Good Baby C14

Chapter 14

When An’an saw his father walking towards him holding a book, he immediately ran over to him, eagerly grabbing the book as if it were a treasure.

“Thank you, Dad!”

The lightbulb on the balcony cast a dim yellow light. As An’an could not yet read, he could only understand the pictures in the book.

Through one of these pictures, he felt as though he could reach out and touch the vibrant world within the pages.

At first, An’an sat on a small bench, but after a while, he seemed to get a little tired. He struggled to drag the rocking chair he usually sat on to the light.

His body felt like it had no bones, lazily leaning back as he flipped through the pages, even crossing his legs in a relaxed manner.

When Li Datao came over after finishing his work, he saw his son snuggled up in the rocking chair with a cushion, swaying like a chubby little dumpling.

Seeing his father looking at him, An’an immediately tossed aside the book he had been engrossed in and quickly climbed up to Li Datao, reaching out his hands, wanting to be held.

This time, Li Datao deliberately teased him and did not immediately pick him up.

Seeing that his father was standing beside the rocking chair, An’an stood up like a little monkey, swiftly and nimbly climbing up. After successfully wrapping his arms around his father’s neck, he lovingly nuzzled his father’s cheek with his nose, showing no signs of holding a grudge.

Li Datao, who had been exposed to the wind and sun all day, had not paid much attention to skincare, so his face was rough.

Even though Li Datao himself disliked his coarse skin, his sweet-smelling son adored it.

Ever since An’an discovered that his father couldn’t hear him speak, he became especially fond of physical contact. Kisses and nuzzles became part of their daily routine, as though he had become a sticky rice dumpling glued to Li Datao, impossible to peel off.

The first day they came home had been a bit rushed. Fan Chunxiang only stir-fried a plate of water spinach and made An’an a portion of steamed eggs.

She was very good at cooking and enjoyed putting thought into her meals. The steamed eggs had a thin layer of fragrant oil and a sprinkle of chopped green onions, making it look very appetizing.

As soon as she lifted the lid, the fragrance wafted out. An’an wrinkled his nose, unwilling to leave his father’s arms. He held one of his father’s hands, placing it on his belly.

His belly cooperated, making a noise, and Li Datao felt the vibration in his palm. Looking at his son’s innocent expression, he carried him into the kitchen.

Fan Chunxiang had been through many difficult years with Li Datao, and although their living conditions had improved, some habits could not be changed overnight.

For example, when there was something good at home, she always wanted to save it for An’an.

This bad habit was always cured when An’an, who was always concerned about his parents, was involved.

Today, it was the steamed eggs. A small bowl of steamed eggs, which neither Fan Chunxiang nor Li Datao ate, so An’an just ate water spinach with them.

Steamed eggs, if left for too long, would become fishy, and An’an didn’t like that. Fan Chunxiang took a spoon and began to portion the steamed eggs.

The first scoop went into Fan Chunxiang’s bowl, and only then did An’an push his own bowl, which he had been holding protectively, toward her. His dark, round eyes never left her, making sure she was being fair.

One spoon for Dad, one for An’an.

One spoon for Mom, one for An’an.

By the time the last bit was left, An’an mixed the eggs with rice and ate it all up.

Fan Chunxiang looked at An’an’s satisfied little face and exchanged a smile with her husband.

While he was still young, there were some things he couldn’t distinguish, making it easier to convince him. They figured that when he went to kindergarten, it wouldn’t be as easy to coax him.

After this, Li Datao felt even more hopeful for the future.

To others, he worked tirelessly, but Li Datao didn’t find it exhausting at all.

He was most passionate about calculating, figuring out how much money he could make by selling the collected scrap materials.

When it was just him and Fan Chunxiang living together, he felt that as long as they could eat enough, that was already quite good. After all, they were at this age, having suffered so much in the past, and who knew how long they would live?

But now things were different. Now there was a lively and mischievous An’an at home, a soft little dumpling.

He wanted to make money, he was obsessed with making money every day, wanting to send his son to the best kindergarten and buy him new toys and nice clothes, just like the kids in big cities.

