Daily Life 9
As Yuanyuan’s third birthday approached, Yu Li began trying to get the little guy to sleep in his own room.
Yuanyuan’s room had been fully decorated. It was carpeted and equipped with a ring of sensor lights around the bed. On the wall opposite the bed, there was a magical-style door that opened into a “secret base” connected to the cloakroom. When Yuanyuan grew a bit older, he would be able to decorate that secret base however he liked.
In the beginning, Yu Li and Yan Shiting would stay in Yuanyuan’s room, telling him stories and coaxing him until he fell asleep.
This way, it wasn’t much different from before. When he opened his eyes, he could still see his two fathers.
Yuanyuan lay in the center of his small bed, listening to Big Daddy’s deep voice reading a story, when he suddenly asked, “Daddy, will I see you when I wake up tomorrow morning?”
Yu Li nodded. “Of course. Daddy will come to wake you up.”
Yuanyuan pinched the blanket and let out a soft “Okay.”
Yu Li stroked the child’s head and added, “If you wake up from a dream and feel scared or sad, you can always come find us.”
Yuanyuan nodded, shifted into a comfortable position in his quilt, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Yan Shiting stopped reading the story. The couple watched the sleeping child for a while, tucked the little fish plushie into his arms, stood up, and quietly left the room.
Basically, Yuanyuan was able to sleep until dawn.
The next morning, Yu Li and Yan Shiting would go to his room and wait for him to wake up.
There were only one or two occasions where Yuanyuan woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Seeing the empty room, he missed his two fathers terribly, so he hugged his little fish plushie and went patter-patter-patter all the way to Yu Li and Yan Shiting’s bedroom.
After his third birthday passed, Yu Li told Yuanyuan that he had to learn to fall asleep by himself from now on.
The little guy looked blank, raised his head, and asked, “No more stories?”
Yu Li nodded.
He thought for a moment and added, “If you aren’t used to it, we can still come and tell you stories to help you sleep.”
Yuanyuan squeezed the toy in his hand and said, “Okay.”
That afternoon, while playing with blocks with Lu Xuzhi, Yuanyuan built a small bed surrounded and protected by long blocks, then suddenly sighed.
Lu Xuzhi handed him a small cube blanket to place on the “bed” as a quilt.
Yuanyuan looked up and asked, “Xuzhi-gege, do you sleep alone?”
Lu Xuzhi looked at him and nodded.
Yuanyuan’s eyes lit up. “Then… are you scared?”
Lu Xuzhi shook his head. The time when he was most afraid had already passed—back then, his ears couldn’t hear, and his eyes saw only darkness, as if he didn’t exist. But now, he was fine.
Yuanyuan clapped his hands. “Xuzhi-gege is so brave. I want to be brave too.”
He scooted his bottom over to sit next to Lu Xuzhi, tugged on Lu Xuzhi’s sleeve with both hands, and tilted his face up to ask, “Can you teach me? I have to start sleeping alone tonight.”
Lu Xuzhi hesitated slightly, fiddling with a round block in his hands. “I don’t know… I just fall asleep. I fall asleep even when I’m alone.”
Since he could remember, he had always slept alone, so he really didn’t have any tips to teach the little one.
Lu Xuzhi thought for a moment and said, “Do you want me to keep you company?”
Yuanyuan wanted that a little bit.
But he shook his head. “I can’t sleep with my dads anymore, so of course I can’t sleep with you either. Daddy wants me to learn to sleep by myself.”
Lu Xuzhi let out an “Oh,” then added, “Well, if you’re still scared, I’ll stay with you.”
Yuanyuan smiled, his cheeks forming little parentheses. “Okay!”
That night, with Yu Li’s help, Yuanyuan took a bath and finished washing up.
Yu Li dried his hair and watched him climb into bed.
Yuanyuan, wearing a panda onesie, looked like a small black-and-white ball as he curled up on the bed and hugged his little fish plushie.
“Yuanyuan, do you want me to tell you a story?” Yu Li asked as he turned off the main lights, leaving only a small nightlight on the bedside table.
Yuanyuan shook his head. “Thank you, Daddy. I’m going to start learning to sleep alone today.”
Yu Li couldn’t help but smile. He ruffled the boy’s hair. “Alright, then Daddy is leaving now.”
“Bye-bye,” Yuanyuan nodded, watching his father leave the room.
When the door clicked shut, Yuanyuan slowly tightened his grip on his small quilt.
When alone, one’s mind tends to wander. Yuanyuan thought about the seeds he planted in the garden today, wondering when they would sprout. He thought about the small animals he kept; Big Yellow and Little Flower loved swimming too. The two dyed chicks had grown up, and the dye on their bodies had faded a lot, replaced by white feathers…
The more he thought, the more awake he became. He couldn’t sleep.
Yuanyuan rolled over and remembered what Lu Xuzhi had said.
Just fall asleep the way you usually do…
Usually, his fathers would tell him stories. Sometimes Daddy would pat his back and sing to him.
Yuanyuan didn’t know how to tell stories himself, so that left patting his back and singing.
Yuanyuan poked the little fish plushie in his arms. “Fishy, I’ll sing for you.”
He patted the plushie rhythmically and began to hum “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” just as Yu Li used to sing to him.
This method actually worked. Soon, Yuanyuan’s hand patting the plushie slowed down, and the humming stopped.
Yu Li gently opened the door, and he and Yan Shiting walked into the room to check.
Seeing Yuanyuan sound asleep, the couple felt relieved.
He really was a well-behaved child. In three years, he had rarely given his two fathers much trouble.
“What a well-behaved child.”
The first day of sleeping alone was a complete success. After receiving praise from his fathers, Yuanyuan’s confidence exploded.
