149 – Old Dad, Don’t Eat Dad

The man reached out his hands again and unexpectedly carried out an identical child.

The two children who looked like big radishes – one with a poker face and the other with a smiling face – held hands while looking around in curiosity. The wolf stood up and brushed the back of the two children with its tail from time to time, very intimately.

The waiter’s eyes stared blankly. For a moment, he forgot to step forward, thinking that he had enriched his experience today.

Noticing that the man was still looking inside the carriage, the waiter could not help but keep on watching.

Another man came down from the carriage. He was also a young man, about 18 or 19 years old, with thick eyebrows and large, round eyes. He looked heroic and tall dressed in a white robe, appearing handsome, noble, and graceful.

“A-Tie, let’s go in.” Qin Mian held Yuanyuan’s little hand.

Manman obediently handed his hand to his Old Dad.

The fathers and sons walked up the steps neither fast nor slow, and White Spot followed without haste. Lei Tie faintly glanced into the distance.

The young man, who looked very much like Qin Mian, watched Qin Mian enter Swan Goose Path Inn and turned his horse around to leave.

The waiter finally came to his senses and stepped forward to welcome. He looked at the wolf with vigilance and awkwardness. “Gongzis, welcome to Swan Goose Path Inn. Uhm this…”

“Sorry, I forgot for a moment.” Qin Mian stopped after two steps, “Lei-Qin shun.”

White Spot did not allow people other than its four masters to touch it. Lei-Qin Shun quickly came and handed White Spot’s tether to Qin Mian.

Lei Tie then put it on White Spot’s neck and held it.

The waiter gratefully glanced at Qin Mian. In the Capital City, high officials and dignitaries were everywhere. Many princes, dukes, and nobles were like dogs. As the inn’s waiter, he had seen a lot of arrogant and domineering patrons. A patron who treated such a big wolf as a pet must not be an ordinary person. He thought he was going to be scolded again today, but he didn’t expect that not only the gongzi spoke so nicely, he also went as far as to apologize to him, a servant.

The waiter’s smile was more sincere, “My guests, please come inside.”

When White Spot’s four feet touched the ground, its back was as high as Lei Tie’s waist – its well-built body was strong and its jet-black hair was shiny. When it slowly strode, it appeared arrogant; its gait was firm and its king’s aura fully shown. Inadvertently, everyone’s eyes were attracted to follow it looking at its two masters and the two children, praising them in secret.

Manman strode forward with head high and chest out, sweetly smiled at all the people who watched him, and waved his little hand from time to time. Many guests were amused.

Qin Mian amusedly shook his head. If this little boy was born in modern times and wore a pair of sunglasses, he might be a child star.

Although Yuanyuan was very quiet, his sense of existence was not lesser than his Didi. His expressionless little face that showed a calm and steady bearing like a little adult was praiseworthy.

Huo Sirui came over with the manservant, “Eldest Brother and Brother Mian, I’ll take you all to your rooms.”

Qin Mian rewarded the waiter with a handful of copper coins.

The waiter promptly said, “If gongzis need anything, please call this servant at any time.”

Dean Huo’s good friend had reserved heavenly-sized rooms for them on the second floor; the heavenly-sized room was a suite, which could meet the needs of some guests with an entourage. It would be very convenient for the masters to order their servants whenever. In addition to the largest room, there were four smaller rooms.

Huo Sirui gave Qin Mian’s family the room with the most abundant light and was ready to arrange the others’ rooms.

Qin Mian stopped him and said, “Sirui, Uncle Huo’s good friend has helped us a lot. Do you think it’s convenient for us to visit him and thank him face to face?”

Huo Sirui thought for a moment, “I heard from my father that Uncle Yuan pays most attention to etiquette. If it’s alright with Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law, we’ll go together after lunch. I’ll let the manservant go back to inform him first.”

“That should be fine.” Qin Mian asked how much it cost to book the room and gave the money to Huo Sirui for him to deliver.

After Huo Sirui left, Qin Mian asked the waiter to bring hot water. The family of four took a good hot bath with a ladle of spiritual spring water put into the bathtub, which not only dispelled fatigue but also nourished one’s body.

Yuanyuan and Manman’s favorite thing was to take a bath. They played in the tub until the water was almost cold. Qin Mian and Lei Tie picked them up, wiped them clean, and changed them into clean inner clothes. For outer clothes, they still wore the radish costumes they just changed into yesterday.

The two children’s cheeks were red as apples. Qin Mian couldn’t help kissing them.

Yuanyuan and Manman were so ticklish they giggled. They rushed to their Old Dad’s arms to hide.

“Don’t run, the little rabbit will eat the red radishes!” Qin Mian “howled” and went over. Yet, he didn’t notice that his flushed face due to the hot bath was also delicious to Lei Tie.

“Old Dad, help!” Yuanyuan and Manman giggled and hid behind Lei Tie’s body.

“Don’t be afraid, Old Dad will eat up the little white rabbit.” Lei Tie grabbed Qin Mian’s arm, locked him in his embrace, turned his back to the two little boys, and kissed Qin Mian on the lips.

