"Well, I've already reported it to the police, what should I do now...?"
"It's alright, let the police come and verify their identities before letting them go."
The mother and daughter were speaking in their hometown dialect, which the man didn't understand; he was just trying to soothe the child.
It took a while for the little boy to calm down.
The man then stood up with the child in his arms and thanked Yu Qiuying, "Thank you, ma'am. I'll take the child home now."
Yu Qiuying said, "No need to thank me, but please wait a moment before you leave. My daughter just reported it to the police. Please wait for the police officers to come and confirm that you are indeed the child's father before you leave."
The man frowned upon hearing this, but his tone remained calm. "Madam, I really am the child's father."
As he spoke, he said to the little boy in his arms, "Xiao Kang, tell this auntie if I am your father."
"It's my dad, Auntie, he's my dad." The little boy hugged the man's neck and rested his head on the man's shoulder.
But Yu Qiuying insisted that they wait for the police officers to arrive before leaving, and the man finally sat down helplessly.
About ten minutes later, two police officers arrived, one of whom was Qin Yang.
The man's identity was eventually verified; he was indeed the little boy's father.
After the father and son left, Zhou Cailian said to Qin Yang and another police officer, "I'm sorry, I didn't know the child's father had come looking for me when I went to make the call."
"It's alright, you did the right thing today." Qin Yang remained expressionless as always.
After the matter was settled, the group didn't chat much. After Qin Yang and another police officer left, Yu Qiuying and Zhou Cailian locked the shop and went home.
To everyone's surprise, the man brought his child over for breakfast the next morning.
"Good morning, what would you like to eat?" Zhou Cailian greeted them with a smile.
"Um, give me a plate of fried rice noodles and two steamed buns." The man's gaze swept over Zhou Cailian's face, then he looked away somewhat uncomfortably and put the child on the stool.
For a long time afterward, the man brought his child to the store for breakfast every morning.
Over time, Zhou Cailian became familiar with the father and son.
The man's name is Liao Haishan, 27 years old, a single father. His ex-wife died from postpartum hemorrhage. His son's name is Liao Xiaokang, 5 years old, a local, living in Liaojia Lane behind Xinjie Middle School.
Originally, Zhou Cailian was quite welcoming to Liao Haishan and his son, but after they got to know each other better, Liao Haishan actually started asking her about her background, such as where she was from, how many people were in her family, and whether she was married.
Zhou Cailian didn't think much of it at first and told him that she was divorced.
Just a few days later, Liao Haishan confessed his feelings to her, "Cailian, I... I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"
The two were outside the shop at the time. Zhou Cailian didn't know that Liao Haishan had called her out to talk about this, and she was a little at a loss.
But she had no romantic feelings for Liao Haishan at all; she only treated him as a regular customer.
So he quickly declined, saying, "I'm sorry, I have no intention of remarrying."
"Why? You're only twenty-five, still so young. Why don't you want to get married again? Cailian, I really like you. Please give me a chance." Liao Haishan didn't expect Zhou Cailian to refuse, and he couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
He really liked her. He originally thought that since he was a local resident and his family was well-off, Zhou Cailian would never refuse him.
Furthermore, Zhou Cailian has been smiling at him and being so enthusiastic towards him lately. Doesn't that mean she also has feelings for him?
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