Strawberry Pop Pop Pop chapter 9

The day before winter vacation, Han Yang’s report card came in, and he ranked first in the whole grade.

If it were an ordinary child, they might have enjoyed an extremely comfortable holiday. Unfortunately, even before Han Yang’s winter vacation began, his stepfather, Wang Sheng, had already decided where he would spend it.

Wang Sheng’s parents ran a small restaurant, and Wang Sheng worked there to help out. This time, with Han Yang on vacation, he took Han Yang with him.

Wang Sheng’s father hypocritically scolded Wang Sheng, saying, “Aren’t you afraid of tiring the child out?” Then, he put a small red envelope into Han Yang’s pocket, as a polite gesture.

As soon as he turned his head, Wang Sheng had already taken the red envelope from Han Yang’s pocket. He led Han Yang to the kitchen and pointed to a pile of dirty dishes, saying, “Wash these and then help with the rest. Don’t be lazy.”

Han Yang bent down and started washing the dishes. Wang Sheng leaned against the wall and dozed off, occasionally chatting with someone outside. From time to time, he would shout, “Come out and clear the tables!”

Han Yang often washed the dishes while reciting the formulas from his textbooks. His life was monotonous, and apart from studying, he had no other way to relax.

It was mid-winter, and the icy tap water caused frostbite on Han Yang’s hands. He was still wearing the same dirty black coat, and over time, the greasy smell had permeated it. He wore plastic gloves and scrubbed the dishes vigorously, making the wet floor ice over during the late hours of the night.

Not far away, on a low table, his tattered backpack had been haphazardly sewn with rough stitches, but it was still usable.

Perhaps because the New Year was approaching, the restaurant was doing well.

Naturally, with good business, there were more leftover dishes at night. Han Yang often sneaked some to eat. He was in a growth period, and due to inadequate nutrition, he was slightly shorter than his peers.

Wang Sheng was afraid of being misunderstood, so he would often explain to the customers, “This is my son, here to help out.”

Every time this happened, Han Yang would feel uneasy, clutching his clothes awkwardly.

This time, while Wang Sheng was talking to him, Han Yang inadvertently looked up and saw Gu Nuan standing at the entrance of the restaurant. He was accompanied by a tall alpha male, who Han Yang remembered as Gu Nuan’s alpha father.

Wang Sheng enthusiastically greeted them, “What would you like to eat? Take a look at the menu!”

Gu Nuan’s father, Gu Yuanchen, showed no interest in ordering. He picked up Gu Nuan and didn’t want his tiny feet to touch the greasy floor. His tall figure stood out conspicuously in this small restaurant, attracting the attention of many.

Han Yang was pushed over by Wang Sheng to open a beer bottle for another table of customers. His slightly long bangs almost covered his dark eyes. He hadn’t slept well the previous night and was absent-minded, accidentally breaking a beer bottle.

Wang Sheng immediately slapped him on the head, causing Han Yang to fall to the ground. He scolded him repeatedly, using all sorts of vulgar words, just as greasy and dirty as the restaurant.

The sudden outburst frightened Gu Nuan, and he stiffened, crying, “Brother!”

Han Yang’s head buzzed, and he cowered in the corner, not sure what had just happened.

Wang Sheng couldn’t stand Han Yang’s timid behavior and raised his hand to strike again, but Gu Yuanchen grabbed his wrist.

With Gu Yuanchen holding him, Gu Nuan’s feet touched the ground, and he ran over to Han Yang, embracing the dirty Han Yang tightly. “Don’t bully my brother!”

At his young age, he didn’t understand much, yet he seemed to understand everything a little bit. Seeing the sight of Han Yang being hit made Gu Nuan cry loudly.

His hot tears fell on Han Yang’s hand, making even the numb frostbites regain their feeling.

Suddenly, Han Yang remembered the nearly depleted strawberry candy in his backpack. Its sweet scent, just like the one emanating from Gu Nuan, was intoxicating. He suddenly became delicate, unaccustomed to the cold winter.

“Gu Nuan,” he called out his name for the first time.

Gu Nuan choked up in response, “I don’t want him to hit you, and I won’t allow him to hit you!”

Han Yang remained silent.

He found Gu Nuan to be really strange. They weren’t close, so why was he protecting him like this, even crying for him? No one, not even the “family” he shared blood with, had ever shed a tear for him.

Han Yang was filled with countless question marks, and he felt a slight stinging sensation in his nose, which he tried to suppress.

He had forgotten how he had left the restaurant’s door with Gu Yuanchen. All he remembered was that Gu Yuanchen had said something firm to Wang Sheng and probably handed him a few banknotes.