“Oh, Old Dad eats up the rabbit!” cheered Manman.

Being deeply kissed by Lei Tie, Qin Mian couldn’t escape. He could only stare at the man with ferocious eyes. Didn’t this guy say that he wanted to do fewer intimate actions in front of the children?

Yuanyuan looked up for a long time and began to cry.

Qin Mian quickly pushed Lei Tie away. He squatted down in front of the little boy and hugged him in worry, “Son, what’s the matter?”

Lei Tie stood there, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Old Dad…” Yuanyuan sniffed and looked at Lei Tie in tears, “don’t eat Dad.”

“Pfft…” Qin Mian thought it was inappropriate to laugh when his son was sad, but he couldn’t help it at all. “Yuanyuan… Dear… Haha… Old Dad didn’t… Pfft…”

“Uwah–” being laughed at by his Dad, Yuanyuan cried even more.

Manman looked at his Old Dad and then at his Dad. Seeing that his Gege was crying so sadly, he thought that something bad that he didn’t know of had happened, so he opened his mouth and began to cry.

Qin Mian froze at once.

Lei Tie went over, took the big and two small ones into his arms, and patted their backs to placate, “Don’t cry.”

This time, Qin Mian couldn’t laugh, so he quickly explained to the two little boys, “Old Dad didn’t eat Dad. It was a game just now. Yuanyuan and Manman don’t remember?”

Yuanyuan had come back to his senses now. He closed his mouth and didn’t cry anymore. However, the tears were still rolling down and his head was lowered; he looked very embarrassed. Manman always followed his Gege’s steps. He stopped crying and hugged his Gege, comfortingly.

Qin Mian breathed a sigh of relief and slapped Lei Tie on his back. Blame this guy!

“Blame me.” Lei Tie honestly admitted his mistake, pecked at his wife’s forehead, and then kissed Yuanyuan and Manman’s foreheads.

Yuanyuan lowered his head and pulled Manman to walk away quickly.

Qin Mian wanted to laugh again but quickly held back. He looked at the back of the two little boys and helplessly shook his head. “The child is only a little older but already have self-esteem. Go and wash their faces.”

Lei Tie obediently went.

Qin Mian quietly took White Spot into the magical space and let it wash well. When he came out of the space, Lei Tie, Yuanyuan, and Manman had taken off their shoes and played jigsaw puzzles on the bed. Children were forgetful. Already forgotten the embarrassment from before, the two boys had a smile on their small faces.

“Are you hungry, sons? Let’s go downstairs to eat.”

After having lunch in the inn, Huo Sirui and Lei Xiangzhi went to buy gifts.

Qin Mian and Lei Tie took their two children for a walk near the inn and went back to their room. They took a long time choosing from among the items they brought and decided to give a jar of wine and a bottle of fermented tofu to Dean Huo’s good friend.

After Huo Sirui and Lei Xiangzhi came back, Qin Mian, Lei Tie, Yuanyuan, Manman, Huo Sirui, Lei Xiangzhi, Qu Zongwen, Bu Qingyun, and Zhao Tianhe went to visit Dean Huo’s good friend’s home. Since White Spot was not used to be in a dense crowd, Qin Mian was not assured to leave it in the inn, so he took it with them.

Dean Huo’s good friend had surnamed Yuan and named Anshi. The Yuan Residence was on the street behind the street where Swan Goose Path Inn was located. The spring exam was a sensitive period. It was easy for students to arouse suspicions when visiting officials. However, because Yuan Anshi was only a fifth-rank official, he was neither qualified to attend the Imperial Court nor had access to the classified affairs of the spring exam office, so there was no problem to visit him.

Owing to Huo Sirui telling the Yuan Residence’s manservant to inform in advance, when they arrived at the Yuan Residence, as soon as he gave his surnamed, the gatekeeper invited them in.

The Yuan Residence’s front courtyard was a small garden, planted with a few flowering trees and a variety of flowers. In the middle was a wide bluestone path leading to the front house.

On the way, they met an old woman dressed in extraordinary clothes walking in the courtyard, followed by two young maids.

The manservant bowed to salute, “Greetings, Old Madam.”

Qin Mian and his party cupped their hands in obeisance, “Greetings, Old Madam Yuan.”

The old madam looked kind and said with a smile, “Are you here to visit my son? No need to be polite.”

As soon as her eyes fell on Yuanyuan and Manman, her face immediately showed fondness. She slightly bent down and her voice became softer, “Oh my, whose children are these? They’re adorable.”

Yuanyuan and Manman came forward hand in hand.

“Greetings, grandma. I’m Yuanyuan.”

“Greetings, grandma. I’m Manman.”

“Oh, it’s Yuanyuan and Manman. Good gracious, truly charming.” The old lady’s eyes were filled with kindness. She couldn’t help reaching out her hands as if to hold them. As if thinking of something, she stepped back a few steps and apologetically smiled at Qin Mian and Lei Tie. “Look at me: old and confused. I don’t want to infect the children with my cold. I won’t delay your business. Go ahead.”

The old madam smiled at Yuanyuan and Manman again. One could see that she really liked them. Then, she took the two maids in the other direction.