, I ran out to play and I accidentally fell."

His aunt asked many more questions, and Chu Dong answered them one by one. He was very well-behaved in front of the old woman, with the perfect questions and answers, his voice was soft and clear, pleasing to the ears. His qunt insisted on keeping them at home for dinner, so Wu Yue had to stay and help. They were cooking in the back kitchen, while Chu Dong walked into the yard on crutches to watch the camellia growing on the side of the road.

The flowers bloomed bright and warm in the cold winter weather. Chu Dong walked under the tree, raising his hand and gently fiddling with the petals of one of the flowers.

He turned his head and saw a child who came from nowhere standing behind him, he picked up a stone from the ground and hit him with it, "You have no legs, monster!"

Chu Dong looked at this child, the child grimaced and stuck his tongue out. Seeing that he was thin, weak, and girly, he boldly approached and reached out to touch his broken leg while muttering, "You have no legs, everyone else has legs, but you have no legs."

His little hands were dirty and grabbed at Chu Dong's empty trouser. Chu Dong watched him and suddenly raised his hand to gently touch the child's face. He bent over slightly, his voice sweet and soft: "Hush, look."

The child was stunned and looked up at him blankly. Chu Dong's face seemed gentler than the moonlight, and when his moist eyes smiled, it felt like a soft dream that easily caught the child.

He teased him as he would kittens and puppies, tapping the child's cheek with his finger and saying softly, "Aren't the flowers on this tree beautiful?"

There was a loud cry from the yard. As soon as Wu Yue heard the ruckus, he quickly put down the vegetables in hand and ran out of the house. With a glance, he saw Chu Dong on the ground with his crutches rolling away from him. Wu Yue rushed to pick him up, and hurriedly checked him for any injuries from the fall: "What's the matter? Where is it painful?"

Chu Dong grabbed him and frantically looked around, he showed a flustered expression: "The kid fell down."

Only then did Wu Yue notice the child under the slope. The slope was nearly two meters high, with weeds and chicken coops underneath, and the child was crying on the ground. Soon his aunt and neighbors rushed over, the child's mother immediately wanted to accuse, "Who pushed my child!"

"H-He fell by himself..." Chu Dong was frightened by the woman's loud voice and shrank into Wu Yue's arms. Tears fell and he said aggrievedly: "He threw a stone at me and wanted to push me. I avoided him, and he ran over and fell down."

The woman said angrily: "How could he fall down himself? You must've pushed him!"

Wu Yue's aunt was so angry that she yelled, "Can't you see that his feet and legs have difficulty moving! How can he push others down? You kid hadn't been naughty for just a day or two, what's so unusual about him running into the pit himself?"

The two women quarreled while the child cried below. Wu Yue had no intention of arguing with others, he picked up Chu Dong's crutches, taking the person in his arms and sorting out the clothes and the ashes on his body. He pulled away his aunt and persuaded her to go back to the house.

Wu Yue quickly prepared hot water to Chu Dong's face, he washed his hands, and patted his clothes clean. Chu Dong's small face was pale: "Dad, I didn't push him."

Wu Yue touched his hair comfortingly, "Of course, our Chu Dong didn't push anyone."

He cleaned up Chu Dong and got up to go out. His aunt called him, "What are you going to do?"

"I'll look at where that kid Paishi fell."

"Are you looking for trouble? What else can you see in that pit?"

Wu Yue smiled, "It's fine, I'll go take a look."

He opened the door to go out, Chu Dong looked at his leaving back, seemingly startled. Wu Yue's aunt sighed and said to him: "Your dad is like this. He has a very good temper, he'll never let others do everything and always like to suffer."

The old woman turned around and continued to cook. Chu Dong sat alone in the living room, looking down at the half-cold water in front of him. After a long while, he rinsed his hand in the water and took a towel to wash his fingers again. He washed slowly and carefully, as if there was something dirty on his fingers that needed to be rubbed repeatedly to restore their former purity.

After eating, Wu Yue took Chu Dong back home. Chu Dong kept looking out the window on the road and did not speak. Wu Yue thought he was upset because of the child, so he reached out to touch him while waiting for the traffic light, "Unhappy?"

He thought that Chu Dong would say 'no' as cleverly as always, but the child just said "um". He lowered his head and stayed silent.

Wu Yue hurriedly comforted: "That kid was just ignorant, I've already spoken with his mother..."

Chu Dong pouted slightly, "You called him Paishi¹."

"What?"

"You only say my name." Chu Dong turned his head to look at the car window, and whispered, "Do act so close with other people's children."

He seldom sounded so childish and dissatisfied. Wu Yue felt like it was funny and cute. He couldn't help squeezing his face, "Alright, what will I call you then? Is it fine to call you Dong'er?"

