Chapter 104

Currently, the capital has just settled down, and the blood in the market near West Gate hasn't even been washed away yet. Therefore, there aren't many pedestrians on the streets. Whenever people see Cheng Duo and others in armor, riding on tall horses, they all quickly slip away.

The little boy was happy for a while, finally noticing the unusual silence around.

Before he was born, his grandfather, the former Grand General, ordered the construction of an official road from Yang Village to Twenty-Li Slope. He used to go and play at Twenty-Li Slope with his mother. The shopkeeper and staff of the hotpot restaurant were very enthusiastic towards him, and Uncle Xie treated him to lots of delicious food and interesting things.

In his mind, the city was synonymous with liveliness: roadside stalls selling various trinkets and food, street performers with monkeys, and people of various ethnicities dressed in strange clothes. But now, there was nothing…

The little boy turned his head to look at the horse-drawn carriage rattling on the cobblestone road, making sure his mother was still inside, then looked up at his dad. "Daddy, where did all the people on the street go? Why aren't they coming out to play?"

The boy's soft neck made this movement seem natural. Cheng Duo not only saw his big, round eyes but also the row of small white teeth in his mouth.

Cheng Duo reached out a big hand to help the little boy straighten his head and replied, "They will come out later. Daddy will take you to meet your grandfather first."

"Okay." The little boy didn't seem too interested.

He had two grandfathers, one lived in the village and would catch fish and bugs with him, and also make little horses and sheep out of bamboo. The other grandfather he didn't see often, but every time they met, he liked to hug him and even used his big beard to poke him…

The little boy didn't like being held by people, especially being poked by a big beard.

When Cheng Duo heard this, he knew that his cheap father-in-law wasn't well-liked by the little boy. But he had no intention of teaching his son to please his grandfather. He reached out and rubbed the little boy's head, trying to comfort him.

Probably feeling that the chaos in the palace wasn't conducive to healing, Wei Zhenyuan didn't live in the imperial palace but found a nearby mansion.

This mansion used to belong to the Rong Prince, who had countless concubines and led a life of luxury. But after the Rong Prince was executed for numerous crimes, his concubines were also demoted and exiled.

Now, this vast mansion only housed Wei Zhenyuan and his soldiers. However, the soldiers, who were used to the barracks, couldn't appreciate the carved beams and painted pillars, so Wei Zhenyuan decided to lock the back yard, and the group of big-headed soldiers found the front yard spacious enough.

But when he learned that Yong Ge and his little grandson were coming, Wei Zhenyuan had the best courtyard in the back cleaned up in advance, looking forward to their arrival.

"Lin'er, do you miss your grandpa?" When Wei Zhenyuan saw his little grandson, who had been carried off the horse by Cheng Duo, he smiled wide.

Not only that, he even wanted to use his undamaged left hand to hold his little grandson. But Cheng Duo quickly stopped him. "Father, your hand is injured. Lin'er doesn't know his own strength. Be careful not to get kicked by him."

Wei Zhenyuan glared at Cheng Duo, saying, "What's this little injury? I've long recovered! Besides, I can't even avoid Lin'ers' strength. If that's the case, why do I still lead soldiers and fight battles?"

His gaze seemed to blame Cheng Duo as the culprit preventing him from getting close to his little grandson. After glaring at Cheng Duo, he then smiled warmly and looked at the little boy.

The little boy had already hidden behind Cheng Duo's thigh when his grandfather scolded his dad in a loud voice. He looked cautiously at the thick beard.

Wei Zhenyuan said affectionately, "Sweetie, Grandfather isn't scolding you. Don't be afraid~~"

Cheng Duo rolled his eyes at the sky. With the way you're cooing, no wonder our son isn't scared. Otherwise, he would have developed a psychological shadow.

Also, his precious son loved him the most. How could he like Wei Zhenyuan in front of him when Wei Zhenyuan scolded his father, blowing his beard and glaring at him?

