2: Impure thoughts

Entering the store, Wu Fan took Yaoyao straight to the toy section.

“What color doll do you like?” Wu Fan crouched down and asked quietly.

Yaoyao chose blue without hesitation.

Wu Fan was curious: “Why do you like blue?”

Yaoyao said earnestly, “My classmates say Mommy is like the sea, and the sea is blue.”

A pang struck Wu Fan’s heart.

Deep down, Yaoyao probably yearned for a beautiful mother.

Wu Fan took the doll, paid at the counter, and felt a strange sense of nervousness.

Fortunately, his phone immediately chimed with a text message.

Wu Fan quickly opened it and, sure enough, it was a China Construction Bank deposit notification—the cashback had arrived.

That was great.

Wu Fan immediately felt reassured. Yaoyao's future, at least materially, was no longer a worry.

Wu Fan even thought about Yaoyao's dowry when she eventually married, deciding he must make it incredibly grand and luxurious!

However, even with the one-to-one cashback, he still needed to work hard to earn and save more principal funds.

Yaoyao was clearly very happy hugging the doll.

After being dropped off at the school gate, Yaoyao said, “Daddy, when you go home, put the doll on my bedside table. Also, when you pick me up tonight, remember we promised to build a snowman together—no backing out!”

Wu Fan couldn't help but laugh: “When has Daddy ever broken his promise?”

Yaoyao blurted out, “You said you would find me a pretty mommy, so why hasn’t it happened after all this time?”

Wu Fan was momentarily speechless.

“Goodbye, Daddy.”

Yaoyao waved at Wu Fan and walked into the kindergarten.

Wu Fan watched her adorable retreating figure, feeling a sudden, inexplicable heartache.

Finding a mother was easier said than done.

He didn't have a respectable job, lived in a nearly thirty-year-old apartment, was divorced, and had a child—who would be foolish enough to marry into that situation?

Wu Fan pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and sat on his electric scooter spacing out for a while.

He worked as a tour bus driver for a travel agency, earning 7,000 yuan a month after social insurance deductions.

He still had four years left on his mortgage, which cost over three thousand yuan every month, leaving him with little money remaining.

For a second-tier city, this salary was normal.

After all, his working hours were relatively flexible; he drove when the travel agency had clients and rested when they didn't.

Moreover, when he signed the contract with his boss, he made one request: to be assigned routes within the county, staying on the island, because Yaoyao couldn't be without him at night.

The travel agency boss was understanding.

The snow had stopped sometime ago, but the sky was still dark and hazy.

Wu Fan twisted the throttle and went to the store again.

On the second floor, he impulsively bought a lot of Yaoyao’s necessary school supplies and over ten blind boxes.

He also bought a lot of fruit and snacks at the supermarket on the first floor.

After paying, the system promptly processed the cashback, which made Wu Fan very happy.

Now that he had 100,000 yuan in principal, and the system refunded whatever he spent, his daily expenses were completely manageable.

While parking his electric scooter downstairs, Fang Hanyu walked slowly toward him, wearing a long black down jacket and a pair of platform leather boots.

She was about 166cm tall, and the long coat looked particularly good on her, accentuating her figure.

“Wu Fan, what did you buy? That’s so much stuff?”

“I bought Yaoyao some toys and snacks.”

Fang Hanyu stopped beside Wu Fan. “Should I carry one bag for you?”

She and Wu Fan lived across the hall from each other, and even their room balconies were adjacent.

This year, during the government's old city renovation, all the anti-theft bars enclosing the balconies were uniformly removed, and clothes drying racks were replaced with retractable ones, supposedly for urban aesthetics.

This made Wu Fan very uncomfortable at first, feeling as if his home had instantly lost its sense of security.

One day, while smoking, Wu Fan ran into Fang Hanyu on the balcony and joked, “Well, now there’s no barrier between us anymore. I just need to lift my leg and step over to your place. How convenient.”

Hearing this, Fang Hanyu chuckled, “Why jump over? Can’t you just use the front door?”

Wu Fan exhaled a mouthful of smoke, looked at her, and said, “Sometimes, special circumstances require special treatment, understand?”

Only then did Fang Hanyu understand Wu Fan’s underlying meaning. She blushed slightly and said, “Why are you so improper, always thinking about nonsense?”

Wu Fan took a drag of his cigarette, was silent for a moment, and said, “Life is so dull; shouldn’t we introduce some excitement to awaken our inner passion?”

Fang Hanyu retorted, “Simplicity is the truth. You should quickly find a woman to fill your empty and lonely life. Do you want me to introduce you to someone?”

Wu Fan had always disliked blind dates, especially given his age and financial situation; the women introduced to him were usually divorced with children.

Don't underestimate these women; their requirements were even higher than those of a Young girl on a blind date.

As soon as they met, they would ask about his salary, how many houses he owned, how many children he had, and why he divorced his Ex-Wife...

However, remembering Yaoyao's wish for a mother, Wu Fan chimed in: “Teacher Fang, you weren’t joking, were you? If you’re willing to introduce someone, I’m certainly willing to go.”

Fang Hanyu nodded and said, “Just wait for news. I’ll communicate with her first.”

“Alright.”

...Recalling that conversation, Wu Fan handed the lighter bag to Fang Hanyu to carry and proactively asked, “You mentioned introducing someone to me last time, why haven’t I heard anything?”

Fang Hanyu, walking ahead, glanced back at him in surprise: “Oh, are you getting anxious? I urged you a few years ago, and you didn't seem worried then.”

Wu Fan followed behind her, saying as they went up the stairs, “Yaoyao will be starting first grade next year. If I don't find a mother soon, it will be awkward for a grown man like me to attend parent-teacher meetings. Besides, regarding Yaoyao’s schooling, having a woman look after it is ultimately more reassuring, right?”

As Fang Hanyu climbed the stairs, her perky backside swayed left and right, looking very alluring.

Wu Fan couldn't help but steal a few more glances, then, feeling somewhat vulgar, he lowered his head to look at his own feet.

He was surprised to find that his shoes hadn't been cleaned in who knows how many years; they were ridiculously dirty.

He felt a little sad again.

If there were a woman looking after the house, it probably wouldn't be this messy, would it?

At the very least, she could remind him when things were dirty, and even if he had to clean them himself, that would be better.

Fang Hanyu teased, “So you’re only getting a wife for Yaoyao’s sake?”

Wu Fan said brazenly, “On lonely nights, your brother also wants company and comfort, just like when your husband is away.”

Fang Hanyu stopped, turned around, and glared at him. “Can you please say something substantial? And why drag me into this?”

“What the f— isn’t that substantial enough? Don't you have needs?”

Fang Hanyu’s face flushed with anger. Without a word, she placed the bag on the stairs and quickly walked up the rest of the way by herself.

Wu Fan shouted, “Teacher Fang, why are you angry? This is all true! Hey, you still haven’t told me anything about the person you were going to introduce!”

A moment later, Fang Hanyu’s voice floated down from upstairs: “A person like you shouldn’t be introduced to a girlfriend; your thoughts are impure.”

...