Chapter 81: I’ll Raise It Like a Son

Mother Li walked into the room carrying a bowl of corn paste and placed it in front of Li Xiangdong. “There’s a boiled egg in the bowl. Eat it first.”

“Huh?”

Li Xiangdong was pleasantly surprised. He had never enjoyed this kind of treatment before. In the past, if Old Mrs. Li secretly gave him an egg, he would have to endure a day of scolding from his mother.

“Give it to the children. I won’t eat it.”

Father Li, who was beside him, swallowed the steamed bun in his mouth and said, “Your mother wants you to eat it, so just eat it. This egg was specially saved for you this morning.”

Mother Li gave him a sidelong glance. “You used to sneak food in all sorts of ways. Now that I’m letting you eat it openly, you can’t bring yourself to do it?”

“Uh…”

Li Xiangdong was speechless. He was just being polite.

His brothers and sisters-in-law, who were eating, all spoke up. “Third brother, our mother is worried about you.”

“Dongzi, just eat it. The mischievous kids at home haven’t been deprived of food.”

“That’s right, the fried dough twists you brought back are enough for them.”

Old Mr. Li said, “Your mother is worried that you won’t eat well or rest well when you’re out with the train. She specially saved it to nourish your body.”

Li Xiangdong smiled, “Alright, I know. I’ll eat it in a bit. I can’t let my mother’s kindness go to waste.”

While feeding his daughter, he looked at his grandparents and smiled, “Actually, I’m doing fine outside. You don’t need to worry. You should eat quickly too. You can’t eat cold food when you’re older.”

“Yes, we’ll eat now.”

Old Mrs. Li was so happy to see Li Xiangdong back that she had forgotten to eat, her eyes never leaving him.

Hearing him remind them to eat, Old Mrs. Li smiled and continued eating. With her little grandson back, even the corn paste tasted much better than before.

“Give me my daughter.”

Zhou Yuqin reached out to take Li Xiaozhu, but was unexpectedly slapped on the hand by her little hand.

“Hit… you…”

After hitting her mother, Li Xiaozhu’s legs went weak and she sat down in her father’s lap, turning and shrinking into his embrace.

Li Xiangdong stroked the little topknot on his daughter’s head and chuckled, “You’re really something now, even daring to hit your mother.”

He looked at Zhou Yuqin and smiled, “It’s fine, I’ll hold her while I eat.”

“Alright then.”

Zhou Yuqin wasn’t angry about being hit by her daughter. She knew her daughter missed her father. She had cried and fussed for half the night, and now that she saw him, she certainly didn’t want to let go.

She reached out and poked her daughter’s head. “Don’t call me when you wet your pants in the future. We’ll see if I still take care of you then.”

“Want…”

Li Xiaozhu turned back and shouted at Zhou Yuqin, then buried her head in Li Xiangdong’s chest again.

Seeing her daughter’s clingy behavior, Zhou Yuqin knew she couldn’t get her back and didn’t insist. She looked at her husband and said, “You eat first, then feed her later.”

“Mmm.”

Li Xiangdong nodded, then said to the daughter in his arms, “Do you want to eat an egg?”

Seeing his daughter shrink into his arms without a sound, he had no choice but to start eating with this big meatball in his arms.

No matter how good the food outside was, it couldn’t compare to the comfort of eating at home.

Just as Li Xiangdong finished a steamed bun, Li Xiaojiang and the others, who had quickly finished their food at the small table, came running over.

They stood in front of Li Xiangdong, their eyes fixed on the katydid cage placed beside him.

“Third Uncle, we’ve finished eating. Can you let us play with the katydid for a while?”

Li Xiaohai tilted his head and acted cute, “Dad, I missed you. Can you let me play with the katydid for a while?”

Li Xiangdong looked down at his son and smiled, “Is that so? I’ve been back for so long, and you’re only just now thinking of me? Weren’t you just asking for meat with your mouth wide open? Now you come and tell me this, I don’t believe you.”

“Dad, give me the katydid.”

Li Xiaohai directly hugged his thigh, sat on his foot, and swayed, saying, “Dad, let me play with it. Sister isn’t playing with it, let me play with it.”

“Stop shaking. Get up, I’ll give it to you, alright.”

Li Xiangdong picked up the katydid cage from the table beside him and warned Li Xiaojiang and the others, “You can play with it, but be careful. Don’t play it to death.”

“We know, Third Uncle.”

“Third Uncle, I don’t dare to hold it. I’m just looking.”

The two little girls, Li Xiaolan and Li Xiaomei, were just curious. If they were really asked to hold it and play, they wouldn’t dare.

Li Xiaojiang said, “I definitely won’t play the katydid to death.”

Li Xiaotao said in a simple and honest tone, “Third Uncle, don’t worry, I’ll raise it like a son.”

Hearing his second nephew’s words, Li Xiangdong couldn’t help but laugh, “You’ll raise it like a son? Then why don’t you give it a name?”

Li Xiaotao nodded, “Mmm, then I’ll call it Li Guoguo (Li Katydid).”

*Cough cough*

Li Xiangdong couldn’t help but let out a dry cough. Father Li’s name was Li Guowei. For Li Xiaotao to give a katydid a name that sounded so similar, the silly boy was about to get a beating!

Sure enough, as soon as the name “Li Guoguo” was spoken, the adults eating at the table all turned their gazes to the still-grinning Li Xiaotao.

His brothers and sisters-in-law were stunned for a moment before they reacted, but Mother Li almost spat out the food in her mouth from laughing.

Father Li put down his bowl, stood up, and quickly walked over to grab Li Xiaotao’s arm. He lifted his foot and kicked him in the butt. “You little bastard, you raise a katydid and you manage to give me a brother!”

Li Xiaotao didn’t know what was going on. After being kicked by his grandfather, he looked at Father Li with a bewildered expression. “Grandpa, why did you kick me?”

Father Li’s face was dark as he pointed at the katydid cage and said, “You are not allowed to call it Li Guoguo, do you hear me?”

Li Xiaotao rubbed his butt and wondered, “Why can’t I call it Li Guoguo? I already told Third Uncle, I’m raising it like a son. A son definitely needs a name.”

Damn!

Hearing Li Xiaotao’s words, Li Xiangdong’s heart skipped a beat. This kid was trying to drag him down with him!

He quickly stuffed the katydid cage into Li Xiaohai’s hands, then pulled him up from his foot, stood up, and dodged to the side while holding his daughter.

Li Xiaohai, unaware of the situation, looked at the katydid cage in his hands with unexpected joy. He trotted on his short legs towards Li Xiaojiang to show off, “Big brother, I have a katydid to play with.”

Although Li Xiaojiang also didn’t understand why Li Xiaotao was getting a beating, he didn’t want to get involved. He pulled Li Xiaohai and ran into the courtyard.

Li Xiaobo and the Li Xiaomei sisters also took the opportunity to slip out.

Li Xiangdong stood to the side, holding his daughter, watching Li Xiaotao get kicked twice more by Father Li and slapped by his own father.

If his wife and second sister-in-law hadn’t stopped his first sister-in-law, the men’s doubles would have turned into a mixed triples.

What an unlucky child…

Li Xiangdong couldn’t bear to watch. He turned his head and found that his daughter, Li Xiaozhu, was staring with wide eyes, unblinking, at her brother getting beaten, her two small, tender hands clenched into fists.

Li Xiangdong whispered with a laugh, “Why are you so excited to see your brother get beaten?”

“Hit… hit… ‘dei dei’…”

Li Xiaozhu threw a couple of small punches, rested her head on his shoulder, and giggled with her hand over her mouth.