Su Pu stayed in the hospital for over a month, with only slight progress.
By February, the trees outside had lost all their leaves. Li Jichuan gritted his teeth, resolute, and arranged for Su Pu to be discharged.
The day after returning home, Li Jichuan came back with a team to completely renovate the kitchen, installing a full set of coffee equipment.
He told Su Pu, “Tomorrow a senior barista will come teach you how to make coffee. Try it out; if you like, he can come regularly. If not, that’s okay—you could also try learning the tea ceremony.”
As he spoke, Su Pu wandered over to the new equipment, marveling at it.
Li Jichuan had told him his job was as a barista—it really seemed to be true.
Su Pu held the coffee grinder, weighing it in his hands. The weight felt reassuring, steady.
Behind them, Mantian mimicked teasingly, “It’s okay if you don’t like it~~”
Changchang added, “You can also try the tea ceremony~~”
People in love always get ruined—this theory applied to everyone.
The servants snickered, undeterred even when Li Jichuan shot them a glare.
Su Pu turned to see everyone smiling so happily and lifted the corners of his own mouth into a small smile. For some reason, he felt a little happy.
The next day at 3 PM, the barista arrived for the lesson.
Su Pu abandoned his bear and ran into the kitchen. The barista studied his face, sensing familiarity.
The employer had warned him that Su Pu might learn slowly despite having some basic skills, so he needed patience—no losing his temper.
They thought the boy might be slow, but from the moment he opened the grinder, his movements were fluent and confident.
The barista watched as Su Pu instinctively measured, ground, and weighed the coffee with exact precision—not a gram off.
“You… what did you do before?” the barista asked.
Su Pu opened his mouth but made no sound—still, he felt proud. He had said he was a barista, and maybe he really was!
Two hours later, Su Pu was in an incredible mood.
“With your skill, next time I’ll arrange a master class. My teacher is a judge for many competitions and even owns a coffee bean plantation in southern Yunnan,” the barista said.
Su Pu recognized it as praise and blushed.
The barista pulled out his phone. “Add me as a friend. If your phone is in your room, just enter your number.”
Instinctively, Su Pu took the phone and tapped a few times. The motion felt familiar—even before he realized it, his fingers had typed a string of numbers.
It was his own phone number…
The barista sent the friend request and said goodbye. “That’s it for today. Remember to add me.”
Su Pu nodded blankly, wanting to ask where to add the friend—but when he looked up, the barista was already gone.
At the entrance, the barista met his employer.
“President Li,” he greeted respectfully.
“Delete it,” Li Jichuan said, his expression dark.
“Ah?” the barista was puzzled.
“Delete it. From now on, if my wife needs anything, you come to me…”
The barista was startled. “Ah!” he muttered, pulling out his phone to try and cancel the friend request.
But just a couple of seconds later, Li Jichuan relaxed again.
“Forget it. Just add him. Just don’t bully him.”
The barista left in a daze, unsure whether he should really add the boy or not.
However, since Su Pu still didn’t remember how to use a smartphone, days passed without him accepting the request. Eventually, the barista forgot all about it himself.
After returning home, Su Pu’s life grew increasingly lively.
The household staff took good care of him, and he built a friendship with Pei Zhicheng.
Before the Spring Festival, a heavy snow fell, blanketing the ground overnight.
Pei Zhicheng called Uncle Wang to ask if Su Pu could go play in the snow with him.
Uncle Wang, holding the phone, walked over to Su Pu, who was curiously touching the coffee machine in the kitchen. The little mute nodded excitedly.
After lunch, Uncle Wang bundled him up tightly, gave him a small bucket and snowball molds, and sent him outside.
Some might say Li Jichuan was raising him like a child, but Uncle Wang just laughed, saying he liked Su Pu’s childlike nature.
Su Pu adjusted the thick wool hat on his head—it was heavy and kept sliding backward.
As he stepped into the elevator, he felt like crying. He rubbed his eyes through the gloves, but nothing came out.
Pei Zhicheng was also bundled up thickly.
They were the two fluffiest little dumplings in the entire neighborhood park.
In the distance, children laughed freely. Su Pu and Pei Zhicheng rolled two large snowballs and stacked them together. The snowman reached their chests.
Sweating from play, Pei Zhicheng squatted and drew in the snow.
He drew four little figures: two short ones in the middle, flanked by two tall ones.
The shy but observant boy drew a doll in Su Pu’s arms, Li Jichuan in a suit beside him, his own head wearing a helmet, and Ouyang grinning like a fool.
Su Pu studied it carefully and felt Pei Zhicheng was truly capable and kind.
He liked this friend very much, so he scooted closer to him.
The two chubby little dumplings sat together, both quite happy.
Noticing that he and Pei Zhicheng were drawn a bit far apart, Su Pu decided to draw two hearts between them—symbolizing that even if they were physically distant, their hearts were close.
Finishing the drawing, the little mute felt satisfied with his work.
Li Jichuan happened to leave work early and rolled his wheelchair over to join in.
He was dressed lightly; the cashmere coat couldn’t block the cold.
Su Pu worried he might catch a chill, so he waved to Pei Zhicheng—they were going home.
But before leaving, Li Jichuan asked Su Pu to make a snowball for him.
As soon as Su Pu stepped away, Li Jichuan propped a foot out, using his thigh to nudge his slightly sensitive lower leg and ankle, erasing the two hearts Su Pu had drawn.
Pei Zhicheng, who had been watching the whole scene, froze.
“What… what’s he doing?”
“Never seen a cripple stomp in snow before?” Li Jichuan muttered, trying to keep a stern face, though his tone was a little sharp.
Pei Zhicheng immediately shrank his neck, hiding most of his face in his scarf.
This guy is so domineering… and Su Pu likes him? He just couldn’t understand why.
Su Pu and Li Jichuan walked ahead, while the shy, socially anxious Pei Zhicheng trudged behind, sulking.
If he weren’t afraid of making Su Pu upset, he might have rewritten the scene in his head so the roles were reversed.
After walking a bit, Pei Zhicheng still couldn’t figure out—if Su Pu wasn’t with Li Jichuan, who else could he possibly be with?
He decided to let Li Jichuan off the hook for now.
On New Year’s Eve, the Li household staff stayed over for the holiday.
The house was exceptionally lively.
Li Jichuan had bought a large supply of fireworks, which the supplier delivered via a small truck. He asked the building manager to distribute the fireworks free of charge to those staying in the building for the holiday, as long as they set them off within the designated times.
After dinner, as midnight approached, the family went down to the small park behind the apartment building.
As soon as they arrived, the night sky exploded with magnificent fireworks, many styles Su Pu had never seen before, lasting for a long time.
Seeing Su Pu’s eyes sparkle with excitement and joy, Li Jichuan felt immense happiness.
At last, the fireworks he had missed last summer were made up for in the early spring snow.
Su Pu gazed at the fireworks, and happiness felt tangible.
Happiness was these endlessly blooming fireworks and the people around him laughing and playing.
This was happiness.
The entire world was painted in dazzling colors. Su Pu turned to Li Jichuan, only to find him crying.
Why was he crying?
Su Pu squatted beside him, reaching out to wipe away his tears.
Li Jichuan’s tears were cold.
Su Pu leaned up slightly and kissed Li Jichuan’s chilly cheek.
It was a kiss without any desire—pure and caring.
A new year had begun. Don’t cry… be happy…