SFBF CH22

Shen Qing going to the small warehouse to get the cubs’ spare supplies wasn’t actually a big deal.

But he felt a bit awkward inside, mainly worrying that if Duo Duo and Ao Zai found out, they would know their “Auntie” was actually using their little things.

Especially since the original host had a criminal record of sorts; he had even wanted the cubs’ jade pendants… Thinking of the built-in taunt skills of a “Little Dragon Aotian” protagonist, the kid would probably say: Auntie is shameful, using our children’s body wash!

…

Although that scene might not necessarily happen, and even if it did, it wouldn’t be a big deal—just a bit of teasing. Shen Qing was thick-skinned; he could handle it.

But when he thought about the tall, imposing guardian image he had worked so hard to build…

So Shen Qing decided to forget it and just sneak in to get it.

He wouldn’t disturb anyone.

He just hadn’t expected to be discovered.

Shen Qing had brazenly signaled the big shot downstairs not to make a sound, though he didn’t know if the other party understood.

He only knew that Gu Huaiyu left afterward, presumably going back to his room.

He hadn’t given any indication before leaving, nor did he promise to keep the secret.

…

But on second thought, the big shot shouldn’t be a blabbermouth.

Besides, the Gu family members didn’t usually engage in small talk, and Duo Duo and Ao Zai rarely ran to find their little uncle; even gift-giving was done through passed messages.

Thinking of this, Shen Qing felt relieved.

He happily returned to his room to take a shower.

When Gu Huaiyu brought the two cubs home, he not only hired a large staff but also ordered the purchase of many child-specific items and opened a room specifically to store them.

Body wash was one of these items.

…In the warehouse, various types of body wash covered an entire wall!

So much so that when the original host first arrived, he was frightened by the magnificent sight in that small warehouse.

Although the original host came from the Shen family, the Shen family didn’t raise children like this!

However, since they were children’s items, although the original host was envious and found it exaggerated, he felt he had no use for them. Plus, if he skimped on Gu Duo and the others in this regard, it would be easily noticed, so he never paid attention to these supplies again.

Usually, if the cubs needed something or wanted to switch products, the butler or Auntie Zhang would come to get it.

The original host had a key to the small warehouse and carried it all day, but had never visited this warehouse again.

Until today, when Shen Qing remembered it.

The bottle of body wash Shen Qing took was strawberry-scented.

This children’s body wash had a very high-end, crisp strawberry fragrance, not that cheap industrial chemical essence smell. Shen Qing was very satisfied with it.

The original host’s body wash was some big-brand men’s cologne scent, but Shen Qing found it a bit too pungent.

He had never used perfume; his body wash was always the most ordinary supermarket brand. As long as it cleaned him, he was fine; his standards weren’t high.

If he didn’t feel it was wasteful, he would have thrown the old stuff away long ago.

Thinking about the sheer number of brands and scents in the small warehouse, Gu Duo and Gu Ao probably hadn’t used this brand or scent yet, so they presumably wouldn’t notice if he used it.

Shen Qing thought, I might as well use this bottle first.

It’s already open, don’t waste it!

Besides, children’s body wash has fewer chemical additives and is safer to use.

Isn’t that great?

Who isn’t a baby at heart!

Later, when he had some free time, between working out and playing games, Shen Qing idly took a moment to draw up a “work plan” for himself.

Considering the tragic case that might occur twenty years later, Shen Qing felt he needed to correct his attitude regarding repairing his relationship with the future little villains.

He couldn’t just mess around without a plan or method.

So Shen Qing formally drafted a work plan and decided… to stick to childcare for one hour a day for now.

This duration should be just right—an intensity where he wouldn’t get tired, and the cubs wouldn’t get annoyed with him.

Of course, this was on weekdays.

On holidays, it could be extended a little.

After all, for parents taking care of children, holidays are the real workdays.

In short, the workload Shen Qing set for himself was an average of no more than three hours of childcare per day per week.

Since childcare has no days off, working an average of three hours a day meant working twenty-one hours a week.

21 hours was the limit for a “salted fish” (slacker) like him!

Even though 21 hours used to be just one of his workdays in the past…

Thinking of it that way, Shen Qing felt he should cherish his blessings immediately.

The current him was truly so happy, ahhh!

Being so fiercely happy, Shen Qing occasionally couldn’t help but want to share the joy and make the people around him happy too.

The closest people were, naturally, the two kids, Gu Duo and Gu Ao.

After some deep deliberation, Shen Qing still didn’t intend to work overtime.

