Thank you, quayA, for the ko-fi~
Just as Feng Qi was about to push the door open to discipline the little guy, Li Sheng stopped him in time.
“Wait.”
Li Sheng led Feng Qi to the wall beside the door.
He appeared to be pinning Feng Qi against the wall. But in reality, he was just comforting him.
After all, in the middle of the night, Li Sheng, who had just been so upset by his son that his face turned green, had no mind for romance.
He coaxed Feng Qi gently, “It’s already past midnight, and it’s New Year’s Eve now.”
“Let’s not hit the child.”
As he spoke, Li Sheng patted Feng Qi’s back soothingly. “You go back and rest first. I’ll put Yuan Yuan to sleep and join you later.”
Lowering his voice, Li Sheng managed to persuade Feng Qi to return after much coaxing.
Once he had calmed Feng Qi down and settled him, Li Sheng returned to find Feng Yuan still feeding the baby with his head lowered.
His chubby little face looked troubled.
“Yuan Yuan doesn’t have milk,” he murmured.
The video had said that breast milk was better for babies than formula.
As a nanny, Feng Yuan wanted to take good care of the baby.
He wanted to give the baby the best milk!
While Feng Yuan was still fretting, his door was knocked once.
Then, afraid of waking Qin Xun, Li Sheng simply pushed the door open.
Hearing the sound, Feng Yuan didn’t even turn his head before flopping onto the bed.
As he fell, he quickly slipped the tablet under his pillow.
Li Sheng sat by the bed and turned on the nightlight.
He immediately spotted the little guy pretending to be asleep.
The child’s eyes were tightly shut, but his eyelashes fluttered uncontrollably.
Without a word, Li Sheng climbed onto the bed.
He picked up the little pretender and held him against his chest.
“Alright, Yuan Yuan, time to sleep.”
Holding Feng Yuan, Li Sheng gently patted his back over and over.
Feng Yuan’s tense little body gradually relaxed.
Leaning against the headboard, Li Sheng recited a memorable English poem he had once read.
Halfway through the poem, the little pretender began to snore softly.
Qin Xun, half-asleep, opened his eyes once.
Seeing that Li Sheng was the one soothing Feng Yuan, he drifted back to sleep.
After Li Sheng had fully lulled Feng Yuan to sleep, he took the tablet hidden under the pillow, placed Feng Yuan next to Qin Xun, tucked them both in, and then left.
In the adjacent bedroom, Feng Qi hadn’t fallen asleep yet. But his emotions had stabilized.
Li Sheng approached him and, just as he had with Feng Yuan, lifted Feng Qi and let him rest on top of him.
Feng Qi lazily snuggled up, nuzzling against Li Sheng’s neck.
“I’m much heavier than Yuan Yuan.”
“Not heavy at all,” Li Sheng replied, holding him firmly. “I’d be happy if you could gain weight like Yuan Yuan.”
Their little Yuan Yuan truly didn’t waste any food.
Every bite he ate turned into soft, chubby flesh.
But Feng Qi never seemed to put on weight.
Li Sheng had tried everything to feed him well, with fruits and snacks always available at home.
Feng Qi ate, but he just didn’t gain any weight.
“Feng Qi, last New Year, I was alone.”
Li Sheng’s hand rested on Feng Qi’s back. He felt no desire to sleep.
He chatted with Feng Qi, sharing his thoughts and feelings.
A year ago, he and Feng Qi hadn’t even met.
Feng Qi was alone with two-year-old Yuan Yuan, spending a humble New Year in a tiny 20-square-meter apartment.
Thinking about the hardships this pair had endured, Li Sheng’s heart ached as if pricked by needles, a dull, persistent pain.
“From now on, our New Years will be lively.”
Feng Qi lifted his head and gently kissed Li Sheng’s lips.
His captivating, expressive eyes held a smile, entrancing Li Sheng almost to the point of delirium.
“Feng Qi.”
Li Sheng murmured his name softly.
The two shared a long, lingering kiss.
When the kiss ended, Feng Qi wanted to turn over and rest properly.
But Li Sheng wrapped his arms around his waist: “Let’s sleep a little later.”
Li Sheng’s “a little later” stretched on until Feng Qi had lost all awareness.
In the master bedroom, undisturbed by any little ones, the two fathers finally enjoyed a romantic night.
Meanwhile.
Yu Yi and Wu Jin, who were taking care of the little one, had to get up several times during the night to feed the little black dragon with milk formula.
Wu Jin was the one preparing and feeding the milk.
Yu Yi spent most of the time sleeping.
