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Chapter 10: birth certificate
Did the sun and the moon come out together today?
─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───
Qin Feng pretended to be profound and shook his head. "No, no."
"Am I wrong again?"
Qin Feng nodded.
The factory director was so angry that he wanted to punch him in the face.
Qin Feng dared not joke around, saying, "Foreigners know how to play."
"Have you become a foreign citizen?" the factory director asked gruffly.
Qin Feng replied, "A person is influenced by the company they keep—those who are near vermilion will turn red, those near ink will turn black."
The factory director choked.
Gu Wuyi quickly tugged at his new father's sleeve.
—Don't joke around at this critical moment.
The factory director noticed the small gesture and was unexpectedly surprised. This child not only cared about Qin Feng, but also dared to pull him, showing they were close and that the child was doing well in the Qin family.
Qin Feng didn't mind raising someone else's child, so it was clear he would never abandon his own biological son. So the little monk was really a plot by the child's mother, and had changed their mind after returning to the country?
The factory director asked, "You really didn't know before?"
Qin Feng thought for a moment. "Children don't lie. Miaomiao, tell this old man—"
"You're the old man!"
Qin Feng said, "You're two years older than my dad."
The factory director had nothing more to say.
"Miaomiao, did your Daddy know you existed before?"
The child shook their head, obediently saying, "Master said he didn't know, and Miaomiao can't blame Daddy."
The factory director, hearing the soft voice and seeing the child's obedient look, couldn't quite believe it. "Such a well-behaved child is really your son?"
Before Qin Feng could say anything, the child nodded vigorously.
The little bald head lowered, and the factory director's eyes hurt from the sharp motion—How could his mother bear to see such a good child become a little monk.
He should praise her for daring to have a child out of wedlock and plot against Qin Feng.
As the factory director thought this, something seemed off. "If you can control yourself, who could possibly calculate against you?"
Qin Feng smiled.
The factory director, confused, asked, "Is that funny?"
"If a woman says that, it wouldn't be funny because they don't understand men. Director, leader, as men yourselves, don't you know how easy men are to tempt?" Qin Feng replied.
The factory director wanted to beat him to death.
At this moment, he finally understood why someone as good-natured as Teacher Qin would frequently lose his temper when dealing with him, almost as if he had a mood disorder.
Qin Feng continued, "Not to mention, I don't have a partner, so I don't have to worry about moral and conscience guilt. And the other party is a beauty."
"Foreign countries are so advanced, I don't believe they don't have contraceptives."
Qin Feng said the scumbag's words, "It's not like I have to give birth."
The factory director choked for a moment and couldn't hold back, grabbing the chair in front of the desk to throw it.
But before he could lift it, both boys grabbed his hands.
The factory director looked around, each of them looking more concerned than the other. Then he thought of the old engineer Gu and couldn't help but soften his heart. "You two don't seem like your heartless parents, you’re more like Old Gu."
Gu Wuyi nodded frantically. "For Grandpa’s sake, let’s not argue with Uncle."
"What does your grandpa have to do with him?" The factory director asked on purpose.
Gu Wuyi thought for a moment. "He's Grandpa’s disciple, and he's also our father."
The word "father" startled the factory director, who couldn’t help but glance at Qin Feng.
—What’s going on here?
The two boys, seeing the director’s reaction, felt their hearts jump to their throats, yet they didn’t know why they were so nervous.
Qin Feng said, "They're all my sons, living under the same roof. Miaomiao can't call me 'Dad' while they call me 'Uncle.' People who don’t know the truth would wonder what’s going on. So I had them change their way of calling me, and now they all call me 'Dad' just like Miaomiao."
With a thud, the two boys' hearts finally settled, though they were still surprised.
The factory director, however, misunderstood, thinking the boys hadn’t expected Qin Feng to be truthful with him. "Did you agree to this voluntarily?"
Qin Feng smiled.
The factory director gave him a stern look. "Be serious. Wuyi, tell the truth, Grandpa will stand up for you."
Gu Wuyi quickly said, "We’ve always wanted to call him that. Don’t look at Uncle Qin—don’t look at my dad like he’s never been a father or is still a bachelor," he glanced at Qin Feng as he said this.
Qin Feng raised an eyebrow.
—Boy, just wait for me!
Seeing no anger from Qin Feng, Gu Wuyi felt relieved and boldly continued, "He's more like a father than many actual fathers."
