Xiao Shan couldn’t help glancing sideways at the little turtle again.
Could it be that the turtle had heard his mother calling for Luoluo and deliberately crawled out to lead her over?
Honestly, he couldn’t be blamed for thinking that—it was simply too much of a coincidence.
Then he recalled the way the child and turtle interacted earlier, and wild thoughts once again surfaced in his mind.
Could this turtle really have become a spirit? Could it truly understand human speech and communicate with Luoluo?
Lu Suzhen looked at the sleeping Luoluo nestled in Xiao Shan’s arms, then at Xiao Shan himself, who was holding the little girl tightly and refusing to let go.
Her eyes reddened with emotion.
It had been such a long time since she had seen her eldest son look so alive.
Ever since his injury, he had seemed devoid of all vitality.
Yet now, here he was, holding a child while sleeping.
It was truly unprecedented.
And such a wonderfully unprecedented thing.
She had known it—Luoluo really was like one of those lucky dolls from New Year paintings. Coming into their family had brought them blessings.
“Dashan, is your arm numb from her lying on it?” Lu Suzhen reached out, pretending she wanted to take Luoluo away. “I’ll carry her back to my room to sleep.”
Almost instinctively, Xiao Shan tightened his hold around the little girl.
“It’s fine. Let her stay. What if she wakes up when you move her?”
Lu Suzhen immediately withdrew her hand.
“Alright then, let her sleep here for a while. If your arm gets tired, tell me and I’ll come carry her away.”
After speaking, she quickly left the room before Xiao Shan could change his mind.
Her son had finally regained a little warmth and humanity—she couldn’t let it disappear again.
What did a tired arm matter? It was far better than the lifeless state he had been in before.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Xiao Lu was just picking up his bowl to eat when he saw his mother return empty-handed but looking delighted.
“Where’s that troublesome brat?” he asked.
“What troublesome brat?!” Lu Suzhen glared at him and smacked him hard across the back. “Luoluo is a little lucky star! Don’t you dare say things like that in front of the child. If you hurt her feelings, I’ll beat you to death!”
After scolding Xiao Lu, she happily continued on her own:
“Luoluo’s sleeping in your eldest brother’s room right now, curled up in his arms. I tried to carry her away, but your brother wouldn’t let me. Said he was afraid of waking her.”
Both Xiao Lu and Xiao He stared in utter shock.
Was this really their eldest brother—the same man who, after his injury, had shut everyone out?
Even when they entered his room, they always did so cautiously, afraid of seeing that dead-eyed hopeless expression on his face.
Who could’ve imagined he would willingly hold a little baby girl while sleeping—and even refuse to let their mother take her away?
It was unbelievable.
Xiao Lu couldn’t help suspecting that maybe his mother had simply made the story up to keep Luoluo around.
Meanwhile, Xiao He hurried up while scooping rice for his eldest brother, eager to seize the chance to see this “different” version of Xiao Shan.
But before he could finish serving the food, Lu Suzhen stopped him.
“Xiao He, don’t take food to your brother yet. Leave it warming on the stove. Your brother said he’s not hungry yet.”
What did missing one meal matter? His mood had been terrible lately, and he barely ate anyway.
Besides, her precious granddaughter had only eaten a single bun so far. She could wait until Luoluo woke up and let uncle and niece eat together.
Thinking about the atmosphere inside Xiao Shan’s room, Lu Suzhen sighed emotionally again.
“I told you, my granddaughter is a lucky treasure. It’s been so long since I’ve seen your brother look this peaceful.”
Then she suddenly slapped her thigh.
“No, this won’t do. Later I’m taking a slab of cured meat to the village secretary and registering Luoluo officially. Then she’ll properly become your daughter from now on.”
Hearing that, Xiao Lu clicked his tongue.
“If Big Brother likes her that much, then let her be his daughter instead. Why do I have to raise her?”
With a smack, Lu Suzhen used her chopsticks to knock away the chopsticks Xiao Lu had just reached toward the pot with.
“What nonsense are you saying?! The child already calls you Daddy and calls your brother Eldest Uncle. How can that be changed casually? Aren’t you afraid of hurting the child’s feelings? Besides, can your brother even take care of her right now? If you keep talking nonsense, see if I don’t beat you to death!”
Seeing his mother like this, and remembering what she had said about his elder brother’s reaction, Xiao Lu surprisingly didn’t argue back this time.
He simply lowered his head and continued eating.
By now, Xiao He’s curiosity about Luoluo had reached its peak.
But the little girl was still sleeping, and worse, she was sleeping in their eldest brother’s room.
So he could only forcibly suppress his urge to go peek.
He still didn’t quite dare provoke his eldest brother.
Luoluo slept for more than two hours.
At first, Xiao Shan had remained stiff and awkward, unsure what to do. But eventually, he too drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
Whether it was because of the soft little milk-scented bundle in his arms or because of the water Luoluo had given him earlier, this sleep was exceptionally peaceful.
Ever since his injury, he had always thought:
I’m a cripple now. I’ll spend the rest of my life lying in bed anyway. It’s not like I’ll lack time to sleep.
Because of that, even at night he rarely slept deeply, much less during the day.
But when he finally woke up and opened his eyes, he found himself staring directly into Luoluo’s bright sparkling eyes.
“Eldest Uncle is awake!”
The moment their eyes met, Luoluo happily asked:
“Does Eldest Uncle want more sweet water?”
Seeing how eager she was to feed him water again, Xiao Shan nearly laughed.
Only… what he urgently needed now wasn’t more water—
It was to get rid of water…
“Thank you, Luoluo. Eldest Uncle will drink later.”
He raised his hand to gently tidy her messy, sleep-tousled hair. Then after hesitating briefly, he continued:
“Can Luoluo help Eldest Uncle with something first?”
“Of course!” Luoluo instantly perked up at hearing he needed her help. She scrambled upright and sat straight-backed like a tiny soldier, staring at him eagerly while waiting for instructions.
Seeing her look like a soldier awaiting orders, Xiao Shan couldn’t help smiling again.
“Go call your daddy or your little uncle over for me, okay?”
“Mhm!” Luoluo answered immediately, then nodded several extra times as if worried her promise wasn’t convincing enough.
The two little buns in her hair bobbed up and down with every nod.
Then she slid off the bed belly-first and, while putting on her shoes, said to the turtle below the bed that still couldn’t climb up:
“Little Turtle, Luoluo is going to call Daddy. Stay here and take care of Eldest Uncle while Luoluo is gone, okay?”
After putting on her shoes, she picked up the turtle, placed it onto Xiao Shan’s chest, then pattered out of the room to fetch Daddy and Little Uncle.
When she found Xiao Lu and called for him, the already-curious Xiao He overheard and immediately followed along with his brother.
As Luoluo watched her daddy and uncle stride ahead on their long legs toward Eldest Uncle’s room, she quickly wrapped herself around Xiao He’s leg from behind.
“Little Uncle, wait for Luoluo!”
When Xiao He lowered his head, he found a tiny human pendant clinging to his leg.
The little girl instantly flashed him a sweet smile.
At the same time, the tiny milk-scented child stretched both arms toward him expectantly.
“Little Uncle, carry me.”