In the waterside pavilion beside the garden, the two stubborn men stared at each other again.
Xiao Jingzhao watched as Sui Sui's fingers kept twisting and turning, and a smile curved his lips.
"What are you laughing at? Why are you here too?" Sui Sui looked at the man sitting opposite her with a questioning gaze.
"What are you thinking about how to deal with me?" His tone was calm and composed, devoid of any emotion.
Seeing that her thoughts were seen through year after year, she turned to look outside the waterside pavilion.
Her phoenix eyes were filled with displeasure, and her fair little finger pointed at Xiangyang standing outside the waterside pavilion: "Why did you let him drag me out again? My mother will be worried if she can't see me!"
Looking at Sui Sui's soft, chubby little hands, Xiao Jingzhao had the thought of holding his son's little hands in his palm.
This is his son, as delicate as a porcelain doll, so beautiful that you can't take your eyes off him.
“Your mother knows you’re with me. You left in such a hurry last time that we didn’t get to know each other properly.”
Sui Sui: "Who are you? Why do you know my mother?"
Sui Sui secretly grumbled to herself:
You old fox, keep making things up. My mother and I haven't been here long, so you couldn't possibly know my mother.
You don't believe me?
Seeing his son's familiar phoenix eyes darting around, Xiao Jingzhao knew that his son was doubting his words.
"You still haven't answered me who you are and what you're doing here."
“My surname is Xiao, and the Prince of Yannan is my father. You can call him grandfather.” Xiao Jingzhao said, observing the expression on Sui Sui’s face.
Sui Sui: "..." I understand. The Prince of Yannan is the highest-ranking official here. Wait, why do I call him grandfather?
He was thinking to himself, but his face remained calm.
Seeing that Sui Sui remained calm, he stared at her intently and said softly, "I am your father."
Sui Sui shook her little head. "No, my father has already died on the battlefield."
"Your mother didn't have a chance to tell you that I'm not dead."
Not far away, Xiang Yang and Xiang Song were looking down at each other, wishing they could just disappear on the spot.
Their master was ruthless and decisive, and even the little tyrant of the Prince's mansion, the second young lady, was afraid of him. She would even lie through her teeth to appease her son.
"Are you really my father?"
Looking at the face that looked exactly like her own, Sui Sui was half-believing and half-doubting.
"It's genuine, no doubt about it. Go ask your mother later if you don't believe me."
After all, they are children. Once they hear that their mother knows, they know it must be true.
Seeing that Sui Sui's gaze had lost its wariness and even seemed a little curious, Xiao Jingzhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sui Sui, look what this is?"
As if by magic, Xiao Jingzhao pulled out a fluffy rag doll from behind his back.
Sui Sui's eyes lit up, "A little tiger! I like it."
"The tiger cub's head is made of cloth, and its body is sewn from the fur on the tiger's legs."
As Sui Sui pounced on the little tiger, Xiao Jingzhao scooped her up in his arms.
My son is soft and sweet, and even his hair smells sweet.
My heart was touched, and a feeling of becoming a father for the first time welled up inside me.
“This is a tiger that your father hunted in the mountains. Sui Sui likes it. Your father will hunt another one for you in the future. Your father will have him skin a whole tiger for you and make a big tiger to put in Sui Sui’s room, okay?” Xiao Jingzhao pointed to the sun.
"Dad! Can you kick his butt for me?"
Hearing the conversation between the father and son, Xiangyang became unsettled.
So, if a master is kind and the son is filial, then the son has to sacrifice himself?!
Even the saying "discard the donkey after it has served its purpose" wouldn't come so quickly!
"Master, I did it all for..."
In the blink of an eye, Xiao Jingzhao scooped Sui Sui into his arms, slipped behind Xiang Yang, and lifted his leg.
With a cry of "Ouch!", Xiangyang covered his buttocks with both hands.
“Son, how about it? I’ve kicked him for you. A prime minister’s belly can hold a boat. I’ll forgive him for scaring you, okay?” Xiao Jingzhao winked at Yang.
When Xiangyang saw Sui Sui giggling, he knelt down with a thud.
"Young Master Sui Sui, please forgive my rudeness. I shouldn't have kidnapped you without warning last time. I will never dare to do it again."
"Son, Xiangyang and Xiangsong have been with their father for many years. They are both loyal to their father. Please forgive him this time, okay?"
Sui Sui hugged the little tiger tightly and said in a childish voice, "Don't lift me up and fly away again. I'm timid. I'll let it go this time. Does your bottom still hurt? Go find Aunt Qiuju and get some medicine to put on it."
Xiang Yang: "..."
If you are timid, then there is probably no one in the world who is timid.
If it were any other child, they would have been terrified and crying for their parents.
"Don't just stand there, thank the young master and then go ask Aunt Qiuju for medicine." Xiang Song said, winking at Xiang Yang.
Xiangyang quickly kowtowed again, "Thank you, Young Master Suisui. With your concern, my bottom doesn't hurt so much anymore."
The master didn't use much force; he was just making a show of shouting to amuse the young master.
"Dad! Can you fly? Like the kind of flying where the wind is whistling in your ears." Sui Sui called out "Dad" very smoothly.
It's so good to have a dad. His arms are strong, and his embrace is wide and makes me feel safe.
Dad can even beat people up for me.
Sui Sui couldn't have imagined that this cheap father actually had many other uses.
Xiao Jingzhao: "..."
Who just said they were a coward?!
My son rarely makes a request, so how could I refuse?
In the Inviting Moon Garden.
Jiang Shuyue and Qiu Ju stared at each other, wide-eyed.
Qiuju gritted her teeth and said, "Miss, the young master is a good man. He is handsome and comes from a good family."
Seeing the strange look in her eyes, Qiuju changed the subject, "Sui Sui looks so much like him, this can't be kept a secret. If he's Sui Sui's father, Sui Sui won't suffer any loss."
"Miss, you can think about it yourself. I'll go check if there's anything Sui Sui likes to eat in the kitchen."
After Qiuju left, Jiang Shuyue also walked out of the courtyard.
Since we're here, let's make the best of it. Let the father and son acknowledge each other; she'll leave with her son eventually anyway.
As soon as I stepped out of the courtyard gate, I heard giggling laughter coming from afar.
"Dad! Fly quickly, fly to the artificial hill to see the fish."
Jiang Shuyue sighed as she watched Xiao Jingzhao carrying Sui Sui and jumping around in the garden.
Bloodlines are indeed an inexplicable thing.
In less than half a day, the father and son had become so close, without the slightest hint of awkwardness.
"Are you settled in?"
A figure flashed by, and suddenly a large and a small person appeared in front of her.
"Yes, everything's settled." Jiang Shuyue looked at Sui Sui and saw that Sui Sui was holding a plush tiger doll in one hand and naturally wrapped her other arm around Xiao Jingzhao's neck.
"Mommy, Daddy is so amazing! Mommy, do you want Daddy to carry you around for a while? It's so much fun!"
Xiao Jingzhao's face stiffened, and his temples throbbed.
"Son, don't talk nonsense. Your mother is an adult and doesn't like such childish games."
Jiang Shuyue's face flushed red, and she avoided eye contact.
"Who says lightness skill is childish? If I didn't have this ability, I would have died a hundred times over on the frontier."
Jiang Shuyue: "..."
No wonder he's still single; he can't even understand the words used to coax a child. This straight man is too utterly clueless.
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