SFBF CH82

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Young Master Xu’s WeChat message saying he couldn’t pick up Mingbao served as a perfect reminder for Shen Qing to fetch the cubs from school.

He had already planned to pick up Duo Duo today. Now that Boss Gu had moved back home, Shen Qing was even more determined to go personally and break the good news to the boy immediately.

But to his surprise, when he mentioned going to pick up Duo Duo, Gu Huaiyu said he wanted to tag along too.

“Is your body… up for it?” Shen Qing asked, his eyes wide.

It was summer, so it wasn’t like Boss Gu couldn’t handle a breeze.

But he had been tossing and turning all day…

“It’s fine,” Gu Huaiyu replied.

He then looked down at Aozai on the floor, observing and scrutinizing him for a long time to see what the little guy was up to.

Shen Qing then roughly understood. Even the still-clueless little Aozai had shown considerable surprise and joy upon discovering his Big Dad was home, running downstairs while still half-asleep.

It was clear the cub really missed his Big Dad and wanted him back.

If Aozai felt this way, the more mature Duo Duo would only miss him more.

It was just that Duo Duo kept things buried deep and wouldn’t easily voice his feelings.

But knowing the cub’s feelings, Gu Huaiyu couldn’t just turn a blind eye.

Perhaps Boss Gu simply wanted to give his older cub a pleasant surprise.

After all, in Gu Duo’s short, barely-begun life, he had always experienced more frights than joys.

And Gu Huaiyu probably wanted to create some different kind of happiness for the cub.

Just like how he was once willing to stand up and go to the school to pick up Duo Duo.

…Damn, Boss Gu was just too good at this.

Thinking of this, Shen Qing was wildly moved.

He even felt that Gu Huaiyu was acting much more like a proper father than he was.

What he had been doing were just things within his capacity, things a normal father would do.

The big shot picking up the cub from school originally fell into this category too.

But he was still in a seriously ill state!

Yet he still insisted on picking up the cub…

This reminded Shen Qing of his own childhood when his grandparents, despite their poor health, always thought about how to best take care of him and loved delivering meals to his school…

Shen Qing immediately declared, “Then we’ll go together.”

And so, the scene at the school gate unfolded.

Seeing Gu Duo walk out from afar, Shen Qing was the first to pop his head out and wave at him.

Next came Aozai. Aozai also frequently came to pick up his older brother, so Young Master Aozai was already very familiar with the routine.

Seeing Shen Qing open the door, he squeezed out, sticking his big head out so his brother could spot him first.

Then, waving his little arms, he called out crisply, “Brother! Aozai, is here!”

Because of how the car was parked, the door and window on Boss Gu’s side weren’t facing the school gate.

But that didn’t matter. To let Duo Duo see clearly who had come for him, Shen Qing specifically hopped out of the car to make way for the big shot.

At this moment, Gu Duo, who had finally seen who was there, subconsciously sped up and ran all the way over.

Over the past few months, Duo Duo had been raised well and had grown quite a bit taller.

His little arms and legs were still thin, but they weren’t without strength.

He actually ran quite fast.

He even showed a lot of athletic talent. Even without much physical education practice, he ran faster than his classmates, looking almost like he could fly.

However, he was usually steady; unless absolutely necessary, he rarely ran.

So his sudden loss of composure made the classmates walking out with him stare at him in surprise.

Xu Weiming explained from the sidelines, “Gu Duo’s dads are here to pick him up.”

The other classmates: Gu Duo’s dads?

Everyone in the class knew Gu Duo had two dads.

Because on his first day after transferring, Gu Duo had already mentioned it.

Having two dads wasn’t rare; there were many such families in their class.

What was rare was that Gu Duo’s dads were very rich, and one of them had so much free time that he frequently picked Gu Duo up, occasionally visited the school, and even asked the teacher for leave at noon to take Gu Duo out for lunch.

