CH 87

Chapter 87 Fighting Over the Mirror

Xu Zhao had just woken up, so his reaction was a bit slow. He didn’t clearly hear what Xu Fan had said and asked, “Xu Fan, what did you say?”

“Second Grandpa Cui is stupid,” Xu Fan said.

“What’s stupid?” Xu Zhao confirmed one more time.

“Second Grandpa Cui.”

“Nonsense.” Xu Zhao schooled his expression. He had always taught Xu Fan to respect the old and cherish the young.

Xu Fan answered honestly, “It’s not nonsense.”

Xu Zhao earnestly educated Xu Fan.” He’s your elder, got it?”

Xu Fan hesitated. “H-he doesn’t know how to take my pants off.”

“You can’t call your elders stupid. This is very impolite. What did I teach you in the past?” Xu Zhao had a serious expression. Towards manners and education, Xu Zhao always had strict requirements of Xu Fan.

Hearing this, Xu Fan immediately dropped his small head, speechless. His small meaty hand twiddled his fingers.

Xu Zhao asked, “Shouldn’t you apologize to Second Grandpa Cui?”

Xu Fan nodded.

“Go on.”

Xu Fan turned to Cui Dingchen and said, “Second Grandpa Cui, I’m sorry. Don’t be angry.”

It was originally a small matter, so Cui Dingchen definitely wouldn’t make a big fuss over it. He had even wanted to stop Xu Zhao from disciplining Xu Fan, but he thought Xu Zhao’s words were reasonable. He was even a little bit appreciative of Xu Zhao’s educational method toward Xu Fan. So he followed Xu Zhao’s plans and made an “mn” sound. His “mn” was lacking a bit of confidence.

However, this also meant that Cui Dingchen had accepted the apology. And so Xu Fan turned his head and timidly looked at Xu Zhao.

Xu Zhao’s expression relaxed as he pulled Xu Fan to his side and whispered, “Where did you go with Second Grandpa Cui just now?”

Xu Fan replied, “To pee.”

Xu Zhao asked, “Did Second Grandpa Cui help you take off your pants?”

Xu Fan nodded.

“Did you thank him?”

“Yes.”

Xu Zhao slightly smiled and rubbed Xu Fan’s small meaty face to praise him, then asked, “Did Second Grandpa Cui also help you get redressed?”

“Mn.” Xu Fan’s small meaty hand lifted his pants as he said, “Second Grandpa Cui p-put them on weird. Very weird.”

“What’s wrong?” Xu Zhao asked in amazement.

“I-it’s crooked.” Xu Zhao’s small meaty hand touched the crotch of his pants as he said, “The pants are crooked.”

Xu Zhao also touched it, and as expected, not only was the crotch of the pants crooked, even the pant legs were twisted… H-h-h-how did he manage to put them on like this? It must be difficult for Xu Fan, and even more difficult for Cui Dingchen.

No wonder Xu Fan wanted to complain. Xu Zhao couldn’t help but look at Cui Dingchen. At this moment, Cui Dingchen was reading the newspaper, holding it up very high to cover up his handsome face. Therefore, Xu Zhao couldn’t see Cui Dingchen’s face and could only hear Cui Dingchen coughing lightly. He was probably very embarrassed.

Xu Zhao made an awkward expression, then had second thoughts. If it wasn’t for Cui Dingchen, Xu Fan might have peed his pants. He opened his mouth to thank Cui Dingchen.

After hearing Cui Dingchen’s soft “mn,” Xu Zhao finally pulled down Xu Fan’s pants and slowly pulled it up inch by inch to make sure they were tucked in correctly before asking Xu Fan, “Is that good? Is it straight?”

“It’s straight,” Xu Fan said.

Xu Zhao reached out and held Xu Fan’s small meaty face then gave it a soft kiss to give him some paternal love. He then said that although he was educating Xu Fan, he still loved Xu Fan. Xu Fan immediately accepted it and instantly returned to his lively and cheerful self. His water eyes glistened.

Xu Zhao smiled and asked, “Are you still going to sit on Second Grandpa Cui’s side to watch the scenery?”

Xu Fan’s milky voice said, “No.”

“Why not?” Could it be that he was angry with Second Grandpa Cui?

“Because Second Grandpa Cui s-said that once Daddy is awake, we can eat.”

It turned out that he wanted to eat.

Cui Dingchen, who hadn’t spoken this whole time, finally placed down the newspaper. His gaze was calm as he looked at Xu Zhao and said, “Mn, let’s go go.”

