Oh no, we’ve been caught.
Tuantuan and Yuanyuan exchanged furtive glances, but ultimately chose not to lie.
Tuantuan was the first to lower his head and apologize.
“Sorry, Mom. I was the one who hit Uncle. It has nothing to do with Yuanyuan.”
“I won’t hit him again next time.”
Tuantuan made a soft-spoken promise while thinking fiercely in his heart: Next time, I won’t be so careless—I definitely won’t let Mom find out!
Tuantuan pursed his lips, his eyes fierce.
Although Xia Mingyu couldn’t speak before, she had taught them many lessons through her actions. Tuantuan and Yuanyuan weren’t unreasonable children; generally, they wouldn’t hit people without cause.
Xia Mingyu frowned in thought.
Yuanyuan couldn’t bear to let his brother take the blame alone. He bravely stepped forward, tugging at Xia Mingyu’s sleeve.
“Mom, I hit him too.”
“We were just playing around with Uncle. Please don’t be angry, okay?”
Yuanyuan whispered coquettishly, trying to talk his way out of it.
Xia Mingyu gently held both their small hands and lightly tapped them.
“Tell Mom the truth—what really happened? Did that uncle bully you? Or did he say something inappropriate to you?”
“Children must be honest. Lying is not allowed.”
Xia Mingyu continued questioning with a stern expression.
She couldn’t bring herself to hit the children, but she still needed to maintain a firm attitude.
“We didn’t lie…”
Yuanyuan pouted, still stubbornly resisting.
But his eyes were already red.
“Mom…”
Tuantuan pursed his lips, his voice beginning to tremble with tears.
Look how wronged they both were.
Xia Mingyu’s heart softened.
Just as she was about to pull the two children into her arms, Si Konghuai arrived.
“Comrade Xia, we were just playing around earlier. Please don’t be angry.”
“The two children are very sensible.”
“If you don’t like us playing like this, I promise it won’t happen again. Okay?”
Si Konghuai apologized to Xia Mingyu with a promise.
He stood straight, his handsome face slightly stern. When Xia Mingyu looked over, he even gave her a military salute to show his seriousness and sincerity.
Why did he come over?
Was he afraid that Captain Zhao and the others wouldn’t know about his relationship with Tuantuan and Yuanyuan?!
Xia Mingyu could guarantee that right now, Captain Zhao Jianguo and his wife were eavesdropping from the kitchen!
“Head, you’re too serious. I’m just educating my children. It has nothing to do with you.”
“The children are still young and don’t understand many things. We parents need to guide them properly.”
Xia Mingyu replied indifferently.
After speaking, she turned back to look at Tuantuan and Yuanyuan.
“It’s okay, don’t cry. Mom just doesn’t want you to become bad children. In Mom’s heart, you will always be the best!”
Xia Mingyu kissed the children’s soft cheeks and fetched water to bathe Tuantuan.
“Does Yuanyuan want to bathe too?”
“How about Yuanyuan helps his brother scrub his back? Okay?”
Xia Mingyu let the matter drop, and Tuantuan and Yuanyuan quickly seized the opportunity.
“I want to bathe!”
“I want to help my brother scrub!”
The two brothers exclaimed loudly, becoming affectionate with Xia Mingyu again. The mother and her two sons had no barriers between them.
Left standing aside, Si Konghuai looked on helplessly.
Did no one care about him?
What could he do to restore his image in the hearts of the mother and her two sons?
Lu Ning had been hiding on the sidelines watching the commotion earlier and only now emerged, offering a malicious suggestion.
“Why not stage a hero-saving-the-beauty scenario for you? Otherwise, I think it’ll be quite difficult for you to get close to them.”
The mother and her two sons were all highly guarded against Si Konghuai.
Si Konghuai shot Lu Ning a cold glare, and Lu Ning immediately shut his mouth.
“Alright, alright, I won’t say anymore, okay?”
What an ungrateful man! If it weren’t for him, how could Si Konghuai have discovered the existence of this mother and her sons?!
