Raising Kids C11

Chapter 11

Chen Heng stood to the side, watching this heartwarming father-son moment. For some reason, he felt as if his heart had been stabbed mercilessly.

His two kids at home weren’t nearly as thoughtful as this one! Forget about a small bouquet of flowers—he hadn’t even received a single blade of grass from them.

Sitting on the suitcase while drinking from his water bottle, Chen Xing noticed the envy in his father’s eyes. Being slightly introverted, he took the initiative to tug at his dad’s sleeve and give it a little shake.

Chen Heng, sensing his son’s movement, already had an expectant smile on his face as he bent down, bringing his ear closer to hear him better.

“Dad, a father shouldn’t compare himself to others too much.”

After saying that, Chen Xing gave his father’s shoulder a push, signaling him to move his big head away.

That sentence successfully froze the smile on Chen Heng’s face, as if another sword had been driven deep into his heart.

Once the brief playtime for the children was over, the production team began directing them to pre-arranged local homes for lodging.

Xie Ze held his little suitcase in one hand and his father’s hand in the other, the two walking along a narrow countryside path. From a distance, the camera captured a scene that looked peaceful and harmonious.

Meanwhile, in the other group, Chen Heng was carrying both of his kids’ luggage in one hand and his own in the other, following behind the hand-in-hand siblings like a mere porter.

Before, when there was no comparison, being a pack mule for his little prince and princess was fine. But now, with such a stark contrast right in front of him, Chen Heng suddenly felt the urge to go on strike—if he didn’t get a kiss from his own kids, he wasn’t going to keep working.

The filming included their daily lives, and clearly, staying in a hotel wouldn’t fit the setting. Lodging in the homes of local residents, with the production team covering the costs, would better showcase the lifestyle of the town’s inhabitants.

Upon arriving at their host’s home, Xie Ze placed his small suitcase aside and immediately became curious about the large rooster in the courtyard.

In rural households, elderly residents often keep a few free-range chickens. Seeing such a lively one for the first time, Xie Ze’s eyes were full of excitement as he ran over.

Being so small, Xie Ze assumed that all animals were as friendly as the husky he had met once while jogging with his dad.

Seeing the rooster’s beautiful feathers, his eyes lit up, and he reached out, wanting to touch it.

Xie Hui had just set down his suitcase when he suddenly heard his son cry out. He quickly turned his head and saw Xie Ze running toward him, eyes red and tears brimming.

The little boy hugged his father’s leg tightly, his big, watery eyes like soaked black grapes, his little nose sniffling as he complained.

“Daddy, the big rooster bit me.”

Saying this, he stretched out his hand, showing where the rooster had pecked him.

Xie Hui gently held his son’s wrist and examined it carefully. His chubby little hand had a noticeable red mark, but thankfully, there was no bleeding. After confirming it was nothing serious, Xie Hui looked at his son, who was on the verge of bursting into full-blown tears, and—completely unapologetically—chuckled.

“Daddy?”

Xie Ze wiped away his tears with the back of his hand. Hearing his father laugh, he was too startled to keep crying and instead stared up at him in bewilderment.

Clearing his throat, Xie Hui suppressed his smile, held his son’s hand, and led him under the eaves, patiently coaxing him.

“The big rooster doesn’t know you, so it pecked you. You can’t just touch things without their permission, okay?”

“It’s just like how you don’t like strangers ruffling your hair. The big rooster doesn’t like unfamiliar kids trying to befriend it either.”

Xie Hui was just giving an example, but Xie Ze immediately thought of that rude uncle who had pinched his cheeks without asking. His big eyes were still glossy from his recent crying, and his voice carried a lingering sob.

“Daddy, can I go apologize to the big rooster now?”

“Of course you can, but I don’t think the big rooster is very interested in your apology. It probably just wants to eat more bugs.”

Despite Xie Hui’s words, the little guy’s determination to apologize didn’t waver.

“M-my sincerity still counts.”

Leaning against the wooden pillar under the eaves, Xie Hui watched his tiny son run back toward the rooster, his eyes filled with amusement.

Who would have thought? The little guy had barely taken two steps before he quickly scurried back and clung to his father’s leg, looking both guilty and indignant.

“Daddy, I’m scared. Can you come with me?”

Even Xie Hui had to give in when faced with his son’s pleading, tear-streaked gaze. He extended a hand toward him, and once Xie Ze grasped it, they walked toward the rooster together.

It was clear that the earlier peck had left Xie Ze shaken.

This time, he didn’t recklessly charge forward. Instead, he stopped five steps away from the rooster, called out a soft “sorry” in his sweet, childish voice, then quickly ran back to his dad.

Ever since being pecked, the previously well-behaved and independent little boy had reverted to sticking close to Xie Hui, just like when his father had first returned.

Like a tiny shadow, he followed his dad everywhere.

After settling their luggage and tidying up the bedroom a bit, Xie Hui turned around to find his little tail still trailing behind him.

Sitting on a stool, he waved the little boy over.

The moment Xie Ze approached, he instinctively reached out and wrapped his arms around his father’s neck.

Taking the chance to tease him, Xie Hui deliberately said, “Baby, have you ever seen those stories about how people find little kids like you so cute that they just want to sit on them and squish them flat?”

