Lucky Golden Dragon in the 80s: My Dad? I Switched Him for a Better One

Her grandfather leaned on his-cane, pacing back and forth in the courtyard. He didn’t say a word, but the corners of his eyes crinkled with a smile he couldn’t hide.

Shanshan was on the living room carpet, assembling a huge jigsaw puzzle.

When she heard her grandmother say that her dad was coming home today, her hand trembled, and several puzzle pieces CLATTERED to the floor.

"Really? Really? Is he almost here?"

She was already dashing for the door as she asked.

Shanshan was so happy she was jumping up and down, clamoring to go pick him up.

"It’s scorching hot outside. You’ll get heatstroke if you run out like that!"

Ding Qin grabbed her by the wrist.

"Besides, your dad is coming straight home. If you wait here, it’ll be a better surprise when he sees you the moment he walks in."

"That’s right, Shanshan. Don’t make a fuss."

The maid, A Zhen, also chimed in with a smile.

"Your dad’s coming back weary from his journey. You really want to make him go to the station to get you? That’s not right."

"I don’t care! I want to go! I want to be the first one to see Dad!"

Shanshan flailed her little hands.

Her grandfather took a slow sip of tea and said calmly, "Who is Ling Anxun? Do you think he’d get lost? Or be late? If you really want to make him happy, just wait here patiently. Get dressed in clean, neat clothes so that the moment he walks in, he sees his most well-behaved daughter."

Shanshan paused for a moment, then stood still obediently. She patted the wrinkles on her dress and nodded earnestly.

"Then... I’ll go change!"

The moment Ling Anxun pushed the door open, the air in the room seemed to freeze.

Ling Anxun’s figure appeared in the doorway, a heavily worn canvas bag slung over his shoulder.

Before he could even steady himself, a small, pink blur shot forward.

Shanshan threw herself into Ling Anxun’s arms, her small arms wrapping tightly around his waist.

"Dad! Dad! It’s you! It’s really you!"

"Dad, I missed you so much," she sobbed. "How did you get so thin?"

As she cried, she clutched the corner of Ling Anxun’s shirt with her small hands.

In the two months Ling Anxun had been gone, Shanshan hadn’t mentioned him once.

But the moment he appeared, her tears started to fall.

During the day, she went to school, painted, and practiced the piano as usual.

At night, she ate her dinner, took her bath, and went to sleep obediently.

Whenever anyone asked about Ling Anxun, she would just casually say that her dad was away on a mission.

She didn’t even write a single extra word about it in her diary.

But what no one knew was that every night, she would secretly creep to the window and gaze out at the pitch-black sky.

The family photo she kept hidden under her pillow was already frayed at the edges from being handled so much.

Her crying made everyone in the room tear up.

Ling Anxun smiled, hugged his daughter gently, and walked over to his family.

He kept one arm around Shanshan, patting her back lightly with the other.

"There, there. Don’t cry. Dad’s back, and I’m not leaving again."

He took a few steps while holding her, then stood firmly in the center of the living room and nodded to his family.

"Sorry to make everyone worry. I’m fine. The mission was just exhausting, so I lost a little weight. I’ll be fine after a few days of rest."

He didn’t say a word about the hails of bullets or the near-death experiences.

He was used to it—sharing the good news and swallowing the bitter truths.

In his mind, all his family needed to know was that he had returned safely.

That night, for once, Shanshan wasn’t fussy. Cuddling her tattered old doll, she obediently slipped into her father’s bed.

The doll was a little stuffed bear with a piece of its right ear missing.

It was a gift Ling Anxun had brought back from the frontier three years ago.

She hugged it to sleep every night, saying it felt like her dad was with her.

Tonight, she deliberately placed it under Ling Anxun’s covers.

Then she crawled in herself, curling into a small ball and gently sniffing the familiar yet strange scent on the bedding.

"Dad, don’t move. Let me see."

Ling Anxun had just taken off his outer shirt and sat down.

