My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 118 Part 1

Chapter 118 Extra (4) Matters of the Big Family 

In the seventh month, the weather was gradually becoming brighter, and the daytime was getting longer.

The air was extremely hot.

Xiao Taohe was born in Yuchang and lived in Lin Village, which was surrounded by water on all sides. The temperature there was stable and mild in both winter and summer, unlike Tongzhou's significant temperature difference between winter and summer.

The summer months in Yuchang were far less hot than in Tongzhou.

In Xiao Taohe's first summer back, he was still somewhat unaccustomed and afraid of the heat.

Noticing the difference in the local weather, the little fellow changed his routine to have more time to play.

He got out of bed very early in the morning, at a time when the sun had not yet risen over the mountains, and the morning breeze was refreshing. He played kickball and waved his toy sword in the garden.

The weather was clear, making it the most comfortable time of the day.

By the time the sun grew strong and rose high, he would be tired from playing and would run back to the breezy hall for an afternoon nap.

This nap could last for an hour and a half.

The family couldn't help but feel that this little one had inherited both Ji Taoyu's sleepiness and Huo Shu's energy.

On this day, Huo Shu got up and went to Xiao Taohe's room. He encountered the little fellow just waking up, climbing out of the blankets with messy hair.

He sat in the middle of the quilt, rubbing his big eyes with their fine, dense black eyelashes, and gave a soft yawn. Just as he was about to call for the nanny who usually took care of him, he saw Huo Shu walking in.

"Father."

Xiao Taohe was still a bit dazed from sleep, his voice especially soft. As he called out, he stretched his arms towards Huo Shu, wanting to be held.

"Awake?"

Huo Shu picked up the little one, who was warm from sleep, and held him in his arms, gently smoothing his wrinkled clothes.

Xiao Taohe leaned limply against his father's chest, wrapped his arms around Huo Shu's neck, pressed his cheek against his neck, and closed his eyes again for a moment, still struggling to keep them open.

Huo Shu looked at the little one's fluttering eyelashes and sleepy face in his arms, it looked exactly like Ji Taoyu.

"Not fully awake? Do you want to sleep a bit more?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Taohe hugged Huo Shu even tighter: "No, want Father to hold me."

Huo Shu rested his chin against the little one's forehead. This child's temperament was very much like his little father's, he was especially clingy when not fully awake.

He responded with a smile: "Okay, Father will hold you."

So, holding the little one with one arm, he went to find clothes for him to wear.

Undergarments, outer robe, pants, little shoes...

He mentally listed the items as he found them one by one.

Getting the little one up and dressed was something he had only started doing this month. Before summer, the weather wasn't very warm. The little one, like his little father, was sensitive to both cold and heat. When it was cold, he couldn't bear to leave the warm bed and wouldn't get up. Huo Shu also had to report for duty at the military camp in the morning, so he hadn't had free time to get the little one up.

But starting this month, he no longer needed to report so early, he only had to go to the training ground by mid-morning, so he had much more time at home in the mornings.

Ji Taoyu could sleep until late morning without getting up. Although Huo Shu would have liked to stay in bed with his fulang longer, he simply couldn't stay in bed that long. So, he took on the important task of getting his son up and ready.

A servant brought in hot water. By then, Huo Shu had already become fairly proficient at correctly putting the small clothes onto the little one.

Seeing the hot water, he conveniently wrung out a towel and wiped Xiao Taohe's face and hands. Once the water touched him, and the warm cloth passed over his eyes, even the most stubborn sleepiness mostly fled.

"Father, horsey, giddy-up giddy-up."

Xiao Taohe, now awake, looked at his tall and imposing father and suddenly remembered what he wanted to do today.

"Didn't Second Uncle take you for giddy-up?"

As Huo Shu crouched down with the small shoes, Xiao Taohe cooperatively lifted his little foot high, making the task easier for his father.

"No."

Huo Shu glanced up at the little one, who was shaking his head so vigorously it resembled a rattle drum. He murmured, more to himself than to the child, "The pasture has ponies. Why wouldn't your Second Uncle have taken you to see them?"

He didn't really expect the little one to know, but to his surprise, Xiao Taohe said very seriously: "Second Uncle said he needs to find a Second Aunt. Giddy-up later."

Huo Shu's brow twitched: "Your second uncle really said that?"

Xiao Taohe nodded his head emphatically: "Yes. Last night when he came back with candy, he said that too."

Huo Shu's brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed. He scooped up Xiao Taohe: "Your second uncle is not young anymore. If he can really find a second aunt himself, that would save everyone worry."

"Come on, Your second uncle has his own things to busy himself with. Father will take you for giddy-up."

"Yay, yay!"

Xiao Taohe clapped his hands happily in Huo Shu's arms.

Huo Shu went to the stables, led out a gentle horse, and mounted it with the little one in his arms.

He placed Xiao Taohe in front of him, holding the reins with one hand and carefully holding the child with the other.

"Are you scared?"

He didn't urge the horse forward yet, but first looked down to check the little one's expression.

It wasn't just children who were cautious, even many adults in Tongzhou were wary of such large animals. Horse was less common and less docile than the familiar cattle and sheep, and a hint of their innate wildness always remained, making people somewhat fearful.

Xiao Taohe was just over two years old, not yet three. Moreover, he looked like Ji Taoyu, with a well-behaved appearance. Strangers who first saw this child often mistook him for a little ger. Huo Shu also thought he had a timid and quiet nature.