Just in Time Chapter 118
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 118
Extra 8 - Ten Years Later
Ten years later.
"Zhao Qinghe! Which uncle of yours is coming to attend the parent-teacher meeting this time?" the short-haired girl asked her desk mate.
Her desk mate was a girl with an oval face, big eyes, and fair skin. She wore a ponytail and had a small dimple when she smiled. "This time, Uncle Yi is coming for my meeting," she said.
"Wow, it's that super cool brother!" The short-haired girl's eyes lit up.
"He's an uncle," Zhao Qinghe corrected her seriously.
"Anyway, he's super handsome! Much more handsome than movie stars!" The short-haired girl, who had seen Yi Chenliang before, exclaimed, "I want to marry him!"
Zhao Qinghe said helplessly, "I've told you many times, Uncle Yi is already married!"
The short-haired girl pouted, "Then I'll marry your Uncle Yun. Although he's not my type, he's also super good-looking. Wearing glasses makes him look like such a refined bad boy, and he's a doctor too, aww."
Zhao Qinghe sighed, "Li Jiajia, I'll state it again, my Uncle Yun is also married."
Li Jiajia lay on the desk sadly, "Why are all the handsome ones married?"
Because they're self-produced and self-consumed, Zhao Qinghe silently added in her mind.
After school, she and Li Jiajia left together. From afar, they saw a car parked across the street. Her Uncle Yi, wearing sunglasses, stood by the car door and waved at her.
"My Uncle Yi is here to pick me up. I'm leaving first!" Zhao Qinghe said goodbye to Li Jiajia, then ran towards Yi Chenliang with her backpack. "Uncle Xiao Yi!"
Yi Chenliang smiled and ruffled her hair, picking up her backpack from her shoulder. "Get in the car."
Zhao Qinghe climbed into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt. Seeing her uncle still wearing work pants and boots, she asked, "Uncle Xiao Yi, are you going on a business trip again?"
"No business trip," Yi Chenliang started the car. "Last night your Uncle Yun got angry and threw away all my usual clothes."
Zhao Qinghe looked at him suspiciously, "Really?"
"Really," Yi Chenliang said.
Although her Uncle Yun had a cold personality and was a bit serious, he actually had a super gentle temper. She didn't believe Uncle Yun would get angry for no reason, so she asserted, "Then you must have done something wrong to make Uncle Yun angry."
"Hey, comrade Zhao Xiaoxiao, whose side are you on?" Yi Chenliang flicked her forehead. "Did I buy all those little dresses for you for nothing?"
Zhao Qinghe covered her forehead and laughed, "I'm on your side, you're on Uncle Yun's side, so the three of us are a team."
Yi Chenliang chuckled, "So you're the only one taking all the advantages."
"Is Uncle Yun working overtime today?" Zhao Qinghe asked.
"No overtime today. We're going to pick him up at the hospital," Yi Chenliang drove towards the city hospital.
Yun Fang had spent eight years completing his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees consecutively. He had only started working formally two years ago. Studying at university had been even more tiring than high school. After finally starting work, he was either working overtime or on his way to work overtime, which was a far cry from the leisurely retirement life he had initially wanted.
The Yun Fang they were talking about was currently treating a wound on a patient's head.
"Ouch! Be gentler, damn it!" The patient was very irritable and rude.
Yun Fang expressionlessly held the patient's head, "Lower your head."
The patient lowered his head. At this moment, the phone in his hand rang. "Sh*t!"
Yun Fang stood by with an expression of watching a show.
"Hello, honey," Qi Huo stood up from the chair. "No, who told you that? I'm drinking with our brother Yun Fang right now. Don't believe me? I'll let him talk to you—"
Qi Huo handed the phone to Yun Fang, clasped his hands together, and held up three fingers.
Yun Fang remained unmoved.
Qi Huo gritted his teeth and held up four fingers.
Yun Fang raised an eyebrow.
Qi Huo glared at him angrily and reluctantly held up five fingers.
Yun Fang took the phone, "It's me. We're drinking."
"Mm, I'm watching him. I won't let him drink any hard liquor," Yun Fang handed the phone back to Qi Huo, who clasped his fist in gratitude before taking the phone and starting to bluff.
"You just focus on your business trip... Hey, I really won't drink too much... Mm, when are you coming back?" As Qi Huo spoke, he unconsciously tried to scratch his head, but Yun Fang slapped his hand away and pressed him back into the chair, continuing to treat the wound on his head.
By the time Qi Huo finished talking, the wound was almost treated. Qi Huo stood up and patted Yun Fang's shoulder, "Good brother!"
Yun Fang held up five fingers at him.
Qi Huo instantly retracted his previous words, "You shouldn't be a doctor. You'd be better off as a cunning merchant. Your heart is even blacker than my wife's."
"Thank you," Yun Fang handed him the prescription. "Go get your medicine. I'm off work."
Seeing that he was really about to leave, Qi Huo sincerely invited him, "Want to have a drink together today?"
"If you don't want that head of yours anymore, sure, drink," Yun Fang said.