The factory director looked Qin Feng up and down, genuinely surprised.
Qin Feng proudly stated, "I have a PhD!"
The factory director was helpless but wanted to laugh. "I’ll write you a certificate when we get back. From now on—"
"Just this once," Qin Feng promised.
The factory director asked, "Are you sure?"
"Can I really fall into the same trap twice?"
The factory director nodded. "I’ll trust you for now. What about the blind date this weekend…?"
"Of course, it’s canceled. If the district chief’s daughter is going to be a stepmother, I’m sure you don’t want to get mixed up in that," Qin Feng replied.
The factory director gave him a mock glare. "You just wait! After the new train experiment, I’ll deal with you."
"Take care, no need to see me off!"
The factory director hurried down the stairs.
Gu Wuyi nervously tugged at him. "Is the factory director mad?"
Qin Feng shook his head. "He had to pee urgently."
"Huh?"
The two brother were stunned.
Qin Feng explained, "I called him from the public bathroom door." He then tucked his son into the blanket. "Miaomiao, let your brothers help you with your clothes. Daddy will go check if the porridge is ready."
Gu Wuyi waved his hand and told him to go quickly.
The pot lid was tightly sealed. The porridge overflowing wasn’t a big deal, but the concern was that the steamed buns might get soggy and inedible.
Downstairs, Qin Feng quickly washed his hands and headed straight for the kitchen.
The pot was steaming. Fortunately, he arrived in time before it overflowed. He lifted the lid a little to let it breathe. Then he burned the letter the old monk had written to him, reducing it to ashes.
Qin Feng was busy with work and couldn’t handle everything personally. By the time the three children came downstairs, he let them wash their faces themselves.
Miaomiao was still too young, so one of the boys rolled up his sleeves to wash his hands, and the other helped Miaomiao wash his face.
Qin Feng stood by, arms crossed, watching with satisfaction.
When Madam Zhou entered with sesame salt and soybeans, she saw the scene—the father leaning against the doorframe, nodding frequently as he watched his two adopted sons take care of his biological son.
"Xiaoda, Xiao’er, why are you two wiping Miaomiao’s face?"
Gu Wuyi looked up. "Good morning, Grandma."
"I'm not good at all!" Madam Zhou shot Qin Feng a glare.
Qin Feng responded, "They don’t follow you and Dad. If I don't let them learn, what if one day I have to work late and can’t come back? Are you saying Miaomiao should sit at the table with a face full of eye boogers?"
The two brothers were surprised. So, the reason they had to do their own chores was because of this consideration?
Madam Zhou thought for a moment and agreed, "That makes sense, but you should still help out."
Qin Feng said, "Not needed for now, but I might need help soon."
Madam Zhou gave him another glare. "I can never argue with you. Here, take it!"
Qin Feng took the items.
Madam Zhou walked over to the children.
Gu Wuyi said, "Grandma, Miaomiao is done washing." He noticed something on the windowsill from the corner of his eye, immediately grabbed it, opened it, and held it up to let the child smell. "Miaomiao, do you know what this is?"
"It smells so good." The child’s eyes widened. "Big brother, is it something to eat?"
Gu Wuyi smiled, feeling reassured. This child was truly pure.
"This isn't for eating; it's for the face." He poked a bit of the substance and gently dabbed it on the child's face. "It protects Miaomiao’s face."
The child copied him, poked a bit, and started to smear it on Gu Wuyi's face.
Gu Wuyi quickly grabbed his hand. "Big brother hasn’t washed his face yet."
The child was dumbfounded. What should he do?
Gu Wuyi, seeing the child’s innocent confusion, felt even more reassured. Only truly innocent children would be troubled by such small things.
Madam Zhou said, "Miaomiao, rub it in your hands to protect your little hands."
The child’s chubby little hands rubbed, but it didn’t spread evenly.
Gu Wuyi held the child’s small hand and gently rubbed between the fingers. The child's hands instantly turned a soft, rosy white and smelled sweet.
The child couldn’t resist and took a sniff.
Seeing the child's pure innocence, Gu Wuyi smiled even more sincerely. "Go find Dad with Grandma."
The child rushed past Grandma and ran into the room. "Daddy, I smell good."
Qin Feng quickly set down the pot, squatted down, and caught him. "Let me smell." He took the child’s small hand. "It really does smell good. Miaomiao’s little face smells good too. Miaomiao is a sweet little baby."
