What Daughter?

“Jiang Danhe, you tricked me again!”

Li Shouji was very sure that if Jiang Danhe was in front of him, he would definitely pinch, scratch, punch, kick, slap, and spit on him.

“Why am I the one suffering while you’re having a date!”

Li Shouji roared at the sky. Just as he was fantasizing about how he was going to punish the man, he was pulled back to reality by a voice.

“Uncle, can you hand over the money?”

“… Coming.”

Damn this skillful gesture of pulling out silver…

Xiaoguo stole a glance at Jiang Danhe beside her. At this moment, he looked especially hazy under the lights from the lanterns and the moon.

Since the purpose of this trip was for leisure, he had specially dressed up. His hair was combed neatly and he was wearing a wide green and blue robe with a pair of black patterned boots.

The two of them slowly walked out of the night market and walked leisurely along the river beside it.

No one broke the silence.

“Wife, is there anything you like?”

Jiang Danhe suddenly remembered that he had bought a bunch of things for her, but he wasn’t sure if there was anything she liked among them. It would be best if she fancied something, but it didn’t matter if there wasn’t. He could buy anything for her immediately.

Xiaoguo thought about it carefully and realized there was nothing she really liked. She shook her head. “I don’t have anything I really like.”

When Jiang Danhe heard this, he was in a dilemma. If she didn’t like anything, how could he give…

Seeing that Jiang Danhe was frowning, Xiaoguo took the opportunity to tell him about Zhuang Zhuang’s hobbies. She felt that this was a good time to tell him about Zhuang Zhuang’s hobbies and interests so that it would be easier for them to communicate in the future.

“Zhuang Zhuang likes to read. He likes all kinds of books. He is highly inquisitive…”

When Xiaoguo was talking about Zhuang Zhuang, she seemed to have endless topics to talk about. Jiang Danhe listened quietly and memorized everything.

“Zhuang Zhuang likes to help me with my work. He was the one in-charge of washing the bowls and chopsticks after every meal at home. He also lights the fire for me when I am cooking. The animals that we keep at home were all fed by Zhuang Zhuang…”

The more Xiaoguo spoke, the happier she became. She took the initiative to tell Jiang Danhe about Zhuang Zhuang’s many strengths and habits.

Jiang Danhe listened and made mental notes, at the same time, he was gazing at Xiaoguo who was absolutely glowing.

The more Xiaoguo spoke, the more animated her eyebrows were. She was also gesturing a lot with her free hand. She looked so lively.

The more Jiang Danhe looked at her, the more he liked her. At this moment, he felt that Xiaoguo was the real deal. She said whatever she wanted. All her thoughts were expressed on her face. When she got excited, she would even pat the person next to her.

Jiang Danhe liked everything that he was seeing. At the thought of this, he couldn’t help but lower his head and chuckled. Is this considered as “beauty in the eye of the beholder”?

Hearing his laughter, Xiaoguo snapped out of her reverie and fell silent. Her face was slightly flushed. She had been talking so excitedly and had gotten too absorbed in it.

“I’m sorry.”

Xiaoguo bit her lip shyly, her face was filled with embarrassment.

Jiang Danhe shook his head and pointed mysteriously ahead.

Xiaoguo followed his gaze and saw a small arched bridge spanning across the river. The exceptionally bright moon was hanging in the sky with the cold moonlight shining on the river. Reflected in the water was the dazzling moon itself. For a moment, it was difficult to tell which one was real. The breeze blew across the river and created sparkling silver ripples. It was a beautiful sight.

Everything was silent except for the occasional whisper of the wind through the leaves.

Only then did Xiaoguo realize that the two of them had unknowingly walked so far. There was a faint light behind them. It seemed that they had walked out of the night market.

After looking around, she was about to turn around and ask Jiang Danhe to walk back when she almost bumped into his face.

Although Xiaoguo had dodged in time, their lips still managed to brush against each other.

