Little Qiaoan had no idea that Uncle Xu was going to be his father. He didn't know what getting a marriage certificate meant, nor did he know what getting married meant. It was not until Sister Liu told him that he was going to have a new father that he began to react.

Uncle Xu doesn't want to be an uncle, he wants to be a father!

Qiao Yan and Yuan Jianghe were also shocked. They were having a great time just now, but now she was crying silently.

"You were very happy today, accepting Uncle Xu's candy happily and saying cars are fun. Why don't you want your daddy anymore? Don't you like Uncle Xu?"

The little boy shook his head and tears fell down: "I don't want daddy, I don't want candy, I don't want a car..."

He doesn't want anything but his mother.

"Why don't you want a dad?" Yuan Jianghe asked puzzled.

"Yes, why? An An, tell your aunt why you don't want a daddy?"

Qiao Yan was also anxious. Although Qiao An was not her son, after spending so many days together, who could not love such a well-behaved boy? Seeing him cry was more heartbreaking than seeing her own child cry...even though she didn't have any children yet.

Qiao Lu couldn't even keep her hands busy, and could only barely hold back his tears with both hands.

Qiao An hiccupped, rubbed his eyes, and said in a hoarse voice: "Daddy is not well."

Qiaoan is only three years old and he doesn't know how to express many of his ideas.

In the past, when he was in the countryside, many people wanted to be his father. Qiao An didn’t understand why. Most of those men were ugly and old. They always liked to pull him aside and ask if he wanted to be a father. He knew that a father was a father.

If he said yes, they would grin with big yellow teeth and say with evil faces: "Then I will be your father, okay?" If Qiao An refused, they would scold him for not knowing what was good for him, pinch him, and beat him. He was beaten and ran all over the mountain. When he was caught, he would be beaten even harder by his "father" until his mother came with a hoe and drove the bad guy away...

Since she was a child, Qiao An felt that daddy, or father, was not a good person.

He doesn't want a dad or a father.

"Uncle Xu, do you think it's bad?"

The young man shook his head and sobbed: "I don't know."

Qiao Lu suddenly realized that the child was afraid.

Carefully recalling the original body's memory, when they were in the countryside, the mother and son seemed to have experienced an unhappy experience about "father".

But people should not throw away food because of choking. They should be on guard against it and also accept it.

"If Uncle Xu treats you badly after becoming your father, we'll kick him out, how about that?"

"Kick dad?" Qiao An's tears suddenly stopped in her eyes.

Not only Qiao An, but also Qiao Yan and her husband looked at Qiao Lu in confusion.

Qiao Lu patted his head lovingly and said with a smile: "Yes, kick daddy. If daddy dares to treat our An An badly, we mother and son will just kick him! Kick him out!"

Qiao An hooked her hands together and tossed them around, her mouth slowly curved into a tiny arc, she kicked her legs, and suddenly pressed towards Qiao Lu, hugging her.

"I dare not." As he said this, he buried his face in Qiao Lu's neck, and his warm tears splashed on her shoulders.

"What are you afraid of? Mom is here." Qiao Lu patted the little guy on the back and comforted him softly.

"Believe in mommy, mommy will not let you be bullied anymore, and no one can bully you. If anyone bullies you, we will kick him and drive him away."

The boy's eyes lit up and he found it incredible.

"mother……"

"Be good, don't be afraid, mommy is here."

"mother."

With Qiao Lu's comfort, the boy gradually let down his guard.

Qiaoan felt that he liked his current mother very much. He liked a fierce mother, a mother who picked up a hoe and chased away the bad guys.

What a secure mother she is.

…

The cold wind was howling, and snow flakes were flying from the sky. After seeing Yuan Jianghe off, Qiao Lu boiled a large pot of hot water to soak her feet.

Footbath in winter is the cheapest way for the poor to enjoy themselves. The mother and son have a lot of fun with their big feet stepping on the small feet.

After soaking their feet, the mother and son played parent-child games on the bed. Qiao Lu finally coaxed her son to sleep and took a breath of relief.

The cold wind came in through the window, and Qiao Lu tucked the corner of the quilt for her son.

