Exile

26

Hearing this little guy called his childhood friend 'dad', Zhang Su immediately looked at said childhood friend and his eyes were incredulous.

As far as he knew, his childhood friend had a fiancée in his childhood, but she had already broken the engagement with Su Qingbai.

The child looked less than a year old, but he's already very big. It's only a year and a half since Su Qingbai and Lou Jingyu broke their engagement. Unless Su Qingbai and Lou Jingyu broke their engagement and he found someone to enter the household immediately, he could have such a big son.

"Caicai, say Shushu1." Su Qingbai pointed to Zhang Su and said to Su Caicai.

Su Caicai had been calling Da for a few days. Su Qingbai was not satisfied yet. He always wanted his son to learn something else.

Su Caicai listened to his Dad, turned his head and saw another person, whom he had never seen before and immediately put aside the 'hehe' laughing look of his.

Su Qingbai watched his stiff small face sizing up this Zhang Su. He internally thought: as expected he and Jiang Mao are father and son. There was no limit for them to act coquettish and roll about in front of family but in front of outsiders, they put on airs.

In fact, how could Su Caicai, this little ass kid under one year old know to put on airs in front of people? He was just embarrassed to see strangers.

Su Qingbai forcefully urged this poor child, who could not yet call shushu, to call out shushu.

Su Caicai couldn't call, but Dad taught him to call. Su Caicai's small face was crumpled into wrinkled buns.

He was not even very good at calling Dad yet. He irritably sucked his finger. Being urged and coaxed by his Dad over and over again made him feel helpless. In the end, he really couldn't say anything, so he jumped out a word to Zhang Su, "Da!"

He could only call out Da.

Su Qingbai suddenly turned black.

Zhang Su turned blank by that call.

At this time, Su Lingchuan came back.

"Teacher..." Zhang Su was thrilled to meet Su Lingchuan. Despite being excited he had not forgotten his courtesy and bowed respectfully.

"Zhang Su?"

So far in his dire straits, Zhang Su was the only student to come to see him. Su Lingchuan was really happy.

Su Lingchuan asked Madam Su to cook a good dish and then talked with Zhang Su.

They inevitably talked about the situation in the capital city.

"The emperor is now sick in bed, and since March this year, the country has been supervised by Third Prince. It is said to be supervised by Third Prince but in truth..."

In truth it was Du Cheng, the current prime minister, was in charge of the country's affairs.

Su Lingchuan also guessed that. In the first place, he was framed and his family exiled to this town.

The teacher and student sighed together, they were feeling helpless.

"Third Prince has a general talent, and the reason why he can overwhelm the other princes is that, in addition to Du Cheng's support, a large part of the reason was Yue Wang with strong financial resources to support him."

At this point, Zhang Su took a complicated look at Su Qingbai. He wondered why Yue Wang, who was supposed to support Third Prince in the capital city, would appear in this town and be even familiar with Su Qingbai.

Su Qingbai stopped teasing Su Caicai and looked up at them. What did it have to do with his family's Jiang Mao?

Su Lingchuan, without knowing it, continued, "Although I have never met Yue Wang, I had heard that he has never been involved in the princes' fight for the throne. I don't know why he changed his mind and stood over to support Third Prince."

About these, the two people could make nothing of it.

So they put down Yue Wang's matter and talked about things in the capital city.

When Xu Qian's family was killed, Xu Qian escaped alone and followed Zhang Su to the border town.

Su Lingchuan felt very sad. Come to speak of it, Xu Qian's father and he were scholars and rare friends of similar interests and purposes. The affairs of the world were inconstant. He didn't expect that the old friend of many years would disappear like this.

"Why don't you bring Xu Qian since he comes to the border town with a target on his back?" Su Lingchuan said to Zhang Su, "My old friend has only one descendant, Xu Qian. You will pick him up with Qingbai tomorrow. Du Cheng's people won't find him in this remote town."

Zhang Su listened to Su Lingchuan's intention to take Xu Qian in, he was happy. He stood up and thanked him by raising clasped hands, and said, "I thanked teacher on behalf of Xu Qian."

Su Lingchuan waved his hand. "Old Xu and I have been friends for decades. I can't do much. I just hope Xu Qian can be safe and sound and pass down the heir of Xu's family."

Upon hearing that Su Qingbai glowered. He absolutely never expected that his father would take in Xu Qian.

Su Qingbai was very unhappy, but nobody paid any attention to his opinion. The next day Zhang Su did not need Su Qingbai's help and went to pick up Xu Qian in the early morning.

Yet, Su Lingchuan did not agree. He ran to the village and rented an oxcart. He had planned to let Su Qingbai go to rent. In the end, he ran in person.

Su Qingbai was watching Su Caicai at home.

When he was still a baby, he was a bit like Su Caicai. He basked in the sun in the yard with Su Caicai in his arms.

"Da, ahh ahh ahh~" Just sitting down, Su Caicai's butt twisted and struggling to come down to play by himself.

Su Qingbai had no choice but to hold him and kiss him on the lips. In the past, Su Caicai was not obedient. As soon as he was kissed, he giggled and became obedient.

This time, he was kissed by his father, but Su Caicai just perfunctory returned the kiss and still struggling to go down to play by himself.

Su Qingbai put down Su Caicai with a puzzled heart. He kind of had a son that has grown up and wants to go fly away by himself. He felt that he already been unfamiliar with him.

Su Qingbai suddenly thought of Jiang Mao.

Su Qingbai only coaxed still-a-baby Su Caicai and at this time, he was very obedient. Whether it was work or rest, he put Su Caicai in his basket at the side. Caicai was all alone and he was very well-behaved. If a person teased him, he would be grinning his toothless mouth for joy.

Su Caicai tossed about by himself for a while and became sleepy. Su Qingbai picked him up and put him on the heated brick bed. At present, it's hot. Su Qingbai was afraid he would be getting hot, so he just covered him with a thin blanket.

When Su Lingchuan came back, he said to Su Qingbai, "Xu Qian sleeps with you and Zhang Su sleeps with Su Huai."

Zhang Su was taller and could make do with Su Huai if he was with Su Qingbai... Plus Su Caicai, the tender little thing, was there, he feared it would be inconvenient.

Su Qingbai was reluctant, and Xu Qian was also reluctant. Only because he was at someone else's house, he was ashamed to say so.

Just like that, it was only Su Qingbai who was objecting. Su Lingchuan just looked at him and said nothing. Su Qingbai was stared at by his Laozi. After a few seconds, he backed down.

Footnotes
[叔叔shū shu = uncle] caicai actually called SQB Dad because, in Chinese, it was very easy for babies to say it. but you might find it very strange so I changed to Da instead