Chapter 38: A Dutiful Son

The military. Shen Yunhe was about to carry out an undercover mission. Once he left, he might not be able to return for several years. Before carrying out the mission, he returned to Chuan’an County to see his children and said goodbye to Jiang Banyue.

Before leaving, he went to the mall and bought many things—food, clothes, and necessities for the children, as well as gifts for Jiang Banyue. The car was fully packed.

Shen Yunhe parked in front of the cake shop. The door was open. After getting out of the car, he unloaded everything, and since he couldn’t carry it all at once, he had to make two trips.

Upon entering, he put the things down. The children saw him and excitedly crawled over. Shen Yunhe hugged all three children tightly in his arms. He missed them so much, and he also missed Jiang Banyue.

Jiang Banyue took the items he brought in and placed them inside. Shen Yunhe looked at her gently.

“There’s more stuff in the car. Go and bring it in.”

“More? How much did you buy?”

Shen Yunhe smiled silently at her, not saying a word. Jiang Banyue went outside and brought in several bags of items.

“Don’t buy so much next time. It’s a waste. We won’t use it all.”

“It’s fine. I bought clothes for the children in larger sizes. They’ll be able to wear them when they’re around three years old.”

“The kids are only one! Why did you buy three-year-old clothes?”

Shen Yunhe put the children down. “Banban, I have to go on a long trip. I might not be back for several years.”

Jiang Banyue was stunned. She silently started to organize the things, her heart softening unexpectedly.

“When are you leaving?”

“I’ll stay with the kids for a while, then leave tonight.”

“Okay.”

Shen Yunhe, troubled, spent time playing with the kids. Dabao quietly stayed in his father’s arms.

“Baby, aren’t you going to play with your little brother and sister?”

Jiang Huaijin shook his head and buried himself in his father’s arms. Shen Yunhe wrapped his big hand around him. His eldest son was so well-behaved and introverted, unlike the mischievous second and third children who were always playing around.

At noon, Jiang Banyue made dumplings and stir-fried four dishes. She knew that Shen Yunhe’s work must involve some kind of mission. No matter what, he was the children’s biological father, and she hoped that Shen Yunhe would be safe.

“Time to eat!” Jiang Banyue placed a plate of dumplings on the table and brought out the stir-fried dishes.

Shen Yunhe took the children to wash their hands. The second and third children’s hands were so dirty. After the first wash, the water turned muddy, so Shen Yunhe poured it out and rinsed them again until their hands were completely clean.

“Look at the babies, they’re like little mud dolls. Their hands and faces are so dirty.”

Shen Yunhe placed the children in their highchairs, and Jiang Banyue set the plate of dumplings in front of him.

“Let’s eat!”

Shen Yunhe paused when he saw the plump, white dumplings, then happily picked up his chopsticks and started eating. Jiang Banyue used a spoon to break the dumplings into pieces, cooled them down, and fed them to the babies.

The family of five ate quietly together. Jiang Banyue was focused on feeding the third child. For a moment, she didn’t pay attention to the second child. He grabbed a dumpling and made a mess everywhere. Shen Yunhe quickly put down his chopsticks and picked him up.

“I’ll go give him a bath.”

“Okay, the bathroom upstairs has a bathtub, especially for him.”

“Alright.”

The second child was covered in food, his head, face, and even his feet were all dirty. Shen Yunhe grabbed him under the arms, stretched out his arms, and carried him upstairs.

The second child, still holding food, tried to stuff it in his mouth. Shen Yunhe smiled and shook his head.

“Baby, you’re so messy!”

After entering the bathroom, Shen Yunhe put the second child to one side, took out the bathtub, and filled it with warm water. He stripped the second child of his clothes and placed him into the tub. The child was chubby, with little rolls of fat on his arms, like sections of lotus root, resembling a little Buddha.

The second child scraped some food off his face and, giggling, tried to put it in his father’s mouth. Shen Yunhe turned his head away in disgust.

“Eat it yourself, baby. Dad won’t eat it!”

The second child persisted, holding his arm up, still trying to feed him.

“Eat, eat… ah ah…”

“No, I won’t eat!” Shen Yunhe leaned back, but the second child shouted loudly, determined to feed his father the food from his face.

“Eat!”

Hearing the commotion, Jiang Banyue hurried upstairs with the eldest and third children.

“What’s wrong? I heard the second child shouting!”

Shen Yunhe sighed heavily, helplessly responding, “My dear son is so filial. He insists on feeding me the food he scraped off his face.”

Jiang Banyue burst into laughter, “Hahaha… Your dear son is so filial to you, you can’t refuse, right?”

Shen Yunhe looked at the woman laughing happily, his lips curving into a pleasant smile. When he turned his head, his son was still holding up his hand, trying to make him eat the food.

“Eat, eat…”

“Ugh! My heart’s so tired!”

After a lot of effort, Shen Yunhe finished bathing the second child. He wrapped him in a white towel. The baby’s skin was smooth and soft, and the towel covered his face. Shen Yunhe lifted the corner of the towel, and the baby smiled widely, his big eyes sparkling.

He thought his father was playing with him, and his chubby hands grabbed the towel corner and covered his face, eagerly waiting for his dad to uncover it. Shen Yunhe had no choice but to play along for a while.

The three babies clung to Shen Yunhe all day, while Jiang Banyue happily worked on a new cake flavor. She opened a durian and mashed the flesh, preparing to make a durian mille-feuille cake.

Shen Yunhe, smelling a pungent odor, thought something in the house had gone bad. He looked around but couldn’t find anything.

“Banyue, is there something spoiled in the house?”

“Hm?” Jiang Banyue was busy making the cake and didn’t lift her head. “No, there isn’t!”

Shen Yunhe pinched his nose, frowning.

“Don’t you smell something? It smells awful, like stinky tofu.”

Jiang Banyue paused her movements and then replied, “I’m making durian cake, not stinky tofu.”

Shen Yunhe stood behind her, looking down. Jiang Banyue was stirring something yellow and stinky. Pinching his nose, he stepped back a few paces.

“You’re being dramatic. Durian is good!”

“Who would want to eat such a smelly cake?”

Jiang Banyue shot him a look, unimpressed. “There are plenty of people who like durian cake. It may smell bad, but it tastes great. If you freeze it overnight, it tastes even better.”

Shen Yunhe couldn’t stand the smell anymore, holding his nose and stepping further away. Jiang Banyue rolled her eyes and continued making the cake.

After the durian cake was done, Jiang Banyue cut a piece for the babies. Now that they were one year old, they could try soft cakes.

Shen Yunhe placed the cake on the table, pinching his nose while feeding the babies. Jiang Banyue also cut a piece of durian cake and sat to the side, eating. The soft cake melted in the mouth, fragrant and sweet.

“It’s delicious.”

Shen Yunhe watched as all three babies ate happily, wondering, “Does something that smells so bad really taste that good?”

Jiang Banyue politely offered him a piece, but with no sincerity.

“Why don’t you try a piece?”

“No!” Shen Yunhe decisively refused.