Thank you, quayA, for the ko-fi~
Wu Jin stared blankly in the direction where the egg had slipped away. For some reason, his heart suddenly began pounding fiercely.
“Egg.”
He murmured, feeling an urge to investigate.
But Yu Yi hadn’t been returned yet. Wu Jin steadied his mind, forcing himself to regain focus.
Yu Yi hadn’t laid any eggs.
What he had just seen might have been a trick of the eyes, or perhaps it was someone else’s egg.
Having reasoned this through, Wu Jin directly called out to the Qiong Qi entering its den: “Where’s Yu Yi! Qiong Qi, where’s my person!”
Without turning its head, Qiong Qi replied: “In the wooden cabin. Go get him yourself.”
As it spoke, Qiong Qi walked into his den.
Inside the den, the chubby little cub was rubbing his eyes so much that tiny teardrops had formed. Lifting his round, bun-like face, he opened his mouth.
This was his typical posture waiting to be fed.
Out of habit, Qiong Qi brought water to feed him, then stuffed a piece of dried meat into his mouth for him to chew on.
With both food and drink, the chubby cub also spread his little arms, asking to be held.
Qiong Qi looked at the cub requesting to be held, his form pausing for a few seconds.
A few seconds later.
He picked up the cub, turned around, and left the den.
“Here, take it.”
As soon as he emerged, Qiong Qi tossed the cub outward.
Feng Qi caught their son in one swift motion.
The cub, now thrown into his father’s arms, blinked his eyes.
“Dad!”
“Yes, Dad’s here.”
Feng Qi held his son, planting enthusiastic kisses on the little face: “Dad’s here to pick up Yuan Yuan.”
Seeing his dad, Feng Yuan’s chubby face lit up with joy.
He offered the dried meat in his hand to his dad’s mouth, urging him to take a bite.
Feng Qi nibbled a small piece. It was quite tough to chew.
Father and son snuggled close. Feng Yuan didn’t appear to have suffered any hardship. His spirits were still quite high.
After snuggling with his dad, Feng Yuan noticed the other divine beast uncles.
Bai Ze gently patted his little head.
Xie Zhi smiled at him.
Pixiu raised an eyebrow at him.
The Dream God lifted a hand, sprinkling a bit of white light onto his little head. This would bless him with sweet dreams.
In the arms of the Nine-Tailed Fox, the little fox Rong Rong gazed longingly at Feng Yuan, wanting to call out to him but not daring to.
Fortunately, Feng Yuan noticed him.
“Rong Rong, you came, too!”
Feng Yuan asked the adults to put him down on the ground. Seeing this, Rong Rong also had his father set him down.
Once both little ones were standing on the ground, they embraced.
“Rong Rong, come on. There are lots of fun things here.”
“I’ll take you to play.”
“And there’s an egg! I’ll show you Eggy!”
Feng Yuan grabbed Rong Rong’s little hand and ran off with him.
No sooner had he run off than Feng Qi registered what had happened.
“Did Yuan Yuan just say ‘Eggy’?”
Feng Qi felt sure he had heard the word “Eggy”.
He looked uncertainly at Wu Jin, then at Qiong Qi.
Qiong Qi said expressionlessly, “There is an egg. Find it yourselves. Don’t bother me anymore.”
All he wanted now was to rest.
Having said this, Qiong Qi turned and went straight back into his den.
Wu Jin didn’t waste time with Qiong Qi or say anything more to it.
He immediately began searching for the small wooden cabin.
He needed to find Yu Yi first!
The small wooden cabin was easy to find. Before long, Wu Jin had rushed inside.
When he entered, Yu Yi was still asleep.
The exhaustion hadn’t yet left Yu Yi’s body.
He had been sleeping a lot these past couple of days.
During this time, the little black egg had been cared for by Qiong Qi.
Yu Yi still hadn’t let down his guard against Qiong Qi. But he truly had no way to look after the little black egg himself.
Fortunately, Yuan Yuan would occasionally bring the little black egg inside for him to see.
Seeing that both the little black egg and Yuan Yuan were safe, Yu Yi could rest assured and sleep a little longer.
The small wooden cabin wasn’t spacious.
Feng Qi glanced around the room and didn’t allow too many people to enter.
He, along with Wu Jin and Bai Ze, approached Yu Yi’s bedside.
Their footsteps were very light. Yu Yi, still deep in sleep, didn’t realize anyone had come.
Wu Jin had been separated from Yu Yi for the past couple of days. He had been so anxious that he’d shed many tears.
