Chapter 15

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The Tea God, drenched from the rain, filled the car with the scent of tea. Bai Qingyu could still maintain control over himself, but the little one was oblivious and needed his father’s magic to keep him in check.

Bai Xiaochai could sense the faint presence of his father and rested his cheek against Bai Qingyu’s chest. He couldn’t help but comment, “Smells so good, Dad.”

The young driver said, “It’s green tea-scented car perfume, quite pleasant, isn’t it? I gave it to Professor Jiang. By the way, I’m Xu Zhao—Zhao as in edict.”

Bai Qingyu raised his brow slightly, realizing he could also carry a green tea sachet. That way, he wouldn’t be caught out smelling like tea after getting caught in the rain.

The warm air inside the car quickly dried Bai Xiaochai’s short hair, making it soft and fluffy again.

Twenty minutes later, Bai Qingyu arrived at an old residential complex. Because of the rain, the elderly lady hadn’t let the hen out today; it was locked inside, and the flower beds were empty.

Xu Zhao was the first to get out, taking an umbrella from the front passenger seat before opening the rear door to shelter the father and son from the rain.

As Bai Qingyu stepped out, he looked back and noticed his wet clothes had soaked the seat. “Sorry about that.”

“No worries. It’ll dry soon.” Xu Zhao, familiar with the place, pulled out a key to unlock the security gate on the first floor. After Bai Qingyu went inside, he returned to the trunk, closed the umbrella, and effortlessly dragged the trash bin out of the car, carrying it up a few steps. “I’ll leave it here. Your uncle and aunt should be inside watching the morning news. Just knock on the door.”

Bai Qingyu asked, “Aren’t you coming in?”

Xu Zhao smiled and said, “I can only go in once your aunt stops raising chickens.”

Bai Qingyu guessed Xu Zhao, like He Renyuan, might have a cleanliness obsession and didn’t want to share a room with the hen. He nodded in understanding. “Then drive carefully.”

Bai Qingyu closed the door and set Bai Xiaochai down.

The elderly lady came out upon hearing the noise and saw the drenched father and son in the living room. “Oh my,” she exclaimed, “Go change your clothes. I tidied this room; take a look and see if it’s okay.”

Bai Xiaochai stood close to his father’s feet and said politely, “Grandpa, Grandma.”

The old man came out a step behind. He hadn’t been home last time and hadn’t seen the nanny Jiang Libo had hired, who was said to be accompanied by a child—a so-called “nationally designated grandson.” He knew exactly what that brat’s intentions were.

Other people’s kids were other people’s kids... The old man lifted his reading glasses and, through the lenses, saw a well-behaved little one. Hmm... maybe having him as family wouldn’t be so bad.

“Go change so you don’t catch a cold. Have you eaten breakfast?”

Bai Xiaochai replied politely, “Grandpa, I have. I ate a bun.”

Bai Qingyu took Bai Xiaochai into the nanny’s bedroom and wheeled in the stroller. This unit was a twenty-year-old work housing with three bedrooms and two living rooms; the guest room was small, less than a third the size of the guest room in He Renyuan’s villa.

There was a one-and-a-half-meter bed, a row of wardrobes, and a large trash bin in the corner, leaving barely any space.

On this gloomy, rainy day, greenery outside the window made the first-floor lighting dim, but Bai Xiaochai could openly bask in the sun outdoors later.

...

He Renyuan returned home soaked, unusually showing signs of despair.

The butler had only seen him in such a state once, right after He Renyuan fell off a cliff and woke up. Back then, though, he still had the ruthless drive to take revenge on the law firm partners, tearing down the firm he had built from sleepless nights and countless lawsuits.

That law firm was his three years of hard work, a shining reputation.

But once it was sullied, he refused to look at it. Only someone as ruthless as He Renyuan could both pick up and put down like that.

His current state clearly showed he hadn’t let go. The butler didn’t dare ask why he hadn’t caught up.

“Master, have breakfast.”

