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I Love My Daddy...Zhan-ge (Zhanyi)
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5

Chapter 5 - 5

At dawn the next morning, Zhan woke Yibo early, before anyone else in the house was up. They headed straight to the bathroom. Zhan thoroughly cleaned it first, positioning Yibo safely outside the wash area where no water could splash on him.

As Zhan was still cleaning, some of the residents...those who always rushed to take advantage of the bathroom while it was still clean...began to appear in the dim early morning light.

Daiji's father was the first to arrive, holding his large plastic kettle. He stopped to one side, well aware that neither Yibo nor his father ever pushed or crowded others. Shortly after, another resident arrived carrying a bucket and joined him.

Zhan stepped out of the bathroom holding his bright flashlight. He was used to seeing them every morning...they were always the earliest ones waiting, before the rest of the house woke up.

He looked at Yibo, gently pulled him away from the wall, handed him the flashlight and his plastic kettle, then took the bucket from him. They went inside briefly, Zhan set everything down, and then came back out.

He stood quietly by the doorway and calmly greeted Daiji's father and the others with a soft "πΊπ‘œπ‘œπ‘‘ π‘šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘›π‘–π‘›π‘”."

They responded politely, thanking him for the effort he put into keeping the bathroom clean.

Gradually, more residents came out and formed a line. Once the day fully broke, the bathroom would quickly become unusable...within twenty minutes it would be completely dirty, fit only for those with strong tolerance.

That was why many people silently hoped Zhan or his son would be the first to use it. As soon as either of them finished, others hurried in to enjoy the brief moment of cleanliness.

Calm and unhurried, Yibo bathed using his Dettol soap and a soft sponge. When he was done, Zhan escorted him back into the room before returning to use the bathroom himself. After that, he stepped out briefly for his morning exercise.

There was no one Zhan trusted completely with his son...not at home, not at school. He constantly reminded Yuli to keep a close eye on Yibo whenever he was away. Wherever Zhan went, Yibo followed closely unless Zhan was at work, in which case Yuli took over with the same level of care. She was extremely careful with Yibo, having learned from Zhan's unwavering seriousness when it came to his son.

Yibo picked up the small jar of Vaseline lotion from the table, where Zhan's books and their toiletries were neatly arranged. Sitting at the edge of his mattress, he gently applied it, his eyes still heavy with sleep. He was used to waking up early...Zhan had trained him since childhood...so it wasn't too difficult.

He finished quickly, applying just a little. He was still learning to do these things himself; usually, his father handled everything. Bathing, oiling his skin, and dressing himself were new responsibilities. Sometimes, Zhan still had to help him when he didn't get it quite right.

After spraying a light body mist, Yibo put on his vest and trousers. Before his father returned, he crawled back onto the mattress, feeling very sleepy. He knew Zhan would wake him again soon to study, so he took the chance to rest.

Zhan returned early from his exercise, worried about leaving Yibo alone. As soon as he entered, he saw that Yibo had fallen back asleep. He let him be and took his own bath supplies.

Before bathing, Zhan cleaned the bathroom once again. He then showered, returned to the room, and dressed neatly in a blue polo shirt and black trousers.

He pulled out the small gas stove he had bought a few days earlier, stepped outside, lit it, and put water on to boil. Returning inside, he grabbed some money from the table and stepped out again.

As he walked through the compound, people were already busy preparing for the day...traders setting up their businesses, workers rushing off to their jobs. Only a few residents stayed behind: two young women who lived independently, an elderly woman named 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞 who sold sewing supplies, and Daiji's father, who also stayed home. Everyone else had left to earn a living.

Zhan reached the shop at the front of the compound and waited briefly for the crowd to thin out. After a few minutes, he stepped forward and spoke quietly to the shop owner.

With a smile, Hafizu greeted him warmly.

"πΊπ‘œπ‘œπ‘‘ π‘šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘›π‘–π‘›π‘”, π‘Œπ‘–π‘π‘œ'𝑠 π‘“π‘Žπ‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿ. π»π‘œπ‘€ π‘€π‘Žπ‘  π‘¦π‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘›π‘–π‘”β„Žπ‘‘? π»π‘œπ‘€ π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ π‘π‘œπ‘‘β„Ž π‘‘π‘œπ‘–π‘›π‘”? 𝐴𝑛𝑑 β„Žπ‘œπ‘€ 𝑖𝑠 π‘Œπ‘–π‘π‘œ?"

