Chapter 95: The Abandoned Panda Cub..

The bird from Old Li’s house and the Pomeranian from Secretary Qi’s place had spent quite a bit of time playing together and had developed a strong rapport. People in the office often saw the white-feathered parrot flying around with the little Pomeranian on its back.

In the backyard, Xie Hui had intentionally made the swing ropes a bit higher to prevent that silly glutinous rice ball of his from scraping its tail bald.

Normally, if the cub wanted to play, the butler or Xie Hui would help him. But today, Xie Hui and the secretary were busy in the study handling work matters, and the Pomeranian had already been flown up onto the swing by the white parrot.

Just as they finished and stepped out onto the balcony, they caught sight of a certain sesame glutinous rice dumpling gesturing with his paws, trying to get the parrot to give him a ride too.

At first, the white parrot refused, but it couldn’t withstand the cub’s persistent paw gestures—almost like casting a spell—and a string of incomprehensible muttering.

Then, they saw the parrot crouch down on the ground while Xie Jia struggled to climb onto its back. He had barely gotten on when, before the bird could even take flight, he tumbled headfirst to the ground.

Luckily, the area was covered in a thick layer of grass, so the fall didn’t hurt.

Old Li, seeing his son flattened to the ground under the panda cub, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Even after the fall, Xie Jia didn’t give up. He rubbed his little paws and climbed up again.

This time he was a bit too eager and not only fell again but rolled several times across the grass. He stopped next to the bamboo grove, and, filled with existential panda doubt, he broke off a bamboo shoot, peeled it, and took a bite.

The white parrot had learned its lesson and now simply lay flat on the grass, refusing to move. Meanwhile, the little Pomeranian swayed rhythmically on the swing.

Watching the three cubs play made Xie Hui laugh, but since his son was technically bullying someone, he still felt the need to say something.

“Sorry about that, Old Li.”

Old Li, who had been laughing so hard he could barely stand straight, waved it off.

“No need, President Xie. Cubs just playing together—adults getting involved only ruins the fun.”

Even though his own cub had been bullied, Old Li found it hilarious to watch his son, who was nearly the same size as Xie Hui’s panda cub, struggling to carry him.

“President Xie, there’s also that other project proposal. The board doesn’t seem too optimistic, but I think it’s viable.”

“Alright, let me take a look.”

Once Old Li had laughed his fill, he returned to discussing work with Xie Hui. The three of them headed back to the study, not paying any attention to the cubs in the yard.

Back in the yard, Xie Jia finished his bamboo shoot and pulled himself out of his frustrated mood. Still unwilling to give up, he went back and pawed at the parrot’s wing.

The bird stayed dead still, no matter how much Xie Jia tugged, pretending to be dead.

Eventually, the butler discovered them and, grabbing two at a time, placed all the cubs onto the swing, giving each a push.

Xie Jia, who had been focused on how to coax the parrot, didn’t react in time when he was suddenly placed on the swing. He hadn’t grabbed the ropes, and with a push from the butler, he was thrown off again—landing headfirst on the thick lawn, dazed.

“Waaah!!!”

Once he recovered, he got up, waddled over to the butler, tugged on his pant leg, asking to be lifted onto the swing again—just high enough so he wouldn’t have to crane his neck. Then, with his babyish voice, he began muttering grumpily.

Xie Hui never skimped on his son—whether toys or snacks, he had it all.

After getting bored with the swings, Xie Jia led his two little companions to his toy room.

He climbed onto the piano bench, mimicking his father’s manner by adjusting an imaginary tie, and was just about to mash the keys when the bird arrogantly strutted across the piano first.

Then the little Pomeranian happily trotted after.

The piano was tolerable—random plinking could still be endured—but when they started on the drum set, even the three adults upstairs could hear the racket.

It got so loud that Xie Hui couldn’t take it anymore and went downstairs to check. As soon as he opened the door, the noise stopped abruptly, and three little heads turned in unison to stare at him.

At that moment, Xie Hui couldn’t help but feel relieved that he had bought a standalone villa. If they had neighbors, he’d probably be apologizing to them every single day.

“Don’t be too noisy, okay?”

“Waa~”

After a brief reminder, Xie Hui turned and went back upstairs.

He had invited the two secretaries and their kids over mainly to let the children play together. With adults around, kids often felt restricted. Before he realized it, he and the secretaries had started discussing work again.

At noon, the secretaries stayed for lunch. Xie Jia and the Pomeranian had custom high chairs, and the parrot perched on its dad’s shoulder.