Lu Ning muttered under his breath until Si Konghuai kicked him into the kitchen to help.
Seizing the opportunity, Si Konghuai went to curry favor.
Without a word, he proactively rushed to fetch water for Xia Mingyu and help Tuantuan rinse off.
Not daring to scrub Tuantuan himself, he instead snatched Tuantuan’s dirty clothes, insisting on washing them.
“You!”
Xia Mingyu hadn’t expected him to be so shameless. She glared at Si Konghuai angrily.
Had he already forgotten the written pledge he’d just made?!
What he was doing now was no different from outright telling everyone that he was Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan’s father!
“Comrade Xia, you might not know this, but I have a peculiar habit—I love washing clothes, especially helping others wash them.”
“When I was in the army, I even washed my subordinates’ clothes. Their laundry was all done by me. If I don’t wash clothes, I feel uncomfortable.”
“Lu Ning, isn’t that right?”
Si Konghuai smiled faintly, calmly explaining to Xia Mingyu before raising his voice to ask Lu Ning.
His eyes carried a murderous glint—dare to say otherwise, just try?
Lu Ning’s lips twitched. If you’re going to make up an excuse, at least make it a believable one.
“Yes, yes, yes! The Head used to have this habit. He washed the entire company’s clothes! This habit of his had improved quite a bit, but it seems to have flared up again today.”
“Come, come, let’s find more clothes for him to wash. You’ll understand, right? After all, we work in the army, often going on missions, and the stress is quite high.”
“This is our Head’s way of relaxing. Though it’s strange, as long as it works, that’s what matters.”
Lu Ning let out an expressionless laugh, spinning a web of lies without hesitation.
Surprisingly, it almost sounded logical. Zhao Jianguo and his wife were dumbfounded, quietly discussing between themselves.
“Is there really such a thing as a ‘hardworking disease’? That would save money on hospital visits.”
“And he can still be a good Head who cares for his subordinates!”
…
Xia Mingyu was speechless. Her almond-shaped eyes widened as she looked at Si Konghuai with complex emotions.
Si Konghuai understood perfectly—the message she was conveying was, “Are you out of your mind?”
Both Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan looked shocked, with a hint of regret.
If they had known their new father loved washing clothes, they should have found him earlier so he could help their mother with the laundry. She washed clothes every day and always looked so tired!
“What is everyone standing around for? Hurry up and find clothes for the Head to wash!”
“Here, here, Head—these are two sets of my clothes. Sorry to trouble you, but please wash these for me too.”
Lu Ning was extremely proactive. He quickly returned to his room, retrieved his dirty clothes, and smilingly shoved them into Si Konghuai’s arms.
If Si Konghuai dared to make up stories, he dared to play along. Hehe.
Having grown up with Si Konghuai since childhood, Lu Ning was his childhood friend, brother, and subordinate—so he wasn’t afraid of him in the slightest.
Zhao Jianguo and his wife snapped out of their daze. Not daring to hand their dirty clothes to Si Konghuai, they could only dig out clean winter clothes for him to scrub to his heart’s content.
“If you still don’t have enough, Head, just say the word and I’ll immediately call upon the entire team to bring over their clothes!”
Zhao Jianguo said earnestly, clearly taking the matter seriously.
Si Konghuai’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot; he had been elevated to such a high position that he couldn’t back down now.
Xia Mingyu and the mother-and-son pair, Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan, simultaneously curled their lips in suppressed laughter, their dark, gleaming eyes brimming with amusement.
Serves you right! You were putting on an act, and now you’ve overdone it!
A mischievous idea suddenly struck Xia Mingyu, and she deliberately said:
“Head, aren’t you uncomfortable? Why aren’t you hurrying up to wash them?”
“Don’t worry, even though our team is poor, we have strength in numbers. If everyone contributes a few pieces of clothing, we can pile them up like a mountain—enough to keep you washing until dark!”
“We guarantee to cure you of all these peculiar habits of yours!”