Amid the instructor’s cadenced tone, the teary-eyed, feverish little one sniffled and held back his sobs.
He stretched out his two chubby little hands.
Though the movement was slow, under the coach’s encouraging gaze, Feng Yuan eventually took the medicine bowl.
Qin Xun, who had been watching from the side, had secretly started recording with his smartwatch the moment the instructor began brainwashing Feng Yuan.
“Yuan Yuan, drink it all in big gulps! You need to be a brave soldier!”
“Yuan Yuan roger that!”
After the instructor’s final urging, Feng Yuan held the medicine bowl with a look of grim determination on his chubby little face.
Gulp, gulp.
After a few consecutive swallows, Feng Yuan finished the medicine.
Once he had drunk it, the bitterness made him cough repeatedly, and his chubby face scrunched up.
“Excellent!”
The instructor continued to praise him.
After checking Feng Yuan’s bowl and confirming he had finished every drop, the instructor handed him a piece of candy while fishing a five-pointed star from his pocket and pinning it onto his camouflage uniform.
“This is your reward.”
Feng Yuan: “!”
Feng Yuan: “Thank you, Instructor!”
Little Soldier Yuan Yuan had strictly completed his mission, but his mouth still tasted bitter.
He took a few sips of plain water and ate the candy the instructor had given him.
“Yuan Yuan, you don’t need to train anymore. Rest well and wait for your parent to pick you up.”
“Is Dad coming to get Yuan Yuan?”
“Yes, your dad is already on his way.”
“Okay, Instructor!”
In front of the instructor, Feng Yuan kept a straight face, acting like a proper Little Soldier Yuan Yuan.
About twenty minutes later, Little Soldier Yuan Yuan finally saw his dad.
As soon as Feng Qi arrived, he reached out to touch Feng Yuan’s forehead. It was still burning hot.
“Doctor, where’s his medicine? I’ll feed it to him.”
“He’s already taken it.”
The doctor smiled, recalling the earlier scene with amusement.
Hearing that the medicine had already been taken, Feng Qi was visibly surprised.
He cupped his son’s little painted face and said incredulously, “Yuan Yuan, you actually drank your medicine obediently this time.”
Feng Yuan’s painted face flushed red, not wanting the instructor to know that he usually resisted taking medicine at home.
“Dad, look, a five-pointed star!”
Feng Yuan pointed to the star pinned on his uniform to show his dad.
Feng Qi chuckled, seeing right through the little one’s attempt to change the subject.
He asked the doctor about the exact time Feng Yuan had taken the medicine, then prepared to take him home to rest.
Qin Xun wanted to go along, too.
But since he was already at the base, leaving so early without a good reason wouldn’t be appropriate.
So, he continued training with the instructor.
Meanwhile, Feng Yuan was taken home by his two dads.
On the way home.
Feng Yuan fell asleep in the car.
Feng Qi took out his phone, periodically recording his son’s temperature changes.
The fever-reducing medicine prescribed by the doctor was effective. By the time they arrived home, Feng Yuan’s temperature had dropped to 38.4°C.
Feng Qi kissed his warm little cheek and carried him out of the car.
When a child gets a fever, there’s not much that adults can do.
Both the child and the adults just have to endure and wait for the fever to break.
At lunchtime.
Feng Qi woke Feng Yuan up to eat.
The little one was still in his camouflage uniform, and the face paint hadn’t been washed off.
Before going to sleep, he had insisted that his camouflage not be washed off.
He wanted to show Grandpa.
Rubbing his eyes, the little one, roused by his dad, took a good while to fully wake up.
“Grandpa, Grandma, look at Yuan Yuan.”
It was the first time the little one had worn camouflage face paint. He was determined to show all the adults in the family.
The grandparents naturally played along.
Even Little Deer, seeing his outfit, was inspired and decided to make a camouflage suit for the little chubby one.
Little Deer took charge of lunch.
Feng Yuan ate two full bowls of his golden shrimp paste and still wanted more.
