Chapter 49

“Give me another son?”

Yin Xiaoman rubbed her ears, feeling like she had heard wrong.

But before she could think it over, Da Bao had already charged toward her like a little cannonball.

She quickly bent down to block him.

But even though she was prepared, the sudden force of him rushing into her made her stagger back several steps.

“Don’t rush, what’s going on? Tell Mom properly.”

She pulled her son, drenched in sweat and clinging tightly to her leg, into her embrace, patting his back with tenderness.

How long had it been since he had shown her such closeness?

The last time he clung to her like this, refusing to let go, was when she had just crossed over, and the little guy had been afraid she might disappear.

“Uncle told me to come and call you. He said that brother would be your and dad’s son.” Da Bao said, choking on his words.

He hugged Yin Xiaoman even tighter, finally showing his frustration: “No! You’re my and Erniu’s Mom, I won’t let anyone call you Mom!”

As he spoke, tears started rolling down his cheeks.

Yin Xiaoman felt a bit angry.

Although she didn’t believe what Da Bao had said.

From what she knew about Shen Qingyun, he wasn’t the type to act impulsively and get tricked into casually agreeing to adopt another child.

And even if he did have such an idea, he would at least discuss it with her first.

They weren’t separated by tens of thousands of miles, they had just met not long ago.

But even though she didn’t believe it, she still couldn’t help feeling angry!

On such a hot day, to scare her son like this—what if he got prickly heat? What would she do?

“Don’t cry, come on, Mom will go with you to have a look.”

She wiped away the tears on Da Bao’s face with her finger, set the bamboo basket aside on the road, and then pulled her child toward the road construction site.

But before they even got close, they heard a burst of laughter from that direction.

Then she saw her husband, looking speechless, holding Erniu in his arms, trying to comfort her.

The little girl was squirming in his embrace, her small fists pounding on his shoulder.

Because her husband’s arm was blocking her view, Yin Xiaoman couldn’t see her daughter’s expression clearly, but she could clearly see the man opposite them laughing so hard that he was nearly falling over.

It was Lu Ping.

The Commander who had brought them to the island.

Yin Xiaoman had previously had a good impression of him, but after seeing the expression on his face now, all her positive feelings vanished.

However, Lu Ping was completely unaware of her thoughts.

As soon as he saw her, he waved from afar. “Come, come, Little Yin, hurry over, or your daughter will wear her father out.”

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Da Bao’s face as he approached. Seeing the tear stains that hadn’t been wiped away, he was immediately startled and exclaimed in surprise.

The smile on his face froze. “No way, Da Bao, you cried too?”

It seemed that only at this moment did Lu Ping realize that his joke had gone too far.

He quickly turned to Yin Xiaoman and apologized. “Little Yin, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I was just joking with Qingyun, I didn’t expect the kids to take it so seriously.”

Yin Xiaoman didn’t respond to him.

She stepped forward and took Erniu from her husband’s arms.

The little girl immediately threw herself at her, tightly hugging her neck, pressing her tear-streaked face against hers, sobbing and murmuring: “Mom, I don’t want you to be someone else’s Mom.”

Yin Xiaoman didn’t say a word, but she lifted her gaze and looked at Shen Qingyun.

Although she didn’t utter a single word of reproach, her whole body was filled with anger.

“Well…” Shen Qingyun felt a headache coming on, completely unsure how to explain to his wife. He could only shift the blame onto their troublesome superior.

“Well, the Commander brought you some help.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Ping quickly nodded. “Yes, yes, Little Yin, I brought you a little helper.”

As he spoke, he pushed a quiet little boy standing behind him to the front.

Lu Ping introduced him: “This is Liang Dami. Don’t be fooled by his age—he’s pretty knowledgeable. He’s from this province and has stayed on Zhongshan Island for about half a year. No one knows the island better than he does.”

He then turned to Yin Xiaoman and continued: “I brought him here to assist you. From now on, he’ll help you with cooking for the experts.”

It was only then that Yin Xiaoman noticed the boy.

He looked to be about ten years old, not very tall, dark, and thin, wearing an old, oversized t-shirt that looked as if it could fit two of him.

The shirt was worn out, its original color indistinguishable, and covered with little holes that were so many it almost seemed like you could see through them to the boy’s bare stomach.

