OFTLHFRO C61

Chapter 61: Truly a Good Man

When Xiao Lin heard Luo Mingchen’s words, he felt especially stung. He thought to himself, did he really look like some corpse suddenly rising from the dead?

Complaints aside, Xiao Lin said gloomily, “Brother Huo, for the sake of our years working escorts together, could you give me some medicine?”

Huo Yan glanced at Luo Mingchen, who clearly looked half-asleep, and said to Xiao Lin, “Go to the guest room.”

“…Alright.”

He lit the oil lamp, driving away the darkness in the room.

Sitting on the chair, Xiao Lin let his eyes wander between Huo Yan and Luo Mingchen. Smiling, he said, “Brother Huo, how long has it been since we last met? You’ve actually gone and started a family?”

“Three months.”

As Huo Yan spoke, he set a medicine box on the table, opened it, and took out a bottle of wound medicine and a roll of bandages. “Take off your clothes.”

Hearing those words, Luo Mingchen looked at him.

Noticing his spouse’s gaze, Huo Yan softly explained, “I wasn’t talking about you.”

“Oh.”

Luo Mingchen gave a yawn, his face full of drowsiness.

It was the first time Xiao Lin had ever heard Huo Yan speak so gently to someone, and his expression looked as though he’d just seen a ghost.

Seeing that Xiao Lin’s wound was quite deep, Huo Yan turned to Luo Mingchen. “I’ll dress his wounds and come back later. You go rest first.”

Not thinking clearly, Luo Mingchen nodded. “Mm.”

Then just stood there motionless.

So Huo Yan had no choice but to walk him back to their room first.

When he returned, Xiao Lin had already sprinkled on the powder himself. The pain left his face pale, but he could not manage to wrap the bandage with only one good hand.

Huo Yan went over to help, and Xiao Lin grinned cheekily. “So, is he that spouse you mentioned before?”

“No.”

Xiao Lin thought it over. “That makes sense. Last time you said that person was timid. This one’s downright fierce.”

No sooner had he said it than he hissed in pain. “Be gentler, will you!”

After securing the bandage, Huo Yan asked, “How did you know I was living here?”

With his teeth bared in pain, Xiao Lin could tell Huo Yan had done it deliberately. “I didn’t know you were living here. I just didn’t know this house had been sold at all.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you know who used to live in this place?”

Xiao Lin, seeing Huo Yan look at him seriously, continued, “It used to belong to the Ding family—the one that offended a noble family in the capital, the ones who sold silk. The whole clan was wiped out. This house sat empty for five or six years, nobody dared to buy it. I used to sneak in and live here secretly.”

Then, acting as if he knew the place like home, he came in again but ran into Huo Yan instead. After only exchanging a few words, he had nearly been skewered through the head by Luo Mingchen.

Huo Yan frowned slightly. “I went to the county office and asked. They said nothing unusual had happened.”

“What unusual thing could there be? Do you really think people were afraid of ghosts? They were afraid of the ones who ordered the massacring of that family.”

At this, Xiao Lin sighed. “I had originally planned on finishing one last job and then buying this house with Hua Niang. But now you’ve beaten me to it.”

Still, there was nothing to be done, and Xiao Lin was only saying it casually.

Huo Yan asked him, “Aren’t you afraid of dragging Hua Niang into trouble with you?”

“The old man’s dead, and the rest of them are fighting over inheritance. Who has time to care about me? They’ve already stricken me from the family registry. I’ll just find somewhere safe to live with Hua Niang, a quiet life will be enough.”

Talking about it, Xiao Lin even looked rather cheerful, nothing at all like the son of a man who’d died.

“As long as you know what you’re doing.”

Huo Yan carried over a quilt and spread it out. “Sleep by yourself.”

Xiao Lin chuckled. “What are you saying? It’s not like I’d crawl into bed with you.”

Seeing he still had the spirit to joke, Huo Yan left without another glance.

