Amidst his aunt-in-law’s obvious disapproval, Lianshan ultimately rode his bicycle to deliver his precious eldest son to his brother-in-law’s place. As it turned out, during his back-and-forth journey, his sister-in-law, who insisted that walking more would help with childbirth, had already gone into the delivery room, screaming her lungs out! Even from afar, her gut-wrenching cries could be heard, causing Wu Lao, the representative of tough men who bleed but don’t cry, to quietly tear up. The usually calm brother-in-law was now like a blindfolded donkey, just pacing around the yard aimlessly. The only one handling things efficiently was the other brother-in-law, who placed Little Jianjun in a stroller and busied himself boiling water in a large pot and cooking millet porridge and eggs in small pots. Feeling the little body of his eldest son trembling, with a pale face and obviously scared, Lianshan couldn’t think of anything else to do but hold the little guy in his arms, comforting him: "Don’t be afraid, son, your aunt is working hard right now. Once her cries turn into a baby’s cry, your little cousin will be here!" "Working hard?" Lian En lightly frowned, half-believing, asking: "But, I hear Aunt calling out in pain, she’s in so much pain." Lianshan was at a loss for words, not knowing how to explain the question of how babies are born to his young son. However, seeking (digging) knowledge (to the) good (bottom) has always been Lian En’s strength. The question of how babies are born had been on his mind for a long time, so there was no way Lianshan could easily brush it off. The little guy didn’t fuss or cry, just looked up with eyes full of curiosity: "Dad, why is Aunt calling out in pain? Is having a baby really so painful? Was it the same when Mom had me?" Lianshan gently patted his son’s small head, nodding affirmatively: "Of course! Every child is a precious gem raised through the hard work of their parents. Just like the rarer a treasure is, the harder it is to obtain, the smarter, more obedient, and clever a child is, the more difficult it is to bring them into this world. Your aunt is in so much pain, it must be because your little brother is quite smart. Don’t be afraid, son, wait a little longer, and soon you’ll have another little brother!" Smarter children are harder to bring into this world? Lian En was shocked: Being so smart, didn’t Mom suffer to death when having him? No wonder Mom always preached about filial piety, eager for him to be filial to his parents and loving towards his siblings. She suffered so much to bring him into the world, and if he turned out to be a disobedient bad child, how heartbroken would she be? It would all have been for nothing! Smart children indeed overthink things, with many tangled thoughts even at that age! However, giving an easier-to-accept reason to his son for his aunt’s cries of lament ended up enhancing his already quite filial nature, something Lianshan found brightly melancholic. Could he say that he actually didn’t have big or lofty expectations for his children? As long as they are kind and upright, with positive and optimistic outlooks, that would be enough. Everyone loves filial children, but everything must be in moderation! Seeing his eldest now taking every word from his mother as the golden rule, starting and ending every sentence with what she said, Lianshan couldn’t help but worry quite a bit. No wonder, having such a smart and nice child turn into a blindly obedient one, what a pity! While adding wood under the large pots, finally catching his breath only to look up and see his woeful brother-in-law had actually brought Lian En here. Seeing the little nephew’s pale face, obviously scared, Liu Shouyi could have beaten him: "Stop this foolishness, hurry and take the child back, let his aunt-in-law talk to him. You good-for-nothing, scaring Lian En , just wait for my little sister to have a go at you!" Regretting his weak stance, acknowledging he was in the wrong, Lianshan hesitated to argue back. He could only kindly discuss with Lian En, saying that it might take a while to gauge the little brother’s intelligence, so how about heading home first. But while he was okay with that, the protective son couldn’t accept it! Being pampered by his dad from a young age, never having been lightly tapped, much less been hit like some playmates. While they had tales of being slapped by sandals, switched with tree branches, or whacked with broomsticks, he only had memories of being played with and given all sorts of tasty treats, leaving his playmates full of envy and jealousy, wishing to switch dads with him. Lian En firmly believed his dad was THE best dad in the whole Republic, bar none. So now, seeing his perfect dad being bullied right in front of him, could he let that slide? Even if it was his always kind second uncle, it was no exception! Of course, since Second Uncle was an elder who deserved filial respect, acting tough wouldn’t do; however, Mom and Dad had said when hardness fails, try softness. People and things need a strategy; running headlong without thinking is most undesirable. He thought eavesdropping was quite sensible, like now, he could try soft tactics on Second Uncle. The little legs moved two steps forward, his innocent big eyes quickly producing two small teardrops: "Second Uncle, please don’t blame Dad. It was Lian En’s insistence, it’s Lian En’s fault. But, Lian En just wants to see my little brother sooner. Mom and Dad both say relatives should be very close, closer than bones and tendons. Little Brother is very close to me, just like Jianguo, Jiandang, and Jianjun, only slightly less close than Chenchen and Zhi Zhi. I just wanted to see him sooner, and that’s why Dad brought me here..." By the time he finished, his words were already full of sobs. Clearly intending to care for the child, but making him cry instead, Liu Shouyi was filled with helplessness: "Yes, yes, Second Uncle spoke without understanding the situation, wrongly blamed your Dad, it was Second Uncle’s mistake, okay? Second Uncle apologizes to Little Lian En, could you generously forgive your Second Uncle?" Lian En wiped his tears, seriously saying: "Second Uncle, I’m going to primary school already, I’m not a little kid anymore. Also, you wrongly blamed Dad, you need to apologize to Dad!" The adorable chubby child insisted on acting serious and mature, while his cheeks were still tear-stained yet he didn’t forget to stand up for his dad, doing so cutely exactly what. Liu Shouyi chuckled, playing along with the little fellow by apologizing to his silly brother-in-law. Instantly, the previously upset little guy cleared up like after rain: "Yay, Second Uncle apologized! Admitting mistakes and correcting them, Second Uncle is still a good child. Dad, Dad, your son can protect you now! With Lian En here, no one can bully Dad, not even uncles!" Being protected by such a tiny child, while Lianshan laughed, his heart was filled with immense emotion. He really wanted those overly worried about him someday losing Little Lian’en to the Dai family, believing they would never recognize such down-to-earth parents again, to see this. At three, you see what they’ll be at eighty; his son being this filial from a young age, surely he won’t change when he grows up! Anyway, he just believed: true feelings over time are far more important than mere blood relation.