“Where will we go to eat?” Xu Zhao asked.

“Dining car.”

Dining car—

Trains of this era even had dining cars?

Xu Zhao asked in amazement, “There’s a dining car?”

“There is.”

Xu Zhao was really curious. He carried Xu Fan and followed Cui Dingchen to the seventh car.

He really did find that the train had a dining car. It had seats just like the other carriages. The only difference was that there was a big table instead of a small table in front of the seats. The tables were covered with a beige tablecloth like the restaurant in Jiang Ping County. Moreover, it was very clean and tidy, making the atmosphere very intimate.

It was currently meal time. There were already seven or eight people in the dining car eating. The fragrance of the meal drifted to their noses, and the scent was completely different from what Xu Zhao had remembered train dining car meals to be. In addition, there was also a train attendant walking around with a scale and weights to weigh the passengers’ rice and vegetables. It meant that the dishes the train attendants provided were weighed and approved first.

It was really novel and dependable.

Xu Zhao watched them.

Xu Fan also watched them, but as Xu Fan smelled the dishes, he had already started to smack his small lips. His small meaty fingers landed beside his mouth as he whispered, “Daddy, I want to eat.”

Xu Zhao also whispered back, “Mn, we’ll eat soon. We need to find a seat first.”

Xu Zhao and Xu Fan sat down first with Cui Dingchen, then consulted with Cui Dingchen before ordering the dishes. They sat in their seats and waited.

Cui Dingchen asked, “Do you want a beer?”

Xu Zhao curiously asked, “They even have beer here?”

“Yes, do you want one?” Cui Dingchen asked.

Xu Zhao quickly refused, “No, no. I’m not drinking. Was just asking. I don’t have a high alcohol tolerance.”

“How much can you drink?” Cui Dingchen asked.

Xu Zhao smiled and said, “About a bottle.”

Cui Dingchen let out a rare smile. “It’s fine if you get drunk. I’ll watch Xu Fan for you.”

Xu Zhao chuckled and said, “If I get drunk, you won’t just be looking after Xu Fan. Besides, I don’t really like drinking either. If you want to drink, you should.”

“I won’t drink for now.”

As the two were talking, the attendant came over with a tray and served them three bowls of noodles, a small fried fish, an order of stir-fried meat slices, and an order of stir-fried Chinese cabbage. It all smelled very delicious that Xu Zhao had completely changed his opinion about the food served in train dining cars.

He never thought that the food in train dining cars of this era would be this delicious.

After a quiet lunch, the three returned to the couchette. The passengers who had been sleeping had now all gotten up to eat. After they ate, they started chatting enthusiastically. The people of this era were simple and cordial. They could happily chat with anyone.

Xu Zhao and Xu Fan also added a few sentences. It was Cui Dingchen who stayed quiet the entire time and had finished reading several newspapers. He lay in bed and closed his eyes for a few moments. Afterward, it was dinnertime, and after dinner, Xu Fan dozed off for an hour. When he woke, they were almost at the imperial capital. Through the window, one could occasionally see the brilliant lights passing by.

After Xu Fan woke from his sleepiness, he became even more excited. “Daddy, look. So many stars! So many stars! Daddy, how are the stars running?”

This made all the passengers in the car laugh out loud.

Xu Zhao smiled as he explained to Xu Fan. He carried Xu Fan to the window to look outside. The father and son whispered as they spoke, and it was as if they had forgotten all about Cui Dingchen. Cui Dingchen was starting to feel very unhappy in his heart, but when he saw Xu Zhao’s entire face light up in a smile, his heart felt comfortable again. He slightly looked on and would even occasionally look at Xu Fan.

The more he looked at Xu Fan, the more he (CDC) thought he (XF) was a miniature Xu Zhao. He really liked this appearance, and as for getting along with each other… They could try again. He always felt that there was a wall between him and children, and it wasn’t that he had anything against Xu Fan. He continued to watch Xu Zhao like this until they had finally arrived at the imperial capital.

The time was 10:30 PM. Xu Fan was already laying in Xu Zhao’s arms.

Cui Dingchen asked, “Is Xu Fan asleep?”

Xu Zhao nodded.

Cui Dingchen picked up all the luggage and said, “Walk in the front.”

“Thank you, Youngest uncle.”

The two followed the flow of people and exited the imperial capital train station. The imperial capital train station was obviously different from the one in the West Prefecture. It was obviously bigger. Moreover, there were bright lights everywhere of all different colors. It was very lively. At this time, Xu Fan woke up. After Xu Fan woke, he was dazed for a bit before becoming super happy.