In most other children’s families, parents were like Xu Weiming’s—too busy to get away.

Xu Weiming’s family was among the better-off batch, with a dedicated driver to pick him up.

Besides that, his little uncle occasionally took him out to play.

Before Gu Duo arrived, Xu Weiming had always been the envy of the other kids.

For those with more average conditions, like Cheng Hongyang, the family might make a million or two a year—enough to afford this aristocratic elementary school—but the breadwinning parent or parents rarely had time to see their child.

Cheng Hongyang was okay; his mom was a full-time housewife and could pick him up.

For the rest whose parents both had to work, they could only hire nannies to pick them up.

Situations like Yu Kangkang’s, whose family suddenly became nouveau riche due to a demolition payout and often had both parents pick him up together, were actually the rarest.

There were quite a few nouveau riche families in their class. But often, they divorced after getting money, leaving the kids with no one to care for them.

Yu Kangkang’s parents had a good relationship, were honest and grounded, and didn’t squander their money. They used the demolition funds to run a small business, frequently picked up their cub together, and lived a relaxed, stress-free life.

Unfortunately, the competitive nature among parents at their school was too heavy, causing the kids to inevitably become materialistic.

Nobody thought a family like Yu Kangkang’s was happy because his parents drove very ordinary cars.

The kids saw luxury cars and drivers as status symbols. In this context, if a parent was relaxed enough to pick them up personally, that was the symbol of true aristocracy.

There were only two or three families with such conditions in their class.

And among those wealthy, time-rich families, open-minded and relaxed parents were even rarer.

The two or three in their class were strictly supervised by their parents during school and bogged down with endless tutoring classes afterward, crushed by the continuous input of elite education.

Parents demanded the kids learn piano, calligraphy, painting, and horseback riding. Their behavior had to be proper, they had to know etiquette and socializing, and after school, there were endless private lessons… all while being expected to excel academically.

Coincidentally, the newly transferred Gu Duo’s parents did the exact opposite.

Gu Duo didn’t have to learn all those messy things, and the kids never saw a pained expression on his face. He never complained about studying either.

In fact, according to Xu Weiming, Gu Duo’s Little Dad was incredibly nice. He would constantly find new ways to let Gu Duo play, either encouraging him to go out more and running wildly with him in the yard.

Or he would pull Gu Duo to watch TV, cartoons, and comic books… as long as Gu Duo wanted, his dad could keep him company watching cartoons all night!

Besides that, whatever Gu Duo wanted—whether it was toys, school supplies, or delicious snacks—as long as Gu Duo asked for it, his Little Dad would immediately make it happen!

…The kids collectively shed tears of envy.

It seemed the only imperfect thing about Gu Duo’s family situation was that they only ever saw one of his dads; no one had met the other.

Some kids, however, had been warned by their parents not to provoke the newly transferred Gu Duo. It was best to become good friends, but if not, they shouldn’t mess with him, because their families couldn’t afford to offend Gu Duo’s father.

Only the parents of these specific kids knew the identity of Gu Duo’s other father.

And because they were frequently warned, these kids formed a subjective impression that Gu Duo’s other dad must be very fierce, strict, and entirely unapproachable.

Over time, everyone in the class knew Gu Duo’s dad was powerful and scary.

Normally, Gu Duo never talked to them about his dads, so everyone could only guess and fear them in passing.

And the main reason Gu Duo didn’t tell them was because he ignored them completely, having no intention of becoming friends with them whatsoever…

These kids had also tried hard to befriend Gu Duo, but he was too cold and quiet, and his study intensity was too high.

…Even though no parent was forcing him, Gu Duo loved studying so much.

Basically, when they studied, Gu Duo was studying; when they played, Gu Duo was still studying!

With no common language, how could they become friends with him?

So until now, Xu Weiming remained the person most of the class liked and envied—he had even won over Gu Duo, truly worthy of being Young Master Ming!

