Chapter 77

All the raw stones in the yard had been cleared out today. The boss said they were upgrading the machines. The new machine had just been moved in and hadn’t even been tested yet, so when the workers heard this, they all came over.

“Based on my years of experience, this is definitely a raw stone. But… it looks like scrap.”

One of them shone a flashlight on the stone a few times, studied it closely, then pulled back with a regretful shake of the head.

“Little Dadan’s dad left this?”

The last person to come over was Old Wen, almost fifty this year, with more than twenty years of experience. He hadn’t attended the last gathering, and only walked over when he heard that comment.

“Yeah. It was on him when I found him.”

“This kid… is he not too healthy?”

Old Wen held Little Dadan’s small hand, his gaze sweeping over him. Dadan got a little scared and quietly pulled his hand back into his coat.

“Yeah, the hospital checked. For me, it’s nothing serious.”

He couldn’t say too much in front of the child, so Ji Chenbiao subtly let Old Wen know that he was aware of the issue. It wasn’t that he was in the dark and raising Dadan out of ignorance.

Old Wen didn’t say anything more. While the others were laughing and teasing An’an with snacks, trying to get him to agree to cut the stone, Old Wen pulled Ji Chenbiao aside.

“A kid tossed out along with a raw stone—usually that means there’s something about them their birth parents couldn’t accept. Where I come from, people say kids like this bring disaster.”

Ji Chenbiao could understand Old Wen’s good intentions. He took off his gloves and stuffed them into his pocket, gave a small smile, and said:

“It’s fine. I don’t believe in that stuff.”

After raising him for so long, was he supposed to just abandon him now?

Ji Chenbiao had always had a bit of a rebellious streak. When everyone said one thing, he liked to go the other way. He didn’t believe for a second that a little kid like Dadan could bring disaster.

If anything, he preferred to think of Dadan as his lucky star.

Back when he was stuck in that small inn with no job, Ji Chenbiao had doubted himself—wondering whether leaving the village had been the right decision.

But after meeting Boss Zhou, things had become clear. He was making more money here than he ever could in the village, and soon, he’d be able to save up a good amount.

He could get Dadan treated, and maybe even have money left over to uncover the truth behind everything.

“Let’s go take a look outside. Those little monkeys might’ve actually coaxed Dadan into saying yes.”

Seeing that Ji Chenbiao was firm in his thinking, Old Wen didn’t push any further. Belief in things like this varied from person to person. He was just offering a friendly reminder.

“Dadan’s a clever one. Probably took all their snacks and still didn’t nod.”

Outside, several workers were trying to convince Dadan to let them cut the stone. Their hands were itching to try the new machine, and they were pulling out snack after snack.

Dadan took each offering and cradled them in his arms, but no matter what, he wouldn’t nod or say yes.

Eventually, when he figured he’d collected enough, he even shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

“Chenbiao, do you think Dadan’s just scamming us for food?”

The moment the little guy heard that, his eyes flew open and he glared fiercely at the uncle who accused him. That angry little face actually made the man feel a bit guilty.

“My bad, that was out of line. We all gave you that stuff willingly.”

You couldn’t take a kid that young too seriously. Besides, they had handed everything over quite willingly, so no one really minded.

“Hmph~”

Dadan hugged the stone and went back to the dorm. At dinner, Ji Chenbiao picked up the stone and looked at it closely.

He’d been around long enough to recognize a raw stone. Now that he looked at it again, even he had to admit—maybe Dadan’s origins weren’t as simple as he’d thought.

Little Dadan was off to the side counting all the snacks he’d swindled through sheer cunning. Most of them were the kinds of treats his dad usually refused to buy. Now he had a whole pile, and he treasured every single pack.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his dad staring at the rock and let out a little “ah” to get his attention.

“What is it, Dadan?”

“Ah~”

Ji Chenbiao crouched in front of him with the stone, thinking the kid wanted him to do something about it.

“Hmm?”

