Author Archives: Thandar

The Sound of Happiness

With the names decided, it was almost time for the feast.

Since everyone was familiar with each other, they didn’t pay much attention to formalities. They all sat on the first floor and happily enjoyed the banquet.

After the banquet, Dr. Xue and Dr. Ye specially called Chang Le’s family to the storage room.

“Dr. Xue, do you need something from us?” Yu Qingze asked.

Dr. Xue looked at Chang Le and said, “I want to ask you something. Previously, Baizhu and Brother Chang mentioned that on the day Baby Yu had an accident, Brother Le spoke. Is that true?”

Yu Qingze glanced at Chang Le and nodded, saying, “Yes, he got anxious and spoke that day.”

After the incident, Yu Qingze had mentioned it to Grandpa Chang because they had consulted doctors before. The doctors said there was no way to treat it, so they didn’t talk to Chang Le about it, fearing that it would touch upon his sorrowful memories.

Only now did Chang Hao and Jiabao learn about it, and they both looked at Chang Le in astonishment.

At this moment, Yu Qingze noticed Chang Le’s lack of surprise and asked, “Brother Le, did you know this time that you made a sound?”

Chang Le raised his head and nodded gently.

He did hear his own voice this time, but it sounded unpleasant. Moreover, he had been busy during this period and didn’t mention it to Yu Qingze and the others, fearing that it couldn’t be cured and would only disappoint them.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

However, when there was no one around, he would practice with Baobao, trying hard to speak again, but the results were minimal. It seemed that unless he reached a state of despair, he couldn’t speak, and he didn’t know why. This situation was similar to the previous two times, so he didn’t plan to tell Yu Qingze and the others.

Yu Qingze saw him nodding and knew that this time was somewhat different from before. Previously, Chang Le wasn’t even aware that he had spoken; he only found out when they mentioned it to him. Moreover, upon recollection, Chang Le had said it more than once this time, although each time he could only utter a single, “Baobao.”

“What’s going on? Tell me,” Dr. Xue said.

Yu Qingze’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly explained the situation to Dr. Xue, including the fact that Chang Le coughed up blood when he made a sound. After finishing, he asked, “Dr. Xue, are you asking because you have a solution?”

When Dr. Xue asked this question, did it mean he had a solution? Thinking about this, Yu Qingze felt a surge of excitement. Chang Hao and the others also looked at Dr. Xue with anticipation.

Dr. Xue asked Chang Le to sit down, then took his pulse and said, “When I came back that day, it was Baizhu who examined you. I didn’t know about it. A couple of days ago, Xiao Chang couldn’t hold it anymore and told me about the situation, so I wanted to ask you. This situation is indeed rare, something I haven’t seen or treated before.”

Upon hearing this, disappointment flashed across the faces of Yu Qingze and the others.

“Don’t make that expression. Although I haven’t seen it before, I know someone who has,” Dr. Xue said with a smile.

As soon as they heard that, they all looked up at him eagerly and asked in unison, “Who?”

Dr. Xue smiled and replied, “My junior master, Dr. He you know. After he stopped being a court physician, he traveled around as a wandering doctor and encountered many strange illnesses. He has also cured numerous difficult and complicated cases. He mentioned a similar case to Brother Le’s before, so maybe you can seek his help.”

“Really?” Yu Qingze asked excitedly.

Dr. Xue nodded and said, “It’s worth a try.”

“Brother! That’s fantastic, brother! Did you hear that? Dr. Xue said your throat can be cured!” Chang Hao’s eyes turned red with excitement as he grabbed his brother’s arm, expressing his joy.

Chang Le also nodded enthusiastically. If his throat could really be cured, he would be able to speak and call his baby and his family.

“Brother Le!” Yu Qingze turned to look at Chang Le and then turned to Grandpa Chang, saying, “Grandpa, I’ll take Brother Le to Yunzhou immediately to find Dr. He. Can you please take care of Baobao, okay?”

At that moment, Grandpa Chang was also extremely excited. He immediately nodded and said, “You go ahead, leave the baby to us.”

“Yes, yes, leave Baobao to us. Big brother, you can go with peace of mind,” Jiabao nodded and said.

Dr. Xue glanced at Dr. Ye, and the two exchanged a smile. Dr. Xue said, “There’s no need to go to Yunzhou. We received a letter from my junior master recently, and he mentioned that he would come for a visit soon. We can have him take a look then.”

“When will he arrive?” Yu Qingze asked eagerly.

“In about two days. When he arrives, I will have someone notify you,” Dr. Xue replied.

“Alright, thank you, Dr. Xue.”

This was truly good news. For the past two days, the family had been anxiously waiting for Dr. He to come to Tongshan, feeling as if time was passing slowly.

On the third morning, they finally received the notification from the Xue residence, and Yu Qingze immediately took Chang Le and went over.

“Oh, Xiao Yu, Brother Le, I heard that your baby just turned one hundred days old. Why didn’t you bring him along for me to see? I even prepared a gift for him,” Dr. He said with a joyful expression. Despite not seeing each other for two years, Dr. He still had a cheerful demeanor.

During these two years, on every festive occasion, Yu Qingze would have gifts sent to Dr. He’s residence through the Cai family. Dr. He and his family also remembered them, and they maintained contact, albeit not very frequently.

“We were afraid of disturbing you, so we didn’t bring him along. Dr. He, how long will you be staying here? How about having lunch at my restaurant? My grandpa can take care of the baby while we eat,” Yu Qingze replied.

“Hahaha, I’ll be staying for a while. Then let’s have lunch at your restaurant. I’ve been longing for the taste of the dishes you make. It has lingered in my memory for two years, hahaha…” Dr. He laughed.

They chatted for a while, catching up on old times, and then they got down to business.

Dr. He examined Chang Le’s pulse, asked detailed questions about the previous incidents, and even inquired about Chang Le’s childhood. Yu Qingze shared everything that Grandpa Chang had told him with Dr. He.

“Brother Le, can you still make any sound now?” Dr. He asked.

Chang Le shook his head and gestured, indicating that he couldn’t. He could make the sound ‘ah’ the next day, but now whenever he tries to speak, his throat hurts severely.

Yu Qingze translated for Dr. He and then asked, “Dr. He, can Brother Le be treated for this condition?”

After thinking for a moment, Dr. He said, “When he was young, he experienced trauma to his throat, which was not promptly treated. And for so many years without speaking, the condition has become quite severe. However, I can try. When I was traveling outside, I encountered a similar case, and that patient was able to speak afterward. However, the voice became hoarse. You need to be mentally prepared for that.”

Upon hearing this, the two looked at each other and felt a glimmer of hope.

A hoarse voice was not a problem. Being able to speak would already be a significant improvement.

Chang Le gestured, asking what he needed to do.

Dr. He listened to Yu Qingze’s translation and then said, “You just need to cooperate with my treatment. It primarily involves acupuncture combined with internal medication. I just examined your pulse, and when you said that you coughed up blood after calling for the baby a few days ago, that blood you coughed up was not the usual heart blood from emotional distress. It was the accumulated stagnant blood around your throat that got dislodged when you tried to force your voice. Your current throat condition is similar to when you were injured as a child, so it’s a good opportunity for treatment.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze asked, “Dr. He, does that mean you’ll reopen the scar and then treat it again?”

“Yes, that’s more or less what it means. I need to make some preparations. We can start the treatment in about two days, and then I will assess the situation,” Dr. He looked at Dr. Ye and asked, “Xiao Man, can I borrow your pharmacy?”

Dr. Ye smiled and said, “Feel free to use it, but do you need my assistance?”

Dr. He nodded and said, “That would be great, just what I was thinking. So, starting from the day after tomorrow, Brother Le, you can come to Xue Mansion for treatment. Come at the hour of Chen in the morning, punctually.”

Chang Le nodded.

Afterward, they chatted for a while. Around noon, they went to House of Prosperity, and Yu Qingze personally went to the kitchen to cook and entertain Dr. He and the others.

Chang Le found Grandpa Chang and told him about the situation.

Grandpa Chang was thrilled upon hearing that Dr. He said he could treat Chang Le. He went upstairs with Chang Le and asked the same question again. Upon hearing Dr. He’s confirmation, he finally felt relieved and sat together to chat and play with Baby Yu.

At noon, Yu Qingze, Chang Le, and the others enjoyed their meal together. Dr. He praised the food and openly expressed that he didn’t want to go back to Yunzhou.

Everyone burst into laughter.

After the meal, Dr. He took the opportunity to check Grandpa Chang’s pulse again. He noticed that his old ailment had indeed improved compared to two years ago, which reassured him. He also prescribed a tonic formula to help him regulate his health.

“Old brother, now that the conditions at home are better, take good care of your health and enjoy the happiness of family. Don’t worry too much,” Dr. He advised.

Grandpa Chang nodded and said, “There’s nothing to worry about now. I don’t even have any land to cultivate. If it wasn’t for the baby being born, I would be getting moldy from idleness!”

Dr. He and the others laughed. Someone like Grandpa Chang, who had worked the fields his whole life, would indeed find it somewhat uncomfortable to suddenly have so much free time.

“Well, now you have a baby to take care of. Enjoy the pleasure of having grandchildren. Oh, this is a great-grandchild! Not many people are as fortunate as you,” Dr. He chuckled.

Grandpa Chang also laughed and said, “Yes, we’re fortunate to have Baobao, and it’s all thanks to the skilled and compassionate Dr. Ye that Brother Le could have this baby. Our whole family is so grateful to Dr. Ye.”

Dr. Ye smiled and replied, “It’s just my duty as a physician. You don’t have to keep thanking me every time we meet.”

Everyone laughed.

Meanwhile, Dr. He spent the entire day preparing.

On the third day, Chang Le and Yu Qingze arrived at the Xue residence on time for their treatment. In response to Brother Chang’s request, Grandpa Chang also accompanied them, bringing the baby to play with Baby Muhua at the Xue residence.

Baby Muhua was about two months older than Baby Er Dan, now around five months old. Compared to Baby Er Dan, who was just over three months old, Baby Muhua was much more lively. He had already learned to actively reach out and grab things. Whenever he saw Baby Er Dan, he liked to touch his face and try to grab him.

At first, Baby Er Dan would curiously stare back, but eventually, he would get frightened and cry. This little brother was too rough. He would extend his tiny paw and slap him, often hitting his body and sometimes even his face. It hurt!

Every day, the treatment lasted for one hour. Dr. He prescribed medications that were beneficial for the throat and specifically emphasized that during this period, Chang Le must eat light and avoid spicy and stimulating foods, especially chili peppers.

Yu Qingze carefully noted Dr. He’s instructions. He felt sorry for Chang Le, who had to take medicine all these years. His whole body had become thin, and even pregnancy couldn’t make him gain much weight. Yu Qingze sought advice from Dr. He and prepared special medicinal meals for Chang Le every day, incorporating nourishing herbs to help him strengthen his body.

The treatment lasted for a long time. During the Lunar New Year, Dr. He didn’t even return home and stayed at the Xue residence.

With another year of spring blossoms, when Baby Er Dan learned to flip over and crawl, Chang Le’s treatment finally came to an end.

“Now, open your mouth and say something,” Dr. He removed the silver needles and said to Chang Le.

Yu Qingze clenched his fists, nervously and expectantly watching Chang Le.

Throughout these months of treatment, Dr. He hardly had Chang Le try to speak. Sometimes he would have him produce simple monosyllabic sounds like “ah,” “oh,” or “ya.” But now, Dr. He said Chang Le could speak.

Chang Le looked at the people present—Yu Qingze, Grandpa Chang, Baobao, Brother Chang, Dr. Ye, and Dr. He—and suddenly became nervous.

If it didn’t work, how disappointed would they be?

Dr. He said, “Don’t be nervous. Based on my diagnosis, he should be able to speak now. Trust me. Give it a try.”

Chang Le swallowed and looked up at Yu Qingze, clutching his clothes with both hands. He opened his mouth and kept trying until his face turned slightly red. Finally, he called out, “Husband.”

His voice was still hoarse and rough, unlike Brother Chang’s pleasant and melodious voice. But upon hearing the words “Husband,” Yu Qingze couldn’t help but tear up.

He took a step forward, embracing Chang Le tightly in his arms, choked with emotion. “Brother Le, my wife, I heard it. You called me, called me ‘Husband’…”

Everyone was overjoyed. Grandpa Chang shed tears directly and almost couldn’t hold the chubby Baby Er Dan. It was Dr. Ye who quickly took the baby in his arms, preventing a disaster where Baby Er Dan would get close to the floor.

Chang Le was also filled with excitement. He wiped away his tears, pushed Yu Qingze away, and stood up. He went to Grandpa Chang’s side, grabbed his hand, and called out, “Grandpa.”

Tears flowed down Grandpa Chang’s face as he nodded repeatedly. “Ah, Xiao Le, I heard it, I heard it!”

He hadn’t heard his grandson call him “Grandpa” for twenty years. Now, finally hearing the words “Grandpa” again, he felt a sense of fulfillment.

The grandpa and grandson were once again filled with excitement and tears.

