Chapter 83, the third update.
Eighty-three:
So, while Mu Shaoyan crossed the finish line with ease, the other fathers were still struggling to run halfway.
Pei Ying sighed, "It's so good to be young. I was just like him back then."
Mu Feng: ?
Mu Feng glanced at him sideways, "You're already starting to have a fading memory?"
Pei Ying:......
"What's wrong? I'm not as fast as him, but it's about the same!"
Mu Feng: "How about eating some walnuts? They're good for the brain."
Pei Ying:! ! !
"You're the one who needs brain-boosting supplements!"
Mu Feng said calmly, "My memory is clear, unlike yours, which is confused and you've mistaken me for someone else from back then."
Pei Ying snorted angrily and ignored him.
Kang Chi and Zhong Xiang, who were standing nearby, burst into laughter.
"Forget it, Lao Pei," Zhong Xiang advised. "Back then, you were the slowest runner among us."
"You said it yourself, it was back then."
“Then let’s have a competition now,” Kang Chi said, still vigorous despite his age.
“That won’t do,” Zhong Xiang waved his hand and said, “My son definitely won’t allow it.”
"Why don't we let our grandsons have a competition?" Pei Ying suggested.
Mu Feng: ...
"We're not dead yet, why should our grandsons fight for us?"
He turned to look at Zhong Xiang, "Are you his father or is he your father? Who gives him the right to tell you what to do?"
Pei Ying:......
Zhong Xiang: ...
Kang Chi exclaimed, "And you, my friend, you are truly awesome!"
Ye Qingxi watched Mu Shaoyan cross the finish line and said happily, "We won!"
“That’s right, I told you, he could easily beat these people.” Mu Shaowu laughed.
"Dad, put me down, I need to go meet up with my uncle."
Mu Shaowu refused, and instead hugged Ye Qingxi, saying, "Daddy will carry you over."
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi felt that her father was definitely doing it on purpose!
But what could he say? All he could say was, "Then Dad, please walk faster."
Mu Shaoyan waited at the finish line for a while before the other fathers finally joined him.
"No, bro," the dad in second place panted, "you're into this, right?!"
Looking at Mu Shaoyan's composed and elegant demeanor, he quietly moved to the side, afraid that he would appear old, tired, and weathered in comparison.
“Of course not,” Mu Shaoyan said.
"Then why are you running so fast!"
Mu Shaoyan: ? ? ?
"Can't you run this fast just by lifting your leg?"
The fathers who arrived one after another: ...What kind of outrageous statement is this!
Listen to yourself, are you even speaking human language?!
Mu Shaoyan thought that this was perfectly normal, but someone was doing something inhuman—that's right! It was his brother!
This is clearly a parent-child activity for him and his little nephew, so why is his brother holding his little nephew now?
Enraged, Mu Shaoyan stepped forward and reached out to hug Ye Qingxi.
Mu Shaowu moved Ye Qingxi away from him.
Mu Shaoyan: ? ? ?
Mu Shaoyan was speechless. "Give me the baby, we need to take pictures!"
—The top three in the parent-child relay will have their photos taken as a memento.
Mu Shaowu was even more speechless than him, "Whose baby? My baby, this is my son!"
“Now I’m his dad, and everyone calls me his dad,” Mu Shaoyan said.
Mu Shaowu: ...
"That's because they don't know the truth."
"The truth is, I'm the one who's taking a picture with the baby now!" Mu Shaoyan said proudly. "Xiao Xi, come here to your uncle."
However, Mu Shaowu held on tightly and wouldn't let go.
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi had a headache.
“Dad,” he urged Mu Shaowu, “put me down. We need to meet at the finish line in a little while.”
“That’s right,” Mu Shaoyan said.
As soon as he finished speaking, Mu Shaoting quietly appeared behind his brother. While his brother was busy fighting with him, Mu Shaoting silently hugged Ye Qingxi from behind and prepared to take him out of his brother's arms.
Ye Qingxi: ? ? ?
Ye Qingxi turned around and saw Mu Shaoting mouthing "shh" to her.
Ye Qingxi: ...No, Auntie, your surreptitious behavior is way too obvious!
Ye Qingxi simply didn't know what to say.
Mu Shaoyan: ...
Mu Shaoyan didn't know what to say.
What is his sister thinking? Does she think his brother can't feel it?
Does she really think that while the two of them are fighting like the snipe and the clam, she, the fisherman, can profit from it all?!
Sure enough, the next second, Mu Shaowu hugged Ye Qingxi tightly on guard, turned around and glared at her, and then he realized that it was actually his own sister.
Mu Shaowu: ...
Mu Shaoting laughed guiltily after being glared at by him.
"Haha, haha, bro, what do you think of my run?"
"It's alright," Mu Shaowu said.
"Right?" Mu Shaoting said awkwardly.
Ye Qingxi was both amused and exasperated.
