Free Web NovelChapter 171: Chapter 169: Bai Su Coaxes the Little Rabbit into the Restaurant
The fire was extinguished.
Wen Lan returned to the grocery store, his face dark. He slammed the door shut with a BANG.
The corner of Bai Su’s mouth twitched.
’I shouldn’t have bothered coming out to look.’
’If I weren’t worried something had happened to that little one, I couldn’t be bothered with a man like Wen Lan.’
*
That evening, Wen Dabao dragged her exhausted body back to the grocery store. "Dad, I’m back..."
Wen Lan, who was clumsily prepping ingredients, grunted in response. "Mmm..."
Wen Dabao’s eyes lit up. "What are we having for dinner?"
Wen Lan replied, "Stir-fried tomatoes with eggs."
Wen Dabao’s face fell. "This again? Didn’t you learn how to make lots of other dishes?"
Wen Lan’s expression soured even more. He shot her a displeased glare. "Is your mission complete?"
Wen Dabao nodded confidently. "You can count on me. I’ve identified all the potential threats hiding around the Imperial City and marked their locations. You’ll see when you go check tomorrow."
Protecting Bai Su was a mission the father-daughter duo had accepted together.
This wasn’t the first time they’d partnered on a mission, and they worked together with a decent amount of chemistry.
They were both lizard Beastmen, able to shapeshift into different forms at will for their missions, which made them exceptionally good at stealth.
On odd-numbered days of the month, Wen Dabao patrolled the city, identifying and marking potential threats.
On even-numbered days, Wen Lan would go out to confirm the locations and eliminate those threats.
This method minimized their chances of attracting attention.
A short while later, Wen Xiaobao also returned from school.
The father and older daughter keenly sensed Wen Xiaobao’s low spirits and hurried over to her. "What’s wrong, Little Treasure?"
"What’s wrong, Sis?"
"Did your first day of school not go well?"
"Did someone bully you at school?"
Wen Xiaobao shook her head sweetly. "No, nothing like that. I’m just hungry and want to eat Dad’s cooking."
Wen Lan’s heart ached for her. He kissed her little cheek. "Why are you home so late? You’re just in kindergarten; shouldn’t you get out much earlier?"
Wen Xiaobao twisted the fingers hidden inside her sleeves. "We had a big school cleanup today, so I was a little late."
’No wonder she said she was hungry the moment she got back.’
Wen Lan ruffled her little head. "Dinner will be ready soon. Go wash your hands!"
Only then did the two little ones cheer and run off to wash their hands with a PITTER-PATTER.
Even though it was stir-fried tomatoes and eggs over rice again, a dish they were tired of, the two little ones were easy to please.
Despite complaining, they still polished off every last bite to show their support.
After dinner, the two little ones played for a while before bathing and getting into bed, ready for sleep.
Wen Xiaobao suddenly squeezed her older sister’s hand. "Sis, do you ever wish we had a mom?"
Wen Dabao froze for a second. "Nah. What would we do with one of those?"
"You can’t eat them, and you can’t play with them."
In the darkness, Wen Xiaobao pouted. "Oh..."
Wen Dabao scooted a little closer. "What’s up? You want a mom now?"
"How about I hold you and sing you to sleep?"
Wen Xiaobao didn’t refuse. In the darkness, her big, blinking eyes remained wide open as Wen Dabao’s horrendously off-key and utterly terrifying lullaby filled her ears.
She couldn’t help but think back to what had happened at school that day.
At her new school, whenever the other children talked about their mothers, their eyes would fill with pride and joy.
Because she didn’t have a mother, they refused to be her friend...
It was the first time the little girl had ever been ostracized, and an indescribable feeling of helplessness weighed heavily on her heart.
But she knew her dad and sister were here for a long-term mission and were very busy during the day.
So she didn’t want to cause them any trouble...
The little girl couldn’t help but bury her face in her sister’s sweet-smelling embrace, thinking sadly, ’If only I had a mother, too...’