Now, finally seeing Yu Yi again, his eyes reddened once more.
“Xiao Yi,” he called softly, reaching out to gently lift Yu Yi’s blanket and shirt.
Yu Yi’s previously swollen belly had flattened.
Bai Ze immediately checked him over.
“The egg is gone,” Bai Ze said. “Judging by his condition, he just laid the egg not long ago.”
Wu Jin: “…”
Wu Jin suddenly recalled the small black shadow he had seen earlier.
He wanted to go look for the egg, but also wanted to stay by Yu Yi’s side.
Feng Qi, not seeing the egg anywhere, searched around the bed and wondered aloud, “Strange. Where is the egg Yu Yi laid?”
Hearing his question, Wu Jin replied, “I think I saw it outside earlier.”
Feng Qi froze.
He instinctively looked up at Bai Ze. “Can dragon eggs move on their own?”
Bai Ze chuckled. “Of course they can. Yuan Yuan didn’t run around much back then because he was too chubby and heavy, so he wasn’t very mobile.”
Feng Qi thought about his own little phoenix egg, which was as heavy as a weight, and couldn’t argue with that.
Wu Jin wanted to stay with Yu Yi.
Even though he was anxious, he didn’t get up to search for the egg.
Seeing this, Feng Qi took it upon himself to look for it.
“You stay here and keep Yu Yi company. I’ll go with the others to find the egg.”
“Alright.”
Feng Qi left Bai Ze behind as well, instructing him to take good care of Yu Yi.
Once outside the cabin, Feng Qi announced to the others, “Yu Yi has already laid the egg, and it’s wandered off. Everyone, please help look for it.”
As soon as Feng Qi finished speaking, the dragons who had followed them excitedly formed groups and dashed off.
“The egg, the egg! Our egg!”
The dragons had been eagerly anticipating this little black egg for a long time.
They had even arranged a schedule for taking turns incubating it.
Although a dragon egg doesn’t need to be incubated to hatch, if elders frequently keep it warm, the egg will feel a greater sense of security.
An egg with plenty of security is more likely to grow into a healthy and happy little dragon.
All the dragons went off to search for the egg.
Xie Zhi glanced at Qiong Qi, who had returned to his nest, Bai Ze tending to the patient, and the dragons searching for the egg.
After a moment of silence, he felt that his presence wasn’t really needed here.
“Feng Qi, I’m heading back,” Xie Zhi said proactively. “I still have a few cases pending.”
Xie Zhi worked in the judicial system.
The cases he handled were all extremely challenging ones.
He would take on cases that others found troublesome or unprofitable.
Most of the cases Xie Zhi accepted were for impoverished individuals.
Additionally, he also handled difficult cases where it was hard to convict the perpetrators.
Xie Zhi’s eyes could see the true culprit at a glance.
Because of this ability, friends in law enforcement sometimes called on him for assistance.
In short, among all the divine beasts, Xie Zhi was undoubtedly the busiest and most hardworking one.
Feng Qi knew he had work to do, so he didn’t dare delay him.
“You go ahead. I don’t think there’s going to be a fight here.”
“If Bai Ze and Qiong Qi really start fighting, we’ll still be here.”
“Mm.”
Xie Zhi said, “Phoenix, I’ll leave this to you.”
The busy Xie Zhi left, but the other beasts stayed behind.
They all helped search for the egg.
Perhaps Eggy noticed too many strangers approaching, because this time, he rolled so far that even Feng Yuan couldn’t find him.
“That’s strange.”
Feng Yuan scratched his chubby little face. “Why hasn’t Eggy come out yet?”
Rong Rong had never seen Eggy before.
He glanced around, then pointed to the left, indicating he would search there while Feng Yuan searched on the right.
The two little ones split up to look.
Perhaps knowing the adults were nearby, Rong Rong felt braver.
As he searched, a small beast spotted him.
The beast wasn’t very friendly.
Just as Rong Rong and the beast locked eyes, his short little legs backing away step by step, a black egg suddenly slammed into the beast.
The beast let out a pained howl.
Provoked, the beast prepared to lunge again, but a black mist enveloped it entirely.
Then, the mist vanished, taking the beast with it.
Rong Rong knew it was his dad who had taken the bad beast away.
He patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
The brave little black egg now came into his view.
He ran over and picked up the little black egg.
“Eggy.”
Rong Rong cradled the little black egg and said slowly, “You’re Eggy.”