Despite the raggedness, it had been washed very clean.

The boy’s eyes were completely different from Da Bao and Erniu’s. He didn’t look like a typical child at all. His eyes were narrow and elongated, with the corners slightly upward.

His pupils were a deep black, and his gaze was devoid of any emotion.

This child’s past life must have been hard—his cheeks were so thin there was no flesh left, it was even slightly sunken, which made his high cheekbones stand out, giving him a slightly fierce look.

In short, he had a gloomy demeanor and didn’t seem very likeable.

Even now, when Lu Ping introduced him to everyone, the boy didn’t show a single smile.

He merely gave Yin Xiaoman a cold glance as a greeting, then shifted his gaze elsewhere.

Seeing his demeanor, Yin Xiaoman finally understood why her two children had such a strong aversion to him.

It was likely that the boy’s appearance had scared them.

The boy’s behavior made Lu Ping feel a bit awkward. Frustrated, he lifted his foot and kicked him lightly. “Dami, greet your aunt. I’ll have to leave soon, and from now on, you’ll be staying with your uncle and aunt. If you have any problems, just tell them directly!”

But to everyone’s surprise, the boy suddenly refused.

His voice was low, but his tone was extremely firm. “I won’t.”

He then looked up at Lu Ping. “I won’t stay with them. I’ll stay in the dorm with the people from the camp. Don’t worry, I won’t delay starting the fire in the morning, and I won’t slack off.”

At his words, Lu Ping’s expression showed a moment of hesitation.

It was clear that he wasn’t very comfortable with leaving such a young child in the military camp.

But before he could even offer any advice, the boy—called Dami—had already picked up a shovel, which someone had left nearby, and turned toward the roadside.

There was a pile of broken stones there, which had been dug up earlier to be hauled away. Without saying a word, he stepped on the shovel, scooped up a full load of stones, and dumped them into a nearby wheelbarrow.

The child’s back was to everyone, silently working. It seemed as though he was trying to show that he wouldn’t cause trouble for anyone and didn’t need anyone to take care of him.

From the time Yin Xiaoman had arrived up until now, he hadn’t spoken a single word to her.

The only thing he had said was when he passed by Da Bao and Erniu earlier, when he coolly said: “I have a father, I don’t need them.”

Lu Ping, realizing that his joke had gone too far, didn’t stay on the island much longer. After the supply ship unloaded, he left with it.

Yin Xiaoman, who had been inexplicably called to witness this little drama, didn’t stay any longer either. After Lu Ping gave his instructions, she took her two children and returned home.

After the children had taken their baths, she helplessly burned a handful of dry twigs to fill the house with smoke, chasing the two little ones back inside, forbidding them to come out again.

In reality, it was only around five or six in the afternoon, and the sun was still high in the sky, showing no sign of setting. It should have been the perfect time for the children to play freely outside.

However, in just that short amount of time, Erniu already had several large mosquito bites on her arms and neck.

The red welts stood out starkly against her fair skin, looking extremely glaring.

Yin Xiaoman was genuinely afraid, and until she found some proper mosquito repellent, she had made up her mind not to let them run around outside.

Fortunately, when Shen Qingyun returned that evening, he brought back some mosquito coils.

Although the smoke was still a bit stinging to the eyes, it was much better than burning tree branches.

Yin Xiaoman glanced behind him, and Shen Qingyun gave a bitter smile. “I didn’t bring him back. That kid is as stubborn as a mule. No matter what I said, he wouldn’t come back with me.”

“What’s the matter, exactly?” Yin Xiaoman had been holding it in for a long time, and only now did he finally ask.

Shen Qingyun sighed and began to tell the story of Liang Dami’s background.

This child’s situation was actually similar to Da Bao and Erniu’s. Both had lost their fathers, and their mothers remarried, leaving them to be the ones abandoned.

But his case was a little different from theirs.

His father wasn’t a soldier; he was just an ordinary fisherman.

When the accident happened, his father, like the other villagers, was preparing to row his fishing boat out to sea to catch fish, fulfilling the village’s required task.

Then, that day, Dami didn’t know what happened, but he stubbornly clung to the boat and insisted his father take him along to play in the sea. No matter how anyone tried to persuade him, he refused to listen.

