Chapter 74

The little one in Ji Chenbiao’s arms clearly disliked the name—his face was practically oozing rejection. He gave Ji Chenbiao a small push, making his distaste rather obvious.

Xiao Li was also stunned speechless by Biao-ge’s naming choice. He let out an awkward laugh and offered a half-hearted reply:

“Sure, yeah… not bad.”

Just moments ago, Ji Chenbiao had been second-guessing his judgment. But hearing that, he felt reassured. He gave An’an’s nose a little squeeze. His rough fingers scraped against the child’s soft skin, making An’an purse his lips, nearly bursting into tears.

“Little freeloader Dadan?”

An’an’s face turned red with anger, his tiny hand curling into a fist. Ji Chenbiao had no doubt—if the kid were any bigger, he’d be swinging that fist at him right now.

“A name like Dadan sounds great and you’re still complaining? What a little ingrate.”

An’an was still feverish, and now with his head aching from anger, he shut his eyes in protest.

“Fell asleep? Then I’ll take that as a yes.”

The very next second, the kid’s eyes popped open, glaring at Ji Chenbiao, who was smiling like he’d just won a bet. That only made him madder. He flailed his arms, little fists waving in fury, which oddly enough put Ji Chenbiao in a better mood.

Xiao Li quietly smacked his own hand behind them. If he hadn’t opened his mouth, Biao-ge wouldn’t have ended up stuck with this little freeloader.

A healthy child wouldn’t be abandoned. Even if a family couldn’t afford to raise one, they’d send them to relatives. Odds were, this kid had something wrong with him.

Thinking about what might come next gave him a headache. The guilt in his chest was threatening to spill over.

The village chief had someone bring food up the mountain, along with a thermos filled with rice porridge his wife had ground and prepared. It was still warm.

“Dadan, hungry?”

The voice rang out right by his ear, and the little guy on the bed immediately covered his ears with both hands. He was not Dadan!

Even though his stomach was growling, he stayed stubbornly silent.

Ji Chenbiao wasn’t bothered by the kid’s little tantrum. He came over and picked him up, clumsily feeding him rice porridge while chatting with Xiao Li.

“Biao-ge, don’t you think this kid is a bit… stubborn?”

Xiao Li didn’t think “Dadan” was a great name either, but he’d never seen a child this defiant over something like a name.

Ji Chenbiao looked down at the boy, the corners of his lips curving up as he replied:

“Just a bit? Honestly, I think it’s a good sign. At least he’s not a fool.”

As long as the kid wasn’t mentally slow, it didn’t matter if there were other issues. Ji Chenbiao had already made up his mind when he agreed to take the child in—he was ready for whatever came.

Xiao Li fell silent. He couldn’t bring himself to answer. If it hadn’t been for his meddling, Biao-ge wouldn’t have this burden.

Hearing someone suggest he might be a fool made the little one clench his fists again in outrage.

“Okay, okay, our Dadan isn’t a fool.”

Ji Chenbiao casually coaxed him. After feeding him, he wiped the porridge from the corner of the child’s mouth. Just as he finished cleaning up, a tiny fist swung right at his face.

“Yo, trying to hit me now?”

Ji Chenbiao found it surprisingly amusing. It had been a long time, and there was a reason the villagers never brought up his sister in front of him—when Ji Chenbiao fought, he didn’t hold back.

Standing nearly 1.9 meters tall, built like a tank, even poachers would bolt at the sight of him.

But now here was this clearly still-nursing baby daring to take a swing at him.

Ji Chenbiao caught the small fist in his palm. It was so tiny he didn’t even dare to squeeze too hard, worried he might accidentally hurt the boy.

The little guy puffed up his cheeks in anger, not the least bit scared, even with his hand trapped in someone else’s grip.

He stared defiantly, and when he noticed Ji Chenbiao’s eyes on him, he even let out a loud “hmph.”

“Hmph again and I’ll pull out your teeth.”

“Ah—”

An’an opened his mouth as wide as he could, clearly inviting Ji Chenbiao to look.

Ji Chenbiao leaned in for a peek and saw nothing but a soft pink gumline—no sign of teeth.

Thinking back to his earlier threat, he suddenly felt like a complete clown.

“Alright, alright, I’ll wait until you grow some teeth first.”