The little black egg didn’t recognize Rong Rong.
He seemed about to jump out of Rong Rong’s hands, but Rong Rong puckered his lips and kissed him.
The little black egg froze.
Rong Rong rarely interacted with others before and seldom responded to the outside world.
But ever since meeting Yuan Yuan, Rong Rong had gradually started reacting to others and the world around him.
He even picked up the habit of giving little kisses from Feng Yuan.
At home, he often kissed both of his dads.
After kissing the little black egg, Rong Rong took him to find Feng Yuan.
On his way, he encountered the sea dragons.
The dragons asked for the egg.
Rong Rong, being gentle-natured, obediently handed it over when the uncles asked.
The dragons, now holding the dragon egg, were ecstatic.
They crowded around the egg, talking to it nonstop.
“Eggy, do you remember me? I used to read you stories when you were still in your dad’s belly.”
“Eggy, I talked to you a lot, too. Do you remember me?”
The group of dragon uncles asked Eggy, hoping the little black egg still had some memory of them.
The fact that the little black egg was willing to stay in their hands already spoke volumes.
After a round of questions, the little black egg bounced slightly in their palms. It was a response of sorts.
The group that had entered the illusion had now reunited with the adults and the little ones, and they even recovered Eggy.
As they prepared to leave, everyone was beaming with joy.
Wu Jin heard from the awakened Yu Yi that it was Qiong Qi who had helped him lay the egg.
When it came to egg-laying, even Yu Yi admitted—
Qiong Qi had truly given it his all.
So, before leaving, Wu Jin went to Qiong Qi’s den to express his gratitude.
He even wanted to present Qiong Qi with an honorary banner.
Qiong Qi, however, refused to come out. He shut the door firmly, barring anyone from entering.
“Get lost, all of you!”
Qiong Qi was a fierce beast. Being thanked for doing a good deed felt like an insult to him. It’s a disgrace to his ferocious nature!
Qiong Qi was both exhausted and furious in his nest, while Bai Ze at the door was nearly dying of laughter.
“Alright, alright. Let’s go for now.”
“Yu Yi still needs to rest and recover. We should head back early.”
At Bai Ze’s suggestion, the group, which had arrived in a grand procession, now made an equally grand departure.
This time, they were heading back to the Yu family home.
To avoid worrying the elderly couple of the Yu family, Yu Yi and Feng Yuan’s abduction by Qiong Qi had been kept from them.
Yu Ye, however, was in the know.
After all, Xiao Hong had rushed from his home to find Qiong Qi.
On the way back.
Wu Jin called Yu Lian and Fang Fang in advance.
He told the couple, “The egg has been laid.”
Upon hearing the news, they were so overwhelmed with emotion that they could barely speak.
“Good, good. It’s wonderful that it’s been laid. How is Yu Yi?”
“Yu Yi is perfectly fine. We’ll be home soon.”
“Alright. Your dad and I will start preparing right away!”
After hanging up, Fang Fang clutched Yu Lian’s hand, tears streaming down her face.
“Our little egg has finally arrived! And it’s wonderful that our Yu Yi is safe, too.”
“Hurry. Notify Li Heng and the others.”
“I’ll have the kitchen prepare some food.”
“And the bedroom. We need to tidy it up again. Yu Lian, after making the calls, quickly set up the crib properly.”
The couple busied themselves with preparations at home.
Meanwhile, in the car, Wu Jin still hadn’t had a chance to hold his own egg.
The egg was being passed around from person to person.
Yu Yi leaned against him and fell asleep again.
It didn’t take long for the group to arrive at the Yu family home.
This was Rong Rong’s first time visiting.
Feng Yuan was the first to jump out of the car, waiting by the door for Rong Rong to be carried down.
Originally dressed only in a small animal pelt, Feng Yuan was now bundled up in multiple layers of clothing brought by his dad, from the inside out.
Once again, he was padded and round like a little ball.
Because he was dressed so thickly, he couldn’t carry Rong Rong.
The two little ones held hands and walked through the gate of the Yu family home together.
Feng Yuan even told Rong Rong about his part-time job at the Yu family.
“Yuan Yuan guards the door and earns one yuan per hour.”
Every time Feng Yuan visited the Yu family, he never forgot to spend an hour or two guarding the door.
Fang Fang had even exchanged a stack of one-yuan coins just for him.
This time, with the house bustling and crowded, Feng Yuan didn’t go to guard the door.
He wanted to join in the excitement, too.