Zhan replied simply,

"π‘Šπ‘’'π‘Ÿπ‘’ 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒, π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘›π‘˜ πΊπ‘œπ‘‘."

He handed over the money and said, "𝑂𝑛𝑒 π‘™π‘œπ‘Žπ‘“ π‘œπ‘“ π‘π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘Žπ‘‘ π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‘π‘€π‘œ 𝑒𝑔𝑔𝑠."

The shopkeeper quickly packed the items in a bag and returned the change.

"π»π‘Žπ‘£π‘’ π‘Ž π‘”π‘œπ‘œπ‘‘ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘¦, π‘Œπ‘–π‘π‘œ'𝑠 π‘“π‘Žπ‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿ."

"π‘‡β„Žπ‘Žπ‘›π‘˜ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’, π‘€π‘Ÿ. π»π‘Žπ‘“π‘–π‘§π‘’," Zhan replied.

Back inside, Zhan poured hot water into a large cup, then used the rest to cook noodles and boil the eggs for Yibo. He packed the food into Yibo's school lunch box, filled his water bottle with a nourishing drink, and added a digestive biscuit he had set aside.

Only then did he wake Yibo. They stepped outside briefly...Yibo brushed his teeth, washed his face, and used the bathroom. Afterward, they returned to get dressed for school.

They shared a cup of tea before leaving, Yibo trailing closely behind his father....so attached that some people jokingly called him Zhan's shadow.

They headed to Yuli's place first to greet her before moving on. Zhan never allowed a morning to pass without stopping by with Yibo; only after that would he continue to work, unless they all happened to be going the same way.

They met Yuli in distress. Her husband had developed a severe fever during the night and was clearly unwell. With concern, Zhan asked after his condition. Then he took out some money and handed it to her, saying gently, "π‘€π‘Ÿ. π‘„π‘’π‘¦π‘Žπ‘›π‘”, π‘π‘™π‘’π‘Žπ‘ π‘’ π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘¦ π‘‘π‘œ 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 π‘Ž π‘£π‘’β„Žπ‘–π‘π‘™π‘’ π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘˜π‘’ β„Žπ‘–π‘š π‘‘π‘œ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ β„Žπ‘œπ‘ π‘π‘–π‘‘π‘Žπ‘™. 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 π‘‘π‘Žπ‘˜π‘’ π‘Œπ‘–π‘π‘œ π‘‘π‘œ π‘ π‘β„Žπ‘œπ‘œπ‘™, π‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘› π‘”π‘œ π‘‘π‘œ π‘€π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘˜. 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 π‘–π‘›π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘š π‘šπ‘¦ π‘šπ‘Žπ‘›π‘Žπ‘”π‘’π‘Ÿ π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘π‘œπ‘šπ‘’ π‘‘π‘œ π‘šπ‘’π‘’π‘‘ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ π‘Žπ‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ β„Žπ‘œπ‘ π‘π‘–π‘‘π‘Žπ‘™. π‘Šπ‘’'𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑒 π‘€β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ π‘π‘Žπ‘› 𝑏𝑒 π‘‘π‘œπ‘›π‘’."

She accepted the money with deep gratitude, visibly shaken. Her husband was too weak to speak; he could only nod slowly in Zhan's direction in silent thanks.

Zhan and Yibo left, hand in hand, heading for school. When they reached the school gate, Yibo turned back, his face slightly pouting as he looked up at his father.

"π·π‘Žπ‘‘π‘‘π‘¦, 𝑖𝑓 π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ π‘”π‘œ π‘‘π‘œ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ β„Žπ‘œπ‘ π‘π‘–π‘‘π‘Žπ‘™ π‘€π‘–π‘‘β„Ž π‘ƒπ‘œπ‘π‘œ π‘Œπ‘’π‘™π‘–, π‘€β„Žπ‘œ 𝑀𝑖𝑙𝑙 π‘π‘œπ‘šπ‘’ π‘‘π‘œ π‘π‘–π‘π‘˜ π‘šπ‘’ 𝑒𝑝 π‘€β„Žπ‘’π‘› π‘ π‘β„Žπ‘œπ‘œπ‘™ π‘π‘™π‘œπ‘ π‘’π‘ ? 𝐼 π‘π‘Žπ‘› π‘”π‘œ β„Žπ‘œπ‘šπ‘’ 𝑏𝑦 π‘šπ‘¦π‘ π‘’π‘™π‘“, π·π‘Žπ‘‘π‘‘π‘¦. 𝐼 π‘π‘Žπ‘› π‘‘π‘œ 𝑖𝑑."