The weather was fine, and his father was in a good mood. Unable to stand his whining, he ended up taking him along.

With the child on board, Dami’s father hadn’t planned to go far, but they happened to encounter a school of fish. Greedy for more, he followed the fish further and further out.

By the time they realized it, they were already far from their usual fishing grounds.

Dami’s father tried to row back, but he hadn’t gone very far before they encountered a strong storm.

The boat capsized, the fish escaped, and he held onto Dami, gripping a broken piece of the boat, drifting on the sea for an entire day and night. Eventually, they drifted to Zhongshan Island.

At that time, Zhongshan Island didn’t have any stationed troops.

Their boat was gone, and there was no way to contact the village. They had completely become wild people, relying on picking fruits from the mountain and setting traps to catch wild animals to survive.

During their time on the sea, Dami’s father had his leg scratched by an iron nail, and he bled for two full days. By the time they reached the shore, his body was already too weak to endure the pain.

In this situation, he gritted his teeth and stayed on the island with Dami for more than twenty days, enduring until his strength completely ran out. He did everything he could to teach his son, who was still under ten years old, as much as he could, and only then did he finally pass away.

After that, Dami relied solely on himself and survived on the island for nearly seven more months.

When the first group of troops landed on the island and found him, the little boy couldn’t even speak. He bared his teeth at people, and if caught, he would bite with his teeth, like a mad little beast.

In the end, it was Lu Ping who took him back and personally searched through one village after another in the surrounding area. He eventually helped Dami reunite with his family.

Before this, everyone in the village had assumed that the father and son were dead. Even his mother, unable to bear the hardship, had remarried.

When Dami suddenly appeared, the whole village was in an uproar, but everyone faced a dilemma.

In those days, there was no family without poverty. Who would want to take in a ten-year-old child?

He could eat, but could never be properly raised.

In the end, the village sent him to live with his three uncles, each of them taking turns to care for him, with each family keeping him for four months.

When the officers were around, the uncles agreed, but in reality, what happened to Dami was anyone’s guess.

Months later, when Lu Ping went back to check on the child, he found that Dami’s condition was even worse than when he had just been found on the island.

In his anger, Lu Ping didn’t hesitate and immediately took Dami back to the Military Unit.

However, as a commander of a frontline Military Unit, Lu Ping spent more time at sea than on land.

Even though he cared deeply for Dami, there was no way for him to personally raise the child.

So, for the past two years, Dami had been passed from one person to another, living a life where he never knew where he would go next.

That day, when he saw their family, especially Yin Xiaoman caring for Da Bao and Erniu, Lu Ping immediately thought of Dami.

Moreover, Lu Ping knew better than anyone that the child was intimately familiar with Zhongshan Island, and no one in the entire brigade could compare.

So, he decided to send Dami there.

On one hand, Lu Ping wanted him to help Yin Xiaoman with the work, and on the other, he hoped she could keep an eye on the boy.

Lu Ping’s idea was actually quite simple; he just thought that Dami was still young and needed someone careful to look after him.

So, when they arrived on the island earlier, he made a joke.

He said to Shen Qingyun: “From now on, let Dami call you ‘Dad’ and your wife ‘Mom.’ After all, whether it’s one child or a group of children, they’re all the same to raise. You can take care of him.”

What Lu Ping didn’t expect was that this offhand remark completely angered Da Bao and Erniu.

Before he could explain, Erniu lost her temper on the spot, and Da Bao immediately ran home to report the matter.

“So, that’s how it is. I didn’t plan to raise another child, and Lu Ping didn’t expect us to either. When Dami’s father died, he was already old enough to understand everything. Besides, his father died right in front of him. This kid could never call anyone else ‘Dad.’

Also, for the past two years, he’s actually been supported by Lu Ping. Lu Ping has been covering his living expenses. Even if he did call someone ‘Dad,’ it would only be Lu Ping. But this kid’s life has been really tough. Lu Ping sent him here because he hoped we could look after him. At least let the boy stay here for a few years, give him time to grow. When he’s older, Lu Ping will figure out how to arrange things for him.”

Yin Xiaoman hadn’t expected that the child had such a tragic background.

After listening to her man, she could understand why Dami was so wary of others, and why he seemed so distant. She thought for a moment and asked. “How old is he?”

