Chapter 77.2

By now, it was already past ten in the evening, well beyond the usual bedtime for the little ones. Normally, at this hour, Xiao Doubao would have already listened to his mother’s sweet storytelling and fallen asleep soundly to the gentlest voice of his mother. Right now, he would be in his most peaceful slumber.

And tonight, Xiao Doubao was clinging to the door frame, his big eyes wide open, watching his dad run off. His little mouth was tightly pursed, trying not to cry but looking like he wanted to.

His two older brothers were also by his side, each guarding him. No matter what Xiao Du said, they refused to go inside to sleep.

Xiao Du thought to himself: ‘Fortunately, Director Han married a good wife, otherwise these adorable children would be so pitiful without their mother.’

Suddenly, two bright lights approached from a distance as the car slowly entered the children’s view. The three little ones immediately stood up and rushed over. Xiao Du tried to hold them back, but they were too excited.

Han Cheng’s car was driving very slowly, and when he saw three children running over from a distance, he was even more hesitant to drive even farther. He stopped in place and pulled open the car door to get down. He jogged a few steps forward to embrace Xiao Doubao, who was at the forefront.

Han Cheng said softly, “Let’s not make a fuss. Mom is fine; she’s just tired and sleeping in the car. When Dad opens the car door, we’ll carry her back inside to rest. Can you all be good kids and not disturb her?”

When they heard that Su Xiaoxiao was okay, the three kids felt relieved and nodded earnestly.

Han Cheng rubbed the heads of each child and comforted them, “She told me that while I was away, all of you were great and well-behaved. She praised you all, so now, go back inside, and I’ll drive the car to the front of the house.”

The three little ones obediently nodded and hurriedly ran back inside, making soft thudding sounds with their steps.

Han Cheng got back into the car and slowly drove in front of their house.

Xiao Du wanted to speak but was hushed by Fantuan, who gestured for him to be quiet.

Han Cheng opened the car door and bent down to pick Su Xiaoxiao up from the car, holding her as if carrying a child.

Su Xiaoxiao was still half asleep and half awake. She rubbed against Han Cheng’s neck, feeling as if she had arrived home. She struggled to open her eyes and murmured, “Babies…”

Han Cheng rubbed her head and said it in the softest voice. “We’re home. The children are all asleep, so don’t worry. Tomorrow, when you wake up, you’ll be able to see them.”

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t say anything more, and the others remained silent throughout. The cubs obediently followed behind Han Cheng, keeping their eyes on Su Xiaoxiao, all the way to the room. They watched as Han Cheng put her down and covered her with a blanket.

Xiao Doubao walked over and stood on tiptoe to look at his mother’s face. After a while, he carefully looked at his father again.

Han Cheng bent down to pick up the cub and then signaled with his eyes for the two older ones to go out first.

The group tiptoed to the courtyard before they started talking.

“Xiao Du, you’ve worked hard. I’m here now, so you can go back and rest,” Han Cheng said to Xiao Du.

Xiao Du waved his hand repeatedly and said, “It’s not hard at all. I’ll go back first, and I’ll deliver breakfast to you on time tomorrow.”

Captain Zhao’s family wasn’t large, but they were often kept busy by the mischievous Xiao Yu. Sometimes, Captain Zhao and his wife would playfully join in. Among the families he had encountered, Han Cheng’s family had the best atmosphere. The kids were very well-behaved, and the whole family was exceptionally gentle. Whenever Su Xiaoxiao cooked something delicious, she would share some with him too, and sometimes he didn’t want to leave when he visited.

Han Cheng shook his head and said, “No need, I’ll get up and cook tomorrow.”

Xiao Du was stunned for a moment. ‘Director Han cooking breakfast? Captain Zhao never set foot in the kitchen or did any household chores; he had been scolded by Doctor Zhou several times because of this.

But then, Xiao Du thought that anything in this family seemed reasonable. He had even seen six-year-old Xiao Zhuzi and five-year-old Xiao Fantuan squatting in front of the water pump, washing dishes.

Once Xiao Doubao saw that his mother was safe, a sense of relief washed over him, and he promptly drifted off to sleep on his father’s shoulder.

Xiao Zhuzi and Xiao Fantuan were also extremely tired. Han Cheng said, “Go back to your rooms and sleep. If there’s anything, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

After the children had all gone back to their rooms to sleep, Han Cheng quickly took a shower. There wasn’t much hot water left in the kettle, and after washing, he felt a strong chill on his body. Worried that the cold might affect Su Xiaoxiao, he ran a few laps in the yard until he felt warm again before returning to the room and pulling Su Xiaoxiao into his arms.

These days, it wasn’t just Su Xiaoxiao who couldn’t sleep well; Han Cheng was also affected. Whether on the train or at the guesthouse, he always slept uneasily. Now, with his beloved in his arms, he could finally have a good night’s sleep.

Su Xiaoxiao slept for the first half of the night and didn’t feel so tired. However, the latter half wasn’t as peaceful. Her stomach still didn’t feel well, and the amount of water given through the drip was a bit too much, causing her to make several trips to the bathroom.

Every time Su Xiaoxiao moved, Han Cheng would wake up. He insisted on carrying her to the bathroom, and he waited outside the door to carry her back.

Su Xiaoxiao lay in his arms and couldn’t help but say, “Han Cheng, I’m not Xiao Doubao, I can manage on my own.”

Han Cheng kissed her and replied, “I know, just sleep. Tomorrow, I’ll take the day off, go to the school to get you sick leave, and then buy groceries. We’ll rest at home for a day.”

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t resist him and could only agree to his plan.