Thank you, BlueMoon, for the ko-fi~
After washing his hands, Feng Yuan didn’t use a handkerchief like Rong Rong. Instead, he wiped his chubby little hands on his pants and ran over to the teacher.
Teacher Zhang smiled and patted his head gently.
“Yuan Yuan, remember to run a bit slower. You already fell in the kindergarten this morning.”
Feng Yuan was a bit reckless when running, and he didn’t pay attention to where he was going.
During colder days like these, it wasn’t too bad. But in the summer, when he wore shorts, his little legs and knees would be covered in scrapes and bruises.
Luckily, children healed quickly, and the ointment he used was effective, so he hadn’t developed any scars so far.
At the teacher’s reminder, Feng Yuan giggled softly.
“Alright, let me take a headcount.”
Teacher Zhang waited until all the children had come out of the restroom before counting them again.
All 13 children she had brought were present, not a single one missing.
Teacher Zhang cleared her throat and waved the small red flag in her hand amidst the children’s chattering.
She signaled for everyone to quiet down.
“I have something to tell you all.”
Teacher Zhang looked at their innocent little faces and thought about what the principal had informed her.
Her heart ached as if pricked by needles.
She struggled to maintain the smile on her face.
“Recently, many children have been getting sick. You all know that, right?”
“Right!”
Feng Yuan responded loudly in his childish voice.
He was always good at chiming in. As long as the teacher wasn’t in the middle of a lesson, he would never let the atmosphere turn awkward.
The teachers in the Fruit Class had mixed feelings about him. They felt both fondness and frustration.
They loved this little guy for his politeness, respect, and undeniable cuteness.
But they were also exasperated by his occasional troublemaking antics.
For example, during a handicraft class where he learned how to be a little carpenter, he ended up dismantling the classroom desks and chairs afterward.
This chubby little guy also had a tendency to get into fights.
Although he stood up for the unity of the entire class and even patrolled other classes to enforce peace and solidarity, his fighting style was a bit too fierce.
Children who liked to bully others often ended up getting beaten up badly by him.
Every time he got into a fight, the teacher would have to scold him.
The little troublemaker would stay silent and obediently take the scolding.
But from the expression on his chubby face, the teacher could tell—
He would definitely do it again next time.
All in all, this chubby little guy was a mix of pros and cons.
The teachers paid extra attention to him, worried that his mischief might one day spiral out of control.
Now, with the little troublemaker’s enthusiastic response, the teacher continued speaking.
“Since many children have been getting sick, we also need to go for a check-up.”
“I’ll be with you all.”
“I believe every child in our Fruit Class is brave.”
“Let’s follow the teacher and not be afraid, okay?”
“Okay!”
Feng Yuan was the first to nod and respond again.
However, after answering, he raised his chubby little hand and asked the teacher for confirmation, “Teacher, we’re not getting vaccines, right?”
Before the school year started, his dad had said he was taking him for a check-up. But it turned out to be a vaccination.
Vaccinations hurt a lot!
“I promise, we’re not going for vaccines.”
Perhaps because the teacher appeared as gentle and patient as usual, the trusting little children weren’t the least bit afraid of the upcoming check-up.
Soon, a large bus arrived.
It was a vehicle specially arranged to pick up the children.
The doctors and nurses on the vehicle brought a batch of children’s protective suits.
Many of the children were reluctant to wear them.
In the end, Feng Yuan took the lead. He was the first to put on a protective suit.
Once the suit was on, only his eyes were visible.
Feng Yuan’s soft, childish voice came from inside the suit.
He said, “Let’s all wear them together! It’s so much fun to wear these!”
The blue-and-white protective suit made Feng Yuan look puffy.
The little one appeared even rounder.
Inspired by his words, the other children finally agreed to put on their suits.
All the children were now dressed in protective gear.
The accompanying staff took photos and a short video.
These photos and videos were to be used as documentary material.
The virus outbreak among the children was a major news event.
When Feng Yuan noticed the camera, he squinted his eyes and patted the other children, urging them to look at the lens as well.
The children faced the camera, leaving behind clear photos.
The innocent eyes of the children in the photos moved the adults who saw the news that night to the brink of tears.
These little ones, clad in bulky protective suits, lined up one by one to board the vehicle.
They had no idea what was happening.
Once inside the vehicle, the children grew somewhat restless.
Before their anxiety could escalate, Feng Yuan requested that the teachers and accompanying doctors let them watch cartoons.
Wearing the protective suits made it difficult to play games.
Even chatting was inconvenient for Feng Yuan.
The suits were uncomfortable.
Unable to play or chat, Feng Yuan decided he wanted to watch TV.
Upon hearing his request, several doctors immediately nodded in agreement.
They brought out several phones.
All of them started playing “Ka Tu Tu: Dinosaur’s Adventures.”
The little green dinosaur Ka Tu Tu was very popular in the kindergarten.
Watching Ka Tu Tu, the children burst into laughter one after another.
The adults in the vehicle watched the carefree children with heavy hearts.
This virus was peculiar.
It specifically targeted children.
Children’s bodies were fragile and couldn’t withstand much strain. Until the virus was conquered, the children remained in danger.
The vehicle continued on its way.
Meanwhile, the parents who had received the notification were thrown into a panic.
The Li and Yu families gathered together.
Upon hearing the news from the kindergarten, the Yu family left the dragons at home to watch Eggy while the adults rushed over.
By the time the Yu family arrived, Bai Ze was already there.
Bai Ze was explaining to Li Heng, “In ancient times, this was called a plague.”
Without beating around the bush, he detailed the nature of the disease.