Seeing Feng Yuan eat so well and look lively, Li Heng asked Feng Qi, “Is Yuan Yuan better now?”
“No, he still has a fever.”
Feng Qi replied. “I just took his temperature. 37.7°C.”
“He looks quite energetic.”
“Yes, I’ll wipe him down again later.”
Children are always full of energy. Even with a fever, they can seem lively.
Feng Qi had been keeping a close eye on him.
After lunch, Feng Qi wiped him down to help reduce the fever physically.
Since he had slept before lunch, the little one didn’t take a nap.
The older cousins and Qin Xun were at the base.
With no playmates around, the little one wandered around the house on his own.
Watching his son play alone, Feng Qi felt a bit sorry for him.
If he were attending kindergarten back in China, he’d surely have plenty of friends.
He shared this thought with Li Sheng.
While they were talking, they didn’t notice Li Heng nearby.
It wasn’t until Feng Qi finished speaking and turned around that he saw Li Heng.
Their eyes met.
Feng Qi felt a bit embarrassed. “Ahem, Uncle Li, I didn’t mean to imply this place isn’t good. I just think kindergartens in China might be livelier.”
In the past, Li Heng would likely have remained indifferent to such remarks.
Although he appeared easygoing around Feng Yuan at home, deep down, he wasn’t someone easily swayed.
For a moment, the atmosphere seemed a bit awkward.
Then Li Heng broke the silence.
“Once this phase of training is over, take Yuan Yuan to kindergarten.”
“His foreign language isn’t strong, and he doesn’t care for the food here. Let’s take him back to China and enroll him in Little Sun Kindergarten.”
Before going abroad, Feng Yuan had attended Little Sun Kindergarten.
That kindergarten suited him well.
Although there were Chinese-speaking kindergartens abroad if one looked carefully, they still lacked something compared to those in China.
Li Heng’s concession surprised Feng Qi.
“By the way, are you two planning to hold your wedding before or after returning to China?”
Feng Qi was taken aback. “What?”
Seeing Feng Qi completely unaware, Li Heng shot his son a sidelong glance, as if questioning his incompetence.
Both Li Heng and Frida had already discussed the wedding with Li Sheng.
Li Sheng also wanted the ceremony.
But Li Heng hadn’t expected him to still not have proposed by now.
Since Li Heng had brought it up, he decided to be straightforward.
“Yuan Yuan is already three. It’s time the two of you made things official.”
“The wedding and marriage registration. These should be on the agenda.”
Feng Qi: “…”
Feng Qi: “Do we really need that?”
They were already living together. Whether they had a wedding or registered their marriage didn’t seem all that important to him.
What Feng Qi considered unimportant, the Li family took very seriously.
“Dad, don’t worry about this for now. I’ll discuss it with Feng Qi.”
Li Sheng said, steering the conversation elsewhere.
He took Feng Qi’s hand and led him to the yard to play with their son.
Feng Yuan had been running around the yard for quite a while.
Now tired, he crouched on the ground, watching ants move.
“Dad, are they a family?”
Feng Yuan pointed at a group of ants working together to carry breadcrumbs and asked his father.
“Ants are social animals. A large colony of them lives in a single nest…”
Li Sheng crouched beside his son, watching the ants with him while explaining their behavior.
The entire afternoon, Feng Qi and Li Sheng spent time with their son.
Meanwhile, Tao Zhi was exhausted.
During the day, Tao Zhi had been helping Feng Qi with his tasks. He deeply disliked those headless tribesmen, so facing them naturally put him in a foul mood.
This led to him becoming even more clingy and affectionate with Little Deer at night.
As night fell.
Feng Qi and Li Sheng were keeping watch over their son. The couple once again prepared for a sleepless night.
Children’s high fevers often come and go. Nighttime is when fevers are most likely to spike.
The two dads couldn’t sleep.
While they were staying up late to care for their child, on the other side, Little Deer was also staying up late dealing with Tao Zhi beside him.