Zhan lowered his steady gaze to him and replied firmly,

"π‘π‘œπ‘‘ π‘‘π‘œπ‘‘π‘Žπ‘¦, π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘›π‘œπ‘‘ π‘Žπ‘›π‘¦ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘¦. π‘‡β„Žπ‘’ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘¦ 𝐼 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 π‘œπ‘’π‘‘ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ 𝑀𝑒𝑛𝑑 π‘Žπ‘™π‘œπ‘›π‘’ π‘€π‘–π‘‘β„Žπ‘œπ‘’π‘‘ π‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘šπ‘–π‘ π‘ π‘–π‘œπ‘›, π‘¦π‘œπ‘’'𝑙𝑙 π‘˜π‘›π‘œπ‘€ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘π‘œπ‘›π‘ π‘’π‘žπ‘’π‘’π‘›π‘π‘’π‘ . π·π‘œ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ π‘’π‘›π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘?"

Yibo nodded quickly but added softly, "π΄π‘™π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘”β„Žπ‘‘, π·π‘Žπ‘‘π‘‘π‘¦. 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 π‘€π‘Žπ‘–π‘‘ π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’. 𝐡𝑒𝑑 π‘ƒπ‘œπ‘π‘œ π‘Œπ‘’π‘™π‘– π‘‘π‘œπ‘’π‘ π‘›'𝑑 π‘π‘œπ‘šπ‘’ π‘‘π‘œ π‘ π‘β„Žπ‘œπ‘œπ‘™. 𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 π‘ π‘π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’π‘‘ 𝑖𝑓 π‘’π‘£π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘¦π‘œπ‘›π‘’ π‘™π‘’π‘Žπ‘£π‘’π‘  π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ 𝐼'π‘š 𝑠𝑑𝑖𝑙𝑙 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’. π‘ƒπ‘™π‘’π‘Žπ‘ π‘’ π‘π‘œπ‘šπ‘’ π‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘™π‘¦, π·π‘Žπ‘‘π‘‘π‘¦."

Zhan adjusted Yibo's sweater, nodding with care.

"π‘Šπ‘Žπ‘–π‘‘ π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿ π‘šπ‘’, 𝑗𝑒𝑠𝑑 π‘Žπ‘  𝐼 π‘ π‘Žπ‘–π‘‘. πΊπ‘œ 𝑖𝑛 π‘›π‘œπ‘€....π‘‘π‘œπ‘›'𝑑 𝑏𝑒 π‘™π‘Žπ‘‘π‘’."

Yibo turned and walked inside.

Zhan hailed a taxi and went straight to work. Shortly after arriving, he explained the situation to his manager, excused himself, and headed to the hospital. Yuli had already called to say they had been admitted and assigned a bed.

By the time Zhan arrived, her husband's condition had worsened significantly. He collected the prescription and medical notes. Though he knew he didn't have much money, he still went to the pharmacy, determined to buy the medication no matter the cost.

When the pharmacist finished checking the list, the price was written down and handed to him: Β₯16,800.

Zhan inhaled slowly, his chest tightening. Looking at the attendant, he murmured,

"π‘‡β„Žπ‘Žπ‘›π‘˜ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’,"

then turned and walked away.

He didn't even have ten thousand. Altogether, there were only six thousand in his account...and even that wasn't truly his to spend. It was meant for Yibo's school meals, which were almost finished. He looked again at the paper, closed his eyes briefly, and felt a deep ache of pity for Yuli and her husband.

From what he knew, they had no one but each other. They were originally from Thailand, living as displaced people. Long ago, their relatives had died, and the rest had disappeared into uncertainty.

Zhan rubbed his face slowly, then turned toward the road to catch a taxi back to work. He planned to plead with his manager to release his salary early...there was only a week left in the month.