When he returned to the bedroom, walking softly, he found Luo Mingchen lying with eyes half open, staring at him in a half-dream half-awake daze. Huo Yan paused in step, then helplessly reached out to gently stroke his face. “Why aren’t you asleep?”

Another yawn. “Can’t sleep. That person… is he still alive?”

“He’s alive.”

Huo Yan got into bed and pulled Luo Mingchen into his arms. “The wound runs a bit deep, so he may need to stay here a few days.”

But by the time he finished speaking, looking down into his embrace, the spouse who had said he couldn’t sleep had already fallen dead asleep.

Huo Yan: “…”

Was this another kind of dependence?

Thinking that, Huo Yan’s lips curved in the faintest smile, and he kissed Luo Mingchen lightly on the forehead.

By the time Luo Mingchen awoke naturally, stretching with a lazy yawn, he could faintly hear some sounds.

Coming out, he saw Huo Yan practicing spear techniques in the courtyard, while Huo Yuhui and Huo Xiang practiced boxing. At this hour, little Huo Xinyue was likely still asleep.

This father and his two sons really were quite disciplined…

Luo Mingchen went into the kitchen, planning to make some little wontons.

While his water tendrils pounded meat, he remembered something mid-roll with the dough, and called out from the doorway: “Did we gain another person in this house? He didn’t die, right?”

Huo Yan lowered his spear. “Still alive.”

“Oh.”

Luo Mingchen tossed in another piece of pork.

Before long, after returning the spear inside, Huo Yan came into the kitchen to tend the fire. “He might need to stay here a few days.”

“I know, didn’t you say that last night?”

“You heard?”

Luo Mingchen blinked. “Heard it, then fell asleep.”

“…You really do fall asleep fast.”

Strangely, Luo Mingchen picked up a hint of grievance in that tone. He laughed. “Can’t be helped. Two years of living like that—such habits don’t change easily.”

Because nowhere had been safe, he’d had to sleep quickly, and wake quickly too.

Luo Mingchen had just finished cooking a bowl of wontons when a sudden shout rang out.

Rushing out the door, he met Huo Xiang running toward him, panicked. “Little Daddy! Someone’s here!”

Thinking he must have run into Xiao Lin from last night, Luo Mingchen waved it off. “It’s fine…”

“Little Daddy! It’s not fine! He—he’s in Yueyue’s room!”

On the verge of tears, Huo Xiang clutched him and pulled him over.

Luo Mingchen had no choice but to follow.

Sure enough, it was Xiao Lin. His hair was a tangled mess, his clothing ragged, still streaked with dried blood. At his waist hung a short blade. In his arms was little Huo Xinyue, clearly having just finished crying, while he spoke to Huo Yuhui.

“I really am not a bad man.”

Luo Mingchen: “…”

Looking like that, who on earth wouldn’t think he was?

Huo Xiang was beside himself. “Let go of my sister! My Little Daddy is super powerful! He’ll beat you up good!”

Unable to help himself, Luo Mingchen patted the boy’s shoulder and stepped toward Xiao Lin. “Give me the child.”

The moment she saw Luo Mingchen, Huo Xinyue’s attention shifted away from Xiao Lin. She reached out with her little arms. “Daddy!”

Xiao Lin handed the child over.

Only when Luo Mingchen had her in his arms did Huo Yuhui finally relax enough to run over beside him, eyes still wary.

Xiao Lin tried explaining. “I got up and passed by the window, and saw this little girl about to climb down from her bed by herself. It was really high—what if she fell? So I was just going to help her down. But the moment I had her in my arms, she burst into tears. Then the two brothers rushed in, and started scolding me, saying I was a thief, a child-snatcher, and even a murderer…”

On this matter, Luo Mingchen had to stand with his children. “Brother, you should take a look at yourself in the mirror first. They didn’t know you came last night, and with you looking like this, of course they’d be scared.”

Xiao Lin, staring at himself in the mirror: “…”

Fine. He couldn’t blame the kids. He really did look a little too rough around the edges.