Chapter 62 Raising the Little One

Xiao Bao arrived on their journey back to the capital.

Since Xiao Rong’s medication recovery was rarely questioned, their intimate life remained as frequent as ever.

When Si Jin felt unwell again, she didn’t immediately think of that possibility. Instead, she thought she had finally adapted to Xiqiu, only to suffer from discomfort elsewhere after leaving.

This troubled Si Jin for a while.

Having never left the capital in over a decade, she rarely fell ill while there. Yet she had experienced several bouts of sickness since departing. Did this mean she could never travel or explore distant places in the future?

But before Si Jin could dwell on this worry for long, Xiao Rong made a fuss after witnessing her vomit again and summoned a physician.

When the physician diagnosed a pregnancy pulse, both of them were stunned.

Xiao Rong had likely anticipated it, but when the moment of confirmation arrived, he still stood frozen, unable to regain his composure for a long while.

Si Jin found it hard to believe and asked the physician to take her pulse again. Only after receiving the same diagnosis did she gradually accept the truth.

Of course, Si Jin was happy, but Xiao Rong’s reaction wasn’t as ecstatic as most expectant fathers would be. His calmness could easily be mistaken for reluctance or resistance.

Si Jin knew better, yet she remained concerned about his feelings.

On the night they learned of Xiao Bao’s arrival, Si Jin and Xiao Rong lay quietly embraced on the bed, not speaking for a long time.

It was almost to the point where they were about to fall asleep.

Pressed against Xiao Rong’s chest, Si Jin heard his whisper accompanying the rhythm of his heartbeat: “Xiao Jin, I think… I’m a little happy.”

Xiao Bao was born in the capital.

Si Chengyuan and Cheng Yi only learned the news when Si Jin was nearly full-term. By the time they hurried back to the capital, Xiao Bao had already passed his hundred-day celebration.

As Si Jin watched the scene before her, it suddenly felt familiar.

Cheng Yi clutched a handkerchief, weeping and laughing before her—crying because she hadn’t been there to care for her daughter during confinement, laughing because she finally had a little grandson.

Si Chengyuan, meanwhile, held Xiao Bao awkwardly, his face full of anxiety as if cradling a hot potato he wanted to toss away. Yet he didn’t dare, so he stood stiff-armed, looking both comical and pitiful.

It was a scene that felt familiar, though it had never appeared in her memories.

But at this moment, it gradually surfaced in her mind, growing clearer until it overlapped with the reality before her.

Si Jin froze for a moment, her gaze finally settling on the man who hadn’t appeared in that memory.

Xiao Rong stood beside Si Chengyuan, seemingly pleased that the “hot potato” had temporarily passed to someone else. In truth, his attention remained on his father-in-law, lest his inexperience cause him to drop Xiao Bao.

Si Jin blinked, a smile gradually gracing her lips.

She, too, was different from the person in that memory.

Xiao Bao learned to speak early. Before he was even one year old, he could babble “Mama.”

But he couldn’t say “Papa.”

By the time he turned one, he could even call his wet nurse “Nanny,” yet whenever he saw Xiao Rong, he would only open his mouth, unable to form the correct syllable.

Xiao Rong’s expression grew colder and darker with each failed attempt.

Si Jin watched from the side, unsure whether to laugh or sigh.

Frightened by his father’s stern look, Xiao Bao became even more unable to speak. His eyes reddened, two large teardrops welling up, hovering on the verge of falling—a truly pitiful sight.

Xiao Rong’s gaze darkened as he stared coldly at him, seemingly unconcerned about whether Xiao Bao would actually burst into tears.

Sure enough, Xiao Bao couldn’t withstand the pressure from his father any longer. Though he tried to hold back his sobs, he couldn’t stop the tears from falling in large drops.

Xiao Rong’s pupils constricted. With a darkened expression, he turned and strode away without looking back.

Seeing this, Si Jin could no longer remain a spectator. She quickly rose and stepped forward.

The pitifully crying Xiao Bao finally saw his mother move. With tears streaming down his face, he raised his chubby little hands, clearly asking to be held and comforted.

But Si Jin walked briskly forward, merely patting Xiao Bao’s head as she passed him before continuing straight in the direction Xiao Rong had gone.

Xiao Bao froze in surprise, even forgetting to cry. He stood there dumbfounded until the wet nurse, who had witnessed this scenario numerous times, came forward smiling and picked him up.

