Chapter 437: 437. Just pamper him then

Translator: 549690339

After coming back from the wedding celebration, the children were in high spirits.

Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu started racing as soon as they entered Su Mansion’s main gate: whoever reached Su Liang first would win. The competitive nature of boys was always so strong.

Gu Xiaonuan was wearing a red dress with silver fox fur trim, and a cute little hat on her head. The fluffy ball on top of her hat swung back and forth because she was sitting on Cheng Yun’s shoulder, one small hand holding onto Cheng Yun’s bald head—it was a perfect fit.

Qiao Cong and Nangong Qian were walking behind them. He said to Nangong Qian with a chuckle, “You better hurry up and finish your wedding dress embroidery. As soon as Xiaogu and your brother return, we’ll arrange your marriage with Qi Yan.”

Nangong Qian nodded with a blush on her face. Ren Dong’s wedding dress wasn’t embroidered by herself, as she didn’t know how and didn’t have time. The wedding clothes were given by Yang Yu. But Nangong Qian enjoyed embroidery and wanted to get married wearing a wedding dress she had embroidered herself, so she started working on it since the day they got engaged.

“I just don’t know when Xiaogu and Jingjing will be able to come back!” Qiao Cong sighed softly. At that moment, Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu had already disappeared from sight.

“Mother!”

“Mother!”

Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu burst into Yuanming Pavilion together, shouting for Su Liang as they ran up the stairs.

Seeing the door closed and everything quiet, the two exchanged a glance.

“Is Mother taking a nap?”

“I don’t know. Let’s try knocking on the door gently.”

As Ji Xiaoshu raised his hand to knock, the door suddenly opened, and his small hand landed on someone.

Ji Xiaoshu looked up, blinked, and Zhengzheng had already jumped up and pounced into Gu Ling’s arms. “Master! Master, you’re finally back!”

Ji Xiaoshu decisively climbed onto Gu Ling’s back, hugging his neck while grinning with his teeth showing but not his eyes. However, he asked, “Senior Brother, is Master real? He isn’t an imposter, right?”

Zhengzheng giggled, “He might be fake. If he were the real master, he would’ve thrown you off already.”

“Right!” Ji Xiaoshu just nodded his little head when Gu Ling stretched out his hand to pull him off his back and throw him out of the window.

“Ah!” Ji Xiaoshu screamed, “Mother, save me!”

Su Liang walked out from behind the screen, having changed her clothes and still with a faint flush on her face. She saw Ji Xiaoshu flying back in through the window, saying, “Mother, I have verified that he’s the real master. The way he threw me was too skillful—it felt familiar!”

Zhengzheng also got down from Gu Ling. He was just overcome with missing him and excited to see Gu Ling return suddenly. Usually, he felt that he was too old to be held.

Gu Ling had already taken a bath, changed his clothes, and exchanged his feelings with Su Liang. He originally wanted to continue sleeping but got up when he heard the children’s voices.

Gu Ling sat down by the window, and the two children snuggled up to him.

“Master, I have a question for you!” Ji Xiaoshu grabbed Gu Ling seriously.

Gu Ling nodded slightly and pinched Ji Xiaoshu’s little face, “Go ahead.”

“Between you and Mother, who fell in love with whom first?” Ji Xiaoshu still remembered the question he had asked Su Liang a few days ago.

Su Liang looked out the window, where Cheng Yun was bringing Gu Xiaonuan over in his arms.

Meeting the curious eyes of the two children, Gu Ling calmly replied, “I fell in love with your mother first.”

Zhengzheng laughed, looking as if he knew that it was the case.

Ji Xiaoshu blinked, “That’s not what Mother said!”

Gu Ling looked at Su Liang, who happened to turn her head to look at him. Their eyes met, and Gu Ling slowly smiled, “Oh, your mother is right.”

“Master, are you feeling very proud?” Ji Xiaoshu asked.

Gu Ling countered, “Can’t I?”

Ji Xiaoshu nodded, “Of course you can. Mother spoils you too much, and there’s nothing we can do about it.” He then turned to Su Liang, “Mother, if Master and I fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first?”

Su Liang laughed lightly, “Whoever catches a fish first, I’ll save that one first.”

Ji Xiaoshu held his forehead, “Alright, Mother wants to eat fish. Master, let’s go fishing this afternoon!”

Su Liang shook her head, “Your master is tired and needs to rest this afternoon. You guys go fishing.”

Ji Xiaoshu pulled Zhengzheng to the window, “Senior Brother, now that Master is back, Mother only has eyes for him. Let’s jump off the building.”

Gu Ling reached out and pulled the two children back, “Go get your schoolwork, and let me take a look.”

Ji Xiaoshu immediately behaved, “Master is so tired, it’s too much work to check our schoolwork now. Let’s do it tomorrow.”

Gu Ling shook his head, “No, I’ll check it now.”

Just as Ji Xiaoshu was regretting not doing more work yesterday and trying to figure out how to stall so that he could catch up, he heard Gu Xiaonuan’s voice and instantly brightened up, “Master, sister is back!” He dashed out, “Sister! Sister! Look who’s back!”

