Thank you, quayA, for the ko-fi~
The dragons chatted away, gradually forgetting about the little cub resting on their laps.
It was the silver dragon who finally snapped back to reality.
“Stop, stop, enough! Yuan Yuan is still here!”
All that talk about sleeping. Such ear-polluting topics even they themselves found distasteful.
They couldn’t let the baby remember any of this.
Prompted by the silver dragon, Bai Chen quickly covered Feng Yuan’s tiny ears.
Feng Yuan blinked, his soft, milky voice cooing, “Yuan Yuan heard everything!”
Uncle Yu wanted to sleep with Xiao Hong.
Feng Yuan had heard it, but he was too young to understand the deeper meaning.
To him, sleeping wasn’t something that dirtied the ears.
Whether it was Uncle Yu or Xiao Hong, Feng Yuan would gladly sleep with either of them.
“Yuan Yuan, forget everything we just said. Uncle has prepared lots of yummy treats for you. Let’s eat!”
The silver dragon unzipped the backpack they had brought.
One of the backpacks was filled with food.
As it was opened, Feng Yuan’s eyes immediately landed on the pile of candies inside.
“Wow!”
The little one’s eyes instantly lit up.
Just as he was about to grab some candy, the silver dragon rummaged through the backpack and pulled out a lunchbox.
The lunchbox was insulated.
Opening it, the silver dragon revealed a generous portion of meat dishes inside.
“Here, Yuan Yuan, Uncle Qing made this for you.”
Among the dragons, the azure dragon was somewhat of a homebody.
He preferred staying indoors, playing games, browsing the internet, and experimenting with cooking.
These days, the dragons rely on the azure dragon for their meals.
Feng Yuan stared at the delicious-looking lunch, his stomach rumbling.
He didn’t want to be fed and ate heartily on his own.
“Ah, open wide.”
Not only did Feng Yuan eat by himself, but he also fed pieces of meat from the lunchbox to his uncles.
The adult dragons hadn’t planned on eating.
But the little guy insisted on feeding them, urging them to join in.
Helpless, they opened their mouths and ate.
Feng Yuan alternated between feeding his uncles and taking bites himself.
Fortunately, there were several lunchboxes, so Feng Yuan didn’t go hungry in the end.
They were traveling on an overnight bus.
It was the dragons’ first time riding such a vehicle.
They found the experience quite novel.
The dragons sat in the very back row. When Feng Yuan grew tired, he dozed off on their laps.
The little guy was so small that he fit comfortably across their legs.
The dragon sitting by the window pulled down the curtain, blocking out the outside light.
There were over twenty people on the bus, with the dragons occupying nearly half the seats.
They had all taken the back rows, while the front seats were filled with unfamiliar passengers.
Shortly after the dragons boarded, the passengers in front began to notice them.
Many were staring.
The dragons were aware. They knew they were good-looking, and these people were admiring their faces.
They were used to such attention and paid it no mind, focusing instead on the baby sleeping on their laps.
“The baby clenches his tiny fists when he sleeps.”
“His eyelashes are so long.”
The dragons lowered their voices, studying the sleeping child together.
It was their first trip. They were incredibly excited about the journey.
Since they couldn’t sleep on the bus, they decided to observe the baby’s sleeping habits instead.
Dragons were naturally blessed with good looks.
But even among their kind, Feng Yuan’s appearance was unparalleled.
And dragons, being connoisseurs of beauty, couldn’t help but admire him.
They had no resistance to the cute little guy.
A group of dragons looked down at Feng Yuan, occasionally stroking his small hands.
The child’s hands were chubby and very pleasant to touch.
Late into the night.
Feng Yuan, sitting on his uncle’s lap, rubbed his eyes with his tiny fists.
He was awake.
“Yuan Yuan, what’s wrong? Why are you awake?”
The dragon who had been watching him noticed immediately when he opened his eyes.
Tears glistened in Feng Yuan’s eyes as he yawned, still drowsy.
“Yuan Yuan needs to pee.”
Hearing that he needed to pee, the dragons immediately called out to the driver.
“Can we stop for a moment? Our child needs to pee.”
The driver, without turning his head, replied, “Hold it for a bit longer. We’ll be at the rest area in half an hour.”
