Chapter 510 Adoption

After the leader left, Su Lao Er kept thinking about this problem.

Xu Ying rushed over after work and saw him staring blankly at one spot. She asked him, "What's wrong? You look so pale."

“Xu Ying…”

Su Lao Er hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Xu Ying peeled an orange, stuffed the segments into his mouth, and said, "Speak."

"I want to discuss something with you."

Su Lao Er reached out and took her hand, stroking it naturally. "The leader came to see me. I mentioned to the leader that I was going to transfer to civilian work after the New Year, and the leader agreed."

Xu Ying gave a puzzled "hmm," and said, "Isn't this a good thing? Why are you being so hesitant? Is there something else?"

Su Lao Er looked up at her and smiled, then gently kissed the back of her hand.

He said, "Yes, do you remember the comrade I told you about before? We went on a mission together, and he... because he was worried about the child of the poisoner being so young, he let the child go when the child was crying and begging for mercy. In return, the child was mowed down by Duanmu Cannon. Although I tried my best to suppress the enemy with firepower, it was too late..."

Xu Ying grasped his hand in return, twisted his fingers, and gently hummed in agreement. "I remember, your boss said he had several times more 'slots' than you, and there was nothing he could do; he died on the spot."

"Yes, he was thinking of his pregnant wife and the child who was about to be born, so he softened and spared the child's life, but it turned out to be his death warrant."

Su Lao Er felt heartbroken whenever he thought of what happened back then.

They had already destroyed the drug den, and he was about to return to his unit. One moment he was looking forward to the birth of his child, and the next...

Su Lao Er let out a trembling breath, his eyes reddening as he looked at Xu Ying. "Xu Ying, I want to adopt this child, is that alright?"

"……sure."

Xu Ying looked at the scarlet at the corner of his eyes, and her eyes shimmered with tears. Then she saw the ripples in Su Lao Er's eyes and his handsome face breaking into a smile in a second.

She was momentarily dazed.

"That's wonderful, thank you, Xu Ying. You are truly one of the kindest women I've ever met," Su Lao Er said awkwardly.

Xu Ying, "..."

Okay, snap out of it.

She glanced at Su Lao Er with amusement, "Who are the second and third ones?"

Su Lao Er blinked and smiled, "My mom, my grandma, my sister-in-law, my aunt, my second aunt..."

Xu Ying was amused by him and patted the back of his hand lightly.

"You really are very open and honest."

Su Lao Er nodded, “When my wife asks me questions, I must answer truthfully and without exaggeration or cutting corners.”

Xu Ying suppressed the upward curve of her lips and patted him again.

"You smooth talker! If you want to adopt the child, then adopt him. His parents are both decent people, and the child will grow up to be good. For us, it's just another pair of chopsticks, but for the child, it's a lifetime. When are you going to complete the formalities? I'll go and bring the child back. You can stay home and recover..."

"The leader went to pick him up. The child will have a check-up tomorrow, and he should come to the hospital tomorrow. We'll go together then," said Su Lao Er.

Xu Ying nodded and said, "Okay."

Su Lao Er gave her a deep look, his eyes showing a change he himself didn't even realize.

"By the way, shouldn't we also tell your mother, your eldest brother and sister-in-law, your third brother, Grandma Qiu, and Arona?"

Su Lao Er said he wanted to let them know.

Adopting a child is a big deal. Xu Ying pushed over a wheelchair, helped Su Lao Er sit down, and the two of them went to call home together.

Li Banxia's first reaction was, "Have you discussed this with Xu Ying? What did she say?"

Su Lao Er told Li Banxia what Xu Ying had said. Li Banxia nodded and said, "I have no objection. The child will be registered in your names. You will be the child's parents from now on, and you will be the ones to take care of everything. You can make your own decisions."

Grandma Qiu said with a smile, "It just so happens that Le Bao'er and Mingwa are older now. You can bring the children to our home, and Arno and I will help you take care of them. You can go and do your own things."

Su Lao Er looked at Xu Ying with surprise.

Xu Ying smiled, "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for Grandma Qiu?"

"No, don't worry."

Xu Ying said, "Then I'll give Grandma Qiu a separate salary later. Grandma Qiu, please don't refuse, otherwise I'll really feel bad asking you for help."

Grandma Qiu smiled and readily agreed.

The next day, Xu Ying wasn't sure if it was morning or afternoon, so she simply took a day off and came to the hospital to wait.

Around 10 o'clock, the leader and the guards holding the child arrived at the hospital together.

Xu Ying pushed Su Lao Er, who was in a wheelchair, to see the leader and expressed their intentions. The leader glanced at Xu Ying and asked in surprise, "Is this your wife?"

Su Lao Er nodded, "My wife is Xu Ying."

"Comrade Xu..."

The leader looked at Xu Ying and said, "Do you agree to him adopting our soldier's child? Taking care of a child is not an easy task. This child is still young, and has been tossed around like a ball between his grandparents and maternal grandparents. The child is very sensitive and may require careful and meticulous care. You..."

"Don't worry, leader. I've thought about these things carefully. I have help at home, so taking care of a child shouldn't be a problem. I'll also give the child more love and care so he can get out of this gloom as soon as possible," Xu Ying said with a smile.

The leader nodded, looked at Su Lao Er with delight, and said, "Comrade Su Min'an, you've married a good wife."

“Yes, I think so too.” Su Lao Er looked up at Xu Ying.

Xu Ying patted him on the back.

"Then I'll find someone to register the child's household registration under your name, Su Min'an. Do the rest of your family members have any objections?" the leader asked.

Su Lao Er nodded and said, "No, I have already consulted my family."

The leader was completely relieved. He glanced at the pale-faced child nestled in the guard's arms and said, "This child is very lucky. Both of his fathers are good men."

After the child's check-up and bath, Li Banxia and Grandma Qiu arrived at the hospital with the child's supplies. They had bought the supplies based on the children's heights, but they ended up buying the wrong size.

Because the child has never had a proper meal since birth, he is small and thin, and cries like a cat.

Grandma Qiu felt a pang of heartache seeing this.

After hearing about the child's parents, I felt even more sorry for the child's unfortunate life.

After changing his clothes, Xu Ying placed the child on the hospital bed. He opened his big eyes and looked at the group of people. Xu Ying noticed that his clothes were a little loose and reached out to straighten them for him.

The child suddenly grabbed her hand and put it in his mouth, sucking on it with his little mouth moving. The soft, warm touch made Xu Ying freeze on the spot.

"This child..."

Grandma Qiu smiled and said, "They're probably hungry. I'll go make some milk."

After preparing the milk, Xu Ying clumsily picked up the baby and put the nipple in the baby's mouth. The baby swallowed the milk with big, smacking sounds, but his big, clear eyes kept staring at her. His little hands were gripping the collar of her clothes, and his nails gently slid across her neck, feeling soft and slightly painful.

Xu Ying felt a tenderness in her heart.