Sitting in Gu Yuanchen’s car, Han Yang held a cup of hot bubble tea in his hands. It felt like he had transitioned from a harsh winter to a warm summer day. His cheeks turned slightly red as he sipped the tea, feeling comforted.

So, Gu Yuanchen intentionally lowered the car’s heater.

Gu Nuan sniffled, his eyelashes still wet. He helped Han Yang insert the straw into his cup and chatted away. “Big brother, I’m going to visit my grandfather overseas for the New Year, so I wanted to give you your New Year’s gift. My dad and I picked out a backpack for you.”

Han Yang, puzzled, asked, “Why are you giving it to me?” He glanced at the deep blue backpack placed beside him, recalling that a classmate of his had a similar one that he heard was quite expensive.

Han Yang could accept food from others, but he couldn’t accept such an expensive backpack. He declined, saying, “I already have a backpack.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Nuan drooped his head and asked, “You don’t like it?”

Han Yang was even more confused by his attitude. Thankfully, Gu Yuanchen explained, “Xiao Nuan ranked first this time, and his dad promised to get him a gift. He specially picked out a backpack to give you. You should accept it. It’s the result of his hard work, and he wanted to give it to his new friend.”

Gu Nuan nodded enthusiastically and tugged at Han Yang’s finger, trying to be cute.

Han Yang, struck by the word “friend,” couldn’t refuse any longer.

After the gift was handed over, Gu Nuan suddenly became more animated. He wiggled his feet and said, “Big brother, drink your bubble tea! It’s really, really good. My dad said I’m too young to drink it often, but he’s working late tonight, so he doesn’t know I had some bubble tea.”

Han Yang gulped down a few sips. It was his first time having bubble tea, and it was indeed delicious.

With the help of bubble tea, the atmosphere in the car relaxed. Gu Yuanchen handed Han Yang the ointment he had bought from the nearby pharmacy when getting bubble tea. “Apply this to your hands before bed.”

Han Yang took it carefully, and seeing the label “frostbite ointment,” he instinctively thanked Gu Yuanchen. As he finished speaking, Han Yang’s stomach made a subtle noise. He immediately covered it with a cough, thinking Gu Yuanchen hadn’t noticed.

Gu Yuanchen glanced at the rearview mirror and said gently, “Are you hungry?”

Han Yang awkwardly shook his head, but his stomach betrayed him with another growl.

“We’ll stop for something to eat. My son and I haven’t had dinner yet,” Gu Yuanchen smiled. “Would you like fried chicken?”

Upon hearing the mention of fried chicken, Gu Nuan’s ears perked up, and he excitedly grabbed Han Yang’s hand. “Big brother, it’s fried chicken!”

Han Yang was startled and tried to pull his hand back.

Gu Nuan held on tightly, forgetting his sadness from earlier. His eyes sparkled. “Big brother, fried chicken is really, really delicious! It’s so crispy and tender, and it’s so juicy when you take a bite!”

Han Yang swallowed hard.

As far as he could remember, he had only eaten fried chicken once, back when he had just started first grade.

It had rained heavily that day, and Han Yang had been left at school without an umbrella. His mother, Li Li, couldn’t be reached by phone.

Young Han Yang, hungry, lowered his head to tidy up his completed homework.

Seeing this, the school’s receptionist kindly brought him a meal. It included both meat and vegetables, with a huge fried chicken leg as the centerpiece. Han Yang had never tasted it before, but he devoured the meal.

As he ate, he thought of his mother, Li Li.

Normally, Li Li returned home late from work, and by the time she arrived, it was already late at night. That was when she would take out a double-layered lunchbox from her bag, filled with cold dishes.

To save money, she usually packed only three vegetarian dishes and occasionally one meat dish, usually green peppers with pork slices. It was only during these times that mother and son could sit together peacefully and eat this simple meal.

However, Li Li seemed to dislike meat, often leaving the pork slices uneaten.

At times like these, Han Yang would eat them all.

…

Han Yang couldn’t remember what time Li Li had come to pick him up that day. It might have been eight o’clock, or maybe nine.

He only remembered that the rain had finally stopped, and he was preparing to go home by himself when Li Li, wearing a raincoat, arrived on her bicycle.

In the darkness, Han Yang, who looked lifeless, didn’t resemble a child of his age at all. He was not lively or endearing in the least.

The receptionist had put a few pieces of chocolate in his backpack, smiled at Li Li, and said, “Han Yang is very smart; I saw him doing third-grade math problems.”

Li Li, hearing this, just gave Han Yang a cold glance. She didn’t even thank the receptionist who had helped her son.

With an indifferent expression, she had Han Yang sit on the back of her bicycle, saying, “Don’t cause me any trouble.”