The driver said they couldn’t stop, but the little guy in the back seat was growing anxious.
The dragons looked at the child who needed to pee, feeling helpless.
Just as they were fretting, an elderly woman in the front row, who had experience raising children, spoke up.
“Your child is so young. Just give him a bottle.”
As she spoke, she handed them an empty bottle.
Feng Yuan: “…”
Feng Yuan stared at the empty bottle, his little face scrunching up.
“Yuan Yuan doesn’t want to use a bottle.”
Feng Yuan was a bit prideful. He felt using a bottle to pee was embarrassing.
But they were on the road and couldn’t stop.
A few minutes later.
With no other choice, Feng Yuan, held by his uncle, tearfully peed into the bottle.
He was small, so no one minded him using the bottle.
A few unfamiliar passengers even found it amusing.
After he finished, the dragon uncles wiped his hands and told him to go back to sleep.
Feng Yuan lay back on his dragon uncle’s lap, staring at the bus ceiling. For some reason, his little heart was pounding.
Starting with that bottle, Feng Yuan had a keen sense that something about this trip felt off.
All the children in his class had traveled before.
Xu Jiale had traveled, too.
When the children talked about traveling, it was always a joyful experience.
But lying on the bus, Feng Yuan felt his experience wasn’t quite as pleasant.
“Yuan Yuan, be good and go to sleep. We’ll arrive when it’s light out.”
The silver dragon tucked him in with a small blanket and urged him to sleep.
The bus had the air conditioning on, and the night was a bit chilly.
The dragons weren’t afraid of the cold themselves, but they worried the little guy might get cold.
The pink and blue blanket with cartoon patterns was soft and cozy.
Wrapped in the blanket, Feng Yuan soon fell asleep again.
That night, Feng Yuan felt the constant jostling.
The bus ride was a bit bumpy.
The enclosed space, crowded with people, made the air stuffy and unpleasant.
Early the next morning, when Feng Yuan woke up, his little face looked listless.
Fortunately, the bus had just stopped.
The driver had pulled up in front of a restaurant and told them to go in for breakfast.
The red dragon carried Feng Yuan, while the others carried the luggage. The silver dragon went to check out the breakfast options.
The breakfast at this restaurant was a bit pricey.
And the food looked rather ordinary.
Feng Yuan was carried over.
After glancing at the pictures on the menu, he shook his head.
“Yuan Yuan doesn’t want to eat this.”
Feng Yuan wanted to eat small fresh meat wontons and meat buns.
“I see there are other breakfast places nearby. Let’s go somewhere else.”
“Alright.”
The group picked up Feng Yuan and prepared to leave.
But the tour guide stopped them: “Where are you going?”
“We’re taking the baby to get breakfast.”
The silver dragon replied bluntly, “This place doesn’t serve breakfast that the baby likes.”
“It’s just breakfast. Does it really matter where you eat? Just eat here. If you wander off and we can’t find you later, it’ll waste everyone’s time.”
“Our tour group is a collective. If you fall behind, won’t that affect the others?”
The guide spoke with conviction, but the silver dragon wasn’t having it.
“We won’t fall behind.”
“We’ll just go buy breakfast and come right back. It’ll be quick.”
“Exactly. We don’t even have to eat ourselves. We’re only buying food for the baby.”
The dragons were stubborn.
They simply wouldn’t listen to the guide’s advice.
While the silver dragon was talking to the guide, Chi Rong had already carried the baby and walked off into the distance.
Bai Chen and the green dragon followed along.
The dragons left without hesitation, leaving the guide fuming, his face red and neck thick with anger.
It wasn’t that the dragons were deliberately trying to oppose the guide.
They just wanted their baby to eat well.
After finding a new breakfast spot, Feng Yuan picked out the breakfast he liked.
The silver dragon asked the owner to pack it to go.
Carrying the takeout breakfast, they quickly returned to the original spot.
“See, guide? We didn’t fall behind, did we?”
The dragons greeted the guide cheerfully upon their return.
The guide looked at them, almost rolling his eyes.
The dragons had bought a lot of food.
They didn’t go inside the restaurant but squatted outside to eat.
