Chapter 103

"Mother, look! There's a butterfly!" The little three-and-a-half-year-old little dumpling, leaned on the carriage window, his eyes wide open, and he pointed his tender little finger at the colorful butterfly flying in the air.

His eyes were not pure black like Yong Ge's, but they also didn't have the same blue hue. Instead, there was a deep blue circle around the outer edge of his pupils, not easily noticeable unless you looked closely.

But he had inherited Yong Ge's good looks – deep and expressive eyes, a slightly upturned little nose, and bright red lips. If it weren't for the lack of a red birthmark on his forehead, people would probably consider him a beautiful little ger.

"I see it. Be careful not to fall out of the window," Yong Ge scolded, giving the little one a pat on his bottom.

Throughout the journey, this little guy wanted to play with everything he saw – the big yellow dog on the roadside, the frog on the field's edge, the dandelions, and small insects. But Wei Ling and the others spoiled him, so whenever he pointed at something, they would gallop over to find it for him.

He had even refused to let go of someone else's big yellow dog before. If Yong Ge hadn't thought that it would be challenging to keep a dog in the carriage, he would have tried his best to buy the dog from its owner.

Now, he was starting to attract butterflies.

Watching the colorful butterfly fluttering around, sometimes landing on little Lin'er's head, sometimes stopping on his little nose, his big eyes blinked in amazement, staring fixedly. Yong Ge couldn't help but wonder if they and Cheng Ge were both so gentle, how did they end up with such a troublemaker? Could it be that he would grow up to be the same?

By the way, their little one was named Cheng Jinlin, nicknamed Lin'er, a name given by Old Marquis.

However, the little one didn't see butterflies as beautiful creatures to "cherish and treasure." As soon as the butterfly stopped moving, he reached out his little paw to catch it.

Unfortunately, his chubby little arms were not agile enough, and the butterfly flew out of the window in no time.

The little one became anxious and quickly shouted, "Big Brother Zi, help me catch the butterfly!"

Big brother Zi was Zhao Dashan, also known as Shanzi. He was now an eighteen-year-old young man. Apart from being a little darker from the sun in the northwest, he had good looks and a lively personality. Besides his mother, the little one liked to follow him around.

Upon hearing the little one's call, Shanzi pulled the reins and moved closer. However, the butterfly kept evading, and he couldn't catch it either. Just as he was about to dismount to catch it, Yong Ge stopped him, "Don't go. If he catches the butterfly, he'll probably end up playing with it to death. We still have to hurry on our journey; don't delay our schedule."

Hearing Yong Ge's words, Shanzi hesitated and dared not go any further, looking helplessly at the little one.

The little one also dared not get angry, as mother was not the same as their two great-grandfathers and grandfather; at home, he ruled it over, and mother was the only one who could spank him.

But without those three around, he had no backup and could only pout and climb down from his seat reluctantly.

Yong Ge also didn't help him, watching him struggle to stand up with his small bottom wiggling. He really wanted to pat him a few more times. Well, he thought about it and acted according to his own wishes.

The little one quickly realized and blushed, covering his bottom. "Mother, Lin'er has grown up. You… you can't spank my bottom anymore."

The old Marquis had taught him that boys and girls should not sit together when they turn three, and there were other rules he forgot…

Seeing the little one acting like a grown-up and blushing, Yong Ge couldn't help but tease him, "Oh, now you feel embarrassed. The day before yesterday, when mother was giving you a bath, he touched your little thing. Why didn't you say you've grown up back then?"

The little one became angry, "Hmph, when Lin'er sees Daddy in the capital, I'll let Daddy give me a bath."

"Your Daddy won't give you a bath; he thinks you're stinky." Yong Ge made a gesture of holding his nose and fanning it, enjoying teasing his son.

This little one was so close to his Cheng Duo, always standing between him and Cheng Duo, talking non-stop, depriving him of the chance to talk with Cheng Duo.

Now that they were about to arrive in the capital, the mother-son relationship was in danger. It was strange that although Cheng Duo spent little time at home in the past two years, the little one admired him so much, thinking he was tall and reliable.

Cheng Duo indulged the little one as well. Despite his stern and cold demeanor, he was even more lenient toward his son than Wei Zhenyuan. Thankfully, Yong Ge managed to discipline him strictly; otherwise, this little tyrant would be causing trouble at three years old.

As expected, the little one ran to Cheng Duo to report when they arrived at the Shili Pavilion in the suburbs of the capital. "Daddy, mother said I stink. He's so mean!"

Being embraced in the arms of his tall father, the little one looked aggrieved, his eyes turning red. He grabbed Cheng Duo's clothes and whined, finishing his report, then making a request, "Daddy, wash me tonight and don't wash Mommy."

Yong Ge found it funny at first, but his face turned red upon hearing the request. He couldn't dare look at Cheng Duo. "Cheng Duo, don't mind him. He's just being naughty…"

Cheng Duo patted the little one, helplessly looking at the elder and the younger. "Is this how you two interact when I'm not around?"