Qiao An slept restlessly tonight. He grasped her collar tightly with both hands and forced her to lean into his arms.

Qiao Lu thought the child was cold, so she reached out and touched his back, and found it was covered in sweat.

"mother……"

The kid yelled out in a daze, and Qiao Lu thought the child had woken up from a nightmare. She turned on the light and found Qiao An was sleeping soundly.

The dim light shone on his face, his mouth was pouting, his brows were furrowed, and something bad must have happened in his dream.

Qiao Lu sighed, turned off the light and hugged her son tightly. The little guy rubbed against her arms and murmured.

“I won’t leave…”

Qiao Lu patted his back gently: "No, I won't leave. Be good, go to sleep, go to sleep, mommy is here."

In the darkness, the little guy's brows slowly relaxed.

Outside the window, the sound of rain was getting louder and louder.

…

The early mornings in winter are the coldest. The wind is howling, carrying raindrops that hit the window glass. The wind blows against the window, making a rustling sound that disturbs people's sweet dreams.

Qiao Lu lay paralyzed in the quilt, unable to move. She thought about the agreement she had made with Xu Haizhou yesterday and decided not to indulge in the gentle countryside any longer.

I pulled back the quilt—wow—how sour.

"Mom~" The little guy was so cold that he crawled into her arms, twisting his butt and sticking it up high.

"The sun is shining on your butt, get up."

"Mom..." He hugged her tighter.

Qiao Lu patted his little butt, the elastic flesh was so soft and nice to squeeze.

"We are the parasites of the house, mother and son. Get up and work!"

After coaxing Qiao An for a long time, he still couldn't wake up. He would either burrow into her arms or into the quilt, crawling around like a puppy.

Of course a mother has to lead by example, so Qiao Lu got up first, and after she was dressed neatly, she turned around and watched the little boy imitate her.

He dressed in a hurry, in a panic, as if he was afraid that Qiaolu would abandon him. He was not very good at dressing himself, and his head got lost after it was stuck in the sweater. He couldn't find the collar and was buzzing around inside like a headless fly.

"Mmmmm——" After calling out twice, he fell headfirst.

Qiao Lu was amused by her son and laughed out loud. She hurried forward to help him find a hole. When she saw the light of day again, her little face was flushed red. When she saw Qiao Lu, she rushed over and hugged her neck.

"mother……"

"Come, mom will teach you how to wear it."

Qiao Lu taught her son how to dress himself, and the little boy watched very carefully with his eyes wide open. After each step, she asked him if he understood it, and the little boy nodded softly.

As for whether he has learned it or not, it is unknown.

She put on her clothes, boiled water to wash her face, and while waiting she swept the floor with a broom. She heated up last night's leftovers in the pot, which made a fairly substantial breakfast for the mother and son.

After washing your face, apply vanishing cream as usual.

In the past, when I was in the countryside, I had never used these facial creams. Qiao's family was not rich, and their income throughout the year came from work points from working in the fields. The family was poor and could barely make ends meet, and they also had to support my sister's education. Anyway, the people in the countryside were accustomed to life without facial creams, so they just endured it.

Qiao Lu is fine, she is still young, and her skin, which is chapped by the cold wind in winter, will heal itself in the spring of the following year. This happens every year.

Later, when they moved to the city, Qiao Yan shared her own vanishing cream with her, and Qiao Lu and her son's faces finally did not become dry and cracked this winter.

Nowadays, vanishing cream is considered a luxury skin care product for ordinary people. A can of vanishing cream can be exchanged for almost a pound of meat! Two adults and a child used up a can in half a month, and her sister didn't even say a word of reluctance.

Qiao Lu was looking forward to making more money in the future to repay her sister.

…

It rains from time to time in the south in winter, and it can be cloudy for half a month. The wind blows across the neck, making you shiver from the cold.

When walking outside, the little ball in Qiaolu's arms huddled into her arms. The soft little hands were hot and warm, and they were wrapped around her neck like a self-heating scarf, so warm and comfortable.

Qiao Lu put her cheek close to her son and gently reminded him: "Don't cry when you go to see Uncle Xu later."

