"Yes, it might be Zheng Zheng's dream. In the dream, I saw someone in the water. It was a man, but I couldn't see his face. I didn't recognize the background where he was floating on the surface either."
Shen Yin said she was a bit scared. It was too horrifying. If she had dreamed it herself, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but for little Zheng Zheng to have such a dream... If only they knew who the person was, it would be easier to handle. But now, they had no clue at all.
"It's okay, don't be afraid. Not recognizing him is a good thing. It means he's not someone close to you. Don't panic," Xu Xiuhe said, patting Shen Yin gently.
In Xu Xiuhe's embrace, Shen Yin finally fell asleep.
The next morning when she woke up, Xu Xiuhe was still by her side.
"Why haven't you gone to work yet?"
"I thought you might be scared if you woke up and found me gone."
"I feel much better after sleeping."
Xu Xiuhe had prepared breakfast and only left for work after watching Shen Yin and Xu Yunzheng finish eating.
After Xu Xiuhe left, Shen Yin took Xu Yunzheng upstairs. Having eaten his fill, Zheng Zheng pestered Shen Yin to play games with him.
Shen Yin took out various early education toys for Xu Yunzheng. Upon seeing them, he immediately ran over and picked up his toys, unable to put them down.
Shen Yin was lost in thought as she watched Zheng Zheng. Why did Zheng Zheng have that dream, and why did she dream about it after him? If only Zheng Zheng could be like other children, safe and sound.
"Mom, this is how you put it together," Zheng Zheng said, piecing together the plastic parts bit by bit.
Before long, he had assembled half of a fire truck.
"Zheng Zheng, you're amazing!" Shen Yin praised.
"Mom is amazing too!"
"What does Zheng Zheng want to be when he grows up?"
"Be what?" Zheng Zheng fell into deep thought, seemingly not understanding the question.
"Yes, what kind of person does Zheng Zheng want to become in the future?"
"Zheng Zheng wants to be a good person."
Shen Yin was speechless.
It was an ambitious goal, but the scope of being a "good person" was too broad. In this era, there were indeed quite a few bad people who were ruthless and committed all kinds of evil, as if they had no morals or heart.
By the same token, where there are villains, there are also embodiments of justice. Good people still made up the majority.
"Zheng Zheng, there are many good people. What kind of good person do you want to be?"
"I want to be a good person who beats up bad people."
Shen Yin was struck speechless again.
It was a good answer, but Zheng Zheng still hadn't understood her question. She wanted to know what kind of dreams Zheng Zheng had for the future, what he wanted to become.
Clearly, it was too early to ask such a question.
"Mom, you put this together," Zheng Zheng said, taking out plastic parts of another color from the toy box.
"Zheng Zheng, what kind of vehicle is this?" Shen Yin asked, pointing at the half-assembled fire truck.
"This is a fire truck."
"What does a fire truck do?"
"It puts out fires. Fire is scary."
"Then what kind of vehicle will this one be when it's assembled?"
"An ambulance. It saves people."
Shen Yin picked up the small parts. They were quite complex, and it was her first time assembling them. All these toys were bought by Xu Xiuhe. There was even a room on the third floor specially for storing Zheng Zheng's toys.
"Mom's not very good at this. Can Zheng Zheng teach Mom?"
"Okay."
The fire truck wasn't finished yet, but Xu Yunzheng scooted closer to Shen Yin. The two sat on the carpet, their distance narrowing.
"This is the head," Zheng Zheng said, pointing to one of the small parts.
"This is the body."
With Zheng Zheng's help, Shen Yin soon assembled the ambulance.
Just as they were about to continue assembling the fire truck, Shen Yin's phone rang.
"Hello, Xiuhe."
"Did you see the news online?" Xu Xiuhe asked directly, without any other greeting.
"What news online? I've been playing with the baby and his toys," Shen Yin replied.
"The dream you had last night, it happened yesterday afternoon."
"Huh?" Shen Yin was shocked. Wasn't she supposed to have precognitive dreams? How had it turned into something that had already happened?
"It's Xu Guimin. The news says he had a sudden incident while swimming and couldn't surface."
"What?"
Shen Yin was surprised again. Things were becoming increasingly strange. Hadn't she only dreamed about her loved ones and friends before? And they were all premonitions. Now she had dreamed about someone completely unrelated to her.
Xu Xiuhe wasn't even willing to call him "Dad," so how could she possibly consider Xu Guimin as her father-in-law? Wasn't he just an unrelated person?
Moreover, it wasn't a premonition. The event had already happened before she dreamed about it. What use was that? Even if she wanted to save him, she couldn't. And the dream was so vague, just leaving her with a silhouette. She didn't even know who it was. It would have been better not to dream at all. It was a waste of time, leaving only fear behind.
But come to think of it, what about Zheng Zheng's dream? It was still unclear whether he had dreamed about the same person. After all, he was just a child who couldn't express himself clearly and was sometimes unwilling to talk. He might not even be able to distinguish between dreams and reality at times.
"So now?" Shen Yin asked.
"There's no need to worry now. It's good that we've confirmed who the person in the dream was. It's a positive thing for us."
"I mean, is he still..."
Shen Yin didn't finish, but Xu Xiuhe understood what she meant.
"I don't know. I just saw the news online. It's the headline, probably already trending in local hot searches. I don't know anything else."
"Hmm..."
Shen Yin didn't know what to say. Although Xu Xiuhe hated Xu Guimin, they were still related by blood.
"It's best if nothing happens to him. Otherwise, it would be too easy on him."
Shen Yin was speechless.
Well, it seemed that blood relations meant nothing in this case. Perhaps some people were just not meant to be parents. If she were still in the Dasheng Dynasty, if she hadn't come here, she would probably feel the same way as Xu Xiuhe towards her worthless minister father. She would try every means to take revenge on him.
"That's good, at least we know the outcome of this dream. But why did Zheng Zheng dream about it?" Shen Yin still didn't understand.
"Maybe it was just a coincidence, or perhaps it's because they're still related by blood."
"Hmm, I'm not worried anymore. I'll bring you lunch at the company."
"Okay, be careful on your way here."
After hanging up the phone, Shen Yin put it down.
Zheng Zheng had already put down his toys and even dragged over his toy box.
"Mom, are we going to find Dad?"
"Yes, we are."
The little one was very attentive and understood perfectly.
"Zheng Zheng will go with Mommy," he said.
Xu Yunzheng carefully placed his toys into the box, arranging them neatly one by one. If even one was slightly crooked, he would rearrange it.
"No need to rush," his mother said. "Mommy still needs to cook. After I finish making the meal, we'll take it to Daddy."
"Okay, Zheng Zheng will help Mommy cook," the little boy replied.
After putting away all his toys, he followed Shen Yin downstairs.