When Cheng Yun brought Gu Xiaonuan up, Gu Ling stood up and looked at his beloved daughter, wanting to hug her right away but worried that she might not recognize him anymore.

Without anyone prompting her, Gu Xiaonuan saw Su Liang first and then turned her eyes to Gu Ling. She seemed a bit puzzled, tilting her little head and blinking her big, round eyes for a while before a big smile appeared on her little face, and she called out clearly and loudly, “Daddy!”

Gu Ling held Gu Xiaonuan and kissed her forehead. Gu Xiaonuan then took the initiative to move closer and kiss Gu Ling’s face, giggling while calling out “Daddy” one after another.

Ji Xiaoshu dragged Zhengzheng out of the room, and Zhengzheng, who knew what was going on, didn’t make a fuss. The two closed the door, Zhengzheng stood guard, and Ji Xiaoshu hurried to finish the last bit of his homework.

Cen Man met Qiao Cong and came to see Gu Xiaonuan, she was delighted to hear Gu Xiaonuan call her “Grandma”.

Gu Xiaonuan was tired from playing outside and soon became drowsy, her little head gradually drooping.

Su Liang prepared the bed and told the father-daughter duo to sleep.

Gu Ling lay down with his daughter in his arms. Gu Xiaonuan snuggled against him, resting her small foot on him, and soon fell asleep.

Gu Ling’s eyes were tender as he asked Su Liang to join them.

“I’m not sleepy. I’ll go make a nourishing soup for you.” Su Liang covered them with the blanket, bent down to kiss Gu Ling, then kissed their daughter, and finally lowered the bed curtain.

Cheng Yun was sitting in the living room, seeing the door open, he stood up. Su Liang asked him why he hadn’t gone back to his room, and Cheng Yun said softly, “Xiaoshu is doing his makeup homework and asked me to help him stand guard, not to let Xiaogu go in.”

“He’s asleep. If you’re not busy, go help me with the fire.” Su Liang said.

Cheng Yun nodded, “Alright.”

Although Cheng Yun still refused to eat meat temporarily, he had come to accept sitting at the table with everyone, watching others eat meat.

As Su Liang was preparing the ginseng chicken soup, Cheng Yun added firewood to the hearth.

“How long will it take for my hair to grow long?” Cheng Yun suddenly asked.

Su Liang was a little surprised, “In a hurry?”

“No.” Cheng Yun shook his head, “Xiaoshu asked me today, but I don’t know.”

Su Liang thought about it, “Not necessarily, generally speaking, it can grow to a length that can be tied up in a year and a half. There may be a period of time before that when it’s neither long nor short, and it looks a bit strange.” She imagined Cheng Yun with shoulder-length hair. It wouldn’t look bad on her face, but it would seem very unconventional.

But Cheng Yun had no concept of this, so she simply asked Su Liang for the time, so as to answer Ji Xiaoshu.

Gu Ling was awakened by Gu Xiaonuan. Since Gu Xiaonuan was only taking a nap, he woke up to find Gu Ling still asleep and climbed onto his body and poked his face with his little hands.

Gu Ling hadn’t opened his eyes yet and lifted the corner of his mouth, hugged Gu Xiaonuan, “Let daddy sleep a little more, please.”

Gu Xiaonuan thought Gu Ling was playing a game with him and began to struggle even more vigorously.

Gu Ling was very tired and hadn’t rested enough, so he got up first and carried Gu Xiaonuan out, intending to settle her down and then go back to sleep.

He knocked on the door of the room next door, and Zhengzheng quickly opened it. Seeing Gu Ling, he shouted, “Xiaoshu!”

Ji Xiaoshu, who was about to finish his makeup assignment, saw Gu Ling entering the door and quickly covered the paper he was writing on, “Master, why don’t you sleep more?”

Gu Ling handed Gu Xiaonuan to Zhengzheng and turned to walk out, leaving a sentence for Ji Xiaoshu, “Wait for me to finish sleeping and then beat you.”

Ji Xiaoshu rushed to close the door and ran back to finish writing the last line of words. He put down his pen and laughed, “Master, you want to beat me? No way, you don’t have any evidence! Haha!”

When Gu Ling woke up again, it was already nighttime. Cen Man had already drunk the ginseng chicken soup Su Liang had cooked, and the children had all had a little taste as well.

There were no lights in the room, and Gu Ling was the only one upstairs. He could hear the children laughing downstairs.

Gu Ling sat up on the bed, took a deep breath, and got up, walked over to the window, and opened it. Moonlight streamed in, and Qi Yan and Nangong Qian, who had finished dinner, were walking hand in hand by the lake, their shadows stretched out very long.

Gu Ling didn’t go downstairs immediately but found the jade bells that Duanmu Chen had given to Gu Xiaonuan and jingled them.

Soon, Su Liang came up when she heard the sound, and as soon as she entered, Gu Ling hugged her tightly.

Gu Ling leaned his head on Su Liang’s neck, his voice lazy, “I missed you so much.”

There was laughter in Su Liang’s eyes, as she gently patted Gu Ling’s back, “Great God, you are even more childish than Gu Xiaonuan now. But you’re very cute, and I like it.”

