***
The divorced Su Hang body swapped to the married Su Hang (1)
Like every morning, Su Hang woke up before Shen Xi. He quietly looked towards the long dark hair next to his pillow and quietly sat up to peer into Shen Xi's sleeping face.
This was part of his usual routine, as this was the only time he could properly look at his wife. But now, Su Hang lingered, saddened by the fact that he would no longer have this opportunity after today.
However, no matter how unwilling he was to leave, Su Hang had to get up. He cleaned up, went into the closet to change clothes, then went downstairs to have breakfast with Shen Xi. As he walked towards the living room, he glanced towards his study. The sudden reminder of the divorce agreement he had taken home yeaterday made his heart ache.
Then, Mrs. Zhang came out of the kitchen. She saw Su Hang dressed in some simple household clothes instead of the usual sportswear, so she couldn't help but ask: "Sir, you're not going on your morning run today?"
Su Hang was a little surprised at the question, but nevertheless, he shook his head and replied: "I'm not."
Thinking about his looming divorce, Su Hang wondered how Shen Xi would react when he told her. She would be surprised, for sure, but would she be pleased too?
"Well..." Somewhat embarrassed, Mrs. Zhang told him: "Yesterday, the Madam mentioned that she would like to eat dumplings for breakfast. I'm currently wrapping the dumplings, but we've run out of vinegar. Since you usually go out for runs in the morning, I was going to ask if you could buy a bottle of vinegar on your way back."
"The Madam wanted to eat dumplings?" Su Hang immediately zeroed into the main point.
"Yes, the Madam messaged me last night and asked me to buy some dumplings to cook for breakfast today. But how could I buy food from the outside, ah? Who knows if it's sanitary and properly made. I decided to come in early and make them myself, buy there's no more vinegar." Mrs. Zhang hesitated for a moment, then said: "I'll buy it, but breakfast is likely to be a little later than usual."
"I'll go." Su Hang stopped Mrs. Zhang, who was about to untie her apron. "You continue to make the dumplings; I'll buy it."
"You'll buy it? Then I'll take this chance to wrap more dumplings. There's a lot of people to make for, after all." Mrs. Zhang inwardly counted as she walked back into the kitchen. The two little masters also liked to eat dumplings. She'll make more dumplings to store in the fridge so that the children could later eat them if they were craving it.
Su Hang put on a loose white sweater, which dampened the man's cold temperament. He looked trough the living room window towards the black car in the yard, then decided to pocket his car keys. This may be the last time he would be able to do something for Shen Xi, so let it take longer.
Su Hang stepped out of the gates, and under the cool October morning light, walked down to the foot of the hill, past the newly painted zebra crossing, and into the newly opened minimarket.
(T/N: I don't know how to explain this haha. It's a calenderia. Don't know how to translate that to people who haven't seen one. Uhh...not like corporation minimarts like 7-Eleven, but like small grocer type things run by local people, often from their own homes.)
"Mr. Su, what can I do for you?" The shop owner was a fat auntie who obviously knew Su Hang based on the wide smile she had given him.
Su Hang found her familiarity a little strange, but he wasn't the curious type, so he simply replied: "Vinegar."
"Oh, for dumplings?" The auntie casually asked.
"Nn." Su Hang gave her a lukewarm nod.
"Your wife must be craving dumplings, then?" The auntie said as she took out a bottle of vinegar. "This vinegar brand is the best for dumplings."
"Thank you." Su Hang was surprised. "But...how do you know it's my wife that wants to eat dumplings?"
"Haha, how can I not? Why else would you go out to buy vinegar so early in the morning, if not for of Mrs. Su?" The auntie chuckled.
"Ah, I see." Su Hang nodded, a lonely smile on his face. Sadly, there would be no such chance in the future.
Carrying the vinegar, Su Hang crossed the zebra crossing, intending to walk back home. As he passed the flower shop, he suddenly heard a woman calling out to him. "Mr. Su, Mr. Su...."
