"Then you must remember to open a temporary military route for me from Yucai."
After hanging up the phone, I thought about it for a while. The closest place to the Three Kingdoms seems to be the home of Hua Mulan and her family.
Back at Yucai School, it was during class time. With the arrival of the Sui and Tang heroes and the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, the curriculum had expanded to include Li Yuanba's weightlifting and a parallel prose elective, while Xuanzang offered a psychological counseling course. I bumped into Baojin and learned that Cao Xiaoxiang was having his swimming lesson.
In the swimming pool, little Cao Xiaoxiang, wearing only his shorts, was playing in the water with a group of kids, waving his arms and legs. It was a deep pool, after all. I called out from a distance, "Xiaoxiang!"
Cao Xiaoxiang turned his head and said happily, "Dad."
This is the first time I've felt uncomfortable with him calling me that. His biological father is a powerful figure who can control everything.
When he ran over, I patted his little bottom twice and said, "Come on, change your clothes, Daddy will take you to play."
Just then, a clear voice came from the water: "Where are you taking my student?"
I turned around and saw a pretty, wet girl emerging from the water. She was wearing a black swimsuit, had bright eyes and white teeth, and a smile on her lips. It was Ni Siyu. I laughed and said, "Oh, little girl, you've grown into a beautiful young lady in just a few days." As I spoke, I deliberately glanced at her chest a few times.
Ni Siyu blushed and said, "Pah, you little cockroach."
I laughed and said, "You're so disrespectful, I'll spank you!" Ni Siyu often comes to Yucai to teach the children to swim, but I rarely see her.
Ni Siyu asked, "Where are you all going?"
"We're having a small family dinner; Little Elephant won't be coming back today."
Ni Siyu said "Oh," hesitated, and finally patted the little elephant's head, saying, "Go."
After changing his clothes, Cao Xiaoxiang glanced at Ni Siyu in the pool and asked softly, "Dad, where are we going to play?" This clever child probably knew that I was going to take him to no ordinary place.
"Come on, let's get in the car and Dad will tell you."
Cao Xiaoxiang, holding my hand, looked back and said, "If we can see Uncle Xiang Yu, let's bring Sister Xiaoyu along too."
I bent down to look at him unexpectedly and said, "Hey, kid, you've got a lot on your mind. Why do you say that?"
Cao Xiaoxiang murmured, "Sister Xiaoyu keeps asking me about Uncle Xiang Yu, but she's too embarrassed to say much. I feel like she's conflicted..."
I straightened up and exclaimed, "Why are kids these days so precocious?"
Cao Xiaoxiang: "Are you talking about Sister Xiaoyu?"
"...We'll talk about her later. Dad will take you to see Sister Mulan."
Cao Xiaoxiang clapped his hands and said, "Great!"
Because my son and I haven't seen each other for quite a while—we've been so busy lately. I was planning to take the kid out to play if this hadn't happened. Cao Xiaoxiang kept calling me "Dad" until I broke out in a sweat. Cao Cao doesn't seem to be very magnanimous. I was reminded of "The Death of Yang Xiu".
I asked cautiously, "Little Elephant, if you were to call me something else, what would you call me?" He always calls me Sister Baozi, so why would he call me Brother-in-law?
But children are sometimes far more sensitive and intelligent than you think. Cao Xiaoxiang seemed to sense something was wrong, and widened his eyes, asking, "Why? Dad, what's wrong?"
I quickly put my hand on his little shoulder to comfort him and said, "I was just asking—Little Elephant, is your Cao Cao father good to you?"
Cao Xiaoxiang replied without hesitation, "Great! My older brothers all envy me. They don't dare to breathe loudly in front of Father, like mice in front of a cat. It's different when they're with me. They even teach me to compose poems and practice swordsmanship."
"So...do you miss him?"
"Yes, I do." At this point, the little guy turned his head away like a little adult and said disdainfully, "Tch, you're so stingy. He's my dad and you're my dad too. I'll miss either of them no matter who's gone."
I chuckled and said, "It's not because of that." The little one thought I was jealous.
I stroked his hair and said, "Little Elephant, shall I take you to see your father?"
"Huh?" Cao Xiaoxiang opened his mouth wide in surprise.
I said, "Since you can't go back to the Three Kingdoms right now, Dad will send you to Sister Mulan first, and then go find your father and reunite with you, okay?"
After all, he was still a child. Upon hearing this, Cao Xiaoxiang didn't know what to say and just looked at me with red eyes.
I wiped away his tears and said, "Don't cry. When you meet him, the first thing you need to do is convince your father, Cao Cao, that you are who you are. Do you understand what I mean?"
Cao Xiaoxiang had spent a lot of time with Fang Zhenjiang and Hua Rong, so he knew I was going on another mission. He wiped away his tears and asked, "What's wrong?"
I felt ashamed first. I should have let the father and son meet when the military road was first opened, but I only did it now that something had happened, making me seem selfish. I said, "Your father Cao Cao is going to fight Uncle Guan Yu and the others at the Battle of Red Cliffs again..."
Cao Xiaoxiang said, "Hmm, you want me to help you kill Cai Mao and Zhang Yun?"
I was so angry that I slapped him lightly and said, "Do you think your dad is that dark?"
"Then what can I do?"
I thought about it. The Battle of Red Cliffs was about to begin. Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were probably already dead, and most of their ships were chained up. I said, "Just tell your father, Cao Cao, to withdraw his troops. You should know that he can't win this battle, and he'll lose 150,000 uncles' lives." Judging from his intelligence, I figured he would understand completely after I explained the whole story to him. So I mentioned the issue of overpopulation, and sure enough, Cao Xiaoxiang's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Wow, Daddy is helping Cao Cao!"
I said smugly, "You're not allowed to think so badly of Dad anymore."
Cao Xiaoxiang obediently replied, "I understand." He then added with a sigh, "Although my two fathers aren't exactly good people, they've both been good to me."
...
Nowadays, Mulan's house is like a military compound, with sentries on all sides, and visitors must register. Fortunately, Vice Marshal Hua may have told the guards what I looked like and what car I drove, so the guards personally went to inform us, and Mulan came out to meet us shortly afterward. As soon as she saw Cao Xiaoxiang, she happily picked him up and affectionately nuzzled the little guy's forehead with her nose. Cao Xiaoxiang struggled and protested, "Don't keep hugging me, I'm not a child anymore."
Mulan asked cheerfully, "Then what are you? A little soldier?"
I said, "Sister, don't underestimate this little guy. He might not be good at fighting, but he can save the lives of 150,000 soldiers." As I spoke, I glanced at Cao Xiaoxiang and said solemnly, "Xiaoxiang, after I bring your father here, everything will depend on you."
Cao Xiaoxiang saluted me with a Young Pioneers salute while in Hua Mulan's arms, and said solemnly, "Don't worry, Dad!"
"Then I'll go?"