Dadan reached out, patted the stone, then patted Ji Chenbiao’s hand. The meaning was clear.

“You’re giving this stone to me?”

Dadan, arms full of snacks, nodded. It was just a useless rock—nothing to be sentimental about. If it was for Dad, even less reason to hesitate.

If Dad could trade the rock for more snacks, he’d be thrilled.

Truthfully, Ji Chenbiao wasn’t all that interested in the rock either. It looked like scrap. But the fact that Dadan was giving it so freely, when he hadn’t budged earlier no matter how much he was coaxed—that warmed his heart.

“This is something your birth parents left you, you know. And you’re not even the least bit cautious about giving it away?”

He said it with mock annoyance, and Dadan, who was in the middle of dividing his snacks into two piles, instantly scooped them all back into his arms protectively.

“Can I have one?”

Ji Chenbiao could tell he was being stingy and asked on purpose. As expected, Dadan rolled his eyes, making Ji laugh.

“What if one day you want to find your birth parents? This stone might be the only proof you’ve got, understand?”

Dadan covered his ears with both hands—clearly didn’t want to hear a single word. He even pushed the rock away from him with a scowl.

“You really don’t want it?”

“Mm.”

“Alright then. I’ll cut it open and take a look. If there’s even one decent piece of jade in there, I’ll ask Boss Zhou to help polish it for you.”

Dadan’s chubby face was full of disdain as he turned away and went back to counting his snacks.

No matter what was inside that raw stone, Ji Dadan didn’t care in the slightest. Even the finest jade couldn’t compare to the lure of his snacks.

Seeing that, Ji Chenbiao actually felt a bit proud. All his hard work raising this kid hadn’t been for nothing.

—

Early the next morning, Ji Chenbiao brought the raw stone to the worksite. The machine had just been upgraded, and the next shipment of materials hadn’t arrived yet. Boss Zhou had given everyone a few days off, so the only person around was the old gatekeeper puffing on his cigarette.

Since Ji Chenbiao worked there, the old man recognized him and didn’t stop him, even though it wasn’t work hours.

Ji Chenbiao had learned quite a bit from Old Wen—all sorts of stone-cutting techniques. Today, he happened to want to try one of the methods Old Wen had taught him.

When dealing with small stones that had potential, people usually scraped off the outer layer bit by bit, being extra careful not to damage the jade inside.

He hadn’t had the chance to work with a stone like this before, only heard about them in Old Wen’s stories.

Just starting to learn this craft, after a few days of rest, his hands were itching again—he couldn’t wait to give it a try.

For a rough stone of this size, that particular cutting method really was the most suitable.

Only a dim light was turned on. He picked up the tools and began working on the stone.

Bit by bit, Ji Chenbiao carefully polished off the outer layer of the rough stone. He was doing this to practice his technique, so he paid extra attention to every detail.

About three minutes in, a small patch of pure green suddenly caught Ji Chenbiao’s eye, startling him out of his focused state.

It took a while for him to recover. Under the dim lighting of the workbench, that splash of green looked especially beautiful.

At that moment, the voice of the old gatekeeper rang out from outside, followed by Mr. Zhou’s voice. Ji Chenbiao even heard his own name mentioned.

“Chenbiao, why are you still here?”

Mr. Zhou asked first, then caught sight of the rough stone on his bench faintly glowing green. His sharp instincts as a businessman instantly kicked in, and he strode over.

He had only returned a few days ago, but had already heard from the workers about the general story: this was the very stone Little Dadan’s biological father had left him when he abandoned him.

“Mind if I take over?”

Mr. Zhou’s voice was trembling slightly with excitement, but he still asked for Ji Chenbiao’s permission before proceeding.

Ji Chenbiao wasn’t particularly skilled at this to begin with, so when he heard Mr. Zhou’s offer, he naturally shook his head.

“Not at all. Please, go ahead.”