The boy's eyes were clear, his mouth pouted, and he looked quite strong: "Don't cry."

Qiao Lu smiled and gave him a kiss: "My son is so good."

The boy shrank his neck in embarrassment, and after a long while he suddenly spoke: "Mom."

"Um?"

Qiao An's brows knitted together, and after a while he said, "Why does Uncle Xu want to be my father?"

This little kid is still thinking about this.

After thinking for a while, Qiao Lu answered him seriously: "Because Uncle Xu likes Mom, Mom also likes Uncle Xu. Mom wants to marry him and give An An a home with a father."

Although Qiao An didn't know why his mother suddenly liked Uncle Xu, nor did he know why Uncle Xu suddenly liked his mother, he knew the last sentence: his mother said she wanted to give him a home with a father... It sounded very good.

"Is it Uncle Xu or Dad?"

Qiao Lu tapped his forehead and said, "You haven't gotten married yet, so call him uncle first. Or you can ask Uncle Xu whether he likes you to call him uncle or dad."

"He likes Daddy." said the kid.

Qiao Lu laughed out loud: "That's not necessarily true, you should go ask him and you will know."

After that, Qiao An stopped talking. No one knew what was going on in her mind. She just lay obediently on her mother's shoulder and nodded.

…

Li'an City is a small city with a population of less than 3 million. It is adjacent to the sea in the south and surrounded by mountains in the east, west, and northwest. It is a hilly area with poor land and insufficient arable land resources. The geographical environment determines that the people here cannot get rich by farming. If they want to live a good life, they have to rely on wisdom.

After the reform and opening up, the first batch of private businesses in the country appeared here.

In Qingteng Alley here, merchants come in one after another carrying small commodities to reserve a spot in the alley. If you come early, you can get a good spot, but if you come late, only the corners are left.

"Haizhou, why didn't you come to set up your stall yesterday? The girl who bought hairpins last time brought her classmates here again. There were a lot of people, but you were not here. I had to ask them to come tomorrow."

Xu Haizhou placed the ornaments slowly, thinking of something, with a light smile on his face.

"I forgot to tell you that I went on a blind date yesterday. I'm busy getting married recently, so I may not have much time to set up a stall in the next few days."

"What? Get married?" Li Hongjun was stunned and took a long time to come to his senses.

"Um."

Li Hongjun walked up to him anxiously and said, "My good man, your love interest never comes, but once it comes, it blooms big. You said you went on a blind date yesterday, and you're getting married today. Is there anyone who's as fast as you? Brother, I thought you'd have to stay single for at least another ten years with your personality!"

Xu Haizhou glared at him and said, "Can't you expect me to do something good?"

"Okay, okay, you got the beauty and left me alone in an empty room... Bah! An empty room! You threw me out of here!" He said depressedly and took out two plum candies from his pocket: "Fuck! This candy is so bitter."

"How could that be?" Plum candy is sour and sweet, and it is impossible for it to have a bitter taste.

Li Hongjun was furious and threw the candy to him: "You are going to get married! I don't even have a female mosquito around me! Brother, I am so sad!"

Xu Haizhou: "..."

Xu Haizhou couldn't help laughing. Just as he was about to reply, the guy's expression changed faster than turning a page. He suddenly pointed behind him and shouted, "Look, a beautiful girl!"

Li Hongjun has traveled extensively for many years and has spent some time in Guangdong. When he mentions the word "beautiful girl", people who don't know him would actually think he is from Guangdong.

Xu Haizhou looked over when he heard the voice. When they met yesterday, Qiao Lu had her hair tied up, but today it was casually draped behind her head. Her hair was black and smooth, and the ends of her hair lifted slightly as she walked, making her look both delicate and graceful.

If she didn't say it, who would think she was a woman who had given birth?

After seeing Qiao Lu, Xu Haizhou no longer wanted his stall.

His chest rose and fell dramatically from the intense running: "Why are you here?"

The author has something to say:

Thank you everyone. Although the author is single, I can receive flowers from everyone in the comment section every day. I am very touched (づ￣3￣)づ