However, once or twice, he took the initiative to care for the little black dragon.
Since the egg had hatched, the names the adults had chosen finally came into use.
The little guy’s formal name had been decided: Yu Mo.
The character “Mo” was chosen by Yu Lian.
Yu Lian hoped his grandson would grow up with a bit more knowledge.
He didn’t expect the little guy to become a top student, but at the very least, he hoped the name would inspire him to be a little more cultured.
Fang Fang also agreed with the name.
However, her approval stemmed from the character’s homophone—“Mo”1silence.
Even while still in the egg, the little guy had nearly torn the house apart.
Fang Fang hoped that after hatching, he would be a little quieter.
At the very least, not as rowdy as he had been inside the egg.
With a formal name settled, the adults also came up with a bunch of nicknames.
Names like Xiao Fu, An An, Chen Chen…
The adults tried them all, but the little guy showed no reaction.
Only when they called him “Eggy” would he glance at them.
Seeing his reaction, the adults could only sigh helplessly.
It was all because they had kept calling him “Eggy” before. Now, he only responded to that name.
Fang Fang was a bit worried about such a casual nickname.
She feared that when Eggy grew older and played with other children, he might be teased for his name.
But Yu Yi paid no mind to this concern.
He had already locked eyes with the hatched little guy.
In that moment, he was certain—
This little guy was not to be trifled with.
Although the little guy was currently focused only on eating and sleeping, Yu Yi had already caught him throwing tantrums several times.
The little guy would clench his fists, kick his feet, and his face would turn bright red.
He was clearly gathering his strength.
But he wasn’t straining to relieve himself. He was trying to move.
Yu Yi noticed his tantrums but didn’t say a word or make a sound.
If he made any noise at such times, the little guy’s temper would undoubtedly flare up even more.
The two fathers took care of the little guy until morning.
Early in the day, a dragon came to take Eggy away.
Wu Jin and Yu Yi went back to sleep.
They slept until they were fully rested before getting up.
After waking, Wu Jin helped Yu Yi find clothes to wear while chatting with him: “Xiao Yi, our Eggy doesn’t fuss at all during the night. He’s so well-behaved.”
Yu Yi snorted, refusing to agree with the assessment of the little black dragon’s good behavior.
“Wait a few more months and see.”
Right now, the little guy is limited by his physical state. Even if he wanted to cause trouble, he couldn’t.
In a few months, when the little guy could sit and crawl, Yu Yi had a sneaking suspicion that it would mark the beginning of chaos in the Yu household.
“Xiao Yi, you need to have a little more trust in Eggy. In a few more months, he’ll be well-behaved, too.”
Wu Jin believed that Eggy’s restlessness inside the egg was due to being cooped up and unable to break free, which made him feel stifled and frustrated.
Now that the little guy had hatched, he had already become much calmer.
The two of them were chatting in the bedroom.
Meanwhile, Eggy, who had been carried outside, was already holding his milk bottle again.
He clutched the bottle, sucking away.
The dragons surrounding him were all playing with him, trying to amuse him.
This year, the dragons were celebrating the New Year here.
They made funny faces, hoping to make Eggy laugh.
But Eggy was solely focused on drinking his milk, his pretty little face showing no trace of a smile.
After finishing his milk, he gripped the handle of the bottle with his tiny hand and threw it with a thud.
The dragons: “!”
Unlike Wu Jin and Yu Yi, the dragons lacked experience.
When the two dads prepared milk for Eggy, they would take the bottle away as soon as he finished drinking, never giving him a chance to throw it.
The dragons were a step too late in retrieving the bottle.
Watching it fall to the ground, Qing Hao hurriedly picked it up.
He inspected it and then frowned.
“It’s cracked.”
The bottle had cracked and could no longer be used.
Fortunately, the Yu family had plenty of spare bottles.
The dragons fetched a new one, sterilized it, and prepared to use it for the next feeding.
“Eggy,” the dragons coaxed him gently, “you shouldn’t throw the bottle. You’ll need it again next time you drink milk.”
Eggy opened his dark, grape-like eyes wide and remained silent.
His features, for now, didn’t closely resemble either Wu Jin or Yu Yi.
He took a bit after Yu Ye.
No matter whom the little one took after, his face was undeniably adorable.
The dragons all adored him.
While the dragons were still trying to reason with Eggy, Yu Ye, who had just finished breakfast, came over.
Yu Ye was holding a piece of sweet cake freshly made in the kitchen.
The cake smelled delicious.
Eggy, who had originally planned to take a nap, caught a whiff of the scent.
