Chapter 59: Chapter 59
While Lin Xu and the others were at the courtyard, the boys were busy having fun.
They arrived at the river and immediately Fuhan started setting the fishing hook.
"You know how to fish huh? I remember you once said your father was a fisherman." Mo Ying smiled as he tossed him some fish bait.
Mo Yuen and Mo Bao were also playing around then Mo Yuen said teasingly, "Mo Bao, I’m so good at swimming, you are a scaredy-cat. So you can’t even get into the water ahahaha!"
Yuen teased as Bao Bao pouted, "I’m not a scaredy-cat, I can totally swim... ju-just watch and see."
He said as he then turned around and hesitated for a second, "What do you think you are trying to do?"
"Swim!" He said before taking a small jump and the next thing Mo Ying and Fuhan heard was a splash followed by Mo Yuen’s screams.
"Bao Bao! Bao Bao!" He shouted, trying to reach for him but the current was too much and Mo Bao was being dragged away.
"Mo Bao!" Mo Ying shouted as he ran towards them, "What are you doing there?" He was confused.
Without thinking too much, he removed his outer robe and without hesitating, jumped into the river while Fuhan stayed with Mo Yuen.
The cold water swallowed Mo Ying whole the moment he plunged in. The current was stronger than he expected, pulling at his legs as if it wanted to drag him down.
"Bao Bao!" His voice echoed across the river as he forced his way forward, arms cutting through the water with desperate strokes.
Mo Bao’s small figure bobbed up and down, his cries broken by mouthfuls of water. "Papa Ying! Help!"
On the shore, Mo Yuen was trembling, tears streaming down his cheeks. "It’s my fault... it’s my fault!" he sobbed, trying to step forward, but Fuhan held him back.
"Stay here! You’ll only make it worse," Fuhan said firmly, eyes locked on the river where Mo Ying fought against the current.
Mo Ying’s heart hammered in his chest. The boy was getting farther away, the river threatening to swallow him whole. "Hold on, Bao Bao! Don’t let go!" he shouted, pushing himself harder. His muscles burned, but he refused to stop.
At the last moment, he managed to grab Mo Bao’s arm just as the boy’s small body began to sink. "Got you!" Mo Ying gasped, wrapping his arm tightly around him.
Mo Bao coughed and clung to Mo Ying’s neck, shivering. "I... I thought I was going to die..."
"Not on my watch," Mo Ying muttered, his jaw clenched. With all his strength, he kicked against the current, pulling Bao Bao back toward the shore.
Fuhan rushed forward the moment they neared, wading into the shallow water to help drag them out. Together, they pulled Mo Bao onto the grass.
The boy collapsed, coughing up water, while Mo Yuen fell to his knees beside him, sobbing. "I’m sorry, Bao Bao! I shouldn’t have teased you! I’m so sorry!"
Mo Bao, still shivering, weakly reached out and held his brother’s hand. "I didn’t... want you to think I was weak..."
Mo Ying dropped beside them, his hair dripping wet, chest rising and falling heavily. His sharp eyes softened as he looked at the two boys.
"You idiots," he said hoarsely, flicking both their foreheads lightly. "What were you thinking? The river isn’t a game."
Mo Yuen hiccuped through his tears. "I’ll never do it again..."
Mo Ying sighed, shaking his head. "You’d better not. Next time, I’ll throw you in myself to teach you a real lesson, just wait until I tell Lin Xu what happened... she’d totally scold you all night long hahaha."
Despite his harsh tone, he pulled the two boys into his arms, hugging them close.
Meanwhile, Fuhan just watched from the side, he still kept seeing new emotions he never knew his young master had.
Fuhan picked up Mo Bao’s soaked outer robe and wrung it tightly, water streaming down onto the grass. "You’ll catch a cold like this," he muttered, glancing at the boy.
But as Mo Bao bent forward to rub his eyes, the loose inner shirt slipped slightly, revealing his small back.
Mo Ying’s gaze froze. His breath caught in his throat.
There, just below Mo Bao’s left shoulder blade, was a faint mark shaped almost like a blooming lotus, one that was far too familiar.
