Chapter 4: Baobao’s Happy House

Now Yin Tian wanted to swallow the little guy whole.

This little thing, not even the size of his fist, was that reaction just now, him displaying disdain?

Huh?

Even if he was acting scared, wasn’t that still disdain?

Huh?

He dared to disdain him?

Huh??

If he hadn’t deliberately put on an unprecedentedly gentle act, Yin Tian wouldn’t have been so thrown off.

He asked himself, when had he ever acted like this toward anyone?

He’d even used a cutesy voice, his smile almost stretching to the back of his head—but the little guy responded like that?

So frustrating.

So infuriating.

Watching the little guy actively throw himself into Dong Mian’s arms, burying his head deep as if afraid of being looked at by him, the ancient demon was even more devastated.

He wanted to make half of the little guy into sashimi salad and the other half into fried barbecue.

But he was unable to say anything.

He could only grit his teeth and shut his mouth, following beside them, letting a large cloud of helpless gloom envelop the top of his head.

Seeing Yin Tian like this, Dong Mian felt truly refreshed and happy, wishing he could reach out and pat Dongri’s head, giving him some very gratifying encouragement.

He felt that a significant advantage had been gained from adopting the little guy.

And that was that he could make the great demon eat crow?

Could he be the great demon’s nemesis?

Initially, Dong Mian was dissatisfied when he saw Dongri was scared—he’d told him not to frighten the child, what was this great demon doing?

Did he think his smile was cute?

Was he a devil?

Who knew that in the end, he would see the great demon’s defeated yet restrained appearance.

The scene was very satisfying.

Dong Mian felt that the weather wasn’t so cold anymore.

The little guy was nestled in his arms again, his fluffy little head seeming to want to burrow into his clothes, wanting to hide himself completely.

His small body was warm and soft, and he wasn’t heavy to hold at all.

Not only did he look like a little glutinous rice ball, but he felt even more like one to hold.

Dong Mian held the cute little glutinous rice ball baby and happily entered the mall.

The entire basement floor was dedicated to food.

Walking through the automatic doors, after only a few steps, the aromas of all kinds of food permeated the air.

Duck snacks and braised dishes, fried chicken and grilled skewers.

Spicy hot pot and teppanyaki, candied fruit, and bubble tea desserts.

The little glutinous rice ball in his arms probably smelled the aromas, his head suddenly nudging, as if engaged in a struggle of self-control.

In the end, his tempted appetite overcame everything, and he raised his head from Dong Mian’s arms.

His round little nose twitched as he sniffed, his eyes following the various foods without blinking.

In the end, he couldn’t resist.

“…So, so fragrant!”

The little glutton baby really couldn’t resist.

Smelling such a complex and diverse array of food aromas, he felt that the candied hawthorns and mille-feuille cake he’d eaten before leaving the house had been instantly digested, and he could eat a big meal again.

With his chin resting on Dong Mian’s shoulder, the little guy blinked his big eyes and weakly opened his mouth: “…Baobao, Baobao is a little hungry!”

Unconsciously, he began to act weak and cute.

And successfully charmed Dong Mian completely.

Dong Mian was, of course, willing to buy him food, but remembering what he’d eaten before leaving the house, which was already a lot for a child, he didn’t buy it immediately.

How could he be so hungry so quickly? He was probably just craving it.

But that was also normal.

With so many different kinds of food around, how much self-control could a child have?

Dong Mian thought for a moment: “Let’s go buy clothes first, and then come back to eat, okay?”

The little guy immediately nodded in agreement: “…Okay, okay!”

So his attitude towards buying clothes also became more proactive, thinking about finishing the shopping early so he could eat sooner.

There were so many fragrant foods here.

Which ones should he choose, then? Could he pick them all?

The shadow of being frightened by Yin Tian gradually faded, and as he imagined the delicious flavors of these foods, Dongri’s face was full of anticipation; he even forgot to hide his head back in Dong Mian’s arms.

