Chapter 59 – Meeting Wei Fan
-----
"Dong Hai, are you tired? Do you want me to carry you?" Han Yan asked with a warm smile.
Dong Hai immediately wanted to refuse.
His lips even parted slightly, already preparing to shake his head, but when he looked at Han Yan’s gentle expression and then noticed Lin Xin smiling at him from the side, his refusal somehow became difficult to say.
Dong Hai hesitated for a moment before finally giving a small nod.
Han Yan’s smile widened.
Without saying anything else, he happily bent down and scooped the little boy up into his arms.
"Are you comfortable?" he asked lightly.
Dong Hai stiffened slightly at first.
He was not used to being carried, especially in such a gentle manner. He stiffened slightly in Han Yan’s arms.
His ears slowly turning red as he tried to get used to the unfamiliar warmth.
Too shy to even lift his head, he simply rest his little head against Han Yan’s shoulder and just gave a small nod again.
"Yes..."
His voice was so soft that it was almost swallowed by the sounds around them.
Han Yan adjusted his hold slightly, making sure the little boy was sitting comfortably before continuing to walk.
Dong Hai remained quiet.
His small hands unconsciously held onto Han Yan’s robe, his cheek resting against the broad shoulder beneath him.
He had never been carried like this before.
There had been times when he had walked long distances until his legs became tired, but he had always endured it himself. No one had noticed his exhaustion without making him feel like a burden.
But Han Yan had.
And strangely enough, it felt completely different from anything Dong Hai had experienced before.
His eyes lowered as a quiet thought appeared in his mind.
Is this what having a family feels like?
The thought made his chest feel warm.
He did not know why.
He only knew that he did not want Han Yan to put him down just yet.
Beside them, Lin Xin walked quietly with the basket in his hands a warm smile slowly appearing on his lips as he watched the interaction between the two.
He was genuinely happy.
Dong Hai was slowly accepting Han Yan.
That alone made Lin Xin feel relieved.
He thought little by little, the three of them could become closer.
Perhaps Dong Hai would eventually stop being slightly cautious around them.
Lin Xin was still thinking about this when he suddenly felt a large, warm hand slip into his own.
His steps nearly faltered.
He quickly looked up.
Han Yan was still carrying Dong Hai with one arm, his expression appearing completely serious and calm as though nothing unusual had happened.
Yet his hand was secretly holding Lin Xin’s.
Their sleeves had fallen naturally over their joined hands, conveniently blocking the view of anyone walking nearby.
Lin Xin stared at him for a moment.
His heart gave a small, unexpected jump.
He quickly lowered his head, pretending to focus on the basket in his other hand.
His face felt warmer.
What is Yan’ge doing?
He had been thinking about this for a while.
He knew Han Yan treated him differently from before and now there was a certain closeness between them that was difficult to explain.
But what exactly did he feel about him?
Did he feel the same way?
Or was it simply because they had become close enough that holding hands felt natural to him?
Lin Xin wanted to not think about it anymore.
He really did try.
But the warmth of their joined hands made it nearly impossible for him not to think about it.
His fingers remained still in Han Yan’s palm, and despite his bashfulness, he found himself unwilling to pull away.
Ah... what should he do?
His heart was still beating a little fast.
Did anyone see them?
He cautiously glanced around from beneath his lowered lashes.
Fortunately, no one seemed to be paying attention to them.
Still, even though part of him was worried about being seen, another part of him did not want to let go of Yan-ge’s hand at all.
The warmth was too comforting.
So comforting that Lin Xin almost forgot to be embarrassed.
He was still lost in his little dilemma when Han Yan suddenly greeted someone ahead.
"Good morning, Brother Wei Jun."
Lin Xin immediately snapped out of his thoughts.
He quickly pulled his hand away and transferred the basket firmly into both his hands.
His movements were slightly flustered, but he tried his best to act as though nothing had happened.
He raised his head.
Not far away stood Wei Jun and Liu De.
Liu De was standing nearby, while a small figure hid shyly behind his leg.
Lin Xin’s gaze fell on the little boy, and he guessed that this must be Wei Fan.
He already knew about Wei Fan from the time he had been sick, this was his first time seeing him in person.
Only half of Wei Fan’s little face was visible from behind Liu De’s leg.
He had a pair of round, curious eyes, soft cheeks, and a small red mole beneath one of his eyes a distinctive mark that showed he was a ger.
His little lips were slightly pursed as he shyly peeked at the unfamiliar people who had arrived, making his already adorable face look even more endearing.