It was Saturday. Yan Shiting had accepted an invitation from a business partner to visit a horse ranch, bringing Yu Li and Yuanyuan along.
This partner also knew Mr. Lu and Mr. Xu, so they were invited as well.
Knowing that the adults needed to socialize while they played, Lu Xuzhi sensibly took Yuanyuan to the ranch’s children’s playground.
The playground had trampolines, slides, a bouncy castle pool filled with ocean balls, and more.
Yuanyuan played in the inflatable pool with Lu Xuzhi. He dug a blue dolphin plushie out of the ocean balls, holding it up to Lu Xuzhi with a giggle.
He didn’t forget to brag, “Xuzhi-gege, I slept all by myself last night! I wasn’t scared. Daddy and Big Daddy even praised me this morning.”
Lu Xuzhi took the blue dolphin and seriously praised him, “Yuanyuan is amazing.”
Receiving the praise he wanted, the little toddler turned around and dove back into the ocean balls to dig for other toys.
Not far away, Yu Li sipped his juice, keeping his eyes on the direction of Lu Xuzhi and Yuanyuan.
Lu Xuzhi was thoughtful and sensitive. Because the age gap wasn’t huge, he understood clearly what Yuanyuan wanted when playing with him, yet he also watched over Yuanyuan’s safety like an adult.
There were other children in the inflatable pool. Worried that Yuanyuan might get into a dispute with other kids over toys, Lu Xuzhi would always step ahead to the toy Yuanyuan wanted and secure the spot in advance.
In another corner, two kids started crying and fighting over a shark plushie, while the corner with Yuanyuan and Lu Xuzhi remained peaceful and quiet.
The juice in Yu Li’s hand was already at the bottom.
Yan Shiting walked over with a small piece of cake, handed it to Yu Li, and followed his line of sight.
A moment later, Yan Shiting withdrew his gaze. Seeing that Yu Li had finished the cake, he asked, “Do you want to go horseback riding?”
With Lu Xuzhi helping to watch Yuanyuan, and bodyguards and drivers nearby, they could relax for a while.
Yu Li thought for a moment and nodded.
Yan Shiting took Yu Li to change into riding gear.
The shirt hem was tucked into the tight-fitting breeches, and the black boots made his legs look even longer and slenderer.
Yan Shiting watched him with a dark, appreciative gaze for a moment, then asked the staff to bring a protective vest along with elbow and knee pads to put on Yu Li.
He squatted down to help Yu Li put on the knee pads, saying, “It’s your first time riding. We need to ensure these safety measures are in place so you don’t get hurt.”
Yu Li nodded.
Yan Shiting checked everything once more, confirming that Yu Li’s helmet was fastened properly, before leading him out.
The staff brought a black horse for Yan Shiting.
The black horse looked majestic and imposing, with bright, piercing eyes and a sleek mane. It pawed its white hooves against the grass.
Yu Li’s eyes lit up, and he tentatively reached out to touch the black horse’s forehead.
The horse looked temperamental, but it was actually quite docile. When Yu Li reached out, it lowered its head slightly to let him touch.
“So good,” Yu Li said with a smile.
He fed the horse a handful of grass. Then, Yan Shiting held his waist and lifted him onto the horse’s back.
The black horse shifted its hooves, causing Yu Li to sway slightly on its back.
“Hold the reins, lower your center of gravity, don’t be afraid,” Yan Shiting reminded him in a deep voice. He quickly mounted the horse as well, sitting behind Yu Li.
His strong arms held the reins while simultaneously protecting Yu Li within his embrace.
Yu Li had been a little nervous, but leaning back against Yan Shiting’s chest, he felt much more at ease.
Yan Shiting lightly squeezed the horse’s belly, and the black horse began to trot forward.
As the horse gradually picked up speed, Yan Shiting turned his head, whispering riding techniques into Yu Li’s ear.
The warm breath hitting his neck made Yu Li’s earlobes turn slightly red. He felt a tingling sensation behind his ears, making him involuntarily shrink his neck.
The two rode the black horse for a few laps around the ranch before stopping.
When dismounting, beads of sweat slid down Yu Li’s forehead, and his cheeks were slightly flushed.
As Yan Shiting supported his hand to help him down, his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.
He had always known his lover was exceptionally good-looking—his features could even be described as beautiful—but even with this knowledge, every time he saw Yu Li’s various expressions, Yan Shiting couldn’t help but feel his heart race.
The next second, after standing firm, Yu Li frowned slightly and said, “It hurts a little.”
It was his first time riding. Although the riding breeches were designed to prevent chafing, his thighs and lower back still ached from the friction.
The heart-pounding attraction immediately turned into heartache. Yan Shiting frowned and said, “Let’s go to the changing room. I’ll apply some medicine for you.”
Yu Li shook his head. “It’s just normal soreness, the skin shouldn’t be broken.”
It didn’t actually hurt that much; he just couldn’t help but want to act a little spoiled when looking at Yan Shiting.
Hearing this, Yan Shiting placed his hand on Yu Li’s waist and began to massage it gently.
During Yu Li’s pregnancy, Yan Shiting had often massaged him. Later, after every intimate encounter, he would rub Yu Li’s waist. Over time, his massage technique had become better and better.
Yu Li let out a comfortable sigh.
Just as the soreness in his waist and back was relieved a little, the two looked up and saw Lu Xuzhi standing not far away, looking in Mr. Lu’s direction with a troubled expression.
Yu Li was puzzled. He and Yan Shiting walked over and asked, “Xuzhi, what’s wrong? Why isn’t Yuanyuan with you?”
Lu Xuzhi twisted his small hands together, turned his head, and said, “Little brother is sleeping in the lounge.”
He paused, then added, “I… I want to find my dad to borrow some money.”
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