Once the promise was made, the little boy clapped his hands cheerfully. “Since Uncle is so sincere, I’ll give you a hint! Do you see that rocking chair? Mommy really likes it, but one side is broken. If you want to make Mommy happy, you should fix the rocking chair!”

“Not a problem,” Lu Zongyue readily agreed.

So he wants to be a carpenter, huh? Despite his appearance, he had taken woodworking classes in middle school, and sawing wood and hammering nails weren’t difficult tasks for him.

He went over to check the rocking chair. In fact, a few screws on one of the legs were loose, and there was a small crack in the backrest. If not fixed, the protruding wood splinters could injure someone.

He tightened the screws, smoothed the edges of the crack, and found a small piece of wood to cover the gap. That should do it.

Dongdong automatically brought over a toolbox while Lu Zongyue searched for the right tools. He half-jokingly asked, “This rocking chair wasn’t broken by your mommy, was it?”

“How could it be!” Dongdong widened his eyes, looking at him as if he were joking.

Lu Zongyue silently smiled and suddenly felt mischievous. Lowering his voice as if sharing a secret, he said to the little boy, “Uncle will let you in on a secret: your mommy used to be a little chubby.”

“Pfft!” The little boy scoffed, a look of disdain on his face as if to say, “What kind of secret is that?” “I know! It’s because she had a serious illness that made her so thin.”

“She was sick?” Lu Zongyue was taken aback.

“Uh-huh.” Dongdong nodded, explaining in a clear voice. “A few years ago, Mommy had a really serious illness and even had to stay in the hospital for surgery. I was only two or three years old then; it was my mommy who told me. She said that after that, Mommy became really thin and told me to keep an eye on Mommy and make sure she eats more to gain weight.”

Lu Zongyue listened, feeling lost in thought.

After their divorce, she refused the alimony he offered and actively cut off contact between them. He was furious at her lack of understanding and, out of spite, chose to ignore any news about her.

He never expected she had been seriously ill… When did she start getting sick? Was there a sign before the divorce?

Thinking of this, Lu Zongyue suddenly felt anxious. If she had indeed fallen ill while they were still living together, then what kind of husband was he? Even if their relationship was strained, he shouldn’t have ignored her like that.

Just as she had once scolded him, he had been too selfish, always thinking of himself…

“Dongdong, do you know what kind of illness your mommy had back then?” he asked urgently.

“I know! It was something with her neck.”

“Her neck?”

“Uh-huh, right here.” Dongdong pointed to just below his throat. “I asked Mommy before, and she said something was growing there that needed to be removed through surgery.”

Could it be a thyroid tumor?

Lu Zongyue frowned and contemplated. Dongdong seemed to sense his worry and pulled his hand to comfort him.

“Uncle, you don’t need to be nervous. Mommy said she’s all better now.”

So the surgery was successful? That’s great, really great!

Lu Zongyue let out a long breath, only then realizing that he had been tense all this time, his muscles taut. He calmed himself and smiled slightly at Dongdong, about to say something when his phone rang loudly.

He took out his phone from his pocket and glanced at the caller ID. It was Ding Moli calling.

He instinctively furrowed his brows, a wave of disgust washing over him.

“Uncle, your phone is ringing,” Dongdong reminded him.

“I know.”

“Aren’t you going to answer it?”

He shook his head. “This call isn’t important.”

With that, he pressed the reject button and switched his phone to silent mode, tossing it aside.

“Let’s start fixing the rocking chair! Dongdong, help me pass the tools.”

“Okay.”

The two of them got busy, with Lu Zongyue hammering away and Dongdong helping on the side, chatting and laughing.

Zhong Xintian heard the noise and quietly came over to see what was happening. She found the big and little duo working together seamlessly, with Dongdong chirping like a little bird, while Lu Zongyue, though not very talkative, wore a faint smile.

Suddenly, Lu Zongyue struck down with the hammer and accidentally hit his left thumb.

“Ah!” he screamed.

“Ah…” Dongdong cried out even louder.

Even Zhong Xintian, who was watching from the side, was startled, covering her mouth to suppress her surprise.

What is this man doing? He clearly isn’t good at this; why is he randomly hammering?

“What’s wrong, Uncle?” Dongdong asked anxiously.

“Your finger is so red! It must hurt a lot, right?” Zhong Xintian also felt concerned, waiting for an answer.

“It’s nothing.” Lu Zongyue squeezed his thumb firmly. “It’s fine; I’m not bleeding.”

“What should we do? Do you need some medicine?”

“It’s okay; it’ll be fine in a bit.”

Who says it’s fine? This idiot! Zhong Xintian bit her teeth in frustration and quickly turned back to the kitchen, taking out some ice cubes from the fridge and wrapping them in a handkerchief.

Just as she was hesitating about how to bring it to the man in the backyard, Dongdong came running over.

“Mommy, Mommy, do you have any ice cubes?”

“Yes.” Zhong Xintian sighed in relief and casually handed the ice-filled handkerchief to the little boy, smiling as if nothing was amiss. “Here you go.”

Dongdong blinked his eyes. “Did Mommy know I was coming to get ice cubes?”

Her heart skipped a beat. “No, how would I know?”

“Then how come you had it all ready?”

“Mommy felt hot and originally wanted to use it to cool her face.” She casually made up an excuse and then asked, “What do you need the ice cubes for?”

“Uncle got hurt.” Dongdong replied, raising his little face, his dark eyes sparkling as he stared at her, seemingly wanting to gauge her reaction.

Zhong Xintian didn’t want a child to see through her, so she intentionally put on a cold expression. “Why hasn’t he left yet? How long does he plan to stay here?”

Dongdong blinked again. “Mommy, how heartless you are! Aren’t you worried that Uncle is hurt?”

“Why should I worry?” She was stubborn.

“But aren’t you friends?”

Definitely not.