Kids love watching cartoons, like Ultraman. Even if they don't understand them at all, they still watch them with great interest and without blinking.
Ping An also loves watching Ultraman, so Huo Qingfeng even bought him DVDs so he could watch to his heart's content. However, to protect his eyes, Ling Ruo wouldn't let him watch for too long. So they set a rule, just like a TV broadcast, with a set time each day, at which point it would stop. Watching during nap time was absolutely forbidden; children need enough sleep to grow tall and strong.
For Ping An, watching Ultraman is such an important thing, so when the time comes, he will sit obediently on his little stool, back straight, waiting for his mother to turn on the TV for him. His eyes are wide open, not blinking, watching very attentively.
Every time Ling Ruoke watched him so earnestly, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle. If you poked his chubby little waist with your finger at that moment, he would twist his body, still looking at the TV, and say in a dissatisfied voice, "Mommy is bad, bad Mommy!" His childish voice was so endearing.
That day, Ling Ruoke didn't poke her son to tease him as usual. Instead, she held him in her arms on the sofa and watched Ultraman with him. She cut small pieces of grapes and fed them to the little guy with toothpicks. The little guy was overjoyed, his eyes crinkling with delight. He was happy watching and happy eating.
When Huo Qingfeng returned home at noon, he was taken aback to see his wife and child happily watching TV and eating grapes on the sofa. He had come back specifically to check on Ruoke, worried that she might be upset. He was surprised to find the mother and child laughing and enjoying Ultraman while eating grapes.
Huo Qingfeng sat down next to his wife, put his arm around her waist, and stretched his head towards her. "Wife?" he asked, his mouth open, clearly asking to be fed.
Ling Ruoke smiled, stretched out a grape, and put it in his mouth.
Huo Qingfeng closed his mouth, chewed, and exclaimed, "Mmm, so sweet!"
Ling Ruoke glanced at him and smiled. Huo Qingfeng didn't like fruit; unless Ruoke washed or peeled it and presented it to him, he generally wouldn't eat it. Strictly speaking, he didn't remember to eat it. So if Ruoke bought fruit and left it at home, and she was gone for a week, the fruit would definitely be dried out by the time she returned. Tan Peishi complained, "The captain has been spoiled by Ruoke; he only opens his mouth when it's practically offered to him!"
"Have you had lunch yet? I finished watching TV with Ping An, and I haven't cooked yet. Why don't you watch TV with him, and I'll go cook something right away? It'll be quick anyway." He said, putting his son in his arms.
Little Ping An wriggled his body. "Mmm, Mommy, hug me!"
Ling Ruoke reached out and pinched his little nose. "Mommy will do it, and Daddy will give you a hug. Be good, or you won't get to watch Ultraman!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ping'an looked back at his father, as if knowing that his father would not tolerate him, and then he became obedient.
Ling Ruoke glanced at the father and son, then went into the kitchen to get busy. There were vegetables in the refrigerator; she just needed to prepare them while the rice was cooking, and then they could eat as soon as the rice was done. She really enjoyed the process of cooking, but she had been in a bad mood lately, and Tan's mother had been helping her. Today was a rare occasion for her to cook herself.
Huo Qingfeng sat with his son for a while, then slipped into the kitchen to snuggle up with his wife. While most people relinquish their wives after having a son, he practically wanted to throw his son out to avoid him stealing his wife away. If it weren't for his wife's reluctance, he really wanted to leave Ping'an with his grandparents; he wanted to continue enjoying his life as a couple with his wife.
She had only been busy for a short while when a pair of arms appeared around her waist, and a bundle appeared on her back. Ling Ruoke had expected this, and simply smiled. "Look at you, you're always unwilling to spend time with your son. Be careful he doesn't grow up and become distant from you."
"I'm happy to have some peace and quiet. All I have to do is kiss my wife." He said, then lowered his head and kissed Ruoke's face several times, leaving a few obvious marks, which faded quickly.
Ling Ruoke knew his temperament well and didn't say anything to him. Her feelings for her husband remained as passionate as when they were in love, something every woman longed for, and she was no exception.
"Ruo Ke, you seem to be in a good mood today." Huo Qingfeng rested his chin on his wife's shoulder and asked softly.
Ling Ruoke smiled. "Yes, I've figured it out, so I'm in a good mood."
