Chapter 200: Side Story — Meeting the In-Laws

When they first arrived, it was just Li Xiao and Song Jin, so they had booked a small villa at the foot of the mountain—just right for two people.

Now, however, their count had suddenly ballooned to ten people plus three infants. Conveniently, the house where they had dinner had plenty of rooms, so they decided to all stay together under one roof.

After assigning rooms and changing into outerwear, it was not even 7:00 PM yet.

The whole group agreed to head out to an indoor amusement park.

The facility was vast, stretching beyond what the eye could see. With only the few of them in the entire venue, it felt exceptionally spacious.

It was fully equipped with food, drinks, and entertainment. Although the various snack and street-food stalls had been shut down after the place was reserved for them, almost all the recreational attractions were operational, offering plenty of options.

Shen Sinian and his spouse, along with Song Yu and his spouse, went off to the indoor ski slope. As a pregnant person, Yan Qing could not participate in strenuous exercise, and Rong Mian couldn’t leave his three little infants for too long either. After looking around, the two of them agreed to try out a Murder Mystery script game first.

Meanwhile, Song Jin’s attention was completely captured by a street packed with gashapon capsule machines and arcade games. He grabbed Li Xiao and dashed straight over.

Li Xiao’s gaze swept across the array of colorful machines: “These are all for kids.”

At the entrance, Song Jin exchanged a bucket of game coins: “Have you ever played them?”

Li Xiao: “No.”

Juggling a palmful of coins, Song Jin said, “Then that proves they aren’t just for kids, or you would’ve played them long ago.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Noticing a row of capsule machines featuring mecha keychains, Song Jin tilted his chin toward them: “Come on, big brother will roll a set of mecha keychains to give you.”

Seeing how high his spirits were, Li Xiao followed along helplessly.

“I have nowhere to hang them.”

Song Jin: “Clip them onto your waistband. Anything I gift you must be displayed in the most eye-catching spot.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Drawing a cat head on the back of his hand was something he could barely pass off, but if he hung a ring of cartoon keychains around his waist, people would probably think he had lost his mind. By then, the news headline on the internet would probably read: #SHOCK! Crown Prince Suspected of Mental Instability; Royal Family’s Future in Peril!#

Standing in front of the capsule machine, Song Jin looked at the array of keychains displayed on the poster: “They’re all models from decades ago. This No. 29 Dinosaur Mecha is quite unique; let’s start with this one.”

Song Jin found the gashapon machine matching the code, dropped in the coins, and turned the knob. Soon, a palm-sized sphere rolled out.

Opening it up, it turned out to be the No. 23 Knight Mecha.

“Again.” Song Jin shoved the capsule into Li Xiao’s arms and dropped in more coins.

Li Xiao originally had no interest in these things, but seeing Song Jin playing so happily, he couldn’t help but take a few coins from the other’s hand as well.

Song Jin let out a soft laugh: “Feeling like playing now?”

Li Xiao: “Just accompanying a child.”

Song Jin: “…”

Still stubborn.

He was clearly tempted.

By the time the two left the gashapon area, every single one of their pockets was stuffed with keychains.

They had barely started, and their pockets were already full.

Li Xiao reminded him: “Restrain yourself a bit, or we won’t have anywhere to put our loot.”

Song Jin: “With 07 and 09 around, there’s nothing to fear.”

09: “You’re actually making me do this? Does energy cost nothing to you?”

Song Jin: “Do you want to serve as a shopping cart, or go be a nanny for Buli?”

After calculating the options, 09 silently muted itself.

They strolled down the path to the very end, where a dog-sledding attraction was located—though only the sleds remained now, without any dogs.

From here, one could reach the starting point of the ski slopes, seamlessly connecting to the next activity.

Song Jin ordered 07 and 09: “Turn into dogs and tow us to the starting point ahead.”

09: “…”

Ever since the war ended, its status had been dropping lower and lower.

Li Xiao: “…”

You’ve certainly figured out every imaginable way to play with combat armor.