Feng Yuan, coaxed by his dragon uncles, soon had his little belly round and full.
Once he was full and content, his mood lifted.
“The air here is so nice.”
Feng Yuan took a deep breath, feeling how fresh the air was.
Long City was famous for its natural scenery. The air quality here was exceptionally good.
After finishing their meal, the dragons stood where they were and looked around.
They hadn’t reached the scenic spot yet.
But the air here was already incredibly refreshing.
Both the adults and the little guy breathed in the fresh air, looking thoroughly satisfied.
The guide waited for the others to finish their breakfast before urging them back onto the bus.
This time, he drove directly to the scenic spot.
Upon arrival, the dragons, carrying the baby, were eager to go in and explore. But they had to buy tickets at the entrance.
All the dragons needed tickets to enter.
Feng Yuan, however, didn’t need one. He was too young to require a ticket.
“Guide, didn’t we already pay? Why do we have to pay again now?”
The silver dragon, the group’s designated communicator, approached the guide once more.
The guide replied, “You did pay, but this scenic spot requires an additional fee to enter.”
“What I provide for you are only the free attractions.”
“The free attractions aren’t here. If you want to go there, I can take you.”
The guide explained that this paid attraction was optional.
They could choose to enter or not.
But if they didn’t go in, they’d have to wait outside, as some people in the group were willing to pay and enter.
The silver dragon frowned, feeling that the guide’s attitude now was different from when he hadn’t paid yet.
“Forget it. Let Chi Rong take Yuan Yuan inside. The rest of us will wait outside.”
This attraction has a very long cable car ride. Judging by the promotional posters, it looks like it would be quite fun.
The group of dragons only bought a ticket for Chi Rong, asking him to take Feng Yuan inside to play.
Seeing that none of the uncles were going, Feng Yuan’s interest waned a little.
“Yuan Yuan won’t go either.”
Feng Yuan wanted to stay outside and wait with the uncles.
But the dragons wouldn’t allow it.
The whole point of this trip was for Feng Yuan to have a good time.
“Yuan Yuan, you go in with Chi Rong. We’ll transform into our dragon forms later and sneak in from above to watch you from the sky.”
The dragons took Feng Yuan aside and coaxed him in hushed tones: “The sky isn’t human territory.”
When they flew up into the sky later, no one would charge them an entrance fee.
Under the dragons’ gentle persuasion, Feng Yuan reluctantly nodded his little head and let Uncle Chi Rong take him inside to play.
There was a reason why Long City’s tourist area ranked among the top ten in the country.
The scenery at this attraction was breathtakingly beautiful.
They could ride the cable car or paddle a small boat.
Inside the attraction was a vast natural lake, with boats floating on its surface.
Feng Yuan had never been on a raft before. He wanted to try it.
“If you want to ride, we’ll ride.”
Chi Rong kissed the baby in his arms. He had been carrying Feng Yuan ever since they entered the attraction.
Feng Yuan knew he was a little chubby, so after being carried for a while, he wanted to get down and walk on his own.
But Chi Rong wouldn’t allow it.
Chi Rong loved carrying him and insisted he never got tired, no matter how long he held him.
Now, the boat Feng Yuan wanted to ride required payment.
But Chi Rong didn’t hesitate to negotiate the price with the owner.
They settled on 120 yuan for one ride.
The two of them, one big and one small, boarded the boat. Feng Yuan took off his shoes. His plump, fair little feet dipped into the lake water.
Chi Rong tucked his small shoes into his own pocket.
He held Feng Yuan tightly to make sure he wouldn’t fall into the water.
After just a few minutes of drifting, the owner spoke up.
“Honored guests, punting is hard work. Since you seem like generous folks, could you spare a little tip for my efforts?”
The owner smiled and asked Chi Rong for a tip.
Chi Rong didn’t have much money left. Most of their funds had been handed over to the tour group.
He only had a little over 200 yuan on him.
The tour group claimed to cover food and accommodation, so this 200 yuan was reserved for buying extra snacks for Feng Yuan.
When the owner asked for a tip, Chi Rong shook his head and refused.
“I don’t have much money left.”
Chi Rong spoke honestly: “Next time I come to play, I’ll give you a tip.”
