Chapter 22 Daddy's Adorable Pregnant Belly

"By the way, Xiaoyan, where did you buy the ginseng you gave Mom last time? Buy some more for Mom, this time a whole ginseng root, Mom will transfer the money to you."

Pei Yiyan asked in confusion, "What ginseng?"

"Still shy? It was the ginseng root that you asked Xixi to give me the day before Mom came back." Zhou Yi's voice was full of laughter. "I had back pain a couple of days ago, so I used it to make chicken soup. I didn't expect that the pain would stop immediately after drinking it, and it hasn't recurred since."

Zhou Yi was beaming: "Not only me, but your Uncle Chen's migraines also got better after drinking it. It's amazing! I wonder where the ginseng comes from, its medicinal effects are so good."

Even her in-laws' chronic rheumatism, which had been difficult to cure, was greatly relieved.

She had tried countless expensive medicinal herbs, but she had never encountered any that had such an immediate and remarkable effect.

Zhou Yi guessed that the small ginseng root must have been very expensive, especially since it was a high-quality ginseng; her eldest son must have gone to great lengths to acquire it.

Sigh, this child is cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and not good with words.

Pei Yiyan's mind gradually cleared.

Just then, a little girl with pigtails came running out and plopped down on the sofa. He narrowed his long eyes and his gaze swept over her innocent face inch by inch.

No wonder Zhou Yi suddenly transferred 200,000 yuan to him that day; it turned out that little girl was behind it.

A jumble of emotions welled up inside him. Pei Yiyan's Adam's apple bobbed as he calmly composed himself, casually explaining that the traditional Chinese medicine clinic that sold ginseng had gone out of business and he could no longer buy ginseng.

Slightly disappointed, Zhou Yi didn't press the matter. Treasures are rare and hard to come by; encountering one even once was already incredibly lucky.

After hanging up the phone, Pei Yiyan scooped the little boy up in his arms and gazed at him intently.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

"Speak with your tongue straight." I don't know where the little girl learned her Taiwanese accent from, it's so sweet and affected, you can tell from her accent that she doesn't sound like his child.

Pei Yiyan gently rubbed Xixi's jelly-like cheeks with his large hands and asked in a low voice, "Did you pluck ginseng roots and give them to someone else again?"

The little guy's double eyelids widened: "How did you know?"

"I'm your father, you think you can fool me?"

Pei Yiyan's face darkened, and he pretended to be angry: "How many times have I told you not to reveal your identity as a little monster? That's extremely dangerous. If others find out you're a monster, they might turn you into a ginseng slice. Have you forgotten what I've told you repeatedly?"

The ginseng slices still had a lingering effect; the little guy shrank back in fear, his little mouth slightly pouting, and he stammered:

“Xixi hasn’t forgotten, but Grandma isn’t just anyone. Grandma is Daddy’s mom, so she’s Xixi’s family. Shouldn’t Xixi be good to Grandma?”

Her clear black eyes were pure and untainted: "Besides, Grandma is good to Xixi. She plays with Xixi every day, buys her pretty clothes, and gives her delicious food. Xixi doesn't want to see Grandma upset."

Xi Xi's cautious expression carried a mixture of confusion and childlike sincerity.

Family, a word that brings warmth even just from chewing.

Pei Yiyan raised his voice at the end: "You've been won over by this little favor? You're quite easy to fool, little monster."

"Who do you think I resemble?" Xi Xi rolled her eyes. "Isn't it all just like you, Dad? No matter what happens, even if Mom puts little bugs on you, as long as Mom gives you a kiss, you immediately run back to Mom's side to do the laundry, cook, and ask after her."

Pei Yiyan: "Can you please stop describing me as someone obsessed with love? It's disgusting."

That's so cheesy and disgusting.

The little girl wrapped her soft arms around him, tilted her head slightly, and asked in a clear voice, "Daddy, if one day you make Xixi angry, do you know how to coax her?"

Ha, that's an easy question.

"KFC, if one meal isn't enough, have two."

