"Of course I could tell from your facial expression."
Zhang Hao smiled and said, "But you don't need to worry. The problem isn't serious right now; just take some traditional Chinese medicine to regulate your system."
With that, he picked up a pen and wrote a prescription on the test paper.
"Teacher, just follow the prescription for your medication from now on. Although you've been working yourself to the bone for our studies, you need to take care of your health too."
"You're just like a candle, burning yourself to illuminate us. But the longer you burn, the more people you illuminate."
Seeing Miejue Shitai stare blankly, he continued, "Teacher, if there's nothing else, I'll head back to the dorms now. You must remember to get the prescription filled."
After saying that, he turned right around and left.
Li Yan looked at the prescription for a moment, then folded it up and put it in her pocket.
...
Early the next morning.
Zhang Hao woke up from his sleep.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he couldn't wait to see the babies.
"Zhao Yong!"
Zhang Hao shouted loudly.
"Hm?"
Zhao Yong, who was fast asleep, sat up with a start and stared straight at Zhang Hao.
"Uh..."
The corners of Zhang Hao's mouth twitched, thinking to himself not to scare the kid to death.
"Remember to video call me when class starts."
Zhao Yong gave a dazed nod, and the next moment, his eyes suddenly widened.
"Damn it, today is Sunday, there are no classes!"
"Ah? Oh~ then go back to sleep."
Zhang Hao walked out of the dorm with a smile.
Zhao Yong collapsed back onto the bed with a thud.
After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly started kicking his quilt wildly.
"So annoying! I was having a great dream and got woken up by Rat. Just you wait, Rat!"
...
Before long, Zhang Hao arrived at the front door of "home" and pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong~
"Who is it?"
Su Yuyan's languid voice came from inside.
"Your husband!"
"Hang on~"
Hearing the reply, Zhang Hao waited.
Yet he waited for a full ten minutes, and still Su Yuyan hadn't opened the door.
"Wife, are you in the bathroom?"
"No, wait till I finish my makeup."
"Uh..."
Black lines instantly appeared all over Zhang Hao's forehead.
Logically speaking, with Su Yuyan being this pretty, did she even need makeup?
"Wife, let me in first."
"No!"
A firm voice rang out, and Zhang Hao stopped urging her.
It seemed his wife wanted to present her most beautiful side to him.
After a few more minutes, the door finally swung open.
"Hu..."
Just as Zhang Hao started to greet her, he suddenly froze.
Su Yuyan looked breathtakingly gorgeous right now.
She was wearing an off-the-shoulder white dress that fully displayed her slender, graceful figure, with a cascade of black hair falling to her waist, and light makeup on her face—she looked simply like a fairy descending to earth.
"Wife, you look so gorgeous today!"
Hearing the praise, Su Yuyan felt a warm, sweet glow in her heart, but a look of displeasure crossed her face.
"Are you saying I wasn't pretty before?"
"No, you're pretty every day. Anyway, let me go check on the babies first."
With that, he walked quickly toward the bedroom.
A smile crept onto Su Yuyan's face.
She hadn't expected this big boy to have such a cute side to him.
Wah~
Right at that moment, a burst of crying suddenly rang out.
Chapter 18: Dabao Learned to Call Dad!
"Oh, the babies are awake!"
Su Yuyan hurried toward the bedroom.
Yet just halfway there, the crying abruptly stopped.
"Huh?"
Su Yuyan was slightly stunned.
When she stepped into the bedroom, a heartwarming scene met her eyes.
There was Zhang Hao pacing back and forth while holding Erbao, gently patting the baby's back with one hand.
Erbao's little head rested against Zhang Hao's shoulder, fast asleep, a small smile still lingering on its tiny face.
Su Yuyan said softly, "I'm going to make lunch. Call me if you need anything."
"Got it, wife."
"You!"
Su Yuyan stopped herself, shot Zhang Hao an indignant glare, and turned to leave.
Zhang Hao chuckled and went back to coaxing Erbao to sleep.
"Big white rabbit, white and cute, two long ears standing straight..."
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a scream rang out.
It was none other than Su Yuyan's voice.
Zhang Hao quickly set Erbao down on the bed and sprinted into the kitchen.
"What's wrong?"
He saw Su Yuyan standing in front of the cutting board, tightly gripping her other index finger, her delicate face etched with pain.
"It's nothing. I accidentally cut my finger while chopping vegetables."
"Let me see."
Zhang Hao strode over, pulled her hand away, and immediately frowned.
The cut was deep, a good two millimeters.
Blood was welling up and dripping onto the floor along her jade-white finger.
"You call a cut this deep nothing? Do you have iodine or rubbing alcohol at home?"
At the mention of alcohol, Su Yuyan was instantly terrified.