As soon as the words were out, the kid clamped his mouth shut.

Poachers usually only came out at night, so daytime was relatively safe. If there was no shift rotation, they would all rest during the day to prepare for an all-nighter.

Now that there was a child involved, Ji Chenbiao felt uneasy. Xiao Li knew Biao-ge’s personality—either he wouldn’t take responsibility, or he’d take it seriously.

After a half-day’s rest, Xiao Li came over and took the child from Ji Chenbiao’s arms.

“Biao-ge, if you don’t sleep, how are you going to get through the night? Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him.”

That was one thing Ji Chenbiao didn’t worry about—Xiao Li was dependable in this kind of situation. Besides, other than objecting to the name “Dadan,” the kid was fairly well-behaved.

“Alright, I’m leaving him to you. If anything happens, just let me know—wake me up if you need to.”

After pulling an all-nighter and trekking up and down the mountain, even an iron man would be exhausted. Ji Chenbiao didn’t stand on ceremony—he handed the kid over and went straight into the room to sleep.

“Hey, Biao-ge, when our shift ends, what do you think about letting my wife take care of the kid for a bit?”

They had to keep watch for poachers at night. If they always had to divide their attention for the child, it could cost them their lives in a dangerous situation.

His wife was a good person—so long as this wasn’t some illegitimate child Biao-ge had on the side, she’d have no problem helping out for a while.

Xiao Li was thinking not just of Biao-ge’s safety, but his own too.

If he hadn’t told his wife he was coming up the mountain with Biao-ge to watch for poachers, she never would’ve agreed to let him come.

“Wouldn’t that be a bit of a bother for your wife?”

“Come on, we grew up together. You know what kind of person she is. Don’t be so polite.”

“Alright.”

After a moment of thought, Ji Chenbiao didn’t refuse. He made a mental note to buy a proper gift once he had some money to thank her.

Bringing the kid up here wasn’t ideal—not only was it inconvenient, but it wasn’t right either. The mountains were far colder than their village below.

Adults like them could barely manage, but a child this small might not be able to take it.

“Biao-ge, go get some rest. I’ll wake you when it’s time tonight.”

“Okay.”

The village chief sent food up the mountain every day—just enough for the two of them. They’d reheat it at mealtimes and manage.

This time, aside from the usual delivery, Xiao Li’s wife had also sent some radishes and sweet potatoes.

As Xiao Li held “Dadan” in his arms and saw the things his wife had brought, he felt a deep, indescribable sense of comfort.

He knew then that his wife truly cared about him. He had just casually mentioned that the nights up on the mountain were way too long, and that even after dinner he still often felt a little hungry.

The grain back home was barely enough to get by, yet his wife still managed to send so much up for him. It was obvious that some of it was meant to be shared with Biao-ge.

What did that mean? It meant that his wife cared about him—and even extended that care to his close brother.

In front of this stranger, An’an didn’t show much energy and slept the whole time.

When Xiao Li saw how well-behaved he was, he let out a huge sigh of relief. The stuff he said earlier in front of Ji-ge had actually been a bit of a bluff.

He really had no experience with kids. The reason he talked big was just to give Biao-ge peace of mind and convince him to leave the kid in his care.

Luckily, An’an was quiet and didn’t fuss, just kept sleeping. At one point, he turned red in the face, softly whining—clearly holding it in—so Xiao Li took him a short distance away to take care of business. He didn’t even dirty the fresh clothes they’d just changed into.

On the mountain, it got dark very early. As soon as the sun began to set, Xiao Li woke Biao-ge and heated up their dinner.

Ji Chenbiao held An’an—who had also just woken up—and was warming up some rice noodles for him. Thankfully, the village chief’s wife had helped out and knew what kinds of food a kid that age could eat.

If he’d been on his own, he would’ve been completely overwhelmed.

They got one meal per person each day, brought up the mountain, and each portion had to be heated separately.

As soon as Xiao Li made sure the food was warm, he eagerly moved in to eat. Ji Chenbiao, however, was still feeding the little guy. Who knew how long the kid had gone hungry before? Every time he took a bite, he’d immediately open his mouth again for the next—like a little bird begging to be fed.

Only after the little one let out a satisfied burp did Ji Chenbiao hand him over to Xiao Li and finally sit down to eat.

