Pan Pan showed no sympathy for his mother’s embarrassment and excitedly shouted, “Mom, my dad, your man…”

Lin Shu wished that a huge crack would open in the floor so she could dive into it and never be embarrassed again.

When they got home, Lu Shaotang had to bend down to get through the door, so he wouldn’t bump his head.

The room, which had seemed quite spacious before, felt cramped and narrow with Lu Shaotang’s arrival.

Lin Xia remarked, “Oh, now I have a sense of how tall my brother-in-law is.”

Lu Shaotang tried to put the children down to help clear the dining table, but Tian Tian and Pan Pan clung to him like koalas, refusing to let go.

Lin Shu wanted them to get down, but Lin Xia, seeing how excited the children were to finally be with their father, suggested leaving them alone.

So, the children behaved as if they had suddenly regressed to a state of helpless infants, needing their father to hold them while they ate.

Lin Shu asked, “How can you wash your hands while holding them?”

Pan Pan replied, “Mom, you help your man wash.”

Lin Shu: “…”

If you say ‘man’ one more time, I’m going to hit you.

When Lu Shaotang wasn’t around, Lin Shu didn’t mind the term “your man,” but now that he was so present, she couldn’t ignore it.

Lin Shu brought over a basin and let Lu Shaotang sit to wash his hands.

Helping him wash his hands? That’s a dream!

Lu Shaotang let the children sit on his lap while he washed his hands himself.

Tian Tian and Pan Pan, feeling sorry for their dad, immediately said, “I’ll wash for you.”

Each took one hand and washed them thoroughly.

Lin Shu: “…”

This meal was really uncomfortable, so sour.

Lin Shu and Lin Xia huddled together, shivering.

These two children were too clingy.

Pan Pan said, “Dad, have some meat. I’ll make money every day to buy meat for you in the future.”

Tian Tian said, “Dad, eat the scrambled eggs. I’ll make you egg custard and egg drop soup every day…”

Pan Pan asked, “Dad, what did you eat outside? Were you hungry?”

Tian Tian asked, “Dad, when you went to sleep at night, did you dream of me, Mom, and Pan Pan?”

…

Their endless questions couldn’t be covered by ten thousand “whys.”

Lu Shaotang wasn’t at all annoyed and answered each one seriously.

The three of them then started discussing the embarrassing moments from their first meeting the day before.

Pan Pan asked, “Dad, why didn’t you recognize us?”

Lu Shaotang replied, “It’s my fault. When I saw you, you looked familiar and dear, but I thought you were at home, so…”

“In the city, I didn’t dare to recognize him.”

“That night, didn’t you come home? You even kissed my stinky little feet.”

Lu Shaotang’s gaze paused slightly as he turned to look at Lin Shi.

Lin Shu avoided his eyes, pretending not to know.

Lu Shaotang’s lips curved slightly, guessing what had happened.

The children revealed it themselves.

Lu Shaotang said, “It was too dark at night, and you were sleeping restlessly, with your head facing inward and feet sticking out. I didn’t see.”

Panpan: “How could I not be obedient when I’m sleeping? I’m the most obedient.”

Tiantian: “What about me?”

Lin Shu immediately said, “When you sleep, your head burrows into the blankets, so your dad couldn’t see.”

Tiantian liked to snuggle into Lin Shu’s arms while sleeping, and Lin Shu was always worried about her suffocating.

This was also a chance to correct the children’s sleeping habits.

Tiantian kissed Lu Shaotang’s cheek.

Now that his beard was shaved clean, he looked just like her dad.

She giggled and said, “Father and daughter don’t recognize each other? Tea eggs are one and a half cents!”

Lu Shaotang kissed her, “Sorry, sweetheart. It’s all dad’s fault.”

Tiantian was satisfied, “I forgive you.”

Lin Xia rubbed her hands and poked Lin Shu, saying, “Your family is too mushy.”

At this moment, someone knocked on the door. It was Factory Director Jiang.

Lin Xia hurried to open the door, smiling, “Director Jiang.”

Jiang Weidong was holding two cans of oranges and two packages of snacks.

He greeted Lin Xia, “I heard Comrade Lu is back. I used to be a soldier too, so I came to say hello. My old lady said the kids were bullied? I came to check.”

Lin Xia invited him inside.

Lu Shaotang had already picked up the two children and walked over to greet him.

Usually, Panpan and Tiantian would never behave like this, but having just seen their father, they clung to him and refused to let go.

Lu Shaotang tried to shake hands with Jiang Weidong, but Panpan and Tiantian were already reaching out to shake hands first.

Jiang Weidong shook the children’s hands, “Comrade Lu has returned safely, congratulations.”

Lu Shaotang: “Thank you.”

He casually asked Jiang Weidong which unit he had served in before.

When he heard that Jiang Weidong had just been there, they chatted about topics of interest to him.

After a few minutes, Jiang Weidong took his leave, not wanting to interrupt their meal.

“Comrade Lu, how long are you staying this time? If you have time, come over to my house for a visit and have a drink,” Jiang Weidong said as he left.

Lu Shaotang adjusted the two children in his arms, “Whether I have time or not depends on these two.”

Jiang Weidong smiled.

Pan Pan immediately said, “There’s time, there’s time. If we go somewhere else, we don’t have time, but if we go to Grandma’s house, we do.”

