Call Me Daddy

Er Niang waited at home for her father to return, but he didn’t come. She sent Aunt Lin outside to inquire and learned that tribes from the southern border had once again started harassing the frontier. The regiment her father was with had already chased the Heiwu Tribe into the dense forest, and their return was uncertain.

At this moment, Er Niang truly felt a sense of reality.

She realized they had left Fengyang County and arrived in a completely unfamiliar place. Her father’s role as an official wasn’t just for enjoying comfort; once a war started, there was always a risk of losing one’s life.

Previously, war had seemed distant. She had thought that the Tang Dynasty was strong and wars wouldn’t break out easily. After all, Fengyang County was far from Lin’an. Unless the entire southern border tribes united to attack the Tang Dynasty, or there were significant skirmishes, such minor disturbances wouldn’t reach so far.

Therefore, before arriving in Lin’an, Er Niang had always believed that her father, as just an Officer, might never actually go to battle.

Who would have thought that on the very first day of their arrival, her father would go to war?

War meant there was a possibility of death.

That night, Aunt Lin made some appetizing pickled fish and sweet and sour ribs, but Er Niang could only force herself to eat a few bites before returning to her room.

The vanity and wardrobe that had seemed so intriguing during the day no longer held any appeal. The young girl laid on the kang, turning over from time to time, lifting her head to look at the window. The room’s window directly faced the direction of the second door.

She listened intently to any sounds from outside, fearing any bad news.

She didn’t close her eyes the entire night. At dawn, she simply put on her clothes and sat on the steps outside the main hall, propping her chin up with her hands and looking pitifully at the door.

***

“Hey!”

A sound came from the left side of the wall. Er Niang looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Yang Qiwu, whom she had met the previous day, had somehow climbed up the wall between their two homes. He was holding a bun and eating it heartily.

“Are you worried about your father?”

Yang Qiwu knew that the new Officer from next door was his father’s colleague. Since their regiment had gone to battle together, the little girl must be worried about her father.

Once an enemy attack occurred, the soldiers in the army wouldn’t return for a while. Yang Qiwu’s mother had even complained about the little girl next door during dinner last night, saying she had just arrived here and had always depended on her father since childhood. She would probably not eat well or sleep soundly these days.

Yang Qiwu, having a robust disposition, thought, It’s just a war; what’s there to worry about?

He had seen his father go to battle since birth. But now, it seemed his mother was right. The little girl he saw yesterday was so spirited, with a rosy white face, but now she looked completely wilted. Her eyes were dark circles, as if someone had punched her twice with hands covered in soot.

Little girls are indeed troublesome, delicate, and always needed comforting.

Yang Qiwu finished the last bite of his bun and sat on the wall, swaying his head and not knowing what he was thinking.

“Aren’t you worried?” Er Niang pressed her lips together. She remembered that the uncle from the Yang family next door was in the same regiment as her father. So, wouldn’t he be worried too?

“Not worried at all. My father is amazing!”

When it came to talking about his own father, Yang Qiwu became enthusiastic. In their area, his father was like a legend.

Not just anyone could rise from humble origins to the position of Officer. Although many people still criticized Yang Yong’s background and felt his origins were tainted, everyone acknowledged Yang Yong’s ability.

Yang Qiwu admired heroes, and since his father was the bravest, he admired him the most.

“Don’t worry, those monkeys from the southern border are no match for our Tang Dynasty men! Every time they come, we beat them to the ground, and this time will be no exception. If you’re worried, when they come back, I’ll tell my father to protect your father in the future.”

Yang Qiwu patted his chest proudly, making grand promises.

“Just wait a few more years until I can go to battle myself. Then, I won’t need my father to protect me; I’ll be able to protect Uncle myself!”

Yang Qiwu was determined to become a great general!

Having just celebrated his ninth birthday, he was growing taller and starting to look a bit leaner. His small mouth was full of boastful pride.

The things he said did comfort Er Niang a little, but the latter part of his words did not please her.

“My father is also very strong!”

As if to prove her point, she gestured with her hands.

“My father is that strong!”

Standing on tiptoe, she tried to indicate her father’s height and then stretched out her arms to show his width.

“My father’s arms are so thick, and his legs are so strong. You… you need to eat more for several years to barely match a fraction of my father’s strength.” Er Niang spoke and gestured, hoping to convey her father’s might to Yang Qiwu.

Unfortunately, when Su Aobai came with his daughter yesterday, Yang Qiwu was out with his friends, fighting in the neighboring alley, and had not seen Su Aobai at all.

Seeing Er Niang’s slightly exaggerated description, Yang Qiwu was skeptical.

What she described didn’t seem like a person at all—it was more like a bear.

Yang Qiwu suddenly remembered something his mother once said.

“Having a daughter is good; daughters are thoughtful. In a daughter’s eyes, her father is the most formidable hero in the world, and her mother is the gentlest and capable mother. Unlike you boys, who just cause trouble and annoy people.”

He thought Er Niang was exactly the kind of good daughter his mother had spoken about, always believing her own parents were the best.

Well, let the little girl think what she wants for now. In a few years, I’ll show her what a real hero looks like. Someone like me!

“Are you hungry?”

As Yang Qiwu was about to jump down from the wall, he suddenly asked Er Niang.

He noticed that the window of the Su family’s kitchen was still dark, indicating that the stove hadn’t been lit yet.

It was still early, and the sun hadn’t fully risen. Many families in this alley were still asleep.

The Yang family had different rules from the outside. In this era, unless one was a professional cook who earned a living by cooking, men generally didn’t enter the kitchen. Cooking was considered women’s work. However, due to Yang Yong’s unique background, the important rules that outsiders considered crucial didn’t matter in their home.

If someone was hungry and there was no food, they cooked it themselves. Whoever woke up first would prepare breakfast for the family and keep it warm on the stove. The others could then eat the breakfast directly when they woke up.

Today, Yang Qiwu woke up the earliest and was also hungry. He quickly steamed a pot of cornmeal buns and cooked a pot of thin porridge.

“I’m not hungry.” Er Niang held her stomach, feeling an unexpected pang of hunger, and quietly told a lie.

However, her stomach soon protested with rumbling sounds.

Indeed, she had only eaten a small amount last night. Although Aunt Lin had thoughtfully prepared a plate of pastries and left them in her bedroom, she could have a snack if she woke up hungry during the night.

Yang Qiwu didn’t know it; he only heard the rumbling of Er Niang’s stomach.

“Wait here. I’ll get you a bun. I just made it, and it’s just as good as what my mother makes.”

Without waiting for Er Niang to react, he jumped down from the wall. From behind the stone wall, she could only hear the sound of him running away.

Er Niang considered waiting for Yang Qiwu and continued sitting on the steps. After a short while, the familiar figure agilely climbed back up the wall, then jumped down into the Su family’s courtyard.

***

“Here, be careful; it’s hot.”

He carried a dish with a bun almost as large as Er Niang’s face and some pickled vegetables on the side, meant to be eaten with the bun.

“My mother’s pickled vegetables are really delicious. Unfortunately, I’ve tried many times but haven’t mastered the skill.”

Yang Qiwu said regretfully, then looked at Er Niang with anticipation, urging her to eat.

Er Niang stared at the bun, which was larger than her face, feeling somewhat at a loss. But facing Yang Qiwu’s hopeful gaze, she resigned herself and used both hands to hold the bun, taking a large bite.

She thought it was a substantial bite, but to Yang Qiwu, it still seemed rather dainty.