A cut didn't hurt much, but sterilizing it with alcohol would sting like crazy.
"N-no, I don't. I'll just put a Band-Aid on it."
Even though they had alcohol at home, she told him they didn't.
Because for a young woman, there were two main fears: ghosts and pain.
"Band-Aids won't work, you have to disinfect it with alcohol first."
Zhang Hao said with a serious expression, "If we don't have any, I'll go buy some."
With that, he turned to leave.
"Don't go."
Su Yuyan hurriedly called him back, and seeing his resolute look, she had no choice but to comply.
"We have alcohol at home. It's in the drawer under the coffee table in the living room."
"Then why did you say you didn't?"
"Because I'm scared of pain."
"Uh..."
Zhang Hao didn't say anything more and fetched the alcohol from the living room.
But just as he grabbed her delicate hand and prepared to disinfect the wound, she yanked it back.
"I'm scared of pain."
"It won't hurt. If we don't disinfect it and the wound gets infected, we'll have to go to the hospital, and that'll hurt even more."
"Really?"
"Of course, I'd be a puppy if I lied to you."
"Fine."
Seeing Su Yuyan turn her head away, Zhang Hao poured the alcohol straight onto the wound.
As the saying goes, a quick pain is better than a lingering one; using a cotton swab would hurt just as much, so he simply poured it right on.
Instantly, a wave of intense pain struck, assaulting Su Yuyan's nervous system.
"Ah..."
Just as she opened her little mouth to scream, no sound came out.
Because the babies were sleeping, and making too much noise would wake them up.
Yet Su Yuyan, currently suffering under the torture of pain, had to find a way to vent it.
So, she suddenly sank her teeth right into Zhang Hao's wrist.
Hiss~
Zhang Hao drew in a sharp breath of pain.
"Why are you biting me?"
Su Yuyan didn't answer because her mouth was currently occupied.
After a moment, feeling the pain subside, she finally let go.
Zhang Hao frowned slightly, "Wife, are you part dog?"
"No, I'm a horse."
"A horse? Then why are you biting people?"
"What do you mean?"
A look of puzzlement crossed Su Yuyan's face.
The next second, it suddenly dawned on her.
"Oh! So you were insulting me indirectly."
With that, she opened her mouth and lunged at Zhang Hao's arm.
"Stop messing around, I'm going to get a Band-Aid."
Seeing this, Zhang Hao quickly dodged and soon returned with a Band-Aid.
"Come here, let me put it on for you."
Zhang Hao peeled off the two strips of white paper attached to the adhesive and placed the Band-Aid over the wound.
When he looked at that deep gash once more, a pang of heartache hit him, and his expression grew solemn.
Su Yuyan's expression flickered, her gaze turning somewhat hazy.
For so long, this was the first time anyone had ever taken care of her.
Looking at the big boy in front of her, she suddenly felt a warmth spread through her heart.
"All set. You go watch the babies, I'll cook."
Su Yuyan gave a slight nod, "I'll have to trouble you then."
"We're husband and wife, what are you standing on ceremony with me for?"
"Hmph, who's husband and wife with you?"
...
Over an hour later.
After finishing breakfast and washing the dishes, Zhang Hao went into the bedroom.
Seeing the three cute babies sitting on the bed playing with toys, he immediately walked over with a smile.
"Babies, today we're going to keep practicing how to say Dad."
"Come on, look at my mouth: Da-ad..."
Although the three cute babies heard Zhang Hao's voice, not a single one paid him any attention; they were all absorbed in their toys.
Su Yuyan, sitting to one side, smiled and said, "You're too impatient. The babies are so little, how can you expect them to learn right away? When we taught them to say Mom, it took half a month for them to get it."
Zhang Hao smiled and nodded, looking fondly at the three babies.
"No rush. The babies are so smart, sooner or later they'll learn to call Dad."
Just as his voice trailed off, he suddenly heard Dabao speak.
"Da-ad..."
Hm?
Hearing those two syllables, Zhang Hao froze for a second, and then a look of pure joy spread across his face.
"Wife, did you hear that? Dabao just said Dad!"
Zhang Hao felt a wave of immense excitement in his heart.
This feeling was even better than when he bought his first sports car.
Back then, just to afford that sports car, he hadn't skipped a single class or gone to a bar for an entire month.
Through a month of bitter perseverance, he had finally won his mom and dad's approval.
But what he felt right now was completely different from back then.
Buying a sports car only satisfied his vanity.
Yet hearing Dabao call him Dad filled his heart with a profound sense of fulfillment, as if he possessed the entire world.
Right as Zhang Hao was bubbling with excitement, a system prompt suddenly rang in his mind.