Xu Fan started speaking again. “Daddy, there’s so many different stars.”

“Mn.” Xu Zhao smiled and said, “The lights look like stars.”

“Why are they different colors?”

“Why must they be the same?” Xu Zhao asked back.

“Because they’re all lights.”

“There are many different kinds of people, so why can’t it be the same for lights?”

Xu Fan was at a loss and couldn’t answer. He then wrapped his arms around Xu Zhao’s neck, his watery eyes looking around everywhere.

Xu Zhao smiled and followed Cui Dingchen to a hotel near the imperial capital train station. They booked a double room.

It was a simple room, but it had all the proper things of the 21st century like beds, bathroom, TV, hangers, and other things. In addition, there were two thermoses and tea cups the front desk lady had just delivered over. It was all very satisfactory.

Xu Zhao put Xu Fan on the floor. Xu Fan started exploring all corners of the room, then asked, “Daddy, is this our house?”

Xu Zhao replied, “No.”

“Then who’s house is that?” Xu Fan had a lot of questions.

“It’s the boss’ house. We’re just staying for the night.”

“Just for the night.”

“That’s right.”

Xu Fan stopped asking questions and continued looking around.

Xu Zhao turned to Cui Dingchen and thanked him.

Cui Dingchen said, “It’s fine. Are you tired? Go wash up in the bathroom and sleep.”

Xu Zhao said, “Youngest uncle, you wash up first. I’ll unpack my toiletries first and organize them. I need to wash Xu Fan first later.”

Cui Dingchen glanced at Xu Fan. Xu Fan was still staring at the TV with curiosity and didn’t look like he wanted to bathe at all So Cui Dingchen entered the bathroom first.

As soon as the door was open, it immediately drew Xu Fan’s attention. Xu Fan quickly padded his small legs to enter the bathroom and watched as Cui Dingchen stood in front of the vanity unit. He also ran over, his small meaty hands gripping the edge of the vanity unit as he stood on his tip toes. He immediately stared at the mirror and also saw himself reflected in the mirror. He first laughed sweetly, then raised his head to look at Cui Dingchen. Cui Dingchen was currently washing his face and preparing to shave.

Xu Fan’s watery eyes stared at Cui Dingchen for a while when he suddenly thought of something and turned to run out of the bathroom. He asked, “Daddy, rub fragrance?”

Xu Zhao, who was organizing the cloth bag, raised his gaze and asked, “Why do you want to rub on fragrance?”

“I want to rub fragrance.”

“You haven’t washed your face yet, so how can you rub it on?”

Xu Fan reached to pat his face, realizing that he hadn’t washed his face yet. So he ran into the bathroom again and stood in front of Cui Dingchen. Seeing that Cui Dingchen was shaving, his actions looked very handsome. Moreover, Cui Dingchen was also very attractive. This was a fact that everyone knew. Even Xu Fan knew this.

Xu Fan watched for a while, his small meaty hands grabbing the vanity unit as he stood on his tiptoes to look in the mirror again.

Standing to the side was Cui Dingchen, who was afraid that Xu Fan would fall. He reached out and placed his towel in front of the mirror, blocking Xu Fan’s view and preventing him from climbing the vanity unit to look in the mirror.

Xu Fan was stunned for a moment, then shifted to the side. Cui Dingchen also shifted the towel.

Xu Fan shifted again.

Cui Dingchen moved the towel again.

Xu Fan shifted yet again.

Cui Dingchen moved the towel yet again.

Xu Fan raised his small face to look at Cui Dingchen.

Cui Dingchen lowered his head to look at Xu Fan. His expression was as calm as always, but he wasn’t able to reduce his naturally dominating aura.

Xu Fan wasn’t able to calm down. He turned and padded his small feet as he sprinted out of the bathroom and ran in front of Xu Fan. He flattened his small mouth and called, “Daddy.”

Xu Zhao asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

Xu Fan’s milky voice was filled with grievances. “Second Grandpa Cui blocking my mirror. N-not letting me look.”

Xu Zhao processed for a second before understanding Xu Fan’s meaning and asked, “Are you saying that Second Grandpa Cui blocked the mirror from you and won’t let you look at it?”

“Mn,” Xu Fan responded.

“Then ask him if he could please not block it.”

“H-h-he’s an adult. I can’t outspeak him.”

“…”