Chapter 18: Father and Son

Jiang Banyue placed her son on the bed and turned to go to the bathroom to wash up. Outside, a thunderclap rang out, followed by a torrential downpour. Jiang Banyue hurriedly walked out of the bathroom and went to close the window.

Jiang Huaijin was leaning on the window, looking outside. Jiang Banyue didn’t pay much attention, thinking he liked watching the rain.

“Baby, it’s raining. Don’t lie there.”

Jiang Huaijin didn’t respond at all. Jiang Banyue called out to him a couple more times.

“Baby, Jiang Huaijin, go back to bed and sleep!”

Jiang Banyue walked up to the window, closed it, and when she looked down, her son was lying on the windowsill, tears streaming down his face. She hurriedly crouched down, picked him up.

“Baby, what’s wrong? Don’t cry, talk to mommy.”

Jiang Huaijin hugged his mother, tears falling uncontrollably, his lips tightly pressed together.

“Mom, Dad is out there in the rain.”

Jiang Banyue breathed a sigh of relief. So that was it.

“He has a car; he won’t get wet. You don’t need to worry.”

Jiang Banyue put her son back on the bed and covered him with a blanket.

“Baby, it’s time to sleep.”

Jiang Huaijin stretched out his hand and grabbed the corner of her clothes, his eyes red as he looked at her.

“Mom don’t bully Dad. He’s a really good person.”

“When have I ever bullied your father? He’s so tall, do you think I could bully him?”

“But the things you say hurt his heart. Mom, Dad is still out there in the rain. Please let him come inside, okay?”

Jiang Banyue reached out and tapped his forehead.

“You’re really your father’s child. As soon as he arrives, you’re completely on his side, aren’t you?”

“Mom, in my past life, after I died, I became a soul, drifting in this world. I watched as Dad died, and even until the end, he kept thinking of me, my little brother, and my little sister. Dad had a hard life in his past life. Please don’t make him sad, I’ll be heartbroken.”

Jiang Huaijin thought of his father and suddenly felt a heavy pressure in his chest. Tears uncontrollably surged out, his shoulders trembling lightly, and his pillow was instantly soaked with tears.

“Mom, I miss Dad…”

Jiang Banyue stood dazed in front of the bed, silent. She only wanted to keep the children away from their father and Liu Juan, thinking they would be protected from harm. But she forgot that her eldest son had been raised by Shen Yunhe in his past life and had feelings of dependence and affection for him. They shared an unbreakable bond of blood.

She couldn’t stop it, nor could she.

Looking at her son crying so miserably, Jiang Banyue felt a tightness in her chest, a suffocating sensation. She raised her hand and wiped her face, as tears fell drop by drop, wiping her eyes.

“Baby don’t cry anymore. I’ll go downstairs and open the door for your dad, let him come in and keep you company, okay?”

“Okay, thank you, Mom.”

Jiang Huaijin’s eyes were red from crying as he sat up on the bed, lifting his hand.

“Mom, hug me, I want to go downstairs too.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Banyue hugged her son and went downstairs, turning on the lights and walking to the door. When she opened it, the man standing outside looked lonely and dejected. Rain dripped from his hair down to his chin, his thin shirt soaked from the rain, clinging tightly to his body, faintly revealing his firm abs.

Hearing the door open, Shen Yunhe looked up with burning eyes, full of anticipation. Jiang Banyue, holding her son, stood at the doorway.

“Come inside quickly, you’ll get sick from the rain. Your son will be heartbroken.”

Shen Yunhe’s lips curled into a slight smile as he stepped inside. Jiang Banyue handed him a clean towel.

“Take off your shirt and wipe yourself down.”

“Okay.”

With his long fingers, he undid the buttons and took off the soaked shirt, revealing his muscular chest. His honey-colored skin shimmered under the dim yellow light, and droplets of water from his hair slid down his strong jaw and onto his firm abs, falling to the floor.

Jiang Banyue placed their son on the carpet and grabbed the umbrella by the door.

“Watch the baby for me. I’ll go out for a bit.”

“Where are you going?” Shen Yunhe called to her. Jiang Banyue held up the umbrella and walked into the rain.

“There’s a clothing store nearby. I’ll see if it’s still open and buy you some clothes to change into.”

Shen Yunhe turned back and saw his son staring at him without blinking. He quickly walked over, picked him up, and kissed him hard.

“Baby, I’m your dad. Call me ‘Dad’!”

Jiang Huaijin rolled his eyes. He wanted to call him, but he was only seven months old—what baby at that age can speak?

“Ah ah…” Jiang Huaijin imitated his younger siblings’ silly sounds to humor his father. Shen Yunhe excitedly hugged him tighter.