09 was furious, sprinting across the snow with Li Xiao in tow so fast it left motion blurs behind.

Li Xiao was nearly thrown off. Grabbing the front bar while dodging obstacles piled along the way, he suddenly had the absurd illusion that they were charging straight into an enemy base.

Li Xiao: “Slow down.”

09: “Valued passenger, we regret to inform you that speed adjustments are not accepted for this service.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Seeing that he had been left eighteen miles behind, Song Jin ordered 07 to catch up: “Overtake them at the second bend ahead!”

07: “Awoo~!”

Rong Shi and Song Yu slid down from the ski slope. Just as they were about to take the escalator back up, they heard a few dog barks in the distance and turned to look.

The two dogs pulling the sleds were waving their paws and cursing at each other; one dog tried to overtake from the bend while the other blocked its path. Before long, they got into a physical brawl, completely disregarding the lives of their passengers.

Seated on their respective sleds, Li Xiao and Song Jin were jostled every which way. What was supposed to be a nice sled ride had forcefully turned into bumper cars.

Song Yu: “That actually looks pretty fun.”

Rong Shi: “Wanna go?”

01: “How can a fight be complete without us, right, 00?”

00: “Mm.”

Before 07 and 09 could settle their feud, Li Xiao heard noise up ahead. He raised his eyes to look, only to see two massive hermit crabs pulling a sled, charging toward them through the wind and frost, with Rong Shi and Song Yu sitting in the back.

Li Xiao: “…”

The little lion loved playing around so much, and these two definitely bore a huge part of the credit.

Seeing his big brother arrive, Song Jin patted 07: “Deal with the enemy forces first.”

The hermit crabs were twice the size of the dogs, and their sturdy chelae could swat a dog flying.

07 and 09 declared a truce, lowering their bodies against the charging hermit crabs, ready to strike at any moment.

01 and 00 were gearing up for a grand brawl. But before their raised claws could touch the dogs, they saw the two dogs opposite them suddenly break into a dance, even high-pitching their barks affectionately.

Li Xiao: “…”

You two are truly dogs.

01 and 00: “…”

Song Yu and Rong Shi: “…”

This scene felt eerily familiar.

Song Jin: “…”

I didn’t tell you to pull that trick.

Holding its claw high, 01 was at a loss for what to do. Suddenly, it saw 09 rush at extreme speed right through the gap between itself and 00.

09: “07, break through!”

07: “Awoo!”

Taking advantage of 01 and 00 being distracted by 09, 07 pulled Song Jin and sprinted down a side trail, speeding away into the distance.

Song Jin turned his head toward Rong Shi and Song Yu, laughing quite arrogantly: “We’ll take our leave first!”

Resting his arm on the sled’s handlebar, Song Yu sat composedly, not flinching at all: “00, win against 07 and 09, and I’ll make them call you big brother.”

00: “Mm!”

01: “I want to reclaim the dignity of the boss! If they can dance, I can dance too!”

Rong Shi: “You’d better not.”

01: “…”

The chaotic battle lasted for several hours. By the time they had played to their heart’s content and returned to the hotel, it was already late into the night.

Song Jin gave everyone a hand of keychains and presented each of the three infants with a different cat plushie, hanging them onto the cradle robots.

Song Yu glanced at these weird keychains and tossed them back: “Too ugly. Swap them for plushies for me.”

“Why would an old man play with plushies?” Song Jin shoved them back into his hands.

Li Xiao leisurely added a sentence: “Remember to clip them to your waistband. Little Jin’s orders.”

The group: “…”

Clip them WHERE?!

“You guys are really brave, daring to casually accept gifts from the youngest,” Song Yang said, moving far away while steering the three cradles.

“Clip them to your waistband, and your IQ drops by 180 points,” Rong Shi criticized expressionlessly.

Shen Sinian: “That won’t do. I don’t have enough points left to lose; who would lead my medical team in the future?”

Song Zheng: “Greetings to early-onset dementia.”

Rong Mian: “They say pregnancy makes you brain-fogged for three years; the military might require me to extend my parental leave.”