As he tried to stop a taxi, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He had muted it earlier. He took it out and saw Yuli's name on the screen.

He answered calmly, as always.

"π»π‘’π‘™π‘™π‘œ."

There was a heavy, painful silence on the other end. Then Yuli spoke, her voice broken, her strength gone.

"𝒁𝒉𝒂𝒏… 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 π’„π’π’Žπ’† π’ƒπ’‚π’„π’Œ. π‘Έπ’–π’šπ’‚π’π’ˆ π’Šπ’” π’ˆπ’π’π’†. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 π’‚π’π’“π’†π’‚π’…π’š π’‰π’Šπ’” π’•π’Šπ’Žπ’†."

A quiet sob escaped her before she ended the call.

"π‘‡π‘œ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ 𝑀𝑒 π‘π‘œπ‘šπ‘’, π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‘π‘œ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ 𝑀𝑒 π‘ β„Žπ‘Žπ‘™π‘™ π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘›...!," Zhan whispered, slipping the phone back into his pocket.

He crossed the road and walked back into the hospital, his head bowed, carrying the weight of sudden loss.

Yuli cried uncontrollably, and Zhan struggled to find words of comfort. All he could offer were quiet apologies and reminders to remain strong and place trust in fate.

They had no extended family....neither Yuli nor her late husband...so there was no delay for prolonged funeral arrangements. Once the hospital completed the necessary procedures, the body was released, and they returned home with it.

The residents of the compound and the surrounding neighborhood showed great sympathy. The funeral was conducted, and he was laid to rest with dignity.

Zhan could not go to the burial ground. His attention was split...his mind fixed on Yibo, who had to be picked up from school. He went straight there, collected him, brought him home, and left him with Zuwei before heading out to join the others at the burial site.

There was no formal gathering for condolences. Anyone who came simply stopped at Yuli's door, offered their sympathy, and left. On the day of the burial, people came and went quietly; afterward, visitors arrived only occasionally over the next two days.

Since the loss, Zhan made sure Yibo never missed school. He personally took him each morning before going to work, and when school closed, he would leave work briefly to escort him home before returning.

A new burden settled on Zhan's shoulders...his responsibility toward Yuli. He regarded her as family, and his heart ached for her loss: a husband, a companion, a lifelong partner she had known since youth. Even the hardships that once forced them into displacement had not separated them...only death had.

Because of Yuli's place in Yibo's life, Zhan took full responsibility for her care. He now provided everything for her. She had stopped working, both because of mourning and because grief had drained her strength. Often, she struggled to speak at all, and only occasionally did Yibo manage to draw a few words from her.

The loss forced Zhan to give up the apartment he had rented. He reclaimed the rent and decided to find another place once Yuli completed her mourning period. In the meantime, he gathered what money he had and bought sufficient food, along with school supplies for Yibo, who had advanced to Grade 7.

****

Six months after the death, they moved into a small new apartment closer to Zhan's workplace. It had two rooms and a small bathroom with cracked tiles...modest, but manageable. Zhan took one room. Yuli and Yibo shared the other, though some of Yibo's belongings remained in Zhan's room because he was still adjusting.

Zhan kept Yibo's original mattress and bought a slightly larger one for the for Yibo and Yuli, along with bedsheets and pillows, knowing how much Yibo valued his pillow while sleeping.

They managed to acquire enough basic furniture and household items. Most of the kitchen utensils were old, but usable. With these modest provisions, they began their new life in quiet stability.

It didn't take long for the neighbors to understand Zhan's reserved nature. His calm demeanor, self-discipline, and refusal to interfere in other people's affairs earned him respect, despite his young age. Wherever he lived, his composed presence and integrity commanded quiet admiration.

People respected him not for his years, but for his character.

Zhan transferred Yibo to a new school, as the previous one was too far. Their routine gradually changed. Yuli took charge of cooking and keeping the house clean, regaining a sense of purpose and becoming more like her former self. She cared for Yibo as though he were her own grandson. She also looked after Zhan attentively...his meals were never neglected. Once she realized how deeply he valued cleanliness, she ensured the house was always kept spotless.

Seeing the affection and care she showed him, the neighbors began to regard Yuli as Zhan's mother, even though she was not related by blood.

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