Now that Gu Duo’s other father had shown his face, the kids in their class couldn’t help but peek curiously, wanting to see just how fierce this other dad was and why their own dads were so afraid of him.

But that uncle was hidden in the shadows, and since everyone didn’t dare stare openly, no one got a clear view of what he looked like.

They could only vaguely see that the uncle had very broad shoulders and long legs.

What they saw more clearly was the historically serious and earnest Gu Duo—who always strictly followed etiquette class rules for walking and sitting without ever slacking off—pause by the car before directly climbing in.

His movements getting into the car were somewhat rushed.

He finally wasn’t acting so steadily.

Then, as soon as he got in, his Big Dad reached out and pulled Gu Duo into his arms, giving him a hug.

…

It felt like Gu Duo’s other dad wasn’t as fierce as the legends said?

“Yu Kangkang, what are you looking at? Mom and Dad are over here!” Seeing Yu Kangkang drift toward a high-end commercial van with the other students instead of coming their way, Yu Kangkang’s parents wondered what the kid was doing and quickly called him back to earth.

Hearing his mom call him, Yu Kangkang returned to his parents’ side.

His mom asked him, “What were you looking at? Is that your classmate? …Oh, your classmate seems a little different today.”

Yu Kangkang told his parents everything. Over time, his parents knew a rich family’s kid had transferred into his class—good-looking, disciplined, got good grades, perfect in every way.

And supposedly on his very first day, he poached Xu Weiming, the good friend their son had been close with for half a year. Yu Kangkang had been angry and sad about this for a long time and still wasn’t over it.

His parents didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, pointing out that little Xu Weiming was still his friend and that kids shouldn’t form cliques.

Furthermore, many people played with Xu Weiming before; wasn’t he the most popular kid in the class?

But Yu Kangkang pulled a long face and said this time was different. Before, everyone revolved around Xu Weiming, and Xu Weiming treated everyone equally as good friends.

But this time, Xu Weiming paid special attention to Gu Duo, mentioned him the most, and went to play at his house the most!

The kicker was that Gu Duo didn’t even suck up to Xu Weiming! Why did Gu Duo get to be Xu Weiming’s friend so effortlessly…

Yu Kangkang’s parents were even more amused; they really didn’t understand the world of children.

However, over time, the name they heard most from their son was no longer Xu Weiming, but Gu Duo.

So they inevitably paid more attention to this kid named Gu Duo.

Since they came to pick up their son punctually almost every day, they naturally noticed Gu Duo was different today.

Yu Kangkang said, “Yeah, it is different. Both his dads came to pick him up today.”

Compared to Gu Duo’s family situation, Mother Yu was more focused on the fact that her son’s expression when mentioning Gu Duo today was different. She couldn’t help but say, “Oh? You’re quite calm mentioning Gu Duo today, Kangkang. Even a bit cheerful?”

Yu Kangkang automatically handed his backpack to his dad, then grabbed both his parents’ hands and walked toward their small car.

The slightly chubby Yu Kangkang couldn’t explain the feeling either. Anyway, after being patted on the shoulder by Gu Duo in public and having his thoughts acknowledged, he suddenly stopped hating Gu Duo.

Not only did he stop hating him, but he also thought about how Gu Duo specifically came to tell him that having both parents pick him up made him a very happy child…

Did that mean Gu Duo also longed for two parents to pick him up together?

The chubby Yu Kangkang actually had a very delicate mind; he could sense validation when Gu Duo patted his shoulder, but also envy and loneliness…

Forget it.

A happy smile hung on Yu Kangkang’s face as he shared with his parents, “Yeah, Gu Duo also has two dads picking him up today. I’ll… let him off the hook for now, and share a little bit of the happiness of having both parents pick me up with him!”

His parents: …They exchanged a glance. What was this kid saying now?

But to think Kangkang knew that a cub picked up by both parents was a happy cub… How was their little fatty so cute!

