Can I still be saved? [Transmigration] - Chapter 14
Spending time with Song Wenqian and her husband, Su Yunjing had truly come to see them as family.
But he wasn’t really an eight-year-old kid. He understood how hard it was to make money, and he knew how much the family had spent on the original host’s medical bills.
So every time he made a request, there was always a hint of guilt.
This time, when they went to the market to buy shoes, Su Yunjing didn’t care about brands. As long as they were comfortable and cheap, that was good enough.
They spent the whole morning browsing around, and for lunch, they stopped by a small eatery where they had a bowl of wontons and half a piece of layered flatbread.
After eating and buying everything they needed, Song Wenqian took Su Yunjing to the storefront of the hardware shop they ran.
When they arrived at the building materials market, Su Yunjing borrowed her phone to call Fu Hanzhou.
“My mom brought me to the shop. I’ll have to stay here until closing, so I’ll check your homework a bit later.”
“Mm.”
“Do you want a tanghulu (candy haws)? I’ll bring you a skewer when I come back.”
Fu Hanzhou was quiet for a moment, then softly asked, “Are you only buying it for me?”
Su Yunjing wasn’t sure why he was suddenly asking that, but he didn’t think too much of it and replied with a smile,
“Yeah, do you want one?”
“Then buy it,” Fu Hanzhou answered crisply, his voice light and cool.
…
That evening, Su Yunjing showed up at the orphanage with a skewer of tanghulu.
The bright red hawthorn berries were coated in a thin, glossy layer of sugar. The vibrant color made Su Yunjing, who was holding the candy, the center of attention the moment he stepped through the orphanage gate.
Su Yunjing: “…”
More than twenty pairs of eyes turned to look at him in unison, leaving Su Yunjing feeling a bit overwhelmed.
He stood frozen at the entrance of the orphanage, unable to summon the courage to step inside.
Just as he hesitated, a slender boy with a straight back walked up to him.
His expression was calm and distant. He reached out, took the tanghulu from Su Yunjing’s hand without even glancing around, and walked away.
If it weren’t for the fact that Fu Hanzhou was only seven, and the item in his hand was just a stick of candy, Su Yunjing would’ve thought he’d just stepped out of an old-school idol drama playing a cold, overbearing CEO.
Unlike him, Fu Hanzhou had the nerve to enjoy an entire skewer without the slightest guilt.
Surrounded by looks of anger, disappointment, and pitiful longing, Su Yunjing followed behind him like a little sidekick trailing after a boss.
The contrast between the capital tycoon and the common folk couldn’t have been more obvious.
Someone like Su Yunjing, an average guy, just couldn’t bring himself to ignore the ‘suffering of the masses’ the way Fu Hanzhou could.
But what could he do? His abilities were limited. For now, it was already a feat to keep Fu Hanzhou fed and healthy.
While he was quietly lamenting his own weakness, Fu Hanzhou suddenly fed him a hawthorn from the skewer.
It was sweet.
Su Yunjing took a bite, and the taste brought back childhood memories.
These days, candied hawthorns all have the seeds removed just not as fresh and authentic as they were back in childhood.
Back then, the berries were juicy, a perfect mix of sweet sugar and tart hawthorn.
After feeding Su Yunjing the first one, Fu Hanzhou lowered his head and took a bite himself.
His lips were naturally red, but the glossy sugar coating made them look even more vibrant, and a mouthful of hawthorn puffed out his cheeks.
As Fu Hanzhou frowned, chewing on the sticky hawthorn that clung to his teeth, a rare glimmer of childlike liveliness surfaced on his usually composed face.
Suddenly, Su Yunjing spoke up.“Oh, right. It’s my birthday the day after tomorrow. Come over to my place for dinner, okay?”
Fu Hanzhou froze in the middle of his bite and looked up at him.
The days were getting shorter, and by six, it was already growing dark. The buildings across the street had lit up, and the scattered lights reflected in Fu Hanzhou’s black eyes, only to be swallowed by the shadows. His gaze grew even deeper.
“Just me?” he asked.
Su Yunjing didn’t quite catch his meaning at first. “Not just you. My parents will be there too. It’ll be at our house.”
Afraid Fu Hanzhou might not understand, he explained again, “I’m inviting you to my house. I already told my mom, and she’s going to inform the orphanage director.”