Under current conditions, there really weren’t any fancy dishes. Even the food the village sent up was basic. Just having something to fill your stomach was what made this job appealing.

Ji Chenbiao wasn’t picky—he ate quickly, then cleaned out the food containers and set them aside.

Whoever brought food up the next day would take the containers back down with them.

Since coming up the mountain, Xiao Li had been silently praying every night that everything would go smoothly. As long as they didn’t run into poachers, they’d be fine.

The ones just trying to make a quick buck and didn’t have much gear weren’t too bad. They usually just had to show up and scare them off.

The hard ones were the repeat offenders. Those guys were wary and had countermeasures prepared.

The most dangerous were the ones with guns.

That wasn’t like some petty scuffle anymore. A lot of people in the village had died because of that.

The closer it got to the end of the year, the more frequent these incidents became. Xiao Li went to bed nervous every single night.

“Don’t worry. I’m here,” Ji Chenbiao said.

He didn’t say anything flowery, but his calm attitude was incredibly reassuring.

“I know, Biao-ge.”

That night, An’an—who had napped all afternoon like Ji Chenbiao—couldn’t sleep at first. He sat in Ji Chenbiao’s lap with wide eyes, curiously looking around.

The medicine given by Lao Wu’s nephew worked well—his fever had gone down, and he had much more energy.

Ji Chenbiao held his little hand, thinking this kid was probably still hung up on him calling him “Dadan” earlier. Who would’ve thought a kid that small could hold a grudge?

“If you’re still upset about that, you can hit me on the hand,” he offered.

The little guy, who’d just been dozing off, suddenly perked up at that. Seeing the way he lit up, Ji Chenbiao couldn’t help but chuckle.

The kid looked at him with doubt and hesitation—this was the same man who’d scolded him before, now saying he could hit him?

“Don’t want to hit me? If not, then forget it,” Ji Chenbiao teased.

An’an reached out and gently touched his hand. Ji Chenbiao had been through a lot—his palms were covered in thick calluses.

Back when Ji Chenbiao had playfully teased him, it had tickled. Now, even touching him gently made An’an feel the same.

“Yah,” An’an yelped and quickly withdrew his hand, tucking it into his clothes. He knew it—this man wasn’t as nice as he looked.

Ji Chenbiao’s plan fell through. Seeing the little guy acting all wary, he laughed and ruffled his hair.

“Hey, at least you know better. Smart kid—as long as you’re not a fool, it’s all good.”

For Ji Chenbiao, he still had revenge to take for his sister. He couldn’t afford to have a mentally slow child around.

Taking care of a child with special needs would take too much time and energy, and he wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else.

Hearing the word “fool” again, An’an snorted softly and turned his head away.

Near the end of the year, there were always poachers coming through—whether well-equipped or not, they could usually catch something.

The night before they found this kid, they’d run into one. But strangely, for the next two or three days, everything was quiet.

Even on the night they rotated shifts, it was just a normal patrol—no sign of poachers at all.

Xiao Li even started wondering if maybe the poachers had a change of heart and decided to go straight.

Lao Wu didn’t believe a word of that. Most of the scars on his body came from this time of year. The closer it got to New Year’s, the bolder those people became.

“Ji Chenbiao, are you seriously planning to raise that kid?”

When Ji Chenbiao brought the kid down the mountain to look for medicine, Lao Wu hadn’t thought much of it. He just assumed they’d found an abandoned child and couldn’t bear to leave him to die.

But then he heard from the village chief that Ji Chenbiao actually planned to raise the child.

“Yeah. I never planned on getting married anyway. Picking up a son like this to raise isn’t bad. The village chief said when I go to register the kid’s household, I should take him to the hospital for a checkup too.”

“As long as there’s no serious problem, it’s all fine.”

Lao Wu didn’t react at all to that answer. He’d said it before—if a kid was really perfectly healthy, only truly insane parents would abandon him.

“You guys go rest. We’ll take it from here.”

“Alright.”

The path down the mountain wasn’t easy, but since they weren’t in a rush to get home this time, they walked steadily, step by step, and didn’t stumble like they had that other night.

The wind here wasn’t strong, but it was bitterly cold. Every gust felt like it could split open your skin.