Song Yu: “Just as well to abdicate early and save thirty years of detours.”

Having finally managed to distribute everything, Song Jin saw their unanimous expressions of wanting to return the items and thoughtfully said, “You don’t necessarily have to clip them to your waistband; you can also hang them on your chest.”

The group: “…”

Li Ji held his up to his eyes to inspect it: “Actually, it’s quite cute.”

Song Yang and the others: “…”

As long as it’s sent by his younger brother, he can praise it against his conscience without hesitation?

It was getting late, so everyone retired to their respective rooms.

Having played too wildly at night, Song Jin felt zero sleepiness. Just as he was about to drag Li Xiao to the gym, his terminal suddenly vibrated with group chat messages.

In a small group of only five members, messages were popping up non-stop.

Qian Can: 【Come on, let’s team up in Star Wars! @Everyone】

Qin Le: 【Currently doing homework, wait ten minutes for me.】

Jiang Hao: 【Just finished training, taking a shower and coming right up!】

Qian Can: 【Where’s my big brother?】

Song Jin replied: 【We’re coming too.】

Qian Can: 【!!! I was just casually asking, you guys are actually coming?】

Song Jin: “…”

They played the game until past 1:00 AM. As Qian Can and the others had classes or training, they logged off one after another.

Seeing that Song Jin still showed no intention of sleeping, Li Xiao turned off his terminal and remarked casually, “Still refusing to sleep? How about playing a little sleep-aid game to drain your excess energy?”

Song Jin didn’t catch the underlying meaning of his words at first: “What sleep-aid game?”

An hour later, Song Jin was lying on the bed covered in sweat. Sensing Li Xiao pressing up from behind again, he raised a hand to block him: “Again?!”

Li Xiao took his hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it: “You’re still not asleep, which means we need to play a bit more.”

Song Jin gnashed his teeth in hatred: “Who exactly is the one with excess energy?!”

With great difficulty, a bit of drowsiness finally came over him. Not long after Song Jin fell asleep, his stomach began to rumble with hunger. In his dream, he was constantly smashing the doors of snack stalls at the amusement park, searching everywhere for food to no avail. Suddenly, Li Xiao took the mecha keychains off his waist, offered them to his mouth, and said, “Use these to line your stomach first.” He woke up startled in a split second.

The bedroom was shrouded in darkness, with the splendid aurora visible through the gap in the curtains.

Song Jin glanced at the time: 3:00 AM.

Sleeping a bit more would bring him right to morning, but as luck would have it, he was too hungry to sleep.

Seeing Li Xiao sleeping soundly beside him, Song Jin shook him awake.

He couldn’t be the only one getting up in the middle of the night to forage for food; that would be too miserable.

In his sleep, Li Xiao felt the cat cub making a ruckus on him and rubbed his head: “Still can’t sleep?”

Song Jin: “Get up and cook something for me.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Li Xiao didn’t want to leave the warm blanket, stating with utmost seriousness: “Anything eaten at this hour will turn into fat stacked around your waist.”

Song Jin: “Even if it turns into fat stacked inside my brain, I’m still eating.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Looks like he really was starving.

Five minutes later, in the first-floor kitchen:

Li Xiao opened the cold storage cabinet.

The ingredients Shen Sinian had brought over were plentiful and of wide variety.

Li Xiao retrieved some seafood and vegetables: “Is fried rice fine?”

Song Jin sipped the hot cocoa he had brewed himself: “Fine, as long as it fills me up.”

Li Xiao: “It’s my first time making it; I don’t guarantee it’ll taste good.”

Song Jin: “No matter how bad it tastes, it’ll still be better than mine.”

Li Xiao rolled up his sleeves to wash the ingredients. Holding his mug, Song Jin leaned against the edge of the sink to chat with him.

Li Xiao had never specially gotten up in the middle of the night to cook for anyone before. He was very sleepy, but the feeling wasn’t bad.

