Chapter 4: Packing Food for Daddy

Ou Zilong led Zhao Jiaying to a seat in the corner of the restaurant. Tangyuan also squatted beside Zhao Jiaying.

“Yingbao, what do you want to eat? Tell Second Uncle, and he’ll have the chef make it for you!”

“Second Uncle, I’m not picky, I eat anything! Just ask Uncle Chef to make some simple dishes. We need to eat quickly and take food back for Daddy, or he’ll be hungry if he waits too long!”

What a thoughtful daughter! She hadn’t even eaten yet but was already thinking about her Daddy.

Big brother, you truly don’t know how lucky you are!

“Alright then, Second Uncle will decide for you!”

He called a waiter over and ordered five or six dishes. Although Yingbao said she wasn’t picky, he still hoped she would enjoy her meal.

The ingredients were already prepared, so the dishes Ou Zilong ordered were served quickly. He scooped a bowl of rice and placed it in front of Yingbao.

“You must be hungry. Eat up…”

Yingbao looked at the beautifully presented dishes on the table, and the delicious aroma made her stomach growl. However, she didn’t immediately pick up her chopsticks. Instead, she politely asked a waitress,

“Auntie, could you please bring me two eco-friendly food containers?”

Ou Zilong didn’t understand what Zhao Jiaying meant by this.

The waitress quickly brought the containers over. Yingbao used one to pack some rice and the other to pack some of each dish.

Ou Zilong asked: “Yingbao, are you packing food for your Daddy?”  

Zhao Jiaying nodded while continuing to pick up food with her chopsticks.  

“Yes, Second Uncle, I need to pack Daddy’s meal first!”  

What a thoughtful little girl—always thinking about her Daddy!  

“Yingbao, you don’t have to go through all this trouble. After we finish eating, I’ll ask the chef to make a fresh meal for him!”  

That was the usual routine. When his brother was too busy to come down to the restaurant, he would simply have the chef prepare a meal and send it up afterward.  

Zhao Jiaying finished packing the food, sealed the containers, and set them aside. Then, she reached into her little yellow duck backpack and took out Tangyuan’s food bowl. As she scooped rice and picked dishes for Tangyuan, she spoke: “Second Uncle, there’s no need to make another meal for Daddy. There’s so much food here, the two of us can’t possibly finish it. Making more would just be wasteful. Mommy said we must not waste food. Farmers work very hard growing crops—they have to endure the sun and rain every day. And in Africa, there are many people who can’t even afford to eat, so we have to cherish our food!”  

Hearing the words “cherish food” coming from a little girl made Ou Zilong feel ashamed. He had always lived a life of luxury, yet even a child understood this simple truth. He realized he had a lot to learn from Yingbao.  

From this lunch alone, it was clear that Yingbao’s Mommy had raised her well. This made Ou Zilong curious—he really wanted to meet her Mommy.  

After packing Tangyuan’s meal, Zhao Jiaying placed the bowl in front of it and said in her soft, childish voice: “Tangyuan, you must be hungry too. Eat up!”  

Tangyuan noticed shredded carrots in the bowl—its most hated food—and immediately let out a series of whiny noises.  

Ou Zilong had no idea what Tangyuan was trying to say, but Yingbao understood perfectly. She immediately scolded: “No picky eating! You must finish everything in your bowl, or I’ll be very upset!”  

Tangyuan was most afraid of making its little owner angry, so it immediately shut its mouth and lowered its head, obediently eating its food.  

Seeing Tangyuan finally eat properly, Zhao Jiaying returned to her seat. Now that everything was taken care of, she was starving! It was time to eat!  

“Second Uncle, let’s eat!”  

Such a well-mannered child—she even remembered to invite the elder to eat first.

After spending more than an hour together, Ou Zilong discovered that Zhao Jiaying was not only beautiful and adorable but also well-mannered and respectful toward elders. The more he looked at her, the more he liked her. While she was focused on eating, he secretly took out his phone and snapped a photo of her.  

About ten minutes later, Zhao Jiaying finished her meal. She glanced at Tangyuan, who had also finished eating, and then at Ou Zilong, who had just put down his chopsticks.  

“Second Uncle, Tangyuan and I are full. Are you full too?” she asked.  

As an adult, Ou Zilong naturally ate faster than Zhao Jiaying.  

“Mm, Second Uncle is full too!”  

Zhao Jiaying wiped Tangyuan’s bowl with a napkin, packed it into a bag, and placed it back into her little yellow duck backpack.  

“Then let’s hurry back to bring Daddy his food!”  

