Chapter 42

Dad?

Xu Mo was taken aback, instinctively taking a step back, his face full of embarrassment. "Little girl, don't call me that. I'm not your dad; you must have mistaken me for someone else."

Then he thought: Could it be that this little girl gave me food because she mistakenly thought I was her dad? No, when she first knocked on the door, she called me uncle.

His situation was difficult, and he had become more sensitive than usual. Even a trivial matter made him ponder the reason, unwilling to easily accept favors from others.

The little girl seemed to ignore his words, taking two steps forward and hugging his legs again. She looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes, as if she was about to cry. "Dad, Xiaoman misses you so much."

Xu Mo thought to himself: So this little girl's name is Xiaoman. But why would she mistake me for her dad?

Suddenly, a voice came from behind him, "Xiaoman, don't call him that. This uncle is not your dad."

Xu Mo turned around and saw the young woman who had been with Xiaoman standing at the door of the wooden house. From her appearance, she was about the same age as Xu Mo, around twenty-five or twenty-six, wearing a silver windbreaker. She bore a slight resemblance to Xiaoman.

The young woman met Xu Mo's gaze and smiled, nodding slowly, exuding an air of grace and elegance.

Xu Mo felt embarrassed again. He didn't want any adult to see him in such a sorry state, fearing they might look down on him. He momentarily forgot to respond.

He wanted to leave but was held back by Xiaoman's tight embrace. With his strength as an adult, even though he was extremely hungry, it would have been easy to break free from a little girl's hug. However, he didn't want to hurt her, so he didn't move.

Xiaoman turned to face the young woman and said innocently, "Mom, didn't you say this uncle is my dad?"

The young woman seemed a bit angry and defended herself, "When did I say that? I just said this uncle looks a lot like your dad."

Xiaoman seemed confused and looked at her mom with a puzzled expression.

The young woman pointed at Xu Mo's hand and explained patiently, "Your dad has a bite mark on the back of his right hand. Look at this uncle's hand. Does he have a bite mark?"

Xiaoman, curious, reached out to grab Xu Mo's right hand. Xu Mo didn't resist, letting her hold his hand. He felt the warm, moist palm of her hand and a sense of warmth welled up inside him.

Xiaoman held Xu Mo's right hand, turned it over, and examined it carefully. Xu Mo's right hand was very smooth, with no scars.

"Mom was right, wasn't she? Does this uncle have a bite mark on his hand?" the young woman asked with a smile.

Xiaoman shook her head in disappointment and then pouted, stomping her foot. "I don't care. I want this uncle to be my dad." She looked up at Xu Mo expectantly, "Uncle, will you be my dad?"

The young woman's eyes widened, and her tone became stern. "Don't be so stubborn, child! If you keep talking nonsense, I'll spank you when we get home."

Xiaoman made a face at her mom, unafraid, and pulled on Xu Mo's hand, pleading, "Uncle, will you be Xiaoman's dad?"

The young woman was very angry and suddenly shouted, "Xiaoman!" Her face turned serious.

Xiaoman looked back at her, her lips trembling, on the verge of tears. She complained, "I know you want that Liu uncle to be my dad. But I've told you before, he's not a good person. When you're not around, he always scares me and threatens me, but you never believe me."

"Threaten! What does a child know about threats? Uncle Liu is so good to you, why can't he be your dad?" the young woman said coldly.

Xiaoman, twisting her body, protested loudly, "I know, I know! Uncle Liu is not a good person. I have a dad, why do I need him to be my dad?" She turned to Xu Mo, "Uncle, don't you think so?"

Xu Mo smiled faintly but didn't answer. He wouldn't get involved in other people's family affairs.

The young woman glanced at Xu Mo, realizing it was inappropriate to discuss her family matters in front of a stranger. She quickly changed her tone and said to Xiaoman, "Be a good girl and go home with Mom."

Xiaoman said repeatedly, "I won't go, I won't go!" and pouted, "That bad Liu uncle is coming. I don't want to be with him. I want to stay with my dad."

"Bad Liu uncle?" the young woman scolded her again and then said softly, "Xiaoman, be a good girl and go home with Mom."

Xiaoman held tightly onto Xu Mo's hand and said, "I won't go, I won't go."

The young woman was very angry, took two steps forward, and tried to take her away. But after looking at Xu Mo, she felt it might not be appropriate to do so in front of a stranger.

She apologized to Xu Mo with a smile, "Children don't know any better. Please don't take it to heart."

Xu Mo shook his head but didn't speak. The young woman's polite words clearly indicated she wanted to keep her distance. His pride made him even less likely to seek her favor.