The little black egg brought back to the Yu family had instantly become the center of attention.
Grandpa and Grandma held the egg, so overjoyed they could hardly hold back their tears.
They carefully wiped the egg with a soft cotton cloth and placed it in a crib lined with a small blanket.
The crib, the bassinet. Everything had been prepared long in advance.
The little black egg was wrapped in a soft pink-and-blue blanket.
Lying on the blanket, it was surrounded by everyone’s attention.
Watching the lively scene, Feng Yuan sighed like a little adult.
“When Yuan Yuan was born, not this many people came to see him.”
Rong Rong nodded in agreement.
When Rong Rong was born, not many people came to see him either.
The two little ones watched the egg being showered with attention but felt no jealousy.
Feng Yuan even generously shared the role of “big brother” with Rong Rong.
“You can be his big brother too in the future.”
This was Feng Yuan’s first time being an older brother. It was a precious experience. He was willing to share it with Rong Rong.
It was clear just how close the two of them were.
After joining in the fun for a while, Feng Yuan went to the kitchen by himself to get some food.
He asked Rong Rong for two servings.
The two little ones didn’t eat at the dining table but instead settled by the coffee table.
As they ate, they watched the lively scene in the living room.
Rong Rong told Feng Yuan about signing up for kindergarten.
Once the New Year passed and kindergarten started, Rong Rong would become Feng Yuan’s classmate.
Feng Yuan already knew about it.
Puffing out his chest, he assured Rong Rong, “Just come! I’m the boss in my kindergarten. As long as I’m around, no one will dare bully you!”
After chatting about kindergarten for a bit, Feng Yuan stopped.
For him, kindergarten wasn’t exactly a happy topic.
If he kept talking about it, he wouldn’t even feel like eating anymore.
“Rong Rong, how are things with your new dad?”
“Good.”
Mentioning his new dad brought a smile to Rong Rong’s pretty, soft little face.
“Having two dads is really nice.”
Rong Rong was extremely satisfied with life with two dads.
Although his new dad preferred sticking close to his other dad, the new dad still took care of him.
He would bathe him, cook for him, and even read picture books with him.
They also played with toys together.
Rong Rong was very happy.
Seeing Rong Rong’s joy, Feng Yuan said proudly, “I told you having two dads is great!”
“One more dad means one more person to love us.”
Feng Yuan shared his experience as an “experienced kid” with Rong Rong.
He also asked, “Rong Rong, do you have grandparents?”
Rong Rong paused, “I don’t know.”
Right now, he only has two dads. Aside from them, he hadn’t met any other relatives.
He didn’t even know if he had any.
“Hmm, you could ask.”
Feng Yuan rolled his eyes and specifically reminded him, “Rong Rong, you’d better ask before the New Year.”
Rong Rong didn’t understand.
Feng Yuan shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth and explained, “The New Year is coming soon. We kids, can get red envelopes.”
“Grandparents are supposed to give red envelopes, too.”
“If you have grandparents, you can get red envelopes.”
Rong Rong nodded.
Although Rong Rong wasn’t as obsessed with red envelopes as Feng Yuan, he took Feng Yuan’s advice to heart and decided to ask as soon as he got home.
The lively atmosphere at the Yu family’s house lasted the entire day.
If it weren’t for the little black egg not having hatched yet, Yu Lian and Fang Fang would have loved to host a banquet right away.
Feng Yuan and Rong Rong spent the whole day at the Yu family’s house.
While the adults were focused on the egg, the two little ones entertained themselves.
After playing in the toy room, they went to the yard to build a snowman.
Rong Rong crouched on the ground, carefully rolling snowballs to build the snowman.
Feng Yuan, on the other hand, was more creative.
He built himself a dragon throne like the ones he’d seen in TV dramas.
First, he piled up a large mound of snow, then used a shovel to carve steps into it.
After making three steps, he flattened the top to resemble a chair.
Once the big chair was finished, Feng Yuan plopped down on it, feeling incredibly majestic.
Rong Rong was very supportive.
“Yuan Yuan, awesome.”
Rong Rong’s eyes sparkled as he praised Feng Yuan.
He thought Feng Yuan was truly amazing.
To build that big chair, Feng Yuan’s chubby little hands had nearly frozen stiff.
Now, sitting on the chair, his bottom was starting to feel a bit sore from the cold.
But the little guy, who cared more about style than comfort, stubbornly refused to utter a sound.
Ignoring the chill on his bottom, he sat on the chair and let Rong Rong take pictures of him.