Just as Qi Huo was about to speak, his phone rang again. After answering, he shouted furiously, "I fucking staked out for three days to catch the guy, and now you're telling me he escaped? Why don't you run away with him!"
The young intern on the phone was nearly in tears, "Ca-Captain Wang said—"
"Wang Lianhua's farts and you all treat them like imperial edicts!" Qi Huo raged, "Put him on the phone!"
Yun Fang had wanted to tell him some precautions, but before he could speak, Qi Huo stormed out of the door, looking ready to go on a rampage.
Yun Fang changed his clothes and walked out of the hospital.
"Uncle Yun!" Zhao Qinghe, wearing her school uniform, waved at him.
Yun Fang went over and patted her head. Zhao Qinghe grinned and obediently climbed into the back seat. Yun Fang opened the passenger door and sat down.
Yi Chenliang took off his sunglasses, revealing a red mark at the corner of his eye, and smiled at him.
Yun Fang coughed lightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable, and handed him the ointment, "Apply this."
Zhao Xiaoxiao curiously poked her head from the back, "Uncle Xiao Yi, what happened to your eye? No wonder you were wearing sunglasses."
Uncle Xiao Yi didn't answer her, but her Uncle Yun Fang pushed her back, "It's nothing. He accidentally scratched himself while exercising last night."
"Oh," Zhao Qinghe earnestly advised Yi Chenliang, "Uncle Xiao Yi, you must be careful next time you exercise."
Yi Chenliang suppressed a laugh, "Mm, I will next time."
Yun Fang pinched his thigh.
Yi Chenliang steered with one hand and passed him a bag with the other.
Yun Fang took it, "What's this?"
"I bought it for you. Look at it when we get home," Yi Chenliang smiled pleasantly. "An apology gift."
Yun Fang put the bag aside, unconsciously rubbing the ring on his left ring finger. He turned back and asked Xiaoxiao, "What do you want to eat tonight?"
"Cake!" Zhao Qinghe said cheerfully.
"Of course there will be cake for your birthday today," Yi Chenliang said. "Anything else you want to eat?"
Zhao Qinghe leaned on the car seat, "Anything is fine?"
"Of course," Yi Chenliang nodded. "Whatever you want to eat, your Uncle Yun and I will make sure to get it."
"I want ice cream, cola, potato chips, spicy strips, chocolate beans, and crispy noodles!" Zhao Qinghe's eyes sparkled as she shouted.
"No," Yun Fang adjusted his glasses and looked at her seriously. "You just had a tooth pulled at the hospital last week."
"Wuwu..." Zhao Qinghe recalled the terrifying experience of tooth extraction and instinctively covered her mouth.
Her Uncle Yun's word was final. When he said no, it meant no. So she could only shrink back pitifully, "Then I'll just eat cake today."
"You can't eat too much cake either," Yun Fang saw her low spirits. "We can go to the amusement park after dinner."
Zhao Qinghe cheered up again, "Really?"
"Mm," Yun Fang didn't even turn his head as he directly intercepted the lollipop Yi Chenliang was trying to pass to Zhao Qinghe.
The two failed conspirators sat up straight, looking as if they were sincerely admitting their mistake.
Yi Chenliang and Zhao Qinghe discussed for a long time but couldn't come to a conclusion. In the end, Yun Fang made the decision and chose a restaurant.
Zhao Fang was out of town on a business trip. Previously, because Yun Fang was going to university with Yi Chenliang, he had simply handed over the bubble tea shop to Zhao Fang, with the transfer price becoming shares. Now Zhao Fang was running three bubble tea shops and two coffee shops, clearly a successful businesswoman.
Huang Chu had been busy lately with matters concerning partnership in the law firm, running around every day. At noon, he had specially come to the school to give Zhao Qinghe a birthday gift, then flew to another province in the afternoon.
So this year, Zhao Qinghe could only celebrate her birthday with her two uncles.
Before they even started eating, Zhao Qinghe eagerly began unwrapping her birthday gifts. The gifts were given separately by her two uncles. Zhao Qinghe unwrapped a dress that her mom had wanted to buy for a long time but couldn't, and a complete set of study materials.
Zhao Qinghe: "......"
Yi Chenliang's shoulders shook with laughter. Zhao Qinghe's desperate and confused expression reminded him of the set of "53" study materials Yun Fang had brought back for him from Beijing years ago.
Facing Zhao Qinghe's death stare, Yun Fang silently pushed another small gift box to her, "That set of study materials was a free gift. This is the real present."
Zhao Qinghe suspiciously opened the gift box and saw a pretty bracelet with a little rabbit charm. It matched perfectly with the new dress. She was instantly overjoyed, "Thank you, Uncle Yun! Thank you, Uncle Xiao Yi!"
The two accompanied Zhao Qinghe through dinner, then took the little girl for a walk in the park before safely sending her home.
"Listen to auntie at home, don't open the door to strangers, call me or your Uncle Yun if anything happens," Yi Chenliang reached out and tugged her ponytail. "Remember?"
"I remember!" Zhao Qinghe hugged her birthday gifts and smiled happily at them. "Thank you, Uncle Yun andUncle Xiao Yi, for celebrating my birthday with me! Love you!"