Then, Chang Le turned to Brother Chang and called out, “Brother Chang.”

“Yes!” Brother Chang was overwhelmed with emotions, crying and laughing at the same time. He grabbed Chang Le’s hand and said, “That’s great, Brother Le, that’s wonderful!”

Chang Le expressed his gratitude to Dr. He and Dr. Ye, and finally, he turned to Baby Er Dan and called out, “Baobao.”

Baby Er Dan, upon hearing his name, initially curiously tried to distinguish the voice. But soon, he straightened his body from Dr. Ye’s embrace and reached out his chubby hands towards Chang Le, wanting a hug. He loudly exclaimed, “Ma, ma!”

Everyone paused for a moment upon hearing this.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Did he just hear correctly? Is his baby calling him?

“Baobao?” Chang Le quickly took the baby into his arms and said, “Say it again.”

“Baobao can call people now!” Yu Qingze was overjoyed as well. He playfully coaxed Baobao, saying, “Say it again, say it again, ‘Ma,’ ‘Ma,’ say it again, come on, ‘Ma’…”

During this period, they had been teaching Baobao to call people, and the first word they taught him was “Ma.” The baby had never said it before, but unexpectedly, he called out today. It was truly a double joy!

Baby Er Dan hugged Chang Le’s neck, turned his little body, listened to his father’s words, watched his father’s mouth, and then said, “Ma, ‘Ma’!”

(Note: Ma is short for mother in Chinese).

The word “Ma” was still a bit unclear, especially the initial sound of “Ma” was very soft, as if it passed by quickly. But everyone heard it clearly, he did indeed say “Ma.”

Chang Le hugged the baby and excitedly kissed his cheek, saying, “Yes! Baobao, ‘Ma’ is here, right here!”

(End of the main text)

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‎‧₊˚✧[FRIENDLY REMINDER, PLEASE READ]✧˚₊‧

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Baby’s Name

The hundredth-day celebration was naturally held at House of Prosperity, but this time they didn’t invite as many guests. Due to Baby Yu’s previous fright and fear of too many unfamiliar faces, they only invited close relatives and friends.

However, there were still quite a few guests in attendance. The Cai, Zhao, Luo, and Xue families were invited, as well as Master Hu and Boss Liu, with whom Yu family had business partnerships. Additionally, some villagers were invited, although not everyone from the village. They invited the village chief’s family, Wen Li’s family, Brother Chang’s mother’s family, and the staff members from the two shops.

The staff members pooled together to present Baby Yu with gifts for the hundredth-day celebration: one hundred large pancakes, one hundred eggs, one hundred long-life pastries, and one hundred scholar cakes, symbolizing a wish for Baby Yu to live a long and prosperous life.

Once the guests were all present, with everyone as witnesses, Baby Yu began to perform the ceremony to recognize his maternal uncles.

Baby Yu had two uncles, his biological uncle, Chang Hao, and his maternal uncle, Chang Shun.

At this moment, both uncles were seated in the front row, waiting for Baby Yu to perform the ceremony.

“Hey, Brother Shun, why do I feel a bit nervous?” Chang Hao placed his hands on his knees, kept his gaze straight ahead, and sat still without daring to move. His usual playful and smiling demeanor was nowhere to be seen.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“I, I am too.” Chang Shun looked around, everyone’s eyes were fixed on them. How could he not be nervous? His palms were sweaty.

“Why isn’t grandpa coming to receive the ceremony? Why does it have to be the uncle?” Chang Hao found it difficult to understand. Grandpa was still here, so why should he be the one to do it?

“Yeah, grandpa is the elder in the family. What do we two understand?” Chang Shun was also puzzled and asked nervously, “What if we make a mistake later? What should we do?”

Chang Hao said, “…I don’t know.”

But he couldn’t think of a solution anyway, and the auspicious time had arrived.

“The auspicious time has come! Begin the ceremony of recognizing the uncle!” The village chief, acting as the master of ceremonies this time, announced.

Chang Hao and Chang Shun straightened their backs when they heard it, quickly making their posture more upright.

“Remember your roots and the source of water. Baby Yu, pay respects and recognize the uncles!” The village chief sang.

Yu Qingze knelt down with Baby Yu, kowtowed three times, then offered tea to the two uncles on behalf of Baby Yu, and handed over the prepared gifts.

With the village chief’s guidance, Chang Hao and Chang Shun drank the tea, accepted the gifts, and then took out the previously prepared gifts.

Chang Hao presented a longevity lock that was specially crafted by the best craftsman from Liao’s family shop. It was made entirely of silver, with the front engraved with the blessing “May you live a long life” and the back engraved with a small tiger, representing Baby’s zodiac sign. It served to ward off evil and bless Baby with a safe and healthy life.

Originally, Chang Hao and Grandpa Chang wanted to get a small golden lock to make it look more luxurious. However, Dr. Xue said that it would be better for Baby Yu to wear silver, as gold would only look good but not be as beneficial for the body. So, they decided to get a silver longevity lock instead.

Chang Hao took the longevity lock out of the box and personally put it around Baby’s neck. He said, “Baobao, Uncle is giving you this longevity lock to bless you with good health and a long life. When you can walk, Uncle will take you out to play, alright? You be a good boy and grow up quickly.”

Everyone laughed upon hearing this. The age gap between this uncle and his nephew wasn’t that big, so it was indeed possible for him to take Baby Yu out to play.

Wen Li had communicated with Chang Hao and knew that he had given a longevity lock, so they prepared a pair of silver bangles. Chang Shun put the bangles on Baby Yu’s wrist and also said some auspicious words, completing the ceremony of recognizing the uncle.

Next was the naming ceremony.

Because each of the five people, including Yu Qingze, had thought of a name and wanted Baobao to use the name they came up with, and Yu Qingze didn’t have any rules that required the baby’s name to be chosen by the father or grandfather. He knew that everyone in the family loved Baobao and was happy to have everyone involved. So they decided that during the hundredth-day banquet, Baobao would choose his own name.

Baby Yu was only a hundred days old and wasn’t quite capable of actively grabbing things yet. But if you put something next to his hand, he would hold it tightly.

Their solution was to write the names they thought of on red paper, fold the paper into small balls, hang them with a string, and then place them in front of Baby Yu. They would see which one he grabbed and use that name.

On one table, ink, brush, paper, and inkstone were already prepared, waiting for them to write the names on the spot.

The guests were all curious about the names they had chosen and gathered around to take a look.

Chang Hao was the first to write, and the name he thought of was Yu Yang. Chang Shun asked him why he chose that name.

Chang Hao replied, “Because my name is Hao, and Baobao will be called Yang. Together, we are like the vast ocean!”

“Wow, Xiao Hao, it has a meaning too,” Cai Yunwei exclaimed, quite surprised.

Chang Hao proudly nodded and said, “Of course! And let me tell you, Brother Yunwei, Baobao’s five elements are lacking water, you see, the character ‘Yang’ has water in it. Isn’t it suitable?”

Old Madam Cai chuckled and said, “Oh, there’s another layer of meaning to it. Xiao Hao, you’ve put thought into it. It’s a lovely name.”

Chang Hao became happy and said, “Right, right! Even Old Madam Cai thinks it sounds good. I said we should use this name, but they didn’t want to. They were just making a fuss for no reason!”

His words amused the people around, and they burst into laughter.

After Chang Hao finished writing, he put the red paper aside to let the ink dry so he could fold it later. Then he looked at Grandpa Chang and said, “Grandpa, shall I help you write?”

Grandpa Chang nodded and said, “You go ahead and write.”

“Grandpa, what name did you give Baobao?” Cai Yunwei asked.

“Yu Hu!” Grandpa Chang answered firmly.

“Ah,” Chang Hao shook his head and said, “Grandpa, why do you still insist on using this name? It’s the least creative name, so old-fashioned. Baobao will find it boring.”

(Note: The character “护” (hu) is commonly used to convey the idea of safeguarding or defending something or someone. It can refer to the act of providing protection, support, or care for someone or something. It implies a sense of guardianship or looking out for the well-being and safety of the object or person being protected.)

Grandpa Chang patted him on the back of his head and said, “You don’t understand. Baobao belongs to the tiger zodiac sign. The simpler the name, the easier it is to raise, and it’s also easy to remember. Hurry up and write!”

“Grandpa, haven’t you noticed that ever since Baobao was born, you stopped spoiling me?” Chang Hao shook his head and sighed, “I used to be the youngest and most cherished in the family, but now I’ve fallen out of favor…”

Jiabao laughed and said, “You’re still the second youngest in the family, so how have you fallen out of favor?”

Upon hearing this, Chang Hao immediately acted like a drama queen, leaning his arm on Jiabao’s shoulder and said, touched, “Brother Jiabao, you still care about me…”

Grandpa Chang couldn’t take it anymore and gave him a smack on the head, saying, “Just write already, why are you being so chatty?”

“Alright, alright, I’ll write, I’ll write,” Chang Hao rubbed the back of his head and quickly stood up, picking up the brush and started writing.

Everyone laughed; this family was quite entertaining.

Jiabao chose the name Yu Yue, symbolizing a fish leaping over the dragon gate. Everyone agreed and Jiabao was very happy.

(Note: “Yu Yue” (鱼跃) represents the idea of overcoming obstacles, making remarkable progress, and achieving great success.)

Chang Le hoped Baobao would be healthy and safe, so he chose the name Yu Jianping.

Yu Qingze chose the name Yu Jingshuo for his son, which means flourishing beauty and brightness. Additionally, the character “Shuo” contains the character for “joy,” which was his little clever thought.

Once the ink had dried, Brother Chang helped fold the red paper into small balls and threaded them with a needle and thread, making them all the same length.

“Alright, Baobao is about to start grabbing. Get ready, begin!” Brother Chang held five strings with the small balls hanging from them, positioning them in front of Baby, right within reach of his little hands.

These five red paper balls with names written on them were folded and threaded, making it impossible to know which name belonged to which ball. Now they were placed in front of Baobao, and Yu Qingze and the others anxiously watched.

The onlookers in the crowd also quieted down, eagerly waiting to see which name Baby Yu would grab.

To keep Baobao awake for this naming ceremony, Chang Le had been teasing and playing with him.

At this moment, as Baby Yu saw something in front of him, moving and within his reach, he widened his eyes and stared quietly for a while. He thought that his mother was playing with him, so he excitedly exclaimed, “Ya!” and reached out with his little paw.

—The first time, he grabbed nothing. The small ball was pushed aside.

Chang Hao breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Brother Chang, Baobao couldn’t grab it. You need to bring it closer and place my ball in the center of his palm.”

Brother Chang chuckled and asked, “Can you still recognize which one is the one you wrote?”

Chang Hao nodded and pointed to a small ball, saying, “I know, it’s this one, I’ve been watching it closely. Hurry up, just tilt your hand a little.”

As Chang Hao spoke, he nudged Brother Chang’s arm slightly and aligned the designated ball with Baobao’s palm.

“Xiao Hao, no cheating!” Jiabao protested.

“Baobao, grab it quickly!” Chang Hao disregarded Jiabao’s complaint and urged.

Baby Yu, who had missed the ball earlier while keeping his hand clenched, now saw the small ball approaching again. He exclaimed, “Ya!” and reached out his hand to grab it!

He caught it!

Baby giggled happily.

“He caught it, he caught it! Quick, let’s see what name it is!” Chang Hao exclaimed in excitement, trying to open Baby Yu’s clenched fist.

But Baby Yu held onto it tightly, and Chang Hao didn’t dare to exert force for fear of hurting him. Seeing the situation, Chang Le playfully teased Baobao, causing him to loosen his grip. Chang Le took the small ball out from inside Baobao’s hand.

Chang Hao couldn’t wait to open it, but when he looked at it, he crumpled the piece of paper into a ball and held it tightly, saying, “This one doesn’t count, let’s start over!”

Everyone could tell at a glance that it wasn’t the name he had chosen, and they burst into laughter.

“What is it? Open and see!” Cai Yunwei curiously asked.

Chang Hao shook his head and said, “Let’s start over, let’s start over.”

At this moment, Jiabao had already opened the remaining four small balls. After reading them, he jumped up and shouted with excitement, “I won, I won! Big brother, I got mine!”

Yu Qingze nodded with a smile and said, “Great, then Baobao’s name will be Yu Yue!”

Chang Hao raised his hand and said, “Brother-in-law! Baobao’s given name is decided, now let’s draw his nickname!”

“Hahaha, Xiao Hao, are you upset because you didn’t get chosen?” Cai Yunwei asked.

Chang Hao nodded firmly, clenched his fist, and said, “Yes! If the given name didn’t get chosen, we’ll save it for the second baby! Now let’s draw the nickname!”

Saying that, Chang Hao picked up a pen and started writing.

“Er Dan?” Cai Yunwei curiously leaned over to take a look. When he saw the nickname Chang Hao had written, he was speechless. “You’re planning to call Baobao ‘Er Dan’ (Second Egg)? It would be much nicer to call him ‘Baobao,’ don’t you think?”