Looking back, ever since he met Song Jin, he seemed to have done many things he would never have thought to do, nor ever done, in the past.

Song Jin leaned in slightly, looking at him with a smile: “Are you thinking right now that cooking for me makes you feel super happy?”

Li Xiao: “If being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night to cook makes someone feel happy, then I must have masochistic tendencies.”

Song Jin: “…”

Li Xiao leaned in and kissed the face in front of him: “However, since I’m the reason you were too hungry to sleep, taking responsibility for feeding you is only right.”

Song Jin: “You feel pretty proud of yourself?”

Li Xiao let out a quiet laugh: “A little.”

Song Jin: “…”

Smug.

On the third floor, Yan Qing was woken up by hunger.

Ever since he became pregnant, his appetite had surged dramatically.

Normally, he would have an extra meal around eight or nine at night. Having skipped one tonight, he was already so hungry his stomach was sticking to his back.

Since this was his first time meeting his in-laws, Yan Qing had intended to be a bit restrained. Unfortunately, his stomach refused to cooperate, rumbling non-stop to assert its existence.

Fearing he might wake Li Ji, Yan Qing prepared to go to the kitchen to fetch something to eat. Just as he sat up, an arm stretched over from beside him.

“Hungry?” Li Ji asked groggily.

Yan Qing: “…I’m going to look for something to eat. You keep sleeping.”

Li Ji opened his eyes: “Where are you going to look for food?”

Yan Qing: “The kitchen.”

There were subtle noises coming from the kitchen; perhaps servants from Shengya were already preparing breakfast for them.

Li Ji got out of bed: “I’ll make it for you.”

Yan Qing: “No need.”

Li Ji picked up his clothes and put them on: “What they make isn’t to your taste; you barely ate a few bites at dinner.”

Before heading out, Li Ji specially grabbed a shawl to wrap around Yan Qing’s shoulders.

Everyone was asleep at this hour. They walked quietly to the stairwell, where Yan Qing could already tell from the sounds that the people in the kitchen weren’t servants, but Li Xiao and Song Jin.

Young people had fast metabolisms and got hungry easily.

With them around, there was no need for Li Ji to cook personally; they could just go over and hitch a meal.

In the first-floor kitchen:

Li Xiao had just finished prepping the ingredients. Right as he was about to turn on the stove, he suddenly heard a subtle noise. Decisively turning off the stove, he swiftly packed the ingredients back into the prep area of the cold storage cabinet.

Song Jin was completely baffled by his sequence of actions: “What are you doing? An enemy attack?”

Li Xiao made a quiet gesture, randomly grabbed two cold mantou buns, shoved them into Song Jin’s hands, and pulled him over to sit at the bar counter.

Song Jin: “…”

After all that buildup, he was just giving him mantou to gnaw on?!

Song Jin was angered into a laugh: “What do you mean by this? If you want to fight, just say it.”

They were just about to put the food into the pan, and now he suddenly refused to make it. It would have been better to just give him mantou from the start instead of letting him look forward to it for so long for nothing.

Li Xiao glanced toward the stairwell and lowered his voice: “The cook is here.”

“…?” Song Jin followed his gaze; there was no one there.

Did this kid hear something? A cook? Could it be Brother Shi?

Li Ji reached the second floor. Seeing Yan Qing pause in his tracks, he asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

Listening to the noises from the first-floor kitchen, Yan Qing had already guessed seven or eight tenths of the situation, leaving him momentarily between tears and laughter.

It appeared he wasn’t the only one who wanted to hitch a free meal.

Yan Qing shook his head, gesturing for Li Ji to head downstairs first.

When the two walked down to the first floor, they saw Li Xiao and Song Jin sitting face-to-face at the bar counter, obediently gnawing on cold mantou. In the deep winter night, they looked exceptionally pitiful.

Li Ji walked over and took a look—one mantou and one glass of plain water each: “Is this all you’re eating?”

Li Xiao: “Neither Little Jin nor I know how to cook. Only this was readily available.”