An’an was bundled up tight. No matter how curious he was about the outside world, there was no way he could peek out.

Under the absolute suppression of power, little An’an didn’t have the slightest ability to resist.

After returning to the village, Ji Chenbiao went straight home. His family’s house was considered one of the better ones in the village. It had been built back when his younger sister was still around—at the time, he had money on hand and planned to build another after getting married, leaving this one for his sister.

So from afar, the house looked particularly refined and well-maintained.

Once they entered the village and the wind wasn’t as strong, Ji Chenbiao loosened the layers wrapped around An’an. His big eyes immediately started darting around curiously.

“Like what you see?”

Ji Chenbiao asked casually. An’an, who still had traces of memories from his past life, was honestly not very impressed. Even the place he’d been locked up before looked better than this.

But feeling the strength of the arms wrapped around him, he quietly nodded.

“Yah~”

“This rundown place… only our big, dumb Ji would think it’s worth being satisfied with.”

Little An’an, who had just been comforting himself moments ago, was instantly unhappy upon hearing this and wriggled back into the army coat wrapped around him.

In five days, Ji Chenbiao would have to return to the mountains to keep watch for poachers. So the village head planned to take him into town the very next day to settle the child’s household registration.

The village head could barely be called educated. Most folks in the village didn’t care much about such things.

Ji Chenbiao hadn’t been in a rush either, but the village head warned that if they delayed, the hospital staff would go on break soon. If they wanted to get the child properly examined, they needed to act fast.

Ji Chenbiao had already made up his mind before bringing An’an home. No matter what illness the child might have, he’d raise him—as long as he wasn’t completely brainless, it was fine.

Still, he was curious to know what condition the child might have.

So Ji Chenbiao took An’an and followed the village head to the county seat. First, they went to the hospital for a check-up, and were told it would take a few days for the results to come out.

“Shall we go register the household in the meantime?”

If they wanted to know the results later, someone else could bring them back—they didn’t have to make another trip themselves.

“You’re not going to wait for the results first? What if there really is something wrong with the child? It could cost a lot to treat. Ji Chenbiao, don’t be reckless about this.”

If he really wanted to raise a child, he could’ve adopted a perfectly healthy one from someone else’s home.

“No matter what condition he has, I’ll raise him.”

Ji Chenbiao held An’an’s little hand and said this to the village head. The fact that the child had come to him meant there was fate between them. No matter how bad the outcome was, he could accept it—there was no need to get hung up on the small stuff.

He wouldn’t abandon this child.

“You’ve thought it through?”

The village head didn’t agree with Ji Chenbiao’s decision. If something really happened, it would be difficult to deal with—he couldn’t let one of their own from the village walk into a trap.

But seeing how resolute Ji Chenbiao looked now, he knew the man had already made up his mind. No amount of persuasion would work, so he could only ask one final time.

“Yeah, I’ve thought it through.”

“Alright then, let’s go.”

At this time, the procedures were fairly easy to handle—especially with the village head there—so things were done quickly.

When Ji Chenbiao went to register the household, he had the village head hold the child for him. On the form, he only wrote the name Ji An.

“Dadan” was just a nickname he used privately. The little guy was already showing signs that he didn’t like it. If Ji Chenbiao insisted on putting that name on the official record, the kid might really fight him over it when he grew up.

On the way back, An’an smelled the delicious scent of meat buns from a roadside stall. He inhaled deeply and swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Noticing the movement, Ji Chenbiao lowered his voice and asked:

“Wanna eat?”

“Yah~”

The smell kept drifting into his nose, and he was drooling uncontrollably—of course An’an wanted one.

Seeing how greedy the little guy looked, Ji Chenbiao went over and bought three buns—one for himself, one for the village head, and one for An’an.

This small expense was still manageable for him. Normally, he would’ve been too frugal to buy it for himself, saving every cent in hopes of visiting Haicheng someday.

But now that he had a kid at home, spending on the child felt just like how he used to spend on his sister—he didn’t feel the least bit reluctant.

The meat bun was still a little hot, but An’an refused to let go. He took a bite and happily nibbled away.

Ji Chenbiao squatted by the roadside with him in his arms, planning to finish eating before they continued. Otherwise, the buns would get cold.

