ASFTB 13: They Didn’t Seem to Dislike this Kind of Daddy

The stormy night finally passed amidst a “warm” fairytale conversation.

The two children had fallen asleep, but Jian Chengxi couldn’t sleep. He tiptoed downstairs to change the water basin, and to avoid waking the children, he simply threw on a coat and stayed downstairs. It wasn’t until dawn, when the thunderstorm finally ended, that a message came through on the terminal on his wrist:

【Attention, citizens: Recently, fluctuations and disturbances have been detected in the wormholes surrounding the outer edge of the interstellar zone. In preparation for potential conflict and to prevent infiltration by Zerg soldiers, patrols in the underground city will be increased starting today. Please keep clear.】

The notification, marked with a red exclamation point, was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.

Jian Chengxi let out a sigh. “Are we really going to war?”

The system replied: 【War has never stopped and it’s always the people who suffer.】

The world Jian Chengxi had lived in during his previous life was relatively peaceful. Still, he understood one thing—life had to go on. Keeping world peace was never the kind of issue a salted fish guy like him needed to worry about. Right now, his biggest problems were how to feed two kids, how to fix the broken roof, and how to keep everyone fed. Those were far more important.

…

Early in the morning, sunlight streamed in through the window.

Jian Chengxi pushed open the door to the upstairs bedroom and raised his voice a little, saying, “Time to get up, my little lazy pigs!”

The two kids, still fast asleep on the bed, were snuggled under Jian Chengxi’s blanket, sleeping soundly. Since it was the bed he often used, both the blanket and the pillow carried a faint scent—one that belonged to their Daddy. For children who lacked a sense of security, curling up in this small, cozy space was the safest haven they could ask for.

Li Sui­sui and Li Chen slowly opened their eyes as the dazzling sunlight filtered in from outside.

Jian Chengxi stood by the window, holding up two pieces of clothing in his hands. “Ta-da! Look, what do we have here?”

Li Sui­sui blinked a moment late and hesitantly said, “Clothes.”

“That’s right, clothes!” Jian Chengxi shook the autumn outfits in his hands. “Do you like them?”

Both garments were made from his own old clothes. Jian Chengxi had grown up an orphan, passed around like a ball from one place to another. Naturally, he never had new clothes when the seasons changed. Most of what he wore were oversized hand-me-downs from other kids. So he had learned how to sew and tailor them himself—and now, that skill had come in handy again.

Li Chen looked up and quietly asked, “Daddy, where did you get the money to buy clothes?”

Jian Chengxi walked over and said, “Daddy altered them himself. I just took some of my old clothes and made a few changes. You and your gege already have winter clothes, but it’s not winter yet, so how about wearing these for now?”

Though the clothes were made from old ones, the original owner had been someone who lived extravagantly.

Many of his clothes were practically brand new.

The set in Jian Chengxi’s hands, decorated with little floral patterns, had been carefully altered and now looked refined and beautiful. There was no sign it had ever been used.

Li Sui­sui had never worn anything so pretty before. She lowered her head, eyes sparkling, and smiled with crescent-shaped eyes. “It’s really pretty.”

Jian Chengxi grinned. “Suisui, why don’t you try it on?”

But Li Sui­sui just carefully folded the clothes, her tiny hands moving with solemn care.

Jian Chengxi asked in confusion, “Why aren’t you putting it on?”

“It’s too pretty. Sui­sui wants to save it for special occasions.”

Even though it was just altered from old clothes, she held it like a treasure. “If it gets dirty, that would be such a waste.”

Jian Chengxi was stunned.

The little girl sitting on the bed was just barely over three years old. The grayish-yellow clothes she wore were already torn in places, the fabric itself the roughest kind of burlap, and the edges had faded from too many washes. The original owner’s wardrobe had been packed with fine fabrics and expensive clothing, yet the children treated a handmade outfit from his old clothes like something priceless.

For some reason, Jian Chengxi felt his nose sting.

He tilted his head back and took a deep breath to calm himself, then walked over to help the little girl tie her hair. “It’s okay. Sui­sui, go ahead and wear it. If it gets dirty, it gets dirty. Daddy will buy you a new one.”