“Tao Zhi, this isn’t right.”
“I said I’d only help you once…”
“Three strikes and you’re out. You can’t keep doing this!”
Ever since Little Deer had helped Tao Zhi that one time, it was as if a new world had opened up for Tao Zhi.
He clung to Little Deer, taking his hand over and over again.
Little Deer’s frustration was written all over his face.
“Let me cook for you, okay? I’ve been experimenting with some new dishes lately. Even Yuan Yuan said they were delicious.”
“Not hungry.”
Even Tao Zhi, who had always been ruled by his appetite, suddenly discovered—
There was something even more pleasurable than eating.
He became obsessed, clinging to Little Deer.
Whenever they were in the room, his gaze was fixed on Little Deer.
Sometimes, even during Little Deer’s livestreams, he would stare so intensely that Little Deer could barely keep his composure.
“Tao Zhi, no.”
Little Deer pushed him away once again.
Tao Zhi’s handsome face loomed close, their noses almost touching. Their heated breaths mingled indistinguishably.
The one who kept saying “no” ended up compromising again and again.
The night grew deeper.
Little Deer watched as the person holding him finally fell asleep. He flexed his sore hand, feeling as though even his esports training hadn’t been this exhausting.
“Sigh.”
He leaned against Tao Zhi’s chest and let out a deep sigh.
Tao Zhi still didn’t understand anything, only knowing this one method that brought him comfort.
If one day this guy learned about other things…
Little Deer shuddered.
He shook his head gently, trying to clear his mind of those chaotic thoughts.
He couldn’t think about it anymore.
If he kept going, he’d be too anxious to sleep tonight.
At least Little Deer could get some sleep later in the night, but Li Sheng stayed up the entire night.
Feng Qi’s fears had come true.
The little one was crying uncontrollably and running a high fever again.
The two adults were busy all night.
When it was time for medicine, even Little Soldier Yuan Yuan refused to obey orders.
Feng Qi tried to imitate his instructor’s manner to get him to take the medicine willingly.
But the little one was crying so hard he could barely catch his breath, insisting over and over that he didn’t want to be a little soldier anymore.
He didn’t want to be Little Soldier Yuan Yuan.
He wouldn’t take the medicine!
In the end, they had to pry his mouth open and pour the medicine in.
The little one cried pitifully. Thinking about how he had been frightened and was now feverish, Feng Qi couldn’t hold back his own tears, holding him close with red-rimmed eyes.
The next day, Feng Yuan still hadn’t recovered.
His fever kept coming and going.
Feng Qi took him to the hospital for another blood draw and tests.
As expected, the blood draw process was anything but smooth.
The little one was so traumatized by his dad forcing medicine down his throat that he refused to be held by either of his dads.
In the end, Li Heng and Frida carried him outside the hospital first.
Meanwhile, Li Sheng and Feng Qi stayed behind in the hospital waiting for the test results.
The results came back quickly.
Feng Yuan’s blood tests showed no issues. There were no signs of any viral infection.
It was just a common fever.
But this “common” fever persisted for several days straight.
The fever would subside after he took the medicine, but it would spike again not long after.
Both dads were exhausted from staying up. Feng Qi’s health visibly deteriorated.
Other members of the Li family took turns caring for the feverish child.
The fever eventually alarmed Grandpa and Grandma Yu from the Yu family.
When Fang Fang came over, he carefully examined the child’s eyebrows and hair.
“His eyebrows are tangled. This is a sign of fright. Children under three are most prone to this kind of thing.”
Fang Fang’s words left Feng Qi stunned.
“Stop messing around. Listen to me. Find a specialist.”
Feng Qi: “What kind of specialist?”
After asking, Feng Qi suddenly understood.
His memories of the past were incomplete.
He vaguely recalled that in some of the dynasties he had lived in, there were indeed “specialists” among the common folk.
Some of their abilities were not far inferior to those of divine beasts like him.
Prompted by Fang Fang, Feng Qi immediately knew what to do.
