In the Years When I Was a Father

Chapter 124: The Hypocritical Stepfather (3)

Ever since they bought the new books, Qi Wenle had been pestering his older brother every day to read to him. At first, Qi Chenghao was reluctant, but he couldn’t withstand Wenle’s shameless persistence—he was like a piece of sticky candy that just wouldn’t come off.

“Big brother, big brother, read me this book! I like this fox!”

Qi Chenghao refused, “I need to read my own books. I don’t have time.”

“Then what are you reading? Let’s read together!”

Qi Chenghao turned a page without even lifting his head. “Reading needs quiet. Besides, you won’t understand it anyway.”

“But I want to look too!”

Realizing that whining wasn’t working, the little one huffed silently at his brother lying on the bed reading. Hmph! Mean brother!

But he wasn’t so easily discouraged. After thinking for a moment and seeing that his brother was conveniently lying on his stomach, he immediately took off his shoes, climbed onto his brother’s back, and declared, “Brother, I’ll read with you like this!”

Qi Chenghao had just gotten comfortable lying on the bed, but now, bearing his dumb little brother’s full weight, he didn’t react in time and ended up face-planting right into the book.

Furious, he shouted, “Qi Wenle!” The only response was a string of giggles.

To avoid being used as a human seat cushion again, Qi Chenghao decided to read at his desk—but he quickly discovered that his silly brother couldn’t be stopped that easily.

“Qi Wenle, what are you doing?!”

“Big brother, let me sit with you!”

“There’s not enough room for two people!”

“There is, there is! Or I could just sit on your lap…”

Eventually, Qi Chenghao was worn down by the clingy little guy. Weakly, he asked, “Which book do you want to read?”

Thrilled to get his way, Qi Wenle happily ran to the shelf and came back clutching a stack of picture books.

“Brother, I want to read all of these!”

Qi Chenghao was defeated by his brother’s greed. He pinched the little one’s nose. “You really don’t give me a break!”

As the saying goes, once there’s a first time, there’ll definitely be a second and a third… and soon, Qi Chenghao developed a reflex: the moment his little brother brought over a book, he’d automatically open it and start reading.

Their bond deepened through their shared reading time. Qi Wenle used to enjoy playing with the kids downstairs, but now he found spending time with his brother was even better. Lately, Qi Chenghao had gained a little “tail”—whenever he left for school, the tail wanted to follow. Mi Fei, who wasn’t aware of what had changed, found it surprising.

Since when did these two get so close?

Qi Sheng saw his wife’s confusion and teased her, “They’re real brothers. Isn’t it normal for them to be close?”

Mi Fei smiled but didn’t say anything. Technically, yes, brothers should be close. And when Wenle was younger, their relationship had been good. But after her mother-in-law had stayed with them for a while, Wenle started pushing Chenghao away. She had brought this up with her husband before, but it always ended in arguments.

She’d worried about their relationship for days—yet now, suddenly, everything seemed fine?

Looking at Wenle still trying to cling to his big brother, Mi Fei quickly stepped in: “Wenle, your brother has to go to school now. Mommy will take you to kindergarten in a little bit, okay?”

Wenle pouted. “No! I want to go to school with brother!”

The little guy clung tightly to Chenghao’s backpack and refused to let go. In the end, only big brother could coax him: “Wenle, let go first. When I come home from school this afternoon, I’ll read you an extra story, okay?”

Wenle’s eyes darted around, noticing that their dad was watching with a smile. He began bargaining, “Two extra stories!”

Qi Chenghao frowned. “No, that’s too many. I won’t have time to finish my homework.”

“Then I’ll help you!”

“You don’t even know how!”

“Then you can teach me!”

…

The brothers were off into another round of negotiations. Qi Sheng saw that his older son was about to be late for school and quickly stepped in to stop the stubborn little one.

“Wenle, don’t push your luck. If you’re too greedy, your brother might get mad and not read you anything!”

That one line instantly calmed the previously rowdy boy. He let go immediately and looked sweetly at his brother.

“Bye, brother! Don’t forget to read me an extra story tonight!”

Looking at his silly little brother acting like this, Qi Chenghao couldn’t pretend he didn’t understand anymore. He couldn’t help but pinch his chubby cheek and said with mock annoyance, “You little rascal!”

With two kids at home, peace and quiet had basically become a luxury—especially with Qi Wenle around. That little monkey couldn’t sit still. As long as he was in the house, you could always hear crashes and bangs. The only time the house was ever remotely quiet was when the two brothers were reading together… though even then, Wenle’s endless stream of “whys” could give anyone a headache.

And so, two months passed just like that. Apart from the usual routine of taking care of the kids, Qi Sheng continued going to work as usual. Then, in October, a notice from his workplace finally brought him a new opportunity for change.

That evening, after dinner, Qi Sheng first helped his older son check his homework, then urged both kids to go to bed early. Only once he was lying in bed with Mi Fei did he finally speak up.

“Feifei, I’m thinking of quitting my job in a few days.”

Mi Fei, who had just lain down, shot up in shock. She looked at Qi Sheng, utterly confused. “Even though the company isn’t assigning housing anymore, the benefits are still really good compared to outside jobs. Why would you suddenly want to quit?”