He didn’t want An’an to stay in this old, rundown yard, receiving books that others had discarded.

His mind was filled with countless impulsive thoughts, but Li Datao always presented himself as calm and steady. No one could guess his real feelings.

His impulses were like a volcano on the brink of eruption, but fortunately, he kept them firmly under control, forcing himself to stay grounded.

Soon, it was the time for kindergarten enrollment. September was still a bit warm, and An’an wore a light green short-sleeved shirt. With the little backpack his mother had sewn for him, he held her hand and entered the kindergarten.

Fan Chunxiang, rare for her to wear new clothes, had tidied herself up neatly, looking very sharp.

She had been very beautiful when she was young, but after many years of hardship, she had become an ordinary middle-aged woman, unnoticeable in a crowd.

The kindergarten teacher, who seemed to have just graduated, looked somewhat young and fresh, wearing a very enthusiastic smile as she took An’an from Fan Chunxiang.

Before coming to kindergarten, Fan Chunxiang had already talked with An’an many times at home. An’an obediently waved goodbye to his mother.

Sitting on a red chair, he placed his hands on his knees as his mother had taught him, curiously looking at the clean and bright classroom.

The kindergarten environment was quite nice. There was a huge TV at the front, with blackboards on both sides.

At first, An’an pretended to be a well-behaved child, but after sitting for less than ten minutes, he found the position uncomfortable and leaned against the chair, hugging his backpack.

On the first day of school, the annoying little classmates came.

Before the self-introductions were even finished, the teacher had already called the parents of two children. Those two cried so hard their bodies started to twitch slightly.

An’an saw this and shrank his neck in fear. It was so scary when someone cried that hard, and he promised never to cry again.

“Host, from now on, you must study hard to change your current situation.”

The system, which had been dormant for a long time, finally reappeared, deciding to act as An’an’s life mentor in this world.

An’an, who had occasionally chatted with the system in his mind when bored, now conversed with the system in his mind with great familiarity.

“Study?”

“Yes, please don’t listen to others who say studying is useless. For a family like yours, studying is the best way to help your parents live a better life!”

An’an liked to be with Fan Chunxiang, and sometimes, a few households in the alley would gather together to chat.

Most people thought that a child as old as An’an wouldn’t understand anything, so they spoke freely in front of him. Fan Chunxiang, unable to speak, was always at a disadvantage in debates with others.

The residents of the alley loved gossiping. The most frequent topics were about those who hadn’t had much education but had achieved something in life.

Today, they talked about a relative from someone’s family who graduated from elementary school and is now a big boss. Tomorrow, they might talk about the son-in-law of another family who graduated from middle school and now manages a lot of people.

250 feared that the things they said might mislead An’an, thinking that education wasn’t the only path to success, and that some uneducated people could change their fate through hard work.

However, watching An’an grow little by little, it only hoped he could walk a smooth and wide path. Education, for now, was the best option laid out before him.

“I know, I’ll work hard.”

The kindergarten was in the suburban area, and most of the children ate there at noon. An’an was the most well-behaved, eating without needing anyone to coax him and not being picky.

He sat on the kindergarten swing by himself, swaying, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight on his head.

In the junior class, the teacher didn’t teach them much, but An’an studied diligently. He was like a sponge, eagerly absorbing knowledge to fill himself up.

That day, Fan Chunxiang went to pick An’an up from school. On the way home, An’an mentioned what had happened at school and casually mentioned the homework assigned by the teacher.

The assignment was to draw a picture of their ideal home.

Fan Chunxiang stopped by a bookstore to buy drawing sticks and put them in An’an’s small backpack.

After returning home, it was still early. An’an laid his homework out on the table. The teacher had only taught them some basic drawing techniques, and An’an’s drawing turned out quite abstract.

In the drawing, Fan Chunxiang was holding a microphone, while Li Datao and An’an were clapping for her from the audience.

A simple drawing, but it expressed An’an’s purest dream—he wanted his mother to speak and his father to hear.

