"Mommy."

Tun Tun called out.

Zhang Qian answered from the other end of the line, "Yes, Mommy’s here. Daddy and Mommy went to visit Grandma. We’ll be back in a few days. You be a good boy and listen to your aunt, okay?"

Tun Tun nodded. "I know."

Xue Xingzhou leaned in too. "Son."

Tun Tun called out, "Daddy."

Xue Xingzhou smiled. "Hey, do you miss Daddy?"

"I do."

Zhang Qian said, "You be good at Auntie’s house, and when Daddy and Mommy come back, we’ll buy you a new toy, okay?"

"Okay."

...

When it was time to hang up, Zhang Qian was still reluctant, making kissing sounds into the phone. "Kisses for my baby. Daddy and Mommy will be back soon."

"Okay."

"We’re hanging up now!"

"..."

Zhang Qian didn’t hear a response from the other end, so she thought no one was there and hung up.

On their end, Xue Yue was holding Tun Tun and could clearly hear the voices on the phone. When she saw that the other party had hung up, she tried to take the receiver from Tun Tun’s ear, but he suddenly grabbed it and held it even closer.

"Mommy, Daddy."

Xue Yue told him, "They’ve already hung up. Your mommy and daddy will be back soon. How about we go play with Brother Shiyi?"

Tun Tun shook his head. He held the receiver to his ear and called out for his mommy and daddy again, but the other end was silent.

Tun Tun paused for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into tears.

"Daddy! Mommy! I want Daddy and Mommy!"

The boy had been so well-behaved these past few days, but after just one phone call, he had suddenly started wailing. Xue Yue put down the receiver and picked Tun Tun up.

"Tun Tun, be a good boy. Grandpa is sick, so your mommy and daddy went to see him. They’ll be back very soon. Let’s not cry, okay? Auntie will get you a yummy snack, how about that?"

She found a cookie for him, but Tun Tun pushed it away. His mouth was wide open as he continued to cry, looking utterly heartbroken as big, fat tears streamed down his face.

Xue Yue carried him to go find Shiyi.

But right now, he didn’t want Shiyi; he didn’t want anyone. He just kept calling for his mommy and daddy.

Everyone in the house, young and old, tried to distract him with snacks and toys, but the boy wasn’t having any of it.

Xue Yue was at a loss. Her brother had used a public phone, so calling him back was impossible.

Ruanruan suddenly said, "Mom, why don’t we ask Grandpa Zheng to come over and coax him?"

Xue Yue thought about it and decided it was worth a try. She gave Zheng Guofeng a call. Zheng Guofeng had just gotten home when he suddenly received Xue Yue’s call. When he heard that Xue Xingzhou and Zhang Qian had returned to their hometown and that Tun Tun was crying inconsolably, he immediately headed for the door. But after a few steps, he ran back inside, strode into the study, and grabbed a new toy he had bought for Tun Tun. He had originally planned to give it to the boy on his next visit.

Xue Yue paced around the courtyard with Tun Tun in her arms. The boy’s wails had subsided into sobs and hiccups. Mrs. He brought him some water, but Tun Tun wouldn’t drink it.

Zheng Guofeng arrived quickly, his forehead beaded with sweat.

"Tun Tun, look who’s here!"

Zheng Guofeng dangled the toy. "Tun Tun, Grandpa’s here."

Tun Tun turned to look at Zheng Guofeng and let out another hiccup. His face was a mess of tears and snot, and Zheng Guofeng’s heart ached at the sight.

He held out his arms. "Let Grandpa hold you."

Tun Tun reached out for Zheng Guofeng. Seeing this, Zheng Guofeng quickly handed him the toy and took him into his arms.

Tun Tun looked at the toy in his hands with curiosity and stopped crying.

Xue Yue wiped his little face.

"Oh, Uncle Zheng, thank goodness for you. He’s been crying for a while now. He was perfectly fine, but then he took a call from my brother, and as soon as they hung up, he just started crying and wouldn’t stop."

Zheng Guofeng looked down at Tun Tun and planted a kiss on his hair.

"He probably just misses his mommy and daddy. He’s been holding it in, and hearing their voices today just made him break."

Xue Yue nodded. "Yes."

A moment later, Xue Yue tried to take him back, but Tun Tun just wrapped his arms around Zheng Guofeng’s neck and wouldn’t even look at her.

Xue Yue couldn’t help but laugh. "He’s probably mad at me. Mad that I took the phone away from him just now."

Zheng Guofeng smiled and said, "It’s fine. I’ll take him home with me tonight. Just give me his things."

"Don’t you have to work tomorrow?"

Zheng Guofeng glanced at Tun Tun. "It doesn’t matter."

Since Uncle Zheng insisted, Xue Yue gave him Tun Tun’s things.

Zheng Guofeng left with the child in his arms.

When He Lang came home, he asked about the boy. Xue Yue replied with a laugh, "His grandpa took him."

He Lang raised an eyebrow. "Uncle Zheng came over?"

Xue Yue explained what had happened and sighed, "It was quite an eye-opener today. I doubt even my brother has ever seen his son cry so miserably. It was just heartbreaking."

Tun Tun was a child who rarely cried and didn’t talk much. Aside from his nightly playtime, he was very easy to care for.

"No matter what, he’s still just a kid. He must miss his mommy and daddy. It’s been several days already; he’s been doing great," He Lang said.

On the first day, He Lang had expected the little guy to cry for sure. But surprisingly, other than calling for his parents once in his sleep, he was no trouble at all.

However, he did wake up every night. He Lang suspected the boy went to bed so early that by the middle of the night, he was fully rested. He would play for a while, and then go back to sleep when he got drowsy again.

Xue Yue said, "If Uncle Zheng has to work, then who will look after Tun Tun?"

The answer to that question was revealed the next day when Xue Yue arrived at her office.

Zheng Guofeng had brought Tun Tun to work with him.

Everyone was curious when they heard that Vice Minister Zheng had brought a child to work. Most people knew he was single, and even fewer knew he had a son.

Zheng Guofeng carried Tun Tun into his office, set him on the floor, and placed the toys he had brought for him on a stool.

"You play by yourself for a bit while Grandpa takes care of some things, okay?"

Tun Tun nodded obediently. "Okay."

Zheng Guofeng stroked his hair, then sat down at his desk and started working on his documents.

A short while later, there was a knock on the door.

Without looking up, Zheng Guofeng said, "Come in."

"Old Zheng, I heard you brought a kid to the office?" The visitor pushed the door open and stopped mid-sentence, staring blankly at the small child playing with toys on the floor.

After a moment, he said in disbelief, "Don’t tell me this is your grandson."

Zheng Guofeng glanced up at him and nodded. "Mm-hm."

The man let out a slow sigh. "You’ve said before that you have a son, but I always thought it was just an excuse because you didn’t want to find a partner. I can’t believe it’s actually true. You even have a grandson."

Zheng Guofeng smiled and said, "When have I ever lied? My son works at the Public Security Bureau."

"The Public Security Bureau? Did you pull some strings to get him in?"

Zheng Guofeng shot him an irritated look. "I don’t have that kind of pull. My son is a proper graduate of the People’s Public Security University, one of the first students to get in after the college entrance exams were reinstated."

The man sat down on the stool. "Old Zheng, you really know how to keep a low profile."

Zheng Guofeng just smiled and went back to his work.