Just as he finished speaking, Song Jin coughed a few times, grimacing as he thumped his chest: “So dry! I’m choking to death.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Such exaggerated acting.

Holding back his laughter, Li Xiao handed his own water over: “Eat slowly.”

How could Li Ji bear to see such a sight? He was instantly distressed beyond belief: “The servants didn’t prepare backup meals? It would be fine to call them over to make something too. These mantou are cold and hard; how can you eat them?”

Li Xiao: “We didn’t want to make a fuss, so we just thought we’d make do with a couple of bites.”

“Stop eating.”

Li Ji rolled up his sleeves and walked toward the kitchen. “Sit and wait a bit; I’ll make something for you.”

Li Xiao: “Thanks, Brother.”

Song Jin decisively tossed the mantou aside, flashing a broad grin: “Thanks, eldest brother-in-law!”

Li Ji: “…”

He somehow felt like he had been played by these two cubs.

Yan Qing watched them act, smiling without a word as he followed Li Ji into the kitchen.

Song Jin called out to him: “Teacher Yan, don’t bother going in. Come over and wait for the food with us.”

Yan Qing opened the cabinet containing spices and tea leaves: “I’m just pregnant, not disabled. I can at least manage to brew a pot of tea.”

Song Jin was thoroughly delighted.

Not only could he eat Li Ji’s cooking, but he could also drink Yan Qing’s tea—hardly anyone had ever enjoyed such treatment.

Song Jin gave Li Xiao an appreciative look.

Pitting one’s brother and brother-in-law was indeed immensely satisfying.

Yet Li Xiao felt a faint, foreboding premonition.

Cooking for his wife and younger brother, Li Ji was in high spirits, busily cooking away at the stove with great enthusiasm.

On the other hand, Yan Qing beside him was the exact opposite, unhurriedly grinding spices; even his movements while brewing tea were pleasing to the eye.

Song Jin thought to himself that he truly lived up to being someone who had served near the former Queen—he was refined in everything he did.

Smelling the fresh and sweet tea aroma, he disdainfully pushed his own mug of hot cocoa far away.

Before long, Yan Qing came out carrying the tea set, sat down beside them, and poured tea for the two of them.

Li Xiao didn’t smell anything strange. He picked up the cup and took a sip, and his face instantly changed color.

They’d been tricked.

“So sour!”

Song Jin bared his teeth and gasped, nearly losing control of his facial expression.

After the sour taste spread, a wave of bitterness surged up in his mouth, leaving only a faint, subtle hint of sweet fragrance.

This was definitely not a flavor he enjoyed, but it wasn’t unpleasant to drink.

Yan Qing took a sip: “This tea dispels cold, moistens dryness, supplements vitamins, and boosts immunity. It’s very suitable for drinking in winter.”

Song Jin: “Isn’t it sour to you?”

Yan Qing shook his head as if nothing were amiss: “Is it terrible?”

For the sake of Li Ji’s meal, Song Jin bit the bullet and replied, “It’s good, just a bit on the sour side.”

Yan Qing chuckled softly: “You’ll get used to it after a few cups. It also helps with sleep, making it most suitable for energetic young people like you.”

Song Jin: “…”

Li Xiao: “…”

Teacher Yan / Brother Qing was indeed tough to deal with.

On the second floor, Rong Mian and Song Yang were busily feeding the babies and changing diapers.

Perhaps because they were in a new environment, the infants were somewhat restless, crying non-stop.

The two novice dads were flustered and sweaty dealing with three high-combat-power infants, yet they still hadn’t managed to soothe them successfully.

Hearing noise from the kitchen, Rong Mian said to Song Yang, “Put them back in the cradles and take them downstairs to find help.”

Song Yang was confused: “Find who? Who would be downstairs at this hour?”

Rong Mian: “Quite a few people.”

Song Yang: “…”

In another bedroom separated by a small lounge, Rong Shi vaguely heard movement coming from the hallway. Thinking that Mian-Mian and Cola might be unable to cope and were coming out to look for backup, he prepared to head out and check on them, feeling uneasy.

