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Chapter 2: It’s Daddy

Little Linglong’s bright eyes looked at him, filled with hope. When she saw her daddy stay unmoved and even give her a wink, the little baby reached out her tiny hands and waved her chubby arms toward the fish pond with childish excitement.

She wanted to catch the fish!

Chen Feng found the little one’s appearance so amusing that he burst out laughing. “She does take after me.”

When he saw his mother go to help in the kitchen, he squatted down, pulled the little one into his arms, and reached a hand into the fish pond. With a gentle scoop, a crucian carp was caught in his hand. Little Linglong’s eyes opened wide with excitement and she shouted, “Fish~”

She turned and jumped into Chen Feng’s embrace, rubbing her head against him. Smelling the milky scent on the child and seeing her soft, adorable look, Chen Feng’s eyes curved into crescents, and warmth filled the air.

After throwing the crucian carp into the small bucket beside them, Little Linglong squatted there, stretching out her green-onion-like fingers to gently poke the fish inside.

Then, she happily clapped her little hands.

Seeing her daddy catch another fish and toss it in, she tried hard to pick up the small water bucket, wobbling as she headed toward the kitchen. When Chen Feng saw the little one about to fall, he quickly reached out and lifted her up.

Dangling in mid-air, Little Linglong held tightly to the water bucket with both hands. Watching the fish swim inside, she found it so entertaining that she giggled nonstop.

Chen Feng gently tapped her nose and chuckled. “When we walk, we must take it one step at a time. Only this way can you stand firmly. Otherwise, you’ll trip a lot, and it will really hurt. Do you understand?”

“And the pain is yours, not daddy’s—I won’t feel it.”

He put the little one down and held her hand. “Let’s walk slowly. No need to rush.”

Little Linglong sniffed, looked up at her daddy, and handed over the bucket. “Eat, fish~”

Chen Feng took the small water bucket with a mischievous smile. “Alright, I’ll eat the fish, and you’ll get to drink the soup.”

After bringing the fish into the kitchen, Little Linglong obediently sat on the small chair. Chen Feng took a knife and deftly scraped off the scales. Then, he gutted and cleaned the two crucian carps, placing them in a basin once finished.

Little Linglong sat there watching with great interest.

She even looked a bit eager to try!

Chen Feng chuckled. “Next time, daddy will teach you how to clean fish, okay?”

The one-year-old baby nodded hard, replying in her childish voice, “Okay~”

Chen Feng gave a thumbs up. “That’s my good girl.”

The little one grinned, clapped her hands, and laughed gleefully.

During dinner, Yi Qinghua noticed the little one sticking to Chen Feng. Whenever she wanted to pick her up, the child clung pitifully to Chen Feng’s clothes, tears rolling down her cheeks.

So, Chen Feng had no choice but to pull this little girl into his arms. Watching his mother feed her fish soup, he smiled and said, “Mom, our Little Linglong shouldn’t be raised to become someone who expects everything to be done for her.”

“Sweetheart, let’s eat by ourselves, okay?”

Little Linglong wore her bib, smacking her lips, and suddenly raised her tiny fist to shout, “Okay~”

As their family enjoyed this happy time together, the entire Qingquan Village heard from old Grandpa Fu that Chen Feng was back—from the army, no less.

With nothing better to do, the women and elders sat under the old loquat tree in the village, which had stood for over five hundred years, chatting about gossip from Chen Feng’s family.

And naturally, they had to make up stories to keep the conversation interesting.

The chitchat went on late into the night with the sound of insects, and everyone returned home still unsatisfied.

Chen Feng, meanwhile, saw that even in her sleep, Linglong clutched his finger. He tucked her into bed, covering her with a towel. When he saw her little mouth quiver as if she was about to wake, he gently stroked her head. The little one smacked her lips and fell back into sweet sleep.

Watching her innocent little face, Chen Feng smiled softly. He took out his phone and dialed a number. Before he could say a word, a voice came, “Chief, my respected chief, I know what you want to ask without you saying it.”

“Little Linglong is indeed your biological child—there’s no doubt about it. We had a professional agency do a test.”

“And as for your future wife, we already dispatched people to protect her secretly. You don’t need to worry.”

Chen Feng’s eyelid twitched and he growled, “Such a big thing—why didn’t anyone inform me in advance?”

“Uh… you never asked,” the other party replied awkwardly.

Chen Feng, furious, hung up at once.

Around four in the morning, he suddenly woke up, sharpness flashing in his eyes. Even though the room was pitch black, it looked no different from daytime to him.

On the bed, the baby kicked her legs, whimpering, and then started to cry uncomfortably.

Chen Feng remembered his mother’s reminder, slapped his forehead, and realized the little one must have pooped or wet her diaper.

Sure enough, after cleaning her up and changing the diaper, the little one quieted down and fell back asleep.

Chen Feng dozed for a while longer. It was around six when the sky just started to brighten. He shook Linglong gently to wake her. The little girl, drowsy and rubbing her eyes, looked at her daddy with a sleepy, adorable gaze.