Just as they were about to look for a knowledgeable specialist, Qin Xun stepped forward.
“Uncle Feng, I know how to do this. I’ve studied it.”
Feng Qi: “…”
Feng Qi looked at Qin Xun, momentarily at a loss for words.
Qin Xun went to the kitchen, fetched a basin of water, and placed it under the brightest sunlight.
Then, he carried Feng Yuan over.
“Yuan Yuan, stand still.”
Qin Xun supported Feng Yuan with one hand while stirring the sun-warmed water with the other.
He then dipped his right hand into the water and gently dabbed it on Feng Yuan’s eyebrows and the space between them.
After that, he continued sprinkling water over Feng Yuan’s body while murmuring something under his breath.
This process went on for quite some time.
“Done.”
Qin Xun instructed the adults to take Feng Yuan away.
He then picked up the remaining water in the basin and splashed it all out.
In addition, he asked for seven needles, cinnabar, and a piece of red cloth.
He arranged the seven needles—three long and four short—on the red cloth, sprinkled them with cinnabar, and carefully wrapped them layer by layer in the cloth.
Qin Xun placed the bulging red bundle on Feng Yuan’s body.
“Uncle Feng, don’t remove this. He must wear it continuously. At night, place it under his pillow.”
Qin Xun added, “Wear it for 29 days, and he’ll be fine.”
Feng Qi: “Alright.”
Feng Qi was completely taken aback.
He didn’t know if Qin Xun’s method would work, but the series of procedures looked quite professional.
After performing these rituals during the day, Qin Xun went to the kitchen in the evening to make an offering to the Kitchen Goddess.
Before bedtime, he held Feng Yuan again, sat on the bed, and invoked the Bedside Goddess.
Only after calling upon the Bedside Goddess did Qin Xun announce, “Alright, it’s time to sleep.”
Feng Qi: “…”
Feng Qi: “Okay.”
Feng Qi held his child, who had been feverish for days and was finally subdued. He began soothing him to sleep.
After days of continuous fever, Feng Yuan’s energy had completely drained away.
For the past two days, he had been listless. He was unwilling to walk on his own and uninterested in playing. All he wanted was to be held by the adults.
Feng Yuan quickly fell asleep after being soothed.
Qin Xun lay beside him and dozed off as well.
Feng Qi, however, was still wide awake. Tonight was their turn to watch over their son.
“Li Sheng, do you think Xiao Xun’s method will work?”
“I don’t know.”
Li Sheng wasn’t sure either.
Both dads had prepared medicine by the bedside and braced themselves for another night of struggle.
Unexpectedly, the little one slept peacefully through the entire night.
No crying, no fussing, and no fever.
“It worked.”
The next morning, seeing their child in good condition, Feng Qi breathed a sigh of relief. “Yuan Yuan is truly better now.”
Once Feng Yuan’s fever subsided, his energy returned immediately.
He was soon bouncing around with vitality.
The Li family, who had been worn out over the past few days, finally smiled again as they looked at the little one’s rosy cheeks.
As soon as Feng Yuan recovered, Feng Qi wrapped up the matter of the Headless Tribe.
Feng Yuan did not witness the sacrificial ritual of the Headless Tribe.
Feng Qi, Li Sheng, Tao Zhi, and Qin Xun together witnessed the final demise of the Headless Tribe.
This time, there was no chance of their revival.
After resolving the affairs of the Headless Tribe, Feng Qi took a few days to rest properly.
Feng Yuan’s life also returned to its regular routine.
He spent his days at the base and returned home after school.
Most of the time, the little one appeared happy and carefree. Though occasionally, while playing games, he would mention how nice it would be to have more children around.
Even though the adults at home played with him, it seemed he still longed for companions of his own age.
Some time later.
Li Heng personally informed Feng Qi, “The first phase of training at the base has concluded. You can take Yuan Yuan back now.”
China was the place Feng Yuan was most familiar with.
The language, the food, and the children there…
It was where he truly belonged.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152