*Flashback Continued*
"Brother Long!" Xiao Zhi’er kept calling Xia Longwei but the latter was lost in his own thoughts. When she finally managed to catch up with him, she held his arm. "Brother Long, are you still upset with me?"
Xia Longwei looked at her and his dazed eyed found their focus back. "Why? Should I actually throw a party that our Zhi’er is throwing her own life away for an unborn child?"
Xiao Zhi’er seemed aggrieved to hear his harsh words, "Can’t you be a bit nice to me?"
"I can either be honest or nice. And being the head of my clan, I prefer being honest." That overbearing tone and straightforward words were just like him and Xiao Zhi’er didn’t mind it all. She was familiar with his nature.
She sighed out, "No wonder Ru is just like you. Even at this age, she has your sharp tongue. Why do you both even think alike?"
"Because Ru is my son," he replied with a prideful look on his face.
"Is she?" Xiao Zhi’er retorted but her eyes widened as she realized what she just said. She looked at glowering Xia Longwei and tried to placate the situation, "Brother Long, I mean she can’t be a son. Even though you raised her like one. But Ru is still a girl."
Xia Longwei took a long breath and said, "Zhi’er, I never questioned your decisions. But I have always treated you like my own sister. Are you willing to give up on your two sons for this unborn child?"
"I’m not giving up on anyone. Brother Long, there is still a ten percent chance that both I and my baby will be absolutely fine." She replied caressing her protruding belly with an affectionate look in her eyes. "You’re the one who taught me that light at the end of the tunnel is better than no light at all. Then how can you not believe in this little hope of ten percent?"
"Mum!" Xiao Zhiren ran up to her side and clung to her.
"Renren, greet your uncle. He is mum’s best brother."
Xiao Zhiren hesitantly bowed and said, "Xiao Zhiren pays respects to uncle."
Xia Longwei looked at him with a profound look and was only jolted awake from his thoughts when he heard his most favorite sound in the world, "Papa!" He turned around and saw his Ru running towards him. Her breathing was uneven when she stopped right in front of him. Cupping her fist, she said, "Ru greets father."
Xia Longwei kneeled right before her and said, "This greeting was a bit bland. Seems like our Ru didn’t miss father as much father missed Ru."
Ru wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "Ru missed papa. More than Ru can put in words."
Xia Longwei rubbed her head and kissed her head like always. Before standing up and extending his hand towards her. Ru placed her hand in his and he said, "Let’s go then. Father is gonna buy everything for his Ru." Ru nodded and walked right by his side. "I heard my Ru didn’t try the steamboat. Shall we go there first?"
"Yes, absolutely!" Ru replied excitedly.
Later while picking the food for her, Xia Longwei started, "Ru!"
"Hmm..."
"What’s most precious to you?" He asked.
"You," Ru answered without missing a beat.
He shook his head at her and flicked her forehead, "I am asking about a thing. Any material thing that you always keep by your side."
"Oh..." Ru nodded her head in realization and pulled off the pendant from around her neck saying, "This. I always keep this with me. As papa once said, this pendant is the answer to my existence. So, I always keep it by my side."
Xia Longweir passed that red thread to her and said, "Then keep this thread with the pendant. Don’t ever lose it."
"What is this for?" She asked blinking her eyes at him in confusion.
"This is a promise. And my Ru does know how we Xia men take our promises very seriously."
"We do," she replied with conviction.
He rubbed her head and said, "Then keep this promise for father. Although it’s a promise of a lifetime, I’m not certain if it’s good for you or not."
"If father wants me to keep this, Ru will protect it with life," was her answer.
"I know you will. But I don’t know why I’m scared of that." He mumbled more to himself but Ru heard his words clearly. However, she couldn’t comprehend his meaning. "Aish! That Xiuying ruined my mood with his destiny talk."
Steward Shin chuckled out softly at his remark but noticing two pairs of eyes on him, he stopped himself. "Apologies Master."
"Leave the apology. I don’t need it. It’s not like we can eat it." Xia Longwei’s words made Steward Shin smile again. "Why did you laugh, Shin?"
"Because..." he looked between Ru and Xia Longwei before saying, "Master and Young Master are really one of a kind. Seeing you both anyone will say, like father like son."
"Isn’t that supposed to be this way? Ru is my son, he should be like me." Xia Longwei replied and Ru nodded along enthusiastically. Turning to her, he said, "That boy from earlier, I heard he is your good friend."
Ru snorted, "No way. How can Young Master Ru even like someone like him? He is such a little weakling and crybaby. He even tattletale on me. That Xiuying made me work because of him again." Looking at her father, she even added, "I was not even at fault."
"Young Master, you threw him in the well," Steward Shin reminded her out of goodness of his heart,
"So what?"
"So what?"
Both Ru and Xia Longwei asked simulataneously as they looked at him with the same expressions. Steward Shin was left speechless. Definitely, there was no one who could win between Ru and her father.
When Ru related the whole incident to her father in detail, instead of rebuking her, he praised her saying, "As expected of my Ru. There was nothing wrong with what you did. How can he even mess with my Ru’s candied haws?"
"Master, Zhiren could have died," Steward Shin again pointed out even though he knew it would be of no use.
"But he didn’t die. Did he? My Ru saved him as well. Also, what kind of an eleven-year-old doesn’t even know how to swim?" Xia Longwei was all the way Team Ru. There was no way he was gonna let anyone else lecture his Ru.
His Ru already had it tough within Shadowwick State, how could he let her be wronged outside of his state?
*End of Flashback*
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