When 250 saw An’an’s drawing, it felt a rare sense of guilt. It began to reflect on whether it had been a bit too harsh.

Before An’an was found by itself, he hadn’t lived a good life. He had been suppressed in a dark, hopeless environment for an unknown number of years.

Now, he had finally escaped, only to come into such a broken family.

“Host, are you satisfied with the current situation?”

250 thought for a long time before finally asking this question, and after asking, it nervously waited for the host’s answer.

An’an didn’t hesitate or think about it; he shook his head decisively.

“I’m not satisfied. I want to grow up quickly.”

Although he said he wasn’t satisfied, the system could tell that he didn’t really mean what he said.

Perhaps, it was precisely because he was satisfied that he had this thought.

“What about your parents?”

“I like them very much. Thank you.”

This statement came from the heart; he was truly grateful that the system had brought him here.

An’an put his homework away in his small backpack, then carefully placed each drawing stick back and tidied up the desk before running out, ready to wash his hands and help his mother pick vegetables.

Rather than dragging over a stool, he squatted beside his mother. The sky was filled with beautiful fiery clouds, and just then, they heard the sound of Li Datao’s tricycle stopping outside.

An’an casually tossed the vegetables he had just picked into the basin, stood up, patted his bottom, and ran outside. His eyes were sparkling with curiosity, wondering what his father had brought back today.

……

After so many years of hardship, Fan Chunxiang couldn’t help but feel a bit inferior. She often worried whether An’an, having parents like them, would be looked down upon by other children at school.

The children in kindergarten didn’t understand much. They were just happy to play together.

Because An’an was warm-hearted, outgoing, and kind, he loved inviting friends over to his house, and some even envied An’an for having such a capable father.

The kindergarten teacher not only taught them knowledge but also helped them develop a proper worldview, even when they were still naive.

Over time, Fan Chunxiang stopped worrying about it. Instead of overthinking, it was better to focus on making An’an more clothes.

The kindergarten winter break came earlier than other schools. After school, An’an, just like before, liked to cling to his father.

Although every time An’an went out with his father, it was much more convenient, Li Datao still didn’t like taking him along, which made An’an feel upset for a while.

Fan Chunxiang understood what her husband was worried about and felt that he wasn’t wrong, but it was hard to resist when a little one acted spoiled and begged her to take him along to see his father.

She couldn’t bring herself to refuse An’an, and since she had nothing else to do, she packed up and went out with An’an, planning to deliver food to Li Datao.

Fan Chunxiang knew where he was going that day. The night before, he had mentioned that someone couldn’t stand him making too much money and had been causing him trouble. Fan Chunxiang also wanted to go see it to ease her mind.

At this time, Li Datao wasn’t just collecting scrap; he was also cooperating with others.

Many people who had no connections sold scrap to Li Datao, who paid fairly, and many were willing to work with him.

Compared to just collecting scrap before, he was now making much more money, but it was also much harder work. The money he earned was all hard-earned.

An’an was eager to see his father’s working environment, but when they arrived, they saw a crowd gathered around. He quickly pulled his hand from his mother’s and squeezed through.

Being shorter, he disappeared quickly and ended up right in the middle of the crowd, where Li Datao was.

Li Datao was standing there, his face flushed with anger. In front of him was a middle-aged man with a round face and big ears, shouting insults.

Li Datao could vaguely read the man’s lips and could tell what was being said. His fists clenched at his sides.

Unable to speak, he could only gesture with his hands. The man then casually kicked something next to him, laughing arrogantly before saying:

“Oh, you’re here making a mark? Can’t even speak, can you understand me cursing at you?”

Among the pile of scrap, there was a rusty knife, right by Li Datao’s feet. At this moment, he had unconsciously crouched down.

The man spat and continued cursing:

“Good-for-nothing, a curse on you.”

In Li Datao’s eyes, the man’s words seemed to slow down a thousand times, the malicious curse striking his heart. His rationality began to falter, and his fingers were already touching the knife handle.

At that moment, suddenly, a little bundle of joy rushed forward and stood in front of Li Datao.

“You’re not allowed to bully my dad!”