Then she scampered off towards the auntie who had come down to pick her up.
Yi Chenliang honked the horn once and drove out of the residential area.
Yun Fang sat in the passenger seat with his eyes half-closed, "Are you going on a business trip tomorrow?"
"Yes, the office notice came down. Going to Myanmar for a month," Yi Chenliang said. "Some kind of learning exchange meeting with them."
Yun Fang frowned when he heard Myanmar and opened his eyes, "To Myanmar?"
"It's fine, it's an official exchange project from the archaeology institute," Yi Chenliang squeezed his palm. "There's a whole group of people going."
"Be careful," Yun Fang was still worried.
He had too many unpleasant memories of that place. Even after all these years, thinking about it still made him feel disgusted.
When they got home, Yun Fang was still in a bad mood. Yi Chenliang hung his coat on the rack and heard Yun Fang ask, "Can you not go?"
[Author's note:
For the little darlings who didn't see the previous Qixi Festival extra because the Weibo image was down, I'll put it in the author's note~]
"Ouch, ouch, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Damn!" He rolled over and hit a tree trunk, cursing in pain.
"Big brother, what are you doing?" A sweet childish voice asked him.
"My husband kicked me off the bed—" Yi Chenliang rubbed his lower back where he had hit the tree, opened his eyes, and saw a pink flower had fallen on his nose. He blew it away and glared at the little kid squatting in front of him, "Who are you?"
The child wore a white and green checkered short-sleeved shirt, black shorts, and blue sandals. He blinked at Yi Chenliang, his voice as sweet as milk candy, "My name is Liangliang."
"I'm a bit traumatized by 'Liangliang'," Yi Chenliang recalled how Chu Xia and Su Shengwen always called him Liangliang, and felt a chill down his spine.
"Liangliang doesn't have a shadow," the child stood up and waved at him, smiling. "Look, Liangliang is standing in the sunlight, no shadow!"
Yi Chenliang stood up grimacing and rubbing his back. He looked around and found himself in a large grove of cotton trees, very similar to the one behind Qiushan Orphanage.
"Big brother, who are you?" The child looked up at him, noticing this big brother was tall and handsome, except for several large mosquito bites on his neck that looked a bit painful.
"My name is Yi Chenliang," Yi Chenliang looked around, seeing cotton trees in full bloom everywhere. "Where is this?"
"Qiushan Orphanage!" The child grabbed his hand and excitedly pulled him forward. "There's a talent show today."
Yi Chenliang was stunned when he heard 'Qiushan Orphanage'. He felt something wasn't quite right, but he was involuntarily pulled along by the child.
The big and small pair ran quickly, passing through the blooming cotton tree grove, stepping on the thick carpet of leaves, and arrived inside the orphanage.
There were many children.
Yi Chenliang hadn't seen so many children together in a long time.
But it seemed no child noticed the out-of-place adult standing among them. He and Liangliang sat on colorful plastic stools, watching children sing on a crudely built stage.
Yi Chenliang listened carefully for a while but couldn't make out what they were singing. However, they were all dressed in vibrant colors, looking very lively and festive.
"Big brother, do you know where my parents are?" The child asked, hugging his arm.
Yi Chenliang looked down at him, "I don't know."
"Then do you know when my parents will come to pick me up?" He asked again.
"I don't know."
"Then when will I grow up?"
"I don't know."
"Why don't you know anything?"
"...I don't know."
The child seemed discouraged by his responses. His beautiful big eyes filled with tears as he looked up pitifully at Yi Chenliang, asking in a tearful voice, "Then am I really an unwanted child?"
Yi Chenliang, sitting on the small stool, reached out and patted the child's head, "This, I know."
The child looked at him expectantly, eyes still teary, "What, what do you know?"
"Someone wants you," Yi Chenliang told him. "He will treat you very well."
The child sniffled, "How well?"
"He will stop you before you make mistakes."
"He will put medicine on your wounds when you're hurt."
"He will buy you food when you're hungry."
"He will tell you to put on clothes when it's cold."
"He will help you with problems you can't solve."
"He will cheer you up when you're sad."
"He will hold you and comfort you to sleep."
"He will buy you delicious cotton candy."
"..."
"Wow~" The child's eyes suddenly lit up, clearly only remembering the cotton candy. "Is cotton candy tasty?"
"It's delicious," Yi Chenliang said. "Very sweet."
"When will he come to find me?" The child asked.
Yi Chenliang thought for a moment, feeling a bit sad and wistful, "After you've grown up for a long time, when you're almost grown up."
"I don't understand," the child shook his head, confused.
Yi Chenliang crouched down, looked at him seriously, and pointed at his heart.
"He's right here, he will always be with you."
"Until you meet him."
"Until you find him."
Countless pink cotton tree flowers floated in through the window, blurring Yi Chenliang's vision.
A slender hand touched his face, the voice still sleepy, "How did you end up sleeping on the floor?"
Yi Chenliang grabbed that hand and kissed the back of it, "I had a dream."
"Oh?"
"I dreamed of Yi Chenliang as a child."
"Mm."
"He asked me when we would meet."
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him—"
"We've always been together."