His little eyes locked precisely onto the cake in Yu Ye’s hand.
Yu Ye noticed his gaze.
“Want some?”
Yu Ye waved the cake in front of Eggy.
Sure enough, wherever the cake moved, Eggy’s eyes followed.
As Yu Ye continued to tease him, Eggy, lying in his stroller, even reached out a tiny hand.
“Ah!”
The little guy opened his mouth, signaling that he wanted to eat.
Yu Ye raised an eyebrow and brought the cake close to his small hand.
Eggy reached out to grab it.
Yu Ye swiftly pulled it back.
The two of them went back and forth like this several times.
After a few rounds, Eggy grew furious.
He let out a loud “Ah!” at Yu Ye.
Yu Ye was amused by his reaction, a hint of laughter sparkling in his eyes.
“What language are you speaking? I can’t understand you.”
Yu Ye didn’t need to interpret the little guy’s cries to know that he was clearly angry.
But Yu Ye pretended not to understand and deliberately misinterpreted Eggy’s baby talk.
“Oh, I get it. You’re saying you like me.”
“So you like your uncle this much?”
“Then you need to grow up quickly. Once you’re bigger, you can wish me a happy New Year.”
Yu Ye chatted with Eggy, a smile on his face.
Eggy’s little face turned bright red with anger. He eventually stopped his Ah-ing.
He clenched both hands into fists, looking as if he might spit up milk from sheer frustration.
“Yu Ye!”
None of the other dragons dared to speak up to Yu Ye, but Chi Rong couldn’t stand it any longer.
Without caring that the other dragons were present, he smacked Yu Ye on the back of the head. “You’re so grown up now, how can you still bully a child?!”
“Eggy is still so little!”
Chi Rong fumed, thinking Yu Ye was absolutely outrageous!
Yu Ye looked at the angry dragon. He stuffed the pastry in his hand into Chi Rong’s mouth, then turned and walked away.
The once-steaming pastry had cooled to just the right temperature after he had spent some time teasing the little guy.
It was Chi Rong’s favorite snack.
With the pastry stuffed in his mouth, Chi Rong looked down and saw Eggy throwing a tantrum, hurling his toys around.
His crib was filled with small toys.
These toys were meant to keep him entertained. He could easily reach out and grab them.
But now, the little guy was venting his anger on them.
He tossed all his toys onto the floor.
The dragons hurriedly tried to soothe him, calling him a good baby.
But Eggy was clearly not a good baby.
His temper was enormous.
By the time he fell asleep, his little face was still scrunched up in a frown.
Over at the Yu household, the hard-to-please Eggy had been so upset that he cried himself to sleep.
Meanwhile, Feng Yuan, who still wanted to be a nanny, woke up to find his tablet missing. He buried his little face in Qin Xun’s chest, feeling utterly wronged.
“Everyone gets to play with tablets. Why can’t Yuan Yuan play with one?!”
Feng Yuan thought it was so unfair!
Qin Xun gently rubbed his little head, patiently comforting him.
“When we grow up, we can play as much as we want.”
Qin Xun didn’t need to grow up to play as much as he wanted.
But to keep Feng Yuan company, he refrained from using his phone or tablet in front of him.
Feng Yuan was still upset.
He wanted the tablet.
Afraid he might cry, Qin Xun preemptively wiped his little face.
“Yuan Yuan, it’s New Year’s today. No crying allowed.”
“Crying isn’t good.”
As he spoke, Qin Xun brought out the new clothes Feng Yuan was supposed to wear.
“Yuan Yuan, look. Grandpa bought you new clothes. You can wear them today.”
“After we have breakfast, we’ll set off firecrackers in the yard.”
“Didn’t you want to play with firecrackers?”
Qin Xun had prepared some low-powered firecrackers.
The ones he chose made a loud noise but weren’t dangerous and had no real impact.
He thought these would be perfect for Feng Yuan.
Tempted by the idea of setting off firecrackers, Feng Yuan sniffled and finally lifted his head.
He obediently let Qin Xun dress him.
In addition to his new clothes, he also wore a pair of brand-new red cotton shoes.
“All done.”
After getting Feng Yuan ready, Qin Xun quickly dressed himself.
Today, he also wore a red down jacket.
Grandpa Robert hadn’t just bought clothes for Feng Yuan. He’d bought some for Qin Xun, too.
This New Year, Qin Xun’s parents weren’t around.
But the holiday wasn’t as lonely as he had expected it to be.
The two little ones, both dressed head-to-toe in red, went to the bathroom to wash up together.