While Yu Kangkang was being affectionately squished and rubbed by his parents, over on the other side, Shen Qing asked Mingbao, “Your little uncle is busy and can’t pick you up today. Do you want to come with us, Mingbao? We uncles will take you to eat something good!”

Mingbao’s family driver had also arrived and was waiting to the side.

But since Young Master Ming frequently went to play at the Gu household, the driver was used to it. As long as he saw Mr. Shen, he wouldn’t step forward. The young master usually got in the Gu family’s car, and Mr. Shen would notify the Madam, so he didn’t have to worry. He just had to be responsible for picking the young master up from Mr. Shen’s house later that night.

This time, Mingbao didn’t hesitate either. Invited by Uncle Shen, he raised a little fist in a cheer and scurried onto the car on his short legs.

“Uncle, what are you going to take Mingbao to eat?”

Mingbao’s voice was crisp, and because he spoke slowly, it sounded milky and adorable.

After asking Shen Qing, he politely greeted Gu Huaiyu: “Hello, Uncle Gu!”

Shen Qing said, “What do you guys want to eat? Mingbao’s little uncle said he promised to take Mingbao for pizza today. What about the other babies? Do you want pizza?”

The chef at home could easily make pizza; in fact, it was so simple they might disdain making it.

But Mingbao specifically loved going to those fast-food restaurants frequented by lots of kids and equipped with indoor playgrounds.

Mingbao’s mom said those places had poor-quality ingredients and bad hygiene, forbidding him from going. If he wanted to eat pizza, he could perfectly well eat the one made with premium cheese at home.

But Mingbao firmly refused, claiming he was eating for the atmosphere and the environment, not for the pizza!

Moreover, kids were probably just rebellious; the more he wasn’t allowed to go, the more he wanted to.

However, Mingbao was also a happy and lucky cub. Even though his mom forbade it, his little uncle would take him.

Now with Uncle Shen, Uncle Shen said as long as they didn’t eat it every day, he wasn’t against them going!

Thus, Mingbao cheered, “Yes! Mingbao wants pizza!”

Aozai was the last cub to get in. Strictly speaking, he was hoisted in by Shen Qing, as the commercial van was a bit tall.

The hoisted Aozai stuck his little butt out to balance himself while climbing into his car seat. Hearing their conversation, he also cheered, “Aoo, then Aozai also wants to eat piz, za!”

“Alright, and what about Duo Duo?”

Letting Aozai climb into his seat by himself, Shen Qing asked again, “What does Duo Duo want to eat?”

Duo Duo was already sitting in the seat next to his Big Dad. The father and son had just finished a simple conversation.

Because both were the quiet type, their conversation was quite simple and concise.

Gu Duo asked about his Big Dad’s health, and Gu Huaiyu answered.

Gu Huaiyu then asked how Gu Duo was doing at school, and Gu Duo answered that too.

But they were brief answers, because upon learning that his Big Dad would live at home from now on, Gu Duo was caught in a surreal state of joy.

The good news came too suddenly, so it felt unreal.

Afraid of losing it again, he could only tense his body, unable to suppress his nervousness.

Besides that, Gu Duo had frequently visited his Big Dad in the hospital before. He wasn’t ignorant of his Big Dad’s condition and knew he needed a long recovery even after discharge. In truth, he didn’t have to come pick him up…

Thinking of this, Gu Duo sat quietly, both little hands resting on his knees, which actually made him look even more serious.

During this time, Gu Huaiyu reached over and patted his head.

Gu Duo remained completely motionless.

He just smelled the woody scent on his Big Dad, which slowly gave Gu Duo the feeling of being in a misty rainforest.

And he was leaning against a towering tree.

…A while ago, his Little Dad took him and his brother on a spring outing to a nearby wetland park, which had many tall, straight, ancient trees.

It had rained while they were there, and his Little Dad took them to take shelter under a big tree.

Gu Duo, who rarely went out, learned for the first time that trees could actually shelter people from the wind and rain.

