Chapter 11

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Butler: "Are you really not staying? What are your plans then?"

Bai Qingyu: "I want to switch to a different industry." He didn’t mention that he wanted to work as a nanny for an old couple who raised chickens in the countryside. That offer definitely wouldn’t be as good as the He family’s, and telling the butler would only make him worry more and try to persuade him to stay.

So, switching industries it is.

The butler was momentarily speechless. True, Bai Qingyu came from the countryside, but he was literate, intelligent, and knowledgeable about tea. Changing to a more respectable job than a nanny wouldn’t be difficult.

Keeping Bai Qingyu, so young, as a nanny in the He household would only stifle his ambition—such selfishness disguised as “for your own good” was unjustifiable.

Besides, they wouldn’t never see each other again.

The butler immediately gave up persuading him: "When we last counted the tea leaves, I noticed you know the varieties like the back of your hand. If you want to work in tea, I can write you a recommendation letter. I often help the young master buy tea and have some connections."

He Renyuan had invested heavily in tea-related businesses—tea shops, tea houses, he almost owned a whole tea plantation.

Bai Qingyu thought for a moment. Such a proper job usually wouldn’t allow bringing a child along, so being a nanny was still better.

"I want to rest for a while, Uncle Qi. Thank you."

[Rest? Someone as diligent as Bai Qingyu wants to rest? Is it because he’s still adjusting to his first job, or is it the mental pressure from the young master frequently coming home and causing trouble about hiding the child?] The butler immediately suspected the latter and felt sorry for Bai Qingyu. He had been fine when he first arrived; the young master only came home once a month.

"You’ve taken great care of the tea plants in the garden, finishing three months’ worth of a gardener’s work in just a few days. The third floor is spotless. There’s nothing much to do at home, so I’ll give you some time off. Before your next job starts, take Chaobao out and have some fun."

Bai Qingyu still felt responsible, but Baixiaocha was carefree: "Daddy, let’s go play."

"Alright then, thank you, Uncle Qi."

Bai Qingyu was already thinking about applying for jobs. What if a fellow countryman who liked raising chickens also applied for the nanny position? If the competitor didn’t bring a child along, Bai Qingyu wouldn’t have any advantage.

"Speed is of the essence, Chaobao, let’s go."

"Let’s go!"

Bai Qingyu, who mostly relied on public transportation, had already gotten a bus and subway card early on, enjoying a 10% discount on fares.

After several transfers, he arrived at the target neighborhood. The employer was easy to find—there was only one household raising chickens in the entire community, and the security guard at the entrance knew immediately when asked.

"First floor of Building A12? You’re here to apply as a nanny?" The guard sized Bai Qingyu up and down. It was his first time seeing such a young man applying as a nanny. "Being their nanny is tough. You have to clean the chicken coop every day. If you’re late, the neighbors complain. On the surface, the owners are an elderly couple, but actually, the whole neighborhood is connected to them. The last nanny couldn’t take it."

Bai Qingyu cautiously said, "I’ll take a look first."

"Uncle, my dad wants to look first." Baixiaocha clung to his father’s back.

Only then did the guard look seriously at the little one, struck by his cuteness. No wonder the young man wanted to be a live-in nanny—he was raising a child.

"Go have a look. The professor’s son is home today."

As Bai Qingyu approached Building A12, he saw a small flower bed outside the first-floor window where three hens strolled leisurely. A refined man of about thirty-five, wearing rain boots, was washing the chicken coop with a hose.

Judging by the smell and the clean gaps in the floorboards, the coop was cleaned frequently—some cat owners’ homes smelled worse.

Bai Qingyu stood quietly outside the flower bed, observing, not making a move. Baixiaocha’s sharp eyes spotted a white, round egg in the chicken nest.

“Daddy, there’s an egg,” he whispered.

Bai Qingyu lingered a while before an elderly woman came out carrying a basin of grains. She softly called the hens, scattering some corn kernels.

The man washing the coop laughed bitterly: "I haven’t had a sip of water since I started. Treating the chickens and ducks like sons, and the son like a workhorse."

The elderly woman glanced at him: "Hens can lay eggs, can you?"

The man was speechless: "You just can’t stand that my wife and I are childfree and keep teasing me."

Without a nanny and afraid of neighbor complaints, the man had to clean the coop twice a day. His parents were too old to enter the coop for fear of tripping.

The elderly woman chuckled: "Childfree? You just can’t have kids."

Bai Qingyu and Baixiaocha looked utterly bewildered.

“Daddy, what’s childfree?”

“I don’t know.”

As the elderly woman turned back inside, she noticed Bai Qingyu and, mistaking him for a neighbor, said to her son: "Hurry up, it’s stinking up the place."

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The man took a deep breath, muttering to himself: "It doesn’t stink."

The fermented bedding in the coop was something he had searched high and low for, both domestically and abroad. It effectively masked the odor.

"It doesn’t stink, Grandma," Baixiaocha shouted loudly enough for her to hear indoors.

"And who are you?" the man asked Bai Qingyu, who had not moved.

Bai Qingyu said, "I heard you’re hiring a nanny. I’m here to see if I’m a good fit."

The man was incredulous: "You? You can handle cleaning the coop twice daily, and at night or when it storms, catch the hens and keep them indoors? You’d live right next door."

Most young people would rather deliver food than do this job.

Bai Qingyu: "Isn’t that basic chicken raising? But my situation is special—I have a child with me."

Baixiaocha, sensible, peeked out from behind his father’s back: "Hello, uncle."

The man pointed at the child behind him: "You mean you want to bring him to live here?"