"Ding: Congratulations to the host for teaching Dabao to call Dad. One hundred thousand reward funds have been credited."
"One hundred thousand? Isn't it three hundred thousand?"
Zhang Hao was a bit puzzled, but the next moment it dawned on him.
Because the task was to teach all three babies to call Dad.
Right now, he had only taught Dabao, so he only received a reward of one hundred thousand.
Was this system an accountant or something? It kept track of accounts with such precision.
"I heard it. The three babies are the same age and their learning abilities are about the same. Since Dabao has learned it, Erbao and Sanbao will be saying Dad soon too."
A gratified smile appeared on Su Yuyan's face.
Hearing that Dabao had learned to call Dad made her extremely happy as well.
Especially seeing Zhang Hao's excited reaction, she suddenly felt a warm sense of family.
At that moment, Zhang Hao remembered something, took out his phone from his pocket, and started tapping away.
Ding-dong~
A WeChat notification sound rang on Su Yuyan's phone.
"Huh? Who sent a message?"
"Today is Sunday and there's no need to prep for lessons, could something be going on at the school?"
Lost in thought, Su Yuyan swiped the screen to unlock it.
Opening WeChat, however, a look of sheer astonishment crossed her face.
"Zhang Hao! Why are you transferring money to me? And fifty thousand yuan at that!"
Zhang Hao smiled and said, "Aren't you a bit tight on cash right now? Take it and spend it!"
Su Yuyan knitted her delicate brows, "But don't you have no money either? Where did you get so much cash?"
"You didn't borrow it, did you? If you did, I absolutely cannot accept this!"
Chapter 19: Is This Guy Here Just for a Free Meal?
"I didn't borrow it, um... I won it in the lottery."
Zhang Hao casually made up an excuse.
Even though the money was a system reward, Su Yuyan certainly wouldn't believe him if he told the truth; she might even think he had delusions.
Su Yuyan looked skeptical, "Really? Didn't they say the lottery is all a scam?"
Zhang Hao smiled, "Of course it's real. I won the second prize—one hundred thousand after taxes. We'll split it fifty-fifty."
"Since we have money now, you don't have to go to work anymore. I'll support you and the babies, and give you both a happy life."
Su Yuyan was deeply moved upon hearing this.
However, she couldn't take Zhang Hao's money.
And she couldn't just give up her job either.
"Forget it, I'm transferring the money back to you. It's just too much."
"As for work, I'm a teaching assistant at the Normal University, it's not that tiring anyway."
"If you don't have time, it's fine too; we have a nanny to look after the babies. You can just drop by whenever you're done with classes."
As she spoke, she made to send the money back to Zhang Hao.
Right at that instant, her phone was snatched right out of her hand by Zhang Hao.
"Wife, if you keep this up, I'm going to get mad!"
Zhang Hao furrowed his brows, "You've been through thick and thin taking care of the babies all this time, I just want to make it up to you a little bit, is that so wrong?"
"I never said I didn't want to take care of the babies, I just don't want to see you working so hard."
"I'm the babies' dad, and you're their mom. Isn't it only natural that I support you?"
With that, he looked intently into Su Yuyan's eyes with a serious gaze.
Su Yuyan froze on the spot, a tight, choked feeling welling up in her chest.
It had been so long since she last experienced the feeling of someone caring for her.
Instantly, the vulnerability of a little woman welled up inside her.
Moved to the core, her eyes grew slightly damp and red.
Seeing this, Zhang Hao hurriedly said, "I'm sorry, wife, I was too impulsive just now, please don't cry."
Su Yuyan smiled and shook her head, using her hand to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes.
"No, I'm just crying because you touched me. It's all your fault for saying such sentimental things."
Hearing that, Zhang Hao burst into laughter, "I'm just speaking from the heart. Remember, you're my wife, and I'll take care of you for the rest of my life."
Su Yuyan didn't speak, her heart filled with immense comfort.
Before she knew it, a blush crept across her cheeks.
"Babble~"
A tender little sound rang out.
The three cute babies stopped playing with their toys and crawled toward Zhang Hao and Su Yuyan, smiles on their faces and drool at the corners of their mouths.
Su Yuyan picked up Dabao, who was closest to her, a radiant smile blooming on her face.
Zhang Hao opened his arms and scooped up Erbao and Sanbao together.
Feeling the babies' soft, tender cheeks pressed against his weathered face, his heart instantly melted into a puddle.
"Miaomiao, Jingjing, your big sister Xinxin already knows how to call Dad, you two need to work harder."
"Come on, look at my mouth: Da-ad..."
...
The morning passed in a flash, and before they knew it, noon arrived.
"Wife, what do you want for lunch?"
Before heading out to buy groceries, Zhang Hao asked Su Yuyan with a smile.
