Chapter 648 - 647: Finding Out

She had thought Tang Mo was busy with his studies over there. Even if he did buy her some gifts, she figured it wouldn’t be much. And yet... there were so many.

There was no way he’d bought all of this at once; he must have accumulated it day by day.

"You silly boy... how can you be so endearing? You bought me all these things, but what did you get for yourself?"

There were two suitcases, and the large one was filled entirely with her things. How much could possibly fit in the small one?

"I bought things for myself too, but I didn’t bring most of it back. I have to go back anyway, right?"

Tang Mo smiled. "Mom, don’t worry. I bought gifts for Grandma and Uncle and everyone else, too. They’re in this suitcase."

Tang Mo patted the smaller suitcase, giving her a look that said, ’You don’t need to worry, Mom.’

"Then what about your stuff? Didn’t you buy anything new for yourself?"

All those other kids who came back from studying abroad were loaded with new outfits and endless things to show off. But Tang Mo...

He had nothing for himself, but he’d brought back an entire suitcase for her. *She* was the one who could show things off for ages, but that was obviously backward.

Su Li stared at Tang Mo, who looked back at her innocently.

"Why would I need to buy anything? Won’t you buy things for me, Mom? You always buy me so much before the New Year."

Su Li: "..."

’He wasn’t wrong.’

Tang Mo smiled at Su Li and pointed to the things in his room. "Didn’t you buy all this for me, Mom? If I bought even more to bring back, how could I ever wear or use it all? And when school starts again, I won’t be able to take that much with me. It would just be a waste."

Tang Mo was growing quickly, and Su Li loved buying things for him. Many of his clothes and shoes were still practically new, having been worn only once or twice before he outgrew them.

By the time he came back for summer break, he surely wouldn’t be able to wear any of it.

So he couldn’t be wasteful. Su Li had no way to argue with that.

Seeing his mother’s expression, Tang Mo’s eyes crinkled with amusement.

"I know that with you here, Mom, I don’t have to worry about a thing."

"You’re such a smooth-talker." Su Li ruffled his hair.

Overjoyed, she put away the gifts from Tang Mo. Once he had put his own things away, the mother and son started soaking their feet and chatting.

Tang Mo animatedly recounted his experiences abroad to Su Li, telling her everything bit by bit.

Su Li listened intently. Tang Mo grew more and more excited as he spoke, his mood soaring.

They were in such a good mood that when the phone rang, Su Li answered with a smile in her voice. "Hello?"

"Su Li, it’s Tang Yuanxiao. Is Momo back yet?"

Su Li was in such a good mood that her smile didn’t even falter when she heard Tang Yuanxiao’s voice on the other end.

"Yes, he’s back. He’s here now. Hold on, I’ll put him on."

Her voice was so full of joy that Tang Yuanxiao, on the other end of the line, found himself breaking into a rare smile, his own mood relaxing.

Every other time he had called Su Li, he’d been in a terrible mood. This time was an exception.

"Okay," he replied quickly.

"Little Mo, it’s your dad on the phone! Come get it." Hearing Su Li’s voice, the tenderness in Tang Yuanxiao’s eyes deepened.

Tang Mo, who was also in high spirits, bounded over and picked up the phone.

"Dad."

Tang Mo’s voice was full of cheerful intimacy.

Hearing it, Tang Yuanxiao suddenly felt his throat tighten.

He felt like laughing and crying at the same time. It took him a long moment to manage a response. "Hey."

How long had it been since Tang Mo had called him that way? It had been so, so long that it felt like a dream.

’This... this is how things were always supposed to be.’

Tang Yuanxiao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. "Momo."

"Yeah, Dad, I made it home safe," Tang Mo replied, his tone as cheerful as ever.

"That’s good. Momo, are you free tomorrow? I’d like to see you," Tang Yuanxiao asked.

He had called Tang Mo before and knew his arrival date, so he had already cleared his schedule for a day.

"I’m free! And actually, I wanted to see you too, Dad."

And just like that, they made plans. When Tang Mo hung up the phone, he was still smiling.