Seeing how excited Mr. Zhou was, Ji Chenbiao had a vague sense that this stone might be worth far more than he had initially imagined.

Mr. Zhou had also started from scratch back in the day, working his way up bit by bit. In the early days, he personally cut every stone. Even now, if he came across good material, he still preferred to do it himself.

Just from that exposed streak of green, Mr. Zhou already knew this was a fine piece of jade—but what was inside remained uncertain.

In the stone gambling business, one cut could make you rich, another could ruin you. No one could say for sure if a stone would increase in value or result in a loss until it was actually opened.

Something that looked stunning on the surface might turn out to be just a thin layer, and something that looked like waste might hide dazzling jade inside.

Though he was nervous and breathing heavily, Mr. Zhou’s hands were steady.

He slowly and carefully polished the stone further, revealing more and more jade. The water content seemed even better than at the beginning.

When the entire stone was finally revealed, Mr. Zhou placed it on a cotton cloth and couldn’t help but gasp.

This relatively small rough stone, once opened, turned out to be at least half filled with jade!

The quality of the jade was exceptional—and more importantly, if Mr. Zhou’s eyes weren’t deceiving him, this was the most precious “Imperial Green”! It even looked so vibrant and alive it seemed like it could drip water at any moment.

Top-quality Imperial Green jade like this—with high transparency and zero impurities—was exceedingly rare on the raw materials market. Even someone with a vast business empire like Mr. Zhou had rarely seen such a piece.

Not even the jade showcased at various exhibitions he’d attended compared to the small piece now sitting in front of him.

“Chenbiao, I won’t lie to you—this is the most beautiful piece of jade I’ve ever seen in my life! My company just happens to be missing a piece like this for an upcoming exhibition. Would you consider selling it to me?”

Mr. Zhou knew full well that his eagerness wasn’t helping his negotiating position.

If he were dealing with a shrewd businessman, the other side might start raising the price right away.

He understood all that—but still couldn’t help himself.

Why? Because he really, really liked this piece. It was more stunning than anything he had ever laid eyes on.

In two months, there was going to be an international jade exhibition. If he could present this piece there, it would instantly establish his name in the jade market.

He had no intention of cheating Ji Chenbiao. He had plenty of liquid assets at the moment, and besides, Ji Chenbiao had once saved his son’s life—he couldn’t bring himself to take advantage of him.

“If you’re willing to sell it, no matter what price others offer you, I’ll always offer more.”

“Well… Mr. Zhou, you already know where this stone came from. I’ll need to go ask Dadan first.”

“Alright, I’ll wait for your answer. This jade is simply too valuable. If you’re willing to trust me, why don’t you store it in my safe for now?”

Mr. Zhou said this partly out of consideration for Ji Chenbiao, and partly because he wanted to admire the jade a little longer.

“Okay.”

“Oh, right—Chenbiao, since you’re new to this industry, you might not be aware. In our line of work, for superstitious reasons, if a newborn has any defects, people often tie a worthless-looking piece of raw stone to the baby and abandon them together.”

Superstition was illogical, but once someone reached Mr. Zhou’s level, even he couldn’t help but go along with tradition, fearing bad luck might affect business.

“Do you know why they choose those waste stones?”

“Why?”

Ji Chenbiao genuinely didn’t understand. If it were him, even if a child had health issues, he’d try to treat them—he could never bring himself to just throw the child away.

“Because the child and the waste stone are both being discarded. But there’s also another meaning: if that stone turns out to contain good jade, it means the family was wrong to abandon the child.”

“Chenbiao, your blessings are still ahead of you.”

Mr. Zhou patted Ji Chenbiao on the shoulder. Sure, it was superstition—but sometimes it also made a strange kind of sense.

To select a piece of worthless stone to discard alongside a child, only to later discover it contained top-quality Imperial Green jade—Mr. Zhou had only seen that happen once in his entire life.

All it showed was that the family who abandoned Dadan had no eye for treasure. They had personally thrown away a priceless gem.