Chang Hao shook his head and looked at Cai Yunwei with an ignorant expression. He said, “Brother Yunwei, you don’t understand, do you? Do you like eggs? Salted duck eggs, for example? I remember you especially enjoyed eating mooncakes with double salted egg yolks. And, don’t you think century eggs are delicious too? You see, all the ones with the word ‘egg’ are very tasty. So, calling him ‘Er Dan’ is easy to remember. Besides, there’s a saying that goes, ‘Cheap lives are easy to support,’ right?”

“Why call him ‘Er Dan’ then?”

“Because ‘Da Dan’ (Big Egg) doesn’t sound as good, ‘Er Dan’ sounds better. Actually, we could also call him ‘Dan Dan’.”

“…Let’s stick with ‘Er Dan’.”

Jiabao, who had already taken the lead, excitedly kissed Baobao’s cheek and shook his head with a smile when he heard their conversation. He said to Chang Hao, “You’re just not convinced. Well, let me make you accept your defeat. I’ve already thought of a nickname for Baobao.”

With that, Jiabao wrote down the nickname he had in mind—Xiao Yu’er (Little Fish).

Upon seeing it, Yu Qingze twitched his eye and instinctively thought of adding ‘Yu Hua Wu Que’ (Fish and Flower Inseparable) after it.

“Grandpa, what nickname did you come up with?” Jiabao asked.

Grandpa Chang persisted and said, “Xiao Hu!” (Little Tiger)

Jiabao finished writing it and then asked, “And what about brother-in-law?”

Chang Le thought for a moment, his face blushed, and he took the pen to write two characters himself.

Upon seeing it, Yu Qingze’s eye twitched again.

Chang Le wrote—Da Bao (Big Treasure).

Brother Chang laughed and said, “Chang Le, are you already thinking about having the second baby?”

Everyone laughed.

Chang Le blushed, patting Brother Chang. He found it so annoying. Why did he have to say it out loud!

Hearing this, Yu Qingze also chuckled and embraced Chang Le and Baobao in his arms.

“Big Brother, it’s your turn,” Jiabao asked.

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Yue Yue.”

Jiabao wrote the characters and then let Baby Yu grab once again.

This time, Chang Hao was extremely lucky and got chosen. He was extremely happy and said, “Er Dan, from now on, you’ll be called Er Dan!”

Everyone looked at Baby Yu with great sympathy: …Er Dan, huh.

Baby Yu or Er Dan had no idea that his distinguished name for a lifetime was taken away by his own grab. Nevertheless, he grinned and laughed to himself.

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Thandar: LOL Yu Hu sounds like Yooohooo!!!

Understandable but Unforgivable

As the group walked back, they reached the dock where they coincidentally encountered Grandpa Chang and Chang Hao, who had come to the restaurant for lunch. They had heard from Uncle Min, who stayed at the restaurant, that something had happened to the baby, so they hurried over.

“Baobao! Brother, Brother-in-law, how is Baobao?” Chang Hao ran up to them when he saw them emerging from the woods. He felt relieved seeing that the baby had been rescued, but the baby was asleep, and he didn’t know the details, so he quickly asked.

“Aze, Xiao Le, is Baobao okay?” Grandpa Chang also came over and asked while looking at the baby.

“Grandpa, Xiao Hao, Baobao was frightened. We need to take good care of him when we get back. Dr. Xue said the baby might have a high fever tonight,” Yu Qingze replied, supporting Chang Le as he spoke.

“Achoo!” Chang Le turned his head and sneezed. After staying in the river for so long, Chang Le had caught a cold. In order to avoid infecting Baobao, he had to let Brother Chang hold him.

“Why did Xiao Le catch a cold? And what’s with your clothes and hair?” Grandpa Chang looked at their wet hair and clothes, expressing his concern.

“Grandpa, Brother Le and Da Song stayed in the river for a long time and caught a cold. We need to go back quickly to treat them. I’ll explain everything to you when we get back,” Yu Qingze explained.

“Alright, let’s go back quickly!” Grandpa Chang urged.

The group returned to the restaurant, where the staff was preparing lunch.

Yu Qingze took Chang Le and Da Song to the Almond Hall to receive treatment from Dr. Xue. Brother Chang also brought Baobao there for a pulse diagnosis and treatment. After getting the prescribed medicine, they returned to the restaurant.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

After having lunch, Yu Qingze thanked the staff and specifically instructed Da Song to take his medicine and rest well, reminding him to keep warm. Since it was a day off today, he asked everyone to go home and rest. Their family also went back home.

Baobao was startled, and Chang Le caught a chill, resulting in a cold. Although Yu Qingze had a stronger physique, walking back with wet pants had also caused him to catch a cold and fall ill. Therefore, they had to rely on Grandpa Chang and Chang Hao to take care of the baby. Neither of them could get close to the baby.

Fortunately, the three of them had already learned how to feed and change diapers for the baby in the past two months, so it went relatively smoothly.

However, after Baobao was startled, he lacked a sense of security. If he didn’t smell the familiar scent of his parents, he would cry and refuse to sleep in the rocking crib. He had to be constantly held.

But Yu Qingze and Chang Le were both sick and unable to take care of the baby, so they couldn’t hold him. Chang Hao and the others wrapped Baobao in his parents’ clothes, placing Chang Le’s inner shirt near the baby’s neck, and continued to hold him. Yu Qingze stayed by their side and talked to the baby, making him feel that his parents were there with him.

At night, as expected, the baby developed a high fever. The whole family stayed awake, taking care of him.

Dr. Xue checked the baby’s pulse, prescribed medicine, and had Chang Hao prepare the herbal medicine. They also had Chang Hao bring wet towels to help lower the baby’s temperature…

Chang Le watched as the baby’s face turned red from the fever, feeling heartbroken and shedding tears. He couldn’t go over to comfort him, so he could only listen to the baby’s heartbreaking cries from the main room, feeling his heart shatter into pieces.

“Brother Le, you’re still sick. Go and rest. Dr. Xue and Grandpa are here with Baobao. Take good care of yourself first so that you can take care of the baby as soon as possible,” Yu Qingze said, embracing Chang Le’s shoulder.

Chang Le sniffed and shook his head, gesturing that he couldn’t sleep.

The baby was still running a high fever and crying so pitifully; how could he sleep?

Yu Qingze sighed and didn’t continue to persuade him to sleep. In fact, even if he wanted Chang Le to sleep, he couldn’t sleep either.

When Dr. Xue came out, they quickly approached him. Yu Qingze asked, “Dr. Xue, how is the baby?”

“Just took the medicine. Jiabao is comforting him to sleep. Don’t worry too much. You both caught a chill and need to rest,” Dr. Xue replied.

“With the baby like this, how can Brother Le possibly sleep?” Yu Qingze shook his head, then thought for a moment and asked, “Dr. Xue, the baby needs our company the most since he was startled and has a fever. If we cover our mouths and noses, can we go in and be with him?”

Dr. Xue answered, “If you hadn’t caught a chill, I would have allowed you to go in earlier. However, during this period, many patients have visited the clinic. You caught a cold, and although you’ve recovered, the child fell ill again. Considering the situation, I don’t recommend you going in.”

Upon hearing this, the two fell silent, listening as the baby’s cries inside gradually grew smaller until they finally stopped. Yu Qingze said to Chang Le, “Brother Le, you heard what Dr. Xue said. Listen, Baobao is no longer crying. Go rest early so you can recover soon and take care of Baobao.”

Chang Le looked at the door, feeling reluctant.

Chang Hao came out from the room and said, “Baobao has fallen asleep. Brother, Brother-in-law, you should go rest. We’re here.”

Upon hearing that the baby had fallen asleep, Chang Le finally nodded and turned to go sleep in the adjacent room. However, he couldn’t sleep well either. In just two short hours, he woke up several times. Seeing Baobao at home and his grandfather and others present, he went back to sleep.

The next day, Baobao was somewhat better, with the temperature dropping slightly. However, the family didn’t dare to relax and continued to care for him, still dressed and ready. Chang Hao also took leave from school and stayed at home.

In the morning, a bailiff came with a message, saying that the county magistrate would be conducting a trial in the morning and asked Yu Qingze and Chang Le to come to the courtroom.

The two of them went.

The case wasn’t too complicated. Shi Sheng had harbored resentment towards Yu Qingze and Chang Le due to a personal grudge, which had been recorded in previous cases.

Now he had kidnapped Lin Liang’s son and threatened their family to kidnap Yu Qingze’s son. The evidence was conclusive. Now he was dead, having committed suicide out of fear, and his body was dumped in an unmarked grave.

As for the Lin family, they readily admitted to the crimes they had committed.

In the courtroom, Uncle Lin looked at Yu Qingze and Chang Le, repeatedly kowtowing and apologizing, seeking their forgiveness.

Chang Le looked at Uncle Lin and couldn’t help but think of the moment when the baby was taken away by him, threatened with scissors by Shi Sheng. His heart turned cold. They had treated Uncle Lin well before, and yet he had done such things to them.

Yu Qingze spoke directly, “Uncle Lin, previously you took care of Brother Le and our child for two months, and we were grateful for that. If, when your grandson was in trouble, you had come to us for help directly, we would have done everything we could to help you find your grandson. But instead, you chose this method. We also believe we treated you well, but you… You knew how hard-won the baby was for us, yet you still did this. It’s not that we have hearts of stone, but your actions have truly chilled us. We’re sorry, but we will never forgive someone who harms our child.”

Uncle Lin burst into tears, knowing that it was too late for anything to make a difference now.

The case was straightforward and the trial proceeded quickly.

Finally, Lord Luo announced the verdict for them: ” Lin Ama, Lin Liang, and Wife of Lin Liang, the three of you are found guilty of kidnapping Yu Qingze and Chang Le’s child due to being coerced by the criminal Shi Sheng. While there may be some understanding of the circumstances, the crime is unforgivable. Lin Ama and Lin Liang are sentenced to three years of imprisonment, while Madam Lin is sentenced to one year. The young child, Lin Ming, will be entrusted to the care of his uncle’s family.”

After the case was concluded, Yu Qingze and Chang Le hurriedly returned home. Due to Da Song falling ill as well, Jiabao stayed at home to take care of the baby, and only Da Zhi was able to cook at the restaurant. Yu Qingze decided to give the restaurant a two-day break, and they would resume business once everyone’s health improved.

Baobao had a high fever for three days, but it finally subsided. Yu Qingze had a stronger resistance, so he recovered from the cold in two days, while Chang Le was delayed by two more days.

When they finally held the baby again, a heavy burden was lifted from Chang Le’s heart, and he felt a sense of peace.

After this incident, Chang Le would never neglect even the slightest bit of care. Whenever he looked after the baby, he had to hold him at all times. Whether it was going to the kitchen to prepare hot water or formula milk, he would carry the baby with him.

When they went to the restaurant, he would no longer let others hold the baby on his behalf. He insisted on carrying the baby himself, even when he needed to use the restroom, he would only entrust the baby to Yu Qingze or Jiabao.

After a few days, it was the baby’s hundredth-day celebration, a significant milestone. According to tradition, on this day, the baby would perform the ceremony of having their naming ceremony.

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PLEASE READ: Extra chapters will be pw locked and pw can be found in TOC below 😀

The two of them swam forward for a while, but the river here was very deep, and the banks were steep slopes covered with bushes and thorns, making it inconvenient to climb ashore.

Just at that moment, they heard the voices of Yu Qingze and Jiabao speaking, knowing that things were under control and Baobao had been rescued. But before they could shout and tell Yu Qingze not to jump, they heard a splash, and Yu Qingze jumped down to find Chang Le.

“Boss Yu, the water is cold here. Let’s find a way to get out first. Chang Le shouldn’t stay in the water for too long,” Da Song suggested. He really didn’t want to disturb the intimate moment between the two, but in this freezing weather, with the biting northern wind, he was shivering uncontrollably. This was not an ideal place for sentimental moments and heartfelt confessions.

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze quickly released Chang Le and planted a firm kiss on his lips. Then he shouted loudly, “Right, let’s go up first! Xiao Cong!”

Xiao Cong had already brought two men over. They took off their coats and formed a makeshift rope. Upon hearing the call, they immediately responded, “Boss, come to this spot. There are no thorns here. We’ll pull you up!”

The three of them swam upstream for another twenty to thirty feet and reached a slightly gentler slope without thorns. The men pulled them up onto the bank one by one.

Once they were on the bank, the three men immediately handed their jackets to Yu Qingze and the others to put on.

Da Song waved his hand and said, “My clothes are over there in the bushes. Help me fetch them. Give these clothes to Brother Le; his clothes are all wet.” Saying that, he went to retrieve his hidden clothes.

Yu Qingze’s clothes were also on the shore, and the men had brought them over. He took his own clothes and then told the men, “Turn around, Brother Le needs to change his clothes.”

Once the men turned around, Yu Qingze wrapped his jacket around Chang Le and said, “Wear mine and take off the wet clothes.”

At that moment, Chang Le noticed the four or five scars on Yu Qingze’s left wrist. They were deep and still bleeding profusely. He immediately grabbed Yu Qingze’s hand, examined the wounds, and gestured, asking if it hurt.