Chi Rong was sincere. But unfortunately, to the owner, it sounded like an excuse.
Seeing that he wouldn’t get a tip, the owner’s smile vanished instantly.
He turned around and began punting the boat, speeding up as if he had activated a cheat code.
Feng Yuan nearly fell off from the sudden jolting.
In less than three minutes, the owner docked the boat.
“Alright, your ride is over. If you haven’t had enough, you can pay for another round.”
Chi Rong: “…”
Chi Rong: “Another round would cost another 120 yuan?”
Owner: “That’s right. Are you going again or not? If not, I’ll go find other customers.”
Chi Rong: “???”
Chi Rong stared at the owner, whose expression had changed as quickly as flipping a page, and grew furious.
“I paid 120 yuan, and you only let us ride for less than ten minutes! What kind of business is this?!”
“This is just how we do business here.”
The boss said indifferently, “If you’re not satisfied, you can go somewhere else.”
As he spoke, the boss directly punted the small boat away.
After the boss left, a tourist nudged Chi Rong’s arm.
He kindly reminded, “When riding these boats, you have to pay a tip. If you give them another 100 yuan, they’ll let you ride a bit longer.”
“Otherwise, they’ll finish in just a few minutes.”
This tourist wasn’t visiting for the first time.
He was quite familiar with the place and had a good understanding of the “business” here.
Seeing how furious Chi Rong was, he felt a bit helpless.
“Because the scenery here is excellent, there’s never a shortage of tourists. The business owners take advantage of that without fear.”
“You’re actually lucky. If you encountered a hot-tempered boss, you might have been thrown into the water.”
“Once, a tourist got into a conflict with a boss. The boss deliberately capsized the boat, causing the tourist to fall into the water.”
Hearing this, Chi Rong’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Isn’t anyone regulating them?”
“They can’t regulate it. This kind of thing happens too often. The authorities have no intention of managing it.”
“Many tourists have complained, but it’s useless.”
The tourist then pointed out a few other activities to them.
“Those have pitfalls, too, so be careful.”
“When you come here, it’s better to do fewer activities and enjoy more of the natural scenery. The natural scenery here is truly unmatched.”
After sharing his experience, the tourist casually strolled away.
Left behind, Chi Rong and Feng Yuan stared at each other, still dazed.
Following the tourist’s advice, Chi Rong became much more cautious when trying other activities.
Even so, he still fell into a few more traps.
By the time they left the scenic area, both of them were feeling complicated.
“Uncle, how much money do we have left?”
“Enough to get by.”
Chi Rong actually didn’t have much money left in his pocket, but he didn’t tell Feng Yuan.
For the rest of the day, Chi Rong and the other dragons requested to visit free scenic spots.
The guide agreed quite readily this time.
“I know a free scenic spot that’s also quite enjoyable.”
“There’s food there, too, so we can have our dinner there as well.”
The guide cheerfully drove the group away.
This time, they indeed visited a spot that didn’t require an entrance fee.
Moreover, the guide covered the meal.
While the dragons ate the free food, Feng Yuan didn’t.
The free meal wasn’t tasty, so the dragons used their limited savings to buy Feng Yuan a local specialty meal.
The dragons didn’t care much about what they ate or played.
As long as they saw Feng Yuan eating well and having fun, they were happy.
After spending the afternoon at the free scenic spot and having their meal, everyone was in good spirits.
As it started to get dark, the guide said with a smile, “Everyone must be tired, right? We’ll rest soon. Oh, and before we do, let me recommend a great shop.”
“I don’t usually tell outsiders about this place.”
“The jade sold in this shop is of exceptional quality. Wearing it not only enhances your aura but also nourishes your body, making you healthier.”
“Come on, come on, let’s all follow me inside and take a look.”
The guide led the entire group into the jade shop.
There was indeed a wide variety of jade in the shop. The sales staff enthusiastically promoted their products.
The dragons, however, had no interest in jade.
The quality of these jade pieces isn’t even as good as what they use to pave their dragon dens at the bottom of the sea.
Moreover, these jade items are all very expensive. Even the cheapest piece costs at least 8,000 yuan.
The dragons only had less than 80 yuan left among them.