"How did you come to this conclusion?" Huo Qingfeng tightened his arms around her, wishing he could merge her into himself. He was there, she was there, and no one could change that.
Ling Ruoke stopped what she was doing and looked out at the summer sunlight. "I remember when I went to X country to find you, before I even met Wild Wolf, all I wanted was to get out of there at all costs. I wouldn't be satisfied until I found you. Then Wild Wolf actually took me out, and I started to get nervous and scared. When he took me from one POW camp to another, but we still couldn't find you, my nerves were on edge. Wild Wolf told me that you have to have enough courage to face the consequences. Even if it's a bad outcome, as long as you face it bravely, it will eventually turn into a good one. Otherwise, even a good thing can turn into a bad thing."
She squinted slightly. The sunlight outside the window was bright, and Ruoke's smile was equally radiant. "Actually, things are much better now than they were last time. You're by my side, and this time we're fighting side by side, instead of me relying on a dream to prove my man is still alive. Even if I eventually fall into Gu Tianze's hands, I believe we can turn the tide. So, suddenly, I'm not afraid anymore."
Huo Qingfeng took the vegetables from her hands, supported her waist, and turned her body to face him, his eyes filled with deep affection. "If it's alright, I always believe that as long as I don't let go, no one can take you away from me."
Ling Ruoke looked up at him, smiling sweetly, her eyes filled with unconditional trust. "I believe that too. So if we can't deal with Gu Tianze by the day after tomorrow, you'll have to promise to let me personally go and exchange Li Chen and Chen Xinyi for them. Let me finish!"
Seeing that Huo Qingfeng was about to refuse, Ling Ruoke reached out and covered his mouth.
"We both understand that Gu Tianze won't kill me, he'll just make me suffer a bit. Although I'm not a special forces soldier, I've received special forces-like training, and I'm the wife of one of the best special forces soldiers, so this little bit of suffering is nothing to me. You've never mentioned the current situation, but I'm not stupid, I can figure some things out. Gu Tianze has risen to prominence so quickly, besides his abilities and ruthlessness, there must be someone extraordinary helping him. That's why your actions are so restricted, because there are longer-term considerations. You don't need to answer, this is a military secret, I have my own judgment."
Huo Qingfeng remained silent. He had always known that his wife, though seemingly a simple woman, possessed a remarkably astute mind. She didn't usually reveal it, so everyone only saw a gentle and virtuous woman; her shrewdness only surfaced in crucial moments.
He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "Wife, I've made you suffer. Being a soldier's wife is tough, being a special forces soldier's wife is even tougher. I'm increasingly reluctant to let you suffer like this. What should I do? Maybe I should really leave the military once all this is over."
Ling Ruoke smiled and stroked his stubble. "Okay. You can use this time to think carefully about what you should do in the future. Alright, we can talk about such important things later. I need to cook now. You go out and watch TV with our son."
Ling Ruoke pushed him to walk out. After only two steps, he grabbed her hands, put his arm around her waist, and pushed her back.
"Let him watch it himself. Didn't you hear him laughing like an idiot while watching it? He's having a great time." Huo Qingfeng is most pleased with his son's personality; unlike other little brats who always cling to their parents, it's so annoying!
Ling Ruoke heard her son's laughter and stopped chasing him away. She let him stick close behind her, watching her prepare lunch. Luckily, there were no spicy peppers, otherwise he probably would have been choked by the fumes.
Three dishes and a soup, all prepared in less than twenty minutes.
Huo Qingfeng ate several bowls of rice without hesitation, kissed Ling Ruoke, and ran out with his face covered in oil.
Ling Ruoke was about to grab a tissue to wipe her face when she saw her son slide off the chair and come toward her. Curious about what he wanted to do, she remained seated.
Little Ping An waved to his mother, signaling her to bend down, and then used his little hands to wipe the oily residue his father had left on her face. After wiping it a couple of times and feeling it was clean, he gave her a couple more kisses, leaving his face oily again. Satisfied with having covered up his father's marks, little Ping An slowly climbed back onto his chair.
Ling Ruoke watched him intently drinking his soup, and chuckled helplessly. She then took a tissue and wiped her face clean herself. She had thought her son was trying to help her clean up, but it turned out he just didn't want his father's marks to remain and wanted to replace them with his own! What a strange little thing!
