Liu Laoliu chuckled: "Aren't you a trainee immortal too?"
I yelled, "Bullshit! How could a greenhorn in the reserves beat a veteran?"
"Don't be afraid, he has no magic power left."
The reason I felt relaxed earlier was because I assumed that since Liu Laoliu and the others knew the problem, they would naturally step in and resolve it. I didn't expect that while they did step in, I'd still have to handle the actual resolution. This reminds me of that line from the song by Tang Sanzang: "I'll take the blame, you go and die—"
Liu Laoliu said seriously, "You are responsible for stalling him for a few days. Once we find this person, things will be much easier."
I grabbed him and said sternly, "What about my second month's salary? Let me tell you, I don't want anything else, just get me a pair of glasses or something. As for their function, of course, it should be able to tell at a glance what someone did in their past life. I can't work for someone while I'm blind, can I?"
Liu Laoliu immediately smiled obsequiously and said, "Yes, yes, I've thought of that too, and I've applied to the higher-ups. I estimate it will be approved soon."
I reluctantly let go of him, waved my hand and said, "Get lost, just looking at you annoys me. I'm leaving too."
This time it was Liu Laoliu's turn to pull me. He pointed to the ground below and said, "Take your little client with you. He'll be your son from now on."
I had almost forgotten about it. Looking down, I saw little Cao Chong staring at me with his big, blinking eyes. I couldn't help but sigh, "He's such a young child, he can't possibly accomplish much in a year. Can't you make an exception and send him back to his biological father?"
Liu Laoliu said, "This Xiao Cao's situation is a bit special. His lifespan was indeed wrong, but it's unclear how many years it was wrong. His page in the Book of Life and Death has been covered up. Our people are currently checking on the terminal computer in the underworld, and it will take about three months to go back and forth."
I said, "It's only three months. Just send him back and let him live well. We'll talk about it after three months when we find out the cause."
Liu Laoliu abruptly took two steps back and said, "Well... a day in heaven is a year on earth. You should know that Cao Cao actually favored this youngest son the most. If we send him back, Chinese history will most likely have to be rewritten."
...Now I know why Liu Laoliu took those two steps back. He was afraid I would beat him up. Even if I couldn't beat him, I had a strong urge to vomit all over him!
Three months? What's the point of investigating then! This at least means Cao Chong has over 90 years left to live, plus his current age of 10, and then adding the data from the investigation...
Finally, I had no choice but to lead my son—the hidden Emperor of Wei, the near-centenarian Cao Chong—to his mother, Baozi.
Chapter Fifty Cao Xiaoxiang
Right now, I'm leading a 10-year-old child, and across from me is my fiancée. The child calls me "Dad," and the woman across from me just a moment ago thought he was a beggar... This situation is probably not something every man can experience.
I swear, I'd rather have hundreds of people holding guns to my head and yelling, "Talk or not?" At least then I could choose whether to talk or not. I'm not a poet or a prince; I can still make a decisive choice about whether to live or die... uh, to die.
The problem I'm facing now is that I have to speak, but I also have to think about how to speak, which makes it an essay question. Compared to essay questions, I prefer multiple-choice questions.
I took Cao Chong's little hand and led her to the steamed buns. She looked around and asked me, "Where are this child's parents?"
"Quickly call for Mom." I used the cute little boy Cao Chong as a form of offense.
"Mommy—" Cao Chong called out in a childish voice.
"Ouch." Baozi was clearly charmed. She quickly squatted down and wrapped her arms around Xiao Caochong. It is said that women have a natural instinct called maternal instinct, which, once aroused, can have endless consequences. They can easily kick away a Liberation truck carrying hundreds of tons of coal.
Baozi asked me, "What happened?"
“...His parents are from my hometown, and they suffered a disaster...I recognized him as my godfather before this child was born...No, he recognized me as his godfather, and now he can only rely on me.”