After a while, Yong Ge had already left the carriage. He saw his dad, who was trying to please Lin'er, occasionally glaring at Cheng Duo with ferocity…

Yong Ge said impatiently, "Dad, Cheng Duo is doing this for your own good. Can't you stop getting angry at him just because he respects you?"

"Nonsense! Where is his temper any good? You haven't seen him confront me…" As Wei Zhenyuan spoke, he gradually lowered his voice under the watchful eyes of his own son, and there was a faint trace of guilt hidden under the big beard.

Could anyone blame him for disliking Cheng Duo? His son always leaned towards Cheng Duo, and his little grandson preferred him as well.

Wei Zhenyuan stood by the door, with his arm hanging in the air, feeling a bit chilly behind him. If accompanied by some melancholic music, he would look like a trembling, lonely old man in the autumn wind…

Of course, this "lonely old man" was too strong and his big beard was too eye-catching. Behind him were a group of burly soldiers, making it a bit theatrical.

Cheng Duo was already used to it. He held the little boy's hand and asked him to call his grandfather.

"Grandfather," the little boy obediently called, but when Wei Zhenyuan came over to hug him with a grin on his face, he dodged.

Wei Zhenyuan: …His little grandson still didn't like him!

Yong Ge chuckled as he watched his dad looking aggrieved. "Dad, Lin'er doesn't like it when you use your beard to poke him."

Wei Zhenyuan touched his big beard and silently hesitated whether to shave it off or not. He didn't keep the beard for any particular reason; he was just too lazy to groom it, so he let it grow freely.

Cheng Duo was the same, but whenever he came home to see his husband and son, he remembered to shave his beard and tidy himself up.

At first, Wei Zhenyuan had sneered at this. As a man, what did it matter to be so particular about appearance? But now, after being pointed out by his son, Wei Zhenyuan suddenly felt that Cheng Duo was cunning; he didn't even remind him!

Cheng Duo was speechless. Did he not say that he thought the beard looked more majestic, and he insisted on not shaving it? What did it have to do with Wei Zhenyuan?

Under Wei Zhenyuan's envious and jealous gaze, Cheng Duo led his father and son into the mansion. After the rough journey, Yong Ge and the little boy were exhausted. After eating something and playing in the mansion's garden for a while, the mother and son were already dozing off.

Wei Zhenyuan initially wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to carry his little grandson away, but Cheng Duo was worried that he would wake up in an unfamiliar place with only an unfamiliar grandfather beside him, so he didn't allow it.

Although Wei Zhenyuan liked to vent his anger on Cheng Duo, he didn't insist on it this time for the sake of his little grandson. He instructed Cheng Duo to take care of the mother and son and then left.

Cheng Duo lifted the curtain and looked at the two who were sound asleep. The elder one was lying on his side, holding his son with his slender body, and his handsome face was half-buried in the pillow. The younger one had a round belly, one hand clutching a little fist, and his pursed lips sleeping soundly.

Both of them were so adorable.

Cheng Duo also felt a bit tired. He climbed onto the bed and held the father and son in his arms, slowly falling asleep…

The nap lasted for an hour. Worried that they might have slept too much during the day and wouldn't sleep at night, Cheng Duo thought it was about time to wake them up.

While the two were washing the little boy's face, Wei Zhenyuan arrived through the main gate.

"Dad?" Yong Ge was momentarily stunned when he saw his father.

His dad was way too efficient. After taking a nap, his full beard disappeared.

Wei Zhenyuan felt a bit uneasy as he touched his face with his left hand. Since he only had one hand to shave the beard, he accidentally cut himself. "How do I look? Your dad appears younger, right?"

"You don't look old." Yong Ge's voice contained a smile. "Dad, after shaving the beard, you look ten years younger."

"Wei Ling said the same thing…" Feeling affirmed by his son, Wei Zhenyuan became even more pleased. He noticed Cheng Duo washing the little boy's face and brushing his teeth, insisting that he come over.

Cheng Duo glanced at Yong Ge and willingly stepped aside. Although he loved his son, he was more than willing to hand the troublesome little guy over to his father-in-law during bedtime.