After brushing his teeth, Feng Yuan opened his mouth wide for Qin Xun to inspect.
“All clean.”
Only after Qin Xun gave the okay did Feng Yuan rinse his mouth again, put his toothbrush away, and start washing his face.
Since his last visit to the dentist, the little guy had been brushing his teeth diligently. But he still wasn’t very thorough when it came to washing his face.
Qin Xun would take a wet towel and carefully wipe his face again.
After the two finished their morning routine, they went out for breakfast but didn’t see Feng Qi.
Feng Qi was still asleep.
It was New Year’s Eve. Feng Qi had intended to wake up early, but he hadn’t managed to.
Luckily, the reunion dinner wasn’t in the morning, so it didn’t matter that he hadn’t gotten up.
Feng Yuan hurriedly finished his breakfast and ran off with Qin Xun.
Feng Yuan’s red down jacket had two large pockets.
His big pockets were stuffed full with sunflower seeds, a few pieces of candy, peanuts, and dried longans.
Apart from these snacks, the rest were all firecrackers.
To make it easier to play with the firecrackers, he had his grandpa light an incense stick for him.
Holding the incense stick in his chubby little hand, he could use it to light the firecrackers.
The city had regulations on fireworks and firecrackers. Large fireworks and long firecrackers were not allowed.
But small firecrackers and handheld sparklers were permitted.
Carrying his firecrackers, Feng Yuan ran to find Rong Rong.
When he went to find Rong Rong, he sensed that the atmosphere in Rong Rong’s home was off.
Rong Rong was crying.
The moment Feng Yuan saw Rong Rong crying, he immediately became anxious.
“Rong Rong, what’s wrong?!”
Feng Yuan ran up to Rong Rong, using his chubby little hand to wipe away Rong Rong’s tears. “Qin Xun said that you shouldn’t cry on New Year’s.”
Rong Rong’s eyes were red from crying.
Bo Han looked at his tearful son, his heart aching unbearably.
He wanted to open his mouth to explain, but Rong Rong, with tears streaming down his face, asked Chi Shui a question.
“Dad, don’t you love Rong Rong?”
“Rong Rong, Dad does love you. I was just arguing with him earlier. I was talking nonsense.”
Bo Han was now filled with regret.
He had been arguing with Chi Shui in the morning. Rong Rong had overheard them.
When he argued, he often spoke without thinking.
He had said that Chi Shui had used Rong Rong…
This was actually a knot buried deep in his heart. But he never expected that while he was arguing with Chi Shui about this, Rong Rong happened to bring over his New Year’s drawing to show them.
Rong Rong’s drawing was beautiful.
He had drawn the three of them as a family…
Holding his drawing, Rong Rong saw them arguing and didn’t dare to approach.
The little guy stood in place, overhearing their entire conversation.
By the time Bo Han noticed Rong Rong, the little guy had already thrown his drawing on the ground.
His face was streaked with tears from crying.
Bo Han wanted to hug him, but Rong Rong kept backing away.
“Rong Rong, your dad doesn’t know what love is. He’s never even said it to me—”
Bo Han tried to explain further, but Rong Rong had already turned and run outside.
Bo Han wanted to chase after him, but Feng Yuan stopped him.
Feng Yuan’s little brain had already figured out what was happening.
His mind was a bit muddled, too.
He asked Qin Xun to go after Rong Rong, while he didn’t rush over immediately.
“Uncle.”
Feng Yuan looked at Chi Shui and asked the same question Rong Rong had: “Don’t you love Rong Rong?”
Chi Shui’s expression was silent.
He was still recalling the image of Rong Rong crying.
It was strange.
Demons like him never cared about their offspring.
To them, offspring could even be seen as competition.
So demons were inherently incapable of loving their children.
But now, Chi Shui’s chest felt tight. His gaze was fixed in the direction Rong Rong had run off. For a moment, he had wanted to grab the little guy and bring him back.
Just like how he had trapped Bo Han, he wanted to keep Rong Rong by his side, too.
“I don’t know.”
Under Feng Yuan’s expectant gaze, Chi Shui finally gave his answer.
After answering, he turned the question back to Feng Yuan: “What is love?”
“Do you think I love Rong Rong?”
Feng Yuan: “…”
Feng Yuan was almost stunned by his response.
Feng Yuan tried hard to put on a serious face, his childish voice earnest as he said, “Love is wanting to be good to someone!”
“Dad loves me, so he’s very, very good to me!”
“For me, Dad would even die.”
“And I would die for Dad, too!”