"The top three babies, their parents, please come over for a photo," the referee called out. "The top three babies, their parents, please come to the finish line immediately."
Ye Qingxi struggled and said, "Dad, put me down, we need to assemble."
Mu Shaowu had no choice but to put him down.
Mu Zheng bent down and helped him put on his coat, saying, "Be careful not to catch a cold."
"Thank you, Uncle," Ye Qingxi said with a smile.
Mu Zheng rubbed his head and said, "Xiao Xi did a good job, running so fast."
Ye Qingxi also felt that he had already won two relay races! Hehe!
Ye Qingxi turned around, grabbed Mu Shaoting and Mu Shaoyan, and headed towards the finish line.
When the parents of the second and third place parents saw them arrive, they quickly asked them to stand in the middle.
"Your dad runs really fast." The third-place child came over and said to Ye Qingxi, "I was actually faster than you, but it's all because my dad isn't as fast as your dad, otherwise I would have been in first place."
Ye Qingxi looked at him and said, "You do run fast."
"That's right," the child said proudly. "Why aren't you like your dad?"
"Because his father runs fast, he can naturally run slowly." Mu Shaoyan said, picking Ye Qingxi up.
He completely ignored the fact that the child next to him was pouting like a little duck after hearing what he said.
"Baby, it's time to take a picture," Mu Shaoyan said softly to Ye Qingxi.
Mu Shaoting stood to the side, complaining, "Why is it you who's carrying Xiaoxi? I want to carry Xiaoxi too."
Mu Shaoyan refused: "Look next door, the father is holding his child."
Mu Shaoting: ...
"You really think you're the father?" she whispered devilishly in Mu Shaoyan's ear.
Mu Shaoyan replied matter-of-factly, "Of course."
Mu Shaoting: "I don't care, I want a hug too."
She looked at Ye Qingxi and said with a wronged expression, "Baby~"
Ye Qingxi: Hugs, hugs, hugs to everyone!
So Ye Qingxi turned her upper body around, put one arm around Mu Shaoting's neck and the other around Mu Shaoyan.
"Is this okay?"
Mu Shaoyan hugged him up so that he could sit on his arm.
Mu Shaoting grasped his soft little hand and reluctantly agreed, "Okay."
"Three, two, one!" the photographer shouted. "Mommy, Daddy, baby, look at the camera! Cheese!"
"Cheese~" Ye Qingxi called out with a smile.
"Click!" The photographer pressed the shutter.
Looking at the photos in the preview, he couldn't help but exclaim: This first place winner is so good-looking, from the baby to the parents, they are just born to stand in the center!
After taking the photos, Mu Shaoyan carried Ye Qingxi to meet up with the others.
Without saying a word, Mu Shaowu snatched the child back.
Mu Zheng also gave his coat to him and Mu Shaoting so they could wear it.
"Shaoting and Shaoyan, would you like to take a few more pictures with Xiaoxi?" Qin Luan asked, waving her camera.
Mu Shaoting and Mu Shaoyan nodded repeatedly.
The two of them then took several more photos with Ye Qingxi on the playground.
After taking the photos, Qin Cheng handed the hot water to Ye Qingxi.
Ye Qingxi drank a few sips and then rested.
After resting for about half an hour, he started practicing three-legged race with Mu Shaowu.
Ye Qingxi had practiced with Mu Shaowu for a little while before going to bed last night. This morning, she even put the rope she used to help their legs during last night's practice into her bag.
"Dad, let's practice some more," he said.
"Okay." Mu Shaowu cooperated readily.
Mu Shaoting helped them tie their legs, and Mu Shaowu put his arm around Ye Qingxi, saying, "Just do as we agreed last night. I'll count to one, and you follow my rhythm."
"Mm." Ye Qingxi nodded.
"Then Dad will begin." Mu Shaowu said, and started calling out the rhythm.
Ye Qingxi followed the same routine as she had practiced the night before, first stepping out with one foot tied together, and then with the other.
"One, two, one, two, one..." Mu Shaowu shouted.
Ye Qingxi listened to his rhythm and continued walking forward.
Some students passing by noticed them and quickly ran back to practice with their parents.
Some classmates stood on the sidelines cheering them on.
When they finished walking a section of the road, the students who had cheered them on all applauded, exclaiming, "Great job!"
"Amazing!"
Ye Qingxi smiled, somewhat embarrassed.
Mu Shaowu looked at him and asked, "Do you want to continue practicing?"
Ye Qingxi nodded, and the two walked back.
Not long after they finished practicing, the sports committee member came to find them, saying that the three-legged race was about to begin.
Ye Qingxi and Mu Shaowu rushed over, accompanied by Kang Cong and his mother.
The sports committee member looked at Kang Cong's mother and then at Mu Shaowu, and no matter how he looked at it, he felt that Ye Qingxi's father shouldn't look like that.
Sigh, I hope he's good at other things, like three-legged races.