The cubs didn’t eat the same food as humans. The Pomeranian had to be patiently spoon-fed by Secretary Qi. As for Xie Hui’s own cub, he had only taken two bites before handing over an empty bowl.

When Xie Hui turned to look, it was clear the cub was asking for another bowl.

Old Li’s parrot was easygoing at mealtime. Old Li placed seeds in his palm and held them out—only to get pecked, then smacked the bird lightly on the head.

Xie Jia usually took afternoon naps, but today, probably due to playing with friends, he showed no sign of sleepiness, so Xie Hui just let them be.

Before the secretaries came over, Xie Hui had worried whether there’d be enough for the kids to play with.

Now, he realized that worry was completely unnecessary. These three could spend ages studying even just a worm on the ground.

That afternoon, the chef mentioned that the market had a new batch of fresh ingredients suitable for young cubs, so Xie Hui had him buy some.

By evening, after their baths, the three cubs lay on the wooden table upstairs, sunning their fur. Xie Jia had already flopped down like a pancake. The Pomeranian copied him, shaking off water and flopping down too, while the bird fluttered about restlessly.

In the yard downstairs, Xie Hui and the two secretaries were preparing dinner. A simple setup made for a delightful outdoor barbecue.

The two secretaries prepped the meat and veggies for the adults, while Xie Hui prepared skewers for the cubs using the fresh ingredients the chef had bought. These skewers had heatproof handles, specially designed for young ones.

The weather was beautiful. As night fully fell, the bright moon and stars made a stunning sky.

It was early summer, and the wisteria blooming along the courtyard wall looked lovely under the lights.

The three freshly washed little ones ran into the backyard. Xie Jia and the little Pomeranian sat on their special stools, while the bird stomped heavily onto his dad’s shoulder.

Old Li winced from the pressure on his shoulder, turned his head, and glared fiercely at his son.

“How many times have I told you? Land lightly, lightly! Don’t you know how heavy you are?”

“You still dare to glare at me here? One more glare and you can grill your own skewers with those claws of yours!”

If they were at home, Old Li wouldn’t even bother with this stuff. Never mind how ridiculously expensive all the baby food ingredients were—prepping them was a painstaking job.

After getting scolded by his dad, the bird didn’t glare again, but flapped his wings a couple of times in obvious protest.

Xie Jia, sitting on his special stool, rubbed his paws in anticipation as he looked at the skewers his dad had prepared and the barbecue grill that was already being lit.

The chef had gotten off work early tonight. All the grilling was left to them.

The main goal was to play with the kids—having the chef join in would take the fun out of it.

Xie Hui had prepared thoroughly: one large grill for the three adults, and three small grills—one for each of the little ones.

Old Li, a grown man over 1.8 meters tall, squatted in front of his tiny son’s miniature grill, with a bird perched on his shoulder, using a pink skewer to roast meat for his son.

Xie Hui worked on his own skewers, placing them over the grill. Once the meat started sizzling and releasing oil, he sprinkled on some seasoning. The crackling aroma was mouthwatering.

Whenever he had a moment, he’d glance at the little one beside him. Though Xie Jia could use his paws, they were clearly clumsy—he struggled with both paws to place a skewer on the grill.

Even when he finally got it on, he didn’t know how to flip it. All he could do was watch helplessly as his favorite bamboo shoot got burnt. In a panic, he jumped down from the stool and tugged at his dad’s pants with a whimper.

Xie Hui happened to be eating a finished skewer. He looked down at the little rice ball clinging to his leg and followed him over to his tiny grill.

He sat on the little bench meant for the cub, placed him on his lap, held his paws, and began teaching him how to grip the skewer and when to flip it halfway through cooking.

By the time the skewer in Xie Hui’s hand had gone cold, the little one finally succeeded in tasting a bamboo shoot he had grilled all by himself.

The moon hung in the sky, and the lights in the courtyard were bright, drawing a few bugs over. Normally, the three little ones would’ve been all over chasing those bugs, but tonight, all their focus was on the grill.

The ingredients the chef bought were tailored to the three cubs’ species. The variety of bamboo shoots in front of Xie Jia was enough to completely captivate a panda—he couldn’t even lift a paw.

In the end, after eating his fill, the little one lay back on a rocking chair and gave it a gentle kick to sway.

Lying there, his belly visibly bulging, he rubbed it with his paws. When Xie Hui walked over, the satisfied little cub let out a burp.

“Hic~”