Chu Dong answered, "Well", Wu Yue didn't know if he liked it or not. Wu Yue coaxed him for a long time, and when he got home, he held him in his arms and kissed him, calling him "Dong'er" and "Dong'er". In the end, Chu Dong was amused and laughed, hanging on his neck softly. He kissed him back, showing that he had forgiven his careless father.

After returning from his hometown, Wu Yue had no relatives to greet. Apart from visiting to the store every day to see if business had become a little better during the Chinese New Year, he spent the rest of the time with his children. He didn't take Chu Dong to play around, the two just stayed at home to eat and watched TV. They had more time for the latter, because Chu Dong didn't seem to like going out, he preferred sticking to Wu Yue. When watching TV, he should be nestled on his chest, leaning on his shoulders when reading a book, and even more excessive when sleeping at night. He wanted to sleep with Wu Yue and would get into his arms before he could leave. Later, Wu Yue didn't have the chance to sleep in his bedroom, he slept with early winter every night.

Compared to being treated so politely at the beginning, Wu Yue preferred this somewhat clingy Chu Dong. He wished that Chu Dong would depend and trust himself, he hoped that Chu Dong would understand that there were people in this world who loved him very much. He always liked kissing Chu Dong's white cheeks and watch the child smile shyly, his beautiful and gentle eyes were filled with Wu Yue.

It seems that his world is all lit up.

Wu Yue was a little worried about the money of the store. During the New Year, their sales were less than half of those in the previous years, not to mention their recent slump in sales. Even without customers, the rent wouldn't be reduced, three or four employees also have to be paid. Wu Yue wanted to wait till summer to send Chu Dong to school, it'll be another expense then.

Wu Yue was sitting in the living room and flipping through books. He looked up and saw Chu Dong walking out of the bathroom with a cane, he was holding a clean flower pot in his hand. He had moved the flower pots back and forth several times, and after putting them all on the balcony, he came over and walked in front of Wu Yue. Chu Dong raised his hand to hold his shoulder, and slowly sat on his lap.

Wu Yue uncomfortably spread his arms to hold this person firmly, "The sofa is so big, why do you have to sit on dad's lap."

Chu Dong hugged his neck affectionately, he whispered, "Doesn't Dad like it?"

Wu Yue hurriedly agreed, holding the child tighter. It felt like holding a docile and cute milk cat, nestled softly on his chest, it temporarily dispelled his troubles.

"Auntie gave me some flower seeds, she said that I could plant them in spring. I want to plant them on the balcony, can I?"

"Of course, but there's already a lot of pots placed on the balcony..."

"Dad, the flowers are already black, even the leaves." Chu Dong looked at him helplessly, as if accusing him of being careless, "The flowers can't live from just water."

Wu Yue grudgingly said, "No wonder, it didn't grow no matter how much I gave it."

Chu Dong laughed, his lips were very close to Wu Yue's neck, and the lips would pressed against the skin between his breaths. The tingling fine touch itched and Wu Yue held Chu Dong's hand stiffly. He was just about to say something when the phone suddenly rang on the table. He picked it up and saw that Zhao Qian was calling.

He can't always not answer the phone. Wu Yue had to hold Chu Dong's waist and said, "Dad is going to answer the phone."

Chu Dong sat up in his arms, with a dazed and confused expression on his face, "Dad, don't quarrel."

He was wilful and unwilling to leave Wu Yue's embrace. Wu Yue couldn't refuse him, so he had to hold him while answering the phone, "Hello? What's the matter."

Zhao Qian's voice came from the phone, saying that he still had things unpacked at home and asking him to come and pick it up by himself.

Wu Yue said, "I've taken away the important things, you can ask someone to clean up the rest and throw them away."

Zhao Qian lost her temper on the phone: "Why do you want me to throw out your stuff? I asked you to come, throw them away yourself!"

When the call hung up, Wu Yue had no choice but to go there and clean out all his belongings. He also wanted to discuss divorce matters with her seriously, not wanting to be dragged by her in signing the divorce agreement. Wu Yue hugged Chu Dong, "Dong'er, Dad has to go, I'll come back the evening."

Chu Dong nestled in his arms and looked at him, "Are you still arguing?"

Wu Yue felt distressed and a little embarrassed. He didn't know how to tell Chu Dong about this. He said that he'll finally take him home, but there was no mother at his home. Chu Dong asked curiously, "You won't make up anymore?"

"We..."

Before he could finish thinking about how to say this, Chu Dong continued, "Then dad will take care of me alone, alright?"

Wu Yue was taken aback, he lowered his head to see Chu Dong looking at him. His eyes were pure and focused, full of expectation. He tentatively asked, "Doesn't Dong'er need a mother to take care of him?"