Jiang Weidong then made an appointment with Lu Shaotang and left.

When he got home, he saw Grandma Jiang peeking out from the window. “Alright, stop feeling guilty.”

Grandma Jiang slapped him on the back. “Is the person not angry?”

Jiang Weidong asked, “Did you propose to them?”

Grandma Jiang replied, “No, I’m not that foolish.”

Even if she liked them, it would be a gradual process.

Proposing immediately would only invite trouble.

Jiang Weidong said, “Well, it’s fine if you didn’t propose. They don’t know, so why would they be angry?”

Grandma Jiang retorted, “But that old woman from the Tong family was spreading rumors. Wouldn’t the people be angry hearing that?”

Jiang Weidong said, “That’s just her spreading lies. They won’t be mad at us, just at her. I’ve made friends with Comrade Lu. When they have time, they’ll come to our place for a visit.”

Grandma Jiang said, “Oh, then I need to quickly prepare some fish and meat. I’ll make a nice meal for you all.”

After Jiang Weidong left, the three of them sat down to eat again.

Lin Shu asked about Pan Pan, “This isn’t Lu’s family’s place. If you get into a fight with them, what if you end up at a disadvantage?”

Pan Pan puffed out his chest, “So what? I just can’t let them insult my parents!”

Lin Shu replied, “I meant you should go home and get the adults involved. I’ll go with my sister to deal with his parents and make them give him a good beating.”

Pan Pan said, “His parents are just as unruly as he is. They won’t discipline him. They might even hit us instead. It’s better if I deal with him first.”

Lin Xia smiled and patted Lin Shu’s arm, saying softly, “The child is protecting his parents. He’s sensible.”

Lin Shu murmured, feeling that the child was just being headstrong.

If he ended up getting beaten, it would only make her heartache more.

Tian Tian concluded, “We were already upset. When Tong Xiaojun bumped into us, we just took it out on him.”

The two children continued to cling to Lu Shaotang, asking how he dealt with Tong San, and said they wanted to learn too.

Lu Shaotang didn’t scold the children for fighting.

He understood that children will fight, just as he did when he was young.

He’d fight if someone insulted his family and figure out another way if he couldn’t win.

A few blows weren’t a big deal for a man.

They spent two hours at the table eating, not minding the cold food at all.

It was mid-September, and the days were getting shorter.

Two hours after lunch, it was already getting dark.

The children didn’t want to go outside to play; they just wanted to be with their father.

Before they knew it, it was evening again, and it was time to start preparing dinner.

Lin Shu watched as Tiantian yawned and snuggled against Lu Shaotang’s shoulder, her long eyelashes almost sticking together.

Panpan, however, was full of energy, constantly leaning against her father.

Tiantian’s head bobbed up and down.

Lin Shu wanted to take her down, but Tiantian held onto Lu Shaotang’s neck tightly.

Lin Shu said, “Put her on the bed.”

Lu Shaotang looked at her and smiled, “It’s okay. She’s not heavy.”

“Even you can carry her.”

Lin Shu felt a bit embarrassed, inexplicably thinking his smiling dark eyes held some mischievous intent.

Her cheeks warmed up, so she ignored him.

Tiantian rested her head on her father’s broad shoulder, yawned, and soon fell asleep.

The morning’s fight had tired her out.

As soon as Tiantian was asleep, Panpan started to feel sleepy too, but he didn’t want to sleep and tried to stay awake.

“Dad, selling tea eggs to our own people and earning our own money is really silly.”

Lu Shaotang whispered, “Your grandparents really like them. They say it’s the best tea egg in the world.”

His deep and magnetic voice, when lowered, had a soothing, almost hypnotic effect.

“Pat” — Panpan also fell asleep on his shoulder.

Lin Shu let out a sigh of relief; now that they were both asleep.

The afternoon was filled with constant chatter and stories about her embarrassing moments, making her feel both embarrassed and awkward.

It felt like her old house and the new villa were both exposed.

Lu Shaotang had originally planned to book a room at a guesthouse for the night.

However, the two children clung to him and didn’t let go even while asleep.

Despite his great strength, he found it hard to separate their delicate, soft arms from him.

Lin Shu said, “You can’t hold them all the time.”

Lu Shaotang wanted to say that he wasn’t finished holding them yet, but instead he just smiled at her.

This man, who usually had a cold and aloof demeanor, made her heart race whenever he smiled.

Lin Shu didn’t dare look at him and mumbled, “Your arms will get numb soon.”

Lin Xia asked Lu Shaotang to bring the children into the room and pushed Lin Shu to help with laying out the bedding, teasingly saying, “I’ll sleep on the small bed outside tonight. You two can have the bed.”

Lin Shu felt her sister was implying something, blushing as she said, “Sister!”

Lin Xia noticed her sister’s flushed cheeks and knew that, although Lin Shu had changed from before, she still had the same shyness.

Lu Shaotang sat at the end of the bed, comfortably holding the two children, but his gaze was fixed on his wife.

Seeing her so directly and head-on felt different.

She seemed a bit uneasy and nervous, subconsciously biting her lip.

She felt dry-mouthed and tight-throated, quickly averting her gaze.

Lin Shu had already lifted the blanket and helped Tian Tian out of her clothes, tucking her into bed.

Lu Shaotang helped Pan Pan out of his clothes, careful not to hurt the child with his rough, strong hands.