Xiao Bao called out in his childish voice, “Wet nurse, wet nurse.”

The wet nurse chuckled, “Good boy, wait a little. Mother will come comfort you soon.”

How soon that would be depended entirely on how long it took Xiao Bao’s father to be appeased.

At one year old, Xiao Bao didn’t fully understand this yet, but he obediently quieted down, waiting eagerly for his mother to return to him after some time.

By the time he turned two, Xiao Bao had grown clever enough to figure things out and had begun developing his own thoughts.

This time, he wiped away his own tears before they could fall, then straightened his posture.

Though he had only learned to call “Father” three months prior, he could now say it quite clearly.

“Mother doesn’t need to comfort Xiao Bao. Xiao Bao is brave and doesn’t cry. Mother should go comfort Father instead.”

After speaking, he even cast a smug glance toward his father.

Hearing this, Xiao Rong narrowed his eyes dangerously.

What did this little rascal mean? That his father wasn’t brave? That his father needed to cry? That his father deliberately demanded his wife’s attention?

Xiao Rong let out a soft hum. Making sure Xiao Bao was watching him, he stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Si Jin’s waist, leaning close to her neck to murmur, “Xiao Jin, I’m feeling rather tired.”

Si Jin asked, “Should we return to our room to rest then?”

Xiao Rong gave a slight nod without even glancing at Xiao Bao.

Meanwhile, Xiao Bao stared wide-eyed as Si Jin turned to ask him, “Can Xiao Bao manage by himself?”

For a moment, he didn’t know whether to say yes or no.

Finally, Xiao Bao imitated his father with a slight nod of his own – only to watch helplessly as his father led his mother away, both leaving him behind.

But they promised to play with Xiao Bao all day today!

How could they both leave!

Throughout his growth, Xiao Bao had suffered many silent losses at the hands of his father.

So did Xiao Bao hate his father?

Of course not.

Xiao Bao was a clever child who understood that, since his birth, his father had been his primary caregiver.

Father’s care differed from mother’s, and from the wet nurse’s too.

Some might say his father appeared cold toward him, but in reality, Xiao Bao constantly felt his father’s love.

This love seemed to stem from his father’s devotion to his mother, and also because he was the child of both his father and mother.

Sometimes while playing with Xiao Bai by the windowsill, he would murmur to the bird, “You think so too, right? Because you’re Mother’s bird, Father takes extra good care of you.”

Xiao Bai seemed to nod, so Xiao Bao nodded along.

Xiao Bao learned many things from his father.

Knowledge, martial skills, and various crafts.

There were also some unorthodox methods.

However, he didn’t apply these unorthodox methods strictly by the book. Instead, using his own intelligence and wisdom, he achieved different results with them.

When Xiao Bao was six years old, he spotted a fair, delicate, and adorable little girl at a banquet.

The girl appeared to be about his age. Dressed in formal attire for the banquet, she attracted many admiring glances.

Xiao Bao was so captivated that he couldn’t look away, his gaze seemingly glued to the little girl throughout the entire banquet.

By the midpoint of the banquet, the adults were busy socializing, and many children had already left their seats to play on their own.

Xiao Bao noticed the little girl leaving her seat and stealthily followed her.

The girl’s personal maid was only a few years older than her, appearing to be just over ten years old.

She accompanied the girl to fly a paper kite, and before long, they had managed to fly it high and far.

Xiao Bao watched her from a hidden spot the entire time, observing her play and listening to her laughter.

Then, as she tried to reel the kite back in, it accidentally got caught in a tall tree near the mansion. She and her little maid anxiously circled beneath the tree, unsure what to do.

After only a moment’s thought, Xiao Bao rushed over.

Startled by the sudden appearance of a boy emerging from the shadows, the two anxious girls were terrified.

The little girl nearly burst into tears.

However, Xiao Bao swiftly climbed the large tree with agile movements. When his small hand finally grasped the tail of the kite, he turned back and gave the little girl a bright, cheerful smile: “Look, I got it for you.”

The little girl was stunned, and her tears stopped.

A smile gradually bloomed on her innocent face: “You’re amazing!”

Young boys are easily swayed by praise. Xiao Bao’s mind went blank as he gazed at her radiant smile and listened to the sweet sound of her voice.

Distracted, he lost his footing, stumbled, and fell straight down from the tree—but he never let go of the little girl’s kite.