That didn’t fit his pursuit of the salted fish life.

But Shen Qing had other methods.

The ice cream was long gone, and since it was too cold, it should be limited anyway and not eaten in excess.

So Shen Qing arranged new small desserts for Ao Zai.

Aside from that…

“So, Duo Duo, school is starting soon. Is there any gift you want? Tell Uncle, and Uncle will arrange it for you.”

During work hours—while enjoying desserts with the cubs—Shen Qing looked at Gu Duo with a beaming smile, his face full of benevolence.

Yes, that’s right.

Although he couldn’t devote too much time and energy to accompany the children, he had money!

The “money power” could make up for everything!

The black card President Gu gave him was for household expenses, primarily to be spent on the two children.

That meant no matter what condition Duo Duo named, he, as a guardian, could satisfy it.

It couldn’t be helped; his husband allowed it.

Gu Duo: “…”

Gu Duo noticed that this man was wearing that fawning smile again.

Except before, he only smiled like that at Little Uncle and had a stink face for everyone else.

This time, he was smiling at him.

…Last night, the man had clearly seen the practice sheets left from his studies, yet not only did he not fly into a rage, he didn’t even scold him.

Furthermore, this morning he and his brother ate beef porridge and vegetable pancakes made by Grandma Zhang, followed by fruit tea and small desserts.

These past few days, whether day or night, everything had been warm and quiet…

So much so that seeing the man’s face now, he felt like he really wasn’t the same person as before.

Gu Duo was silent for a moment but couldn’t resist the temptation: “Really anything?”

“Really anything.”

Shen Qing nodded vigorously.

Gu Duo: “No transactions, no conditions?”

“Mhm, mhm, mhm.”

Shen Qing continued to nod vigorously.

Without hesitation.

He recalled the children of friends and colleagues he had babysat; usually, at this time, they would ask to buy toys, game consoles, or even mobile phones.

There were also those who wanted to go to the amusement park.

Those with better family conditions would go out of town or simply go abroad to play.

Anyway, whatever it was, he could satisfy it.

Although buying too many game consoles or phones for a child wasn’t great, for a highly disciplined child like Duo Duo, it shouldn’t lead him astray.

And if Duo Duo chose to go out to play, this work time would relatively become longer.

But!

Shen Qing himself really wanted to go out and play too!

In high school, he worked odd jobs during breaks; in college, he did temp work; and after graduating, he worked long-term jobs.

Shen Qing’s wish was to have the opportunity to walk around more, see more, and simply travel and see the world.

He really wanted to go out and play. Even taking the kids along was fine; the house had plenty of nannies anyway. If they were really short-handed, he could borrow people from the big shot…

Shen Qing: “Usually before school starts, we should do a winter camp or something. Where does Duo Zai want to go play?”

He planned with extreme passion: “It’s the north here. How about we go to the south? In this season, going to Sanya might be very comfortable…”

“I want to sign up for tutoring classes.”

Shen Qing: “…?”

Having said what he wanted, seeing Shen Qing fall silent, Gu Duo’s small body, thin as a bamboo pole, subconsciously tensed up.

…A few days ago, if this man heard he was studying extracurricular knowledge, he would have flown into a rage, then come over to mock him, saying he was so stupid that studying was useless, so why bother trying.

If he or his brother talked back, the man would agitatedly tear up the scrap paper he had written on.

He wouldn’t tear up school homework, so writing homework was the safest for Gu Duo, though he still had to endure the man’s even more irritable noise and ridicule.

So Gu Duo never thought there would be a day when he would calmly and actively tell this person that he wanted to attend tutoring classes.

After staring blankly, Shen Qing asked, “…What tutoring class?”

“French.”

Gu Duo paused. He wanted to say Math too, but he didn’t want to be too greedy, always worried about provoking the man.

These past few days, the other party had been pleasant to him and Ao Zai, considerate of them, and treated them very, very well.

Therefore, Gu Duo dared not make more demands.

He faintly hoped Shen Qing could stay like this forever and not change back to how he was before…

However, after hearing his request clearly, the man fell silent.

Shen Qing looked quite good when he wasn’t talking. Before, Gu Duo hoped he wouldn’t speak so he wouldn’t seem so repulsive.

But these past two days, Gu Duo liked hearing him speak again.

…As long as he wasn’t too long-winded, it was okay, not unbearable.

After all, he had changed.

So now that he wasn’t speaking, Gu Duo’s heart inevitably began to race anxiously.