“You’re awesome, baby! You’re talking to Daddy now!”

Jiang Huaijin twitched his mouth in resignation and pouted. His dad acted like a fool.

Jiang Banyue bought a black shirt and pants, hesitated for a moment, then added a pair of men’s underwear. After returning to the house, she found Shen Yunhe sitting on the carpet, playing blocks with the children.

She handed him the bag.

“There’s a bathroom upstairs. Go take a shower and change into these clothes.”

“Thank you.” Shen Yunhe took the bag and stood up, looking down at his son in his arms.

“Baby, Daddy’s going to take a shower, I’ll come back and play with you later.”

Jiang Banyue took their son, and after Shen Yunhe went upstairs, she saw the second and third children sleeping in bed. He quietly walked over, gently touched their little faces, his eyes filled with tenderness.

“So soft, my babies. Daddy loves you.”

Shen Yunhe stood by the bed for a while, then quickly went to the bathroom, took a shower, and changed into the new clothes. The clothes fit him perfectly. He put the wet clothes in the bag and went downstairs.

Jiang Banyue heard him and walked over, holding their sleeping son, lowering her voice.

“It’s late, and the kids are asleep. I’ll take him upstairs to sleep. You can sleep on the couch downstairs tonight. Leave first thing in the morning.”

“Banyue!” Shen Yunhe grabbed her arm. He wanted to say, “Let’s remarry,” but Jiang Banyue took a step back and avoided him.

“I’ll take the kids upstairs to sleep.”

Shen Yunhe looked at her fragile back, a surge of pity rising in his heart. He walked over to the corner sofa and sat down. The sofa was small, and he lay on it, his long legs awkwardly bent with no place to rest.

He felt uncomfortable against the back of the sofa. Sitting up, he turned to see a doll lying there. It was his daughter’s doll. Shen Yunhe picked it up and fiddled with it, imagining his daughter playing with it. The more he thought about it, the more his heart ached. He had a daughter, a sweet, soft little girl. This trip had been so sudden, he hadn’t prepared anything. He planned to visit the mall tomorrow and buy toys for all three kids.

Shen Yunhe was full of energy, unable to sleep with excitement. He stood up and went to the kids’ usual play area. Sitting cross-legged on the carpet, he started playing with their toys.

Shen Yunhe didn’t sleep all night, playing with the kids’ toys. At 6 AM, he washed his face by the sink and then went into the kitchen to grab some rice. After washing it, he cooked porridge.

Around 7 AM, Jiang Banyue came downstairs, holding the three kids. Shen Yunhe went to take the children from her.

“I made some rice porridge. It’ll be ready to eat soon.”

“Okay.” Jiang Banyue took some eggs and cracked them into a bowl, steaming them to make egg custard for the babies.

Shen Yunhe played with the children. Maybe it was in their nature, but the second and third children really liked Shen Yunhe, reaching out their hands for him to hold. Shen Yunhe held one in each arm and played with them.

Jiang Huaijin wasn’t interested in playing with the younger kids’ toys. Now that his dad was here, he finally relaxed and sat quietly to the side, fiddling with his Rubik’s Cube.

Shen Yunhe noticed his eldest son was very smart and well-behaved, just too quiet. No one paid attention to him, so he could sit alone for a long time.

“Big Baby, do you want Daddy to hold you and play?”

The eldest baby turned his head and saw the second and third children laughing and drooling in Shen Yunhe’s arms. He turned away, clearly uninterested.

Shen Yunhe chuckled and shook his head. His baby was so cute.

Jiang Banyue was busy making cake for the day. After cutting it into pieces and putting it away, she quickly went into the kitchen to bring out the steamed egg custard and placed a bowl of porridge on the table.

“Come eat.”

Jiang Banyue took out three custom-made baby chairs. Shen Yunhe placed the kids in their chairs and sat down, holding a bowl to feed them. The eldest baby ate by himself, and Shen Yunhe’s fatherly heart swelled with pride.

“Baby, let Daddy feed you.”

The eldest baby held up his bowl, rejecting the offer and staring at him with an annoyed look.

Jiang Banyue advised, “Don’t mind him. Baby can feed himself.”

“Really? Baby is so awesome!” Shen Yunhe praised him proudly. At just seven months old, Big Baby could feed himself. To him, that was truly impressive.

The Jiang Huaijin blushed, embarrassed, and buried his face in the bowl. Since Daddy arrived, the most frequent words he heard were, “You’re awesome, baby. You’re so good.” How could he not remember his dad being so cheesy in his past life? If Shen Yunhe kept praising him, he’d want to dig a hole and bury himself.