They rode the escalator upstairs.

As soon as they reached the second floor, they saw a huge Little Penguin-themed store that had just opened next to the escalator.

Dongri had sharp eyes and was drawn to the colorful store’s display. After discovering that the sign was a huge Little Penguin head, he exclaimed in surprise: “Wow! Little Penguin! The same Little Penguin as mine!”

Only then did Dong Mian and Yin Tian turn around and see the huge store that the little guy was pointing at.

They knew little about the human world’s “harvesting the young” projects and thought Dongri was holding an ordinary doll. However, they didn’t expect it to be a peripheral product of a popular animation, an IP that could open such a large themed store in the mall.

“Then let’s go take a look.”

Looking at the dilapidated Little Penguin doll in Dongri’s arms, Dong Mian silently thought that if he actually found the same doll, he would definitely replace his.

On a weekday afternoon, the overall foot traffic in the mall was low, and there were even fewer people in the store, making them feel like they had the place to themselves after entering.

There were all kinds of goods inside.

From dolls to toothbrushes, from stickers to picture books, the primary goal was to ensure that no child left empty-handed.

Because as soon as they came in, the children were captivated, with only shining eyes and a mouth that could only shout “Wow”—at least that’s how the child in Dong Mian’s arms was.

“Wow—so many Little Penguins!”

“So many, so many, so many Little Penguins!”

“The same as mine, and different ones too!”

“Wow—”

Dong Mian silently glanced at the prices, and, well, the prices were indeed enough to make your heart stop.

A children’s toothbrush costs 59 yuan, and a small keychain is as high as 159 yuan.

Dolls were priced according to their size, with a starting price of 369 yuan.

Although money was insignificant to them, even mountains of gold and silver could be conjured up with a wave of their hands.

But they couldn’t spend lavishly in the human world, let alone do anything that violated their character settings.

They quickly had a mental conversation.

Dong Mian: [If Riri likes it, can we buy it? Will it exceed our expected spending level?]

Their jobs in the human world were in the food and beverage industry.

Dong Mian opened a restaurant, and Yin Tian opened a Western-style pastry shop.

Humans must work.

Otherwise, they would be suspicious social misfits, easily attracting attention and suspicion.

Compared to working for other companies, this industry offered them more freedom, making it easier to find the little demon at any time.

Currently, the income of the two stores is at a lower-middle level.

Because too much business would easily attract attention, and they might even encounter jealousy from competitors.

But it couldn’t be too bad either.

If it were too bad, they would have to close down, and they couldn’t let that happen.

So, according to their current income level and character settings, these things were not within their spending ability.

Yin Tian: [Don’t buy it.]

The great demon was continuing his earlier breakdown.

Yin Tian: [Don’t buy him anything.]

Dong Mian glared at him.

Dong Mian: [I’m not joking with you, answer seriously.]

This glare made Yin Tian feel comfortable.

It was this kind of disdainful look, as if he were trash—the little immortal’s glare had a unique charm, and the great demon suddenly felt much better.

Yin Tian: [As parents who dote on their child, buying a few things occasionally isn’t excessive.]

Yin Tian: [According to humans, isn’t the point of working hard to give your child a good life?]

Dong Mian thought this made sense.

Dong Mian: [Then let’s buy Riri a few things, he seems to like them a lot.]

Dong Mian put the little guy down on the ground and said gently, “Pick whatever Baobao likes, Papa will buy it for you.”

Dongri’s eyes were filled with expectant light, and he immediately ran forward two steps excitedly.

But after only a few steps, he came back and entrusted the Little Penguin in his hand to Dong Mian.

“…Papa, Papa! Hold it for me!”

He actually called him Papa.

That soft “Papa” almost melted Dong Mian’s heart.

“Okay, Papa will hold it for you.”

Taking the tattered Little Penguin, Dong Mian felt that it wasn’t so bad anymore, and it instantly looked much more handsome.