"I just want Dad." Chu Dong reliantly hugged Wu Yue's neck and whispered, "Dad is very good, better than everyone else."

When Wu Yue heard it, he felt both happy and sad. He was happy because Chu Dong finally liked him and trusted him. It gave him more hope about his future life of raising the child alone. He was sad because Chu Dong didn't receive the love and care he should've had, so he took care of him very carefully the next few days, doing everything a father should and more.

Before going out, Wu Yue told him to call if anything happened, and that he'd definitely be back in time. He also asked what snacks Chu Dong would like to eat that he could buy on the road. Chu Dong said that he wanted to drink juice and also wanted to eat bayberry and dried fruit. Wu Yue agreed to all, rubbing his head and telling him to wait at home for his return.

His former home with Zhao Qian was located in the new city center, about half an hour's drive from the old city center where his parents' old house was located. Ever since he was discharged from the army and transferred to work, he worked hard for many years before being able to save enough money to buy a new house. Wu Yue still remembered how happily Zhao Qian smiled the day they moved into their new house. He invited her group of best friends to come to the house for a gathering, in front of all of them, she embraced and kissed him, saying that she had found the best man in the world.

Wu Yue drove to the community, going upstairs, and knocking on the door. After a while the door opened from the inside, Zhao Qian was standing at the door, wearing beautiful makeup, silk suspender pajamas, and a white velvet robe. She looked at him unhappy, "Why knock on the door, don't you have a key?"

Turning around as she spoke, her long hair drifted away. Knowing that she was acting spoiled again, Wu Yue had to silently walk to the bedroom, opening the closet, and taking out all his clothes.

He had very few clothes. A jacket or a padded jacket could be worn for one winter, all of his old clothes from so many years could be fitted into a large cardboard box. Wu Yue was very quick, tidying up his clothes and shoes, he put the unnecessary items in another cardboard box and put them at the entrance of the house.

Zhao Qian had been sitting on the sofa and playing with her mobile phone. Seeing Wu Yue busy, but never talking to her, she finally couldn't sit still and stood up, "Wu Yue!"

Wu Yue put the last box at the door and straightened up. Zhao Qian glared at him, and after a while she softened again, showing a pitiful look, "Husband, just what do you want me to do."

Wu Yue patted the dust on his body and said, "You don't need to call me that again in the future."

"I apologized, and I didn't mess around with my boss anymore. If you don't believe me, look at my cell phone. I didn't call or text him!" Zhao Qian walked up to him with aggrieved expression, "We've been a husband and wife for so many years, Why are you so cruel, how could you just leave?"

"You got together with other men years ago. Everyone knew it, but I didn't know anything. I'm a clown in your eyes, so why should you keep pretending to keep me?"

"I don't, husband, I know I'm wrong. Please don't be angry, okay?" Zhao Qian held Wu Yue's arm, her soft cleavage was exposed from the neck of the low pajamas, she squeezed against Wu Yue's body. "My boss and me only had a business relationship. Because he often needed to take me with him, others always suspected us... husband, why do you always listen to other people's gossip, why don't you just believe what I say?"

Wu Yue was uncomfortable, he turned his head to avoid the scent on her body, his heart felt painful and bitter. He never thought that at this time, the woman he once loved would still lie to him, "I saw you enter a hotel with my own eyes, Zhao Qian, don’t talk about anymore. Even if you and him really have nothing to hide, you still abandoned our child without telling me, I can’t forgive you for this alone!"

When he mentioned this, Zhao Qian’s coquettish expression immediately changed, she showed annoyed and uneasy look, "He's hermaphrodite! Both a man and woman... Do you want people to know about this? That I've given birth to a monster? What will people think of me? They're going sprattle ill things behind my back! Are you not afraid of your friends looking down on you!"

Wu Yue argued angrily: "There's not only one sex in this world, and it's not a bad thing to commit murder and arson. Who would dare to look down on me?"

"Other people have ordinary children, why do you want me to raise a freak!"

"Don't do it if its too much for you! My own child said no—"

The phone suddenly rang, Wu Yue quickly calmed himself from his anger, he hurriedly answered the phone and cleared his throat, "Cough... Dong'er, what's the matter, are you hungry?"

"Yes." Chu Dong's soft voice rang from the other end of the phone, "I miss you, Dad."

"Alright, Dad is going back now."

Wu Yue hung up, pulling Zhao Qian away from him, and getting up to carry the two cardboard boxes. Zhao Qian hurriedly stopped him, "Do you really want to raise that child?"

Zhao Qian chased him to the elevator door, "Then what will I do? You, will you let me see him?"

"Don't see him again, let alone find him." The elevator door closed slowly, Wu Yue looked tired, he said to Zhao Qian, "The divorce agreement had been signed, we won't meet again in the future."