Puzzled, Su Hang turned back, only to see a beautiful woman in a white dress, a rose in her hand, running towards him. Su Hang frowned, looking at the woman in front of him coldly. He always tried his best to scare away those women who wanted to get close to him like this. Li QingYuan once joked that since this expression scared women away, it also frightened Shen Xi away from him. Because of Li QingYuan's words, Su Hang used to try to restrain his expression at home. But it seems that his efforts were useless as it still frightened Shen Xi away.
"Ah...why so serious?" The florist was startled when she saw Su Hang's expression. "Did Mrs. Su get mad at you and sent you to the doghouse?"
Su Hang raised a brow.
"Here..." The florist handed him a rose with a pink bow, dew still on its petals. She told him: "This rose came in early this morning, still very fresh. Take it to your wife and make amends, ah."
Su Hang looked down at the offered rose, somewhat bewildered. This woman isn't giving this to me, but asking me to give it to Shen Xi?
"You..."
"I haven't finished preparing all the flowers I bought this morning, so I can't stay and chat. But don't forget to come by tomorrow morning, ah." The florist had long accepted the fact that even if this man was incredibly handsome and rich, it would be a waste of time to pine for him. After all, he was very, very devoted to his wife. The florist had more or less determined that it would be better if they said fewer words to each other and maintained a purely professional relationship. Her time would be better spent saving as much money for her future wedding, ah!
With one hand holding a bottle of vinegar and the other holding a rose, Su Hang blankly watched as the woman swiftly walk away. After a long pause, he turned around and walked back home. As he did so, he stared at the rose, his mind running wildly.
Roses. Except for their wedding (in which he ordered half the roses in A City to decorate the venue), he had never sent Shen Xi any roses. Why hadn't he? It was probably because he once overheard Shen Xi telling Yun Shu that it would be a burden to receive roses from someone you didn't like.
"Have you bought the vinegar, sir?" Mrs. Zhang asked Su Hang, who had appeared at the kitchen door.
Su Hang silently handed the bottle he was holding towards her.
"Thank you, sir. The food is ready, so you go help the Madam go downstairs." Mrs. Zhang accepted the bottle and twisted the cap, already turning away.
Help? Su Hang glanced at the rose he was still holding, then walked out of the kitchen towards the dining room. He gently placed the rose into a nearby vase so that Shen Xi could see it when they have breakfast.
Su Hang raised his hand and looked at his watch. It was 7:50. He still had half an hour at most...
Su Hang turned towards the direction of his study. He resisted his urge to rush in and tear up the divorce agreement, telling himself over and over that this was the best decision for her.
Then, Mrs. Zhang came out of the kitchen with a pot of hot dumplings. She saw that Su Hang was still standing there in a daze and couldn't help but ask: "Sir, you're not going to help the Madam walk down the stairs?"
Su Hang looked at Mrs. Zhang inexplicably. He felt that Mrs. Zhang was being particularly nosy today.
"You go." Su Hang lightly replied.
"Alright. There's another plate of dumpling in the kitchen. Please help me carry it out." Mrs. Zhang clapped her hands, then went up to the second floor.
Su Hang was stunned for a moment. Mrs. Zhang never let him carry the food before. But, well, he wasn't a fussy person. Su Hang went into the kitchen once more and slowly carried out another plate of dumplings.
"Woof, woof, woof!"
Suddenly, Su Hang heard a dog barking and a rush of clattering. The labrador had smelt the appetising fragrance of food and rushed from who knows where to circle around Su Hang, eagerly looking towards the dumplings in his father's hands.
Su Hang's brows furrowed and he looked at the dog carefully. Uncertain, he called out: "Chu Wu?"
"Woof!" Chu Wu replied, wagging his tail.
"Is it really you?"
"Woof!" Chu Wu continued to wag his tail, excited to eat.
Su Hang looked around, absentmindely asked: "Did Li QingYuan bring you over?"
"Bark!" Dad, why aren't you giving the food to me, ah? I smell meat!