Jiang Danhe’s body stiffened as if he had been electrocuted. Xiaoguo also felt uncomfortable all over. Her face was flushed red, and her eyes darted around. She looked at the sky and the ground, but she did not dare to look into his burning eyes.

Xiaoguo was the first to react. She gently pushed Jiang Danhe away as he was still hugging her with his arms.

Jiang Danhe could feel the small hands on his chest pushing him away and he subconsciously grabbed those hands.

At this moment, both of Xiaoguo’s hands were held towards his chest. With her hands, she could feel his thumping heartbeat. The vigorous heartbeat felt like it was about to break through his chest in the next second.

Xiaoguo did not dare to move. She could only look down at her toes.

Jiang Danhe felt that he had to stop. He had achieved a lot today. He shouldn’t tease her anymore, as things may backfire.

“Let’s go back.”

Xiaoguo nodded quickly and struggled to pull back her hands.

Jiang Danhe let go of one hand. Xiaoguo’s other hand was still firmly clasped in his hand, her fingers intertwined with his.

Along the way, there was only the faint sound of the wind. The two of them remained silent for the rest of the journey.

Midway through their journey, Jiang Danhe suddenly thought of something. “Wife?”

“Yes?”

Xiaoguo replied subconsciously. After hearing him call her “wife” so many times, she had gotten used to it.

Jiang Danhe smiled secretly and immediately put on his normal face. “Where’s our daughter?”

“What? Our daughter?”

Xiaoguo seemed to have misheard. “What daughter?”

“I am asking about our daughter,” Jiang Danhe said matter-of-factly. Even now, he was still unsure about whether he had a daughter.

“We only have one child, Zhuang Zhuang.”

Hearing Jiang Danhe’s words, Xiaoguo was stunned.

Jiang Danhe frowned when he heard this. He had a bad feeling about this and tried to probe for more information about his daughter.

“Some time ago, Li Shouji sent someone to…”

“Wait, what did you say?”

Xiaoguo found the key words among what he said.

“A daughter in pink?”

Jiang Danhe paused for a moment before he repeated what Xiaoguo wanted to know.

“Pfft, hahahahahaha…”

Unexpectedly, Xiaoguo laughed out loud when she heard that. Jiang Danhe was bewildered.

“Pfft, haha, don’t ask Zhuang Zhuang about the pink clothes. Hahaha, it’s best not to mention it. Haha…”

Xiaoguo clutched her stomach. If Zhuang Zhuang were to hear about the pink clothes, Jiang Danhe would probably be finished. Their flimsy father-son love would be gone in an instant.

“Why is that?”

Jiang Danhe looked lost. He didn’t understand why Xiaoguo was laughing like this, nor did he understand why he couldn’t mention this matter.

Xiaoguo laughed so hard that she was leaning against Jiang Danhe. After slowly calming herself down, she told him the reason.

After hearing the reason, Jiang Danhe couldn’t help but laugh. “Haha, so that’s how it is…”

Xiaoguo, who had already calmed down, was reminded of the incident again when Jiang Danhe said those words. The two of them looked at each other and started laughing together .

When the two of them arrived late at the predetermined spot, they saw Zhuang Zhuang and Wen Xiaoyi standing by the carriage.

Xiaoguo was some distance away and did not see Li Shouji. Curious, she asked, “Where’s Uncle Shouji?”

Zhuang Zhuang and Xiaoyi were each holding two sesame candy sticks. When they heard Xiaoguo’s words, they pointed behind them.

At first, Xiaoguo didn’t see him. When she got closer, she saw him.

“… Sister-in-law.”

Li Shouji was holding many waxed paper bags. There were all kinds of snacks inside. The paper bags in various sizes made him look fat and big.

Xiaoguo burst out laughing. When Jiang Danhe saw Xiaoguo laughing, he also laughed dotingly along with her.

When Li Shouji heard Jiang Danhe’s laughter, he instantly exploded and pounced towards him.

Jiang Danhe didn’t panic. He grabbed the man’s collar and pushed him into the carriage.

“Let’s go home.”