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “It’s fine, just minor cuts. They’ll heal in a few days. Hurry up and change your clothes.”

However, Chang Le took Xiao Cong’s jacket and put it on Yu Qingze, gesturing for him to wear it first.

Yu Qingze was still shirtless, so he quickly slipped his hands into the sleeves and said, “Hurry, change your clothes.”

Chang Le took off all his clothes and put on Yu Qingze’s shirt and pants. Then, Yu Qingze managed to put on Xiao Cong’s and another worker’s jackets. As for the pants, there was no other option but to wear the soaked ones for now. Chang Le wrung out the water and helped Yu Qingze put them back on.

Just as they finished changing clothes, Brother Chang and the others arrived, holding the baby.

“Brother Le!” Brother Chang called out.

Chang Le looked up and immediately rushed over to Brother Chang, taking the baby from his arms and pressing the baby tightly against his chest. He held the baby tightly and said, “Baobao…”

At this moment, the baby was still crying, but he had calmed down quite a bit after Brother Chang had comforted him earlier. He was now quietly whimpering. When the baby smelled the familiar scent and felt the gentle rocking from Chang Le, he cried a few more times in a pitiful manner before finally quieting down and falling asleep with a pouting mouth.

Brother Chang, on the other hand, looked at Chang Le in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing. He glanced at Xue Baizhu beside him and muttered, “Did you hear that?”

Xue Baizhu was also surprised and nodded, saying, “I heard it.”

At this moment, Yu Qingze approached. He had already been informed by Jiabao about the situation with the baby. Seeing that the baby was safe and sound, he felt relieved. He said to Xue Baizhu, “Thank goodness you arrived in time. Thank you.”

Xue Baizhu shook his head and said, “It’s good that the baby is fine, but after experiencing so many frights today, there’s a possibility of developing a fever tonight. Let’s all stay at your place tonight.”

Upon hearing that the baby might develop a fever, Chang Le became anxious and quickly nodded, using one hand to express his gratitude.

“It’s alright. You all got wet. When we get back, we’ll make some ginger soup to warm up and expel the cold. And that worker too. I’ll bring some medicinal herbs later in preparation. Now, let’s hurry back.”

Chang Le and Yu Qingze nodded in agreement.

With the assurance of the baby’s safety, Chang Le, while soothing the baby, pulled on the sleeve of Xue Baizhu’s robe and also showed Yu Qingze his left wrist.

Xue Baizhu frowned as he looked at the injuries on Yu Qingze’s wrist. He tore a piece of cloth from his inner garment and immediately bandaged it for Yu Qingze. As he did so, he said, “Brother Yu, this wound is quite deep, and it got wet with the river water. Let’s go to the pharmacy later so I can re-treat it.”

“Stop! What are you trying to do?”

At that moment, something seemed to have happened on the side of the culprit, and the county magistrate shouted loudly.

“Don’t come any closer! Stay away! If you come any closer, I’ll kill myself in front of you!”

The group looked over and saw that, for some unknown reason, Shi Sheng had broken free from the grip of two yamen runners and was holding a pair of scissors against his own neck, confronting the county magistrate and the yamen runners.

They walked over and stood about ten feet away, watching the situation.

Translated ho lo lo novels dot com.

After the county magistrate and the yamen runners arrived, the workers handed over the two prisoners to them. Lin Liang had his head down, obediently tied up, but when the yamen runners tried to restrain Shi Sheng, he broke free and quickly picked up the nearby scissors, threatening to take his own life.

“You should just die! Hurry up and die! Achoo!” Da Song cursed angrily. He wrapped himself in his clothes, wearing an additional coat provided by Da Zhi, but he still sneezed.

“That’s right! Hurry up and die! No one is stopping you!”

“Hurry up, Yama, the King of Hell, is waiting for you!”

The workers also joined in the cursing. This scum of society deserved to die!

Upon hearing this, Shi Sheng, in his state of reckless abandon, looked around and saw Chang Le holding the baby. It triggered him once again, and he cursed loudly, “Chang Le! Why aren’t you dead yet! You’ve ruined me like this, and you will face retribution! I curse you! I curse you to be struck by lightning and die a miserable death!”

Upon hearing this, Chang Le didn’t respond, but simply held the baby tightly, giving him a cold look.

Yu Qingze reached out and embraced Chang Le’s shoulder.

Unable to bear it any longer, Brother Chang couldn’t hold back and cursed, “You mad dog! You caused trouble for yourself and harmed others deeply, yet you blame others! When have we ever harmed you? It was you who repeatedly came to harm Brother Le and the others! You deserve it! People like you should die in prison!”

“If it wasn’t for you, how could I have been forced to marry into the Zeng family, and how could I have suffered humiliation and abuse from the Zeng family’s waste! It’s all because of you! You pushed me into the abyss! It’s all your fault!” Shi Sheng shouted in agitation.

“Cut the bullshit!” Brother Chang was infuriated and directly cursed, “Your own family wanted to marry you off, and you blame us! You wanted to break up Brother Le and Boss Yu, and you blame us! You brought this upon yourself with your reckless and narrow-minded behavior, and yet you blame us! Are we your parents or your siblings? Do we have to take responsibility for your foolish actions? I’m telling you, Shi Sheng, your current situation is entirely self-inflicted! Don’t blame anyone else!”

After Brother Chang finished his scolding, he turned to the county magistrate and said, “Sir, this kind of person has shown no remorse. He has repeatedly framed Brother Le’s family in the past. Now, he has just received a pardon from the emperor, but he doesn’t show any gratitude and continues to commit such heinous acts. Quickly arrest him and take him back! This kind of person should not be pardoned; he should be sentenced to death! So he won’t keep harming others!”

“Yes, that’s right!”

“A person with such a malicious heart, not even sparing a newborn baby, is truly devoid of conscience!”

“Execute him!”

“…”

The county magistrate shook his head as he watched the scene and waved to the constables, saying, “Capture him and bring him back, hand him over to the county governor for trial!”

“No, no, I don’t want to go back to prison! I don’t want to experience those dark and hopeless days again!” Shi Sheng saw the constables approaching and shook his head frantically, muttering to himself.

Thinking of his life in prison over the past two years, the dim and cold prison cell, the only view of walls and wooden bars, the agonizing cries of other prisoners being tortured, the endless toil every day, the stale and cold meals, and his own appearance now, dirty and aged…

Whenever Shi Sheng thought about all of that, he felt like going insane! He had only managed to survive until now because of his goal of seeking revenge. But now that his revenge had failed, he knew he had no way out. However, he absolutely refused to return to that hellish place called prison!

“Even if it means death!”

He then screamed madly, “Chang Le, Yu Qingze, you’ve killed me! I curse all your children to die young! May you have a wretched fate!”

With that, he waved his hand and thrust the scissors into his own neck.

Blood gushed out as Shi Sheng collapsed to the ground, his eyes staring fixedly in Chang Le’s direction. His body convulsed, and he intermittently uttered, “Won’t… have… a… good…”

Chang Le was startled, instinctively holding the baby tightly and turning his head away.

Yu Qingze embraced him, gently stroking his back.

Everyone was shocked by this scene and remained silent for a while.

The county magistrate glanced at Xue Baizhu.

Xue Baizhu shook his head and said, “Sir, there’s no saving him. Even if there was a chance, I wouldn’t save him. Though I am a physician, I am also a father. This kind of person doesn’t deserve pity in death.”

After a while, the county magistrate sent a bailiff to examine the situation.

The bailiff checked Shi Sheng’s breath and pulse, then said, “Sir, the prisoner has no breath or pulse. It’s confirmed that he’s dead.”

The county magistrate nodded and said, “The prisoner Shi Sheng committed suicide out of fear. Take the body back! Lin Liang, who is suspected of kidnapping Yu Qingze and Chang Le’s child, will be brought back for interrogation by the county magistrate.”

“Yes!” The bailiffs quickly took action. Four of them approached, grabbing Shi Sheng’s limbs and lifting him up, waiting for the county magistrate’s command to return to the yamen.

The county magistrate turned around and said to Yu Qingze and Chang Le, “Boss Yu, Madam Yu, Lin Liang’s mother and wife have also been taken to the county yamen. When the time comes, please find a moment to attend the interrogation at the county yamen.”

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “Alright, thank you, sir.”

“Let’s go back to the yamen!” The county magistrate waved his hand, and the bailiffs escorted the prisoners while carrying the corpse, following behind the county magistrate as they walked back.

“We should also head back,” Xue Baizhu said.

Yu Qingze nodded and said, “Let’s go, back to the yamen!”

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Shi Sheng’s Fate

Splash!

Chang Le plunged into the river.

Chang Le’s sudden action caught everyone by surprise, including Yu Qingze and Shi Sheng. Even Lin Liang, who had just arrived, was stunned.

“Brother Le!” Yu Qingze shouted, chasing after Chang Le to rescue him from the river.

“Stop right there! If you dare to rescue him, I’ll kill your son immediately!” Shi Sheng watched as Yu Qingze took a step towards the river, intending to save Chang Le. He immediately threatened, pressing the scissors in his hand, barely an inch away from the baby’s face.

Yu Qingze paused, looking at the ripples in the splashing water, but there was no sign of Chang Le’s figure.

Although he knew that Chang Le could swim, it was the cold season, and the river water was freezing. Chang Le’s postpartum body hadn’t fully recovered to its previous level, and immersing himself in the icy water would undoubtedly cause him to catch a cold and be exposed to the chilly wind. Moreover, Chang Le was still wearing a thin, water-absorbing cotton coat, which would make his body heavier and hinder his swimming ability.

Yu Qingze felt anxious. There was something else he was even more afraid of—he was afraid that Chang Le would be stubborn, afraid that Shi Sheng would harm the baby and he would jump into the water without even considering swimming to save himself.

He turned his head and glared at Shi Sheng, his eyes sharp as arrows, as if he wanted to poke holes in the person standing before him!

“If anything happens to Brother Le, I will tear you into a thousand pieces!”

Yu Qingze’s expression turned dark and cold, as if an impending storm was about to descend.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Shi Sheng felt a bit unsettled under Yu Qingze’s piercing gaze. He knew that he had succeeded in provoking Yu Qingze, but making their lives difficult was exactly what he wanted!

“Hahaha…” Shi Sheng couldn’t help but sneer in disdain. He continued, “Oh, tearing me into a thousand pieces? How terrifying! Come on, come on! I’d love to see whether you can tear me apart faster or if the scissors in my hand will be quicker!”

Yu Qingze narrowed his eyes as he looked at the scissors in Shi Sheng’s hand.

“Big brother!” “Boss Yu!” Not far away, Jiabao and his companions arrived.

Upon hearing the voices, Shi Sheng instinctively glanced in their direction.

Seizing this moment, Yu Qingze quickly rushed forward, grabbing Shi Sheng’s wrist holding the scissors and lifting it high, away from the baby. With his other hand, he attempted to snatch the baby away.

Shi Sheng snapped out of his daze and immediately struggled. He stabbed Yu Qingze’s arm with the scissors in a frenzied manner, repeatedly piercing his wrist several times.

Yu Qingze felt pain in his wrist, seeing the bloodstains, but he didn’t let go. He swiftly kicked his left leg onto the shinbone of Shi Sheng’s right leg. Taking advantage of Shi Sheng’s momentary stumble, he exerted force with his right hand and snatched the baby from his embrace.

Having lost his hostage, Shi Sheng went insane. Ignoring the pain in his right leg, he immediately grabbed the scissors from his right hand with his left hand and tried to stab the baby in Yu Qingze’s arms.

Yu Qingze had initially held Shi Sheng’s right hand, which held the scissors, with his left hand, while his right hand cradled the baby. Now that he saw Shi Sheng switch the scissors to his other hand, he released his left hand and swiftly kicked Shi Sheng, causing him to fall to the ground.

At this moment, Jiabao and his companions had arrived.

“Capture him! And him too!” Yu Qingze pointed at the fallen Shi Sheng and the stunned Lin Liang, shouting at his companions. Then, he handed the baby to Jiabao and urgently said, “Jiabao, the baby has been crying for too long and is having trouble breathing. Take him to see a doctor! Your brother-in-law jumped into the river, and I’m going to find him!”

While giving instructions, he quickly took off his clothes and shoes, leaving only his underpants, and jumped into the river.

“Big brother!” Jiabao could only shout about the injury on Yu Qingze’s hand. With the baby in his arms, his face turned red, and he couldn’t catch his breath from crying. He hurriedly said, “You guys capture them, I’ll take the baby to see a doctor!”

Saying that, Jiabao ran back while anxiously comforting the baby, “Baby, baby, don’t cry, it’s okay, don’t be scared, it’s Uncle, it’s Uncle, be a good baby, don’t cry…”

A few dozen steps away, Jiabao suddenly noticed that the baby had stopped crying. He lowered his head to check, but the baby wasn’t calm—it was because he had cried for too long and couldn’t catch his breath. His face had turned bluish.