Song Yu watched Rong Shi get out of bed: “We haven’t even had children yet, and you’ve already become a grandfather, worrying non-stop all day long.”

Rong Shi: “…”

Rong Shi put on his clothes: “How did you calculate that generation?”

Song Yu: “You raised Mian-Mian and Cola, then came the youngest, and after raising the youngest came three more infants. At your young age, you’re already of the grandfather generation.”

Rong Shi: “…”

Rong Shi: “If I’m the grandfather, doesn’t that make you the grandmother?”

Song Yu narrowed his eyes displeasedly: “Say that again?”

“Grandmother it is then; it’s not like I’d laugh at you.” Saying that, Rong Shi turned toward the door, letting out a soft laugh.

Song Yu: “…”

On the first floor, Song Jin saw Rong Mian and Song Yang coming down too: “You guys can’t sleep either? Is tonight a collective insomnia night?”

Rong Mian: “The babies are crying terribly; even No-Crying and No-Fussing are crying loudly.”

Song Yang: “How come even you’ve accepted these nicknames?”

Rong Mian: “They roll off the tongue easily.”

Song Yang: “…”

Song Jin stood up, gesturing for Rong Mian to come over and rest: “I’ll help you watch them for a bit. Xiao-Xiao, come, I’ll teach you how to soothe babies.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Selling skills you just learned on the spot?

Li Xiao put down his cup and walked over: “With your skill level, what could I possibly learn from you?”

Song Jin: “That depends on your comprehension skills.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Just after Rong Mian and his group arrived, Rong Shi and Song Yu came downstairs as well.

Seeing everyone huddled on the first floor, Song Yu teased, “None of you are sleeping?”

Song Jin: “Didn’t you come down too?”

“I was dragged down by a certain someone.” Song Yu was very sleepy. Seeing that tea had been brewed by the bar counter, he walked over, took the teacup handed over by Yan Qing, and took a sip. The sour taste spreading in his mouth rushed straight to his crown, instant-sobering him up.

“Did you brew this tea?” Song Yu asked Yan Qing.

Yan Qing nodded: “How is it?”

Song Yu: “Both sour and bitter, but drinking it feels… very comfortable.”

Saying that, Song Yu took two more sips. It really wasn’t his imagination—the more he drank, the more addicting it became.

With many people on the first floor, the three infants were quickly soothed.

By the time Li Ji came out carrying plates, the room was packed with people.

The aroma of the food instantly piqued everyone’s appetite. Fortunately, Li Ji had made extra and added other staple foods, which was just barely enough to feed everyone.

Li Ji placed food on Yan Qing’s plate, poured sweet soup by his hand, and looked toward Song Yang, who was eating happily: “My food can’t be eaten for free.”

Song Yang got the hint and spoke without any burden: “I agree to the youngest marrying into Danse.”

Song Jin: “You sold me out for a single meal?”

Song Yang: “Danse is rich and has so much delicious food; what else are you dissatisfied with? If it were me, I would’ve married over long ago.”

Song Jin: “…”

Song Jin turned his head to report to Rong Mian over there: “Brother Mian, Brother Yang said he wants to marry into Danse. I wonder what dissatisfaction he has with you.”

Rong Mian was deep in conversation with Yan Qing; hearing this, he waved a hand: “Let him go. Forced melon isn’t sweet.”

Song Jin: “…”

You sure are carefree.

On this end, Li Ji was very satisfied: “I just like straightforward people.”

Song Yang smiled: “Then regarding the minerals—?”

Li Ji: “I know nothing about business matters; you’d better talk to Xiao-Xiao.”

Song Yang: “…”

This pair of brothers is really tough to handle.

Song Yu nodded repeatedly: “It really is delicious.”

Song Jin looked sideways: “What do you mean by that?”

Song Yu: “After you marry over, we can enjoy the benefits alongside you.”

Song Yang chimed in: “Rare for Brother Yu to speak like a human being.”

Song Jin smiled warmly: “Sacrifice me alone to fulfill the whole family?”