And the scent on his Big Dad gave him this exact illusion.

…As if his Big Dad was a towering tree.

One that was willing to shelter them from so much wind and rain.

Not knowing why himself, the tense Gu Duo’s eyes grew a little moist once again.

Right at that moment, his Little Dad’s clear and bright voice rang out, asking what he wanted to eat.

Gu Duo abruptly snapped back to reality. Seeing his Little Dad’s easygoing smile clearly, Duo Duo blinked.

Even though he had lost a bit of emotional control just now, Gu Duo still heard the conversation between his Little Dad, Xu Weiming, and Aozai.

Gu Duo had long since noticed that no matter what others said they wanted to eat, his Little Dad would always ultimately ask what he wanted to eat.

If what he wanted was different from everyone else, his Little Dad would respect his choice, trying to compromise or preparing a separate portion just for him.

With his Little Dad, he could raise any differing opinions and ask for things nobody else had.

What he couldn’t do was keep his opinions to himself or ask for nothing.

In the past, if someone asked Gu Duo what he wanted to eat, Gu Duo would only say “whatever.”

Aside from not having many demands about food, it was mostly to accommodate others and avoid causing trouble.

…As long as it filled his stomach, it was fine. Hence, “whatever.”

But with his Little Dad, every time he said “whatever,” he got rejected. Over time, Gu Duo learned to seriously think about what he wanted, even though he ultimately still felt anything was fine.

But the feeling was different.

…If his Big Dad was a towering tree, then his Little Dad was undoubtedly a bright sun.

His Little Dad urged him again for his answer, so Gu Duo thought carefully and felt that pizza wasn’t a bad idea either.

So he said, “I want pizza too.”

“Yay, good taste!” This was Xu Weiming’s voice, cheering again: “Pizza! Pizza!”

As he cheered, Aozai learned to cheer too. But since Aozai persisted in practicing any mispronunciations to the end, he kept waving his little arms and yelled, “Yay, piz-za! Piz-za!”

The car instantly became overly noisy.

Gu Duo subconsciously wanted to smile.

But his smile froze on his lips, and he abruptly turned his head, locking eyes with Xu Weiming.

His glance was so sharp and serious that it stunned Xu Weiming… hmm, it felt like they had overlooked some detail.

Xu Weiming’s big eyes blinked a few times, and a moment later, he and Gu Duo yelled out in unison: “The puppy cubs!”

“What puppy cubs?”

Shen Qing, who was just about to tell the driver to go, asked.

Then Shen Qing learned that Duo Duo and the others had previously discovered a litter of puppies near the school’s small gate—specifically, a mother dog with two little milk puppies.

The dog family was accidentally discovered by Mingbao and Duo Duo. Later on, when going to and from school, they frequently brought food to feed them and even took mats and a small cardboard box from home to make a house for the puppies.

At first, the mother dog was full of hostility and guard toward them. Over time, when they got close to the pups, the mother dog wouldn’t get angry and chase them away.

Visiting the puppies every day became a must-do for Mingbao and Duo Duo.

Until yesterday, when they went to feed them, they found the puppies’ mother was gone, leaving only the two little milk puppies in the nest.

Originally, they thought the mother dog just went out to forage.

But when they checked again in the morning, there was no sign the mother dog had ever returned—the day before, to know if she had come back, the two cubs cleverly left a mark on the doghouse they built.

With the mother dog unreturned, the two cubs got a bit anxious.

Worried about the mom and fearing the two puppies might meet with an accident, they planned to check again after school.

As a result, when Gu Duo saw his Big Dad just now, he almost forgot entirely.

Hearing this, Shen Qing exchanged a look with Gu Huaiyu and decided to head over together to take a look.

Anyway, it was still early; strictly speaking, it wasn’t even dinnertime yet.

He immediately had the driver start the car and loop around to the school’s back gate.