“Mr. Zhou, I’ll ask Dadan. If he’s willing to sell it, I’ll definitely sell it to you.”

Ji Chenbiao wasn’t naive. He understood that, without enough strength to establish himself in Shancheng, walking around with a piece of jade this valuable was like a child carrying a gold brick through a crowded market.

“Alright, good.”

Usually, when Ji Chenbiao was busy, he left Dadan in the care of the cook here, thanks to Mr. Zhou’s arrangement. At that moment, Dadan was playing there.

When Ji Chenbiao went to pick him up, he saw the boy holding an orange in his arms. After thanking the lady, he took Dadan back to their dormitory.

“Ya?”

Sensing the unusually serious mood, Dadan nervously started picking at his fingers. His little head began spinning, trying to remember if he had done anything recently that might’ve upset Daddy.

After a long time thinking with no answers, he just cautiously watched his father’s face—ready to lower his head and apologize the moment he sensed anything was off.

“Ya?”

The soft little voice rang out again, the innocent confusion on his face making the tense Ji Chenbiao suddenly feel both amused and exasperated.

At the time, he had only said it casually—if the stone really turned out to contain jade, he’d just find something for Dadan to wear.

But to his surprise, it actually produced a valuable piece of jadeite.

Even if that little guy dared to wear it himself, Ji Chenbiao wouldn’t dare let him—not at this stage, at least.

“There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Little Dadan, who had only just learned to talk, didn’t even hesitate before replying to his dad:

“Buy!”

“Hm? Who taught you that?”

“Buy.”

Right now, Dadan’s heart was pounding, and he was panicking. The more he couldn’t figure out what he’d done wrong, the more frightened he became.

Especially after seeing an auntie today hitting a kid with a feather duster—even though the duster hadn’t landed on him, he still felt the pain.

“It’s not about buying something, Dadan. It’s about that stone of yours—it turned out to contain some really nice jadeite. Do you want to keep it? Or sell it?”

It wasn’t until they were back in the dorm with the doors and windows shut that Ji Chenbiao finally brought it up.

Only today did he truly understand why his friends always said that even if they were offered ten thousand yuan, they wouldn’t give up their current job—because the thrill of personally uncovering jadeite was just too addictive.

A piece of jadeite worth a fortune—its beauty could captivate anyone.

“That piece of jadeite is really beautiful. If you like it, we won’t sell it.”

Ji Chenbiao trusted Mr. Zhou’s character. He felt comfortable leaving the jade in his care. Once Dadan got a little older, he could make more rational decisions.

But now he was torn—like two little figures in his mind arguing. One was telling him that selling such an expensive piece of jade to fund Dadan’s medical treatment was most important. The other was saying it should be kept, because it meant something to Dadan.

Unable to decide himself, he ended up placing all hope on Dadan.

Dadan looked a little confused, head lowered as he picked at his hands.

After a while, Ji Chenbiao started getting anxious. He reached out and gently nudged him.

“Ow.”

Little Dadan let out a cry from the push. His finger, still sticky from peeling a mandarin orange, poked right into the fruit. He wrinkled his face in disgust, split the orange apart, and held the damaged segment out to his dad.

Ji Chenbiao took it and ate it without even looking, then repeated his question—but this time, a bit less clearly.

“Dadan, should we sell it or keep it?”

“Sell!”

“Alright, we’ll sell it then.”

Ji Chenbiao picked Dadan up and headed out, planning to tell Mr. Zhou the decision.

Sure, they could’ve held on to the jadeite and waited for its value to rise, but Ji Chenbiao also wanted to repay Mr. Zhou for all his support. Besides, only in Mr. Zhou’s hands could the jade’s value be fully realized.

Most importantly, Ji Chenbiao really needed money now—for surgery to treat Dadan’s amblyopia.

Back when they were in the county hospital, the diagnosis had said it might eventually lead to blindness. At the time, Ji Chenbiao had resigned himself to fate—so long as Dadan wasn’t blind yet, that was good enough.