There were many parents participating in the three-legged race, and Ye Qingxi and Kang Cong were placed on the side.
The teacher gave the parents ropes and told them to tie them themselves.
"Everyone, try to tie yourselves as tightly as possible; the tighter the better for winning."
Mu Shaowu bent down and tightly tied his legs and Ye Qingxi's together.
Kang Cong's mother quickly tied their legs together.
"Xiao Xi, if I win our competition this time, I'll treat you to a hamburger," Kang Cong said with a smile.
"If I win, I'll treat you to cake," Ye Qingxi said.
“Okay.” Kang Cong smiled.
As the two were talking, the others were also tied up one after another. After the referee checked them all, he blew the whistle.
Upon hearing the whistle, Mu Shaowu called out the rhythm and walked forward with Ye Qingxi.
Kang Cong and his mother followed closely behind.
In no time, the mighty procession surged forward like ants carrying food.
However, after walking for a short while, people started to fall and trip, and Ye Qingxi even heard faint cries coming from her ear.
A child curiously turned around to look, and the next second, he tripped and fell down, crying out "Ah!"
The already lively parent-child sports meet became even more lively at this moment.
Ye Qingxi ignored the commotion and continued walking forward, blocking out the noise.
However, he soon discovered that, in addition to them, some family groups had also practiced beforehand and were all chanting the rhythm, so much so that their first group couldn't create any distance between them and maintained a similar level.
"Go, Xiaoxi! Go!" Mu Shaoyan shouted from the side.
Mu Shaoting also cheered them on, saying, "Keep it up!"
Pei Liang and Zhong Yan were extremely busy, cheering on both Ye Qingxi and Kang Cong.
As Kang Chi watched, he discussed with Mu Feng, "Who do you think will win between them?"
Mu Feng answered without hesitation: "Xiao Xi."
Kang Chi retorted, "Then I could say it's Xiao Cong."
Mu Feng: ...Then you can think about it.
Hearing their cheers, Ye Qingxi asked Mu Shaowu in a low voice, "Dad, can we try running?"
"Run?!" Mu Shaowu exclaimed in surprise.
"Just a little faster, walking is too slow."
Mu Shaowu looked around at the people who were at the same level as them and thought it wasn't impossible to give it a try.
“Okay,” he replied.
He hugged Ye Qingxi tighter, "Let's begin~ One two one, one two one..."
Ye Qingxi listened to his rhythm and started running forward with him.
Kang Cong: !!!
You can do that?!
Kang Cong also wanted to run away for a moment, but he was afraid of falling, so he hesitated for a moment and decided to continue walking forward.
When the children nearby saw the two of them start running, they became anxious and ran forward as well.
In their haste to run forward, they inevitably lost their rhythm, and their tied legs pulled at each other, causing someone to fall with a "thud."
The crying started again, followed by the concerned voices of her parents, "Are you alright, baby? Does it hurt?"
Seeing them like this, Kang Cong decided to stop running and continued walking forward with his mother, maintaining his own pace.
Mu Shaowu and Ye Qingxi gradually distanced themselves from everyone else.
They weren't running very fast, only a little faster than walking, but little by little, they made up for it. If they were a little faster at each step, they would be much faster at every step.
Mu Shaowu controlled his steps, trying not to take too big a stride, and Ye Qingxi also controlled her steps, keeping herself at the same pace as Mu Shaowu.
The two of them ran carefully, ignoring everything else and focusing solely on their own pace.
At that moment, Mu Shaowu suddenly understood what the three-legged race, as an essential activity for parent-child activities, truly meant.
It implies accommodation, coordination, consultation, and cooperation.
It implies that he is his support, and his success or failure depends on his single thought.
"It looks like Xiaoxi is going to win," Kang Chi said.
Mu Feng replied matter-of-factly, "Yes."
Their little Xi is so smart, naturally she'll win at everything she does.
Mu Shaowu coordinated his pace, working in sync with the child beside him, and together they crossed the finish line first.
Ye Qingxi turned around to look at him happily, "We are number one."
Mu Shaowu also laughed.
He bent down, untied the ropes binding their legs, and picked Ye Qingxi up.
Although he understood the symbolism of the three-legged race, he still preferred to hold Ye Qingxi.
I'm used to using my own strength to support him.
He didn't like being tied to Ye Qingxi and running forward together.
He didn't need Ye Qingxi to accommodate him, nor did he want it to be the case. Ye Qingxi's success or failure depended entirely on his decision.
This is not the father-son relationship he prefers.
He liked to let Ye Qingxi run forward without any worries, without having to coordinate or consult with anyone, and without having to be tied to anyone.
He preferred to carve out his own path first, clearing away all obstacles, and then let Ye Qingxi slowly and leisurely walk over.
Or you don't have to come over.
He just needs to do what he likes. After all, he is his father, and he will always stand behind him.
Always use your own strength to help it grow upwards.
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