"Brother, Chu Wu's in here." A child-like voice suddenly called out.
"The greedy guy must have smelled the food." Another voice, somewhat similar to the first one, replied. Su Hang turned towards the voices and saw two identical little faces, looking at the dog.
Su Hang frowned. Whose children are these?
The two children ignored Su Hang and rushed to catch Chu Wu. "You traitor! You betrayed us for a plate of dumplings!"
"Yes, ah. We agreed to fight together and ignore the big devil!" The other child said.
"Who are you?" Su Hang coldly asked the two.
"...." One child looked dumbfounded.
"...." The other, stupefied.
"Woof!" It's little master No.1 and No.2, ah. Chu Wu anxiously reminded his father.
The brothers looked at each other. The boy on the left said: "The big devil is pretending not to know us?"
"Then brother, let's pretend not to know the big devil." The child on the right replied.
"Alright, brother." The other nodded in agreement.
Then, they both looked up at Su Hang. Brother No. 1 playfully said: "My mother said, we can't talk to strangers."
Brother No.2 smirked and said: "You don't know us, and we don't know you."
"...." These children really aren't cute. Su Hang placed the dumplings on the table, then asked the two kids: "Did Li QingYuan bring you here?"
"Uncle Li is on our side." Brother No.1 immediately replied.
"Right, right. Uncle Li agrees that the big devil is wrong." Brother No.2 joined in.
"Bark!" I want to eat dumplings!
What was Li QingYuan doing, ah? Su Hang pulled out his cellphone from his pocket and called him. As soon as the call connected, Su Hang coldly said: "Li QingYuan, what kind of mess did you make so early in the morning?"
"What are you doing, calling me so early?" Li QingYuan, who had been rudely awakened, was fuming. "Just in case you don't know, waking people up so early in the morning and immediately accusing them of something isn't good etiquette."
"Don't you know what I'm planning on doing today?" Su Hang's tone was tinged with anger. "Hurry up and take these two children away."
When the two brothers heard Su Hang's words, their faces turned white. They glanced at each other in trepidation.
"What children? ZuoZuo and YouYou?" It took a while for Li QingYuan's sleepy brain to process Su Hang's words.
(T/N: Zuo(左) is left, You(右) is right)
"Are you ZuoZuo and YouYou?" Su Hang turned to ask the two children.
The brothers pursed their lips, looking like they were moments away from crying. Big brother Su Zuo angrily said: "So? If you dare send us away, we'll tell grandpa and grandma!"
"Yeah, and Mom too!" Shen You yelled, feeling incredibly wronged.
"I'm giving you half an hour to take these two little devils away." Su Hang coldly ordered Li QingYuan. He had gathered every drop of courage he could for the dreaded conversation he was to have with Shen Xi today. If he missed the chance, Su Hang feared that he would never let Shen Xi go.
"Wait, are you seriously disavowing your sons for you daughter?" Li QingYuan was speechless. "It's wrong to value your children based on their gender, you know?"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Just get over here." Su Hang huffed and hung up the phone. He lowered his head and looked at the stunned boys in front of him.
The two identical boys, with their soft and adorable little faces, looked up at him with aggrieved expressions.
"Hungry? Do you want to eat dumplings?" Su Hang didn't know how to coax a child, so he could only dryly ask them this.
"No." Su Zuo replied.
"Don't want to eat." Shen You muttered.
"..." Kids are really annoying, ah.
"What's the matter?" Shen Xi, who just arrived at the door, heard the uncomfortable tone in the children's voices and asked in puzzlement.
Almost at the same time, the three people inside turned towards the door. When Shen Xi entered the dining room with the help of Mrs. Zhang, Su Hang's pupils dilated at the sight of his wife's bulging stomach.
"Mom."
"Mom!"
When the two obnoxious kids fell on Shen Xi, Su Hang's brain promptly died.
"Did you scare them again?" Shen Xi asked him, looking both amused and exasperated.
Was he dreaming?
He was definitely dreaming!