Responsible for his own promises, Tuantuan made cookies in the middle of the night. By the time he was done, he was yawning non-stop, but he still insisted on completing the task. After finishing the task, Tuantuan was carried by his father and bathed. He didn’t know how he ended up in his little bed, but in his dreams, everything was sweet.
To Tuantuan, the little kids in kindergarten, except for being a little slow, were still very cute. Tuantuan still had a tiny bit of expectation about going to kindergarten, just a tiny bit.
Although he was very tired yesterday, because he had to go to kindergarten, Tuantuan still woke up on time and got out of bed at the call of his biological clock. Tuantuan not only inherited Ryan’s planning ability, but also inherited strong self-control. Even at a young age, he could wake up on time without needing family members to remind him. Tuantuan groggily rolled over and sat up. Without even opening his eyes, he yawned and said, “Papa~”
Auston sat on the edge of the bed and gently pinched Tuantuan’s little nose, “Really a puppy’s nose.”
After Tuantuan, with his eyes closed, accurately called out who it was for the first time, Auston asked how he recognized it. Tuantuan blinked and said the smell was different. Daddy smells like strawberry cake, Grandpa smells like dark chocolate cake, Grandma smells like orange, and Grandpa smells like matcha… He marked everyone with the smell of cake. It’s a very strange but perhaps useful talent in the future.
Tuantuan grumbled and lay on his Papa’s chest, “Papa, go to kindergarten.”
Auston hugged the well-behaved Tuantuan, feeling a bit melancholic. Before sending Tuantuan off to school, he had done some homework and knew that many children, on their first day of school, would cry loudly when leaving their parents and familiar surroundings, looking at adults with pitiful eyes as if they were about to be abandoned… Because of this, Auston didn’t go to send Tuantuan to school, fearing that he might not be able to resist bringing the child back home.
But Ryan told him, “Our child doesn’t cry or make a fuss, he just thinks school is boring.”
At that moment, Auston’s feelings were still very complicated.
Auston picked up his son, “Alright, let’s go to kindergarten.”
Tuantuan nodded, “Mm, send the little cookies.”
Auston said, “Give the little cookies you made with your own hands to the little friends. They’ll definitely be very happy. Sweetheart, look, what do you want to wear today?” Tuantuan is very smart, but emotionally, he is still a little child. His innocent naivety and exceptional intelligence don’t conflict with each other.
Tuantuan likes to choose his clothes by himself, a habit formed during his time on E69, where his mother, Pei Li, would hold him and help him pick clothes, even when he was still babbling and didn’t have a full vocabulary.
Tuantuan pointed at the blue overalls and the yellow little shirt, “This one, this one.” He also wanted to choose matching items to wear. These clothes were all selected by his mother, Pei Li, and his aunt, Peggy. There were many matching items as well, such as hats, sunglasses, crossbody bags, and backpacks. Under the influence of the two ladies, Tuantuan had learned a lot, and with his exceptional talent, the clothes he paired together always looked quite striking. “Also a hat, a bag.”
Tuantuan looked at the little military uniform hanging in the wardrobe. He actually wanted to wear that, but Papa wouldn’t allow it. So annoying.
After getting dressed, with his papa’s help, brushing his teeth and washing his face, Tuantuan dashed to the kitchen like a happy little elf, standing at the kitchen door, and cheerfully called out, “Daddy!”
“Good morning, sweetheart.”
Tuantuan asked, “Daddy, what are we having for breakfast?”
Ryan replied, “Bread, milk.”
Tuantuan exaggeratedly made a disappointed face, “No, I want to eat a small cake, with cute strawberries on top.”
Ryan turned to look at Tuantuan, “No, you can’t have a small cake in the morning.”
“Okay.” Tuantuan puffed up his cheeks. Since daddy wouldn’t make it, what could he do? He could only accept it.
Ryan: “Coconut sand breakfast buns, bacon and chicken leg sandwiches, chocolate milk.”
“Oh yeah~” Tuantuan danced and waved his hands behind Ryan. He knew he wouldn’t just get simple bread, “Daddy, Tuantuan loves you!”
“Sweetheart, Daddy loves you too.” Ryan laughed and said, “But don’t say you love me only when I make something delicious. It makes me feel like you like the food I make more than me.”
Tuantuan pursed his lips and smiled, “Hee hee, hee hee.”
- ··
After finishing the meal, Auston took Tuantuan to school. Today, he didn’t take him to the classroom but just to the door, handing the cookies to the teacher, who was trembling all over with shining eyes. He said to Tuantuan, “Study hard, Papa is going to work.”
Tuantuan waved his hand, “Got it, Papa, goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Tuantuan.”
Although it was enough to just send the child to kindergarten, Auston couldn’t feel at ease. He stood at the door of the kindergarten and watched for a while. He saw Tuantuan seriously greet each little friend with “Good morning.” He saw those little ones automatically following Tuantuan as soon as they saw him. He saw a little girl purposely untie her shoelace, then hop to find Tuantuan.
Auston: “…”
Never tell him that the kindergarten kids don’t understand anything. They can do many things that will astonish adults, all based on instinct.
Watching Tuantuan being surrounded by everyone as he entered the classroom, Auston finally left under the watchful eyes of many parents. After getting in the car, he didn’t tell the driver to go to the office. “Go to the mecha engineering department.”
The driver, “Yes, General.”