Yong Ge felt inexplicably bewildered by Cheng Duo's glance. However, by the evening, after spending the whole afternoon playing with the little boy, his old man coaxed him away. Yong Ge finally understood Cheng Duo's intentions.

Well, he had the same idea from the beginning…

The two husbands shamelessly spent the night together. Due to their long separation, Yong Ge couldn't get up the next morning.

When he woke up, Cheng Duo had already left, having just finished washing up. His father came with Lin'er to find him.

"Mom, look, Grandfather gave me this sword, and he said that when I grow up a bit more, he'll teach me martial arts!" Lin'er couldn't wait to show off the small sword when he saw his amo.

Yong Ge frowned as soon as he saw it. "Dad, Lin'er is not even four years old, and you're giving him something like this? What if he hurts himself?"

Wei Zhenyuan hurriedly explained, "This sword is made of wood, and the edges have been smoothed. Don't believe me? Feel it for yourself."

Yong Ge's expression finally improved a bit. Seeing his son's nervousness, Wei Zhenyuan shook his head in disapproval and said, "He's a boy. How can he be as delicate as our ger? When I was young, I used to fight with other kids, getting a black eye or swollen face was normal."

Yong Ge knew that too. He had grown up in difficult times, but Lin'er was probably going to be his and Cheng Duo's only child, so he couldn't help but be a little overprotective.

Seeing this, Wei Zhenyuan patted Lin'er's shoulder, telling him to go and play with the small sword nearby while he chatted with his mom.

The little one was still fascinated with the small sword and ran off at once upon hearing the words.

The two adults sat in the courtyard, with other guards nearby, ensuring the little one's safety.

"Dad, what do you want to talk to me about?" Yong Ge felt a bit nervous as it was the first time his father spoke to him so seriously, and he deliberately kept Cheng Duo out of the conversation.

"What's going on between you and Cheng Duo?"

"What do you mean?" Yong Ge followed his father's gaze towards Lin'er and instantly understood what he was asking. "Dad, Cheng Duo and I are fine. We already have Lin'er, and I don't want to push for anything else."

Wei Zhenyuan pondered for a moment and cautiously suggested, "Should I call the imperial physician to check on you?"

"Dad, it's not necessary."

"Even if you don't want it, does Cheng Duo also not want it?" Wei Zhenyuan's concern was about the potential for more children. During their busy war days, it was understandable, but now that they were settled, if Cheng Duo wanted to expand the family and Yong Ge couldn't have more children, wouldn't Cheng Duo find someone else to bear them?

Wei Zhenyuan couldn't help but think like a typical ancient person who preferred having many children for prosperity.

"Dad, let me tell you the truth. Back in Jianxin City, Cheng Duo and I were prepared not to have children. Later, unexpectedly, we had Lin'er, and we are both content with that. We don't mind not having more children."

Wei Zhenyuan carefully observed his expression and suddenly asked, "Is it Cheng Duo's issue?"

Yong Ge was startled, "Dad, what are you talking about? Cheng Duo is perfectly healthy!"

"Why are you so nervous? I didn't say he's incapable." Wei Zhenyuan gave Yong Ge a stern look. Didn't he know that he woke up so late in the day? Did he really think there was no reason for it?

Moreover, Cheng Duo's capability was evident from his demeanor.

"Dad…" Yong Ge felt embarrassed under his father's gaze.

Wei Zhenyuan sighed, "Yong Ge, your dad will only fight battles in this lifetime. Now that my right hand is injured, I am not fit for that position. Your eldest cousin has been avoiding the capital to avoid suspicion. Besides, half of this empire is Cheng Duo's doing, the money he contributed, and more than half of the Wei Family's generals obey him…"

Yong Ge's back felt cold as he heard this. "Dad, you… You don't mean to deal with Cheng Duo, do you? He wouldn't, Cheng Duo never had any intention of that position. If it weren't for me, he would have been content being a hunter!"