53

Everyday life is pretty much the same, but with three adorable babies, life is anything but boring or dull; on the contrary, it's incredibly interesting.

Now, instead of sending the children to the noodle shop, Chu Qinghuai takes care of them entirely on his own. He's busier in the mornings and forenoons, not only because he has to replenish stock and do accounting, but also because customers come to buy fruit. He does one last round of business around the time the students get out of school in the afternoon before he can go home.

On the way home, he usually takes the children to the market or supermarket to buy some vegetables and snacks. Today, he bought each of them a large fried chicken leg, bigger than a child's face. If Zhong Wan were there, he would definitely not allow them to eat it, and would say that eating too much chicken injected with hormones is not good.

Chu Qinghuai felt that it was okay for children to be raised a little rough around the edges. Apart from foods they were allergic to, they could eat a little of everything else. He would peel off the fried flour coating from the chicken legs and let the children eat the chicken meat directly. He believed there was nothing unhealthy about it.

In the afternoon, he also bought a bottle of Coke at the supermarket, planning to make Coke chicken wings for the kids that evening.

"Don't eat now, eat slowly when you get home."

Chu Qinghuai walked at the back, carrying groceries in both hands. The three children each held a large chicken leg in a plastic bag. They didn't need their father to carry them. They huffed and puffed as they climbed the stairs, all working hard to get their chicken legs as soon as possible.

Cai Cai drooled all over herself.

Xiao He secretly took a bite of the meat, thinking that her father hadn't noticed.

Chu Qinghuai glanced at it and coughed lightly: "Don't eat yet, you can eat after you wash your hands."

Xiaohe immediately shrank back and gripped the plastic bag tightly with both hands. She stopped stealing food, but the aroma of fried food still lingered in her mouth.

"You two have to behave and listen to me, okay? I'm risking getting scolded to buy you delicious food. Mommy won't allow you to eat this junk."

Cai Cai didn't understand. He knew what trash was, and that only the things in the trash can were trash. So why did his dad say that chicken legs were trash? He couldn't bear to throw chicken legs into the trash can.

"Chicken legs are not garbage."

"No, it's not."

Chu Qinghuai was too lazy to explain, so he simply nodded in agreement.

"Would you like to have scrambled eggs with tomatoes or tomato and egg soup for dinner?"

Mumu: "Tangtang!"

This child loves to drink soup.

Cai Cai and Xiao He: "Tomato and egg stir-fry! Lots and lots of eggs!"

These two children love eggs. Unlike most children, they love eggs no matter how they are cooked. They often fight over the yolks that their older sister doesn't want to eat in the morning.

Chu Qinghuai frowned. Seeing that they couldn't agree, he said, "Let's ask Mom when she gets back. If that doesn't work, we'll just have cold tomato salad and steamed eggs."

When the three children have different opinions, the best approach is to not give in to any of them.

As they approached their home, the children, like little firecrackers, rushed up the stairs with large movements, cheering themselves on with "Heave-ho!" Suddenly, Chu Qinghuai, who was looking down at his feet, heard Mumu cry out "Ouch!" and saw a burly man standing guard at the door.

He couldn't quite remember who it was at first.

The man's posture was strange; he leaned against the wall with his legs crossed, his hair was shoulder-length, and his clothes were extremely ill-fitting. The only difference between him and a homeless person was that his clothes were not dirty.

Chu Qinghuai became alert and told the children to stop and not move, then asked him sternly, "Who are you?"

"Mr. Chu, you're finally back."

The other person grinned, and their overly familiar expression threw Chu Qinghuai into a daze.

"It's me, Brother Eagle. You haven't forgotten me, have you?"

Chu Qinghuai's expression remained unsettled; even after being caught out, he refused to admit it, saying, "I haven't forgotten. What are you doing here?"

His tone softened slightly.

Chu Qinghuai led the children down the last few steps, stood protectively behind them, took out his key from his pocket, and opened the door. Without him even saying a word, Brother Ying came in on his own.

Since they were guests, he didn't show any impatience. He brought out a pair of his own slippers for them, then helped the children change their shoes, and finally said to them, "Come and wash your hands and faces."

Eagle looked around at the house's structure and decorations with a simple gaze and asked, "Do I need to take a shower too?"

Thinking of Zhong Wan's obsessive-compulsive disorder, Chu Qinghuai hummed in agreement.

Eagle is not human either. His true form is a lark, but because he was abandoned by his parents when he was young, he mutated during the process of growing and differentiating, so his human form is not very good-looking. However, he inherited the temperament and habits of the lark. If you listen carefully, you can find that his voice is very pleasant. He is the talent of the Spirit Bureau.

Chu Qinghuai was completely unaware of all this; no one could tell that the tall and mighty man could transform into a delicate lark.

Eagle Brother was often ridiculed, which is why he gave himself such a domineering name.

He has a kind personality. Although he looks fierce, he is harmless and even a bit ingratiating.

He came to the pool with the children and washed his hands and face like they did. Chu Qinghuai handed him a tissue to wipe his hands clean.

Then the three babies sat in their high chairs enjoying the delicious chicken leg, while Eagle sat on the sofa, his thoughts drifting to the chicken leg as well.

He swallowed hard, really wanting to eat.

