740 A Family

It quietened down in the cave again, except for the occasional crackling from the fire.

Li Lei was deep in thought, and only snapped out of it when Shaohui called him, "Dad?"

"Why wouldn't I acknowledge you?" He smiled and ruffled his head. "Whether or not you can openly address me as your father, you'll always be my precious son. This fact won't change, even if we can't go along with the ceremony."

Little Shaohui seemed a little confused. "But, if we don't perform the ceremony, the three of us can't act like a family openly. And, you and Mom…"

"Will your mom and I be able to openly be together after the ceremony?" Li Lei was asking himself as much as he was asking the child. "With this ceremony, we can declare publicly that you are our biological son, and it'd be easier for me to woo her… but this is just a strategy."

Shaohui did not seem to understand what he was getting at.