Feng Yuan was giving Chi Shui an on-the-spot lesson. After briefly lecturing him, he left Chi Shui to reflect on his own.
“Think carefully about whether you really love Rong Rong or not.”
“If you don’t love Rong Rong, that’s fine.”
“I’ll find Rong Rong a new dad who loves him!”
“If you do love Rong Rong, I’ll bring him home later. You’d better apologize properly to him.”
Feng Yuan chattered away at Chi Shui like a little adult.
After his chatter, he turned and ran off.
He still had to find Rong Rong!
Rong Rong, bundled up in thick clothes, wasn’t running very fast, so Feng Yuan quickly caught up with him.
When Feng Yuan found him, tears were still streaming down his little face.
“Rong Rong, don’t cry anymore.”
Feng Yuan hugged Rong Rong, wrapping his chubby little body around him in a warm embrace.
Holding Rong Rong, he first apologized to him.
Rong Rong didn’t blame him.
After apologizing, Feng Yuan took a handkerchief handed to him by Qin Xun and wiped Rong Rong’s tears.
He told Rong Rong what had happened afterward.
“Rong Rong, your new dad is a bit silly. He said he doesn’t know what love is.”
“I’ve already told him to think it over carefully.”
“Don’t be sad. It’s just a dad, right? We can always get a new one.”
As he spoke, Feng Yuan even started painting a rosy picture for Rong Rong on the spot.
“A cute kid like us, lots of people would love to be our dad.”
“We’re not short on dads.”
Feng Yuan’s comforting words slowly stopped Rong Rong’s tears.
Although Rong Rong had stopped crying, he didn’t want to go home just yet.
Seeing this, Feng Yuan patted his pocket.
“I was going to ask you out to play anyway. If you don’t want to go home, then don’t!”
“Let’s have fun first and worry about the rest later!”
Not wanting Rong Rong to dwell on sad things, Feng Yuan pulled him along to set off firecrackers.
Setting off firecrackers required a safe spot. Feng Yuan remembered this rule well.
“Here, Rong Rong.”
“Light it and throw it. Don’t be scared.”
Feng Yuan handed Rong Rong one of the firecrackers from his pocket.
Rong Rong was timid and a bit afraid to set it off.
But Feng Yuan kept encouraging him: “It’s fine. I’ll run with you. Don’t be afraid!”
With Feng Yuan’s encouragement, the timid Rong Rong finally mustered up the courage and lit a firecracker.
He threw it as soon as it was lit.
Feng Yuan grabbed his hand, and they ran to the side together.
Bang!
The firecracker went off.
Rong Rong, who had successfully set off a firecracker, suddenly brightened up. His eyes, still red from crying, are now sparkling.
A smile finally appeared on his little face.
Feng Yuan handed him a handful of firecrackers to set off.
The two little ones took turns, setting off one after another. They were having a blast.
Qin Xun didn’t join in. He just watched them from the side.
Feng Yuan even came up with creative ways to play with the firecrackers.
He picked up a takeout container from a trash can.
Then, he placed a lit firecracker underneath it.
The container shot up into the air with a pop.
Besides placing firecrackers under containers, Feng Yuan also used them to blast patches of grass.
They even set off firecrackers near some unknown winter weeds, sending them flying.
As the two played with firecrackers, they ended up gathering with other kids.
This New Year, quite a few children were setting off firecrackers.
But some of the kids were a bit too bold with their games.
They were even setting off firecrackers under manhole covers.
Feng Yuan saw them doing this and rushed over to stop them.
But the older kids playing with the firecrackers pushed him down.
They didn’t appreciate his meddling.
Unable to stop them, Feng Yuan decisively went to tattle to the adults.
He knew all the kids in this neighborhood!
Not long after Feng Yuan had complained to the parents, one of them came out brandishing a rolling pin.
The older kid who had just pushed Feng Yuan was chased by his own mother, while wielding a rolling pin, for two whole blocks.
Feng Yuan giggled and ran along after them.
When he saw the older kid getting a beating from his mother with the rolling pin, Feng Yuan laughed even more gleefully.
“Shut up! You can’t cry during the New Year!”
The mother scolded, still holding the rolling pin. After hitting her child, she forbade him from crying: “If you keep crying, I’ll hit you again! Hold it in!”
“How many times have I told you? You can’t set off firecrackers on manhole covers! If that cover had blown off, do you have any idea how dangerous that would be?”
The mother dragged her son back home.
With the show over, Feng Yuan, hand in hand with Rong Rong, went off to find some other amusement.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152