After a moment, he heard Shen Qing say, “Okay, absolutely no problem. We’ll go sign up in a bit.”

“!” Shen Qing’s decisiveness was completely unexpected to Gu Duo.

Shen Qing: “But shouldn’t Duo Duo also do something for Uncle?”

Shen Qing smiled beamingly again.

Gu Duo: “…”

Sure enough, there were conditions.

However, Gu Duo felt he was already an adult; getting things through negotiation felt more secure and put him at ease.

So he nodded decisively and solemnly: “Speak.”

Shen Qing was amused by the child’s serious demeanor. He didn’t keep him in suspense and said directly, “How about you two accompany me to the amusement park once?”

Gu Duo: “…?”

The man smiled with a look of comfort and relaxation, but his tone was so serious.

Otherwise, Gu Duo would have thought he had some conspiracy again.

“Are you sure? You want us to ‘accompany you’ to the amusement park?”

Knowing he hadn’t misheard, Gu Duo asked again anyway.

The key point was, who asks children to accompany an adult to an amusement park?!

But recalling the ice cream from a few days ago, and the various small desserts afterward… every time, this person took the lead in eating happily.

Gu Duo fell silent.

Perhaps, just like those sweets, this person really, really liked going to amusement parks… right?

“Tch.” The sound came from Little Gu Ao, who was eating dessert on the side.

Unlike Gu Duo, who liked fair trades and owing nothing, Gu Ao’s little brain didn’t think that much.

For example, with today’s fruit-flavored cupcake, if Shen Qing gave it to him, he’d eat it. If not, oh well. If he had some, he’d eat; if there was extra, he’d share with Grandma Zhang; but if there wasn’t any, he could go without.

Simple and pure.

So Ao Zai, who hadn’t been bought by the cupcake, swung his short legs while eating and automatically activated his taunt skill: “Uncle just promised Big Brother there were no conditions, but in the end there still are—mph!”

—Although Ao-Taunt-Zai was domineering, his skill was interrupted before he could finish casting it; his mouth was directly sealed by his uncle.

Using two sheets of soft, clean facial tissue.

Ao Zai: “Mph mph mph!”

Completely ignoring the Little Dragon Aotian’s swinging short legs and defiance, Shen Qing wiped the kid’s round chin a few times, cleaning off the cream and fruit juice residue. Shen Qing wasn’t angry, just smilingly asked Gu Ao, “Don’t talk nonsense. Just say, do you want to go to the amusement park or not?”

“Mmph… Mus’ment park, is whaa…”

Shen Qing: “It has big balloons, popcorn, cotton candy, ice cream, big chicken legs… and lots of fun places for other kids too!”

Ao Zai: “Ao!”

With every item Shen Qing mentioned, Ao Zai’s eyes grew wider, shining brightly.

By the second item, he completely allowed his aunt-in-law to wipe his chin.

But just as he was about to nod in admission, he suddenly remembered his brother’s repeated warnings to be careful of this man…

Little Dragon Aotian immediately stiffened his small body, retracting even the anticipation in his eyes.

Gu Ao: “Ao Zai, Ao Zai! Ao Zai won’t…”

“Then let’s go.”

Gu Duo held his brother’s hand, looking down and rubbing it, stating: “I accept.”

He was speaking to Shen Qing.

“But you have to keep your word.”

Shen Qing nodded: “Must keep my word.”

Finally, Shen Qing added a sentence: “Uncle is willing to grant your wish and do things for you because you are Uncle’s family. Uncle loves you, wants to care for your feelings, and wants you to be happy.”

Gu Duo: “?”

He tilted his head.

He didn’t understand what this person was saying now.

Receiving Gu Duo’s puzzled gaze, Shen Qing continued to say what he wanted to say seriously: “And Uncle hopes that you accompanying Uncle to play, and being willing to grant Uncle’s wish, is only because Uncle is your family and you love Uncle, not because of some transaction. I hope, Duo Zai, you can slowly understand this point.”

“…”

Gu Duo kept a straight face.

But in reality, it was because he was stunned hard, so he simply lost all expression.

In his memory, growing up until now, the only person who had mentioned the word “love” to him was his mother.

What did love mean? Even though his mother said it constantly, Gu Duo never understood.

It wasn’t until he read in a school textbook that “Love is a mother’s gentle touch, a selfless devotion,” that he vaguely understood that his mother really loved him and Ao Zai.

Unfortunately, when he understood, his mother was already gone.

Gu Duo had regretted and grieved over this for a long time.

Even now, it was still the same.

