Chapter Fifty-Four: Going to School

The phone Antony had given Qiu Fengyu was already discarded. He found his own phone again in the attic of the noodle shop, charged it, and to his surprise, it still worked, even though it hadn’t been charged for over forty days. He called Britt, inviting him over for dinner the next day. Britt happily agreed.

The dinner was to be held at Saoirse’s house. In truth, after a thorough cleaning, the place looked quite tidy, and with a fresh coat of paint on the outside, it actually seemed rather nice. There were three rooms and an attic, which could serve as a living space or for storage.

The garage was still intact, with Qiu Fengyu’s Mustang parked inside, and there was room for another car. What pleased Qiu Fengyu even more was the discovery of a basement near the fence by the garage. This seemed to be a standard feature for Texans, as tornadoes often occurred here, and a basement was the safest place to hide during such events.

To prepare for the following evening’s dinner, Qiu Fengyu even drove to El Paso to buy a variety of dishes, intending to treat them to a grand Chinese feast.

The next morning, Qiu Fengyu took Tim out for a run, followed by some training exercises, including physical conditioning, combat techniques, and some tactical drills. The focus was on sharpening his awareness—nothing was more important than having a keen sense of awareness.

“Hey, Qiu!” During their run, they met Officer Coffin, as usual. She wore only a training vest on top, her figure looking quite full. Even Tim couldn’t help but sneak a glance.

“Idiot, watch your eyes or I’ll gouge them out,” Qiu Fengyu scolded.

Tim laughed cheekily and ran ahead.

“You’re treating him like a grown man already,” Qiu Fengyu grinned at Coffin. “How does it feel, being sheriff for over a month now? Any difference from before?”

“Just the title’s changed, nothing else,” Coffin shrugged. “When you sort out Tim’s adoption, give me a call. I’ll help you make the arrangements. If you know someone, things always go more smoothly.”

“I know. Well… Tomorrow night I’m inviting Britt’s family for dinner, and I’ll introduce Tim to them. Hopefully, they’ll accept this arrangement.”

“They will, Britt will. You saved his life,” Coffin patted Qiu Fengyu’s shoulder. “And don’t cause trouble.” With that, she ran off. She said this every time.

Back inside, Qiu Fengyu prepared for a shower. Tim stepped out of the bathroom and, seeing him, asked, “Are you pursuing her? She’s quite a woman. I like her.”

“You’ve had a girlfriend before?” Qiu Fengyu asked.

“Of course, who hasn’t?” Tim replied without hesitation. “I’ve already had two. And… you know, girls are usually more curious than boys, but I’m pretty curious myself. Except, well, I haven’t slept with them…”

Qiu Fengyu was momentarily stunned, then remembered they were in America. He dropped the subject.

When Britt’s family arrived at Qiu Fengyu’s place, they looked around and were full of praise.

“You’ve made this place so nice. Saoirse never really kept it up…” Elizabeth smiled at Qiu Fengyu, expressing her admiration.

“I want sweet and sour ribs!” Nicole demanded as soon as she saw Qiu Fengyu.

“Me too!” Danny chimed in.

Qiu Fengyu laughed heartily. “I made a double portion. I promise you’ll both have your fill. Come, meet Tim—hey, Tim, introduce yourself.”

Tim, all smiles, greeted Britt and Elizabeth politely, introducing himself with such manners that the couple were more than satisfied. He seemed like a proper young gentleman—everyone likes a polite child.

“Britt, I need your help,” Qiu Fengyu said privately to Britt in the bedroom, explaining the adoption situation and making his request. “I promise he won’t be any trouble. He doesn’t even have to live with you—he can stay with me. Even if there are background checks, it’ll be easy to explain.”

“No problem, leave it to me,” Britt agreed without a moment’s hesitation. “Actually… having another child at home would make things livelier anyway…”

“All right, maybe I wasn’t clear enough,” Qiu Fengyu clarified. “I mean an adoption in name only—Tim would still live with me. Is that okay?”

Britt opened his mouth to speak, thought for a moment, then nodded. “All right, we’ll do it your way.”

Qiu Fengyu had expected a lengthy discussion, but Britt agreed easily and immediately went to talk privately with Elizabeth. Soon, both returned, smiling.

“Elizabeth agrees—it’s a good thing. God will bless this child.”

“God will bless you both, too. You’re good people,” Qiu Fengyu nodded, satisfied that his goal for the day was achieved.

The next day, Coffin contacted an official, a woman of about thirty, though Coffin herself didn’t accompany her. The assessment took place at Britt’s home, with Tim temporarily staying there. The woman was very pleased with Britt’s family, found them fully qualified for adoption, and on the spot had Britt and his wife sign an adoption agreement, stipulating that Tim’s situation would be periodically reviewed.

This was the rule: investigations would continue at intervals, and after three months, if both sides were satisfied, the process would end. But if either party was dissatisfied, they could file a complaint, prompting a new investigation. If the complaint was found valid, the adoption would be terminated.

This was a bit different from a formal adoption—more of a foster arrangement, not yet establishing an official parent-child relationship.

The process was complicated, and Qiu Fengyu didn’t care to delve into the details. What mattered was that Tim would soon be attending a middle school in El Paso.

At Tim’s request, and after checking his academic record at his previous school, he would continue high school in El Paso. Based on his age, he wasn’t yet old enough to get a driver’s license. At fifteen, he’d have to wait another year. Still, he was an experienced driver, having learned from his father at twelve, and he loved driving. Yet Qiu Fengyu had no intention of letting him risk driving to school each day; he’d rather Tim take the school bus.

Once everything was settled, Qiu Fengyu called Tim into the living room for their first face-to-face conversation.

“Listen, Tim,” Qiu Fengyu said, feeling he needed to be clear. “I don’t care what your life was like before, but from now on, none of that has anything to do with you.”

“I know!” Tim replied calmly. “I know what my purpose is. I’m not like… those other kids.” His words were a little too mature for his age.

Given what he’d been through, though, perhaps it wasn’t surprising.

“All right, do what you think is best. Every day, before and after school, you must complete the tasks I set for you.” Qiu Fengyu stood up, bringing their first formal talk to an end in just two minutes.

Clearly, the first family meeting had gone well.

The next day, Qiu Fengyu drove him to school in the Mustang. After circling El Paso, they found the school—a public school that had started over a month earlier, following the common two-semester system: September through December, then January through June, much like in China.

Qiu Fengyu parked the car in a lot not far from the school gate.

“Wait, I can handle this myself,” Tim said, waving off Qiu Fengyu, who was about to walk him in.

“Are you sure? It’s a new school, new classmates…”

“Yes. Maybe I couldn’t have before, but now… no problem.” Tim sounded confident.

Qiu Fengyu shrugged, spreading his hands. “You’re also sure you can handle any teachers or staff?”

Tim just shrugged, silent, but clearly self-assured.

Qiu Fengyu didn’t press further, only reminding him, “Don’t cause trouble. Don’t make Britt come to school to answer for you all the time.”

Tim waved and walked through the gate.

By then, a crowd of students was already arriving—some on bicycles, some driving themselves, others dropped off by parents, but most came by school bus.