He Renyuan sat like a walking corpse, soaked through without feeling it. He grabbed a steamed bun, and suddenly the image of that little one eating a bun appeared in his mind, and Bai Qingyu throwing uneaten green dumplings into his bowl.

Without Bai Qingyu’s chatter in his ear, the meal was strangely quiet.

He Renyuan glanced over the butler, Li Ru Li Yuan, Jiang Mengmeng, Sister Liu, and others. How had he never realized before that half of these six people were mute, and the rest barely spoke?

The mute sisters were quietly signing to each other—clearly the safest way to communicate at the moment.

He Renyuan said, “Jiang Mengmeng, translate.”

Jiang Mengmeng was suddenly called on and stammered, unable to speak. She was socially anxious and even more afraid to translate the whispered conversations of the mute sisters in front of her boss.

Without the little master’s replacement baby around, she hadn’t yet built up the courage.

He Renyuan waited patiently for three seconds, then left the bun and went upstairs.

The butler said, “It’s nothing serious. Once Bai Qingyu returns, everything will be fine.”

Sister Liu asked, “Qingyu will come back?”

The butler was confident. “I have his contact. Once I find out where he’s working next, I’ll try to poach him.”

The situation was still unclear, and the master was stubborn. Once he knew Bai Qingyu’s new job, they could offer higher pay and benefits to lure him back—he believed He Ying was willing to pay.

After a moment, the butler took out some tea leaves Bai Qingyu had roasted and brewed a hot cup of tea.

Just as he brought it upstairs, He Renyuan finished showering and came out. He smelled the tea but didn’t lift his eyes. “Don’t drink it.”

Butler: “It’s tea roasted by Bai Qingyu.”

He Renyuan: “...Leave it.”

Butler: “You should drink more hot water.”

He Renyuan rubbed his forehead. “Don’t act on your own. I don’t need him back as a nanny.”

The butler froze. So that meant no poaching?

“Then should I still ask where Bai Qingyu is working?”

He Renyuan stayed silent. The butler understood he would ask, but only talk after knowing the answer.

He Renyuan picked up the tea, didn’t drink it, and examined it closely. What was Bai Qingyu’s magic? Why was even his roasted tea so extraordinary?

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Unconsciously, he ascended to the third floor. Everything here had been cleaned by Bai Qingyu: the floors spotless, the ugly bed sheets removed to reveal natural wood beneath.

A coat was hung out on the balcony to dry. He Renyuan, as if finding an excuse to meet an ex after a breakup, opened the balcony door. When he saw the coat, his mind froze.

It wasn’t a coat Bai Qingyu had forgotten; it was his.

Bai Qingyu had actually picked up the coat He Renyuan had thrown in the trash, hand-washed it, and hung it to dry here.

The coat, the tie... the tie couldn’t be washed, and after washing, it was wrinkled like homemade pickled vegetables hung out to dry.

He even picked things out of the trash? Bai Qingyu must be clueless... Then again, he had treated his own son like a stray kitten left in a bin.

He Renyuan recalled the scene at the bus stop and felt a heavy weight in his chest as if he were the true culprit behind it all.

He hadn’t even fired Bai Qingyu. Judging from the butler’s reaction, Bai Qingyu must have planned to run away all along.

Ding—

A WeChat notification popped up. He Renyuan unlocked his screen and saw a message from his father.

[He Wangzhong]: [Picture]

He Renyuan opened the photo. It was a screenshot from someone’s social media, titled “Cleaner and Father.”

He closed his eyes. What a small world—his own father stabbing him in the back too.

[He Renyuan]: ?

[He Wangzhong]: Even a one-year-old child knows to help Dad push the trash bin in the rain. When I cook, you don’t even help me tighten the gas cylinder.

[He Renyuan]: It’s different. You didn’t bring me to work.

[He Wangzhong]: Now it’s the same. Your father’s cooking career is just starting, and I’m taking you along.

[He Renyuan]: So if you want to be a chef, I have to be a monkey?

[He Wangzhong]: What chef, what monkey? This is fatherly love. You probably can’t even conceive of fatherly love.

