While Hua Manman was helping the child change his clothes, she found a few bruises and scrapes on his body.
Even though she wasn’t his biological mother, her heart ached to see them.
"How did you get hurt? Did someone bully you again?"
Li Xun had been so caught up in his happiness just a moment ago that he had forgotten about his injuries.
He quickly covered the injuries with his hands.
"No one bullied me."
He didn’t want his mother to see him injured.
It would make him seem weak and useless.
Hua Manman didn’t believe him. "If no one bullied you, then how did you get these injuries?"
Li Xun said reluctantly.
"I got these by accident while practicing my martial arts. They don’t hurt anymore."
Hua Manman was surprised. "You’re so young. Why have you already started practicing martial arts?"
Li Xun held up five small, pale fingers and said solemnly.
"I’m already five years old! Father said I’m a little man now, but I still have a ways to go before I’m a real one. That’s why I have to train hard in martial arts so I can grow up and get stronger quickly."
Hua Manman realized that while the boy was young, he was quite mature for his age.
At an age when other children would cry for ages over a simple fall, this boy had already learned to grow up on his own.
Hua Manman’s heart ached for him even more.
"Have you had a doctor look at your injuries?"
Li Xun replied obediently, "Daoist Feihua already looked at them. He said it’s nothing serious, I just need to apply some ointment."
Hua Manman urged, "It’s fine to practice martial arts, but you have to be more careful. Protect yourself and try not to get hurt again."
Li Xun said, "But Father says you can’t practice martial arts without getting hurt. He said he went through the same thing when he was little, and that you just have to endure it until it passes."
Hua Manman: "..."
’Of course that bastard would say something like that. I’m not surprised in the least.’
She finished dressing the child.
"Why is your nickname Gou Dan?"
She had been curious about this for a long time and could finally ask about it today.
Li Xun whispered, "It’s the nickname Father gave me. He says a lowly name makes a child easier to raise."
Hua Manman didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
"Even if that’s the case, he could have picked a slightly nicer nickname."
Li Xun said, "I heard from others that before I was born, my mother wanted to name me Fubao."
Hua Manman grew even more curious. "Fubao is a great name! Why didn’t they use it for you?"
Li Xun replied, "Father said the name Fubao is reserved for a daughter. I only deserve to be called Gou Dan."
Hua Manman: "..."
’Good thing I’m not his real mother.’
’Otherwise, I would’ve beaten that bastard to death!’
Li Xun looked up at her, his eyes wide with anticipation.
"Mother, are you like Father? Do you only like daughters, and not me?"
Hua Manman said helplessly, "I’ve told you many times, I’m not your mother."
Li Xun said firmly.
"You are my mother!"
Hua Manman was frustrated. She hadn’t expected a child so young to be so incredibly stubborn.
Once he made up his mind about something, he wouldn’t change it, no matter what anyone said.
Li Xun pressed, "You still haven’t answered. Do you only like daughters, too?"
’Don’t think I don’t understand anything just because I’m young.’
’In truth, I’ve always been able to feel that Father doesn’t really like me.’
’Father would much rather have a daughter.’
’But I just had to be a son.’
’I’ve wondered countless times: if my mother were here, would she also prefer a daughter?’
’If she had a choice, would she have wanted to have a daughter instead?’
Now, he had finally asked the question he had kept buried in his heart for so long.
He looked at his mother with trepidation, both wanting and dreading her answer.
Hua Manman said without the slightest hesitation.
"If it were me, I would love them both, whether it was a son or a daughter."
Li Xun tugged on her sleeve, asking stubbornly, "But what if you had to choose just one?"
Hua Manman smiled helplessly.
"Whether a son or a daughter, they’d both be the apple of my eye. I couldn’t possibly choose."
Li Xun pursed his lips, feeling displeased.
’Why couldn’t Mother just choose him?’
’He wanted to be his mother’s one and only treasure.’
Hua Manman patted his head. "If I were your mother, I would absolutely adore you. After all, you’re so well-behaved, sensible, and cute. Just looking at you makes me happy."
Li Xun froze.
As if afraid he had misheard, he hurriedly asked again.
"Really? You really like me?"
Hua Manman: "Of course."
Li Xun’s eyes lit up instantly.
He swore to himself that he had never, ever been this happy!
’Mother likes me!’
’Mother likes me!’
Unable to contain his excitement, Li Xun threw himself into his mother’s arms and shouted.
"I like you too, Mother! I like you so, so much!"
Hua Manman looked down at the child in her arms. Seeing his little face flushed with excitement, she couldn’t help but smile fondly.
KNOCK KNOCK.
A knock sounded at the door.
Li Ji’s voice came through the door, interrupting the conversation between the mother and son.
"Aren’t you two done yet?"
Li Xun was reluctant to let go of his mother.
He yelled at his father outside the door.
"I’m still talking to Mother! Don’t bother us!"
Li Ji paid his bratty son no mind, pushing the door open and striding into the room.
"The Princely Heir hasn’t had breakfast, I presume? As it happens, neither have we. Why don’t we eat together?"
His reminder made Hua Manman realize she was hungry.
She let go of the child in her arms.
"Let’s go eat."
Li Xun was very unhappy.
’He’d finally gotten a chance to be alone with his mother, and he wanted to spend a little more time with her.’
’Why did Father have to come and bother them right now?’
「The three of them went to the dining hall.」
Li Xun still remembered what his mother had said last night.
He quickly reminded his father.
"You should eat less."
Li Ji was confused. "Why?"
Li Xun explained, "If you eat too much, Mother won’t want you anymore."
Li Ji: "..."
He shot a dark look at Hua Manman.
His gaze made her skin crawl.
She explained with an awkward laugh.
"I was just making a little joke with your son, please don’t take it seriously. Eat as much as you like. If it’s not enough, we can just have the kitchen make more."
To prove her point, she even peeled an egg and placed it in Li Ji’s bowl.
Only then did Li Ji’s dark expression finally clear.
Li Xun stared longingly at the egg in his father’s bowl.
’That was an egg peeled by Mother’s own hands. He wanted one, too!’
His expression was so obvious that Hua Manman couldn’t possibly ignore it.
She peeled another egg and put it in Li Xun’s bowl.
Li Xun immediately brightened up.
Just then, he saw his father split the egg in two and put one half into his mother’s bowl.
So Li Xun followed suit, splitting his own egg and giving half to his mother.
Hua Manman looked at the two extra egg halves in her bowl. She was touched, but also didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
"It’s not like we’re short on eggs. You two don’t have to share with me."