Song Yu returned the smile: “Brother is very gratified that you have this self-awareness.”

Song Jin: “…”

Listening to the Song brothers bicker, Li Xiao placed some food onto his own plate, mixing it with Wei Feng’s chili sauce to eat, thoroughly satisfied.

His brother’s culinary skills were indeed much better than his own.

In the future, he had to find opportunities to trick him into cooking a few more meals.

“This chili sauce of yours smells very fragrant.” Sitting on his right, Rong Shi smelled the aroma and leaned closer.

Li Xiao handed the jar to him: “Want to try?”

Rong Shi scooped a bit onto his plate, took a taste, and was pleasantly surprised.

Spicy without being harsh, rich in flavor—even someone like him who usually didn’t eat much spicy food found it delicious.

His father, Rong Guang, preferred heavy flavors. Rong Shi thought about buying some for him, but after checking the bottle, there was no manufacturer information. He asked Li Xiao: “Are there purchasing channels for this?”

Li Xiao: “It hasn’t gone into mass production yet. If you want some, I’ll have someone ship it over.”

Rong Shi nodded in thanks: “Did you customize this as well?”

“Not quite.”

Li Xiao briefly mentioned the matter regarding Wei Feng. “The people of Raven have just settled down and have no source of income. Wei Feng gave them the recipe, and they are currently setting up a chili sauce factory. Will you people of Shengya like this kind of flavor?”

Rong Shi: “I like it very much. If you plan to export it later, I can help out.”

“Thank you.” Li Xiao thought to himself that chatting with someone on the same wavelength was truly convenient; both sides understood each other’s meaning without needing to beat around the bush. In this regard, Song Yu gave him the exact same feeling.

With Rong Shi’s help, as long as the chili sauce flavor had no issues, sales wouldn’t be a problem in Shengya.

Once the people of Raven had a stable income, Wei Feng would have no worries holding him back, allowing him to stay in the military with peace of mind.

By the time the group had eaten and drunk their fill, it was already past 4:00 AM. Looking out through the transparent floor-to-ceiling glass at the sky outside, Song Jin asked Li Xiao, “Let’s not sleep. How about we all go watch the sunrise together? After watching the sunrise, we can go to the outdoor ski slopes.”

“I’m fine with anything.”

Li Xiao looked toward the others, “Do you guys want to come along?”

“They can’t come.” Song Jin draped an arm over Li Xiao’s shoulder. “Look—a dad, a pregnant person, an old man—”

When mentioning the old man, he pointed at Song Yu. Song Yu was so annoyed he simply pretended not to see it.

Song Jin continued: “Do they look like people who can climb a snowy mountain in the early morning to watch the sunrise? Everyone present here except us two are energetic babies.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Only you are a baby.

Yan Qing looked at the snow scene outside the window: “What a pity; such a great opportunity.”

Rong Mian: “I haven’t watched the sunrise here either.”

Seeing that they all liked the idea, Rong Shi joined the conversation: “This resort has an indoor viewing point; we can drive over.”

Song Jin stood up: “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

The group set off right away.

When Shen Sinian and Song Zheng woke up, they discovered that only the two of them were left in such a large house.

Shen Sinian: “Where did they run off to fool around again?”

Song Zheng brewed coffee for the two of them: “They’re all so old; they won’t get lost.”

Shen Sinian: “Would I be worried? It’s better that none of them are here—nice and quiet.”

Before the two could finish breakfast, more than a dozen combat armors escorted three cradle robots through the door, hovering in front of them.

A virtual screen popped up above the floating metallic spheres:

【Dad, Old Man, I took Brother Mian and the others out to play. Please help take care of the three little cubs. Love you, xoxo. —Song Jin】

Shen Sinian: “…”

Song Zheng: “…”

Quiet? Quiet my ass.

It began snowing again after noon, forcing the few people skiing outside to return to the resort early.

Song Jin had 07 go home and bring his old comrade-in-arms over to let Song Buli take a test drive.

