"Uh...why don't you clean yourself up first?" Jiang Wanqing pointed to the dirt on his body and suggested tactfully.
He looked down and saw that he was indeed slovenly; his clothes were torn by straw, his hands and feet were filthy, and his face was black. No wonder his daughter thought he was a bad person.
Cheng Ran was both amused and exasperated, but his daughter's words were law and he couldn't disobey them. He restrained himself from taking a step closer and softened his voice.
"Dad will go wash his face first, and then come back to play with Nannan later."
The daughter was still nestled in Jiang Wanqing's arms, her tiny body curled up into a little ball.
"Mommy, I'm scared..."
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, that really is Daddy, you'll see in a bit," Jiang Wanqing gently reassured her daughter.
She waited outside with her child for a while. Cheng Ran quickly finished showering and cleaned herself up. When she came out, she looked completely different—clean and refreshed. Looking at her daughter, she seemed a little awkward and cautiously reached out her hand.
"Baby, can Daddy give you a hug?"
The look in his eyes as he looked at Nannan was a mixture of expectation and guilt.
The child was still hesitant to be held, but compared to before, he boldly raised his head, his eyes darting around as he looked at Cheng Ran, then turned to ask Jiang Wanqing.
"Mom, is that really Dad?"
"Of course it's true! Look how alike you two are! Dad looks exactly like the person in the photo."
After listening to her mother's words, Nannan blinked her eyes and hesitated before reaching out her hand to Cheng Ran.
"Hug, Daddy."
"Hey! Daddy, hug me!"
Cheng Ran's fingers trembled with excitement. He quickly composed himself and gently pulled his daughter into his arms.
It was the first time he had held a child, and it was his own daughter. He was afraid of dropping her if he held her too loosely, and afraid of choking her if he held her too tightly, so he stayed in one position and didn't dare to move. Jiang Wanqing was amused by him.
"Pfft... Nannan is already over two years old, she's not that delicate anymore. Your nervousness might scare her."
"Really? Then... should I hold you like this?"
He changed his holding position, lifting his daughter high, and the little girl burst into laughter.
"Daddy, I want to ride a horse..."
"Okay, Daddy will take you horseback riding."
Cheng Ran easily placed his daughter on his neck and held her hand, his affection for her was obvious.
Laughter carried far, and Cheng Ran's parents returned from outside. When they saw him, they thought they were seeing things.
Cheng's mother reached out her hand to her husband: "Old man, pinch me, I think I see Cheng Ran, am I dreaming?"
“It’s not a dream, I saw it too. He’s playing with the little girl. Let’s go over there.”
Suppressing his excitement, the elderly couple walked up to Cheng Ran and Jiang Wanqing. Before they could even speak, their eyes reddened, a truly poignant sight.
"Dad...Mom..."
"Hey! It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back!"
Everyone suppressed their excitement, a restrained joy, afraid that expressing their emotions too openly would easily arouse jealousy and bring disaster upon themselves.
Mr. Cheng patted Cheng Ran's arm and said with satisfaction, "You've gotten stronger again. Not bad. Mission accomplished?"
"Yes, all the criminals have been apprehended. My mission is complete. I finally have time to spend with you all. I'm sorry for these past two years."
A simple "I'm sorry" conveyed her deep sorrow, and Cheng's mother raised her hand to wipe away her tears.
"It's good that everyone is alright. Come on, let's go to the room to talk."
The little girl couldn't understand why the adults were crying. She thought her father was crying too, so she reached out to wipe his tears.
"Don't cry, Daddy, let me comfort you..."
"Hahaha... This child is really clever and mischievous."
The elderly couple were amused by their granddaughter, and Jiang Wanqing couldn't help but smile as well. The family went inside and put the little girl down.
Only after confirming that Cheng Ran was truly unharmed did his parents feel completely relieved.
“If you had listened to us earlier and been transferred back to a less demanding position in Beijing, you wouldn’t have suffered so much.”
Thinking back, Cheng's mother still felt regret; she clearly had the opportunity not to get involved in such dangerous matters...
"Mom, I am a soldier of the People's Liberation Army. It's not appropriate for you to say that."
“Cheng Ran is right. We should broaden our perspective and avoid saying things that could easily cause conflict,” Cheng’s father reminded his wife.
"No matter what, you've done a good job this time. You were considered a martyr back then, with a first-class merit. Now that you're alive, you're fine. Your old position was taken by someone else, so they'll definitely have to reassign you when you go back. This time, don't just grit your teeth and rush forward. Even if you don't think about me and your dad, think about your daughter."
After Cheng's mother said this, the others had different expressions. As a veteran, Cheng's father was not in a position to express his opinion. Cheng Ran did have some ties to bear and needed to weigh the options. As for Jiang Wanqing, she would definitely respect her husband's decision.
The atmosphere fell silent. Cheng Ran only replied, "I'm still a long way from being reinstated. I'll spend more time with Nannan and Wanqing first. We'll talk about these things later."
"Dad, stay with me..."
After feeling warmth and love in his arms, the little girl was more willing to be close to him, and the father and daughter had a great time playing together.
"Let's go, let's go outside first." Mr. Cheng pulled his wife up and walked outside, giving Jiang Wanqing a wink, "Come out for a moment, I have something to tell you."
She glanced back at her daughter and husband, then followed her in-laws out, gently closing the door behind her.
"What do you want to say to me?" she asked directly.
"Hmm... Cheng Ran survived this ordeal, falling off a cliff and losing his memory, so he definitely needs to recuperate for a while. You should talk to him and help him relax. He'll listen to you. Do you understand what I mean?"
Cheng's mother's eyes darted around, and she chimed in, "I won't hold it against you for hiding the fact that Cheng Ran is still alive. As his wife, you also have a daughter. Ask him to take care of the family more. If that's really not possible... turn around..."
Before she could finish speaking, the old man glared at her, reminding her that these words shouldn't be spoken lightly.
Jiang Wanqing's eyes flickered. She understood what they were saying, and she had her own plan for what to do.
To avoid them continuing to press the issue, she agreed.
"Okay, I understand."
"Good to know, just don't ignore what we say. Cheng Ran is our only son, and he's your daughter's only father. Think it through."
"Let's go, let's go. Wanqing is a smart person, she doesn't need us to teach her."
The more he said, the more mistakes he made. Mr. Cheng quickly took his wife away. He had said everything he needed to say, and he could only wait and see what would happen next.
After speaking, Jiang Wanqing returned to her room. Cheng Ran was still comforting his daughter. When he saw her come in, he tentatively asked her something.
"Are my parents making things difficult for you?"
"No, he just told me to take good care of you. It's my duty, don't overthink it."
"real?"
"certainly."
Cheng Ran put the toy back into his daughter's hand, stood up, put his arm around Jiang Wanqing's shoulder, and looked at her affectionately.
"You've worked so hard these past two years. I'll make it up to you and our daughter when we get back to Beijing."
She hugged him and said gently, "As long as our family is okay, nothing else matters."
A few days later, the military law enforcement commander was to take the criminals back to Beijing, and Cheng Ran also needed to go back to explain the situation so that subsequent work arrangements could be made. Therefore, the Cheng family, along with Hong Xing, embarked on their journey back.
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