Since Lin Kang had put it that way, what else could Xiu Ling say? Challenge his ability? Xiu Ling failed to see how that would ever end well so she wisely decided to hold her tongue. She went along with him.
Lin Kang had already given her enough leeway and she understood when already given an inch, it was often unwise to ask for a mile.
Xiu Ling planned to leave that night itself because if she traveled at night, it meant that she would arrive in the morning. This was a time-saver because since she was going to sleep anyway, why not sleep on the train?
As Xiu Ling packed her luggage, she still could not stop herself from worrying about the pair of father and son.
Reluctant to disturb Lin Kang, Xiu Ling jotted down the long list of precautions, things to pay attention to and emergency numbers in the form of a to-do list and left them in the kitchen. She told Lin Kang about it and her husband grunted half-heartedly as a response.
That was as good of a promise she was going to get out of Lin Kang.
After she finished packing her luggage, Xiu Ling went upstairs to Lin Xi's bedroom. She took out her phone to snap some pictures of her sleeping son. She wanted to get some candid shots of Lin Xi to share with her mother. Since she was unable to bring him with her in person, the least she could do was to get some pictures of him.
When Xiu Ling got enough in her photo album, she put her phone away. Right then, Lin Xi waved his hands about and giggled in his dream. Xiu Ling sat down beside his crib with a smile.
She whispered to him softly, "Lin Xi, mummy is going back to visit grandma for a few days so help me take care of your father when I am gone, okay?"
In pure stroke of coincidence, Lin Xi nodded. The movement of his head caused saliva to bubble out of his lips and trail down his chin.
Xiu Ling smiled before reaching in with a handkerchief to wipe the trail of saliva away. Then, she leaned down to plant a kiss on her son's chubby and flushed cheek.
When everything was ready, Xiu Ling asked the driver to send her to the train station. As she departed for her journey, she prayed that everything would fine when she returned.
...
Lin Kang woke up the next morning at the break of dawn. He stretched in bed and got down from bed to prepare for a new day. After his usual morning rituals, instead of putting on his professional suit and tie, Lin Kang opted for a set of casual outfit.
To be perfectly honest, the man was rather insulted yesterday night that his wife showed such little faith in his ability as a father. From the way Xiu Ling had acted, one would think Lin Kang could not be trusted to spend a free minute with his son unattended.
Therefore, Lin Kang had applied for a few off days from his company to be a stay-at-home father for a few days. This was not a luxury that was afforded most parents but since Lin Kang was the boss, he could do anything he wanted.
To be fair, Lin Kang was not needed at the company unless there was an important meeting or case. He had special people hired to handle the day to day operation of his companies. In other words, his absence would not be that big of a deal.
Lin Kang was determined to prove Xiu Ling wrong. He was going to ace this chore like how he had succeeded at everything else in life. He was going to take such good care of Lin Xi that Xiu Ling would have to apologize for having doubted him.
This need to prove Xiu Ling wrong and impress her though was a question that Lin Kang did not have enough self reflection to ask himself. After all, a lack of self-awareness was a trait common to most romance webnovels' male main characters.
When he was ready, Lin Kang exited his bedroom and walked into the bedroom next to his. It was Lin Xi's bedroom.
It was still early in the morning so his son was still soundly asleep. Looking at his son's angel-like face, he could not help but think the same thought that occurred to him yesterday night during dinner, 'How hard could this be? It is just taking care of a toddler.'
Lin Kang exited Lin Xi's bedroom and went down the stairs.
The house was unusually quiet. Normally, Xiu Ling would be awake already and in the kitchen, making breakfast. Lin Kang knew the place would be rather quiet without Xiu Ling but he did not expect radio silence. In his mind, at least the maids would be hustling about the place because that was how things were before Xiu Ling's arrival.
Then, it hit him... The keywords were, 'before Xiu Ling's arrival.'
After Xiu Ling's marriage into Lin family and Auntie Sun as well as Mrs. Xiu's departure, his mother had laid off most of the maids, citing since Xiu Ling had no actual job to attend to, she could be a full-time home-maker. According to his mother, this way Xiu Ling would not be too bored, feeling trapped inside the large house with nothing to do and they could save on the expenses used to hire the maids.
At the time, Lin Kang went along with what his mother had said because it was not something of importance to him. Now he realized how hectic Xiu Ling's daily workload must be.
As Lin Kang wandered into the kitchen, he was reminded of the to-do list Xiu Ling said she had left for him. He rummaged around the kitchen before locating the piece of paper. The first on the list was... to prepare breakfast for Lin Xi.