After breakfast, the three little ones, unusually, did not go out to play.
Since yesterday, Ling Ze has been depressed because he is worried about his father, and Hong Fei and Hong Yu have been taking good care of him.
After playing ball with Hongfei and Hongyu in the yard for a while, Ling Ze couldn't contain himself any longer. He ran up to Xing Zhaozhao, who was holding Xiao Hongling and taking a walk and sunbathing nearby. He tugged at her clothes, looked at her expectantly, and asked, "Aunt Xing, when can I go back?"
He was the one who secretly ran away from home back then, and now he's the one who desperately wants to go back. Ha, kid.
Xing Zhaozhao chuckled and patted his little head: "You can go back when your dad comes to pick you up."
Ling Ze's eyes were red: "What if Dad doesn't come?"
"No, he'll definitely come. He might already be on his way," Xing Zhaozhao comforted him.
No sooner had he finished speaking than there was a knock on the door.
Ling Ze's eyes lit up, and he looked at Xing Zhaozhao in disbelief: "Is it Daddy? Aunt Xing is so amazing, she knows everything."
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." She was just saying it offhand, it can't be such a coincidence, right?
Ling Ze excitedly ran to open the door: "Dad..."
Before he could finish speaking, Ling Ze opened the door and saw the person standing outside. The second "Dad" abruptly disappeared from his throat. His previously joyful face quickly fell, and he pouted with a wronged expression. He turned back and said, "It's not Dad..."
Fu Hong stood outside the door, a basket hanging from her arm and a lively grass carp in her hand. Seeing the little guy's sullen look, she smiled awkwardly.
"Did I... come at the wrong time?" she asked, looking at Xing Zhaozhao.
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." She knew it wouldn't be such a coincidence.
She smiled and shook her head at Fu Hong, saying, "It's nothing, what brings you here?"
"It's been a long time since I've been here. I had some free time, so I came to see Xiaolan." Fu Hong said as she entered the room, turning around to close and lock the door for them.
"My grandma made some pickled cabbage, it tastes pretty good, so I brought some over for you to try. And this grass carp, I saw a kid catch it on the way, it's quite big, so I bought it and brought it over with you." Fu Hong said, handing the basket and fish to Xing Zhaozhao.
Xing Zhaozhao accepted with a smile, "That's great, perfect. I'll make you some sauerkraut fish later."
"That's great," Fu Hong replied with a smile, then asked, "Where's Xiao Lan?"
"She's drawing up designs in the inner room," Xing Zhaozhao said.
"I'll go in and check on her," Fu Hong said. Seeing that Xing Zhaozhao was carrying things in one hand and holding the baby in the other, she reached out to help her hold the baby. "How about I hold the baby?"
Little Hongling's beautiful big eyes were fixed on the bouncy fish in Xing Zhaozhao's hand, reluctant to leave, her little face full of resistance.
Xing Zhaozhao smiled and politely declined, saying, "No need, let her play for a while first."
Fu Hong didn't insist and went to see Fu Lan first.
Not long after Fu Hong left, there was another knock on the door.
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." Today was quite busy.
Xing Zhaozhao turned to look at Ling Ze. The little guy had just been disappointed and was sitting listlessly on a small stool, chin in hand, looking worried. He showed no intention of opening the door again, not wanting to be disappointed once more.
Xing Zhaozhao had no choice but to call Hongfei.
Hongfei responded and ran over to open the door.
A familiar, gentle voice soon rang out from outside the door: "You're Sister Xing's eldest son, right? I remember your name is Hongfei, isn't it?"
Xing Zhaozhao's pupils contracted. That voice was…
Ling Ze looked delighted and quickly stood up from the small stool.
“You are…” Hongfei didn’t recognize the strange man in front of him, and his small face was still wary.
"My name is Ling Xiao..." the man said with a smile.
Hongfei was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized: "You're Ling Ze's father?"
Before he could finish speaking, Ling Ze ran past him and buried his face in the man's arms, sobbing, "Dad, you've finally come! I thought I'd never see you come to me again."
Ling Xiao hugged the little guy in his arms tightly: "...You were the one who secretly ran away from home before."
Ling Ze paused in his sobbing: "..." Seeing how sad he was crying, couldn't you not say something so upsetting?
Ling Xiao sighed helplessly, tightening his grip on the little guy: "Never mind..." If he hadn't secretly run away, he might have been killed by Ling Yongde and drowned at the bottom of the Qingxi River. As long as he is still alive, that's more important than anything else.
Sensing Ling Xiao's compromise, Ling Ze's last bit of unease vanished, and he cried even harder.
Just then, Fei Ge's soft-spoken murmur came from the side: "Tsk tsk, you've softened already? Before you came, didn't you swear that you would give him a good beating and teach him a lesson? Be careful he doesn't dare to do it again next time. You won't be so lucky then. Someone will come and tell you that the child is actually fine while you are working tirelessly to rescue him."
Ling Xiao's face suddenly darkened.
Ling Ze's small body trembled slightly. He looked at Fei Ge, who had come with Ling Xiao, and jumped up and down in a fit of anger, saying, "Bad guy! He wants to ruin the deep bond between us, father and son! Dad, don't listen to him!"
Fei raised an eyebrow slightly: "These are all things your father said himself, not things I said."
After saying that, he looked at Ling Xiao and continued to instigate, "Look at your son, he still doesn't know how to admit his mistakes and doesn't learn his lesson. He dared to go into the river this time, and next time he might dare to go to heaven."
Ling Xiao's expression grew increasingly grim, and he lifted Ling Ze up in one swift motion.
"Excuse me, I need to take care of some family matters first," Ling Xiao said apologetically to Xing Zhaozhao.
“Uh…” Xing Zhaozhao hesitated for a moment, glanced at Ling Ze, and met his pleading eyes. But after all, he was her own father, so what could she say?
"It's alright, you go ahead and take care of yours," Xing Zhaozhao said.
Ling Ze's eyes were vacant; he was being held in Ling Xiao's hands like a broken rag doll. Seeing him die without offering any help, he had lost all will to live.
Ling Xiao picked up Ling Ze and turned to go to the side of the house to find a secluded spot.
Through the courtyard wall, Ling Ze's pleading cries soon came: "I'm sorry, Dad, I know I was wrong, I'll never do it again." He probably still wanted to struggle one last time.
"Ouch, it hurts so much!" he cried.
"I haven't even started yet, what's there to be in pain about?" Ling Xiao said quietly.
Ling Ze's crying paused.
"Smack!" A sharp sound suddenly rang out, quite loud, and the little bottom was probably going to suffer.
"Wah!" A loud wail instantly pierced the sky.
"How many times have I told you not to go to the river alone? Why didn't you listen? Your Aunt Xing saved you once before, and you still haven't learned your lesson. Don't you know your father will worry? If there's a next time..." Ling Xiao's angry scolding voice was accompanied by the sound of being slapped.
Hongfei and Hongyu shivered slightly and snuggled up to their mother, behaving very obediently.
Fei Ge was there, grinning mischievously.
Xing Zhaozhao looked over speechlessly: "You..."
Fei waved to her, "We'll talk about it later, I'll go take a look first."
Xing Zhaozhao: "..."
Soon, even Fu Lan and Fu Hong, who were talking in the inner room, were alerted and ran out to ask, "What happened?"
“Ling Ze’s father has come…” Xing Zhaozhao said.
Fu Hong asked with some concern, "Wasn't that a bit too harsh?"
Fu Lan silently pulled her sister back. That little brat deserved it.
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