A set of standard answers left Xixi momentarily bewildered. The words she had prepared stuck in her throat, and a shy, sweet dimple slowly appeared on her cheek.

"This is the second plan." Xixi made a peace sign with her hand, smiling brightly and drawing out her words, "The first plan is..."

"The second set, I choose the second set." Pei Yiyan interrupted expressionlessly, not giving her any room to continue, and took advantage of the little girl's lack of vigilance to abruptly change the subject to the next topic.

"Don't give away parts to people casually in the future. If the secret is accidentally leaked, you'll regret it."

Xixi naturally replied, "With Dad protecting me, I'm not afraid."

The sight of those bright, adoring eyes made Pei Yiyan's heart swell rapidly; the feeling of unconditional trust and need from such a person was too captivating.

He tapped her head with his finger: "Even if there are people who need to be saved, you must tell me before you pluck the ginseng rootlets."

"good"

The little guy nodded obediently and didn't argue with Pei Yiyan.

"Does it still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

Pei Yiyan crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow: "You don't need to pretend to be strong in front of your father. If you're in pain, just say so openly. Your father won't laugh at you."

"It really doesn't hurt."

As soon as she finished speaking, the little girl's curly hair instantly transformed into strands of white and tender ginseng rootlets. Pointing to one of them, she said, "Look, Xixi is plucking a little ginseng rootlet. It doesn't hurt."

The ginseng rootlets on Xixi's body vary in thickness, with the thicker ones having higher medicinal value. Minor ailments such as headaches, fever, backaches, and other aches and pains can be easily treated with scraps of ginseng rootlets, and the pain from pulling them out is minimal.

However, for treating serious diseases like Meng Zhiyao's congenital heart disease, which are difficult to cure, thicker ginseng rootlets are needed.

The dense, seaweed-like ginseng tendrils suddenly came into view, almost triggering Pei Yiyan's trypophobia.

The key point is that these ginseng tendrils, like octopus tentacles, can move and are as flexible as independent individuals.

He feels pain even when he pulls out a single hair; how could it not hurt when it's pulled out by the root and flesh?

Pei Yiyan became even more convinced that his daughter was being stubborn, so the next day at dawn he went to the market to buy fresh pigeons and stewed a pot of nourishing soup.

Xi Xi had no idea what self-indulgent thoughts her father was having. She anxiously raised her little hand to shoo him away: "Daddy, you're blocking Xi Xi's Ryder!"

Pei Yiyan glanced back out of the corner of his eye, raised an eyebrow, and asked in an annoyed tone, "Since when did you become my Ryder?"

The little girl's fair face flushed with delight: "When Xixi grows up and marries Ryder, Ryder will belong to Xixi."

Pei Yiyan's temple throbbed violently. How could she, at such a young age, think of such a dangerous thing?

If you want to get married now, won't you be cheated out of your money by that blond guy and end up on the streets, getting up at four in the morning to make breakfast for the whole family?

Pei Yiyan's blood pressure spiked; he wouldn't allow his daughter to date so early!

The twenty-year-old father, as if facing a formidable enemy, said coldly with a stern face, "Don't talk nonsense! What marriage? Is that something you should be thinking about at your age? You're not marrying anyone without my permission. Stay put!"

He scolded her fiercely: "You little brat, you haven't even learned to walk yet and you want to fly? You're daydreaming."

Pei Yiyan's expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book, and he spoke more rapidly than ever before. Xi Xi's little brain simply couldn't keep up. She tilted her head in confusion and said honestly:

"Neither Mommy nor Daddy can fly, and of course Xixi can't either. Daddy, have you learned to fly yet?"

Learn what?

"There's no point in talking to each other," Pei Yiyan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forcefully switched to another animation.

As soon as the opening theme of Boonie Bears started playing, he stared intently at every scene without blinking, thankfully none of the characters were particularly handsome.

Xi Xi pouted: "Dad, why are you fighting with the baby for the TV?"

This is not something a mature adult should do.

Pei Yiyan's expression was deep and cold: "This one is good-looking, look at this one."