“Eat more, grow up quick. Once you’re grown, you can be my little servant.”

The little guy, joyfully munching on his bun, suddenly felt like the bun didn’t taste so great anymore after hearing that. He glared fiercely at Ji Chenbiao and kept eating.

His teeth had just started to come in—not very noticeable unless you looked closely.

After the bun got cold, Ji Chenbiao worried it would upset An’an’s stomach, so he put it aside, planning to reheat it at home.

They walked the whole way back. It was so cold and the journey so long that the village head couldn’t help but speak a few extra words to Ji Chenbiao.

“If you really want to settle down and live well, then listen to some advice from your uncle.”

“Xiao Mei’s been gone for years. Even if you still want to find out the truth, it’s not easy at this point.”

“And honestly, if Xiao Mei’s spirit is watching you from above and sees you like this, do you think she’d be happy?”

Ji Chenbiao, knowing the village head had always looked after him, didn’t argue back—but he didn’t agree either. His silence was enough to show where he stood.

Of course he knew that if Xiao Mei knew, she’d be the last person who’d want him doing all this.

But what he knew even more clearly was—if he didn’t clear her name, then in the eyes of others, Xiao Mei would always be that homewrecker, that shameless slut.

She was his sister. He’d watched her grow up.

“Now you’re planning to raise a child, right? Even if the kid has some issues, he’s still a good-looking one. When he grows up, he could even get by with good looks alone.”

“You… maybe it’s time to let that matter go.”

“Even with a child in tow, it wouldn’t be hard for someone like you to find a wife.”

The village head wasn’t young anymore, and old folks tended to nag. Ji Chenbiao understood.

“Village Chief, since you’ve already said this much, I won’t hide it from you anymore.”

“That matter… yes, it’s been a long time. But I just can’t let it go. My sister was such a good girl—how could she possibly do something like break up someone’s marriage?”

“If something like that had really happened, I wouldn’t wait for others to deal with it. I’d have slapped her across the face myself!”

The village chief also knew that Xiaomei couldn’t be the kind of person who would deliberately destroy someone else’s family, but he didn’t want to believe that she had done absolutely nothing either. If she really hadn’t done anything, how could she have ended up losing her life?

They had provoked someone far beyond their ability to deal with. If they didn’t let this matter go and kept obsessing over it for the rest of their lives, who knew when there would ever be an end to it?

As for who was right and who was wrong back then, so much time had passed that it was impossible to tell anymore.

“The living are always more important than the dead, right?”

The village chief knew he couldn’t persuade him, so he simply left him with that one sentence.

Ji Chenbiao didn’t respond. The village chief didn’t bring up anything else either. Only the sound of the wind mixed with snow remained in their ears.

To most people, of course the living were more important.

But to him, his sister’s innocence and justice were more important than even his own life.

He didn’t know how long they had been walking, but eventually the village they both recognized appeared in the distance.

When they reached the village entrance, the village chief glanced at Ji Chenbiao, then at the child he was holding in his arms, and took the initiative to say:

“If there really is something wrong with this child, once the results come out and you decide you don’t want to raise him, give him to me—I’ll figure something out.”

The village chief had practically watched these two siblings grow up and couldn’t bear to see Ji Chenbiao stuck in the past, unable to move on.

But after realizing just how resolute Ji Chenbiao was on this matter, he didn’t try to change his mind anymore. Instead, he chose to help from another angle.

“Village Chief, if it’s about this matter, then you don’t need to say anything more. No matter what problems this child might have, I’ve already decided to raise him.”

This little guy was still young, and Ji Chenbiao wasn’t worried he could understand what was being said. If he actually could, Ji Chenbiao would probably be a little embarrassed.

Since there was no one else at the village entrance, he just went ahead and said what was on his mind.

“As long as he’s not an idiot, when I’m old and dead one day, he’ll be the one to perform my funeral rites.”

If the only purpose of raising this child he’d picked up was for that, even the village chief figured it wasn’t too bad.

“You’ve already made up your mind, so I won’t repeat myself. I just hope you remember that no matter what happens, your own safety is the most important.”

“The road’s slippery, Village Chief. You be careful too.”

“Don’t worry about me.”

