Chapter 438: Mom, Are We in Danger?

Chapter 438: Mom, are we in trouble?

Fu Tinghua's car had a smooth, uneventful drive.

Even Liu Jianjun wasn’t foolish enough to cause trouble for Su He in broad daylight.

After parking the car at the doorstep, three officers posted outside quickly came over.

"Oh, Dr. Fu and Miss Su," one of them said upon recognizing them, then stepped back.

Su He walked up to them and asked, "Officers, want to come in and warm up by the fire?"

A junior officer smiled warmly and replied, "We’re good—your family set up a charcoal fire for us out here. We’ll just stay out here. Thanks though."

Seeing they were set on staying, Su He didn’t press further and followed Fu Tinghua into the house.

As soon as they entered the kitchen, the smell of cooking wafted through the air.

Wen Qing was there, simmering a pot of lamb stew.

Su Shiming had dug into his private savings to splurge on the lamb, hoping so the officers could have some hot soup in the freezing winter.

The fact that these officers were standing guard outside to protect their entire family touched Su Shiming deeply.

"Su He, Ting Hua, you’re back!" Wen Qing said brightly.

"Dad, Mom," Su He greeted them before heading over to where the kids were.

Wen Qing had spread out a mat with blankets for the kids on the floor, letting them take their afternoon nap there.

Maybe woken by the noise, Zai Zai rolled over and woke up.

"Mom," he called out to Su He first.

Then, spotting Fu Tinghua, he added, "Dad."

Su He walked over, bent down, and picked him up.

"How long have you been sleeping? Do you want to sleep some more?" she asked while holding Zai Zai.

"I’m done sleeping," Zai Zai answered.

Su He carried him to the fire pit and instructed Fu Tinghua, "Grab Zai Zai’s clothes—I’ll dress him."

Zai Zai wanted to say he could dress himself, but in the end, he gave in, savoring this new warmth—a mother’s warmth he’d never known.

Su He carefully dressed him before setting him down on the floor.

"There, such a good boy," she said, ruffling his hair affectionately, finally feeling grounded again.

Earlier at the police station, she had felt like she’d been in another world, experiencing a strange, unsettling fear of everything around her for the first time.

Only after returning home, to Zai Zai and Niu Niu, did that disconnected feeling melt away.

This feeling of being anchored was something not even Dr. Fu could give her.

Su He had just finished dressing Zai Zai when she turned her gaze to Niu Niu.

"You can wake Niu Niu up now. She's been sleeping for quite a while. Probably because she didn’t get much sleep last night, she’s been sleeping soundly today," Wen Qing said with a smile.

Su He also smiled and walked over to her daughter, lifting Niu Niu out of the blankets.

Even so, the little one still wouldn’t wake up. Instead, she nestled into a comfortable spot in Su He’s arms and continued to sleep soundly.

Su He felt a deep calm she’d never felt before at that moment—a peace her daughter had given her.

"Niu Niu, Niu Niu, wake up. Dinner’s almost ready," Su He gently rocked Niu Niu, trying to rouse her.

"Mmm~" Niu Niu fussed a little before drifting back to sleep.

"Let her sleep. Who knows if she’ll sleep at all tonight," Su Shiming sighed.

At the mention of Liu Jianjun still being at large, Su He’s face fell.

"Wake her up. She can sleep later. I’ll stay up and keep watch tonight," Fu Tinghua suddenly spoke up.

Only then did Su He realize that Fu Tinghua must have been operating all night without rest.

"Dr. Fu, why don’t you lie down and sleep for a bit? It’s cozy in here. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready," Su He suggested.

"That’s right, Ting Hua. The soup’s still cooking—dinner won’t be ready for a while. Get some rest first," Wen Qing quickly added.

Fu Tinghua didn’t refuse. He lay down right where Niu Niu and Zai Zai had been sleeping and closed his eyes.

He was running on empty, but he had to hold it together tonight to protect his family.

Even just an hour or two of sleep would be enough to get him through the night.

"Su He, why don’t you rest too?" Su Shiming urged, seeing how exhausted his daughter looked.

Su He was still holding Niu Niu, who still wouldn’t wake up.

"I’m okay. I’ll rest after I eat," Su He replied with a smile.

"Alright, if you say so."

Seeing that both her daughter and son-in-law had returned, Wen Qing didn’t wait any longer and got started on dinner.

Su He watched the stove while Su Shiming and Wen Qing poured hot lamb soup into bowls to bring to the police officers posted outside.

The officers never expected Su He’s family to be so thoughtful, even preparing lamb soup for them.

Lamb didn’t come cheap these days, after all.

"Thank you, thank you. You shouldn’t have—it’s just our job," one officer said gratefully with a smile.

"Ah, you’ve all worked so hard. We’re so grateful," Su Shiming and Wen Qing replied, adding that they’d help cook for them later.

"No need, no need! The department feeds us. Really, you’re too kind—we’re almost embarrassed," the team leader quickly declined.

They were just doing their duty—it wouldn’t be right to take food from civilians.

"It’s no trouble at all. I’ll just make extra and set some aside for you. If you don’t have enough, you can always have more from ours," Su Shiming said before the officers could protest, then steered Wen Qing inside.

Watching them leave, one officer asked, "Wait, are they Dr. Fu’s parents?"

"No, they're Dr. Fu's father-in-law and mother-in-law."

"That's really nice, how sweet of them."

......

Su He was tending to the fire in the house when Niu Niu suddenly stirred in her arms, starting to wake up.

"Mommy?" Niu Niu called softly.

"Yes, Mommy's here," Su He responded gently.

Seeing it was really Su He, Niu Niu's sleepiness disappeared right away.

She threw her arms open and hugged Su He, saying, "Mommy, I missed you so much."

"Yes, sweetie, Mommy missed you too. You were so good today, being so good at home with your brother and grandparents." Su He praised.

Fu Yanju and Chen Waner probably went to open the store.

Yu Xu probably went to pick them up too, with police officers accompanying them.

"Mommy, are we going to be okay?" Niu Niu suddenly asked.