She picked up the packed meal and tried to step down from her chair, but her balance wavered, and she nearly fell. Fortunately, Ou Zilong had quick reflexes and caught her just in time.  

She looked up at him with a sweet smile and said: “Thank you, Second Uncle!”  

Once again, Ou Zilong was completely charmed by her adorable smile. He took the food containers from her hands and said: “Let Second Uncle carry them!”  

Holding Zhao Jiaying’s hand, with Tangyuan following closely behind, they returned to Ou Zichen’s office. Ou Zilong placed the packed meal in front of his older brother and teased: “Big bro, this is the meal your daughter packed for you. Eat it while it’s still hot!”  

Zhao Jiaying eagerly chimed in: “That’s right, Daddy! The food today was so delicious! Hurry and eat while it’s still warm, or it won’t taste as good once it gets cold!”

Yingbao looked at Ou Zichen with anticipation all over her face. She really wanted to see Daddy enjoying his meal!

Ou Zichen felt Yingbao’s intense gaze and became a little uncomfortable. Was she going to stand there and watch him eat? He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to eat properly, so he turned to Ou Zilong and said,

“Zilong, take Yingbao to your office for a nap. Children should rest at noon.”

Ou Zilong’s office had a small room with a bed and furniture, where he usually took his naps. Since Zhao Jiaying was here today, he had to give up the bed for her and would have to sleep on the couch instead.

His older brother’s office also had a bed, but since things were a little awkward between him and Yingbao today, he decided not to make things difficult for him. So, he made an “OK” gesture toward his older brother.

“Yingbao, how about taking a nap at Second Uncle’s place?”

Yingbao knew that if she stayed here, she might disturb Daddy’s work, and then he would like her even less. She couldn’t make Daddy upset, so she agreed to go to Second Uncle’s office for a nap.

Before leaving, she spoke like a little adult and reminded Ou Zichen: “Daddy, make sure to eat well! Only if you eat enough will you have the energy to work!”

For some reason, Ou Zichen unconsciously nodded, as if agreeing with Yingbao’s words. Seeing this, Yingbao was satisfied and followed Ou Zilong to his office for a rest.

After they left, Ou Zichen opened the lid of the eco-friendly lunchbox and looked at the food Yingbao had packed for him, lost in thought. After a long while, he picked up the chopsticks and started eating. Suddenly, he felt that having a daughter wasn’t such a bad thing.

Zhao Jiaying had always had the habit of taking a nap, so not long after getting into bed, she fell asleep. Meanwhile, Tangyuan lay on the floor beside the bed, keeping her company.

At 3:30 in the afternoon, Zhao Jiaying woke up and walked out of the bedroom, seeing Ou Zilong working at his desk.

She sweetly called out: “Second Uncle, good afternoon!”

Hearing her voice, Ou Zilong stood up from his chair and walked over to Yingbao.

“Yingbao, you’re awake. Second Uncle asked them to buy a few pieces of cake for you as an afternoon snack. Come, let’s sit over there!”

They sat down at the coffee table. Ou Zilong opened the cake boxes and handed a fork to Yingbao.

“Second Uncle didn’t know what flavor of cake you liked, so I just had them buy a few random ones. Take a look and see which one you want to eat. Or you can try them all…”

“Daddy, does he like eating cake? How about I bring him a piece?”  

Whenever there was something delicious, the first person Yingbao thought of was Ou Zichen. Hearing this, Ou Zilong felt a little jealous. Why didn’t she ask whether her Second Uncle liked cake?  

“Your Daddy doesn’t like these kinds of things, so you should just eat it yourself!”  

What a pity! Cake was so delicious, yet Daddy didn’t like it!  

Yingbao then picked up a piece of cake and placed it in front of Tangyuan. Tangyuan also liked cake. After staying by Yingbao’s side for so long, it had been trained to be an undemanding, well-behaved dog that would eat anything.  

When Yingbao returned to her seat, she suddenly realized that she had completely ignored the person who had bought the cake for her—her Second Uncle! Without hesitation, she asked: “Second Uncle, do you like cake? Do you want to eat it with me?”  

Hearing these words, Ou Zilong was so touched that he almost wanted to cry. She finally remembered him! At least all his affection for her hadn’t been in vain!  

In truth, what he cared about wasn’t whether or not he got to eat cake, but whether Yingbao valued him. Fortunately, she hadn’t disappointed him. He patted her head affectionately and said with a doting smile: “Second Uncle doesn’t like cake either. You should just eat it yourself!”  

How could no one like cake? It was so delicious, yet no one seemed to appreciate it! Fine, if they weren’t going to eat it, Yingbao would just eat it all herself!