But after they moved to Shancheng, he took Dadan to a bigger hospital during a day off, just to ask if there was any way to at least delay the blindness.

This time, the report showed amblyopia—and it wasn’t hard to fully treat. If done while Dadan was still young, there wouldn’t be any lasting effects.

The doctor said the best treatment window was between ages three and six. Past that, treatment would be very difficult. The earlier, the better.

But Dadan’s condition was more complex than typical cases, and the surgery needed would be more expensive. Post-op recovery would also cost money.

If Ji Chenbiao relied on just his salary, it would take years to save enough. And with prices rising so fast, he wasn’t sure the costs would stay the same by then.

Mr. Zhou had given him this job to repay an old favor. The apprentice wage wasn’t high, but it came with food and housing, which saved money—and someone to help watch over Dadan.

After landing this steady job, Ji Chenbiao had also reached out to a buddy he met back in Haicheng to investigate his sister’s situation—spending more money in the process.

It wasn’t impossible for him to succeed on his own. But it would take a few more years.

He could wait—but Dadan’s condition couldn’t.

Once he made up his mind, Ji Chenbiao no longer felt reluctant. He scooped up Dadan and rushed to Mr. Zhou’s place.

All the jostling made Dadan miserable. While trying to eat an orange segment, he accidentally shoved it up his nose. Furious, he clenched his little fists and started planning where to punch Dad.

“This gentleman here is a certified jadeite appraiser, quite well-known in the field. He’ll give you a fair market price—don’t worry, I won’t lowball you,” said Mr. Zhou.

When Ji Chenbiao arrived, he noticed a man in a suit in Mr. Zhou’s home. The man nodded and greeted him politely as he entered.

“Mhm. I trust that Mr. Zhou will give me a fair deal.”

After all that shaking, Dadan finally got to eat a piece of orange. His curious eyes roamed the room.

While the appraiser was examining the jadeite, Mr. Zhou kept watching Dadan. It was his first time seeing a child throw a rough stone around, only for it to actually produce jadeite.

Dadan, meanwhile, was wholly focused on his beloved orange. Even when it was so sour that his face scrunched up, he still bravely stuffed another piece into his mouth.

After the appraisal was done, Mr. Zhou began discussing payment arrangements with Ji Chenbiao. Upon learning he didn’t even have a bank card or a passbook, he took him personally to set one up.

When they exited the bank, Ji Chenbiao stared at the zeros on the passbook for a long time. When he finally came back to his senses, he carefully tucked it inside his jacket pocket.

That afternoon, Dadan, who hadn’t taken a nap, was already nodding off like a little chick pecking rice.

Ji Chenbiao didn’t know the first thing about raising kids. He did everything based on instinct.

On the first day they arrived here, the auntie helping him take care of Dadan nearly blew up when she found out he was feeding such a young kid steamed buns. She almost yelled at him for being irresponsible.

That’s when Ji Chenbiao realized—raising a child isn’t that simple. You have to be careful, or they could get sick easily.

The fact that Dadan was still alive after being fed so recklessly could only be chalked up to his tough luck.

He didn’t dare take Dadan to eat out. Instead, he asked one of his coworkers to speak with Lao Wen, requesting a few days off so he could take Dadan to the biggest hospital in Shancheng for a full exam and surgery.

Oblivious little Dadan, who was always cheerfully giggling, was still happily thinking that lately the food had been great—not like the slop from the cafeteria.

Dad even took him out to buy snacks and stuffed his tiny backpack to the brim.

When Mr. Zhou heard that Ji Chenbiao was taking Dadan for surgery, he offered to help—he had a friend who worked at the hospital and could assist if needed.

Having someone on the inside was definitely better than handling it all alone.

Especially since Ji Chenbiao couldn’t read very well—he’d have to rely on others to get through the complicated procedures.