"…" Yong Ge felt a bit wronged, but before he could say anything, Cheng Duo opened his arms, beckoning the elder one.

Yong Ge was delighted to see this and ignored the crowd of onlookers. He took a few steps closer to Cheng Duo, breathing in the familiar scent that belonged to his Cheng Duo. He nearly shed tears from the emotions it brought.

He reached out and hugged Cheng Duo tightly around the waist.

The little one wouldn't be left out either, and he pulled at his dad's neck. The mother and son seemed to compete over who loved Cheng Duo more, and they started arguing.

"Daddy likes me more!"

"Haha, I've known your Dad for much longer than you. If you don't believe me, ask him. He definitely likes me more."

Cheng Duo: … Sweet but troublesome!

However, both the elder and the younger were his treasures, and he had no other way but to spoil and indulge them. Despite being treated as a husband and father, he rarely spoke to them with a serious face due to his limited time with them and his growing aura of killing intent, fearing it would frighten them.

Occasionally, his soldiers saw this side of him and were all in disbelief. In fact, several soldiers at this moment had expressions of shock, unable to believe that their stoic and serious war god looked like this when he returned home…

After finally soothing the mother and son, Cheng Duo put them back into the carriage. He didn't ride a horse himself but sat in the carriage with them.

The little one was also hungry now, so Cheng Duo gave him a piece of cake. At this age, the little one liked sweet treats and happily nibbled on the cake, ignoring even his dad.

Yong Ge finally remembered the main topic. "I heard from eldest cousin that my father was injured. Is he okay?"

It's not that he didn't care about his dad, but this news was from over a month ago. If the situation was severe, Wei Ling and the others would have told him.

"He's fine, but he might not be able to use his right hand properly."

His father was injured in the shoulder by one of Xia Chengwang's men while attacking the capital. Although he received timely treatment, his age was catching up with him, and his recovery ability wasn't as good as a young person's. It's uncertain how much he'll be able to recover.

Yong Ge knew how much his dad loved wielding weapons. Now that his right hand, which was often used, was injured, he must be uncomfortable. Fortunately, he brought the little one along to accompany his dad, which should improve his mood.

After talking about his father's injury, Yong Ge updated Cheng Duo on the situation in the northwest.

Marquis Wei was getting older, and after the death of the old lady two years ago, he didn't want to go through all the trouble. Li Wang was the same; he was used to life in the northwest and feared that he wouldn't adapt if he moved to the capital.

However, they couldn't bear to leave their child, Lin'er, whom they had seen grow up. Under Yong Ge's persuasion, they eventually decided to move. They weren't in as much of a hurry as Yong Ge, as they had some businesses to handle. They had the Wei Army and accompanying military doctors, so taking it slow shouldn't be a problem.

Of course, they didn't abandon all of their businesses. For instance, the hotpot restaurant and brick factories that had sprung up throughout the northwest were kept running.

Over the past few years, thanks to Cheng Duo's vigorous promotion, almost every village in the northwest had started cultivating potatoes. Potatoes had high yields and were easy to grow, which improved the situation in the northwest. Thanks to potatoes, cases of starvation became rare.

It was precisely because of the abundance of potatoes and military provisions that they were able to annex Jiangdong Commandery so quickly. Although Xia Chengwang occupied the capital first, he couldn't hold on for long. Now the entire Da Xia Empire was under control of the Wei Army. Even Yong Ge didn't expect that his father would become emperor so soon.

Thinking back seven or eight years ago, he was just a village boy disguising his appearance, struggling to make ends meet… It all seemed to have changed for the better after meeting Cheng Duo. He fulfilled his promise and kept Cheng Duo cherished in his heart.

Now that they had Lin'er, he was already content in this lifetime.

"Cheng Duo." Yong Ge gazed affectionately at his partner, intending to get closer to him. Unexpectedly, the little one sitting in Cheng Duo's arms couldn't stay still. "Daddy, Lin'er doesn't want to sit in the carriage. Can you carry Lin'er down and ride a horse with Lin'er?"

In the past, whenever he wanted to ride a horse, his mother wouldn't allow it and would coax him, saying that he could ride when his father returned. Now, with his tall and reliable father by his side and the unfamiliar city of the capital outside, when else could be a better time to ride a horse?

Yong Ge: "…"

Cheng Duo: "…"

This troublesome kid, it's not easy for your dad and your mother to meet!

"Alright, Dad will take you for a ride later." Cheng Duo agreed and covered the little one's eyes with his hand, then lowered his head to kiss his partner's lips…

In the end, both mother and son were naturally overjoyed. Yong Ge finally got to be close to his Cheng Duo for a moment. The little one sat on the horse in his father's arms, surrounded by a group of imposing knights. He felt so magnificent that even his little bun on his head was shaking with pride.