Chapter 335: Chapter 334: Don’t Tell Your Wife

After dinner, Shiyi insisted on sleeping in the same room as Daya.

Daya said to He Lang, "Uncle, please let Shiyi sleep with me. I haven’t seen him in so long, either."

He Lang nodded. He was already exhausted; his legs felt so weak he could barely stand. He went straight to his room to sleep.

That night, everyone could finally get a peaceful night’s sleep.

In their room, Daya gave Shiyi a bath. Shiyi covered his lower body with his hands, his little face blushing.

Daya couldn’t stop laughing. The little guy knew how to be shy now. Daya had looked after Shiyi for a long time, and the two were incredibly close. In this family, Daya doted on Shiyi the most and would give him almost anything he asked for.

When Daya came back in after dumping the water, Shiyi was already rolling around on the bed in just a pair of small underwear.

Daya chuckled. "Aren’t you sleepy?"

Shiyi shook his head. "I’ve slept for so, so long. After the traffickers kidnapped me, I slept the whole way. I was a little dizzy last night and slept then, too. Now I’m not sleepy at all."

Daya got into bed and lay down next to Shiyi. "Shiyi, were you scared?"

Shiyi shook his head. "I wasn’t scared. Uncle Gu saved me. Uncle Gu is super amazing."

Shiyi was exaggerating a bit. He only knew that Gu Kai Zhi had saved him; he hadn’t actually seen anything else. But he idolized soldiers and was convinced they must be incredibly powerful.

Daya looked at him. "Uncle Gu?"

"Yeah. His name is Gu Kai Zhi. He’s a soldier. Uncle Gu said he’s a platoon leader. It was Uncle Gu who beat up the bad guys and rescued me. Uncle Gu was really nice to me. I just don’t know if I’ll ever see him again."

Daya listened quietly. "I’m sure you will."

Shiyi turned his head to look at Daya. "Really?"

Daya nodded. "You two have such a strong connection. You’ll definitely meet again someday."

Early the next morning, Mrs. He got up and peeked into Daya’s room. Seeing Shiyi was still there, she finally patted her chest in relief. She had gone to bed very late and had been plagued by nightmares all night, crying for a long time in her sleep.

When He Lang finally woke up, it was already afternoon. He opened his eyes and subconsciously reached for the space beside him, only to find it empty. He paused, closed his eyes for a moment, then placed a hand on his forehead and sighed.

A moment later, he got up and walked out. Hearing noises from the children’s room, he went to the doorway and glanced inside. He saw several children playing, and Ruanruan was back as well. He Lang smiled faintly but didn’t go in.

He was a little hungry, so he went into the kitchen to find something to eat. Just then, his mother walked in.

"You must be hungry."

"Yeah."

"There’s food in the pot. I’ll heat it up for you."

He Lang simply sat down and waited.

Once He Lang started eating, Mrs. He didn’t leave. Instead, she sat down next to him.

She looked at He Lang, wanting to speak but hesitating, her mouth opening and closing several times.

It wasn’t until He Lang was nearly finished eating that Mrs. He finally said slowly, "He Lang, about... um—"

He Lang looked up at his mother. "What is it?"

"About what happened to Shiyi... can we not tell your wife? If Yue’er finds out, she’ll definitely be angry with me. It might affect our relationship."

He Lang stared at his mother. "Mom, I know you didn’t mean to lose Shiyi. But have you ever thought about what would have happened if we hadn’t found him? What would the situation be right now? What would Xue Yue think when she came back?"

Mrs. He muttered, "But Shiyi was found, wasn’t he?"

He Lang nodded. "You’re right, he was found. But that was a stroke of luck in a terrible situation. Let me tell you, Mom, if Shiyi hadn’t been found, with Xue Yue’s temper, this family would have fallen apart. I would have ended up losing my wife and child. That’s a gamble I can’t afford to take, and one I daren’t take. Shiyi is your grandson, and I know you love him, but it’s nothing compared to a parent’s love. Mom, maybe you haven’t realized it, but most of your attention has been diverted to Xiao Yu. Second Brother is gone, and Xiao Yu is to be pitied. We sympathize with her and do our best to be good to her. But if because of that, I’m to lose my wife and son, then I can’t have her here. And you... you should give it some serious thought."

He Lang left the kitchen and went back to his room. He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the things around him. At that moment, he missed Xue Yue more than anything.

Mrs. He remained in the kitchen alone, lost in thought for a long time. At dinner, she was much quieter than usual.

The other adults all noticed. Daya glanced at Mrs. He, but He Lang acted as if nothing had happened, eating and drinking as usual.

After they returned to their room that night, Mr. He said to his wife with some disapproval, "What are you sulking about now? Shiyi was found, wasn’t he? Why the long face again?"

Mrs. He’s eyes turned red. She wiped her face. "It’s all because of that ’good son’ of yours. Today he said I favor Xiao Yu and that he can’t tolerate us anymore."

Mr. He frowned. "Are you sure that’s what He Lang said?"

Mrs. He looked at him. "Would I lie about that?"

Mr. He just couldn’t quite believe it.

"Did you say something first?"

Mrs. He paused for a moment. "I just told him not to tell his wife about Shiyi getting lost. I was afraid Yue’er would hold it against me if she found out. What I said was perfectly reasonable! Since Shiyi is back safely, telling Yue’er would only make her blame me and cause unnecessary conflict between a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law."

Hearing this, Mr. He sighed. He looked at his wife for a long time without saying a word.

Mrs. He blushed under her husband’s gaze. "You—what are you looking at me for? What did I say that was wrong?"

Mr. He said to her, "You haven’t learned a single lesson from this, have you? Why did we come to Beijing City? He Lang provides for us, gives us good food and drink. Yes, he’s our son, and it’s his duty to be filial, but he’s not our only son. The burden shouldn’t all fall on his shoulders. We might say we came here to help him, but has he treated us poorly in any way? With a son like him, we should be counting our lucky stars. But we can’t act entitled just because we’re old. You had one job—pick up a child—and you nearly lost him. I know you didn’t mean for it to happen, but it happened. If you think we can stay here and do a good job, watch the children properly, and handle our responsibilities, then fine. But if you’re not satisfied with this arrangement, if you’re afraid you’ll be wronged in some way, then we can just go back to our old home and go back to farming our land. At least when we’re far away, we won’t have to worry about any conflicts."

Mrs. He was silent for a few seconds, then shot her husband a glare. "I was just venting to you a little. Why’d you have to bring up going back home? If we go back just like that, who knows how the folks back home will laugh at us. Besides, if I leave, He Lang and his family will have to hire a nanny. I don’t trust strangers. What if they lose a child again?"

Mr. He chuckled. "See? You understand perfectly well. He Lang is our son; he won’t blame you. But something like this can absolutely never happen again. Even if He Lang doesn’t say anything, doesn’t your own heart ache? Look at Shiyi. He calls you ’Grandma’ every day. How could you bear it?"

"Mhm," Mrs. He mumbled. "I just think what He Lang said was too harsh. I don’t feel like I’m biased toward Xiao Yu. I feel like I treat all the children the same."