Li Sui­sui looked up, and as she followed his gaze, she noticed Jian Chengxi’s hands.

Those pale, jade-like hands were dotted with tiny red beads of blood—all from being pricked by a needle. The wounds were small, but on Jian Chengxi’s fair skin, they looked especially harsh. No one knew how many times he had been stabbed to get the stitching done right. Even the dark shadows under his eyes were showing. Their Daddy used to be someone who cared a lot about his looks.

Li Chen saw it too.

“Daddy.”

It was the first time the quiet, withdrawn boy had called him that with such softness.

Jian Chengxi turned his head in surprise.

Before this, the boy had never truly called him “Daddy,” and he rarely spoke at all.

Thinking something was wrong, Jian Chengxi quickly walked over. “What is it? Do the clothes not fit?”

Li Chen lowered his gaze. The usual indifference on the boy’s young face seemed to soften. His dark eyes looked up at Jian Chengxi. “What happened to your hands?”

Jian Chengxi glanced down at his hands—covered in tiny pricks from sewing. He quickly curled them into fists, eyes darting around guiltily before flashing a silly grin. “Oh this? This happened when Daddy tripped yesterday and took a little tumble.”

“Looks scary, but it’s nothing.” He pinched one of his fingers. “Daddy’s a superhero, see? Just a tiny scratch.”

He really should’ve left it alone. He had forgotten about the original body’s low pain tolerance.

A sharp wave of pain hit him out of nowhere, making him wince and suck in a breath through clenched teeth.

Jian Chengxi forced a goofy grin, speaking through gritted teeth, “Doesn’t hurt at all.”

Li Chen and Li Suisui: “……”

Daddy was really bad at lying.

The sunlight outside was gradually rising. The man standing by the window had a clumsy, silly smile on his face. Just like before, he was lying again and not even a good lie at that.

But somehow—

Li Chen and Li Suisui exchanged a glance, and it was as if they both understood what the other was thinking.

They realized they didn’t actually dislike this kind of Daddy.

…

By the afternoon, the whole family was up.

Jian Chengxi took the two kids up the hill behind the house to pick fruit.

After the rain, the mountains were lush with fresh growth. It was the perfect time to harvest. As he picked, he noticed that many of the plants here were similar to ones on Earth. As a doctor, he was quite familiar with most of them.

While gathering the fruit, Jian Chengxi explained to the kids, “This fruit is edible, and that one too—but remember, you can’t eat them together.”

Li Suisui squatted beside him, listening intently.

Jian Chengxi hadn’t expected the kids to be interested, so he kept going. “They’re fine on their own, but if you eat both kinds at the same time, they produce toxins. It’s bad for your body.”

Li Suisui looked up and asked, “Why not?”

Jian Chengxi was a great teacher. He picked up two stones from the ground. “Look, this stone isn’t dangerous, and neither is this one. But what happens if we put them together?”

Clack.

The two stones collided under pressure and cracked apart.

Jian Chengxi smiled as he explained, “See? That’s why.”

He wanted the kids to learn new things, and maybe, along the way, understand a few life lessons through them.

“But this also teaches us something else, don’t always go head-to-head. If you do, you might get hurt.” Jian Chengxi hoped the kids could grow up safe and sound. “Just like these two stones, see?”

Truly a perfect lesson. He gave himself a silent thumbs-up.

But then—

Li Chen was sitting on the stone stool beside him, his expression calm and his dark eyes steady. The future strongest mecha master in the universe spoke up to summarize, “If you can’t destroy a rock with your own strength, then use external force and make it crash into another rock.”

?

Jian Chengxi froze.

It kind of made sense, but something about it felt off.

Jian Chengxi cleared his throat, trying to steer things back on track. He turned with a smile and said, “Let’s keep learning about fruit. Isn’t nature amazing? Suisui, do you like learning about plants?”

“Mm, Daddy, I’ve already learned.” Li Suisui nodded, her childish face seeming to carry a hint of a smile. The future most notorious and powerful dark potion witch now spoke in the pure, innocent voice of a little child, “Turns out poisonous things can be created with your own hands.”

“……”

Well learned—but next time, you two better not learn anything.