But Gu Duo was used to hiding that regret and sadness deep down.

Except at night and in dreams, even he forgot those emotions.

Because he had to think about survival, think about living on with his brother…

But just now, that long-suppressed sadness suddenly rushed up, scrambling to get out.

Gu Duo felt his eyes get hot.

But he didn’t want to cry in front of this person…

As a little man, Gu Duo didn’t want to cry in front of anyone, so he quickly found an excuse to turn and run away.

Gu Duo stayed in the bathroom for a while. No one came to disturb him, which relieved him.

He looked in the mirror until no clues could be seen on his appearance before recovering his calm demeanor.

Calm on the surface, but Gu Duo’s heart remained unsettled for a long time.

Because after crying, he suddenly realized that person wasn’t really that annoying.

…He suddenly felt that the Shen Qing from just now was very much like his mother.

But only for that instant.

Because when he came out…

Uncle Shen was holding a tablet, speaking ceaselessly to educate Ao Zai about domestic and international amusement parks.

“This one has the world’s longest roller coaster track, oh. And it’s very warm there; if we go now, we only need to wear short sleeves.”

Ao Zai: “Ao? What is a ro-la coaster?”

“It’s… never mind, with your height, you can’t ride that thing anyway.”

Seeming impatient to explain, Shen Qing swiped the tablet screen again: “This one, oh, this is the Giant Panda Breeding Base. It’s full of giant pandas.”

Ao Zai, seeing the cute panda cubs in the picture and totally unaware that his height had just been despised: “Ao! Ao Zai likes this, Ao Zai likes bear-cats the most!”

Gu Duo: “…”

Gu Duo thought about how Gu Ao was just over two years old when their mother passed away.

Wait, when he was small, it seemed his parents took him out to play, but Ao Zai had never been out…

Shen Qing turned around, saw he had come out, and called him: “What are you standing there for? Quick, quick, come over and look at where we should go.”

The other’s expression was very natural, which made Gu Duo feel much more relaxed; he had thought Shen Qing saw him shedding tears earlier.

Gu Duo moved his thin legs and walked over. Shen Qing naturally pulled out the chair next to him and lifted him onto the dining stool, which was still relatively high for him.

Gu Duo was a bit uncomfortable but dared not move. He felt Uncle Shen was too thin and had no strength, and subconsciously didn’t want to be a greater burden to him.

But despite this, he still smelled a faint fruity scent on Shen… Uncle.

Strawberry flavored.

…

Not cloying, but a refreshing, clean, pleasant smell.

And Gu Duo remembered this person used to have a slightly pungent perfume smell.

With a handsome little face full of calmness and deep thought, Gu Duo was lifted onto the stool.

The three of them leaned over the dining table looking at the tablet. Auntie Zhang, preparing fruit tea nearby, saw this scene and couldn’t help but reveal a gratified smile.

In the past, the Madam rarely spent time downstairs with the two young masters. Even on the rare occasions he did, the Madam would order the servants to do other work, not letting anyone stay nearby.

This was the first time Auntie Zhang had seen such a harmonious scene.

Shen Qing kept his word. After lunch, he asked around about tutoring classes nearby that taught foreign languages to young children.

He didn’t know much about the current format of tutoring classes, nor did he know where to ask.

He scrolled through his friends list; it was full of celebrities or models, who probably wouldn’t know about such child-rearing issues…

Just then, a message popped up in the residential complex’s homeowner group chat. Shen Qing’s eyes suddenly lit up—right, for consulting about children’s classes, naturally asking the neighbors was most appropriate!

So he sent a request for help.

[District 1, Bldg 3: Sorry to disturb, may I ask where there is a French tutoring class nearby? Suitable for a child around 7 years old.]

Shen Qing vaguely remembered that besides the standalone villas, this complex also had several split-level townhouses.

The whole complex had about a hundred households. It wasn’t as bustling as a regular complex, but looking at the chat history, it was fairly lively.

…Or rather, a bit too lively.

After Shen Qing sent the message, a row of reaction stickers immediately popped up in the group.

Shen Qing: ?

Then, following the long line of stickers, came various exclamations:

[3-2-201: !!!]

[2-1-102: ???!]

[District 2, Bldg 3: I’m not seeing things, am I?]

[District 2, Bldg 9: The Big Shot from District 1 actually showed his face (Awesome) (Flower throw)]

[5-3-309: @District 1, Bldg 3 Sorry to disturb, may I ask, are you planning to acquire the nearby French tutoring school?]

Shen Qing: ???

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