Xie Ze’s big, round eyes widened in shock. After a brief pause, he quickly shook his head.

“Auntie said watching too much phone is bad for your eyes. Daddy doesn’t watch them either, so those stories must be nonsense.”

Xie Hui ruffled his son’s hair, then effortlessly picked him up and carried him outside.

He had only brought it up as a joke after watching how closely his son stuck to him, but the little guy’s reaction had been too funny.

Even Xie Hui himself hadn’t expected that this incident would leave such a deep impression on his little one. Even when he started elementary school, he still saw mobile phones as bad things that could lead his dad astray.

Since they had just arrived and Ke Ting’s family hadn’t shown up yet, the director’s team let them rest for a while. Dinner was prepared by the show’s chef.

Xie Ze was very well-behaved at mealtime. None of the foods he disliked happened to be on the menu, so he sat on a small stool, holding his little bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other, eating earnestly and attentively.

Xie Hui barely needed to worry about him and instead sat on the side, chatting with Assistant Director Gu.

Meanwhile, Chen Heng was too busy to even take a bite of his meal—on one side, his little princess didn’t want to eat scallions, and on the other, his young master was asking for water. By the time he finally managed to settle them both, his own meal had already gone cold.

After dinner, Chen Yue and Chen Xing came to invite Xie Ze to play. Xie Hui gave a brief reminder to be safe and then watched them leave.

Holding his now-cold boxed meal, Chen Heng sat next to Xie Hui, humbly seeking advice.

“Brother Xie, how do you get Xie Ze to eat without making a fuss?”

He wasn’t exactly complaining about his own kids being too unruly—he just wanted to know if Xie Hui had any tricks to make mealtimes more peaceful. That way, his wife wouldn’t have such a hard time at home.

After just two days of looking after the kids for the show, he was already exhausted. He could only imagine how much more draining it must be for his wife, who did it every day.

Participating in this parenting show had given Chen Heng a profound realization: his wife had been working incredibly hard raising their two children.

“I used to be busy filming all the time and didn’t spend much time with him. On top of that, his mom and I lost contact ages ago, so Zeze was mostly raised by a nanny. He doesn’t feel very secure, so he behaves really well in front of me.”

As soon as Chen Heng heard that, he immediately clamped his mouth shut, realizing that his question had touched on a sensitive topic. He wanted to say something to make up for it but couldn’t think of anything, so he simply took a big bite of his meal instead.

As usual, the kids returned covered in sweat after playing. The three little ones had already become close and were walking hand in hand across a bridge on the filming set.

The moment Xie Ze spotted his dad, he instantly let go of his playmates’ hands and dashed toward him.

From a distance, Xie Hui could already hear his son calling “Daddy,” and he couldn’t help but curl his lips into a helpless smile, stepping forward to meet him. He let the little one fling himself into his arms like a tiny cannonball.

“Daddy! Yueyue-jiejie (Elder Sister) and Xingxing-gege (Big Brother) and I saw red fish! They were huge—bigger than me!”

Snuggled in his dad’s arms, Xie Ze could hardly wait to share his discovery. The golden glow of the sunset shimmered in his bright eyes.

But all Xie Hui could focus on was the sweaty smell clinging to him. Seeing how his son’s hair was damp with sweat, he wrinkled his nose in disdain and murmured, “Baby, you stink.”

The previously excited little one froze mid-smile. He immediately lowered his head to sniff himself, then frowned and declared seriously, “I-I’ll wash up, then I won’t stink anymore!”

As they headed back, Xie Ze, still in his dad’s arms, waved goodbye to his two playmates.

Chen Heng had originally found the scene quite heartwarming—until he glanced down and met the expectant gazes of his own two kids. He was instantly dumbfounded.

Wait a minute. A three-year-old was barely manageable to carry, but his own kids were already five. And there were two of them! Did they seriously think he could manage that? They were giving him way too much credit.

In the end, Chen Heng didn’t grant his little prince and princess their wish.

As a result, the two little ones pouted in discontent all the way home.

Even though this place was a bit remote, Xie Ze showed no signs of discomfort after returning. He even managed to charm their elderly landlady into giving him a handful of candy, which he stuffed into his bulging pockets.

When Xie Hui came out after boiling water, the little one ran up to him, proudly showing off his spoils.

“Daddy, look! Granny gave me so, so many candies!”

“Did my baby remember to say thank you to Granny?”

“Yes! She even said I was polite!”

Xie Ze was so delighted that Xie Hui couldn’t help but suspect that if he had a tail, it would be wagging furiously.

“Go take a bath quickly, then go to bed early. Uncle Chen just messaged me—he said Chen Xing and Chen Yue will be coming over to play first thing in the morning. If you don’t sleep early, you might still be in bed when they get here.”

Xie Hui took Xie Ze upstairs, where he had already prepared the bathwater.

Back at home, the nanny had always been the one to bathe him, so this was the first time Xie Hui was doing it himself. The little one was clearly a bit shy. After his dad helped him undress, he tried to wriggle away.

“Daddy, trust me! I can do it by myself!”

“I’m not a two-year-old anymore!”