Jiabao panicked. He ran forward without caring for his own safety. After running for several dozen steps, he saw Brother Chang and Xue Baizhu, accompanied by a group of soldiers, running towards them. He quickly shouted, “Dr. Xue, Dr. Xue, please quickly check the baby. He has been crying for too long and can’t catch his breath!”

Xue Baizhu came over and saw the baby’s bluish face. He promptly said, “Give him to me!”

He took the baby and immediately laid him flat on the ground. Then he untied the baby’s swaddling clothes and unfastened the buttons on the baby’s collar. He started pinching the baby’s acupoint between the eyebrows and the acupoint on the forehead. He said to Brother Chang and Jiabao, “Brother Chang, pat the soles of the baby’s feet gently. Jiabao, press the baby’s tiger’s mouth. Quickly.”

Brother Chang immediately took off the baby’s socks and lightly patted the soles of his feet. Jiabao followed the instructions and gently pressed the baby’s tiger’s mouth.

Behind them were the county magistrate and around ten bailiffs. Seeing that they were saving the baby, they continued on their way.

After pressing the baby’s forehead, Xue Baizhu gently pressed his chest to help him recover his breathing as quickly as possible.

After a while of pressing, the baby suddenly gasped for air. His whole body twitched for a moment, and then he started crying, “Waaaah!”

“Alright, put the baby’s socks back on and make sure he doesn’t catch a cold. Quickly calm him down, we can’t let him continue crying like this, or it might happen again,” said Xue Baizhu.

Brother Chang immediately put the baby’s socks back on and tried to fasten the buttons on his collar, but Xue Baizhu stopped him.

“Leave the collar as it is. If it’s too tight, he won’t be able to breathe properly.”

Brother Chang wrapped the baby back up and held him, gently patting his back and soothing him.

“Dr. Xue, my eldest brother got injured just now. He said my brother-in-law jumped into the river. Could you please come with me to the front?” Jiabao said anxiously.

“What?! Why did Brother Le jump into the river?!” Brother Chang asked urgently.

Jiabao shook his head and replied, “I don’t know either. When we arrived, there was only my eldest brother and the thief. There was also another man. My eldest brother asked me to take the baby and find the doctor, while he told our men to capture those two. Then he jumped into the river to find my brother-in-law.”

“Let’s go, hurry!” Xue Baizhu immediately said.

The three of them quickly ran towards the spot where the incident occurred by the river.

On the other side, after jumping into the river, Yu Qingze plunged into the water and searched around but couldn’t find anyone. When he resurfaced, he didn’t see any trace of Chang Le on the riverbank. His heart sank, and he shouted, “Chang Le! Chang Le!”

After shouting, he immediately swam downstream, determined to find Chang Le.

In his heart, he kept praying, “Please, Brother Le, don’t do anything foolish. You must wait for me to find you…”

“Boss Yu! Over here!”

Just then, a voice reached his ears. Yu Qingze recognized it as Da Song’s voice. He immediately looked around, shouting loudly, “Where? Da Song, where are you? Where’s Brother Le?”

“Upstream! We’re upstream! Brother Le is fine! Can you see me?” Da Song shouted.

Da Song emerged from the water a bit and raised his hand to show Yu Qingze.

“Boss Yu, they’re here, they’re here!” Xiao Cong had been keeping an eye on Yu Qingze’s situation. When he heard Da Song’s voice, he immediately ran upstream, spotted Da Song, and waved to signal Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze turned his head, saw Da Song, and noticed Xiao Cong’s position on the shore. He immediately swam upstream towards them.

When he finally reached the spot where Chang Le was floating with the help of a bush, he excitedly embraced Chang Le and shouted, “Brother Le, you scared me to death! Why did you jump, why?! I would have found a way, I promise! You scared me…”

As he shouted, tears started streaming down his face.

He was truly frightened. Seeing Chang Le jump like that, he felt like his heart stopped!

Chang Le held onto the bush with one hand and tightly embraced Yu Qingze’s back with the other. “Bao–“

“I had Baobao taken back by Jiabao to find the doctor. He’ll be fine,” Yu Qingze replied.

Upon hearing this, Chang Le breathed a sigh of relief, tears welling up in his eyes. He felt extremely guilty towards Yu Qingze.

He knew he had scared his husband again. But when he heard Shi Sheng say that Baobao’s face had turned purple, he was filled with anxiety. Shi Sheng wanted Yu Qingze to push him into the river, and he knew that Shi Sheng was aiming to take his life. He knew, and he also knew that Yu Qingze would never agree. For the sake of Baobao, he had to jump himself.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

He knew how to swim, so jumping into the river was not a big deal. However, after jumping, his cotton coat absorbed a lot of water, making his body very heavy. He couldn’t immediately resurface, as that would let Shi Sheng see that he was unharmed, and then Baobao would be in danger. So he held his breath and swam upstream, planning to find a place to climb ashore and launch a surprise attack on Shi Sheng from behind.

With the weight dragging him down, he swam very slowly. When he was almost out of breath, he reached the edge and emerged, hiding himself among the bushes where he couldn’t be seen from above. It was at that moment he saw Da Song swimming towards him.

As it turned out, after they had regrouped with Da Song earlier, they had asked him to take a different route. They had planned to flank the thieves from behind.

Da Song had taken the path along the river. He was planning to go a bit further and circle around to attack from the rear. From a distance, he saw someone carrying Baobao and running towards the river, with two people chasing after them. He knew it must be the thieves.

He immediately ran forward for a while and then took cover behind a large tree by the river, using the concealment of some bushes to observe the situation. He planned to cooperate with Yu Qingze and the others to rescue Baobao. But he didn’t expect to see Chang Le jump into the river, so he quickly took off his outer garment and swam over to save Chang Le.

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Uncle Lin, with worry in his eyes as he looked at the bloodstain on his grandson’s neck, cried out anxiously, “Baby, don’t cry, don’t move recklessly. Be careful with the scissors. Grandma is here to save you…”

Amidst the shouting and crying, Baby Yu was awakened and also began crying loudly.

Both children were crying, and it broke the hearts of the adults.

The person didn’t care about the children crying and said, “Expose the child’s face. Let me see!”

Uncle Lin followed the instructions and lowered the baby, opening the swaddling cloth to let the person see Baby Yu’s face.

Although Baby Yu was only three months old, anyone familiar with Yu Qingze and Chang Le would recognize that his features clearly resembled a combination of Yu Qingze and Chang Le.

The person took a look and confirmed that this was indeed the son of Yu Qingze and Chang Le.

A sinister smile curled up at the corner of his mouth. He used his right hand to loop around Xiao Ming’s neck while keeping the scissors pointed at him. Then he extended his left hand and said to Uncle Lin, “Give me the child, and you step back!”

“You… first release my grandson!” Uncle Lin trembled as he spoke.

“To give or not?!” The person’s face suddenly turned ferocious, and the scissors made a slight movement towards Xiao Ming’s neck.

“Waahhh—Grandma—” Xiao Ming cried out in pain, his cries becoming even more intense.

“No!” Madam Lin shouted loudly, crying out, “Mother, give him, give him!”

Uncle Lin was also startled and hurriedly said, “Here, here, I’ll give him to you. Just don’t harm my grandson!”

With his hands trembling, Uncle Lin lowered his head and looked at Baby Yu, who had been crying all along. He gritted his teeth and reached out to hand the baby over.

At this moment, Yu Qingze and Chang Le had chased after them, and from a distance, they could hear the cries of the baby.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived, they saw Uncle Lin about to hand the baby over to a disheveled stranger.

Chang Le panicked and instinctively shouted, “Baobao—!”

His voice was hoarse and filled with concern and despair.

Yu Qingze turned around in surprise, glanced back for a moment, and then turned back to continue running. Right now, saving the baby was the most important thing.

They turned around and saw Yu Qingze and Chang Le running frantically towards them. Yu Qingze was in the lead, followed by Chang Le. Yu Qingze ran faster and was only about fifty to sixty yards away from them.

The man, upon seeing the two of them, immediately pushed Xiao Ming aside and snatched Baby Yu before running off.

“No!” Chang Le watched in despair as the man took away the baby. He was filled with anger and frustration, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out. But he only paused for a moment, without even wiping it, and swiftly chased after the man.

Before Uncle Lin could react, he felt his arms empty, and when he tried to snatch the baby back, the man had already fled. He wanted to pursue, but he saw his grandson lying on the ground. He quickly picked him up and comforted him.

Lin Liang and Madam Lin also rushed over, holding their children, overwhelmed with emotion and crying.

On one side, the family was tearfully reunited. On the other side, Yu Qingze swiftly passed by them and chased after the man, followed closely by Chang Le.

Uncle Lin saw this and handed the child to Madam Lin. He looked at the backs of Chang Le and the others, reached out and patted his son’s arm, choked up and said, “Ah Liang, quickly, go and chase after the baby, go and chase after the baby!”

“Okay, you take the baby back to see the doctor first, I’ll go after them!” Lin Liang said and followed after Chang Le and the others.

The path was difficult to traverse, let alone run. The man stumbled forward, holding the baby in his arms. He looked back and saw Yu Qingze getting closer and closer. He decided to head towards the riverbank, still carrying the baby.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

There happened to be a village ahead, surrounded by fields that had just been harvested, leaving them wide open.

The man crossed through the fields, with a distance of about twenty to thirty yards from the riverbank, when Yu Qingze caught up with him.

He immediately turned around, one hand holding the baby, the other hand holding the scissors against the baby’s face, panting heavily as he said, “Don’t come any closer! If you come any closer, I’ll… I’ll kill him!”

Yu Qingze stopped, gasping for breath, and looked at the crying baby in the man’s arms. He spoke loudly in an attempt to comfort the baby, hoping to calm him down. “Baby, baby, father is here, father is here, don’t cry, father is here!”

Baby Yu seemed to hear Yu Qingze’s voice, but he didn’t feel the familiar presence and embrace, causing him to cry even louder. His crying became too intense, and he started coughing as well.

At that moment, Chang Le also arrived. Hearing the baby coughing and continuing to cry, he was already out of breath. His heart filled with anxiety, and all he wanted was to go forward, hold the baby in his arms, and comfort him, helping him catch his breath. “Bao… um, Baobao…!”

Before he could finish his words, Chang Le felt a sweetness in his throat and coughed up another mouthful of blood.

“Brother Le!” Yu Qingze heard Chang Le speaking again and was startled. Before he could feel relieved, he saw him coughing up blood. He quickly moved forward and embraced Chang Le, anxiously asking, “How are you? Don’t speak, don’t speak.”

Taking advantage of this moment, the man continued running forward.

“Baobao…” Chang Le anxiously pulled Yu Qingze’s arm and chased after him.

The two of them intercepted the man at the riverbank.

“Who are you? Why did you steal our child?!” Yu Qingze asked loudly.

“Hahaha…” The man tilted his head back and laughed loudly, saying, “You ask who I am? Hahaha…”

With his disheveled appearance and hair covering his face, it was impossible to recognize him, but as soon as he spoke, both of them instantly recognized him.

“Shi—”

“It’s you? Shi Sheng!” Yu Qingze exclaimed, “I didn’t expect you to be released!”

Recently, there was a general amnesty issued by the emperor, pardoning a group of criminals, and Shi Sheng was among those granted amnesty.

However, the current Shi Sheng no longer had the handsome and delicate appearance he once had. After nearly two years of prison life, enduring laborious tasks every day, his appearance was not much different from Uncle Lin, who was in his forties. It’s no wonder Yu Qingze and the others couldn’t recognize him at all.

“Hahaha, that’s right, it’s me! Didn’t expect that, did you? I’m still alive! Disappointed, aren’t you?” Shi Sheng laughed maniacally, his eyes filled with boundless hatred and madness. His mental state had become extremely abnormal.

He shouted with excitement, “Heaven spared me, Shi Sheng, from death! How could I die? I die, but you all get to enjoy your lives outside? I won’t allow it! I lost my child, why do your child still exist? My current state, it’s all because of you, all because of you!”

Yu Qingze understood that Shi Sheng had entered a state of madness, and any further provocation could lead to unpredictable actions. Therefore, for the safety of the baby, they couldn’t afford to provoke him any further.

Upon hearing this, Chang Le trembled with anger.

Yu Qingze firmly grabbed Chang Le’s hand, signaling him not to act impulsively. Then, he tried to speak in a calm tone and asked, “What do you want to do?”

“Hahaha, good question! What do I want to do? Let me think,” Shi Sheng glanced around while holding the baby, then looked at Yu Qingze and Chang Le holding hands, and said, “You two are deeply in love, right? Then, prove it.”

Yu Qingze asked, “How do we prove it?”

Shi Sheng looked at the nearby Qing River and said, “You… push Chang Le into the river, and I’ll give the baby back to you. How about that?”

“What?! Impossible!” Yu Qingze immediately rejected the idea.

It was absolutely impossible to push Chang Le into the river, especially since it was already winter, and the river water was freezing cold. Shi Sheng’s intention was clearly to make Chang Le meet his death!

“So, you don’t want the child anymore?” Shi Sheng chuckled in a sinister manner, then glanced at the baby and said, “Look at this adorable child. It’s such a pity that he’ll cry himself to death, and his father won’t want him anymore… Oh dear, why does his face seem to be turning purple?”