Gu Ling sat by the window, holding Su Liang on his lap, his head resting on her, as they quietly watched the scene outside and talked about their own experiences during their separation. Gu Ling had done everything he needed to do when he returned home, but he hadn’t had the chance to have a good talk with Su Liang.

After speaking, the two said in unison, “You’ve worked hard.”

Then they looked at each other and laughed, Gu Ling nodded, “Yes, I missed you so much.”

“Me too.” Su Liang sighed softly. It sounded a bit cheesy, but that was the truth. She always felt self-sufficient, and she had indeed taken good care of the home without any problems, but the pressure in her heart and her desire for Gu Ling to be by her side were real as well.

“Transmigration Road? Do you think it really exists?” Gu Ling asked Su Liang.

“Anything is possible.” Su Liang initially thought it was too bizarre, but she herself was a bizarre existence. She couldn’t limit her own imagination just because she had integrated herself into the life of this world.

Gu Ling’s imagination had always been bolder and more open compared to Su Liang.

“If there really is such a thing, and it can really be done, and we can travel together, would you like to try it, Great God?” Su Liang asked.

Without thinking or hesitating, Gu Ling shook his head and said, “No, I wouldn’t. Even if we witnessed someone going back and then coming back, it doesn’t mean anyone else can do the same. I wouldn’t take any risks.”

Gu Ling had once expressed his longing for Su Liang’s previous world, but that was just because he enjoyed experiencing different lives and was unafraid of adventure. However, that was before he realized he had fallen in love with Su Liang.

Now, Gu Ling had found his home in this life, a home that he cherished, and would gladly spend his life unable to leave, as long as he was together with Su Liang and their child. He didn’t find it boring.

Love of adventure often comes from a restless heart, content with whatever comes its way. That was Gu Ling in the past. Currently, he was Su Liang’s husband and Gu Xiaonuan’s father. He enjoyed the responsibilities that came with being a husband and father, as it was not a burden but a divine blessing.

As a result, anything that might lead to the separation of their family and the harm of Su Liang and Gu Xiaonuan was unacceptable to Gu Ling.

Moreover, although Su Liang asked this question, they both believed that at most, Mo Yan’s body had traveled here and might eventually return. It was impossible for him to come and go freely, causing chaos in the space-time continuum. Even Mo Yan’s possible return was a subject of skepticism for Gu Ling and Su Liang. Though they thought it might be possible, the chance was very slim.

Of course, Su Liang supported Gu Ling’s rescue of the Weng family patriarch and his grandson on his way back. Upon learning that the old man might come to the capital city, Su Liang looked forward to it. She had always self-studied and learned about medical skills from books and exchanges with Imperial Physician Gao, but she didn’t have a master to teach her new things. She hoped that the old man could surprise her.

Su Liang shared many funny anecdotes about the children with Gu Ling.

Gu Ling regretted missing several months of Gu Xiaonuan’s growth but was pleased that she hadn’t forgotten him. When he learned that Gu Xiaonuan’s first word was “Daddy,” he asked Su Liang if she was making it up. After Su Liang recounted the details of that day, Gu Ling said, “Her first word was ‘Mommy,’ you just misheard.”

The couple disagreed on this issue, just like their opinions on who fell in love with the other first. Their differing viewpoints didn’t matter, as they cherished each other’s opinions, making it a delightful disagreement.

“Let’s go eat; you must be hungry,” Su Liang said as she pulled Gu Ling up.

Before they left the room, Gu Ling hugged Su Liang again. She chuckled, “Yes, I know you missed me a lot.”

Upon descending the stairs, they saw Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu carrying a palanquin with their hands crossed, and Gu Xiaonuan sitting on it, beaming.

“Mom! Dad!” Gu Xiaonuan waved her little hands.

“See, she called ‘Mom’ first,” Gu Ling whispered to Su Liang.

Su Liang smiled, “It’s just because you weren’t here, and she’s used to calling me like this. When you weren’t around, she would call ‘Dad’ after saying ‘Mom.’

Gu Ling’s eyes twinkled with laughter as he took Gu Xiaonuan off the “palanquin” and heard Ji Xiaoshu ask, “Why did Master say he’d hit me earlier today?”

“You didn’t finish your homework,” Gu Ling replied, holding Xiaonuan as he walked to the table while Su Liang went to fetch their food.

Ji Xiaoshu held his head high, “I finished it! Master didn’t even check before making such a conclusion; it’s unreasonable!”

“Hmm,” Gu Ling nodded, “Where’s your dad?”

Ji Xiaoshu was stumped, “I don’t know!”

“Well, that’s why I want to hit you,” Gu Ling said calmly.

Everyone laughed, and Gu Xiaonuan clapped her hands, even though she didn’t understand the joke.

Ji Xiaoshu: … This is simply outrageous!

Su Liang brought over some ginseng chicken soup, and while Gu Ling was eating, Ji Xiaoshu complained to her.

After listening, Su Liang laughed, “Your master is so adorable.”

Ji Xiaoshu sighed, “Master, you just spoil him!”