“He should be almost thirteen.”

“Almost thirteen?” Yin Xiaoman was quite surprised.

Looking at the boy’s small frame, she had thought he was at most ten.

After hearing the man’s explanation, Yin Xiaoman thought that maybe Dami was a little older than she had originally thought.

But thirteen… that age still took her by surprise.

“The child has suffered a lot physically in the past.” Shen Qingyun sighed.

Hearing this, Yin Xiaoman fell silent for a moment and nodded in understanding.

Over the next few days, Dami indeed did as he had promised, arriving at Yin Xiaoman’s house bright and early every day.

If they were already up, he would come in and find something to do.

Fetching water, lighting the fire—he did everything quickly and well.

If he came too early and they hadn’t woken up yet, he wouldn’t go in. He would simply sit quietly outside the courtyard, patiently waiting.

He would wait until Yin Xiaoman got up or Shen Qingyun returned from his morning exercise to “pick him up.”

Even though the Shen family’s gate was never locked.

After several days of this, Yin Xiaoman couldn’t stand it anymore and forcefully handed him a key to the house. Only then did the little guy finally dare to enter.

At first, Yin Xiaoman really thought that Lu Ping had sent Dami to her just for her to help look after him. But after a few days of contact, she was pleasantly surprised to realize that what Lu Ping had sent her was an enormous help!

No, no, no. This wasn’t just help.

On Zhongshan Island alone, this child could almost be called her teacher!

It was like, on his first day there, he led Yin Xiaoman and the others straight to the mangoes.

This fruit was something Yin Xiaoman had never tasted in her two lifetimes.

The moment the sweet, tender flesh of the fruit touched her mouth, Yin Xiaoman felt as if a halo had appeared above Dami’s head in her eyes!

But that wasn’t all.

After staring at Yin Xiaoman’s lemon pickling process for half an hour, he couldn’t hold back any longer and finally asked her what she was doing all of this for.

Yin Xiaoman naturally didn’t hide anything and told him her entire plan.

After listening, Dami didn’t say anything.

However, the next morning, when he came again, he was carrying a bamboo basket on his back, filled with half a basket of small kumquats!

Yellow and golden, the sight left Yin Xiaoman dumbfounded!

But Dami just said one short sentence: “These are good for pickling, they pickle easily.”

After speaking, he picked up a bucket and went to fetch water again.

He didn’t even notice that behind him, Yin Xiaoman was staring at him, her gaze full of admiration, like she was looking at a treasure.

At first, Da Bao and Erniu were the ones who disliked Dami the most.

But now, like stubborn plasters, they were always closely attached to him.

Perhaps people are drawn to strength, and children always like playing with other children.

Since Dami had led them to the mangoes and also brought back many night-blooming jasmine plants from the mountains to plant under Erniu’s window, saving her from enduring the smoke used to drive away mosquitoes by her mother, the girl now looked at Dami with eyes that seemed to shine with admiration.

Every day, the two kids followed Dami around like little shadows, constantly calling out: “Brother, brother.” without stopping.

Yin Xiaoman thought hard and realized that, as far as she could remember, Da Bao had never been treated someone this way before.

The two kids were so clingy that as soon as they opened their eyes, they’d ask: “Where’s my big brother Dami?” Then they’d start searching everywhere for him.

Since it was unbearably hot in the afternoon, Yin Xiaoman decided she wouldn’t allow Dami to walk down that long path to the dining hall for his meal anymore.

So now, he had lunch with the Shen family.

Originally, Yin Xiaoman had planned to discuss with Shen Qingyun if they could borrow a bunk bed from the camp to replace the single bed Da Bao was using. That way, the child could stay at their house and wouldn’t need to run back and forth.

But Dami refused flatly.

It seemed he still remembered what he had told Da Bao and Erniu when he first arrived. Yin Xiaoman felt that he had been very careful to maintain a distance from her family, not wanting to get too close.

For this, Yin Xiaoman didn’t know what to say. The child had his own thoughts, and what could an adult do?

Especially a child with such a strong sense of independence and maturity.

But what she never expected was that her moment of softness almost caused a major incident, nearly scaring everyone in the camp half to death!

Had she known this earlier, Yin Xiaoman swore that she would have insisted on keeping the child at home, no matter what.