However, Shen Qing was still deeply shocked: “You managed to find a dog nest near the school?”

He also had a more concerning question: “You haven’t been bitten, right?”

“No,” Mingbao said. “My mom told me that if a doggie bites me, I have to tell her so I can get a vac, vac…”

“Vaccine,” Gu Duo, who had an excellent memory, said.

Mingbao: “Right, a vaccine!”

Shen Qing: “Oh? So it seems your mom knows about this.”

He asked Mingbao, but his eyes were on Duo Duo. Obviously, Mingbao had told his mom about the two cubs raising dogs outside, yet Duo Duo hadn’t told him…

Thinking of this, Shen Qing struck a dramatic, heart-clutching pose.

Gu Duo: “…”

Gu Duo wanted to explain, but Mingbao already did it for him: “No, it’s… no matter what Mingbao does, the driver uncle will report it to my mom.”

Saying this, Mingbao even stuck out his little tongue, feeling very helpless too.

They had gone to feed the milk puppies after school once, and the driver uncle saw them and naturally reported it to Mingbao’s mom. This was something Mingbao hadn’t anticipated.

They hadn’t intentionally kept it from the adults. It was just that the mother dog chose a very hidden spot for her nest, and initially, she was very resistant to them. It felt like this family didn’t want human disturbance, so the two cubs promised not to tell anyone else.

This was their shared little secret.

Even the mats and food they brought were secretly snuck out from home.

Shen Qing: “…”

Fine, kids these days were especially opinionated.

And very smart.

However…

Shen Qing asked again, “Since it’s such a secret, why are you willing to show us now?”

Regarding this question, the two cubs exchanged a glance. Mingbao rubbed his little hands, and Gu Duo looked a bit uneasy, but he still said, “Because if the mother dog hasn’t come back… we had to tell you, hoping you’d let me raise the two puppies.”

Shen Qing: “…?”

Wait, you only said it because you had to tell a parent??

…Do kids these days have to be this clever and scheming!

And so it turns out Little Dad is someone you guys trust so little!…

Shen Qing resumed his dramatic, heart-clutching pose.

Gu Duo glanced at him, then lowered his head and said, “They’re really pitiful. If the mother dog doesn’t come back, and no one takes care of them, they’ll die. So… Little Dad, can you let me raise them?”

Shen Qing: “…”

Saying this, Duo Duo’s eyelids drooped slightly, and his voice was very low, sounding full of pity and carrying a pleading tone.

Mingbao, meanwhile, acted cute next to Shen Qing and said, “Mainly, my mom won’t let me adopt them…”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but purse his lips, almost crying: “She said it would ruin my studies, and that I’m just going through a phase and definitely couldn’t take care of the doggies… Wah!”

The more he spoke, the more wronged he felt.

Shen Qing: “…”

Thankfully, the aggrieved Mingbao held it back in the end and didn’t cry.

Symbolically wiping away a tear, this cub quickly toughened up and got down to business: “Adults don’t seem to like little stray dogs. We thought about it, and it seems only Uncle Shen would agree to adopt them!”

After speaking, Mingbao unexpectedly stood straight up to hug Shen Qing’s neck.

With chubby arms reaching over and Mingbao’s big eyes blinking innocently, Shen Qing was at a loss for what to do…

He felt like he was being manipulated and put on a pedestal by the cubs!

Even though he had never once thought about refusing to adopt the stray dogs.

He also really wanted to say that they didn’t actually need to pull this routine on him.

However, Shen Qing didn’t receive the hug from this cute little crybaby either—just as Mingbao’s arms reached Shen Qing, Gu Duo pulled him back from the side.

The pulled-back Mingbao: “…”

He looked up in confusion at Gu Duo, who had pulled him back and caught him.

Gu Duo’s expression was deadly serious: “If we’re talking business, let’s talk business. If we’re discussing things, let’s discuss things. Don’t go putting your hands on my dad.”