“Baobao, go pick out what you like… but don’t run, okay? Walk slowly.”

“Okay, okay!”

Dongri responded obediently, but he turned around and ran, not taking Dong Mian’s instructions to heart at all.

In less than a minute, he came back holding a brand-new Little Penguin doll.

“Papa, this one is pretty!”

Effortlessly holding the Little Penguin high above his head, Dongri carefully showed him the new doll he’d fallen in love with at first sight.

The shop assistant also came over at this time, appropriately introducing: “Welcome, this doll is a new product this season, and there’s a special discount if you buy two or more.”

Dong Mian hadn’t been in the human world for long and wasn’t familiar with these human marketing tactics.

Hearing the shop assistant’s introduction, he asked, “What discount?”

“If you buy another of the same doll, there’s a 2% discount, and if you buy two or more, there’s a 4% discount.”

“Oh, and there are also new clothes that are very suitable for your little one. If you buy the whole set now, you can also get a 1% discount.”

The discount was so small that it could almost be ignored.

Generally, adults would probably show a speechless expression at this point and ask, “Is there a big difference between this and the original price?”

But Dong Mian wasn’t an ordinary person.

After determining that the discount amount was quite small, his first reaction was that as an ordinary person, he would likely want to save that little bit of money and therefore couldn’t let the discount opportunity pass by.

He was going to buy clothes for the little guy today anyway, so he might as well take a look.

“Where are the clothes? Take us over to see them.”

The shop assistant replied with a smile, “Okay, the clothes are over here, please follow me.”

Upon reaching the second floor, they discovered not only clothes and shoes, but also four-piece bedding sets.

Although the items were expensive, the service was impeccable.

After arriving on the second floor, the little guy immediately received star-studded treatment, with a variety of clothes and shoes being handed to him, and the shop assistant even brought snacks and drinks.

Noticing the old doll in Dong Mian’s arms, the shop assistant also thoughtfully suggested, “We also have a trade-in program now. This one in your hand is last year’s model, and you can probably get a few dozen yuan for it.”

After seeing the price of the official dolls, Dong Mian felt that the little guy’s doll must have been a pirated version he’d picked up somewhere.

“But this one wasn’t bought in your store… and I forgot where it was bought, can I still trade it in?”

“No matter where it was bought, as long as it’s our brand, you can trade it in,” the shop assistant said. “Would you mind if I take a look at the specific condition so I can give you an estimate?”

“…”

Dong Mian didn’t want to say that it might be a pirated version, and seeing that the shop assistant had already reached out, he had no choice but to hand the doll over.

Unexpectedly, after some inspection, it turned out to be a genuine product.

“The damage is indeed quite serious, so we can deduct about fifty yuan, would you like that?”

Fifty yuan.

This should be a discount price that ordinary people couldn’t refuse, right?

But remembering how much the little guy liked this doll, Dong Mian decided to ask Dongri’s opinion first.

“Baobao, you have a new Little Penguin now, do you still want this old one?”

“If you don’t want it, Papa will trade it in for a new one, okay?”

Although Dong Mian couldn’t wait to throw away this Little Penguin, judging from Dongri’s reaction in the car today, he had deep feelings for the old doll.

Dong Mian not only believed that the little guy would disagree, but Yin Tian thought the same as well.

He was reluctant to throw it away even though it was tattered, and he wouldn’t allow his parents to say anything bad about it, so how could he trade it in?

But they didn’t know that the little toddler had been overwhelmed by the temporary happiness in front of him.

Holding the new Little Penguin doll in his arms and seeing so many beautiful new clothes and new shoes, he was completely mesmerized.

In fact, he hadn’t even heard clearly what Dong Mian was asking and only caught the word “new,” so he couldn’t wait to reply, “Okay, okay! I want the new one!”

Without a trace of hesitation, without any procrastination, very decisively and resolutely.

Dong Mian: …

Yin Tian: …

So they had been overthinking it; the little guy wasn’t reluctant at all, but was very willing.