After Ji Chenbiao returned home, he saw that the child had fallen asleep again. Smiling, he lowered his voice and said “lazy pig,” then laid the child down on the bed and tucked him in.

At this age, kids sleep a lot—he understood that.

There wasn’t much in Ji Chenbiao’s house, and even with the New Year approaching, nothing changed.

After all, he always spent the New Year alone. Quite a few friends had invited him to spend the holiday with them if he had nowhere else to go.

But Ji Chenbiao just couldn’t do that. How could an outsider join a happy family reunion?

Besides, he’d spent last New Year up on the mountain. No matter how much the village chief offered in pay, no one wanted to be up there on New Year’s Eve.

Ji Chenbiao was the exception. Ever since his sister passed, the holiday had lost all meaning for him.

Without a reunion, what kind of New Year was it?

Whether he was at home or on the mountain, it was all the same—he was alone either way.

As he prepared dinner, he thought about his sister.

By the time the food was ready, night had completely fallen.

While cooking, he hadn’t forgotten to reheat the half-eaten bun for the little guy. Back when they were on the street, he’d noticed the kid was drooling a lot as he gnawed on it.

A bun that had already been half-eaten—other than the kid himself, Ji Chenbiao definitely wouldn’t take a bite.

He went into the room and gently woke the child. The boy didn’t cry or fuss after being disturbed—he just rubbed his sleepy eyes with the back of his hand.

“Ya.”

“You still feel like eating the bun you left half-finished earlier?”

“Ya~”

It had been freezing outside, and An’an had gnawed on the bun for ages without getting to the meat inside, since he didn’t have teeth yet.

Even in his dreams that afternoon, he was thinking about eating a meat bun.

He had thought the bun would be gone once they got home, but to his surprise, it was still there. His eyes immediately lit up.

Ji Chenbiao didn’t know what the kid could or couldn’t eat. As long as it was something he himself could swallow, he set it out in front of the boy.

The little guy kept glancing around with his small, greedy eyes. Seeing that look, Ji Chenbiao had no doubt that if the kid were older and had a full set of teeth, he’d be trying to eat everything on the table.

“You’re still too young—there’s a lot of stuff here you can’t eat yet.”

An’an silently took a bite of the meat bun and replied with a half-hearted “mm.” Of course he knew he couldn’t eat the rest, so he just pretended the meat bun in his hand was all those other things.

He’d eaten the same bun at lunch and was eating it again at dinner, yet somehow wasn’t sick of it.

Ji Chenbiao looked like he was slightly disgusted by this, but deep down, he let out a huge sigh of relief.

Not being picky was actually a good thing—it made raising him easier.

“You’ve eaten so much of my food—hurry up and grow, will you?”

An’an saw the look in his eyes and knew he was definitely up to something again. He rolled his eyes quietly.

Like that was something he could control.

“Since you’re still small, I’ll wash your bowl for now. But when you grow up, you better wash them for me, you hear?”

As he cleaned up the dishes, Ji Chenbiao said those words. Most things didn’t bother him, but washing up was one thing he really hated.

After stacking the bowls together and getting ready to take them to the kitchen, Ji Chenbiao glanced at the little guy.

The child who’d just been happily chewing on a bun had now closed his eyes.

There was no way he could’ve fallen asleep that fast—Ji Chenbiao didn’t buy it.

He’d rather believe the kid was pretending not to have heard that last sentence.

But honestly, this wasn’t bad. At least it meant he’d heard it.

Ji Chenbiao had no experience raising children and wasn’t sure if the kid’s behavior was unusually clever for his age.

As for An’an, he had no idea what a “normal” child was supposed to be like—he was confused about everything himself.

After tidying up the kitchen, Ji Chenbiao came back to find the boy, who had been pretending to sleep, had actually drifted off this time.

Ever since winter started, he had mostly been up on the mountain keeping watch for poachers. Staying up late had become a habit.

Even back at home now, he still couldn’t bring himself to sleep early.

After washing up, he simply sat by the bed and stared carefully at the little guy.

Of all the children he’d seen over the years, this one in front of him was easily the best-looking.

Back when he’d promised the village chief that he wouldn’t abandon this child, it wasn’t out of pure selflessness like the chief had thought—he had his own selfish reasons too.

Helping his sister clear her name had been a long and difficult journey. Years had already passed, and he still hadn’t even saved up enough money.

