OFTLHFRO C119

Chapter 119: Fish Soup Noodles on New Year’s Day

Seeing that his husband was on the verge of getting angry, Huo Yan finally stopped teasing him and said, “I’ll have Xiaohui come over. Remember to prepare the red envelopes.”

“Fine then.”

Stretching lazily, Luo Mingchen was pulled up like a radish by Huo Yan.

Indeed, a comfortable life made one grow slack.

The three children’s red envelopes were the same, ten coins each.

Red envelopes were only for the sake of good fortune. Giving too much was no good—it was easy to lose.

A string of ten coins weighed solidly in the hand.

Watching Luo Mingchen prepare the red envelopes, Huo Yan said, “Today is the first day of the New Year. We must be happy.”

“I’m happy every day,” Luo Mingchen replied carelessly.

Huo Yan gave him a meaningful look. “Mn.”

That look…

Luo Mingchen had a bad premonition. “Do you have something you want to say to me?”

“No.”

After washing up, Luo Mingchen was all smiles when he saw Huo Yuhui coming to pay New Year’s respects.

Until Huo Yuhui finished his bow, knelt on the ground, and said: “Little Daddy, in truth yesterday I deliberately provoked Uncle Huo Xu into pushing me into the lake. The red cord of the pendant—I secretly frayed it myself.”

“What?”

Luo Mingchen couldn’t comprehend his thinking. “And what exactly did you hope to gain by doing that?”

Huo Yuhui confessed honestly, “I saw they were unwilling to let us leave, so I thought of finding an excuse.”

“…By using your own life as an excuse?”

For a moment, Luo Mingchen didn’t even know what to say.

Huo Yuhui’s voice grew even lower. “Little Daddy, I’m sorry. I lied to you.”

Feeling a jumble of emotions, Luo Mingchen looked toward Huo Yan. No wonder he had said on New Year’s morning that they must be happy.

But rather than anger, what Luo Mingchen felt was helplessness and heartache.

Pulling the child up, he didn’t want to raise him into someone excessively rigid and incapable of flexibility. Only…

“You can scheme against bad people, but you must not harm yourself, understand? They’re not worth it. If I had been a step late, what would’ve happened if you really drowned in that lake?”

Luo Mingchen didn’t even dare imagine it—that this idea had been his own child’s.

Hearing these words, Huo Yuhui froze. His vision blurred, and he answered with a choked voice, “Mm.”

Originally Luo Mingchen had wanted to say more, but seeing this usually steady child crying, he swallowed down the harsher words, sighed softly, and squeezed his shoulder.

“When your father and I say those things in front of you, it isn’t because we want you to do something—it’s because we don’t want to hide family matters from you. Even without your stunt, we would still have left. Those people cannot defeat us. There are also many more complicated matters, such as Huo Yuntao wanting your father to hold the frontier for him. These are our bargaining chips, do you understand?”

Sniffling, Huo Yuhui nodded. “I understand.”

In moments like this, Luo Mingchen felt that he truly was Huo Xiang’s older brother—the way they admitted mistakes was the same: listless, heads drooping, with the same little gestures.

Amused, Luo Mingchen handed him the red envelope. “Remember, we do all this not only for you, but nothing is more important than your safety.”

Clutching the red envelope, Huo Yuhui couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears welled up again as he hugged Luo Mingchen tightly. “Little Daddy, I’m sorry…”

Luo Mingchen held him close and gently patted his back.

After all, he was only thirteen—a child forced to act mature since young.

If one had someone to rely on, who would want to put on the guise of an adult, worrying day after day about endless matters?

“Daddy! Little Daddy! Yueyue and I are here to pay New Year’s respects!”

Huo Xiang’s loud voice shattered the heavy atmosphere into pieces.

Taking a packet of tissues from his space, Luo Mingchen wiped Huo Yuhui’s face. “No more tears. If you cry on New Year’s Day, be careful or you’ll be a crybaby all year long.”

That line hit Huo Yuhui’s funny bone.

Now that his secret was out, the weight on him lessened greatly.

Huo Yan ushered the two outside children in.

Seeing Huo Yuhui, Huo Xiang exaggeratedly cried out: “Brother! You secretly came to pay New Year’s respects without calling us? Yueyue and I searched half the morning for you!”

Huo Xinyue nodded in agreement. “Brother stole the red envelope.”

Caught off guard, Huo Yuhui didn’t know what to do.

Laughing, Luo Mingchen said: “Enough, you two quickly come pay New Year’s respects, or there’ll be no red envelopes.”

So the siblings obediently stood in a row and bowed, saying: “Happy New Year! We wish Daddy and Little Daddy a lifetime of joy, and may you still be together in the next life!”

The couple: “…”

No need to guess—this blessing was obviously concocted by Huo Xiang.

Since he hadn’t slept with Huo Yuhui the previous night and couldn’t find him in the morning, naturally it was Huo Xiang who taught Huo Xinyue to say that.

Though inwardly exasperated, Luo Mingchen still handed out two red envelopes. “Here, one each. May you also be happy every day, and remember to study well.”

The siblings happily responded: “Thank you, Little Daddy!”

Though of course, Huo Xinyue still only called him “Daddy.”

After the greetings, Luo Mingchen asked: “So, what kind of noodles do you want today? Tomato and egg? Greens with minced pork? Or tofu fish soup noodles?”

He recalled there were still some crucian carp that hadn’t been cooked yet.

Huo Xiang swallowed hard. “I love them all. Whatever Little Daddy makes will be good.”

The others were the same.

After all, there was nothing Luo Mingchen made that they didn’t like.

Even the simplest tomato and egg noodles—the tomato sauce was unbelievably fragrant.

Since that was the case, Luo Mingchen decided on tofu fish soup noodles.

Crucian carp were full of tiny bones. He boiled them for soup, then scooped the fish out to the side—later they could pick out whatever meat was edible, and the rest could be discarded, so no one would choke on bones while eating noodles.

Just as Ziyuan was about to ask what they wanted for breakfast, she froze. “…”

In the end, each person received a steaming bowl of tofu fish soup noodles, leaving all five of them stunned.

This treatment was far too generous.

In Luo Mingchen’s eyes, he didn’t treat them as servants, but as hired bodyguards and caretakers. So eating together at the same table didn’t feel strange at all.

After breakfast, the couple led the three children on a tour of the new house.

Yesterday they had come in too much of a rush, and had only seen the kitchen, main hall, and the rear courtyard where they lived.

Here, however, there were lofts, pavilions, rockeries, and many winding corridors.

After walking most of it, the group explored the cleaned loft. Luo Mingchen asked Huo Yan: “Guess how much this house cost?”

Seeing his eager look, Huo Yan thought a moment and said, “Five thousand taels of silver?”

“They only charged three thousand.”

When looking at the floor plan, he hadn’t felt it was especially big, maybe twice the size of their home in Taohua Town. But after walking it now, he realized how much of a bargain it truly was.

Such a large estate, and in the bustling heart of the capital—it was practically a cabbage-price steal. And the hidden tunnel was already dug.

Huo Yan inclined his head slightly. “A very good deal.”

Content, Luo Mingchen said: “When we come back later, we can use that land over there for growing vegetables.”

“Good.”

No matter how long they stayed, they had both the deed of land and deed of house. And being in the imperial capital, even if they didn’t live here, it would be something fine to pass on to the three children.

He had thought New Year’s Day would be uneventful. Yet just after lunch, men from the General’s Mansion arrived with an eunuch surnamed Li, saying it was getting late and that Huo Yan must go inspect the troops.