Rong Rong picked up his smartwatch and snapped photo after photo of him.
The two little ones—one sitting, one photographing—were engrossed in their activities.
A moment later, the adults who were about to head home began to emerge one by one.
Feng Qi spotted his son at a glance.
He looked at the snow-made chair and knew without even touching it that it would be freezing to sit on.
“Feng Yuan!”
Feng Qi called out to Feng Yuan, wanting him to get down.
But the little guy, feeling quite majestic on his “throne”, puffed out his chubby cheeks and started acting up again.
“Bold Dad! You have no respect for King Yuan Yuan.”
“King Yuan Yuan will forgive you this once. Come and pay your respects to King Yuan Yuan.”
The “dragon throne” had made the little guy quite full of himself.
Feng Qi looked at his son, who was demanding his obeisance.
In front of all the beasts, Feng Qi lifted Feng Yuan off the chair.
“Feng Yuan, with so many people around, don’t force me to embarrass you.”
Feng Yuan: “…”
Feng Yuan, now dangling in his dad’s grasp, finally faced the reality that his “coronation” had failed.
Meekly, he clung to his dad’s hand, flashing an ingratiating smile with his chubby little face.
“Yuan Yuan was just joking,” he said, planting a kiss on his dad’s cheek.
Feng Qi picked him up and handed him over to Li Sheng.
The family headed home, while Bai Ze, Pixiu, and the others stayed behind at the Yu residence.
After returning home, Feng Qi rescheduled the dentist appointment for the next morning.
He booked it for the following day before noon.
“Li Sheng, keep an eye on him tonight. Don’t let him run off again.”
“Got it. I’ve already talked to Mom and Dad. This time, everyone will be watching him.”
If Feng Yuan hadn’t pulled this stunt, his dental check-up would have been over by now.
Now, they had to go through it all over again.
The winter break wasn’t long. Robert and the others would be arriving soon.
Once Robert arrived, Feng Yuan would be whisked away to play again.
If they didn’t take care of his teeth now, there wouldn’t be any time later.
Feng Yuan pricked up his little ears, listening to his dads’ conversation.
Outwardly, his chubby face showed no reaction. But inwardly, he was already devising a new “early rising” plan.
Feng Yuan’s early rising plan required an early bedtime.
That night, before 9 p.m., he crawled into bed, ready to sleep.
His little scheme was crystal clear to both his dads.
But for the moment, they said nothing.
Exchanging a glance, Li Sheng gave Feng Qi a reassuring look.
So, it was a race to see who could wake up first? As an adult, how could he possibly lose to a child?
The family of three settled into bed for the night.
Before falling asleep, Feng Yuan asked once more when Qin Xun would be back.
Feng Qi replied, “Soon.”
Feng Yuan didn’t know how long “soon” meant. He racked his little brain but couldn’t figure out how many days “soon” was.
He decided then and there: tomorrow, he would call Qin Xun and tell him to come home.
The little guy, blessed by the Dream God during the day, was granted a wonderful dream.
Unfortunately, the dream didn’t last long before it was interrupted by a sudden stomachache.
With his eyes still closed, Feng Yuan crawled out of bed.
He groped his way to the bathroom in the dark.
The first time he went, his dads didn’t think much of it.
After all, it wasn’t unusual for the little guy to make a trip to the bathroom at night.
But soon…
Feng Yuan went again.
On his second trip, Li Sheng turned on the light and watched him head to the bathroom.
Not long after returning from the bathroom, Feng Yuan got up once more.
This time, Feng Qi sat up as well.
Both dads, now wide awake from their sons’ antics, followed him to the bathroom.
Feng Yuan, still drowsy, hadn’t locked the bathroom door.
So after he entered, the two dads easily pushed the door open.
The door swung open.
Two dads had their hands full with a little stinker suffering from diarrhea.
The little stinker sat on his small green potty, his face pale from the ordeal.
Feng Qi: “…”
Feng Qi asked Li Sheng to stay and keep their son company while he continued his business.
He turned and went to fetch some medicine.
Feng Yuan had experienced diarrhea before, so the family always kept medicine on hand.
He skillfully found the medicine and brought it to the bedroom.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom.
The little one, still dealing with his upset stomach, rubbed his eyes and asked Li Sheng with a pitiful expression, “Big Dad, Yuan Yuan has a tummy ache. Can I skip the dentist tomorrow?”
Li Sheng: “Of course… not.”
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152