"Yes, the last name is Meng." Tian Sangsang raised her head, deliberately squinting her eyes with a cheerful smile, "My grandma’s last name is Meng. He took my grandma’s last name... It’s not what you’re thinking." Not Ye, not Jiang, and certainly not Tian Shuyan. His last name is Meng. And there’s no stepdad with the last name Meng either.
"You know what I’m thinking?" Jiang Jinghuai’s gaze lightly brushed over her face.
Tian Sangsang choked for a moment.
"From now on, call him Jiang Shuyan." His tone was slow, but carried an undeniable sense of authority.
How infuriating! Looking at his deep, composed eyes, Tian Sangsang lowered her gaze. "Changing the household registration might not be easy, right?"
"You don’t need to handle it. Leave it to me."
"Don’t you think the name ’Jiang Shuyan’ sounds a bit strange?"
"You’ll get used to it after saying it enough." Jiang Jinghuai replied indifferently.
It felt like two mosquitoes were buzzing near her ears.
Flapping their little wings, buzzing incessantly, making it impossible to sleep.
Meng Shuyan furrowed his eyebrows, lifting his chubby little hand to rub his eyes. "Mom." As usual, he softly called out for his mom, reaching up to grab her arm. "Ah—"
A handsome but unfamiliar man appeared before his eyes. Blinking his big innocent eyes, he asked, "Uncle... Who are you?"
Why am I in an uncle’s arms? Where’s Mom? The little guy glanced around nervously and finally relaxed a little bit upon spotting Tian Sangsang. Luckily, Mom is still here.
"Not uncle. It’s Dad." Jiang Jinghuai said in a low voice.
Meng Shuyan curiously sneaked glances at him, feeling slightly panicky and shy, before looking to Tian Sangsang for help.
Jiang Jinghuai had been watching his expressions all this time.
"That’s right. He’s not an uncle; he’s your dad." Tian Sangsang gently ruffled his curly little hair in a comforting manner and said softly, "Didn’t you always want to meet your dad? Now that Dad is right in front of you, why are you calling him uncle instead?"
As she spoke, she cast a slightly teasing glance at Jiang Jinghuai.
Happiness just arrived so suddenly. What now? I wasn’t prepared at all.
Is his hair dirty? Are his clothes messy? Is his face clean?
Meng Shuyan had always imagined that his dad would swoop in like Sun Wukong, riding a cloud to bring them home. That would have been so cool. But their first meeting turned out to be far from ideal—on such a disastrous day, no less. And his foot... he couldn’t even feel it. He looked so messy and disheveled.
What to do? Will Dad think I’m a little crippled beggar and won’t like me anymore? He felt like crying.
Tears welled up in his eyes. Meng Shuyan sniffled and tried hard not to let them fall. He already looked like a little cripple; he couldn’t let himself become a crybaby too—everyone would dislike him for sure.
"Are you really my dad?" The little guy’s big, bright eyes widened as he cautiously asked. So this is what Dad looks like? He seemed reliable, even more dashing than I expected. And on his hand, he’s wearing that thumb ring.
"Yes." Jiang Jinghuai hesitated for a moment before reaching out to pat his head.
"Wah... Dad..." The word "Dad" echoed in his heart countless times before this moment, and now it rolled so smoothly off his tongue. Meng Shuyan buried his head into his chest, his little hands holding tightly onto him. "Dad, you finally came to find us. Mom and I were thinking about you every day. Mom kept waiting for you. Mom said you were super busy..."
Hearing that "Dad," Tian Sangsang’s heart ached. So her son had yearned for his father this much. But when she heard the rest of his words, her throat felt suddenly clogged with bitterness, a metallic tang rising.
Ah, son, are you kidding me? Since when did your mom ever think about your dad? Explain yourself, give an example. I’ve heard of kids causing trouble for dads, but this is the first time I’ve seen one "throw Mom under the bus" .
Jiang Jinghuai held his soft, fragile little body close, his heart unexpectedly swelling with warmth. So this is what having a son feels like. His broad hand gently stroked Meng Shuyan’s back as he murmured, "I missed you too..."
"Dad, don’t you miss Mom?" The little guy lifted his head, sounding a bit disappointed.
Jiang Jinghuai paused for a moment, as if he had to force out each word. "I do. I think about your mom all the time."
He then added heavily, "I think about her down to my very bones."
Tian Sangsang felt the hair on her arms stand up as a chill ran through her. She cast him a subtle glare, refusing to back down.
Kids had no way of understanding the complexities between adults. Meng Shuyan immediately broke into a smile, his pale little face glowing with joy as he excitedly said, "Mom, Dad says he’s been thinking about you too. You don’t have to be sad anymore!" Dad is amazing! I Dad!
Tian Sangsang: "Haha!"
With one arm around Meng Shuyan, Jiang Jinghuai picked up a bowl of rice from the ground with his other hand. His deep, magnetic voice carried an unexpected tenderness: "Hungry? Let’s eat."
He gently stirred the rice with chopsticks, letting the steam disperse.
"Dad, I can eat by myself. I really can." He needed to show Dad that he was a well-behaved child, capable of doing some things on his own.
Jiang Jinghuai raised a surprised eyebrow. "Hmm, not bad."
Pleased by the praise, Meng Shuyan reached out to take the bowl, eager to prove his small abilities. He could eat neatly, without making a mess on the table, and without spilling rice on his clothes.
But Jiang Jinghuai said, "This time, I’ll feed you. From now on, you’ll eat on your own."
He picked up some leafy greens with the chopsticks, blew on them lightly, and though his movements were slightly awkward, he appeared to be getting the hang of it.
Not bad, Tian Sangsang continued her secret observations.
Meng Shuyan chewed on the greens, his cheeks puffed out as he smacked his lips.
Jiang Jinghuai then picked up a piece of meat and fed it to him. Meng Shuyan continued chewing, his round cheeks stuffed as his peach blossom-shaped eyes grew red. The meal his dad was feeding him felt different from the ones his mom gave—it was happiness bubbling over~
Suddenly, Meng Shuyan blinked and asked, "Dad, have you eaten?"
"What about Mom?" Eating alone made Meng Shuyan feel a little sheepish.
"I’ve eaten. Only you’re left." Tian Sangsang smiled. "You need to eat more, okay?"
Jiang Jinghuai continued feeding him while his deep black eyes narrowed slightly. That response hit him hard. In his memory, Tian Sangsang had been "obsessed with food." Yet now, she cheerfully told her son she’d already eaten and added warmly, "You need to eat more, okay?" Even adding a coddling "okay" at the end.
He couldn’t fully process the woman in front of him.
This enigmatic woman.
Since Meng Shuyan was injured, his appetite was small, and he only ate less than a quarter of the bowl before he could eat no more. Soon, he snuggled into Jiang Jinghuai’s chest and fell into a deep sleep. Truly, he ate and slept, then ate and slept again—just like a lazy little lamb.
Tian Sangsang glanced worriedly at his foot, and as she thought of the frightful events of the past few days, her eyes reddened. After all, she was just a young woman, not as strong as she seemed. During her moments of despair, she had wished for someone to save her. And they did come—soldiers. In her past, as an ordinary civilian, she had only a vague impression of soldiers, thinking they were far removed from her life. Some of her classmates had joined the army after graduation, serving or working there, but she had always assumed they did it for the money or benefits, not out of any lofty ideals. She’d often wondered, what made soldiers any different from ordinary people? Does wearing that green uniform really make them stand out?
But today, she truly respected these liberation soldiers, and she felt closer to them than ever before.