Wanderer of the Zerg

Chapter 73: Xi Tian’s Father

The Lance family lived near the foot of the mountain, where the road leading to their house was lined with a dazzling array of flowers in full bloom, buzzing with bees and butterflies, and filled with a rich fragrance.

Before they even entered the door, Svet’s voice already rang out, “Father, Daddy, look who has come back.”

Following behind Svet, Xi Tian saw two elderly men. One was sitting on the sofa, engrossed in a family terminal playing opera, and the other, wearing glasses, was dusting the bookshelf with a feather duster.

The elderly man with glasses said, “We could hear you from afar, Svet. Can’t you ever change that habit?”

The elderly man with glasses turned to look at his youngest child, but his gaze went past Svet and landed on Xi Tian behind him.

He froze in place and, after regaining his composure, stepped forward to turn off the terminal, making the room immediately quiet.

The elderly man with glasses was named Lans, and the man listening to the opera was the head of the household, Fu An.

Fu An and Lans excitedly recognized Xi Tian. Lans’s family accepted Xi Tian without any doubt.

Xi Tian had initially been skeptical about why they hadn’t questioned his identity, but he finally understood when Lans led him to see the family photo.

In the photo, the second person from the right, about thirteen or fourteen years old, stood with flowers blooming behind him, yet he wore long clothes. His face bore a striking resemblance to Xi Tian, with a seven out of ten similarity, and his eyes held a cold, world-weary look.

Xi Tian told Lans and the others about his childhood memories, and in turn, the elderly man, his grandfather, shared stories about his father.

Xi Qisi was the fourth child they adopted and the only male among five children. He had lived at the local orphanage. Fu An and Lans both loved children and had decided to give homeless cubs a family when they got together.

From the adoption application forms sent by the orphanage, they were immediately drawn to Xi Qisi. They traveled a great distance to Morisan and happened to see the outstanding young male reject a previous couple who had come to see him. The two didn’t have high hopes since orphan males had more freedom to choose their parents; if the boy didn’t want them, no one could force him.

Fourteen-year-old Xi Qisi had a cold demeanor and, at first sight, stated, “You’ve never raised a male before.”

It was a statement, not a question.

“Only rough and sturdy females, such a family won’t be much better,” Xi Qisi sneered, ready to refuse them, but their second adopted child burst in noisily. Lans and Fu An feared the second child would scare Xi Qisi, but he suddenly changed his tone and agreed to the adoption.

“They were destined to be together. Xi Qisi was somewhat solitary, but after coming to our home, he got along well with Lake, although Lake was four years older. Their relationship was so close that no one could come between them. They went through their youth and adulthood together.

As soon as Xi Qisi became an adult, the two secretly took their ID cards, ran off, and got married. They only informed us after getting the certificate, arguing that they were afraid we wouldn’t agree.”

Fu An adjusted his glasses, a faint smile on his face, and his tone was filled with fond memories.

In Xi Tian’s mind, the images of his two fathers gradually became clearer as the elderly man recounted their stories while flipping through the family photos.

The male father is called Xi Qisi, a name he gave himself at the welfare agency. He once had an unknown dark past, which contributed to his reclusive and introverted nature, making it difficult for him to trust anyone other than his female father. His love for the Lance family members grew slowly but deeply.

The female father is called Lake Lance, an optimistic and cheerful person with a rough yet meticulous nature. He loved sports and came to the Lance family at the age of three. As a child, he was the most notorious kid for miles around. The two elders could talk about his mischievous deeds from childhood until dawn.

After their marriage, they soon moved out of the Lance family home to live together. On the surface, it seemed that the female father took care of the male father, but in reality, it was the male father who indulged the female father. Lake didn’t want to have children immediately, so they played for a couple of years. Lake couldn’t cook, but Xi Qisi, who had never stepped into a kitchen before adulthood, surprisingly became a good cook. When Lake wanted to join the military, Xi Qisi supported his choice.

“Actually, if Xi Qisi hadn’t indulged Lake so much, Lake wouldn’t have returned to the army three months pregnant, insisted on participating in some training, and ended up encountering a once-in-a-century space pirate attack, where no one survived.

When Xi Qisi heard the news, he stayed in their home, locked up for three days. We were really worried about his health, so we brought him back to our home. He couldn’t stay in his old room, only sleeping in Lake’s bed.

After Lake’s death, Xi Qisi became even more silent. He personally erected Lake’s gravestone.

I was puzzled at the time why he ordered two gravestones, only later learning he intended to die as well.

For half a year, he was like a wandering ghost, not speaking a word. On a day in May, an old friend visited him, and Xi Qisi personally cooked a whole table of dishes. We all thought his spirits had improved. But on May 4th, the day he came to our family, he ran back to the house he shared with Lake and hanged himself.

At this point, the elder’s voice choked with emotion.

If Xi Qisi knew that the child he and Lake conceived came into this world safely, he would have lived until now.

The town underwent major reconstruction ten years ago; all old houses were demolished and replaced with new duplexes, including Xi Qisi’s marital home, which no longer exists.”

Xi Tian didn’t know how to describe his inner feelings.

This was a very loving couple, so much in love that their world consisted only of each other.

In Xi Qisi’s heart, Lake outweighed everything, even his child.

His existence or non-existence didn’t matter to his father.

“Actually, none of us expected Lake to bring you safely into this world. When Lake was first pregnant, he told us that he and Xi Qisi had agreed to name the child ‘Tian,’ hoping the child would be as vast as the sky.

You have inherited their bloodline and carried their wishes on you.”