Making Bald Qiang the male lead in "Boonie Bears" was the right decision; no matter how corny a little girl is, she could never fall for a big bald guy.

Pei Yiyan's calculations were working rapidly, and the upturned corners of his lips betrayed his true emotions.

Xi Xi puffed out her cheeks, sighed silently, and chose to tolerate her childish father.

Long after that incident, one day Pei Yiyan passed by the living room and saw the little girl engrossed in watching "Boonie Bears." He teased her, "Why aren't you watching 'Dog Boy' anymore? Don't you like Ryder anymore?"

The little girl casually lifted her feet, and with a shrug like an old man, said, "Sigh, they're all just passersby in my life."

"???"

What did she look at this time?!

Pei Yiyan prepared a lot of New Year's goods. Apart from the necessary Spring Festival couplets and lanterns, the main items were large gift packages of snacks that her daughter liked.

On New Year's Eve, the neighborhood was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, firecrackers and fireworks. The crackling noises scared the unsuspecting little monster back to its original form.

Pei Yiyan, who was busy in the kitchen, immediately stopped what he was doing when he heard his daughter scream. Just as he turned his head, a slippery white radish darted into his clothes. The inertia caused him to take a step back, his lower back hitting the edge of the stove, and a muffled groan escaped his throat.

hiss.

You little rascal.

Fortunately, he's young and has a strong back, so he can handle things.

Pei Yiyan lowered his head.

The sweater was of good quality and had excellent elasticity, so you couldn't tell that a little ginseng spirit was hidden inside. It was a large, round ball that was pushed out of the belly area.

The reflective floor-to-ceiling windows revealed the boy gently stroking his belly, radiating the sacred glow of paternal love.

If Qiu Ming and the others were present, they would probably be shocked. The overwhelming aura of a male mother is palpable. Just looking at this scene, who would dare say that Xi Xi wasn't Pei Yiyan's biological child?

Pei Yiyan himself didn't realize something was wrong. He simply felt itchy when the little ginseng spirit was pressed against his belly, especially when the thin, long ginseng tendrils darted around like vines, giving him goosebumps.

He patted the child hastily: "Alright, change back quickly, the food's going to burn."

The round, chubby little radish whimpered, "It's so scary, so scary! Xixi, don't come out, Daddy, hold me."

As he spoke, the ginseng essence stuck even tighter.

Wow, Daddy's tummy is so soft and warm, it's so much fun! She wants to swing and slide on Daddy's tummy!

"I'll hug you again when you turn back into a human."

Who would cook with a ball in their arms? Pei Yiyan certainly wouldn't do that.

The little radish on her belly twitched and said pitifully, "I...I can't turn back now. Xixi is too scared to use the transformation magic."

Is that true? Hmm, I've never heard of such a thing.

Pei Yiyan frowned slightly, half believing and half doubting.

He thought back carefully and vaguely remembered hearing that human babies would develop a high fever after being frightened. Since Xixi was a ginseng baby and wouldn't get sick, the problem must be something else.

For example, spells malfunctioning?

"Alright."

Pei Yiyan had no choice but to compromise, supporting the little one on her belly with one hand while continuing to cook.

The little ginseng was weak and soon slipped off his waist, then crawled back up like a pupa, causing Pei Yiyan to sprinkle several extra spoonfuls of salt.

A perfectly good dish became unbearably salty, so we had to throw it away and start over.

The child was so clingy that Pei Yiyan's head had grown two sizes bigger. He frowned, then had a sudden inspiration. He picked up his jacket and used it as a baby carrier, quickly tying Xixi to his chest, perfectly freeing his hands.

Pei Yiyan stood in front of the full-length mirror and turned around. He actually thought the outfit was quite trendy. He clearly regarded the little boy as his fashion item and was visibly satisfied with his masterpiece.

Wrapped up like a baby by her father, Xixi comfortably shook her ginseng whiskers, her bright eyes blowing little bubbles.

"Daddy, can you give birth to me in your belly once?"