Chang Le became anxious upon hearing this. He immediately let go of Yu Qingze’s hand and ran a few steps towards the river. With a leap between two trees, he jumped into the river.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: I forgot it has been two years since Jia Xiaodumb went to jail and died. I thought he was pardoned. I totally forgot about Shi Sheng ehh

Crisis

In the woods outside the North City Gate, on a rugged mountain path, a young man and a baby-carrying man hurried westward.

“Mother, faster, we need to go faster,” the young man urged, one hand supporting the man’s back and the other holding his arm as they rushed forward.

“Ah Liang, I… I can’t walk anymore. How is Xiao Ming? Is he okay?” Uncle Lin, who was carrying the baby, gasped for breath, his forehead covered in sweat, as he asked.

The young man, Lin Liang, who was Uncle Lin’s second son, frowned and replied, “I don’t know either. I have no idea what that person will do. Anyway, let’s just quickly take the child he wants and give it to him.”

Speaking of the baby, Uncle Lin looked down at the little one in his arms.

Baby Yu, who was only three months old, stared at him with his dark eyes, continuously watching him. When he saw Uncle Lin lower his head to look at him, he thought that he wanted to play with him. Immediately, he extended his tiny hand and waved it in front of his own eyes, excitedly uttering a sound. Then, he opened his mouth, revealing only his pink gums and tongue, and smiled at him.

Uncle Lin suddenly stopped.

“Mother, what’s wrong? Are you tired from carrying him? Let me hold him,” Lin Liang looked at him with confusion and reached out to take the child.

“No, I’ll hold him.” Uncle Lin tightened his grip on the baby, looking at the innocent and pure face. His heart clenched, and he couldn’t bring himself to meet the baby’s clear eyes anymore.

He lifted his head, hesitated for a moment, and tearfully said, “Ah Liang, the baby… Do you think anything will happen to him? What does that person want with him? He’s so young. If we do this, if something happens to the baby, we’ll be struck by lightning… Shouldn’t we find another solution? Ah?”

Uncle Lin freed one hand and grabbed Lin Liang’s arm excitedly, his face filled with worry and inner struggle.

Lin Liang also glanced at the baby, then impatiently and anxiously said, “Mother, why are you like this again? Didn’t we agree? If we don’t give this child to that person, what about Xiao Ming? Xiao Ming is your grandson, he’s waiting for us and crying for help!”

“But, but…” Uncle Lin’s eyes were red and teary. He continued, “But if something happens to this child, we’ll never have peace in our lives. We’ll be sinners for the rest of our lives!”

“Then what do you suggest? What can we do now?!” Lin Liang shouted, irritated, and shook off Uncle Lin’s hand. He sat down on the ground, held his head in his hands, and pulled at his own hair while exclaiming in frustration. He vented his anger by punching a nearby tree trunk.

Lin Liang’s outburst frightened the baby, who pouted and burst into tears, quickly turning his eyes red.

Hearing the baby cry, Uncle Lin quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve and held the baby, gently patting his swaddling clothes, rocking him back and forth, and comforting him, “Oh, oh, oh, baby, be good, don’t cry, baby, don’t cry…”

It took a while for Uncle Lin to calm the baby down.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

The baby cried and cried until he grew tired and fell asleep, his face red from crying.

Uncle Lin turned to look at his son’s expression, then glanced at the baby and began crying as well. There was nothing they could do. They had reached a dead end.

Yesterday afternoon, their three-year-old grandson Xiao Ming was playing in the courtyard while both Uncle Lin and his son were busy inside the house. After a while, they realized that they hadn’t heard the sound of the child playing for quite some time. When they went to the courtyard to look for him, they couldn’t find him.

They thought maybe the child had gone to play at the neighbor’s house, so they went there to search, but he wasn’t there. They searched inside and outside their home, as well as the entire street, asking around, but they couldn’t find him.

They were desperate. A three-year-old child couldn’t have gone far, and it had only been about fifteen minutes since they last heard him. It was certain that he hadn’t walked out on his own but had been taken away by someone.

The entire family continued searching, but as darkness fell, they still hadn’t found him. However, they discovered a letter stuffed through the crack of their door.

Since none of them could read, they hurriedly found someone who could read to help them. They learned that the letter said: If they wanted to find their child, they had to bring the newborn baby whom Uncle Lin had taken care of two months ago as an exchange. They were forbidden from reporting it to the authorities, or else the child’s life would be in danger.

The letter didn’t mention the address, only stating that they would be informed of the address the next morning. It also explicitly mentioned that the child’s grandmother would bring the child to Bu Village tomorrow morning.

Upon hearing this, they realized that the only newborn baby whom Uncle Lin had taken care of two months ago was the baby of Yu Qingze and Chang Le.

The entire family spent a sleepless night discussing and ultimately decided to have Uncle Lin bring Yu Qingze’s child over.

Early the next morning, they indeed received another letter with the location for the exchange. The whole family immediately rushed there and saw a disheveled person holding Xiao Ming, with a sharp pair of scissors pressed against his neck.

Xiao Ming, only three years old, was already terrified and crying loudly. When he saw his father and grandmother, he cried even harder, reaching out his hands, seeking his father.

Seeing the child in such a state, they didn’t care about anything else. They approached the person with the child and offered to exchange the child for silver, no matter how much they had to borrow.

The person refused and, upon seeing that they hadn’t brought Yu Qingze’s child, extended the scissors forward, causing blood to bead up on the child’s neck.

They were petrified and dared not move.

The person demanded that they bring Yu Qingze’s child; otherwise, the child would be immediately killed.

Uncle Lin and Lin Liang were terrified. They quickly returned to the city, with Uncle Lin going to fetch the child while Lin Liang provided support outside the city. Lin Liang’s wife stayed there, keeping an eye on the person and the child.

As Uncle Lin looked at his restless son on the ground, he also felt fear and helplessness. He had no idea what to do. He asked his son, “Ah Liang, what should we do now? It has been a while, and Brother Le and the others must be searching for the child. They might find us soon.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Liang’s hands froze. After a moment, he slowly raised his head, his eyes already red. He said to Uncle Lin, “Mother, I have no other choice. Even if I carry the burden of guilt for the rest of my life, I cannot watch Xiao Ming die before my eyes! He is my son, your own grandson.”

Thinking about the bloodstain on his grandson’s neck, Uncle Lin’s heart trembled. He glanced at the peaceful sleeping face of the baby in his arms, made up his mind, and nodded with determination.

The two of them continued walking forward. The rundown grass house was only two li away. After about fifteen minutes, they arrived.

Madam Lin saw them bringing the child and immediately grabbed onto Lin Liang’s arm. Lin Liang patted his hand, comforting him.

“We’ve brought the child you wanted. Release my son!” Lin Liang said at the doorway of the rundown grass house.

“Yes, release my son!” Madam Lin shouted.

The person, with their head lowered all the while, suddenly lifted their head when they saw that Uncle Lin was indeed holding a bundle in his arms. The person’s eyes, hidden by their long hair, gleamed with madness. Through the strands of hair, a red birthmark on their forehead faintly revealed itself.

“You’re not allowed to come in. Step back, step back!” the person yelled.

Uncle Lin and the others obediently stepped back.

Then, amidst Xiao Ming’s crying, the person dragged him out of the grass house. They held the scissors against Xiao Ming’s neck and shouted, “Bring the child over. Let me have a look.”

Lin Liang reached out to take the baby and bring him over.

The person suddenly shouted again, “Not you! You, yes, you, bring the child over!”

They lifted their chin, indicating for Uncle Lin to bring the baby over for them to see.

Uncle Lin’s body trembled slightly as he slowly walked over, holding the baby.

“Father! Grandma…” Xiao Ming had been crying for a long time. His throat was hoarse, tears covered his face, crying and drying up, only to cry again and become wet. When he saw his grandmother approaching, he kept looking at them and cried out, “Grandma, wuwu, Grandma…”

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: I thought Uncle Lin was doing it for doing, but still 🙁

Clues

Inside House of Prosperity, Yu Qingze was teaching Jiabao, Da Song, and Da Zhi a new dish. When he heard what Gui Pi said, he immediately dropped his spatula and asked, “Are you sure it was Uncle Lin who took Baobao away?”

Jiabao and the others were extremely worried upon hearing this news. How could the baby just disappear like that?

Gui Pi nodded and replied, “Yes, it was Uncle Lin who was carrying the baby, and then they disappeared.”

“Which fabric shop are you at? And where is Le Ge?” Yu Qingze asked.

“We are at Zhou Ji Fabric Shop on East Street. Madam Yu and our Madam Xue are currently searching on the street. Our Young Master Xue asked me to come back and inform you, and he wants you to gather the staff and join the search,” Gui Pi answered.

“I understand.”

Yu Qingze quickly turned to Jiabao and the others and said, “We won’t open the shop today. I need everyone to go out and help me find Uncle Lin and Baobao. Da Song, Da Zhi, you go search the streets of the north and south. Xiao Ding and Xiao Ping, go to the west street. Search everywhere, the main streets, the alleys. Uncle Min, I need you to watch the shop. If anyone has any news, come back and inform Uncle Min, and we’ll meet at the restaurant later. Jiabao, you go tell the other employees and those at the snack shop to go out and help search. Search the whole city, east, west, south, and north. Then take someone and go to Uncle Lin’s house in the west of the city. You’ve been there once, so you know the way. I’ll go find your brother-in-law first.”

“Okay, big brother!” “Okay, boss!”

Everyone immediately started taking action.

Jiabao immediately went to the hall to gather the other colleagues and explain the situation to them, asking everyone to go out and search. Then he went to the snack shop and informed them as well, and then he took Tiezhu and headed to Uncle Lin’s house in the west of the city.

Da Song, Da Zhi, and the two colleagues in the kitchen all rushed out to search the streets upon hearing the instructions.

Yu Qingze also ran out, searching for Baobao while heading to the east street to find Chang Le.

Baobao is missing, and Chang Le doesn’t know how to handle the urgency. We need to find him immediately.

Upon hearing this, the colleagues in the shop also went out to search for the missing individuals.

On the east street, Chang Le was extremely anxious and worried. Whenever he saw someone wearing gray clothes, he would rush up and grab them to see if it was Uncle Lin.

The people he grabbed were all puzzled, looking at him and asking what he wanted.

But Chang Le couldn’t say anything, and others couldn’t understand his gestures. They had no idea what he was trying to communicate, so he could only shake his hand and continue searching.

He searched one person in gray clothes, then another, and another…

Chang Le searched all the way from the cloth shop to the east city gate, but he didn’t see any sign of Uncle Lin. He turned back and ran, entering various shops and alleys in search. After a full round of searching, he couldn’t find him. He returned to the main road and halfway encountered Brother Chang and Xue Baizhu, who had also found nothing.

Brother Chang left Baby Muhua at the pharmacy with his uncle and came out to search with Xue Baizhu.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Chang Le was now completely frantic, like a headless fly, on the verge of tears. When he heard that Brother Chang and the others had also not found anything, his anxiety grew even stronger. He was about to continue diving into other alleys.

Brother Chang grabbed him and said, “Brother Le, don’t panic. Think carefully about where Uncle Lin could have gone. Could he have brought Baobao home? I remember his house is at the intersection of the West City District and the North City District, right?”

Chang Le nodded, feeling that it made sense. He immediately turned back and ran, intending to go to Uncle Lin’s house to search.

Just as he had run a few steps, he bumped into Yu Qingze, who had come to look for him.

When Chang Le saw Yu Qingze, tears welled up in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away and gestured urgently. “Baobao is missing. I’m going to find him. Brother Chang and I searched the east street, but he wasn’t there. Now we’re going to Uncle Lin’s house to look for him.”

Yu Qingze felt sorry for Chang Le. He wiped away the tears and gave him a hug, saying, “I’ve already sent the colleagues from the restaurant and the snack shop out to search. Jiabao has taken some people to Uncle Lin’s house. Don’t worry too much. Take a moment to calm down. Let’s go back to the restaurant and wait for updates from the colleagues, okay?”

Chang Le shook his head, indicating that he also wanted to find Baobao. How could he go back to the restaurant now!

Yu Qingze, feeling helpless, held Chang Le’s head and made him look at him. Then he said, “Brother Le, I know you’re very anxious, and I am too. Listen to me. Many people are already searching for Baobao, but if our colleagues have any updates and we’re not there, we might miss out on news about Baobao. Trust me, the fastest way to find Baobao is to go back to the restaurant and wait for everyone’s updates. Understand?”

Chang Le, with teary eyes, gestured, asking if it was true.

“It’s true. Trust me, I also want to find Baobao as quickly as possible!” Yu Qingze nodded, giving a firm response. He then held Chang Le’s hand and said, “Come back with me, okay?”

Chang Le nodded, wiped away his tears, and then held Yu Qingze’s hand, running forward swiftly.

Go back, go back quickly!

Brother Chang was also extremely worried, but he and Xue Baizhu didn’t go back to the restaurant. They continued searching in the alleys on the east street.