The young woman looked at Xu Mo for a moment, thought for a while, and then said, "I'm sorry, but I have a question to ask. Is it convenient?"

Xiaoman, hearing her mom, immediately quieted down, looked at her mom curiously, and then turned to stare at Xu Mo, grabbing his right hand with both of her small hands, as if afraid he might run away.

Xu Mo thought to himself that while personal matters were usually inconvenient, for something trivial, he could make an exception for Xiaoman. He said indifferently, "Go ahead."

The young woman then asked, "What is your surname?"

"Xu," Xu Mo answered briefly.

"Oh!" The young woman nodded and continued, "So you are Mr. Xu. Mr. Xu, do you have any brothers or relatives who look a lot like you?"

Xu Mo didn't even think before answering, "No."

The young woman's face showed a sad expression, and she sighed in disappointment. She looked at Xu Mo again and said, "Mr. Xu, to be honest, you look a lot like Xiaoman's dad. Not just in appearance, but also in height, demeanor, and mannerisms. The only difference is that Xiaoman's dad is about ten years older than you."

Xu Mo responded indifferently with an "Oh." He had no interest in another man who looked like him.

After the young woman finished speaking, she sighed again and said to Xiaoman, "Xiaoman, go home with Mom." Her tone was calm but firm.

Xiaoman still said, "I won't go, I won't go. I don't want to see that bad Liu uncle. I want to stay with Dad."

The young woman said angrily, "I already told you, this uncle is not your dad."

She walked into the wooden house, grabbed Xiaoman's arm, and tried to take her away. Xiaoman held onto Xu Mo's legs stubbornly, saying, "I won't go, I won't go."

The young woman, extremely angry, raised her hand to spank her. Xiaoman shrank back, very afraid, and before her mom's hand could land, she cried out, "Wah!"

Seeing this, Xu Mo suddenly reached out and blocked the young woman's hand. He didn't want to meddle in other people's affairs, especially family matters. But for some reason, seeing the young woman about to hit Xiaoman, he felt a sudden urge to protect her and did so instinctively, saying, "Don't hit the child."

Xiaoman, seeing Xu Mo protect her, felt even more wronged and threw herself into his arms, crying loudly. Her tears quickly soaked Xu Mo's clothes.

Xu Mo had lain in the snow all night, and his clothes were soaked. In such weather, they wouldn't dry easily. But with his static breathing, he had already warmed them up.

The young woman was surprised when Xu Mo blocked her hand. She was about to say something, but when her eyes met Xu Mo's, she hesitated and didn't speak.

She insisted on taking Xiaoman back because she was worried that Xu Mo might be a bad person and do something harmful to Xiaoman when no one was around.

But when she met Xu Mo's gaze, she suddenly felt: This person would never harm Xiaoman.

Xu Mo's protection of Xiaoman was a natural reaction, without any pretense, and it was clear that it came from the heart.

The young woman looked at Xiaoman again and thought, "Xiaoman refuses to leave, clearly mistaking this person for her dad. Children's feelings are fleeting; she might forget this soon."

She considered inviting Xu Mo to her home, but seeing his indifferent expression, she thought he wouldn't care about anything except Xiaoman. She decided against it, thinking she would only be rejected.

Then she thought, "This person seems to be quite good with Xiaoman. Letting Xiaoman stay with him for a while should be fine. Besides, there are cameras nearby, so I can quickly know if he does anything."

Having thought this through, she said to Xiaoman, "Alright, if you promise Mom to stay in our wooden house and not run around, Mom will let you play with Uncle for a while."

Xu Mo thought to himself with a bitter smile: So this wooden house belongs to them.

Xiaoman, hearing her mom, immediately stopped crying and poked her head out of Xu Mo's arms, still unsure, "Really?"

The young woman smiled, "When has Mom ever lied to you?"

Xiaoman was overjoyed, as if afraid her mom might change her mind, and immediately said, "Thank you, Mom, thank you, Mom."

"This child!" the young woman said in a scolding tone but with a smile. She said to Xiaoman, "But you must promise Mom not to run around and stay in this wooden house. If Uncle leaves, you must go home. Promise Mom, and Mom will let you stay here."

Xu Mo felt a bit annoyed: Is she worried I'll kidnap Xiaoman?

——

PS: Thank you all for the recommendations. Today's recommendations are the most we've received since the book started. I'm very grateful.

Also, I promised to make Yang Man the heroine in the fourth, fifth, and sixth volumes of "Terror Relic," but since I can't continue that book, I'll make up for it in this one.

Because of her young age, I changed her name to Yang Xiaoman. I don't think she'll mind. She doesn't appear often but is a crucial character for Xu Mo, almost like a heroine. I hope all readers will like her.

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