Due to the owner’s strong recommendation, they ordered their famous clear soup noodles and beef noodle soup.

Grandma Qiao agreed that both were delicious, so Qiao Wanqing ordered one of each, and Gu Yanqing followed her lead.

Grandma Qiao ordered a bowl of boiled dumplings.

While they waited for their order, Gu Yanqing watched Kou Kou in Grandma Qiao’s arms.

It had been some time, and Kou Kou had grown a lot, even copying his mannerisms entirely.

Anyone could tell at a glance that this was his son.

Seeing Kou Kou looking a bit unwell, Gu Yanqing felt a pang of worry. “Why did you come here? Is Kou Kou sick?”

Xu Han didn’t respond, and Grandma Qiao, knowing their relationship, tried to play it cool.

But under Gu Yanqing’s calm gaze, the timid grandma felt like she was being pricked by needles.

Finally, she opted to say simply, “He had a fever, 40 degrees, but it’s gone now. It’s nothing serious.”

Relieved, Gu Yanqing relaxed his tense heart that had been hanging in the air for so long. “Let me hold him.”

With that, he got up and went over to Grandma Qiao.

He was tall and imposing, and Grandma Qiao, who had spent a lot of time with Xu Han, felt that it was easier to provoke her own granddaughter, so she handed the child over to Gu Yanqing.

Gu Yanqing was clearly not skilled in holding babies.

With Grandma Qiao’s guidance, he barely corrected his posture.

Then he sat on a nearby stool, staring stiffly at the sleeping child, afraid to move.

This was Gu Yanqing’s first time holding Kou Kou.

He had no emotional attachment to the child, but holding him brought an unprecedented feeling, as if an invisible warmth was slowly flowing through his usually calm and composed heart.

This was his own flesh and blood…

Unfortunately, this feeling didn’t last even a minute.

Kou Kou, uncomfortable in his father’s arms, started to stir and showed signs of waking up.

Gu Yanqing froze even more. “He seems about to wake up.”

Xu Han glanced at him sideways. “…You’re holding him uncomfortably.”

“…” Gu Yanqing, a novice dad, did his best.

Xu Han maliciously enjoyed seeing Gu Yanqing helpless in front of their son, whom he couldn’t scold or hit.

But today, Kou Kou wasn’t feeling well, so she stood up. “Let me hold him.”

With that, Xu Han reached out to take Kou Kou.

Gu Yanqing carefully handed the child over, but as he withdrew his hand, he accidentally brushed against Xu Han’s soft chest…

The two of them jumped back as if shocked.

Xu Han, who had never even dated before, blushed deeply, glaring fiercely at Gu Yanqing.

Gu Yanqing, always a gentleman, was also very embarrassed.

But seeing Xu Han’s shy and embarrassed look, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation—recently, Xu Han had always treated him with an attitude of disdain.

For some reason, Gu Yanqing hadn’t had a good impression of her either.

Now, seeing her sudden girlish shyness, Gu Yanqing realized that she was actually a beautiful young woman in her prime.

………

Their order arrived quickly, living up to the boss’s recommendation; indeed, it was delicious.

Even Gu Yanqing, who had tasted all sorts of delicacies, finished two bowls clean.

Oh, except for the lettuce leaves in the noodles.

Xu Han, feeling revived after eating her fill, regained her energy to tease Gu Yanqing.

She raised an eyebrow, looking at the lettuce in his bowl. “You don’t eat lettuce?”

Gu Yanqing replied, “I don’t.”

“You didn’t say that when you were eating rice noodle rolls at my place.”

“Oh, that,” Gu Yanqing smiled faintly, “It was really delicious.”

…

Xu Han hadn’t planned to let Gu Yanqing come to her home, but on this cold winter evening, and with Kou Kou feeling weak, riding the electric bike might be too much.

So, reluctantly, she succumbed to the cold and allowed Grandma Qiao to carry Kou Kou and ride with Gu Yanqing.

As Xu Han prepared to ride the electric bike and face the cold head-on, Gu Yanqing calmly took out two hundred yuan bills from his wallet and said to the snack shop owner, “Excuse me, please find someone reliable to deliver this electric bike to No. 12 Dongyang Village.”

The snack shop owner gladly took the money, patting his chest, “Consider it done.”

Xu Han: “…”

Having money is impressive, huh?

Well, having money does make a difference.

But whether it’s two people riding or three, it’s not much of a difference.

Since Gu Yanqing was willing to spend this extra money, Xu Han was happy not to endure the cold wind.

By the time they returned home, it was already dark. Opening the door, Huang Daxian eagerly greeted them.

Gu Yanqing, seeing this unfamiliar creature, was taken aback, “How come you have a yellow weasel at your house?”

Xu Han hadn’t expected him to be so knowledgeable, recognizing even a yellow weasel.

She bent down, stroking Huang Daxian’s soft fur, saying, “It’s a pet.”

Gu Yanqing: “…”

This pet is indeed… unique and elegant.

“Is your family’s chicken okay?” Gu Yanqing was genuinely curious; he remembered these creatures were difficult to tame and would even prey on chickens.

“Yeah, it gets along well with our chickens.”

…

Since they had already filled their stomachs earlier, Xu Han reheated the leftover bacon and taro rice from lunch, stir-fried some vegetables, and made do with that.

Gu Yanqing, who had brought them back, was also treated to dinner.

Initially expecting a modest meal, he politely picked up his chopsticks but couldn’t stop once he started eating.