“So, just the four of us?” Fu Hanzhou asked again, still fixated.
“…Yeah, just the four of us,” Su Yunjing confirmed.
Satisfied with the answer, Fu Hanzhou continued eating his tanghulu.
After a moment, Su Yunjing asked gently, “When’s your birthday?”
Fu Hanzhou shook his head, expression calm. “I don’t know. I’ve never celebrated one.”
After he was born, his mother’s mental illness worsened. She was either hitting or yelling at him.
Though there was a birthdate on his ID and household registry, Fu Hanzhou had never seen either.
He’d never celebrated a birthday. Su Yunjing already knew this from the novel.
A tragic childhood often takes a lifetime to heal.
Eventually, Fu Hanzhou would meet a girl who could heal him but she’d be the heroine, and he’d only be the second male lead.
Nothing more tragic than that.
Su Yunjing wanted to give him a happy childhood. He didn’t want Fu Hanzhou to get swept into someone else’s romance arc.
“Well, if you don’t have a birthday, just use mine. I was born on the 10th of the ninth lunar month. From now on, that can be your birthday too.”
“My mom said she’s getting a birthday cake. When the time comes, we’ll blow out the candles together.”
Su Yunjing’s bright eyes reflected the dazed expression on Fu Hanzhou’s face.
His brain hadn’t quite caught up yet, but his head nodded automatically.
With a clean and cheerful smile, Su Yunjing said, “Okay, it’s a deal. I’ll come get you after school tomorrow.”
Fu Hanzhou was momentarily dazzled by his smile. A strange kind of joy rose in his chest, one he couldn’t suppress.
“…Okay.”
His eyes bent slightly, curving into a beautiful arc.
Seeing him smile, Su Yunjing blinked, then couldn’t resist reaching out to ruffle his hair.
No matter how mature Fu Hanzhou acted, he was still a seven-year-old kid, and deep down, every child longed for a birthday.
Su Yunjing, sly as ever, didn’t mention the gift he’d prepared. He planned to surprise Fu Hanzhou that night.
On the day of the birthday, Song Wenqian personally went to the orphanage to bring Fu Hanzhou over.
It was just one meal, and since she lived across the street and they knew each other well, the director didn’t object; she just asked them to bring him back by eight.
To celebrate both boys’ birthdays, Song Wenqian ordered an eight-inch cake.
On top, it read: “Happy Birthday to Mingming and Hanzhou.”
She even asked the bakery for two party hats.
Su Yunjing folded one and placed it on Fu Hanzhou’s head, smiling with a glint in his eyes.
“Happy Birthday.”
Fu Hanzhou touched the red paper crown on his head.
He knew it was fake, just a cheap gimmick to fool kids. In the past, he would’ve scoffed at something like this.
But now that someone had actually placed it on his head, Fu Hanzhou couldn’t help but feel happy.
He gently traced the edge of the crown, his movements were careful and meticulous.
Watching his movements, Su Yunjing thought. He’s probably really happy right now.
After a while, Fu Hanzhou looked up at Su Yunjing.
His pitch-black eyes locked onto Su Yunjing’s head, as if silently asking: “Why aren’t you wearing yours?”
Su Yunjing had long outgrown the excitement of birthday hats and cakes. They didn’t mean much anymore.
But under Fu Hanzhou’s gaze, he quietly put his own on.
From the kitchen, Song Wenqian emerged carrying a steaming dish of sticky rice ribs.
“You two birthday stars, what are you standing there for?”
She set the dish on the table and handed Fu Hanzhou a handful of sunflower seeds.
“Hanzhou, make yourself at home. Don’t be shy. Have some snacks first, we’ll cut the cake once Mingming’s dad gets home.”
Fu Hanzhou politely thanked her.
“Thank you, Auntie.”
He was very attractive, with rosy lips, white teeth, and refined features. When he wasn’t wearing that cold expression, he looked especially obedient.
Song Wenqian’s motherly instincts kicked in instantly.
“Oh my, what a polite child.” She couldn’t resist pinching his soft, pale cheeks.
“So quiet and sweet, like a little girl.”
Su Yunjing: “…”
Normally, Fu Hanzhou didn’t like being touched. But when Song Wenqian pinched his face, he surprisingly didn’t show any irritation or dislike. His black-and-white eyes looked genuinely innocent.
This kid… He was pretty good at putting on an act.