The infant mecha had some years on it, but the materials and craftsmanship were top-tier, still looking like a precious work of art even by today’s standards.

In the greenhouse rest area, Song Jin opened the small hatch door, lifted Song Buli inside, and placed him onto the infant seat.

Sucking on his pacifier, the little infant was extremely calm.

Rong Mian, Yan Qing, and the others gathered close to watch.

Seeing this kind of robot for the first time, Yan Qing felt a bit concerned: “The child is so small, can he really pilot it?”

Song Jin: “This mecha has a neural connection system specifically for infants. It should be fine; even if it can’t be activated, there won’t be any danger, don’t worry.”

Song Yang pulled up the control panel of the infant mecha, checking the system and hardware status.

After confirming everything was fine, Song Jin closed the hatch door, and the mecha’s power automatically activated.

A virtual screen popped up overhead:

【Connecting neural sensors — Connection successful —】

Song Jin nodded appreciatively: “Not bad, has my style from back in the day.”

Song Yu interjected coolly: “He’d better not be like you, or I’m afraid you won’t be able to take it.”

Song Jin: “…”

【Command received: Moving forward —】

【Command received: Turning left —】

Accompanied by the lines of commands displayed on the virtual screen, the infant mecha began moving in a small radius right under everyone’s eyes.

The hatch door was transparent, allowing them to see Song Buli looking around curiously, wandering among the flower clusters and trees, exploring the world on his own.

This was simply a god-tier tool for walking a baby.

Rong Mian asked Song Yang: “Cola, should we consider making two more?”

A draft of the design blueprint had already emerged in Song Yang’s mind.

“If we combine the cradle robots with infant mechas, the functionality might be even better.”

Li Ji was fiercely tempted on the spot and reserved one from Song Yang right then and there. As for the price, that was something Yan Qing preferred not to face.

Looking at the tiny mecha, Li Xiao imagined Song Jin as a child and was melted by cuteness all over again. Turning his head, he asked Song Yu: “Was Little Jin like this when he was small too?”

Sipping his tea under Song Jin’s warning glare, Song Yu said unhurriedly, “Him? He was wilder than the monkeys in the zoo; even fierce beasts were tamed by him into little henchmen.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Truly worthy of being you.

“Compared to the youngest, my son is far more obedient,” Song Yang said, nearly dying of pride.

Like inspecting his territory, Song Buli toured the entire greenhouse before casting his gaze toward the snow mountain outside the protective shield.

Everyone saw the infant mecha bumping against the shield, seemingly not understanding why it couldn’t get out. After pausing for a moment, it flew forward again, bumping into it several times repeatedly, then trying another spot to bump again.

The impact force was very light, so Song Jin and the others didn’t step in to interfere, letting the child figure things out on his own.

Amidst their casual chat, Yan Qing casually raised his head, only to see the infant mecha raising machine guns on both arms, with the overhead display showing:

【Command received: Executing bombardment command in five seconds. Countdown: Five… Four… Three…】

Yan Qing’s expression changed: “Not good!”

The others looked over and saw that the little infant had completely run out of patience and was preparing to blast open the protective shield.

“…”

This fiery temper—truly worthy of being a cub of the Song family.

Yan Qing was very nervous: “Will it hurt him?”

Li Xiao made a soothing gesture: “It shouldn’t be equipped with live ammunition.”

Just as he finished speaking, the infant mecha began firing, spitting out a dense stream of bubbles from the barrels.

Yan Qing breathed a sigh of relief. But looking at the others, everyone’s expressions were a bit subtle, leaving him confused: “These bubbles shouldn’t be harmful, right?”

“Soap bubbles are harmless, but this kid will drive a real mecha sooner or later.”

Song Yu unhurriedly took a sip of tea, glanced at the infant mecha currently battling the protective shield in mid-air, and looked toward Song Jin, Li Xiao, and Rong Mian’s couple: “This is just the beginning. You’ll have your hands full in the future.”

Song Jin / Li Xiao: “…”

Rong Mian / Song Yang: “…”