Whether or not Mr. Zhou wanted to do Ji Chenbiao a favor because of the jade he sold him before, Ji Chenbiao appreciated the kindness all the same.

Having someone familiar to help out was indeed much better than when Ji Chenbiao was blindly running around like a headless chicken before. This time, they managed to get the top specialist appointment.

After a thorough examination for Dadan, the results weren’t much different from before.

The optimal age for surgery was between three to six years old. Dadan was still a bit too young, and his case was relatively complex, so for now, they’d start with corrective treatment. Once he turned three, they would reassess whether surgery was needed.

Even the preliminary corrective treatment would cost a fair bit. In the past, Ji Chenbiao wouldn’t have even dared step into such an obviously expensive hospital.

At the hospital entrance, Ji Chenbiao bought a small wooden toy for little Dadan. He placed it in his hands and watched him smile, revealing a few tiny front teeth. Ji Chenbiao couldn’t help but laugh too.

“Good thing you got lucky. You didn’t end up blind.”

“Yah~”

An’an shook the little wooden toy, which made a sound. He was so happy that he shook his head and wiggled, his messy hair catching Ji Chenbiao’s eye.

“Hey, isn’t it about time we shaved that head of yours?”

“I should get a haircut too. Let’s go get one together today.”

An’an, still caught up in the joy of having a new toy, didn’t really understand what he meant, but nodded without hesitation anyway.

“Yah~”

The barbershop looked very simple—no fancy membership deals or aggressive upselling. Inside was a bald uncle holding barber tools.

“Here for a cut?”

“Yeah.”

Ji Chenbiao had never bothered much with his hair. It got in the way when working. Holding An’an, he sat in the chair, looked at himself in the mirror, then said to the barber:

“Give my son a cut too.”

“Sure. As long as your kid doesn’t cry, that’s fine.”

As the barber prepared the tools, Ji Chenbiao glanced down at Dadan and asked quietly:

“You gonna cry?”

Dadan let out a dismissive snort, not even bothering to answer.

The barber wasn’t especially skilled—most people who came here got buzz cuts or shaved heads—but he had enough practice to be decent at it.

With just a few swipes of the clippers, Ji Chenbiao’s hair was shaved off. His already handsome, well-defined features now looked even more masculine.

When the barber was about to start on Dadan, he paused with the clippers in hand and asked again, uncertain:

“You want your kid to get the same cut? Kids usually don’t look great bald.”

“It’s fine. Go ahead.”

Dadan softly responded with an “mm,” as if to affirm his dad’s decision.

Seeing that, the barber stopped trying to dissuade them. In just a few strokes, the once delicate and adorable little guy was now sporting a bald head.

An’an had been focused on his toy and only lifted his head after his hair was all gone. When he saw the bald kid in the mirror, his eyes widened.

The bald kid in the mirror was copying him—wide-eyed and startled. It took a moment before Dadan realized that was his own reflection.

“Waaah! Awoo awoo!”

So much for saying he wouldn’t cry. As soon as he realized he had turned into a not-so-cute bald kid, he burst into tears. Big teardrops rolled down his cheeks, and the more he cried, the sadder he got.

“What’s wrong, Dadan?”

It was the first time Ji Chenbiao had seen Dadan cry so hard. He had no idea how to comfort him and was clearly panicking.

Eventually, Dadan cried himself out, hiccupped, then caught a glimpse of his now uglier post-cry bald self in the mirror and stubbornly turned his head away, refusing to look again.

“Don’t like the haircut, huh?”

After paying, Ji Chenbiao walked out carrying An’an. Only then did he understand what the little guy was thinking.

Dadan nodded, still looking wronged, and his tears seemed ready to well up again.

“How about I buy you an orange? Will that help you feel a little better about the haircut for now?”

An’an gently shook his head, sniffling with a pitiful expression.

When even his once-favorite oranges weren’t working, Ji Chenbiao was stumped—until he saw little Dadan slowly stretch out his hand and silently hold up two fingers.