Amid the screams of the two girls, Xiao Bao landed hard on the ground.

“Are you okay?”

The little girl rushed over in a panic, on the verge of tears again.

Xiao Bao was in so much pain that he wanted to cry himself, but when he looked up and saw the tears welling in the girl’s eyes, he gritted his teeth and held back. Instead, he feigned extreme weakness, shaking his head and saying, “I’m fine. It’s just a minor injury. It doesn’t matter.”

He raised his dusty little hand, holding out the girl’s kite: “Here, your kite.”

Xiao Bao’s fall was quite severe.

He had restrained himself repeatedly in front of the little girl, but as soon as she left and he returned to his parents, he broke down and cried uncontrollably.

Si Jin was very worried and quickly examined Xiao Bao, only to discover that his knee was scraped, his ankle was swollen, and he had several other abrasions. To an unknowing observer, it might have looked as if he had been attacked by a ruffian.

Naturally, the couple was alarmed. Before the banquet even ended, Xiao Rong hurriedly took his wife and son back to their mansion.

The entire Xiao Fu was thrown into chaos. Even after a physician examined him and confirmed it was only superficial injuries, the couple remained uneasy.

Because Xiao Bao refused to explain the whole story clearly, only stammering that he had taken a fall, his parents were skeptical—such a severe injury couldn’t have happened without a cause.

Si Jin tried gentle persuasion, while Xiao Rong took a firmer approach.

Despite their efforts, the couple couldn’t get Xiao Bao to talk.

In the end, the truth only came to light when the Li family suddenly sent over a pile of gifts as thanks.

The little girl Xiao Bao had helped that day turned out to be the young daughter of the Li family.

He helped retrieve the paper kite for someone, only to end up falling and injuring himself all over.

Miss Li was nothing like him. The moment she returned home, she hastily recounted the incident to her parents, and where her account was unclear, her little maid helped fill in the gaps.

Upon learning of this, the Li couple immediately sent someone to gather more information.

Their inquiries revealed that the young master of the Xiao family was seriously injured.

The paper kite was a trivial matter, but the injury was significant.

The Li couple did not dismiss it as a mere children’s affair. Instead, they promptly prepared generous gifts and sent them to Xiao Fu.

Afterward, they sent a formal visiting card and personally paid a visit to express their gratitude.

On the day the Li family visited, Miss Li came along as well.

As soon as Xiao Bao saw the little girl arrive, he eagerly trotted after her.

“Is your injury better?”

“Just a minor injury, nothing serious.”

“You’re lying. My parents told me you were badly hurt.”

Xiao Bao, caught in his lie, naturally felt a bit embarrassed.

But the little girl quickly added, “Can I see it? I’ve been worried about you.”

Xiao Bao blinked, somewhat bewildered, and rolled up his sleeve to show her the mildest of his injuries—one that was already almost fully healed.

Even so, the little girl gasped in sympathy, her heart aching for him.

“It must have hurt a lot. Let me blow on it to make it better.”

Warm, soft breaths brushed against his skin.

Xiao Bao’s pupils trembled, and his heart skipped a beat.

Not far away, Si Jin noticed the scene.

She tugged at Xiao Rong’s sleeve, drawing his attention to the pair.

Xiao Rong narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression visibly darkening.

After glancing at her son, Si Jin turned to Xiao Rong and asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Do you also feel reluctant to let Xiao Bao be taken away by someone?”

Si Jin had heard other ladies talk about their husbands being protective of their daughters.

She also recalled how her own father had similarly protected her, while being far more lenient with Si Ming.

Xiao Rong snorted coldly, “Who cares about him?”

With that, he averted his gaze, clearly displeased.

Si Jin pondered for a moment, puzzled.

Then, something suddenly occurred to her.

She blinked, leaned closer to Xiao Rong, and whispered, “Husband, did we meet and interact like Xiao Bao and Miss Li when we were young?”

At her words, Xiao Rong’s lips tightened even more.

Si Jin let out a soft chuckle, her suspicions now confirmed.

It seemed the student had surpassed the master.

Xiao Bao was far more capable than his father had been back in the day.

Suddenly, Xiao Rong turned back, gripping Si Jin’s chin.

Taking advantage of the moment when the Li couple had stepped into the courtyard,

He lowered his head and pressed a firm kiss to her lips.

“So what? I’ve already succeeded. He still has a long way to go.”