Dong Hai, who was still in Han Yan’s arms, also looked toward them.
His eyes immediately landed on Wei Fan.
He stared quietly.
Because of his circumstances, he had spent so much time keeping to himself the thought of meeting someone around his age suddenly made him strangely nervous.
Will he like me?
Will I make a good first impression?
The thought made his expression gradually become more serious.
Han Yan noticed the change.
He lowered his gaze toward the little boy in his arms before gently putting him down.
Has soon as his feet touched the ground.
He stood straight immediately, his small face still solemn as he looked toward Wei Fan.
He wondered if Wei Fan would think he was not childish.
Perhaps he would think he was strange.
Dong Hai expression became even more serious as he thought.
Meanwhile, Wei Fan was looking at the people who had arrived at his home with equal curiosity.
He had never seen them before.
Their clothes were beautiful and neat, unlike the ordinary clothes he usually saw around him.
Are they from the town?
Wei Fan curiously wondered.
His eyes moved from one person to another.
Then they landed on Dong Hai.
The older-looking boy had a serious expression that made him seem a little difficult to approach.
But he was also...
Very handsome.
Wei Fan stared for a few moments before his eyes slowly moved downward.
His gaze landed on Dong Hai’s clothes.
They were clean and beautifully made, looking completely different from his own simple clothes.
Wei Fan continued peeking from behind Liu De leg, only showing half of his small face.
But his eyes continued to follow Dong Hai.
He looked at the handsome big brother more.
Then a small thought appeared in his mind.
He really wanted to play with him.
Wei Fan’s curiosity slowly overcame his shyness.
He shifted slightly behind Liu De leg, still peeking at Dong Hai.
Dong Hai noticed.
Their eyes met.
Neither of them said anything.
Han Yan soon pulled Wei Jun a little to the side, subtly putting some distance between them and the others.
Wei Jun glanced at him with a hint of curiosity but quickly understood what Han Yan meant.
Rather than them hovering around, it was better to give their partners and the two children some space to become familiar with one another.
He did not ask further.
Instead, he simply followed Han Yan’s lead, allowing the others to have their own time together.
Liu De, however, had been watching his son.
Wei Fan had been standing beside him for some time, occasionally sneaking glances toward Dong Hai but never actually approaching him.
Liu De smiled gently.
"Are you not going to say hello to your new friend?"
Wei Fan immediately became tense.
His father asked him to go over and speak to him, Wei Fan suddenly became shy.
His small hands nervously grabbed onto his clothes.
"Father..."
"Hm?"
"I..."
Liu De smiled encouragingly.
"Go and great him."
Liu De, not realizing the storm of thoughts going through his son’s mind, gently nudge Wei Fan forward.
His eyes immediately met Dong Hai’s.
He suddenly felt like crying.
Why was Father making him talk to the handsome big brother can’t they just play immediately?
Before he could figure it out, his eyes suddenly filled with tears.
His lips trembled.
Then—
"Waaaaah!"
The cry came so suddenly that everyone around them froze.
Wei Fan burst into tears.
Large tears rolled down his cheeks one after another, and within moments, his little face had become completely wet.
His nose began to run, making him look even more pitiful.
Liu De’s smile disappeared immediately.
"Fan’er?"
He quickly crouched down.
"What happened?"
Wei Fan only cried harder.
"Waaaaah!"
Liu De become increasingly helpless.
Nearby, Wei Jun had also stopped talking.
He turned around sharply when he heard his son’s cry.
His expression changed immediately as he hurried over.
Seeing Wei Fan crying so hard, Wei Jun looked completely stunned.
His fragile son rarely cried like this.
And he certainly did not cry without a reason.
Wei Jun immediately looked at Liu De.
"What happened to him?"
"I don’t know!"
Liu De looked just as confused.
"I only asked him to go and greet Dong Hai then he suddenly started crying."
His gaze moved toward Dong Hai.
The little boy was standing there, completely frozen.
Dong Hai looked just as confused as them.
Dong Hai stared at the crying boy, his small brows drawing together as he watched Wei Jun and Liu De hurriedly try to comfort their son.
Liu De gently wiped the tears from Wei Fan’s cheeks while Wei Jun crouched beside him, speaking softly in an attempt to calm him down.
He stood quietly, fingers curling slightly as he watched them, unsure of what he had done.
Dong Hai’s heart sank as he came with a conclusion that Wei Fan was crying because he didn’t want to play with him.
-----