After lunch and a short rest, Ling Ruoke picked up the little guy and took him back to his room to sleep. It was hot, so she took off her son's clothes, leaving him only in a pair of yellow underwear.
"Sleep peacefully." Ling Ruoke gently kissed her son's face, then hugged him and fell asleep. It felt wonderful to sleep with a soft, cuddly little bundle of joy. It was only after having her son that she finally understood why so many people like to sleep with plush toys.
But Ping An wasn't sleepy at all; his big, black, gem-like eyes blinked rapidly. Hearing his mother's breathing gradually steady, Ping An gently shifted his chubby little body and slipped off the bed. Barefoot, he dared not make a sound with shoes on; his natural paw pads were the best soundproofing. Luckily, their bed wasn't a traditional wooden bed, so it wasn't high off the ground, only about 10 centimeters.
Time to play...
Ling Ruoke hadn't slept well last night, so she was quite sleepy. She was just about to fall asleep, not quite fully asleep, when she vaguely felt something empty in her arms. She touched it again and, sure enough, it was empty.
Opening his eyes, he saw a small figure tiptoeing towards the door. "Ping An! Where are you going!"
The small figure trembled immediately in fright.
Ling Ruoke jumped down and caught the little climber on the spot. She then locked the door, completely cutting off her son's escape route. She tossed Ping An onto the bed and gave him two symbolic slaps on his chubby, bare bottom. "Go to sleep!"
"Mommy, I can't sleep, I can't sleep." Grandma's voice sounded so aggrieved, and her little body was twisting and turning in protest.
"You have to sleep even if you can't!" Ling Ruoke can be quite domineering at times, like now, she's behaving like a fascist. Democracy is non-negotiable, she's very tough.
Ping An had no choice but to pretend to be asleep next to his mother. Children are very sensitive; he knew that although his mother spoiled him, she would not tolerate him when necessary. Now that his mother seemed to be getting angry, he obediently listened to her.
Ling Ruoke was drifting off to sleep again when, after about ten minutes, she felt something was missing from the bed. Thinking about it, she woke up. Opening her eyes, she saw Ping An sitting naked on the floor, doing body painting. His body was covered in streaks of colored pencils—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—like a rainbow.
Little Fatty was drawing a sun on his belly button with a red crayon. With his little belly sticking out, he was enthusiastically drawing, using his navel as the center and the circumference as the radius. One sun line was too long, extending all the way to his little buttocks. It was a crayon bought for Ping An; he usually doodled in the house when he had nothing to do. However, Huo Qingfeng had specially prepared a wall for him, and he was only allowed to draw on that wall; drawing anywhere else would result in punishment, so he hadn't scribbled everywhere.
Ling Ruoke subconsciously thought: This is being applied to my body, so it shouldn't be considered graffiti, right?
Ping An stopped writing and was admiring her masterpiece when she realized something was wrong. She looked up and saw her mother staring at her; her hand trembled and she dropped the pen.
A huge shadow lunged at Ping An, who was then thrown into the bathtub and given another bath. Throughout the process, Ping An whimpered and tried to resist, but she couldn't defy her mother's determination. Although her mother was angry, she still rubbed Ping An's body gently with the bath sponge.
I washed my son clean and pulled him out of the water. I put away all his toys and locked them in the closet. Ping An rolled around on the bed, kicking his chubby little legs helplessly. After rolling around for a while, perhaps he was really tired, he fell asleep.
Ling Ruoke then hugged him and took a comfortable nap. When she woke up, she found it was already past three o'clock. This was the most comfortable sleep she had had in days.
Ping An was already awake and crawling around on the bed, making all sorts of noises. The door was locked, so he couldn't get out and had to make a fuss in his little world. Luckily, he doesn't cry much, otherwise his mother wouldn't be able to get any sleep.
Seeing that his mother was awake, Xiao Ping'an immediately ran over, calling out, "Mommy, Mommy..."
Ling Ruoke felt refreshed after a good night's sleep. She picked up her son, nuzzled him a few times, and made him giggle. After changing her clothes, she carried the child out of the room.
Tan's mother and Tan Peishi have returned. Knowing that the mother and son were sleeping, they kept their voices down.
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