To be honest, if there were any legal means, I would never have said that. Jing Ke and Qin Shi Huang came to me in dire straits, as did Li Shishi. Xiang Yu and Liu Bang's families suffered from floods, and they were also my relatives. Looking back, my lying skills were absolutely terrible.
Baozi asked in confusion, "Where exactly is your hometown? Your place is practically a place where everyone helps each other when someone is in trouble."
I whispered, "My dad had a period of hardship and displacement back then..."
Baozi asked again, "What disaster befell this child's family?"
I've already thought of that. When I heard from Liu Laoliu that Cao Chong died in the year of the Battle of Red Cliffs, I immediately said, "A fire. His father had a large family business in the north, but it was all burned down. He escaped with a few men and is now preparing to make a comeback."
Baozi asked Cao Chong with regret, "What's your name?"
Cao Chong blinked his big eyes at me, his expression full of inquiry. It seemed he understood the current situation very well, knowing he couldn't say anything carelessly that would put me in a passive position. This little guy was too clever.
I remembered that Cao Chong had weighed an elephant, so I casually said, "His name is Cao Xiaoxiang (Little Elephant Cao)."
Baozi patted Cao Chong's cheek affectionately: "Why is your name so funny? Come on, I'll buy you an ice cream."
Although Cao Chong didn't know what ice cream was, he still politely said, "Thank you, Mom."
Baozi blushed and said to me somewhat awkwardly, "This is the first time someone has called me 'Mom'."
Seeing that the matter was about to be covered up, I said smugly, "Don't worry, the child's father will send living expenses over every month."
Baozi asked me quietly, "How much are you going to give me?"
You can't blame Baozi for being greedy; she's not a saint. Besides, she doesn't understand our current financial situation. With our current salaries, supporting a child would be extremely difficult.
I casually said, "800."
Baozi immediately said, "How can such a small child use so much? Tell him to send less; he just suffered a disaster and it hasn't been easy for him."
I waved my hand and said, "It's alright. Even a skinny Cao Cao is stronger than Xiao Qiang. This little bit of money is nothing to him. We can just save it for Xiao Xiang's college education." But then I started to have some doubts. If I become Cao Cao's son's godfather, how will we, the two old brothers, talk to each other in the future? He sent Guan Yu horses, gold, and a bunch of beautiful women. How will I calculate his son's living expenses?
Baozi bought Cao Chong a tub of ice cream, and the three of us continued strolling down the street. Normally, Baozi would definitely buy one for herself too, but now that she's a mother, she can't act like a little girl anymore. She even angrily scolded two vendors who surrounded her selling pirated DVDs; normally, she would have asked them, "Do you have any Japanese ones?"
Cao Chong held onto Baozi's hand with one hand, while licking his ice cream in the other, observing this strange world. I don't know how much he understands, nor do I know what Liu Laoliu told him. Cao Chong is different from Qin Shi Huang and his ilk; they'll be gone in a year, so they can do whatever they want now, and I can't be bothered with them. But Cao Chong is still young, with a guaranteed lifespan of at least 90 years. I can't let him live a muddled life. After Xiao Qiang kicks the bucket, he still has to continue his life; he has to grow up, date, find a job, and strive. However, I don't think this will be difficult for this little prodigy. A child who can ingeniously use scales to weigh an elephant at age 8 must have an IQ of around 180. To be honest, I learned that text in third grade, but I didn't truly understand how he did it until junior high. If this kid participates in the Math Olympiad, basically no one else will stand a chance.
I looked down at him and asked, "Would you like to go to school in a few days?" Then I added, "You'll be listening to a teacher's lecture with a whole bunch of kids your age."
Cao Chong, with an ice cream in his mouth, looked at the Ferris wheel rising in the distance at the children's amusement park and asked, "What are they talking about?"
I said, "You talk about everything, but it's all useless except what's useful. You need to learn the multiplication table first, so you won't get cheated when you're just going to buy soy sauce. Being able to 'buy soy sauce' is a sign of a child's maturity."
"I know it. One is one, two is four." Cao Chong recited as he looked at the Ferris wheel.