Lately, many state-owned enterprises had stopped assigning housing, and while employees had been anxious about what that meant for them, the final verdict had arrived today. Mi Fei had been a little disappointed that Qi Sheng would no longer have a shot at a housing assignment, but considering their current standard of living, she hadn’t dwelled on it too long. What she hadn’t expected was for Qi Sheng to now be considering resignation.

Back then, in order for him to become a permanent staff member, her parents had pulled a lot of strings. Qi Sheng had always taken pride in having that status. So what changed?

Qi Sheng sat up too, pulling her into his arms naturally. “Back then, the only reason I wanted that permanent spot was for the housing. Our situation isn’t like other families—we have two sons. Whether it’s schooling or getting married later, everything will cost more. We can’t just rely on the little bit we make from our stable jobs.”

Mi Fei frowned and looked up at him after a moment. “If it’s about housing, don’t worry. My parents mentioned the other day that several new residential buildings are going up on South Street. They were thinking that since the money’s just sitting there anyway, they might as well buy an apartment now. When Chenghao is older, it’ll be ready for him to use when he gets married. As for Wenle, well, he still has us. If we save up, we can get him a place too.”

Mi Fei had noticed how Qi Sheng’s attitude toward her older son had changed recently. It had been a source of worry for her. She knew she couldn’t force him to treat Chenghao exactly like his own flesh and blood, so she had discussed the issue with her parents. In the end, they decided that her parents would help out more with Chenghao’s future. It wasn’t ideal—he was already thirty and still relying on his in-laws—but she didn’t have any better options.

She had planned to find the right time to tell Qi Sheng, but recently his behavior had improved so much that she began to wonder if maybe she’d just been overthinking things. So she never brought it up.

Qi Sheng frowned. “If your parents want to buy a place, I don’t object. It can be an investment. But if they use their retirement money to buy a house for Chenghao, what would he think of me? I’m his father now. If I only ever look after Wenle, no matter how close we are now, he’ll hold a grudge in his heart one day. Besides, he’s already taken my last name. That means it’s my responsibility to provide for him.”

Mi Fei hadn’t expected him to say that. Whether he was saying it to reassure her or from the heart, it still made her feel genuinely happy.

But she still worried. “But if you quit now… what will you even do?”

Qi Sheng replied, “I’ve been thinking about it. I heard that the clothing business in the south is booming right now. I want to go check it out for myself, and if the market looks promising, I want to give it a shot.”

Mi Fei was surprised. “Clothing? But you don’t know anything about that. Can you really pull it off?”

“I’ll just have to try. I’m planning to go down there and investigate first. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll explore other options. The country is developing so fast—there are plenty of opportunities. I just need to find the one that’s right for me.”

Mi Fei was still uneasy. Sure, plenty of people had gone into business in recent years. Her ex-husband had found success that way, but for every success story, there were just as many failures. She was afraid Qi Sheng might lose both his job and his confidence if it didn’t work out.

So she proposed a compromise. “If you’re really interested, you could take a leave of absence first. I’ll speak to your supervisor. A month or two shouldn’t be a problem.”

Qi Sheng, touched by her thoughtfulness, pulled her into a hug and gave her a kiss. Smiling, he said, “I knew I married the right woman—always thinking ahead. Okay, let’s do it your way.”

Although he was determined to leave the system eventually, taking a cautious first step to reassure his wife seemed like a reasonable move.

After that heart-to-heart, both of them felt much more at ease. And in that mood, one thing led to another… Later, lying in bed, Qi Sheng thought to himself that a gentle and capable wife really was the greatest comfort in life.

The next day, Qi Sheng took a leave of absence from work. Before leaving, he carefully instructed the two little ones.

“Daddy has to take a trip for a while. You two need to behave at home, don’t make Mommy mad, and absolutely no fighting. Got it?”

Qi Chenghao nodded obediently. But when Qi Wenle heard he was going on a trip, he immediately threw a fit.

“Daddy, I want to go with you!”

Qi Sheng shook his head. “Daddy’s going to check out the market—it’s serious business. I can’t take you this time.”

Qi Wenle puffed out his little chest proudly. “I’m going to check the market too! I can do serious business too! Take me with you, Daddy!”

Qi Sheng ruffled the boy’s hair, laughing. “You little rascal. You’re all talk. Be good at home and listen to your big brother. Don’t keep pestering him to read stories to you all the time, okay?”

The little guy clearly wanted to keep fussing. Qi Sheng quickly coaxed him further.

“If you behave while I’m gone, I’ll bring back gifts for you. But if you’re naughty, not only will you not get anything—Daddy will have to give you a spanking too. So, Wenle, what’s your choice?”

Wenle scrunched his nose—this wasn’t a choice at all! He looked at Qi Sheng with a pout and muttered, “Then Daddy, you have to come back soon, and don’t forget the gifts!”

Qi Sheng chuckled and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Then he turned to Chenghao and said, “While I’m gone, if Wenle misbehaves, make him practice his writing. If he refuses, I’ll deal with him when I get back.”

Qi Chenghao gave a solemn nod. He wasn’t acting out, but it was clear his mood wasn’t great either.

Seeing that, Qi Sheng gave his head a gentle rub and kissed his forehead too. “Chenghao, help Daddy look after Mommy and your little brother while I’m gone, okay?”

Chenghao gave a firm “mm,” his heart warming from the gesture. Holding his brother’s hand, he walked with him to the door to send Qi Sheng off.