Chapter 63 Guilt in My Heart

The two children huddled around Huo Zheng, their big eyes fixed on his exposed wounds, their little faces full of worry.

Yao Yao reached out to touch it, but was afraid of hurting her father, so she gently touched the edge of the gauze and asked softly, "Daddy, does it hurt?"

Leilei tugged at his sleeve, his voice slightly nasal: "Dad, you have to be careful in the future, we'll worry about you."

Huo Zheng looked at the two children with eyes so tender they could melt.

He reached out and ruffled their hair, forcing a relaxed smile: "It's nothing, just a little injury. How about Dad takes you to the beach to collect seashells once you're better?"

The two children immediately looked up, a hint of expectation flashing in their eyes, but they still held his hands tightly, afraid that he would get hurt again.

Lu Mingyue stood at the door and saw this scene, her heart softened.

Shen Baoqin found the sight of this family reunion particularly jarring.

Shen Baoqin finally put away the gauze and smiled awkwardly: "Then I'll go call other comrades."

After saying that, he turned and left, giving Lu Mingyue a meaningful look as he passed by.

Only a few of them remained in the room, the air thick with the smell of iodine.

Huo Zheng looked at Lu Mingyue, the coldness in his eyes dissipating and replaced by a barely perceptible gentleness.

Lu Mingyue saw that the wound on her arm was turned outwards, revealing bloody flesh.

Some people couldn't bear to look directly at her, and their tone carried a heartache they themselves were unaware of.

"How did you get injured?"

"On the way to the rescue, I accidentally cut my arm on a fallen tree branch."

Huo Zheng didn't want them to worry, so he didn't say anything more.

In fact, the situation was very dangerous at the time. When they were rescuing people in a house, the house collapsed very quickly due to years of disrepair.

Next to the house was a tall locust tree, which was swaying precariously due to the impact of the typhoon, so they could only seize the time to evacuate as quickly as possible.

The old man in the house was still thinking about the two yuan in his stove, and despite being stopped, he ran back to retrieve it.

But the current situation does not allow him to do so.

No amount of persuasion could help.

Taking advantage of everyone's inattention, the old man rushed over in one go. Huo Zheng was injured by the falling tree branch while trying to save him.

Soon, another doctor arrived to treat Huo Zheng's wound.

After the wound was treated, the family prepared to go home.

On the way home, the two children held Huo Zheng's hand in one hand and Lu Mingyue's hand in the other, chattering about the interesting things that happened that day.

"Daddy, we bought malted milk powder today, it smells so good!" Yao Yao looked up, her eyes sparkling.

"Mom also made us a cup, and I didn't want to drink it too fast."

Leilei added, "There are also peach shortbreads, which are crispy and crumble when you bite into them. We saved two for you, so you can eat them together when you get home."

Huo Zheng listened, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his face as he glanced at Lu Mingyue.

She was bending down to straighten Yao Yao's collar, her expression gentle.

The sea breeze, carrying a faint salty scent, blew in, dispelling the smell of iodine in the hospital and also easing the worry weighing on their hearts.

"Okay, let's eat together once Dad's injury has healed."

Huo Zheng held the children's hands tightly and then gently touched Lu Mingyue's fingertips.

Lu Mingyue looked up and met his gaze, her heart filled with something warm and comforting.

After arriving home, Lu Mingyue washed her hands and went to the kitchen to cook.

The two children happily laid out the things they had bought that day in front of their father so he could eat them.

Leilei watched his younger sister keeping their father company, his eyes darted around, and he quickly ran to the kitchen to help his mother start the fire.

Soon after, the family sat down at the table to eat steaming hot bone broth noodles.

The weather is a bit cooler after the typhoon, so eating bone broth noodles won't feel too hot.

Huo Zheng looked at how clean everything was, inside and out, and felt extremely guilty towards Lu Mingyue.

He was originally the one who did these chores, but because he said he hadn't come back either, it only increased her burden.

He was especially terrified when Lu Mingyue told him about the leak in her house, and he quickly apologized.

He put down his chopsticks and apologized repeatedly: "It was my oversight. I've been busy lately and haven't been able to take care of my family. I'm sorry for making you suffer."

Seeing his guilty expression, Lu Mingyue's dissatisfaction dissipated, and she gently comforted him, "It's alright, we've already found someone to fix it temporarily. Once you're healed, we'll fix it completely together."

Huo Zheng nodded, but secretly decided that once his injury healed as soon as possible, he would fix the roof and never let the mother and her two children suffer any more grievances.

At night, the two children had gotten used to sleeping with Lu Mingyue, or they were left alone in their rooms.

"Dad, your wound hasn't healed yet, so Mom, my sister, and I are going to bed."

Leilei abandoned his father without hesitation and ran into his mother's happy embrace.

Yao Yao buried her face in Lu Mingyue's arms, her breathing even and steady.

Under the dim light, their little faces wore sweet smiles, as if as long as she was there, she could withstand any storm.

In another room, Huo Zheng was left alone.

The wall clock ticked away, each tick like a blow to his heart.

He tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his mind filled with the news of the leaking roof he had heard during the day, and the image of his children sleeping soundly.

He suddenly felt that the room was terribly empty, so empty that he could hear the guilt and longing in his heart.

In the middle of the night, Huo Zheng quietly got up, put on his coat, and went to the children's bedroom door.

The door was ajar, letting in a thin sliver of light. He pushed the door open gently, afraid of waking the sleeping child.

The room was quiet, with only the sound of the wind outside the window and the children's even breathing.

Lu Mingyue was already asleep, holding her daughter in her arms.

The son was lying on the outside, with one hand still on Lu Mingyue's arm.

The two children's faces looked especially adorable under the dim light.

Huo Zheng stood by the bed, his gaze lingering on their faces for a long time, his eyes filled with tenderness and guilt.

"Dad's here," he whispered to himself. "From now on, I won't let you be afraid anymore."

As he turned to leave, he stood quietly at the door for a while, making sure the children were sleeping soundly, before gently closing the door and returning to his room.

Lu Mingyue heard the sound of the door opening in her sleep. She opened her eyes slightly in a daze and saw a tall figure disappear through the doorway.

When she woke up the next day, she thought she was dreaming. But when she asked Huo Zheng about it and saw his unnatural expression, she realized it wasn't a dream.

“I was worried that the two of them might not sleep well and wake you up, so I wanted to go and check on them.”

Lu Mingyue breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, it was true; otherwise, she would have thought she was just having a vivid dream.

Taking advantage of Lu Mingyue's inattention, he quietly got up, changed into his old coat, picked up his toolbox, and prepared to repair the roof.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he was seen by Lu Mingyue, who came out carrying hot water.

"What are you trying to do?" she frowned.