He skips over that topic and asks: “Do you want to go find Xiao Hua to play?”

“No.” Ming Qiao honestly shakes his head, still feeling afraid of Xiao Hua.

“Since you don’t want to find her, then let’s go back.”

Wu Ye steadily holds the chubby little bottom in his arms: “Let’s go home and take a good bath.”

Both Qing Heng and Wu Ye can use simple little spells like cleaning spells, but they generally avoid using them unless in special situations.

They have long observed that the little one doesn’t like using any cleaning spells. He enjoys washing his little face, bathing, and especially likes bathing with the adults.

Returning to the main city from the ghost village, the night is about to pass. Wu Ye packs some food on the roadside, and after returning to the room, he requests a large tub of hot water.

“You two can wash up while I take Chun Sheng to granny Meng.”

“Qiao Qiao also wants to go.”

“You stay here and take a bath. Daddy will be back soon.”

Wu Ye doesn’t take him with him, he doesn’t want to let the little one roam around this place, as the Si Xiang City is not a good place.

Seeing that daddy won’t take him, Ming Qiao turns his little face and wants mommy to take him instead. Unfortunately, Mommy won’t take him either.

Watching the little one sulk, Wu Ye bends down and rubs his little nose, smiling, “Just wait here obediently. Daddy is leaving now.”

After Wu Ye says this, he disappears with Chun Sheng, whom he has captured. Once Wu Ye leaves, only Qing Heng and Ming Qiao remain in the room.

The door closes. Qing Heng reaches out to check the water temperature, then takes off the little one’s clothes and puts him in the tub.

The warm water feels very comfortable. Ming Qiao feels so good that his eyes squint. There’s a small stool in the tub, he sits on it, and his chubby little legs kick the water.

“Mommy, Qiao Qiao is so happy!” The little one kicks the water, tilting his face up with visible excitement.

Qing Heng knows he is very happy. Since he calls daddy and Wu Ye responds to him, his little face can’t hide its joy.

Seeing him so happy, Qing Heng can’t help but feel curious. “Qiao Qiao, you said last time that your daddy took care of you for three years before he met me.”

Ming Qiao doesn’t hide the fact that he comes from the future. When Qing Heng first hears this, he isn’t very convinced.

The little flower birthmark on Ming Qiao’s bottom makes Qing Heng believe he is a child of the Xie family, but he doesn’t entirely believe this is his child.

Rewinding time is something even deities find difficult to achieve. The little one he is washing has no spiritual power at all, so how could he possibly rewind time?

He didn’t fully believe it before, but at this moment, he inexplicably feels a desire to explore further. Ming Qiao doesn’t know why mommy suddenly brings this up.

He just obediently nods, his soft voice saying: “Yes, daddy raised Qiao Qiao, and Qiao Qiao is three years old!”

“How did he raise you?”

“He cooked for Qiao Qiao, dressed me, found medicine, treated my illnesses…” Ming Qiao counts the things his daddy does to raise him on his fingers.

The more he counts, the more there seem to be, and by the end, he’s a little stunned. “Raising a baby is so hard.”

Especially raising a sick baby like him, it’s even harder. Thinking of daddy’s hard work, Ming Qiao sniffs and decides to give daddy a kiss when he comes back.

“Why does only daddy raise you, and not me?”

Qing Heng asks: “Am I not around?”

Ming Qiao: “……”

When Ming Qiao is asked this question, his eyes well up, and in the next second, tears start to fall. “Qiao Qiao doesn’t know.”

His tears fall, and his soft voice chokes, “Qiao Qiao has never seen mommy.”

“Daddy said mommy loves Qiao Qiao.”

“But mommy went to a very, very far place.”

When he hears “a very, very far place”, Ming Qiao knows what it means. It means mommy has passed away.

Thinking of the future where mommy is gone, Ming Qiao suddenly stands up from the stool. He opens his wet little hands, tears glistening as he tries to crawl into Qing Heng’s embrace.

“Mommy, hug!”

In the future world without Mommy, even with daddy there, Ming Qiao still feels very sad. He knows daddy is sad too. Both he and daddy miss mommy very much.

Qing Heng sees him crying and regrets bringing up this topic. He picks up the wet little one and gently pats his back. “I’m sorry, I—”

Listening to the detailed description of the future, Qing Heng feels his heart tremble. Uncontrollably, images of the life Ming Qiao describes flood his mind.

A sickly little one, occasionally spitting blood, living with his daddy since birth. Daddy takes care of him and is very busy. So the little one behaves well and never causes trouble or acts willfully.

Sometimes, when he spits up blood too much, he feels guilty and apologizes to daddy, worried that he has made daddy worry.

Just like in the study, after he spit blood in his own arms, he felt guilty for dirtying mommy’s clothes. The most willful thing he does might be crying and asking daddy for mommy.

“I, I shouldn’t.” Qing Heng doesn’t finish his thought, he shouldn’t doubt that the little one could mistake his mother.

Rewinding time is difficult for even deities, but— A baby who misses his mommy may really have such an opportunity.

“Qiao Qiao, I really am your mommy, right?”

After hearing Ming Qiao call daddy, he finally realizes that the love in Ming Qiao’s eyes for daddy is genuine.