“The Plague Demon has emerged.”
At the mention of “Plague Demon”, Li Heng’s expression darkened.
The elderly couple from the Yu family had only learned about dragons and phoenixes because of Wu Jin.
This was their first time hearing about the Plague Demon.
Just the term alone filled them with dread.
“Bai Ze, how can this Plague Demon be eradicated? Is Yuan Yuan in danger?”
“I haven’t checked on Yuan Yuan’s condition yet, but isolating the children is the right approach.”
Bai Ze affirmed the effectiveness of the quarantine measures.
Modern medicine, having evolved over thousands of years, was advancing rapidly.
Many of its practices were ones Bai Ze fully supported.
He spoke of the immediate solution: “The plague spread by the plague demon, what modern people call a virus, can be resolved by modern doctors if given enough time.”
“There’s another method, one that’s faster.”
“Find the plague demon.”
The solutions Bai Ze proposed were beyond the capabilities of both the Yu and Li families.
Neither family knew medicine, nor did they know how to capture demons.
They were completely helpless in this situation.
“Bai Ze, can you find the plague demon?”
“I will look for him.”
Feng Yuan and Rong Rong’s fathers had not yet returned from the Miao village.
Thinking of those individuals, Bai Ze couldn’t help but wonder—
Could this incident have been orchestrated to lure them back?
He pondered for a few seconds but dismissed the idea as unlikely.
He had seen the photos of the village Feng Qi had gone to.
The feng shui there wasn’t ideal, but it could be remedied. It would just take some effort.
“Bai Ze, we’ll have to trouble you to look after the children.”
The adults of both families knew Bai Ze was a divine beast, and his abilities far surpassed theirs.
After worrying about Feng Yuan, Fang Fang grew anxious about his own grandson as well.
“Some of the children who came yesterday have fallen ill.”
“Bai Ze, could our Eggy be infected, too?”
Bai Ze hesitated. “I can’t say for sure.”
“Although Eggy is a young dragon, he’s still very young.”
Bai Ze couldn’t guarantee Eggy’s safety.
He could only offer one of his softest feathers to Fang Fang.
“This carries some of my power. Place it on Eggy. It might help.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll go put it on him right away.”
While the adults were discussing strategies, the young cubs in the vehicle had already been taken to the quarantine site.
Upon arrival, the cubs weren’t vaccinated.
But they all had their blood drawn.
Feng Yuan cried loudly during the blood draw.
His cries were so intense that they startled the other cubs, who had been on the verge of tears.
Rong Rong wanted to wipe his tears, but the doctor beat him to it, comforting Feng Yuan instead.
After the blood draw, Feng Yuan wept, asking for his dad.
The doctors did their best to soothe him, assuring him he would see his dad soon.
Once all the young cubs had their blood drawn, they were assigned to isolation wards.
They weren’t housed together.
Each cub had a private room.
To prevent the cubs from panicking, the doctors provided them with plenty of sterilized toys.
They also had smartwatches on their wrists.
They began making calls.
Additionally, each room had a television where they could watch cartoons.
In short, the doctors made every effort to calm the young cubs.
Feng Yuan wasn’t allowed to stay with Rong Rong.
He sat on the floor, his chubby little body leaning against the bedpost, looking rather pitiful.
Rong Rong, next door, called him.
Rong Rong was naturally timid.
Now that he couldn’t see Feng Yuan, he was terrified.
He called, calling out Feng Yuan’s name.
Hearing Rong Rong cry, Feng Yuan quickly wiped his own tears with his chubby little hand.
Then, he comforted Rong Rong: “Rong Rong, don’t be scared. I’m right next door.”
“The doctor uncle said we’ll be able to go home soon.”
“Don’t be afraid.”
The two little cubs talked to each other. After a while, Rong Rong finally calmed down.
After hanging up, they called their dads.
Both of their dads had also received notifications from home.
The two dads were still in the village at that moment.
They had detected a heavy demonic aura in the village.
They wanted to continue investigating, but the situation back home left them torn.
If they left, the village might face immediate danger.
If they stayed, their young children were waiting for them in the hospital.
The dads’ hearts were tormented.
Just then, the children called.
Feng Qi saw his son sitting alone on the hospital room floor, his eyes red.
“Yuan Yuan, how are you feeling now? Does your head hurt? Do you have a fever or cough?”
Feng Yuan shook his head.
Tears welled in his eyes as he looked at his father through the video call, his nose red from crying.
“Dad, Yuan Yuan doesn’t want to stay here.”
“Come pick Yuan Yuan up and take me home.”
While Feng Yuan was begging his father to come home, Rong Rong next door was also calling for his father.
Bo Han knew his child was timid.
He was nearly going crazy with worry.
While comforting Rong Rong, he glared fiercely at Chi Shui.
Bai Ze had told them it was the plague demon’s doing.
Now Bo Han’s hatred extended to Chi Shui simply for being a demon.
All the parents were comforting their young children.
In the hospital, some parents wanted to forcibly take their children home, but were persuaded to stay by the hospital staff.
These children were in critical condition.
If they remained in the hospital, any emergencies could be treated immediately.
If parents took them home and something happened, medical care wouldn’t be as timely.
Moreover, these children were contagious. If released from the hospital, they might infect other children, making the situation even more uncontrollable.
Throughout history, epidemics have always been challenging to handle.
The parents reluctantly agreed to stay.
One by one, the young children began their quarantine life.
After calling his dad, Feng Yuan’s mood improved slightly.
He sniffled, got up from the floor, and turned on the TV.
He was still very sad.
But he was going to watch one more episode of Ka Tu Tu while feeling sad.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152