Since he was setting up his stall in the afternoon, he needed to get the ingredients prepped in advance.
Su Yuyan, who was keeping an eye on the kids, replied, "Anything is fine."
"No way, you have to name a specific dish."
"Hmm... then let's have Big Plate Chicken."
Su Yuyan named her absolute favorite dish.
"You got it."
Zhang Hao walked out the door and headed to the vegetable market to pick out ingredients.
An hour later.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Wife, help open the door."
"Coming."
Hearing the voice, Su Yuyan hurried over to the living room door.
But when she opened it, she froze in surprise.
"How come you bought so much meat today?"
Zhang Hao's hands were full of raw meat, along with plenty of whole dressed chickens and pig trotters.
Though there were some vegetables, they were pitifully few.
Zhang Hao explained with a smile, "Because meat dishes sell for more and have a higher profit margin, I'm making more of those."
"Oh."
Su Yuyan gave a slight nod and said with a chuckle, "I never knew you had such a head for business, not bad at all."
"Thanks for the compliment, wife."
Zhang Hao joked, carrying the ingredients into the kitchen.
Su Yuyan followed him inside.
"The babies are all sleeping, I'll help you prep."
"No need, it's rare for you to have a day off, I can handle it myself."
"It's fine."
Before Zhang Hao could say another word, she started pitching in.
Zhang Hao stopped trying to talk her out of it, feeling a deep sense of happiness at that moment.
As the saying goes, a mixed team makes light work; in less than an hour, all the raw meat had been chopped up and left to marinate.
Marinating was a must for the flavors to fully sink in.
"Alright, wife, go take a rest, I'll handle the cooking."
"Mn, then I'll leave you to your hard work."
"Call me husband and it won't be hard work anymore."
"Be... be a good boy now."
Su Yuyan shot Zhang Hao a reproachful glare, then turned and walked out of the kitchen.
Zhang Hao chuckled and set to work making lunch.
...
Time flew by, and the afternoon arrived in the blink of an eye.
Seeing that the time was right, Zhang Hao decided it was time to set up his stall.
"Wife, I'm heading out to run the stall. Take care of the babies at home and call me if anything comes up."
"Mn, I'll bring the babies over to find you later."
"No need, it's overcast today and a bit chilly outside, don't let the babies catch a cold."
"Alright then, we'll wait for you at home."
"Okee-dokee!"
Zhang Hao flashed an OK sign and headed out with his stall setup.
However, no sooner had he displayed his dozen or so dishes than seven or eight old men and women suddenly crowded around him.
"Young man, why are you setting up so late today? We've been waiting for ages!"
"Where are those four cute babies of yours? Why didn't you bring them along?"
"Young man, do you live in this apartment complex? Can you set up your stall here every day?"
...
Faced with the barrage of questions, Zhang Hao responded with a smile.
"I had quite a few more meat dishes today, so prep took a little longer."
"The babies are at home with my wife. It's chilly outside, so I didn't bring them out."
"I live right in this complex, and I'll be setting up every afternoon with a different menu each day."
The elderly folks nodded with smiles and began picking out the dishes they liked.
"Give me two pig trotters."
"You've got roast chicken today too? Give me one."
"Well, I'll take a roast chicken as well."
"Give me an order of shredded pork in Beijing sauce and an order of braised pork belly."
...
Zhang Hao listened as he packed the dishes into takeout containers.
After those seniors left, a queue of other people lined up to buy food.
Before long, well over half of his stock was gone.
"Not bad, things are selling fast today. The sooner I sell out, the sooner I can go home for dinner."
With that thought, he began to hawk his goods.
"Step right up, don't miss out! Freshly cooked delicacies, free samples available! If it doesn't taste good, it's free!"
As soon as his voice fell, a middle-aged man with a big head and a thick neck swaggered over.
The man frowned and asked, "Young man, can these dishes really be sampled for free?"
Zhang Hao smiled, "Of course, if it doesn't taste good, it's free."
"Hmph, let me try then."
The man nodded, but once he picked up a pair of chopsticks, he actually began tasting every single dish on offer.
Seeing this, Zhang Hao frowned.
Sure, it was free tasting, but who tries every single dish?
Is this guy here just for a free meal?
Chapter 20: He's My Husband!
"Hey, is that any way to taste test? How am I supposed to sell these?"
Displeasure written all over his face, Zhang Hao glared at him.
If this guy was just here to pick a fight, he'd just beat the crap out of him.
At that moment, the man finished sampling every single dish, a look of profound amazement spreading across his face.
"Young man, did you cook all these dishes yourself?"
"Are you going to buy anything or not?!"
"If you cooked them yourself, I'll buy."
"Are you deliberately trying to pick a fight?!"