The child didn't hear it clearly at all, he just knew that Daddy liked it, he nodded eagerly.
Qin Feng said, "Then sit down, and Daddy will serve you some rice."
The child clambered up onto a small chair at the little table.
Qin Feng called out, "Gu Xiao’er, make sure your toothbrush is clean, wash your face well, and wash your hands thoroughly!"
As Gu Xiao'er dampened his face and was about to grab a towel, he couldn't help but mutter, "How does he know? A grown man nagging like this, what's with that?"
Gu Wuyi glanced at his younger brother. "You used to want someone to nag, but who remembers whether you brushed your teeth or washed your face?"
Mentioning the past, Gu Xiao'er sulked and obediently brushed his teeth again. He also made sure to wash his hands properly, even remembering to scrub under his nails.
Whether in this life or the previous one, Qin Feng had always been lazy about washing his face and brushing his teeth as a child, often rushing off to school without washing up.
When the two boys entered the room, Qin Feng looked at them, his temples damp, the back of his hands subtly oily, as if he had applied hand cream. "From now on, do it like this."
Gu Xiao'er nodded obediently. "Can we eat now?"
Madam Zhou said, "Yes. Qin Feng, if you have something to say, wait until the kids are done eating."
Qin Feng replied, "Nothing urgent." He sliced two salted duck eggs—one for each of the boys, and one for himself and Miaomiao. However, Miaomiao's portion only had the yolk, while the egg whites were placed in his own porridge bowl.
The child curiously glanced at him.
Qin Feng poked a small bit of egg white and held it near the child's mouth. The child scrunched up his face in disgust from the saltiness, even shivering a little.
Madam Zhou hurriedly stuffed a bit of steamed bun into his mouth. "Eat it quickly to wash it down." She shot Qin Feng a glare. "Is there any father like you?"
"If he doesn't try it himself, he'll always be curious," Qin Feng said, looking at the child. "Do you still want some?"
The child was so scared, he shook his head vigorously.
Qin Feng chuckled.
The two little boys couldn’t help but laugh too.
—This kid is really adorable!
Madam Zhou, both amused and heartbroken, sat down next to the child. "Miaomiao, let’s eat some soybeans with sauce. Grandma added lots of sesame oil." She poked a bit and placed it on the bun, showing him how to tear the bun and dip it in.
Qin Feng turned to the older boys. "You two eat too. This won’t taste good after three days."
Madam Zhou couldn’t help but glance at her son. "You’ve really become picky, haven’t you?"
Qin Feng pretended not to hear, splitting a bun in half—one half with soybeans and the other half with sesame salt. After finishing, he grabbed another bun and stuffed it with salted duck egg.
The two boys, seeing his demeanor, were eager to devour the soybeans and sesame salt in one go, no longer worrying about how much to eat or whether they should leave some for Miaomiao.
The three of them didn’t hold back, and as a result, half of what Madam Zhou had brought was gone.
Qin Feng was satisfied. “It’ll be just right to have another serving tomorrow morning.”
While helping him clean up the table, Madam Zhou said, “Good thing your salary is high. Otherwise, with your father being a teacher, we couldn’t afford you doing all this damage.”
Qin Feng took it as a compliment. “There’s still plenty of time before class. Let them study for half an hour, then they can head to school.” He grabbed his scarf and was about to leave, suddenly remembering something. “Mom, don’t wash the clothes yet. Wait until the weekend. Washing just a few clothes in the machine wastes electricity.”
Madam Zhou couldn’t believe it. Her wasteful son actually knew how to save electricity? Had the sun and moon both risen together today?
Qin Feng walked out nonchalantly.
Gu Xiao'er whispered, “Grandma, Dad’s worried you’ll wash them by hand.”
Madam Zhou shook her head. “I don’t wash by hand. Your dad complains about this washing machine all the time, but I’ve got to use it more, get my money’s worth, so he can’t secretly sell it for a new one.” Then, she suddenly realized something. “Wait, what did you just call him?”
The sudden change of topic left Gu Xiao'er confused.
Gu Wuyi, recalling Qin Feng's earlier conversation with the factory director, figured he would also say something like that to the old couple. He then repeated the words Qin Feng had said about his newly appointed father.
Madam Zhou hurriedly asked, “He didn’t force you to do this, did he?”
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