When her son woke up, He Jiuniang instinctively pushed the man away, creating distance between them. Then she went to the bedside, hugged the dog, and took a nap, gently coaxing, "Mother is talking to Father."
Lu Baichuan is back, and naturally he can't hide it from Gou'er, who longs for his father so much.
"Father?"
The little guy, who was still a bit sleepy, lit up immediately upon hearing this. He turned to look at Lu Baichuan who was walking over, and hugged He Jiuniang's neck tightly, feeling both excited and a little scared.
"Is he really my father? Has my father returned?"
He looked at He Jiuniang, his eyes filled with eagerness.
"Yes, he is Father. Father is back."
He Jiuniang was afraid that he would have a hard time accepting it or that he would be too excited, so she spoke in a gentle voice that was completely different from her usual self.
Seeing her so patiently coaxing the child, Lu Baichuan felt as gentle as if he were walking on clouds.
He reached out to hug his son, and, imitating He Jiuniang, gently coaxed, "Gou'er, it's Daddy, come here and Daddy will hug you."
The dog wanted to be held, but it looked at He Jiuniang for her opinion.
He Jiuniang nodded encouragingly, and then he extended his hand to Lu Baichuan.
Lu Baichuan held the tiny bundle in his arms, feeling that his life was complete.
This is his son, his wife is standing beside him, and his parents are sleeping next door. Everything is real.
"Father!"
The dog hugged his neck tightly, pouting as if it were about to cry. His father had finally returned, and he was no longer a child without a father.
"Why is Father covering his face?"
He didn't ask why his father was only coming back now, nor did he ask where his father had been all these years, or whether his father had abandoned him and his mother. The first thing he asked was why he was wearing a mask.
Lu Baichuan was speechless. What if his son was just like his mother, looking down on him as a father who wasn't good enough for his mother?
Having learned from Sun's experience, Lu Baichuan remained cautious. He said, "Father is injured, and his face doesn't look good."
The dog asked, "Did Daddy get injured when he went to be a great hero?"
Lu Baichuan was stunned, not expecting his son to say such a thing.
The clever dog chimed in, "Mother said Father has been a great hero all these years, so being a great hero means getting hurt, right?"
Lu Baichuan looked at He Jiuniang, not expecting her to talk to her son like this.
Is he a great hero?
Even though he didn't think so himself, Lu Baichuan was still grateful to He Jiuniang for teaching her son this way. At least in his son's heart, he was a good man, not a bad guy who abandoned his wife and children.
He didn't know how to answer for a moment, so He Jiuniang said, "Yes, your father got injured when he went to be a great hero, so his face isn't pretty anymore. He was afraid of scaring you, so he wears a mask. Your father got injured while protecting more people. Would you dislike your father for not being good-looking?"
The dog shook its head repeatedly, its face full of determination, and answered in a clear voice, "No, no matter what Daddy becomes, he will still be my Daddy!"
Lu Baichuan was moved to tears. He glanced at He Jiuniang, his eyes overflowing with gratitude.
Although he knew she actually disliked him for his appearance, otherwise she wouldn't have spoken to his mother like that before, she always guided him positively in front of him, leaving no trace of resentment in his heart.
The little guy's emotions came and went quickly. He was a little sad just a moment ago, but in an instant he was happy again, squinting his eyes and showing off to He Jiu Niang: "Mommy, Daddy's back, hehehe!"
"Okay, okay!"
He Jiuniang affectionately pinched her son's cheek and asked, "Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? Mommy will go buy it for you."
"I want to eat dumplings!"
It was still quite early, just as dawn was breaking, but this was in the prefectural city, and there were already street vendors selling breakfast outside, so it wasn't too difficult for the little guy to get dumplings.
"Okay, Mommy will go buy it for you."
Her original intention was to give the father and son a chance to be alone, since this was the first time Gou'er had seen his father since he was born, and He Jiuniang felt it was quite important.
Unexpectedly, Lu Baichuan, holding the dog in one arm and taking her hand in the other, said, "Let's go together."
Before He Jiuniang could refuse, Gou'er clapped his hands and laughed, "Great! Great! Let's go to the market with Daddy and Mommy!"
Logically speaking, the little guy should have been traumatized by being kidnapped on the street yesterday, but now that he has a father, he knows that his father will definitely protect him, so he doesn't care at all and only wants to go shopping with his parents.
Since her son was so happy, He Jiuniang couldn't find a reason to refuse, so she didn't say anything.
The elderly couple next door had actually been awake for a while, but they didn't want to disturb the family of three. When they heard the family leave together, the elderly couple exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly. It seemed that the family of three was getting along very well!
"I told you you were worrying for nothing!" Old Lu smiled smugly. "You've been trying to find another wife for your third son all this time, but she's been staying with him. That shows how much she loves him. Now that she's finally back, why would she look down on him?"
"Of course I know that the child is sentimental, but now that the third brother has become like this, I always feel sorry for her. We fled from famine all this way, and if it weren't for her taking care of everything, how could we have such a good life today?"
Mrs. Sun sighed. It was good that her son had returned, and she would have no regrets even if she died now. But she felt somewhat guilty towards her daughter-in-law.
"Didn't she say it could be cured? Once it's cured, everything will be fine, right?"
"With injuries that severe, how could they be healed so easily?"
Madam Sun pursed her lips, feeling a little upset. Old Man Lu changed the subject, saying, "He seems to be friends with Young Master Qin. So, he's been working for Prince Chen all these years. Our third son has really made something of himself!"
Sun disagreed: "I don't expect him to achieve anything great, I just want our family to be well."
That's what he said, but the satisfaction and pride on his face couldn't be faked. Old Man Lu could tell at a glance, but he didn't hold it against him.
The elderly couple were overjoyed at the family reunion, while the family of three also enjoyed a pleasant time strolling through the morning market.
The dog's excitement was written all over its face. It would greet everyone it saw on the street and then boast to them, "This is my daddy! My daddy is back!"
He Jiuniang just smiled and didn't say anything. Lu Baichuan let him make a fuss. The family of three bought dumplings at a roadside breakfast stall, and Lu Baichuan even made a point of feeding his son.
"Father, I can eat it myself!"
The dog answered crisply, even wanting to show off in front of its father.
But Lu Baichuan insisted: "Daddy will feed you today."
He didn't experience the birth and growth of his child, and he wants to make up for that period of time.
He Jiuniang saw through his intention and said, "Give your father a chance."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com