In the area where the mecha engineering team is located, all personnel gathered on the playground, watching Colonel William Helms give a brief speech from the podium. After the speech, Colonel William Helms raised his hand to signal for the applause to stop. He said, “I’m glad that one of us has become the exclusive engineer for a General through his own efforts. I’m sure many of you have already guessed who I’m talking about. It’s Ryan Smith, one of our most outstanding members. Let’s welcome him.”
Ryan Smith’s name in the mecha engineering department is well-known by everyone. Even those who haven’t seen him in person have seen his photo through various channels—yes, the one who’s a little bit handsome. If it weren’t for the genetic compatibility, which made him the lucky one, how could he possibly be with the General?
There are some who feel a bit sour and jealous, and others who recognize Ryan’s true abilities. The latter’s proportion is growing larger, and almost no one doubts Ryan’s skills or questions whether he deserves to be with the General. Those discussions are already outdated. Now, people are talking about deeper matters, like when Ryan became the exclusive engineer for the General… Well, according to Colonel William Helms’ announcement, there’s no value in discussing this anymore. Perhaps they should change the direction of the conversation: When will the General’s family have a second child, what do you think?
They really don’t want to discuss when Ryan will sit in Colonel Helms’ position. Everyone has lost interest in discussing Ryan’s abilities—he’s just too impressive, and they can’t keep up with the discussion.
Many people have been in the army for several terms and are still stuck in ordinary units, unable to become official team members with a formal assignment. But Ryan? How long has it been since he came to the Golden Crusade Legion? His rapid advancements have made people go from gossiping to simply getting used to it. They’ve grown numb to it.
Ryan walked to the front of the stage, receiving the applause of the crowd. He smiled and looked at everyone, his expression confident and calm. Then he noticed that the people below him didn’t seem to have admiration or praise in their eyes. Everyone was very calm. If you listened carefully, the applause wasn’t very enthusiastic.
Ryan: “…” This was a bit different from what he had imagined.
Although he had stood on high platforms, looking down at everyone, and received countless praises, none of those moments had mattered to him as much as this one, because he was about to become Auston Dalton’s, his lover’s, exclusive engineer. This was a promise he had made to himself when he first joined the Golden Crusade Legion, and now it had been fulfilled. For him, this meant something extraordinary.
Colonel William Helms also clapped and whispered in Ryan’s ear, “Everyone’s gotten used to it. After being struck down by you so many times, they can no longer give enthusiastic applause. It’s fine, just say a few words to acknowledge it. The sun’s too hot, everyone’s waiting to disperse.”
Ryan: “…”
Colonel William Helms said, “Good luck.”
Ryan moved his lips, “Thank you.” Sigh, this was completely different from what he had imagined.
Ryan opened his mouth, ready to say something, but from a distance, over the crowd, he saw a black car stop at the far end of the playground. A familiar tall figure got out of the car. From thousands of people away, Ryan couldn’t see the expression on the person’s face, but he was sure it was exactly as he had imagined—looking directly at him from afar.
Their eyes met, and everyone present became a mere bystander.
Colonel William Helms found it a bit strange. Following Ryan’s gaze, he looked over, and this time, he fell silent. Suddenly, a sour feeling welled up inside him. He remembered how much he had wanted his wife to be present at his ceremony when he became a colonel, to share in that honor. Ryan had achieved everything he couldn’t do, and it was so wonderful.
The people in the audience felt that the atmosphere between the colonel on the podium and Ryan was a bit strange. Following orders is the most basic rule for a soldier. Even though they had doubts in their hearts, no one whispered to each other.
Ryan curled the corners of his mouth and took a step forward, saying, “Hello, everyone, I’m Ryan Smith. I’m very glad to work with all of you, and to continue growing and improving through our training. I’m even more glad to accept my appointment today as General Dalton’s exclusive engineer. I kindly ask you all to supervise my work and urge me to keep working hard, to provide better service for the General.”
Under the podium, there was no immediate applause. Some people had already raised their hands, but when they realized there was no movement from the others, they awkwardly stopped. After a while, thunderous applause erupted, as if that moment of hesitation had never happened.
Ryan’s words, when thinking about his relationship with the General, made some people reflect, and they felt something was off.
Comparisons really kill you, you can’t make comparisons.
Ryan kept smiling, looking toward the person in the distance. He should be smiling too. Just as Ryan thought, Auston was smiling as he looked at Ryan on the podium, his smile filled with pride as if to say, “He did it.”
Ryan whispered, “I did it.”
“What?” Colonel Helms asked, puzzled.
Ryan smiled and said, “It’s nothing, just fulfilling a promise. Becoming a man who stands shoulder to shoulder with the General, advancing and retreating together, fighting side by side. I said I would do it, and I did.”
Colonel Helms nodded, “Oh, oh.”
Today’s assembly was mainly for Ryan’s appointment ceremony. After the ceremony ended, everyone dispersed. The person standing at the back of the line turned around and only then noticed the General. Auston nodded at them, opened the car door, and got in, ready to go back to work.
“What’s going on? Why aren’t you moving?” The person who turned around asked, confused. Why aren’t these people moving?
“Oh, they’re all caught up in the sour, stinky smell of love.”
“Huh?”
“The General was standing right behind us the whole time, watching Ryan’s appointment.”
“!!!”
“Ahhh!!!”
Hello everyone!! We have reached the end of the story. There are still some extras left. I hope you all like this novel and my translations. And most of all, thank you all for being part of this journey. Your support means a lot to me. Thanks for your love and support!!! Love you all!!!
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152