He froze at her words but then obediently raised his hands, letting her do as she pleased.

Her small hands carefully traced over his arms and legs, checking every scar.

Finally, her fingers found a prominent, raised old scar on his back, near his waist.

"Does... does this hurt a lot?"

Ling Anxun was silent for a moment before saying, "It doesn’t hurt anymore."

Shanshan nodded, finally letting out a sigh of relief. Her whole body relaxed as she snuggled into the pillow and closed her eyes.

"Mhm, you’re all here. That’s good."

"I’m sorry... The Amulet, it broke."

Ling Anxun looked down at her sleeping face, paused, and then slowly took out a small object wrapped tightly in kraft paper from an inner pocket close to his chest.

When he unwrapped the paper, a Jade Pendant, cracked into several pieces, lay in his palm.

It had once been whole, but now it was broken into three pieces.

The centermost crack ran all the way through, from top to bottom.

Shanshan wasn’t surprised at all.

She had expected this.

Its purpose was to absorb calamities for its owner when danger approached.

The fact that it was broken was proof that it had truly helped.

She opened her eyes, looked at the fragments, and suddenly smiled. "It was its good fortune to take that blow for you," she said softly.

Ling Anxun had been staring at her small face the whole time.

Seeing her calm expression, he felt a sense of relief.

He had been worried she would be scared.

But she wasn’t.

Neither of them spoke, just tacitly looked away.

In that moment, no words were needed.

「The next day.」

For a change, Ling Anxun slept until the sun was high in the sky.

Bright sunlight shone from outside the window, bathing the bedroom in a warm, yellow glow.

Shanshan quietly climbed out of bed and was about to tiptoe out barefoot.

She was wearing a small, pink nightdress, her messy hair sticking up in a few tufts.

Ling Anxun was sleeping soundly, completely unaware.

He rolled over, hugging the pillow, a faint smile on his lips.

"Grandma! Where’s that old ginseng I’ve been saving? Put some extra in for Dad!"

In the kitchen, Ding Qin was simmering a pot of chicken soup, its rich aroma filling the air.

Shanshan burst in, shouting, her little face flushed.

Ding Qin jumped, nearly dropping her spatula into the pot.

"Goodness, you little terror! You scared me to death! Keep your voice down, don’t wake your dad!"

"No! Dad needs to recover his strength!"

Shanshan stomped her foot in frustration.

"That ginseng, I’ve been saving it for a year! Get it out now!"

"Silly girl, ginseng isn’t like rice. You can’t just toss it in. Too much will do more harm than good. Instead of nourishing him, it’ll leave him weaker."

Ding Qin explained patiently as she stirred the soup.

"Your dad just got back. His body is weak, so he needs to recover slowly. Ginseng is good, but it’s also strong medicine. Too much can cause internal heat, nosebleeds, and even dizziness and heart palpitations, understand?"

She spoke with grave importance.

But Shanshan wasn’t listening at all.

Ding Qin was in a good mood, and there was a smile in her voice.

The worried clouds that had hung over her face for the past few days had finally dissipated.

Seeing the girl so devoted to her father, her heart felt a mix of ache and warmth.

Shanshan pouted and grumbled to herself.

’Hmph, what do you know? I’m the reincarnation of the Little Golden Dragon. Is there anything I *don’t* know? That old ginseng was ’borrowed’ from Grandpa’s medicine cabinet. Every root is ancient and brimming with Spiritual Energy. I refuse to believe this stuff can’t heal Dad’s injuries! Tonight, when no one’s around, I have to find a way to sneak a few more slices into his soup.’

The soup in the pot was BUBBLING away, wisps of milky-white steam rising from it.

’Forget it, I’m not arguing.’ she thought.

’As long as I’m watching over him, Dad will get chubby and healthy sooner or later.’

By the time Ling Anxun woke up, it was almost noon.

Sunlight slanted in through the gaps in the curtains.