Gu Xinzhou was cooking in the kitchen when she heard her younger son's voice and hurried out of the kitchen, scooping McDull into her arms and whisking him into the kitchen.
After kissing McDull's little cheek, Gu Xinzhou said gently, "Your daddy hasn't slept for several days because of work, and he just fell asleep, so can we keep our voices down and not wake him up?"
McDull immediately covered his little mouth, widened his eyes, and nodded vigorously.
Gu Xinzhou smiled and patted his little head, "You'll have something to eat in a bit, Mommy made you steamed egg with minced meat."
It was a very homely dish, simply steamed eggs and minced meat mixed together for children to eat with rice.
As a child, Gu Xinzhou had lived with her grandparents in the countryside, where life was modest, but her grandparents would often make this dish to ensure her nutrition.
Gu Xinzhou always remembered this as the taste of home.
Abroad, she would make it for McDull too.
When she was younger, she hadn't thought much about it, but now that she had grown up, she understood that the habits and preferences people have in adulthood often reflect the shadows of their childhood.
Looking at the plump Little McDull, she was reminded of her own childhood.
And of course, she thought of George, who was still on a liquid diet.
McDull quietly kept her company.
To avoid disturbing daddy's rest, he spoke softly, circling around Gu Xinzhou, humming quietly, "I'm a little cutie, yi ya yi ya yo~ I'm a super little cutie, yi ya yi ya yo~ I'm a universal little cutie, yi ya yi ya yo~"
In the bedroom—
George saw Song Zhen's strange reaction and felt a sudden jolt of anxiety!
After seating himself, Song Zhen placed his hands nervously on his thighs, sat up straight, and cautiously looked at George, "Uh, a little friend has come over."
George asked, "Whose little friend?"
Song Zhen, "..."
In the face of George's childish manner, he didn't want to lie.
Because behind one lie, countless lies need to be fabricated, and the deceit towards George would only increase.
Silently, Song Zhen leaned forward, took George's little hand, and said softly, "It's Uncle and Aunt Zhouzhou's little friend."
George's pupils trembled visibly, and he fell silent.
The tense atmosphere made Song Zhen feel like the child's heart might be crying.
He saw George lower his head silently, and it was a while before he asked, "Uncle, how are my mom and dad doing now?"
Song Zhen, "..."
After three days of effort, the child had gone from asking about his mom and dad and his sister to not mentioning them at all.
But now, George had brought them up again.
Song Zhen moved a bit closer again and said gently, "George, Uncle has a story for you, would you like to hear it?"
Suddenly resistant, George pulled back his little arm, hid under the covers, and retreated, refusing to let Song Zhen touch him.
Tears streamed down, wetting the blanket in front of him, "I want to know where my mom and dad are. Even though they would hit me and scold me, they never abandoned me! Even when they had my little sister afterward and loved her more, they never abandoned me! As long as they don't abandon me, I'm not afraid of getting hurt!"
The poor little guy spoke in a pitiful tone, each word and phrase deeply stabbing Song Zhen's heart!
He was somewhat relieved that Gu Xinzhou was not here at this moment; otherwise, she would have been terribly upset!
Song Zhen did not dare to push the child too hard, so he backed off a bit, holding back his emotions and said gently, "George! Listen, Uncle and Aunt Zhouzhou will never abandon you, either! Not only will we not abandon you, but we will also not hit you! We will cherish you and take care of you, do you understand?"