*
Bai Su sat before the floor-to-ceiling window on the third floor and let out a soft sigh.
It was the fourth time this week she had seen little Wen Xiaobao squatting pitifully by the grocery store entrance, her small face tight and listless.
"Little Treasure, why the long face?" Bai Su asked, squatting in front of her.
She had brought a small piece of strawberry cake with her.
Wen Xiaobao’s eyes lit up. "Pretty Lady!"
Bai Su ruffled the little girl’s hair.
’I’ve been watching,’ she thought. ’It seems Wen Lan isn’t at the grocery store today. Only the little one is here by herself.’
Bai Su asked with a wide smile, "Want to come over to my place for dinner? It looks like your dad isn’t home. It’s so late, aren’t you hungry?"
Wen Xiaobao blinked, hesitating. "I..."
’I can’t tell the nice lady my sister is home.’
’The mission requires my sister to use her Invisibility and remain unseen.’
’Except for the day they moved in, her sister always avoided being seen by others.’
Bai Su shamelessly tempted her. "I have tons of super yummy food at my house."
Wen Xiaobao wavered.
’I’m so hungry.’
’I didn’t actually eat much at school for lunch.’
’Some other kids secretly stole half of my nutrition pack and wouldn’t let me tell the teacher. They called me an orphan with no mother... ’
In the Beast World, children who take their father’s surname are often mocked.
In the past, whenever she was mocked for not having a mother and told her father, he would get secretly upset and be in a terrible mood. Unable to find a real solution, he could only ask his female colleagues from the bureau to pretend to be her mother.
If she told her sister, her sister would storm into the kindergarten and beat up every single person who bullied her.
Once, her sister even tore the entire kindergarten apart, and Dad had no choice but to drag her off to the armed forces for training.
If she told them she was being bullied at school and her sister charged in to cause a scene again, it would definitely jeopardize their mission.
It wasn’t that Wen Xiaobao was afraid to fight back when bullied; her little brain simply hadn’t figured out a concrete way to do it yet.
After all, she wasn’t as powerful as her dad and sister.
Bai Su gently tapped the spot between her eyebrows. "Hey now, why is that frown getting deeper?"
She continued to coax the little cub. "You can come eat at my place, and we just won’t tell your dad, okay? He probably won’t be back early today, right?"
Wen Xiaobao was instantly convinced. "Okay!"
Bai Su successfully lured the little girl back to her dining room. Seeing that she was indeed starving, Bai Su personally cooked up some delicious food.
She discovered that her own tastes were quite similar to the little girl’s; they both enjoyed sour-broth flavors.
The little girl was at a crucial age for growth, so Bai Su made her a feast: Tomato-sauce Tofu with Egg, Stir-fried Asparagus with Shrimp, Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple, Fresh Vegetable and Egg Drop Soup, and a Spinach Egg Roll.
Wen Xiaobao stared at the spread in astonishment, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Lady, what if we can’t finish all this food?"
Bai Su couldn’t help but chuckle. It was the first time she’d ever seen such a young child look at a table laden with food and worry about waste.
She smiled. "Don’t worry, I have three male cubs of my own. If you can’t finish, they’ll be back to clean up the leftovers."
Wen Xiaobao grew even more bashful. "Is it okay for them to eat my leftovers?"
Bai Su’s heart melted. She ruffled the girl’s little head again. "It’s fine, just eat. I’m eating with you, too. Besides, those boys are hardly picky. They won’t mind at all."
Only then did Wen Xiaobao nod obediently.
Bai Su served her a small portion of rice and a bowl of the Fresh Vegetable and Egg Drop Soup. "Have some soup first to whet your appetite."
The Fresh Vegetable and Egg Drop Soup was a thick broth made from vegetables and egg in a chicken stock base. She had made it with a slightly thick, stew-like consistency, the kind that children usually love.
Sure enough, Wen Xiaobao took one taste and her eyes lit up. "It’s delicious!"
"Hm? Where’d this little bunny come from?" Li Chenlin’s voice sounded from the doorway.