Ji Chenbiao wasn’t sure—if things kept going this way—whether he’d eventually give up.

Every time such a thought surfaced, all the memories he shared with his sister would flash vividly before his eyes again.

People need something to hold onto in life—something to look forward to.

Aside from avenging his sister, he needed another reason to keep moving forward.

And this child he’d picked up by chance just happened to fulfill that need.

After changing the kid’s clothes that day, he’d set the old ones aside—and now he’d brought them home too.

Since he couldn’t fall asleep anyway, and it wasn’t all that late yet, Ji Chenbiao figured he might as well sort the clothes out.

At the very least, they were the only clues the child’s birth parents had left behind before abandoning him. One day, when the child grew up, if he ever wanted to find answers, it might help.

While sorting through the clothes, something suddenly fell out of one of the pockets—a stone, about the size of a palm.

At first glance, it seemed perfectly ordinary. But holding it, he could feel it had some weight to it.

Ji Chenbiao had been wondering why the kid’s clothes felt so heavy. He hadn’t expected it was because a rock had been stuffed in the pocket.

That a stone this size had remained unnoticed—and hadn’t been lost—was oddly surprising.

He stared at it for a long time. No matter how he looked, it seemed like the most unremarkable stone in the world.

Having lived here for so many years, Ji Chenbiao was inclined to believe what Xiao Li had said: the child was probably carried over by some unknown animal.

After spending so much time in the mountains and dealing with animals, Ji Chenbiao genuinely felt that many animals were far kinder than people.

The fact that the stone was still around after everything—that in itself felt like fate between him and the kid.

He stored the stone in a cabinet, then set the clothes aside too, planning to wash them the next day.

After finishing all this, Ji Chenbiao finally started feeling a little sleepy. He got into bed, lifted the blanket, and prepared to sleep.

He’d been living alone for so many years that it had become second nature. Now, with a little one suddenly sharing his bed, even though he’d had a few days to adjust, he still felt awkward.

Ji Chenbiao was uncomfortable, but An’an slept soundly—so soundly, in fact, that he didn’t stir until hunger woke him the next morning.

Ji Chenbiao didn’t usually wake up early. After all, he lived alone, so no one would ever scold him no matter what time he got up. Eventually, it had become a bad habit.

But this morning, he was woken up by a tiny hand pushing at him. Before he even opened his eyes, a childish, babbling voice was already fussing right next to his ear.

“Yiya… waaah… oyaa…”

One sound after another, loud and insistent—Ji Chenbiao almost wanted to throw the noisy culprit out of bed.

But before he acted on the impulse, his returning reason reminded him that he wasn’t alone anymore. There was a kid in the house now—a child he had picked up.

Sure enough, when he opened his eyes, the child was right there, looking up at him with eyes like grapes.

“What’s wrong? Why are you up so early?”

When An’an heard him say that, he let out a soft huff. He might not have realized it himself, but his stomach had been growling for quite a while already.

“Oh? Hungry, huh? If you’re hungry, why didn’t you go make breakfast yourself and then wake me up?”

Ji Chenbiao really didn’t want to get out of bed—warm blankets in winter were just too hard to leave. So he tried to stall a bit by chatting with the kid.

An’an widened his eyes, glancing at himself and then staring at the man.

“Ya?”

“Mm, I’m talking about you, Dadan. Since you’re hungry, go make food yourself, okay? If you want to be brave, you can’t be selfish. And remember to make a portion for me too.”

An’an was so annoyed by that remark he started grinding his not-yet-grown teeth in frustration, but had no idea how to talk back.

Ji Chenbiao watched the little guy trembling slightly with anger and finally dropped the teasing tone, smiling as he gently patted the boy’s back.

“Alright, alright, I won’t say that again. Don’t be mad.”

He still wasn’t sure if the kid had any hidden health issues—if he accidentally made him dumb from anger, he really might have to take care of him for a lifetime.

“Hmph.”

An’an crossed his arms and turned his head away, clearly sulking. Ji Chenbiao didn’t tease him any further, and quickly threw off the covers and got out of bed to make breakfast for the little ancestor.

But before the meal was even ready, footsteps sounded outside.

“Ji Chenbiao, the hospital report is out.”