“Sweetheart, the whole day’s plan begins in the morning. We mustn’t waste such precious time.”

“Come on, Daddy will teach you to make breakfast. As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm, and lazy birds go hungry.”

The baby seemed to half-understand. She got up and sat on the bed, stretching.

Chen Feng dressed her and put on her shoes. He washed up first, then cleaned the little one’s face and brushed her teeth.

Linglong’s little cheeks became rosy from all the rubbing and she quickly perked up.

Holding her little hand, Chen Feng called out, “Let’s go, we’re setting off!”

The little one mimicked his marching steps, puffing her cheeks and shouting, “Ah pa~”

She kicked her little legs vigorously but lost balance and nearly fell. Chen Feng hurried to steady her. The two looked at each other and burst out laughing.

When they entered the kitchen, Chen Feng took eggs from the fridge, broke them into a bowl, and began stirring, explaining to Linglong, who sat in her small chair, what to watch out for. The little one sniffed and clapped her hands with great interest.

Chen Feng steamed the egg custard, then started to mix the baby formula. “You just turned one, so you only need a hundred milliliters of milk and one spoonful is enough.”

“Remember, from now on you’ll have to make your own breakfast.”

Yi Qinghua entered the kitchen and, hearing Chen Feng’s words, rolled her eyes.

She gently pinched Linglong’s little cheeks. “Your dad is the laziest of all.”

The little one kicked her legs and stuck her tongue out at her grandma.

At that moment, Chen Dachang carried a basin of grain to feed the chickens under the eaves in the front yard.

When Linglong saw this, her eyes shone and she wobbled out of the kitchen, excited to chase after the roosters and hens.

She even made clucking sounds with her mouth.

Seeing the little dumpling running shakily, Chen Feng took out his phone to take a picture and posted it to his Moments: Whose little cutie is this?

As soon as he posted it, comments poured in: “My family runs a chicken farm. I think this little cutie wants to come to my house.”

“The person above is wishful thinking! Even from the northeast, I heard your plans.”

“Hahaha, can I come pick her up?”

“I don’t believe it, Chief! You actually have a kid?”

Chen Feng curled his lips and responded: “I didn’t believe it myself before. But you all must face the facts, especially the boys—remember to stay safe out there.”

“Alcohol is too sweet—it gets you drunk fast!”

The comments filled with laughing emojis, with teeth showing everywhere.

Tired from running around, Linglong moved to Chen Feng, grabbed his finger, shook it, and looked up with her big pretty eyes. “Ah pa~ catch, cluck cluck~”

His mother brought out the baby bottle, handed it to Linglong, and the little one hugged it happily, gulping eagerly.

Chen Feng sat on the kitchen doorstep, hugging the little one to keep her from falling.

Soon, she finished the bottle and burped contentedly, her eyes full of determination as she looked at the chickens.

She held Chen Feng’s hand, her voice soft and sweet. “Ah pa~ catch, cluck cluck!”

Chen Feng hugged her and gently said, “Baby, if you call me daddy, I’ll help you catch the biggest chicken.”

The little girl tilted her head, blinking her big eyes. Her hair was a little messy as she opened her mouth and let out a childish sound. “Pa~ Pa~”

Chen Feng shook his head. “Say, daddy!”

The little one nodded hard and giggled.

His mother saw this and laughed so hard her waist bent. “You’re the dad, but even a one-year-old tricks you!”

“If she could say it so clearly, would you even need to teach her?”

Chen Feng watched the little one flail her arms and legs as she ran to hug grandma’s thigh, looking a bit dumbfounded.

The little one then peeked half her face out from behind grandma, sniffed, and shouted sweetly, “Yes, pa~ pa~”

Chen Feng shook his head with a helpless smile. “This little one really has a mind of her own.”

The aroma of breakfast soon began to fill the courtyard. Grandma styled Linglong’s hair into two tiny pigtails. She shook her head at her reflection in the mirror, hands on her hips, looking confident.

She stretched out her little hand, and shouted, “Hold, catch~”

Chen Feng’s eyelid twitched. “Of all things to learn, does she have to imitate the bratty Nezha?”

He felt like he could already see his future as a miserable super-nanny.

He didn’t find out until breakfast time that the little one had been watching the animated Nezha, and he let out a long sigh of relief. Thank goodness.

At the table, the little one ate very well, not the least bit naughty. She was just a bit clumsy with the spoon, and after trying to eat egg custard, her face was covered in food, but she kept giggling without a care.

It wasn’t even eight yet when the rosy sun leapt over the distant mountains, casting warmth everywhere.

It looked as if the bamboo grove wore a cloak of orange-red gauze.

Chen Feng held the little one’s hand, walking leisurely along the stream, enjoying the moment’s peace.

Linglong shook his hand, jumping with excitement, and pointed her tiny finger toward the stream on the right, calling out enthusiastically, “Pa~ Pa~”

“Mee~”

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