Chang Le and Yu Qingze returned to the restaurant. A sign indicating that the shop was closed for the day was already hanging outside. Only Uncle Min was standing at the entrance, watching the people passing by on the street.

“Uncle Min, any updates?” Yu Qingze asked.

Uncle Min shook his head and replied, “Not yet. I’ve been watching the people passing by from the entrance, but I haven’t seen Uncle Lin and Baobao.”

“Thank you for your hard work.” Seeing Chang Le also standing at the entrance, keeping an eye on the pedestrians, Yu Qingze entered the shop and brought out three chairs, asking Chang Le and Uncle Min to sit down.

Uncle Min frowned and asked, “Boss, why would Uncle Lin take Baobao away? You didn’t have any grudges with him. He seemed like a friendly person before, and he liked Baobao too.”

This was a question that both Yu Qingze and Chang Le wanted to know.

They had gotten along well in the previous two months, and Yu Qingze believed he hadn’t treated him unfairly. When Uncle Lin left, Yu Qingze even gave him more silver coins than the agreed-upon payment.

They could never have imagined that this seemingly kind Uncle Lin would take Baobao away.

Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “We don’t know why he took Baobao.”

Uncle Min cursed, “Truly, you never know someone’s true nature!”

Chang Le leaned against the pillar at the entrance, continuously watching the road with tears in his eyes, consumed by self-blame.

Why did he let Uncle Lin take Baobao?! Why didn’t he insist on holding Baobao himself? Why didn’t he keep a closer eye on Baobao? Why, why, why…?!

“You’re so stupid! You’re so foolish!”

Chang Le was filled with regret, repeatedly banging his head against the pillar.

The pillar echoed with loud thuds, sounding terrifying.

“Chang Le, what are you doing?!” Yu Qingze was terrified when he saw it and quickly rushed over to pull him away, embracing him tightly, then holding him at arm’s length, shouting, “What are you doing?! I’m also extremely worried about Baobao’s disappearance. Why are you hurting yourself like this? If something happens to you, what will I do?! What will Grandpa do?! What will Xiao Hao do?!”

He was truly angry, speaking in a tone he had never used with Chang Le before. In the past, there was never enough love, so how could he speak to him like that? But now, he couldn’t help it. He never expected Chang Le to harm himself in such a way.

Chang Le was momentarily stunned by Yu Qingze’s outburst. He looked at the expression of worry, fear, and shock on Yu Qingze’s face and realized that his husband misunderstood and thought he didn’t want to live anymore.

Shaking his head, Chang Le explained with some guilt, “I… I didn’t feel hopeless. I just wanted to punish myself.”

Seeing his gestures and the sincerity in his eyes, Yu Qingze breathed a sigh of relief. Then he hugged Chang Le tightly and said, “You scared me! I thought you…”

Chang Le, realizing his mistake, hugged Yu Qingze’s back and gently stroked it, soothing his husband’s emotions.

The two of them embraced for a while before Yu Qingze let go and looked at the red mark on Chang Le’s forehead. He spoke seriously, “Look, you’ve bruised your forehead. From now on, you’re not allowed to mistreat your body like this, do you understand?!”

Chang Le guiltily nodded and reached up to touch his forehead. It was quite painful.

“Wait here, I’ll get some medicinal wine to apply on it.” Yu Qingze went into the storage room and fetched a bottle of medicinal wine to rub on Chang Le’s forehead. As he did so, he asked, “Tell me, what exactly happened? Maybe we can find some clues?”

As Chang Le recounted the incident, tears welled up in his eyes once again. He quickly gestured and conveyed the details to Yu Qingze.

After watching the gestures, Yu Qingze realized that there were no clues either, and his brow furrowed in frustration.

Uncle Lin had unexpectedly taken away Baobao, and they had no idea about his motives or intentions.

They were at a loss.

Chang Le looked at Yu Qingze expectantly, hoping that he would come up with something useful. Unfortunately, Yu Qingze shook his head, indicating that he couldn’t think of anything either.

Anxiously, Chang Le gestured, wondering if something had happened to Baobao. He was only three months old, so small and vulnerable. He blamed himself for not watching over the baby properly, blaming himself entirely.

While gesturing, Chang Le couldn’t hold back his tears.

Yu Qingze hugged Chang Le’s shoulder and comforted him, saying, “It’s alright, don’t cry. Baobao will be fine. Remember, you went to Anfu Temple to pray for his safety and well-being. He carries that with him. He’ll be alright…”

Even Yu Qingze himself felt that his comforting words were feeble and lacked conviction. However, at the moment, he couldn’t think of any other comforting words or solutions that could console Chang Le.

He was also deeply worried about Baobao’s safety, but Chang Le’s emotions were on the verge of collapsing, so he couldn’t afford to panic. He had to be Chang Le’s pillar of support; otherwise, Chang Le would crumble.

The two of them waited for about twenty minutes, but the staff members didn’t return. They were still searching outside, and no news reached them. They couldn’t sit still and kept pacing back and forth at the entrance, feeling the growing unease in their hearts.

After another quarter of an hour, one of the staff members came running back.

“Boss, Brother Da Song got some information!”

“Where is it?!” Yu Qingze quickly asked. Chang Le and Uncle Min also looked at the staff member expectantly.

“It’s at the dock outside the North City Gate. Brother Da Song heard from someone there that a man in his forties, dressed in gray, was seen leaving the city carrying a small baby wrapped in a red swaddle. Brother Da Song inquired further and found out that the man was seen at the dock. Then he headed towards the left side, the unloading area, and disappeared into the woods! Brother Da Song came back, saw me, and immediately informed you. He’s already gone after him!” The staff member relayed the information in one breath.

Upon hearing the staff member’s description of the person and the color of the baby’s swaddle, Chang Le immediately grabbed Yu Qingze’s arm and nodded frantically, indicating that it was indeed Uncle Lin and Baobao.

Yu Qingze quickly asked, “Is the dock outside the North City Gate, in the unloading area, the same area we used to go to buy seafood?”

“Yes! Brother Da Song said it’s the same area where you used to go before!” the staff member confirmed, adding, “However, there was another person with that man. He’s a man in his twenties. The witnesses at the North City Gate didn’t see him, so he must have been waiting outside the city.”

Another person? That means there’s an accomplice!

“Good, I got it! Uncle Min, please wait here with the other staff members. If someone comes back, inform them to go to the dock and turn left. Xiao Cong, go to the city and find the other staff members, let them know the news. Brother Le, let’s go!” Yu Qingze quickly gave his instructions, then grabbed a pole from the backyard and pulled Chang Le, heading towards the dock.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thandar: That Jia Xiaodumb must have given shit loads of money for Lin guy to steal someone’s baby. I mean he could have just told Yu Qingze about someone approaching him to steal the baby and I’m sure Boss Yu would give him some hefty rewards for such a big information. Why risk so much, Uncle Lin?

In the afternoon, after bidding farewell to the guests, the staff stayed behind to tidy up the restaurant. Yu Qingze took Chang Le home to rest.

Uncle Lin had returned home when the baby turned two months old. Initially, he had said that he would take care of Chang Le during his postpartum period and stay until Chang Le became familiar with taking care of the baby.

Because he was so dedicated, Yu Qingze paid him extra compensation as a token of gratitude.

As the baby gradually grew older, his little face began to unfold. The previously wrinkled and reddish skin was long gone, replaced by a tender and chubby face. His eyebrows were still light, his eyes were round and big, resembling his father greatly. His small nose and the shape of his mouth resembled his mother. Coupled with his peach-shaped hair, he looked extremely adorable.

Moreover, now he could make cooing sounds other than crying. He would say “ai,” “ah,” “oh,” and the like. If someone tried to amuse him, he would even smile, making it more fun.

Sometimes, he would stretch out his little hand and wave it in front of his own eyes. If someone extended a finger at that moment, he would tightly grasp it with surprisingly strong strength. It seemed that, like Chang Le, he also possessed a great amount of strength.

Now, Chang Hao and Jiabao would compete to hold the baby when they returned home. Chang Le and Yu Qingze no longer had a chance unless the baby was hungry, needed a diaper change, or felt sleepy. Only then would they have a turn to hold him.

Both of them felt helpless yet warm-hearted.

The house was filled with the sounds of playing with the baby every day, which made people smile from the heart and feel the flow of happiness sincerely.

In mid-September, a momentous and joyous event took place in the Dasheng Dynasty. On September 16th, the Emperor finally established the Crown Prince.

To celebrate this grand occasion and showcase the imperial grace, the Emperor issued a decree to grant amnesty throughout the realm.

Batch by batch, prisoners were pardoned of their crimes and released from the dungeons, given a chance to start anew.

Among those within the amnesty scope was a group of prisoners in the Tongshan County yamen’s jail.

County Magistrate Luo Mingda, accompanied by his county officials, personally arrived at the entrance of the prison cells. He addressed the group of people, saying, “Thanks to the Emperor’s benevolence and the amnesty granted, you have been forgiven for your crimes and given a fresh start. I hope you will learn from your past mistakes, cherish this opportunity, live an honest life, and refrain from any further violations of the laws of our Dasheng Dynasty. If you offend again, severe punishment will be imposed! Have you all understood?”

“Yes, Your Excellency,” the prisoners replied, their once lifeless eyes suddenly coming alive upon hearing Magistrate Luo’s words.

Magistrate Luo waved his hand and instructed the head jailer, “Verify their records, then release them.”

The jailer nodded and replied, “Yes, Your Excellency.”

The head jailer, accompanied by the prison guards, meticulously verified the registration of each prisoner. Then, they unlocked the prisoners’ shackles and had them sign and affix their marks. Each person was given a set of coarse cloth garments before being released.

At the end of the crowd, there was a prisoner who kept his head lowered, with his disheveled hair covering his face entirely. He didn’t lift his head throughout the process of signing and marking, nor when he received his clothes and changed out of the prison attire.

As October arrived, the weather turned cooler.

On this day, Chang Le fed the baby until he was full, dressed him in a little padded jacket, and put on a furry hat. He pulled down the hat’s small ears to cover the baby’s ears, then carried a bag filled with baby supplies and headed out.

Today, they had made plans with Brother Chang and Baby Muhua to visit the cloth market and buy some fabric to make clothes. They met at the entrance of House of Prosperity and proceeded to the cloth market together. Since the market wasn’t far away, they decided to walk there directly.

Upon their arrival, Brother Chang handed Baby Muhua to a young servant accompanying them and then began browsing the fabrics.

At this time, with the approaching Lunar New Year, the cloth market was bustling with many customers. The shopkeeper and the waiters were overwhelmed with work, so they just greeted Chang Le and the others and allowed them to browse freely before attending to other customers with inquiries.

The two of them looked around for quite a while and selected the fabrics for the baby. Afterwards, Brother Chang pointed to a piece of fabric and asked Chang Le, “Do you think this one looks good?”

Chang Le, with one hand holding the baby, reached out and touched the fabric. Then he nodded and gestured with his hand, indicating that it felt quite comfortable and was suitable.

“Yeah, I find it comfortable to touch as well. And the color should be suitable for Baizhu,” Brother Chang agreed.

Chang Le also nodded. The fresh and tender color would be more suitable for younger men, like Yu Qingze, who would prefer slightly darker shades.

“In that case, I’ll choose this one. I’ll go and ask the shopkeeper to cut some for me,” Brother Chang said, walking to the other side to find the shopkeeper for fabric cutting.

Chang Le continued to browse the fabrics and noticed another piece that had an appealing color but was pressed down.

“Huh? Madam Yu, you brought the baby to pick fabrics too?”

A familiar voice sounded behind Chang Le, and he turned around to see that it was Uncle Lin, who had taken care of him and the baby before. He smiled and nodded, then pointed at Uncle Lin.

Uncle Lin carried a basket with a few white radishes inside. He smiled and glanced at the baby in Chang Le’s arms before answering, “Well, I came out to buy some vegetables and thought of getting some new fabric to make Lunar New Year clothes for my grandson.”

Chang Le nodded with a smile upon hearing that.

“Oh, look at the baby. It’s been a month since I last saw him, and he’s grown even cuter,” Uncle Lin said with a smile. He reached out to playfully tease the baby and said, “Baby, do you remember me? I’m Uncle Lin, da-da-da. Do you remember Uncle Lin?”

Because Uncle Lin had been around for two months, the baby had some recollection of him. After being teased for a while, the baby waved his little hand a few times.

“Oh, you do remember! Such a good baby…” Uncle Lin teased the baby for a while, then put the basket down and said to Chang Le, “Madam Yu, let me hold the baby for you while you go choose the fabric.”

With that, Uncle Lin reached out to hold the baby.

Brother Le blocked it for a moment, shook his head, gestured a few times to indicate that he could handle it himself, not wanting to trouble him.

Uncle Lin said again, “It’s inconvenient for you to hold the baby and choose the fabric. I’ll watch over the baby for you. No need to be polite with me. I think the baby is cute, and it’s been a while since I last saw him. I also want to hold him for a while. You can carefully choose the suitable fabric, right?”

Brother Le continued to smile and shook his head, politely declining Uncle Lin’s kind offer.

