Chapter 80: Father-Daughter Nature

Chapter 80: A Father’s Instinct

Wei Xun’s expression softened as he listened to the cheerful noises next door.

Mrs. Li brought him breakfast. "I’ve already delivered what you asked for. There are a few left—would you like me to make some pear soup for you too?"

"No need. I’m not fond of sweets. Keep them for you and Uncle Li."

Wei Xun refused, and Mrs. Li didn’t press further. She knew how stubborn he was—once his mind was made up, that was it.

But she couldn’t understand why Wei Xun was so kind to the little girl next door, always sending things over.

Was it possible...?

Mrs. Li’s eyes widened, then she immediately shook her head.

Impossible. Lady Xie was married—how could she have had a child with their master?

Perhaps the little girl was just too adorable and had caught his favor. Even she couldn’t resist doting on her.

......

A Yuan stayed home from the embroidery workshop today. Su Mengyun had brought her fabric and patterns, so she could do her needlework at home.

The toddler dashed around the courtyard, clutching Flower. September in Jiangnan wasn’t too cold yet, so A Yuan had dressed her in a red vest and pulled her hair into two little pigtails, the bows fluttering in the wind as she ran.

"Flower, eat the pear!"

A Yuan had made pear soup for her, but the toddler didn’t like the cooked pears inside. Too scared of getting scolded for throwing them away, she chased Flower around, trying to feed them to the dog.

Wei Xun hopped the fence and saw this scene.

The pudgy toddler wrestled with the scruffy mutt, the pear in her hand nearly squished as she forced it into the dog’s mouth.

"Flower, eat!"

"Dogs don’t like pears."

Wei Xun watched for a while before finally speaking up.

This scruffy mutt was meant to be a guard dog for A Yuan. Who knew it’d be this dumb?

He gave the dog a disdainful glance. Hearing his voice, the toddler looked up.

"Nice Uncle... Wait, mean uncle!"

The toddler’s eyes lit up at first, but then she remembered how he had bullied her mother before and snorted, turning away with Flower in her arms.

She turned her chubby little back on him, her cheeks puffed up in anger—too cute for words.

Even though she was Zhou Yan’s kid, Wei Xun’s heart softened.

"Do you know what dogs like to eat?"

He stood behind the toddler, trying to get her attention.

The toddler’s ears twitched, clearly curious but unwilling to acknowledge him.

Flower had half a pear shoved in its mouth, but now that the toddler wasn’t paying attention, it spit it all out.

The toddler pouted, defeated. Flower was just as picky as she was.

Did the mean uncle actually know what Flower liked?

The little girl quietly turned around, her small hands fidgeting together, and asked Wei Xun in a small voice, "What does it like to eat?"

"Meat bones."

"Meat bones? Flower doesn’t like those!" Mom says kids shouldn’t eat hard stuff—it’ll wreck our teeth!"

Flower was even smaller than her, so surely it couldn’t eat them either.

"If I’m right, will you do one thing for me?"

Wei Xun looked at the little girl’s doubtful expression and stated his purpose.

"Okay! I agree. But if Flower doesn’t like it, then the bad uncle has to do one thing for me too."

A-Man was sure she knew Flower’s tastes and bet Wei Xun with complete confidence.

Wei Xun chuckled lightly, snapped his fingers, and soon Zhang Feng popped up over the wall holding a bowl of meaty bones.

Watching him drop down out of nowhere, A-Man’s small mouth fell open as she pointed at Zhang Feng and asked Wei Xun, "Uncle, was that magic?"

How’d he show up just from a finger snap?

Wei Xun didn’t explain. He picked a meaty piece from the bowl and tossed it in front of Flower.

Catching the scent of meat, Flower struggled free from A-Man’s arms, its little paws hugging the bone while chomping away.

Its whole excited act was a far cry from the misery of being force-fed pears earlier.

"Flower..."

A-Man was still gaping at Zhang Feng’s sudden arrival when—her heart sank. Seeing Flower eat so happily, she felt betrayed.

The little girl stepped forward, trying to snatch the bone away, but Flower went full guard-dog mode, even turning to bare its teeth at her.

A-Man flinched back, her eyes reddening.

When Flower realized what it did, it nuzzled A-Man’s leg apologetically.

But the little girl ignored it now.

"Woof! Woof!"

Flower dropped the bone and rubbed its head against A-Man’s leg, trying to appease her.

Wei Xun grabbed it by the scruff disgustedly and tossed it aside, pulling the sniffling girl into a hug.

"Dogs need meat. Veggie food just makes ’em weak—that’s no good for either of you."

A-Man blinked up at him, confused, the words were too grown-up for her.

Wei Xun sighed softly, thumbed away her tears. "See? Told you so."

A-Man twisted her shirt hem and mumbled grudgingly, "Mean uncle was right..."

"That ‘mean uncle’ jab actually stung—a first for Wei Xun."

"Isn't it time for A Man to keep her promise?"

He patted the little girl's back as if soothing a puppy. "Call me Daddy, let me hear you say it."

"Daddy?" A Man peeked out from his embrace, her small face full of confusion. "But A Man already has a daddy! You're not my daddy, Bad Uncle!"

The little girl pushed him away, picked Flower up, and went inside.

A Yuan sat by the window embroidering a folding screen. Seeing her daughter storm in angrily, she smiled and asked, "Why are you upset? Wouldn't Flower eat the pear? Come here, let me wipe your sweat, sweetheart."

After all that fuss, her forehead was covered in sweat.

"Mother, Flower likes meat bones. It doesn’t like the things A Man likes."

The girl said dejectedly, but A Yuan caught the deeper meaning in her words, especially noticing the greasy fur around Flower’s mouth. Her hand with the handkerchief froze.

"Where did the bone come from?"

"Bad Uncle gave it," A Man dragged a small stool over and sat beside her mother, tattling indignantly. "Bad Uncle also told A Man to call him Daddy! A Man already has a Daddy, so I won’t call him that!"

"Mother, why hasn’t Daddy come home? Does he not like A Man anymore?"

The little girl didn’t notice her mother’s suddenly pale face and kept barraging her with questions.

A Yuan’s heart raced with panic. Why would Wei Xun ask A Man to call him Daddy? Did he find out something?

Just then, the man pushed the door open. The courtyard was home to only the mother and daughter, but to Wei Xun, it might as well have been empty.

"Bad Uncle!"

A Man stood up, hands on her hips, eyeing Wei Xun warily.

A Yuan shielded her daughter behind her, her voice trembling as she asked, "Must you torment us like this, Your Highness?"

With his noble status, he could have any woman he desired. Why did he insist on harassing her time and again?

A Yuan was nearly broken. She had gone to great lengths to leave Wei Xun, just wanting a quiet life. Why wouldn’t he let her go?

Tears filled her eyes, the resistance in her gaze piercing Wei Xun’s heart. How could he bear to torment her?

"Come back with me. I won’t hold these two years of running away against you, and I’ll treat A Man as my own. As for you and Zhou Yan... I'll act like it never happened."