Editor: Atlas Studios
Xiaoguo happened to bump into Mrs. Yang when she was on her way back from herding the cows. She was about to call out to her but then she swallowed her words.
Walking beside Mrs. Yang was a dark-skinned man. Xiaoguo stopped in her tracks and could sense romance in the air. Xiaoguo nodded knowingly. This must be her husband, Yang Feng. So he’s back. No wonder she hadn’t seen Mrs. Yang in a while.
It was better not to call her and let the couple enjoy their time together.
Zhuang Zhuang walked beside Xiaoguo and tugged at her hand. "Let’s go."
Xiaoguo grabbed his little hand and led the cows home.
Along the way, they noticed that the originally quiet Peach Blossom Village was bustling with activity. This was probably due to the fact that the men in the village were returning one after another.
Xiaoguo was not used to seeing the presence of men in the village but there was nothing she could do about it.
A few days later, while Xiaoguo was bending over and sweeping the floor, she saw Zhuang Zhuang sighing to himself. The boy had not gone out of the house for a few days.
This could not go on. Xiaoguo decided to have a heart-to-heart talk with Zhuang Zhuang. Although he was young, his thinking was mature. She had to talk to him.
"Zhuang Zhuang, why don’t you go play with Brother Xiaohu?"
Xiaoguo poured a glass of water for Zhuang Zhuang and sat down beside him.
Zhuang Zhuang had been writing for the entire morning. There was now a thick stack of rice paper on the desk. On normal days, when he had nothing to do in the morning, he would go and play with Xiaohu. However, he had not gone out for the past few days. To be precise, he had only gone out with Xiaoguo, but not by himself.
"I am going to finish copying the whole book, so I’m busy."
Xiaoguo didn’t believe him at all. "Oh," she said and nodded casually.
"Zhuang Zhuang, do you miss Daddy?"
Xiaoguo did not beat around the bush. She preferred to throw straight balls.
Zhuang Zhuang’s hand paused, leaving an abrupt ink dot among the neatly written verse.
"..."
Seeing that Zhuang Zhuang was silent, Xiaoguo did some self-reflection for the first time. Was she being too direct? She was thinking about how to rephrase the question.
"Zhuang Zhuang..."
"Mother, what kind of person is Daddy?"
Xiaoguo was stunned. Looking at Zhuang Zhuang’s serious gaze, she was at a loss for words. What kind of person was Jiang Danhe?
"He..."
Xiaoguo tried to remember the man in her memory, but she only had a vague impression. She could barely remember his appearance.
Seeing that Xiaoguo was silent, Zhuang Zhuang couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. He really wanted to know what his father was like.
"He’s... a very filial person. A responsible man."
From memory, Xiaoguo recalled that he had dug a well in the courtyard for his mother’s sake. He was a filial man.
When he was captured, he didn’t beg for mercy like the others. He kept mentioning things about his wife and mother, so he was a responsible person.
"Jiang Danhe should be a good man," Xiaoguo thought.
Zhuang Zhuang listened to Xiaoguo’s description and tried to imagine his father’s image.
"What else? What does he look like?"
Zhuang Zhuang asked Xiaoguo anxiously.
Xiaoguo frowned slightly. What did he look like? In her memory, the previous owner had only seen him on the night of their wedding. That night, the bride’s veil was lifted under the dim candlelight. The previous owner was too embarrassed to look at his face. After one night of conjugal union, she had only taken one look when she woke up in the morning. But before she could take a closer look, Jiang Danhe was taken away.
So when Zhuang Zhuang asked her about his appearance, Xiaoguo was really a little unsure.
"He... Zhuang Zhuang has his eyes, his nose, and his mouth,"
Xiaoguo said ambiguously. Zhuang Zhuang was clearly not satisfied with this explanation...
"Mother?"
Xiaoguo sighed. She had really tried her best... This was too hard for her.
"Mother?"
Zhuang Zhuang continued to urge Xiaoguo to say more. He looked at Xiaoguo with his big watery eyes—it was making her flustered.
"How about we go visit Uncle?"