Uncle Lin paused, lowered his gaze in thought, then looked up and smiled again, saying, “Which one did you like? Shall I take it out for you?”

Brother Le pointed to the one pressed in the middle.

Uncle Lin went to remove the several pieces of fabric placed on top and pulled out the one Brother Le had chosen.

Brother Le unfolded it slightly and carefully felt it.

Uncle Lin amused the baby in his arms, making the baby giggle uncontrollably.

Brother Le didn’t feel quite satisfied with the fabric that was pulled out. He felt that the texture was a bit rough, and it wouldn’t be comfortable to wear. He continued looking and saw another piece of fabric underneath. He carefully removed the fabrics on top one by one.

“You see, I told you it’s inconvenient. Come on, let me hold the baby for you. Take your time to choose. Look, the baby seems to enjoy playing with me,” Uncle Lin said to Brother Le, then turned to amuse the baby, making a playful sound and saying, “Isn’t that right, baby?”

The baby giggled and laughed in response.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Seeing that the baby did recognize him and seemed to like him, Brother Le nodded slightly and handed the baby over to Uncle Lin for a while.

Uncle Lin held the baby and played with him by Brother Le’s side. Brother Le continued to pick the fabric while occasionally turning his head to look at them. Seeing that the two of them were having a good time, he resumed his fabric selection.

After a while of choosing, he finally selected two pieces of fabric. He turned around and intended to go to the fabric cutting area with the baby in his arms.

Uncle Lin said, “Look at the crowd back there, it’s so crowded and stuffy. You’ll have to wait for a while. You go ahead, and I’ll wait here with the baby.”

Brother Le looked at the crowded fabric cutting area and saw that even Brother Chang was still in line there. He nodded gently and then carried the selected fabric as he went to the back.

“Oh, Brother Le, have you made your selection? Where’s the baby?” Brother Chang saw that Brother Le came over with the fabric but didn’t see the baby, so he asked.

Brother Le pointed to the entrance and gestured, indicating that he ran into Uncle Lin and he offered to hold the baby for a while.

Brother Chang looked outside and indeed saw Uncle Lin holding the baby at the entrance, waiting. He nodded and said, “The baby seems to really like him.”

Brother Le nodded and gestured, saying, “He’s really good with children.”

After they finished cutting the fabric and went outside, they reached the entrance but only saw the servant boy and Baby Muhua brought by Brother Chang. Uncle Lin and the baby were nowhere to be seen, but the basket on the ground was still there.

Brother Le walked outside the fabric shop and looked around but couldn’t find Uncle Lin and the baby. He then asked the servant boy, “Where’s the baby?”

Brother Chang also asked, “Where are Uncle Lin and the baby?”

The servant replied, “Uncle Lin said it was too stuffy inside, so he took the baby outside to wait.”

“But the baby is not outside!” Brother Chang exclaimed.

The servant also went outside to look and indeed couldn’t find the baby. They were puzzled and said, “They were here just a moment ago. They haven’t been gone for even half a quarter of an hour. Could they have gone back to the restaurant?”

Brother Le immediately rushed out and started searching along the street.

“Oh, give the baby to me. Let’s quickly go and find them! I’ll search over there, Gui Pi, you go to House of Prosperity and find Boss Yu. Ask him to send some staff out to search together. The staff members all know Uncle Lin, so we’ll find them faster with more people!” Brother Chang took Baby Muhua and instructed the servant.

The servant nodded and swiftly ran towards House of Prosperity.

Brother Chang carried Baby Muhua and went in the opposite direction of Brother Le to search.

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Author’s note: Do I need to wear a saucepan on my head?

Serious contemplation.jpg

Thandar: You all knew who that prisoner was. Why is it always so hard to kill off the villains ughhh.

The Baby Goes Missing

Taking care of the postpartum period and being confined to bed were both challenging, especially in the scorching heat of July. They couldn’t use a cool mat, enjoy a cool breeze, or come into contact with cold water. It was not only uncomfortable for Chang Le himself but also made Yu Qingze feel hot just by looking at him. He was worried that Chang Le might suffer from heatstroke, so he could only gently fan him by his side, being careful not to fan too quickly.

They can’t sleep well at night. The baby wakes up several times when he’s hungry and needs to eat. When the baby cries, Chang Le and Yu Qingze wake up, and they can only continue sleeping when the baby falls asleep again.

The weather is too hot, and Chang Le has just given birth, so he always sweats a lot. Yu Qingze bought many new undershirts for Chang Le, all made of absorbent fabric. When Chang Le sweats and wets his clothes, he wipes his body and changes his clothes to prevent his from catching a cold.

Luckily, they hired someone to help, so Yu Qingze wasn’t busy and flustered.

Chang Le’s uncle, Wen Li, knew that he had given birth, so he brought gifts and came to visit. He even stayed for ten days to help with the postpartum recovery.

Uncle Lin himself has raised three children and even grandchildren, so he has a lot of experience. He is very skilled in feeding the baby, changing diapers, helping Chang Le apply ointment, doing laundry, and whenever the baby cries at night, he immediately comes over to help.

After observing for a few days, both Yu Qingze and Chang Le are very satisfied with him.

Every morning, noon, and evening, during mealtime, the doors of the main hall and the opposite room are closed. Then Chang Le and the baby can come out and stay in the main hall for a while, and their bedroom can have ventilation and air exchange.

Only during these three times a day, Grandpa Chang and Chang Hao can see the little baby. As for Jiabao, he has to take care of the restaurant, so he can only see the baby in the morning.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

At this moment, the baby’s eyes can already open. They are pitch black, like black grapes.

“Brother, look, the baby is looking at me,” Chang Hao said excitedly. Unable to resist, he reached out his finger and gently touched the baby’s cheek, saying, “Baby, you’re awake? I’m your uncle, do you remember? Are you hungry? Can I feed you milk?”

The baby just looked at the big monkey in front of him with his shiny black eyes, completely unaware of what the big monkey was saying.

Jiabao also leaned in to take a look, wearing a smile of wonder on his face as he watched the baby’s mouth move, saying, “Look, his mouth is moving. Brother-in-law, is he hungry?”

Chang Le nodded.

Uncle Lin came over with a bottle of milk, saying, “Yes, he’s hungry. Here, let me feed him. You two go ahead and have your meal.”

“I want to watch the baby drink milk,” Chang Hao said, and Jiabao also nodded in agreement.

The two of them watched attentively as Uncle Lin skillfully fed the baby with a small wooden spoon.

The newborn baby didn’t eat much and soon became full. After Chang Le burped him while holding him upright, he fell asleep again shortly after.

“Hey, baby, you want to go to sleep again? Don’t you want to play with your uncle for a while? We only see each other three times a day, you should seize this precious opportunity…” Chang Hao said as he wanted to touch the baby’s tender cheek.

“He’s asleep again?” Seeing the baby closing his eyes, Jiabao grabbed Chang Hao’s wrist and said, “The baby wants to sleep. Quickly retract your claws and don’t disturb him.”

With that, he pulled Chang Hao’s hand away and couldn’t help but smile as he looked at the sleeping baby.

“Alright, come over and have breakfast. Monkey boy, if you don’t hurry up, you’ll be late for school!” Grandpa Chang shouted from the dining table.

“Oh, okay, I got it. Let me take one more look…” Chang Hao didn’t even turn his head and replied.

Chang Le patted his arm, signaling them to quickly come and have breakfast.

“Brother-in-law, let me hold the baby. You go and have breakfast first,” Jiabao suddenly said.

Chang Le looked at his expectant eyes and nodded, gesturing for him to sit on the bamboo bed.

Seeing that Chang Le agreed, Jiabao immediately sat on the bamboo bed, slightly spreading his legs and extending his hands in a posture to hold the baby. Then Chang Le placed the baby in his arms.

“I… I also want to hold him!” Chang Hao immediately said.

“Come and have your breakfast!” Grandpa Chang called from the other side. “Look at the time yourself!”

Chang Hao pouted and went to the dining table to have breakfast. While eating quickly, he kept turning his head to look at the baby and said to Jiabao, “Jiabao, after I finish eating, let me hold him, okay?”

Jiabao, still holding the baby, didn’t lift his head and replied, “Oh, then eat slowly.”

“…” Jiabao has become naughty too! Chang Hao quickly ate the egg pancake, finishing it in no time, and then quickly drank the porridge. After placing the bowl down, he said, “I’m done, it’s my turn now! Jiabao, you go and eat.”

“…How did you finish so quickly? Don’t you usually eat two meat buns as well?” Jiabao looked at Chang Hao in surprise and asked.

“I won’t eat them anymore! I’ll bring two buns later! Hurry up, let me hold him, we’re running out of time!” Chang Hao imitated Jiabao’s manner and sat next to him, gesturing for Jiabao to move the baby over.

“…Oh.” Jiabao was actually very unwilling to let go. He had only held the baby for a short while.

Seeing Jiabao not moving for a while, Chang Hao urged, “Come on, hurry up.”

Jiabao said, “…I don’t know how to transfer him without waking him up. What if I accidentally wake the baby up?”

Chang Hao said, “…”

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it.” Uncle Lin quickly came over, took the baby from Jiabao’s hands, and placed the baby in Chang Hao’s arms. “Be careful of the baby’s head and neck, you can only hold him for a while. Later, we need to bring him inside to let him sleep.”

Chang Hao: “Great.”

Finally holding the baby, Chang Hao felt happy and grinned.

With the baby, the house became livelier and more joyful.

Having endured the postpartum recovery period, Chang Le and Yu Qingze both breathed a sigh of relief.

The next day, Chang Le thoroughly cleaned himself, feeling refreshed.

In the morning, they invited a hairdresser to come and shave the baby’s lanugo.

Chang Le held the baby while Uncle Lin helped to steady the baby’s head, and the hairdresser shaved the baby’s hair into a peach-like shape, leaving only a small tuft of hair in front of the forehead. The rest of the hair was shaved off completely.

Chang Le collected all of the baby’s umbilical cord and wrapped it in red cloth before placing it in a small silver box for safekeeping.

The baby’s one-month celebration was held at House of Prosperity. On that day, the snack shop and House of Prosperity were closed, and the staff members from both places came to help prepare the feast.

Yu Qingze sent invitations to every household in Niutou Village, as well as to Li Zheng. They also invited the Cai, Zhao, and Xue families, as well as Boss Liu, Master Hu, and other close acquaintances.

The one-month celebration was lively, but Chang Le and the baby only made a brief appearance before retreating to a rearranged storage room. Chang Le had just finished their postpartum recovery and were not suited for such a bustling occasion.

The storage room was cleared out and set up with a table. Chang Le, the baby, Madam Luo and his children, Old Madam Cai, Madam Zhao, Dr. Ye, Brother Chang and Baby Muhua, Brother Chang’s mother, Chang Le’s uncle, and others sat inside.

With two babies and Madam Luo’s two children, the room revolved around the babies, creating a warm and joyful atmosphere.

Wen Li looked at the two babies, one boy and one girl, who were less than two months apart in age. He smiled and suggested, “Brother Le, Brother Chang, you two have such a good relationship, and the babies also have a connection. They are less than two months apart. Why not consider arranging a future marriage for them, adding another layer of closeness?”

Upon hearing the suggestion, Madam Zhao and the others thought it made sense and agreed.

Brother Chang and Chang Le glanced at each other and smiled. Brother Chang said, “We actually thought about that before. But when it comes to feelings, you can never be sure. Anyway, they have already grown up together as childhood sweethearts and have had more opportunities than others. Whether they can be together in the future will depend on their fate. Both Brother Le and I will let them choose their own partners.”

(T/N: Chang Le’s baby is a boy and Brother Chang’s baby is a ger.)

Both Brother Chang and Chang Le had chosen their own husbands through free will, so they understood the importance of mutual affection. It was crucial for both parties to like each other. If they were to make such a commitment at such a young age, what if they grew up and didn’t like each other anymore? How would they break off the engagement? It would be complicated.

Upon hearing this, the others understood and nodded in agreement, choosing not to pursue the topic any further.

Meanwhile, the villagers outside were discussing Chang Le, the baby, and Yu Qingze’s shop.

They truly didn’t expect Chang Le to be able to give birth to a child, especially considering his faint birthmark. They had never seen anyone with such a birthmark giving birth before. When they first heard the news from Yu Qingze, everyone was stunned for a while.

Now, seeing Chang Le holding the baby, many people took a glance. The baby was chubby and fair, growing up so well, and he was a little boy.

They couldn’t help but sigh. Chang Le’s family had truly gone from hardship to happiness and was now content.

Yu Qingze, Grandpa Chang, and Chang Hao were welcoming guests outside. Jiabao, Da Song, and Da Zhi were in charge of the kitchen, while the staff from other restaurant and snack shop helped with washing vegetables and serving dishes.

House of Prosperity was packed, and several tables were set up in the backyard as well. Serving dozens of tables at the same time was a true test of the chefs’ skills.

After attending to the guests, Yu Qingze changed his clothes and went to the kitchen to help for a while.

The full moon banquet was lively and successful.

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