The mother and son, oblivious to the complex emotions on Tang Yuanxiao’s end of the line, chatted for another two hours. When it was eleven o’clock, Su Li finally shooed Tang Mo off to bed.

"It’s getting late. Go on, get some sleep."

Tang Mo reluctantly went off to bed.

「The next day.」

Su Li had just woken up when there was a knock at the door. She opened it and, to no one’s surprise, it was Wu Sheng.

"I gave you and your son a whole day and night to yourselves. You two must have talked your fill by now, right?"

Tang Mo came out of his room, and his eyes lit up when he saw Wu Sheng. "Uncle."

"Little Point." Wu Sheng looked him up and down. "You’ve gotten a bit taller again."

Tang Mo proudly tilted his head back. "Of course."

Wu Sheng deliberately changed the subject. "Get your things. Let’s go. I know you two are coming over to our place today."

"Oh, you’re so smart, you know everything," Su Li huffed. Now that Tang Mo was back, of course they were going to visit Wu Qihua and Wu Sheng. Did that even need to be said?

Wu Sheng knew without being told, which was why he had come to pick them up.

After packing up, Tang Mo came out wearing his backpack and carrying a gift.

"This is for you." He immediately stuffed what he was holding into Wu Sheng’s hands.

Wu Sheng took it with a smile. "A gift? Thanks."

"You’re welcome." Tang Mo’s eyes darted away shyly.

They spent a lively morning at the Wu Family’s home. Tang Mo had also bought a gift for Wu Qihua, which made her delighted.

In the afternoon, Su Li had to go to work at the television station, and Wu Sheng and Wu Qihua were both busy, so Tang Mo went off on his own.

He went to meet Tang Yuanxiao, just as they had arranged yesterday.

"Momo." When Tang Yuanxiao met up with Tang Mo, he couldn’t stop looking him up and down. "You’ve gotten taller."

Tang Yuanxiao felt a deep sense of relief seeing that Tang Mo was not only taller but also more solidly built.

"I’ll keep getting taller, until I’m as tall as you, Dad," Tang Mo replied with a small smile.

There was a bit of awkwardness between the father and son, yet there was also a familiar bond. The affection was still there.

Just like in the old days, Tang Yuanxiao spent a few hours with Tang Mo. He asked him all sorts of questions, showing his concern, took him out to have some fun, and then treated him to a late dinner.

It was all part of the plan.

After they finished eating, the two of them relaxed and chatted for a bit. Tang Mo then gave Tang Yuanxiao the gift he had brought for him.

"Dad, I bought this for you." He had brought a gift for Tang Yuanxiao, too.

It took Tang Yuanxiao a moment to process it, and then he was overcome with surprised delight.

"Oh, thank you. Thank you so much."

Hearing his father thank him so excitedly made Tang Mo a little embarrassed. "You don’t have to thank me. It’s just a little something. I don’t know if you’ll like it."

"I love it. Of course I love it. I’ll love anything you give me," Tang Yuanxiao said at once, without a hint of hesitation.

Tang Mo looked at his father, rubbed his nose, and fell silent.

Tang Yuanxiao carefully put the gift away. Then, as if remembering something, he took an envelope out of his bag. "This is for you."

Tang Yuanxiao was giving him money. He had given him some before he went abroad, and this was what he had managed to save up over the last few months.

This had all been agreed upon beforehand, so Tang Mo simply said "Thank you" and accepted it.

Seeing that Tang Mo had even brought him a gift, and recalling the laughter in Su Li’s voice from the night before, Tang Yuanxiao couldn’t resist asking a question.

"Is your mom doing all right? Is she very busy?"

Su Li often appeared on television, and Tang Yuanxiao would watch whenever he had the chance.

If he couldn’t see her in person, watching her on TV was the next best thing. Su Li was so exceptional, and every time Tang Yuanxiao saw her, he felt a swell of pride.

Tang Mo heard him and replied, "Mom’s doing great. She’s really busy, though, because of work and... getting things ready for the wedding..."

Tang Yuanxiao’s head snapped up, his eyes fixed on Tang Mo. "A wed... a wedding?"

His voice was filled with shock and disbelief.