[He Renyuan]: Genetic deficiency.

[He Wangzhong]: Typing...

[He Wangzhong]: Nonsense. I’m just waiting to see how your bad temper makes you a dad. Hmph. Don’t be worse than me!

[He Renyuan]: Still dreaming of being a grandfather.

[He Wangzhong]: [Explosion emoji]

*

After settling in, Bai Qingyu said, “Tomorrow I’ll take the day off and bring Tea Treasure to visit some kindergartens.”

Mrs. Jiang was puzzled. “Isn’t one and a half a bit early for kindergarten?”

Bai Qingyu recalled what Zhang Xiujuan said: “Not early. Two years old is a crucial stage.”

Since he was working as a nanny at the Jiang household and responsible for cooking, and their kitchen was semi-open, Bai Xiaochai might crawl in unexpectedly and get splattered by hot oil.

He planned to send Bai Xiaochai to a half-day nursery class: drop off at ten in the morning, pick up at three in the afternoon. That way, he could prepare a proper lunch and tidy the house, even clean the henhouse.

Mrs. Jiang said, “The two of us are free and can watch Tea Treasure. Or you don’t have to cook, and we can order takeout.”

Mr. Jiang agreed, “Don’t rush. You need to carefully consider the kindergarten. Kids don’t speak up if they get bullied.”

Bai Qingyu appreciated their kindness but said firmly—

“I’m a nanny to get Tea Treasure into a city kindergarten.”

Mrs. Jiang gasped, surprised by Bai Qingyu’s intense dedication. Thinking of how poor kids grow up fast, she expressed understanding. “There are many kindergartens near our community. Enrollment is low this year, so it should be easy to get a spot. Pick a nearby one, even if it’s expensive. Grandma supports Tea Treasure’s education.”

Bai Qingyu: “Thank you, Auntie. I will choose carefully.”

The next day, Bai Qingyu took Tea Treasure to inspect kindergartens around the neighborhood. His priority: a large outdoor activity space.

After looking around, only Apple Kindergarten had a big outdoor area and was affordable—three thousand a month. The facilities were sparse and outdated, but that wasn’t a big problem. Bai Xiaochai could dig holes and play for hours.

He contacted the principal, who came out with a young teacher. Both shook their heads at Bai Xiaochai’s size. “Too young. Come back next semester.”

Bai Qingyu hurriedly said, “He can eat by himself and say when he needs to go to the bathroom. He has at least the intelligence of a three-year-old.”

“Really?” The principal was skeptical but interested. Enrollment was low, and the kindergarten was close to shutting down. They wanted more students but worried about the extra work a younger child would mean for the teachers.

“Just in time for lunch. Have him eat independently and we’ll see.”

“Okay.”

The kindergarten’s meals were simple and easy to digest. Bai Xiaochai, asleep in his father’s arms, woke upon smelling the food and ate when he saw the meal.

The principal and teacher were stunned the moment Bai Xiaochai lifted his face. In all their years, they had never seen such an adorable child. Just looking at him made their hearts melt.

Even more surprising, the little one ate more attentively and skillfully than the other three-year-olds in the cafeteria.

He even wiped his mouth afterward.

Bai Qingyu asked, “May he enroll?”

The principal and teacher exchanged looks, delighted. “Yes, yes.”

The principal said, “Teacher Zhou, please get the enrollment contract and paperwork.”

The contract was about tuition and insurance, and the forms collected basic family information.

Bai Qingyu discovered that children’s enrollment even involved investigating the parents’ education levels!

He honestly wrote “illiterate” for himself and “nanny” for his workplace.

“You can write ‘middle or high school’ if you didn’t attend university,” Teacher Zhou advised.

“I didn’t go to any,” Bai Qingyu replied.

“Elementary school?”

“...”

Seeing the large blank space on the form, Teacher Zhou carefully asked, “What about the child’s mother?”

“Single parent,” Bai Qingyu answered.

“Who else is the emergency contact besides you?”

