At the villa entrance, Su Siwen wore a complicated expression as he led Su Youli into the car. Ten minutes earlier, the little guy had insisted on going to the hospital with him for his rehabilitation training. Su Siwen didn’t really want his son to see him suffering through the grueling exercises. He suggested Shen Minyan take the little guy to play in the villa’s garden instead.
But once the little guy was set on something, no one could change his mind. No matter what, he was going to the hospital with his dad. He wanted to be with him. Parents always felt that hospitals were no place for children. Su Siwen was especially cautious about anything that might be bad for Youyou.
He was about to try talking him out of it again when Shen Minyan said, “Let Youyou come along. Otherwise, he won’t feel at ease.”
The hospital where Su Siwen received treatment had a futuristic appearance, primarily constructed from concrete, with a brutalist and high-tech style. It looked nothing like the hospitals the little guy remembered. He walked along, curiously taking in his surroundings. They soon arrived at the rehabilitation room. Sunlight streamed across the floor, and the air smelled faintly of disinfectant.
Patients weren’t allowed too many spectators during rehab. Qin Kun carried Su Youli inside while the others waited outside. The inner rehabilitation room was filled with various machines, gleaming with cold metallic light. The blond, blue-eyed rehabilitation therapist greeted Su Siwen with a smile, asking in English how he had slept the night before. Su Siwen’s English had improved by leaps and bounds during this time. His accent was still a little awkward, but he could communicate fluently with the doctor.
Today’s session was leg strength training. The therapist supported Su Siwen, and Qin Kun took his cane. Standing in front of the training machine, Su Siwen took a deep breath, trying not to recall the pain he’d endured in every previous session. The cold touch of the machine made him uneasy. His brow furrowed slightly, and then he heard his baby cheering him on in a soft, milky voice. The little guy stood on the floor, clenching his little fists, his whole body tensing with effort.
“Go Dad, go Dad!”
Hearing his son’s encouragement, Su Siwen was filled with confidence. He sat down at the training machine in one go. He gritted his teeth, using all his strength to push the machine. His legs, which had undergone two surgeries, were slowly recovering. The pain of tissues regrowing radiated from every nerve to his cerebral cortex. His scalp immediately tightened. With even the slightest exertion, a piercing pain shot through his knees.
Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. Beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks, and heavy, suppressed grunts escaped from between his teeth. For Youyou. For Qin Kun. And for himself. What was this pain compared to that? He slowly stood up, supporting himself on the machine. His legs trembled slightly, his body swaying as if he might fall at any moment. He instinctively reached for his cane, but the therapist quickly moved it away.
“Su, please persist. Compared to last time, you’ve made great progress,” the therapist said in English.
Su Siwen gritted his teeth, enduring the piercing pain.
“Dad, you’re amazing,” the little guy said, his eyes red, his voice thick with tears.
So Dad worked this hard. Dad was in so much pain. He ran over to his father’s side and walked slowly alongside Su Siwen. The little guy spread his arms, guarding his Little Dad, afraid he might fall. This repetitive, tedious training, except for the days following his surgeries, was something Su Siwen did every day. Even with Qin Kun’s company, this was a path he had to walk alone. At first, when Qin Kun wasn’t around, he would sometimes sit in the corner of the rehab room, staring blankly at the sky outside. His mind was full of jumbled thoughts. His aimless musings always ended with Qin Kun calling his name.
The little guy accompanied his Little Dad to training every day. In the blink of an eye, he had been in Country D for almost a week. Yesterday, Su Siwen’s training had ended, and the therapist said that after another week of medication, he could schedule his final surgery with the attending physician. This was undoubtedly great news for everyone.
Today was the airing date of the latest episode of “Little Feet Big Adventure.” Everyone gathered in the living room on the first floor to watch the show together. The production team had canceled the live broadcast for this leg, so the audience had been waiting a long time. By the time Zhang Shun set up the screen casting and they logged in, it had already been ten minutes since the episode went live.
Dense bullet comments scrolled across the screen. It was the first time the little guy had watched the show with his dads. He pointed excitedly at the TV: “It’s Youyou!”
Su Siwen nodded, patting his soft curls. “Our Youyou is amazing. You’re on TV.”
After the ads, the scene shifted to the beach. The Mi brothers appeared first, followed by Shen Minyan bringing Su Youli on screen. Not a single wasted shot. The two families had just gathered when the two little ones started building toilets. The bullet comments were dying of laughter:
[What a natural comedian! Lele, are you trying to kill your auntie?]
[Haha, did anyone notice Youyou’s expression? From confusion to enthusiastic participation, and he even drew a leaf on his toilet bowl.]
[Shen Minyan is truly Shen Minyan. At over forty, his charm hasn’t faded one bit!]
[Where’s the new kid? Where’s the new kid? Why isn’t he out yet?]
Ten minutes into the show, Hua Zhao appeared, walking slowly with Pei Xu. Subtitles introduced the new family.
[Hua Zhao is married? When did that happen? Am I out of the loop?]
[I heard she had a steady boyfriend abroad. Maybe they got married there.]
[Who is this sister? She’s so tall and thin, with great style. And the new kid is so handsome, aaah.]
[Hua Zhao is a model. Look her up. She’s pretty famous abroad and is now developing her career back home.]
Su Siwen and Qin Kun hadn’t met Hua Zhao before, but seeing Pei Qiqi, they were surprised by the coincidence. The new guest was actually the Shen family’s little neighbor. The first half of the show was lively and upbeat, until the four little ones followed the clues from the photo to find the severely polluted forest. The tone suddenly became somber. The cameramen focused on the trash, then panned across the children’s faces, capturing their expressions. The children were sad, angry, and regretful. The bullet comments buzzed with discussion:
[Is this the forest from the photo? Am I seeing this right?]
[So many oceans are really polluted now. Sigh.]
[Is this the place from the video Shen Yan and Mi Huan shared, calling for ocean protection?]
[Yes, that’s it.]
[It was so beautiful before the pollution. Damn humans.]
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MicoLy On FCC Chapter 37.3