“You want two?”

Ji Chenbiao asked cautiously. Dadan nodded his bald little head and replied in a tearful, nasally voice:

“Mm.”

“Alright, I’ll get you two. And if you don’t like the haircut, we won’t do it again. Give it a few days, and your hair will grow back.”

Patting Dadan’s back, Ji Chenbiao bought a jin of oranges from a nearby stall. He gave Dadan one to hold and carried the rest himself.

The previously wailing Dadan was now grinning again. Seeing that carefree little face, Ji Chenbiao suddenly had the urge to pinch his chubby cheeks.

The sunset cast a golden glow on one side of Dadan’s face, making him look especially beautiful.

Half of the money from the jade sale to Mr. Zhou was put into a one-year fixed deposit. The other half remained in a checking account, just in case something unexpected came up.

At dinner, Ji Chenbiao brought it up with An’an.

“Dadan, can I borrow the money from selling your jade for now?”

Dadan, holding his spoon and struggling to eat some steamed egg, paused and looked up at his dad in confusion.

Ji Chenbiao met his clear, innocent eyes and realized that An’an might not even understand what money meant at his age.

“Your stuff… can Dad borrow it?”

This time, An’an understood and nodded without hesitation.

“Yah~”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep a record of it and make sure you won’t lose out.”

“Wow~”

An’an let out a delighted sound after discovering a shrimp in his egg custard. When Ji Chenbiao glanced over, he was squinting in pure enjoyment.

The next day, Ji Chenbiao called a friend he knew in Haicheng—someone who had been a classmate of his late sister.

Ji Chenbiao wasn’t the only one who wanted to know the truth about why Xiaomei had died so mysteriously.

Her boyfriend back then also wanted answers.

Over the years, Ji Chenbiao had stayed in touch with him. This time, he wired over another sum of money and asked him to continue investigating.

He knew that even if the truth came to light, it might not change anything. The effort and sacrifice might never be repaid. But he stubbornly held onto what he believed in.

He didn’t know what success would look like. He only knew that if he gave up, he would spend the rest of his life consumed by guilt and regret.

On the way home, he bought a box of local snacks for Dadan. At a park by the road, he saw children playing soccer, and his steps grew lighter.

Once Dadan could walk and run, he was definitely getting him a soccer ball like that.

The leaves on the roadside trees had turned yellow, some trees already bare. The weather was getting colder. Ji Chenbiao took Dadan to buy several new sets of clothes.

Knowing how much Dadan cared about his half-grown buzz cut, Ji Chenbiao even specially bought him a hat that was said to be trendy in Hong Kong.

As long as he kept it on, no one would know he was actually a cute little buzz-cut kid.

The first snow of the season had just fallen, and Mr. Zhou had started asking employees about their plans to return home for the New Year.

Ji Chenbiao had been living here for a full year now. He didn’t plan to return to the village, so he asked Mr. Zhou if he could stay in the dorms over the holiday.

Mr. Zhou agreed, and even reminded him that the cafeteria wouldn’t be serving food during the New Year period—they’d have to prepare their own meals.

That wasn’t a bad thing for Ji Chenbiao. It meant they could make their own New Year’s Eve dinner.

He still remembered that single bowl of dumplings from last year’s New Year’s Eve. Even now, thinking back on it made him feel pathetic.

On the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, Mr. Zhou gave all the workers their holiday. Ji Chenbiao had enough money on hand, so he went out and bought a lot of New Year supplies. He even bought meat and flour, ready to make a proper batch of dumplings.

Seeing his already cramped single dorm room filled to the brim with everything he’d bought, Ji Chenbiao felt an inexplicable sense of achievement.

On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, Ji Chenbiao transferred another sum of money to Xiaomei’s boyfriend, wanting to ask about any updates regarding that matter.

But just as the call connected, the man on the other end spoke in an unusually serious tone:

“Brother Biao, there’s something I don’t think I can keep from you any longer.”