Bai Qingyu nodded, thinking the man was probably reluctant. After all, the elderly woman’s chicken raising was already enough to deal with; adding a child would only complicate things.

The man threw down the hose excitedly, stepped out of the coop, and took off his rain boots. "Why didn’t I think of this sooner? Mom, your broad-minded grandson is here, come see!"

"I’m Jiang Libo. What’s your name?"

"I’m Bai Qingyu. This is my son, Baixiaocha."

Jiang Libo explained: "My mom isn’t very accepting of her son being gay and still hopes for a grandson. You fitting this image perfectly meets her mental needs. Feel free to live here. I’ll pay you 15,000 yuan a month. If the baby keeps her happy and she stops dreaming of other grandsons, I’ll give the baby another 5,000 yuan."

His words came so fast Bai Qingyu only caught the last part about Baobao’s salary.

Is the human world really so strange? Child labor is forbidden one moment, and everyone wants to hire Baobao the next.

Bai Qingyu: "You can’t put Baobao’s name on the contract."

Just then, the elderly woman came out, dizzy with anger: "I only want a grandson in the narrow sense—"

She caught sight of Baixiaocha on Bai Qingyu’s back.

Uh.

The dream grandson.

Jiang Libo, seeing his “grandson strategy” working, said jokingly, "If there’s a grandson, we can’t raise chickens anymore. It’s unsanitary and prone to infection."

"No way!" The elderly woman, Bai Qingyu, and Baixiaocha all said in unison.

Jiang Libo: "..."

Bai Qingyu: "If you don’t raise chickens, I won’t work for you."

Jiang Libo: "..."

The elderly woman looked especially favorably upon Bai Qingyu after hearing that.

Jiang Libo: "Then... let’s sign a contract."

Bai Qingyu shook his head: "My contract with the previous family doesn’t end until this weekend. I’ll sign then."

He couldn’t have two bosses at once—it wouldn’t be honest.

Baixiaocha kept staring longingly at the egg in the nest and finally couldn’t help but ask: "Uncle, can I help you collect eggs?"

Jiang Libo: "Sure."

Bai Qingyu set Baixiaocha down: "Be careful, the floor is wet."

Excited, Baixiaocha ran over and squatted by the nest, picking up the egg, which was still warm. He held it out to Grandma Jiang: "Grandma, your egg."

She took it and then gave it back to Baixiaocha: "Here, you take it home and eat it."

Jiang Libo pulled out a ready-made contract, filled in the salary and start date: "I might not be home next week. Fill out the contract and give a copy to my mom. Let’s exchange numbers and see you next week?"

Bai Qingyu pressed his lips, pocketed the contract, feeling pleased to have found a job on his own merit: "Alright."

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On the way back, Baixiaocha adored the egg. His hands were too small to hold it fully, so he cupped it in his palm, eyes wide and fixated, afraid it might slip and fall.

Bai Qingyu laughed: "Let me hold it for a bit."

Baixiaocha entrusted the egg to the dependable adult: "Thank you, Daddy."

The subway arrived at the interchange between Line 5 and Line 9. Line 9 connected to the airport, so many passengers changed trains here.

As the doors opened, several people with luggage entered.

One man pushed his trolley right in front of Bai Qingyu and Baixiaocha.

Bai Qingyu picked up the little one onto his lap: "Please sit."

"Thank you."

The man sat down and placed a bag on his lap, which emitted a rich, bitter aroma of beans.

Baixiaocha pressed close to his father’s ear and whispered: "Daddy, what’s that nice smell in uncle’s bag?"

Bai Qingyu had taught him not to ask directly about others’ food, as it might seem like begging.

The baby didn’t eat, so he just asked.

Bai Qingyu, unable to identify anything beyond tea by smell, said: "Daddy doesn’t know either."

Baixiaocha’s voice wasn’t low enough. The man beside them overheard and smiled: "That’s coffee beans I just bought in Yunnan. I saw them picked, dried, and hulled myself. Do you drink coffee?"

Bai Qingyu was surprised: "No."

The man wanted to give some beans but, hearing Bai Qingyu’s answer, instead took out a branch with cherry-like fruits: "Then here, have this coffee fruit to play with."

The “cherry” was the coffee fruit in its original form; the beans were its seeds.

Baixiaocha reached out, then remembered something and clenched his finger into a fist: "Is it free?"

The man laughed: "If it’s a gift, it’s free."

Baixiaocha: "Thank you, uncle."

Back home, Bai Qingyu placed the coffee fruit on the table and sat facing the little one, educating him: "This is the coffee bean baby. It’s our rival."

Oh?!

Baixiaocha looked at the coffee beans on the table.

Bai Qingyu: "Many people used to drink tea, but now, when adults at work are tired, they tend to drink coffee. Young people prefer coffee to wake up."

Baixiaocha heard the seriousness in his father’s tone.

So the little tea god also stared at the coffee beans as if facing a formidable enemy.

If Jiang Mengmeng were here, she would nervously train him to hold a gaze that resembled the boss’s to a striking degree.

"Subway uncle likes coffee," the little tea god counted on one finger.

Bai Qingyu: "Yes."

Baixiaocha counted two fingers: "The chicken-raising uncle drinks coffee too."

He smelled the coffee bean scent on Jiang Libo.

Bai Qingyu: "Right."

Does everyone prefer coffee beans now?

After thinking for a moment, Baixiaocha’s eyes lit up: "Boss uncle doesn’t drink coffee!"

“Daddy, boss uncle is a good person.”

Baixiaocha clasped his head with both hands: "I want to give all my hair to boss uncle!"

Bai Qingyu: "That’s really not necessary, baby."