Xiaoguo suddenly thought of Qin Anming. He definitely remembered Jiang Danhe’s appearance. This was because Qin Anming was the one who talked to Jiang Danhe during the matchmaking session.
So he must still remember what Jiang Danhe looked like! That’s right! He should, right?
Xiaoguo was still full of confidence just now, but it had been a long time since they last met. What if Qin Anming had forgotten...
Forget it. It should be better than her memory anyway. After all, he had met Jiang Danhe many times. He should do better than her.
When Zhuang Zhuang heard that Xiaoguo was looking for his uncle, he was not happy as he usually would. Why did his mother suddenly decide to go look for his uncle? Was she trying to change the topic?
"Mother, I’m serious. Don’t change the subject."
Zhuang Zhuang frowned. His eyes were wide open. He was serious!
Xiaoguo burst out laughing. "You actually know what changing the subject means. Haha."
"Ahem, no, I’m not changing the subject. I just want Uncle to tell you what your father looks like. After all, your uncle is better with words,"
Xiaoguo stopped smiling and explained seriously when she saw Zhuang Zhuang glaring at her.
"Let’s go. Let’s go now."
Zhuang Zhuang put down the book and was intending to set off with Xiaoguo. Xiaoguo grabbed the bedpost with all her might. "Zhuang Zhuang, Zhuang Zhuang, it’s already noon. It’s time to eat. We’ll go tomorrow. Tomorrow, tomorrow."
Why was this little rascal so strong?! She almost tripped from all that tugging.
With Xiaoguo’s repeated assurances, Zhuang Zhuang finally calmed down and took deep breaths to calm down.
Zhuang Zhuang finally realized that his mother was good in every way, but she never kept her word, especially when it involved bringing him to visit his uncle. She always said that she would do it in two days’ time.
Xiaoguo sat on the bed and looked at Zhuang Zhuang, who was panting heavily. What a rascal! What an impulsive child! He’s a true blue Tiger baby!
She rubbed her arms that were tugged by Zhuang Zhuang. He was really quite strong. He had not grown in vain.
Mother and son stared at each other.
Before dawn the next day, Xiaoguo was woken up by Zhuang Zhuang.
When she opened her eyes, she saw that the sky was still dark. What was going on?
"Zhuang Zhuang, what are you doing?"
"Mother, Mother, it’s time to set off!"
Zhuang Zhuang did not sleep much the entire night. All he could think about was what his father looked like.
"It’s still dark, baby. Sleep a little longer."
Xiaoguo coaxed Zhuang Zhuang and finally managed to get him under the covers. She reached out and patted his back, wanting to coax him to sleep again.
However, Zhuang Zhuang was wide awake and as agile as a loach. His entire body was wriggling.
Xiaoguo couldn’t sleep anymore. She had completely woken up.
"Mother, shall we go?"
Zhuang Zhuang pleaded with Xiaoguo in a pitiful voice. Xiaoguo was unmoved. It was useless to say anything. It was impossible for her to go so early. When she gets there, it will be rush hour at the restaurant. There would definitely be a lot of customers and Qin Anming would be too distracted.
Xiaoguo remained lying on the bed, begging and kissing Zhuang Zhuang.
She told him that she would start making breakfast when the sun was up. Zhuang Zhuang was very anxious. He looked at Xiaoguo accusingly and said, "Mother, you’re treating me worse by the day."
Xiaoguo did not even look up as she proceeded to say something shocking.
"We’re already on familiar terms, why should we be so polite to each other?"
Zhuang Zhuang didn’t hear her and asked her to repeat her words. Xiaoguo smiled and shook her head. "Nothing, nothing. Hehe."
Xiaoguo was acting like a rogue. She stopped talking and refused to get out of bed.
When Zhuang Zhuang was tested to his limits, Xiaoguo finally got up and said, "Let’s go!"
If she continued teasing him, Zhuang Zhuang would cry. "Let’s take our time on the way there. I shall not make breakfast anymore. We’ll just eat in the county."
Zhuang Zhuang was the first to get out of bed. He had already gotten dressed.
As Xiaoguo watched Zhuang Zhuang leave the room, she let out a sigh.
She hoped that Qin Anming still remembered Jiang Danhe’s face...