Over five years of absence from fatherly love wasn’t easy for the child to suddenly accept, and Huangfu Jue certainly understood the importance of taking it slowly.
The little guy thought for a moment, his small mouth moved slightly, and he gave a light cough.
"Then... I’ll call you... Daddy!"
In his heart, the little guy had already accepted Huangfu Jue as his father, but he was too proud to easily change the way he addressed him.
He had already decided that he would formally change how he called him once Huangfu Jue and mom got married.
Guessing at some of his thoughts, Huangfu Jue’s lips curved upward slightly, and he stood up and walked over to him, squatting down to embrace him.
The little guy spoke softly.
The not-so-loud voice, with its childlike tone, made both adults’ hearts soften.
He embraced the boy in his arms, Huangfu Jue holding the little body tightly to his chest.
The little guy leaned against his head, fully enjoying the warmth of his father, while Gan Yuan watched the father and son’s figures, slowly pressing her lips together.
In the distance, green glows fluttered across the river’s surface, rising from the grassy riverbank.
"Fireflies!" Gan Tang called out quietly, lifting his hand and pointing toward the river, "Daddy, Mommy, look quick, there really are fireflies!"
Following the direction he was pointing, the two adults turned to look and indeed saw fireflies taking flight along the riverbank, one, two... more and more.
The little guy excitedly ran after them, chasing the glowing creatures. Huangfu Jue and Gan Yuan hurried after him.
Huangfu Jue reached out his hand, caught a firefly, and brought it enclosed in his palms to the boy.
He carefully took the little creature into his palm, watching it flicker on and off, then Gan Tang gently raised his hand, letting it go.
Huangfu Jue thought he had let it go by accident and rose to help catch it again.
"No need, I let it go on purpose." The little guy grabbed his arm, tilting his face up, watching the creature fly away, "The book says that adult fireflies only live for about a week. If we keep it, it will die, but if we let it go, there will be more fireflies next year."
Huangfu’s lips curved up, and he stretched out a hand to support the boy’s small shoulder.
"That’s right, trust that it will soon find its mate, and then have many little firefly babies. Next year, we can come to see its children."
The little guy nodded with a smile.
Gan Yuan felt a pang in her heart, her eyes blurring the bright little creatures into indistinct rings of light.
At that moment, Huangfu Jue was seated on the grass with the boy in his arms, Gan Tang pressing him again for more details about the story of the dragon, and Huangfu Jue told them more of the story.
"...He left because he knew that staying would only bring harm to his wife and child; the villagers would not leave them alone. Only by his leaving could they be safe."
"Aren’t dragons very powerful?"
"Yes, but even the powerful have weaknesses..." Huangfu Jue gently stroked his soft hair, "His wife and child were his weaknesses. It was by exploiting this weakness that the villagers were able to drive him away and take his treasure."
The little guy pursed his lips, "The dragon is so pitiful."
"No." Huangfu Jue laughed, "Even though he left, he gained the most precious thing."
The little guy thought about it, then nodded with a smile after a moment.