Chu Qinghuai pretended not to see it; there were only three chicken legs in total, and he didn't have any more to give him.

"Speak, what brings you here? Do you have news of the children's parents?"

Eagle nodded first, then shook his head as if he didn't think it was right, which confused Chu Qinghuai. What did he mean by nodding and shaking his head?

"The bureau chief sent me to visit the children, to find out how they are growing up and whether they need our help."

After he finished speaking in one breath, he drank half a glass of water and continued, "According to unreliable sources, the investigation team speculates that the little monster's parents may also be in City A."

Chu Qinghuai's heart trembled upon hearing this; it was the news he least wanted to hear.

"Are you almost there?"

Neither of them noticed that Chu Qinghuai's voice sounded off, as if he was suppressing some kind of emotion.

"I don't know."

Eagle scratched his head. His sense of smell was very keen, and the smell of chicken legs was tantalizing him. He wanted to eat them but couldn't.

"The child... is doing well with us."

Eagle, oblivious to the hidden meaning in his words, happily exclaimed, "I see! They've grown so much! Thank you and Ms. Zhong for taking care of our little sprites!"

"It's alright, it's what we should do."

Eagle shook his head and said honestly, "You two are indeed a kind couple. Don't worry, after we find the children's parents, I'll have them give you more money so you can live a peaceful life. Then you can have your own child!"

Chu Qinghuai was not entirely satisfied with his words. Although she knew he meant no harm, she still said, "Now, the three of them are my own children, and always will be."

Eagle didn't understand parental love. He rubbed his stomach and said, "Mr. Chu, I'm so hungry. Can I have dinner here?"

"You didn't come to see the kids?" Chu Qinghuai asked back, wondering if he was there to see the kids or just to freeload a meal.

He chuckled, "I brought them lots of spiritual fruits to satisfy their cravings."

Chu Qinghuai allowed him to stay for dinner.

...

As soon as Zhong Wan got home, she smelled something unusual. When she saw a pair of men's shoes by the door, she calmly went inside and said, "I'm home."

Then she heard the sounds of children playing and breathed a sigh of relief.

Even after changing my shoes and entering the living room, the person sitting on the sofa couldn't be ignored.

"Hi, Ms. Zhong."

"Who are you?" She assumed it was Chu Qinghuai's friend visiting, so she secretly complained about why he hadn't told her sooner.

However, the next second, Brother Ying conjured three eggs-sized fruits with his bare hands, a shocking sight that caught her off guard. Zhong Wan didn't even have time to react.

Why does this person start with magic tricks right away?

"Take one spirit fruit each, quick!"

The children instinctively held the food in their hands, happily took a bite, and savored the sweetness. Zhong Wan quickly stopped them, saying, "You can't eat it directly! You have to wash it first!"

Eagle waved his hand: "Don't wash it, don't wash it, it won't taste good if you wash it."

What did you feed them?

Zhong Wan's tone was a bit harsh, unlike her usual polite manner towards guests.

She had seen news reports about heartless relatives secretly feeding other people's children medicine, which could seriously damage their organs. So she was very careful and didn't let her children eat food from strangers.

Eagle explained, "It's just a regular spiritual fruit; it won't fill you up."

"Passion fruit, kiwi fruit?" she asked Chu Qinghuai in the kitchen. "Is this your friend? She looks a bit strange."

“He’s from the Bureau of Spirits and Monsters. I don’t know him very well; I haven’t seen him in a long time. He said he was sent to visit the children today.”

"Ah!" Zhong Wan exclaimed in surprise, "What do they want to do?"

Chu Qinghuai busied himself peeling the blanched tomatoes and cutting them into small pieces, then answered Zhong Wan's question: "They said they found the babies' biological parents."

Zhong Wan: "..."

"It's quite efficient." She made an inappropriate joke, but couldn't laugh at all.

"Just go with the flow."

I should have thought of this when I moved into this house: life is full of uncertainties, and who knows what might happen next.

Ultimately, Brother Ying's visit was well-intentioned, so Chu Qinghuai prepared several dishes to entertain him.

He has no dietary restrictions and eats everything, with vegetables being his favorite. However, due to his daily eating habits, his appetite is much smaller than Chu Qinghuai's, and about the same as Caicai's.

"Delicious, this is delicious, this is delicious too."

"It's so good that the children are being taken care of by you."

Eagle held his rice bowl, eating the rice with great relish. Chu Qinghuai was a little embarrassed by his praise and said politely, "If you like it, eat more."

"OK."

Eagle, oblivious to human social niceties, stopped eating once he was full and looked at the three children with a smile: "Would you like to come back with me for a few days?"

When he said "go back," he was probably referring to the place where the child grew up, which meant leaving Chu Qinghuai and Zhong Wan. This was something the two of them found most unacceptable, and as a conditioned reflex, they refused in unison: "No way!"

"Mr. Chu and Ms. Zhong, you can go together." Brother Ying felt he was being very considerate.

“We don’t want to go, and the kids don’t want to go either. You’ve finished eating, so hurry home. It’s dark and the roads are difficult to walk on at night.”

Zhong Wan smiled slightly, her peripheral vision catching the bright scenery outside the window, which seemed completely out of place with the darkness.

But she was turning away the customers.