The taro rice was braised to perfection, each grain plump and glistening with a layer of yellow broth.

The taro was tender and sweet, the bacon rich in flavor yet not greasy, complemented by the savory umami of mushrooms soaked in taro and vegetable essence.

Each bite left a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth.

As for the vegetables, needless to say, Gu Yanqing, who had tasted so many delicacies, was amazed by a simple stir-fry for the first time.

Initially intending just to be polite, Gu Yanqing ended up eating the most.

Knowing that Qiao Wanqing had prepared the meal, Gu Yanqing’s expression became somewhat complicated.

“I don’t keep guests overnight here. You can either go back or stay at the inn in town,” Xu Han said bluntly after dinner, noticing Gu Yanqing showed no signs of leaving.

Gu Yanqing replied, “Fevers can relapse easily. I don’t feel comfortable leaving.”

“… That makes sense.”

In the end, Gu Yanqing naturally gained the right to stay overnight at her place.

Kou Kou woke once after returning home, and Xu Han fed him milk, changed his diaper, then he fell asleep again without any issues.

Xu Han felt a bit relieved.

However, at ten o’clock that night, he suddenly started crying.

It was the kind of crying where his eyes were closed, crying in his sleep with a particularly heart-wrenching and poignant sorrow.

This situation was causing Xu Han a lot of anxiety.

Holding him and trying to comfort him didn’t work; he wouldn’t drink milk and soon he was gasping for breath between sobs.

“What should we do?” Xu Han, faced with this situation for the first time, felt helpless.

Newbie dad Gu Yanqing, though usually calm, didn’t know what to do either. “Should we take him to the hospital?”

“… Would taking him to the hospital help in this case?”

Grandma Qiao, standing nearby, hesitated a bit. “Or… should we try a traditional method from around here?”

Both Xu Han and Gu Yanqing turned to her simultaneously. “What traditional method?”

Initially, Xu Han thought Grandma Qiao’s traditional method might involve acupuncture or pressure points.

However, it turned out to be… superstition.

“Grandma, will this work?” Xu Han watched as she set up an incense burner in front of the stove, placed a bowl of rice inside, covered the bowl with Kou Kou’s clothes, and began lighting incense and candles.

“Shh,” Grandma Qiao’s expression was solemn. “With sincere hearts, miracles can happen.”

Xu Han: “…”

Gu Yanqing, frowning deeply beside them, watched this feudal superstition with skepticism.

His mind wandered far, recalling news stories where rural areas used superstitious methods like pouring talisman water or eating ash to treat children’s illnesses, often delaying proper medical treatment.

He used to think such people were foolish, but now he was witnessing it firsthand with his son.

Suddenly, he felt he had made a mistake in conceding to how their child should be raised.

“Qiao Wanqing, as an educated person, are you just going to stand by and let this superstition be used to treat our child?” Gu Yanqing’s voice was tinged with suppressed anger.

He rarely got angry, so something that did anger him indicated it had crossed his limits.

Xu Han thought to herself, I didn’t know she would use this method.

She realized that a significant characteristic of the people in the countryside was their strong superstition.

When faced with problems they couldn’t solve themselves, they always relied on spirits and strange forces, hoping that “gods” could help them.

Including today, where Ah Lai came to pay respects to the yellow weasel.

Gu Yanqing, seeing Xu Han’s silence, thought she was acquiescing to Grandma Qiao’s approach.

He took a step forward to try to hold the child. “I’ll take him to the hospital.”

Already heartbroken from Kou Kou’s crying, Xu Han was infuriated by Gu Yanqing’s expression as if to say, “The child is sick like this, and you still won’t get him treated?”

She retorted, “Have you ever raised a child? If a child is scared and crying like this, taking him to the hospital won’t help. The doctors won’t be able to comfort him like you expect.”

Veins popping on his forehead, Gu Yanqing replied sharply, “Qiao Wanqing, don’t be unreasonable.”

“I’m not only unreasonable, but also heartless and cruel,” Xu Han countered with a classic line from Qiong Yao’s dramas.

Kou Kou, startled by their argument, cried even louder.

Both of them fell silent awkwardly.

Seeing Kou Kou crying so miserably, Xu Han felt immense pain.

She buried her face against his, softly soothing him.

Meanwhile, Gu Yanqing searched on his phone for methods to calm a frightened child.

The internet offered various suggestions, and he selected a more reliable approach: calming medicine followed by gentle massage to increase skin-to-skin contact with his mother, which could effectively enhance the baby’s sense of security.

Since they didn’t have calming medicine at home, Gu Yanqing drove with Grandma Qiao to the village health clinic to buy it.

Xu Han took charge of massaging the baby, and soon Kou Kou began to calm down.

After drinking some milk, Kou Kou fell asleep.

Watching Kou Kou’s peaceful sleeping face, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m sorry for earlier,” Gu Yanqing, seeing Xu Han’s tired expression, regretted his attitude and apologized like a gentleman.

Xu Han was surprised to see the typically aloof Gu Yanqing apologizing.

However, feeling emotionally drained, she waved it off. “Let’s rest early.”

It was nearly midnight now, and everyone had been through a tiring day.

They quickly washed up and went to bed.

Although Xu Han was exhausted, she dared not sleep too deeply, waking up from time to time to check on Kou Kou’s condition.

Yet, this was destined not to be a peaceful night.

Around midnight, she suddenly heard a commotion outside the house.