Fuhan’s eyes landed on it too. His fingers stilled around the fabric he was squeezing. Slowly, he lifted his head, meeting Mo Ying’s eyes.
The two men exchanged a long, heavy glance.
"This..." Mo Ying’s voice was low, uncertain. His brows furrowed as he reached out and lightly touched the mark. "Bao Bao... how did you get this?"
Mo Bao blinked at him, confused. "What? This?" He twisted slightly, trying to look at his back. "I didn’t get it... it was always there."
Mo Yuen sniffled, still clutching his brother’s hand. "It’s true. Bao Bao’s had it since he was little. Mama said it was a birthmark."
The words sank heavily between them.
Mo Ying’s expression tightened. That mark... It was identical to the one he had.
He quickly tore his eyes away, forcing his voice to remain calm. "I see."
But when he glanced at Fuhan again, the weight in the man’s gaze mirrored his own thoughts. Neither spoke, but both knew this was no ordinary coincidence.
Mo Bao tilted his head, puzzled. "Is... something wrong?"
Mo Ying forced a smile, ruffling the boy’s damp hair. "No, nothing’s wrong. Just... don’t go scaring us like that again, understand?"
Mo Bao nodded obediently, though his eyes still held curiosity.
"C’mon, let’s quickly catch some fish before it gets late and your mother starts worrying."
"Hmm!" They all nodded and got back to work.
After fishing for over three hours, they had successfully caught a full bucket of fish.
"This would be quite enough," Fuhan said as Mo Ying nodded.
"Yah, let’s head back now... I’m starving!"
While on their way back, the boys were in front of Mo Ying and Fuhan, talking and playing.
Stepping closer to Mo Ying, Fuhan whispered, "Young master, why does Mo Bao have the same birthmark as you? I know birthmarks are common, but identical birthmarks... That’s impossible except if it was inheri-"
He stopped mid-sentence as Mo Ying shot him a deadly glance. "So what are you thinking? They are my kids? I’ve never met Lin Xu... how would she have given birth to my children?"
Mo Ying asked as he rolled his eyes and walked away while Fuhan stood and sank deep into his thoughts.
"There must be something they’re missing, but he couldn’t quite comprehend it."
---
Soon they arrived at the courtyard and thankfully Lin Xu had already started making dinner, though Yan Mei and Zu Shi were already gone.
"You guys are finally back, yay! You brought a lot of fish." She excitedly took the bucket of fish from Fuhan and carried it to the kitchen before coming back.
And when she arrived, she immediately stayed and served them some food.
"Lin Xu, there was a little incident!" Mo Ying finally revealed as he explained to her all that had happened.
"You! You boys... why would you play such dangerous games? What if something had happened to you and what if something had happened to Mo Ying while he was trying to save you huh?" She scolded as she used her chopsticks to hit the boys slightly on their backs and they both hissed in pain.
While Yiling smiled, happy that they were getting scolded.
"Enough, enough... if you keep hitting them they might just get injured," Mo Ying came to their rescue.
Sighing, Lin Xu then announced, "Anyway, I have news... Yan Mei and Zu Shi came earlier. Yan Mei informed me that her marriage with the Song family has been settled, they would be getting married in two days’ time and most importantly... I have been given the job to supply braised meat for them for a huge amount of money!"
She announced smiling but her smile immediately dissipated when her eyes landed on Fuhan who immediately stopped eating and just stood up.
Facing Mo Ying, she asked, "Did I say something wrong?"
Mo Ying shook his head, "You didn’t... he acts like that sometimes, don’t mind him... anyway, congratulations. If you need help in making the braised meat, I won’t mind helping."
Mo Ying said with a faint smile, "Now we have a more solid reason to step into the Song family residence, with the wedding as a distraction... I can get the ledger without much issue!"
He thought as he took another bite of meat while he watched Lin Xu checking all over Mo Bao’s body, making sure he didn’t injure himself.
Watching them, he couldn’t help but wonder why Mo Yuen had the same birthmark as him, what was their relation.
Just then his eyes opened wide in surprise.
"No way!"