The tour guide stood inside the shop, speaking in a gentle tone: “Do me a favor, everyone. Buy one piece each. Once we’ve all made a purchase, I’ll take you to rest.”
The sales assistant exaggerated the jade’s virtues, while the tour guide kept urging them on the side.
Some of the less strong-willed ones gritted their teeth and actually made a purchase.
But the dragons didn’t buy anything.
Chi Rong couldn’t help but say to the sales assistant who was promoting the jade to him, “The quality of this jade isn’t good. It’s not even as good as what I have at home.”
“And it’s way too expensive.”
After Chi Rong finished speaking, both the sales assistant and the tour guide immediately darkened their expressions.
The tour guide was practically fuming with anger at these people.
He had thought that with so many people arriving at once, it would be a big sale.
Unexpectedly, these people were so stingy. He hadn’t managed to squeeze a single penny out of them so far.
He offered such a low-priced tour. Of course, he had to make money from other sources!
But these people were completely unyielding!
“If you want to buy, then buy. If not, then leave.”
With a dark expression, the tour guide chased all the dragons and the little guy out.
The dragons, having been driven out, were also a bit upset.
They were just telling the truth!
The expelled dragons decided to look at the scenery nearby.
They didn’t dare to go too far.
The place was somewhat remote. Aside from that jade shop, there was only a small restaurant, with no other stores around.
“Yuan Yuan, sit here. I’ll take a photo of you.”
When traveling, taking photos is a must.
From the start of the trip until now, Feng Yuan had been photographed so many times it was impossible to count.
He sat on a strangely shaped large rock, grinning widely as the dragon uncles took pictures of him.
While they were enthusiastically taking photos, the tour guide, who had just come out of the jade shop, took the remaining tourists and left by bus.
The tour guide saw them but deliberately didn’t say anything.
It was only after the bus had been gone for a while that the dragons, who hadn’t gotten on, belatedly realized the bus was missing.
The silver dragon immediately called the tour guide.
The tour guide wasn’t at all surprised by the call. After answering, he responded dismissively: “You didn’t keep up with the group. That’s not my fault.”
“I’ve sent you the address of the accommodation. If you fall behind, you’ll have to take responsibility yourself.”
The tour guide was about to hang up.
But before hanging up, he gave the dragons one more chance: “If you go back into that shop and each make a purchase, they’ll arrange a car to send you.”
“If you don’t want to spend money, that’s fine, too. Find your own way there.”
After saying this, the tour guide hung up directly.
The silver dragon, having been hung up on, was so angry he felt like going crazy.
“This tour group is such a scam!”
The silver dragon gripped his phone, fuming on the spot: “I’m going to report them!”
But even if the silver dragon wanted to report them now, it wouldn’t help.
As the sky grew completely dark, Feng Yuan’s chubby little face had already been bitten by a mosquito, leaving a red bump.
“Uncle, when are we going back?”
Feng Yuan had slept on the bus last night. After playing all day today, he was both tired and sleepy.
Chi Rong held him in his arms, letting him rest his head on his shoulder to sleep.
“Baby, sleep first. When you wake up, we’ll be in bed.”
Chi Rong coaxed Feng Yuan, urging him to close his eyes and sleep.
Feng Yuan rubbed his little face and, unable to resist the drowsiness any longer, ended up falling asleep on Chi Rong’s shoulder.
After he fell asleep, a group of dragons was left at a loss, holding their phones.
They had no idea what to do now.
They hadn’t been in the human world for long, and they had never encountered a situation like this before.
Feng Yuan was having trouble sleeping in Chi Rong’s arms.
Chi Rong looked down at the baby’s furrowed brows even in sleep, his heart aching terribly.
“Qing Hao, you keep the mosquitoes away from the baby. I’ll make a call.”
As he spoke, Chi Rong held the little one with one arm and picked up his phone with the other.
He was searching for the contact of the person Yu Yi had arranged for them.
These dragons from the seabed valued loyalty deeply. Chi Rong knew that if he didn’t make this call, none of the other dragons would either.
So he gritted his teeth and decided to swallow his pride.
The phone rang several times before it was finally answered.
With a face full of reluctant dignity, Chi Rong spoke into the phone, “Please come pick us up.”
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152