Perhaps the observer’s clarity holds true, listening to Ming Qiao call for daddy. He suddenly understands that when Ming Qiao calls for mommy, he never calls randomly.

“Yes.” Ming Qiao’s little face is still tear-streaked. 

He rubs his soft, wet little face against his mommy, “You are mommy, Qiao Qiao’s mommy.”

Little kids don’t mistake their daddies and mommies. Before meeting Qing Heng, Ming Qiao might have had some uncertainty. But after seeing Qing Heng, Ming Qiao is utterly certain, this is his mommy!

“Mm.”

Qing Heng feels no more doubt or wavering in his heart. He gently puts the still clinging little one back into the water. “I have never been a mommy, so I might not be very good at it.”

Qing Heng continues to wash the little one’s chubby arms that look like lotus roots while keeping his gaze down. 

His long eyelashes flutter with each blink, like butterfly wings: “But I will do my best to be a mommy you like.”

“I won’t find a partner, and I won’t have any children besides you.”

He will give all the love he can to this beloved baby. Ming Qiao is very happy to hear the first part from mommy.

But the second part makes his chubby little face frown: “Mommy, if you don’t find a partner, what about daddy?”

It’s good news that mommy won’t look for other partners. But if he doesn’t look for daddy either, that’s not so good.

“Your daddy is still your daddy, he will love you very much.” Qing Heng pretends not to understand the deeper meaning in his baby’s words. He turns the little one over and washes the front after finishing the back.

“Mommy, do you want to hear what daddy has told Qiao Qiao about you?”

Seeing that Mommy doesn’t respond regarding daddy, Ming Qiao rolls his eyes, and his clever little brain starts to turn. With him as the baby, he can totally help daddy and let daddy win mommy over sooner!

Qing Heng doesn’t reply. Not getting a response, Ming Qiao slowly starts to speak again. “Daddy said mommy’s personality is very cute, Qiao Qiao is just like mommy in being cute.”

Qing Heng: ???

“Daddy also says that mommy is not just cute, mommy is also very kind. Um, daddy said it like this—”

Ming Qiao puffs up his little face and imitates how daddy talks, saying in a deep voice: “Your mommy can like me, he is truly kind!”

Qing Heng: “……”

Qing Heng can’t help but twitch his lips. The two of them, big and small, are quite the characters. As Ming Qiao mimics daddy’s words, Qing Heng finally can’t hold back and gently covers his mouth.

“Let’s take a break and not tire you out.”

“Qiao Qiao isn’t tired.” The little one speaking for daddy doesn’t feel tired at all.

After finishing talking about how daddy praises mommy, he raises his little face and starts talking about daddy’s good qualities.

“Daddy says he is very devoted! He only likes mommy!”

“Daddy also says he is… he is virtuous!”

The not-so-cultured little one even throws out an idiom. He explains this hard-to-master idiom seriously: “Virtuous means not playing with others.”

“Big brother likes Qiao Qiao, he doesn’t play with other kids. Brother is also virtuous.” While explaining, Ming Qiao even brings in You Qing.

Qing Heng really can’t listen to the uncultured little one explaining idioms anymore. He grabs a towel and quickly dries the little one off.

“It’s getting late, your daddy should be back. Let’s go to the door and see why he hasn’t returned yet.”

After hearing the little one talk so much about daddy, Qing Heng instinctively says this. As soon as he says it, he pauses.

The little one in his arms already perks up, wiggling to head to the door. Qing Heng presses his lips together and thinks, “Forget it.”

He’ll just take a look to see if the daddy praised by Qiao Qiao really has some qualities he hasn’t noticed yet. The big and small leave the room and arrive at the inn’s entrance.

Qing Heng holds the little one and really catches a glimpse of Wu Ye returning. Not only does he see it, but Ming Qiao also spots it.

Ming Qiao waves his little hand, wanting to call out to daddy in joy. But without seeing the little one or Qing Heng, Wu Ye turns and heads toward the Red Pavilion, which is a little distance away from the inn.

The Red Pavilion is decorated with lanterns, and beside the lanterns are many graceful women. 

There are also young male courtesans standing on the second floor, some smiling, some pouting, very alluring.

Wu Ye walks in with confidence, his back facing Qing Heng and the little one.

As Wu Ye enters, he thinks it’s good that he took Chun Sheng over. If he hadn’t gone to see Chun Sheng off, he wouldn’t have found the opportunity to come here.

There are channels to get invitations to the auction in the Red Pavilion, but he isn’t willing to let Qing Heng come here. While Qing Heng doesn’t know, he takes a trip over to figure things out!

Wu Ye’s good intentions are completely unaware that his figure is clearly seen by someone. “Mommy, why hasn’t daddy come back yet?”

Watching daddy walk further away, Ming Qiao tilts his little head, feeling a bit confused. Qing Heng’s face turns cold as he takes the little one back.

He says flatly: “Don’t worry about him, let’s go back to the room. Mommy will teach you idioms.”

Ming Qiao: ???

Ming Qiao’s little face looks puzzled: “What idiom?”

“Virtuous.”

---

Author’s note:

Assisting baby: White praise!