Bai Qingyu scrolled through his phone and finally put down the butler Qi Yun’s number.

Teacher Zhou noticed he had only five contacts in his phone and looked surprised.

“Mr. Bai Xiaochai’s father, you can follow our Apple Kindergarten’s official account. We post daily parenting tips and updates.”

“What’s an official account?” Bai Qingyu asked, again revealing his ignorance.

Teacher Zhou took Bai Qingyu’s phone, followed the account, and added him to the “Apple 001 Little Saplings Class Group.”

“All set. You can bring Bai Xiaochai to school tomorrow. Here’s the list of items he’ll need: spare clothes, shoes, a little nap blanket, etc.”

Bai Qingyu spent a small fortune on a nap blanket and smiled, “Baby, from tomorrow on, you’ll be a highly educated baby.”

Higher than Dad is still higher.

“You’ll definitely find a good job someday.” Bai Qingyu couldn’t help but think of He Renyuan—lawyers earn well, right? If only Bai Xiaochai could become a lawyer too.

Having accomplished a major task, Bai Qingyu happily held Bai Xiaochai’s hand and headed back, only to find a crowd gathered, cheering and clapping.

Curious about human bustle, they squeezed into a spot.

“Baby, it’s an acrobat troupe.”

No one knew where this troupe came from, but they had good relations with the property management and were allowed to perform on a vacant lot inside the complex. Two performers stacked into a human pyramid, flipped, and after warming up the crowd, released a parrot from a cage.

The parrot was trained to fly based on whistle commands and would land on audience members’ hands.

“Want the parrot to fly to your hand?” the troupe leader said cheerfully.

Bai Xiaochai shouted excitedly, “Yes—oh!”

The leader said, “This parrot is smart. If you hold up money, the parrot will fly to whoever shows the largest amount.”

Bai Xiaochai called, “Daddy!”

Bai Qingyu took a bill from his pocket and handed Bai Xiaochai a hundred-yuan note. Last time, he told Bai Xiaochai not to play with sparrows; this time, he had to make up for it.

Bai Xiaochai lifted it excitedly, waiting for the parrot to fly over.

Surprisingly, only Bai Xiaochai held up cash. Bai Qingyu was puzzled but soon understood: most people don’t carry cash these days.

Better that way—Bai Xiaochai’s chances of interaction increased.

The parrot flew straight to Bai Xiaochai and then snatched the money from his hand.

It quickly darted back into the troupe leader’s box, emerging with no money in its beak.

Bai Xiaochai stared at his empty hand, puzzled. “Where did the money go?”

Bai Qingyu was speechless.

Father and son, unable to produce a kindergarten diploma, could only exchange helpless looks. Bai Qingyu sensed the amused gazes of the crowd, as if they were looking at fools.

Bai Xiaochai understood a hundred yuan was a lot. Grandpa Deng had to sell many eggs to earn just one.

“Daddy, where did the money go?”

Bai Qingyu answered, “Because… because the little bird was hungry and took the money to buy food.”

Bai Xiaochai nodded, “The little bird eats a lot.”

Bai Qingyu hugged his son tightly. “Baby, the outside world is pretty dangerous.”

Outside the crowd, He Renyuan, who witnessed the whole money-snatching process, was speechless.

Bai Qingyu really could make people angry. He was more upset about this than losing a lawsuit.

If Bai Qingyu hadn’t called the butler to inform him while filling out the emergency contact, He Renyuan wouldn’t have even known Bai Qingyu was registering Bai Xiaochai for kindergarten.

He had just happened to be nearby, came to check the kindergarten environment, and make sure Bai Qingyu wasn’t being too frugal and worrying Uncle Qi.

Bai Qingyu glanced and saw his former boss. His cheeks warmed. As a shrewd lawyer, He Renyuan surely hadn’t been conned out of money.

Bai Qingyu tried to pretend not to see him, quietly backed away, and left low-key, but suddenly his wrist was grabbed.

He Renyuan said, “You’re so good with words—why don’t you argue back now?”

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