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Chapter 19




Chapter 19
At dawn, Shan Hu yawned and openedthe door, then jumped in shock when she saw a young man sitting on the sofa, holdinga child.
“Why are you here?” Shan Hu asked,half-covering her mouth, then she looked outside and glanced around alertly, askingin a quiet voice, “Did someone see you come in?”
“Relax.” Bai Huo patted thelittle dragon cub’s, who was lying in the crook of his arms, back with his bighand, asking, “Is your master in?”
“She’s in estrus, I’m the only one inthe clinic.” Shan Hu walked over and closed the door. “What happened?Did you get into a fight again?”
If Bai Huo heard this sentence on anordinary day, he’d exchange some heated banter with her, but he turned a deafear today, frowning slightly: “So unlucky? When did she go into retreat?”
“It’s been half a month.” Shan Hufinally took note of the little dragon in his arms and moved closer, astonished,“This is the little water dragon you told me about last time?”
Before she could reach out, Bai Huo patted herhand away, “Don’t touch him.”
“What’s wrong with touching him?”Shan Hu was about to call him stingy when she suddenly noticed the littledragon cub’s deep red cheeks, and her expression turned a bit grim. “Oh, ishe sick?”
“A slight fever.” Bai Huo waslike the countless parents who’ve faced their children falling sick for thefirst time, no matter how calm he was on the outside, his heart was racing in worry,“Doesn’t that mean that she’s at least half a month away from comingout?”
A dragon’s first estrus could be as long asthree months, afterwards, it usually lasted one to two months. The divinebone’s effectiveness was extremely unstable during the estrus period, it wasvery easy for dragons to get into trouble. So, once a dragon sensed that they wereabout to enter estrus, they would suspend all work, and retreat to an isolatedplace with their partner. They wouldn’t come back to human society until theestrus period ended.
“Can’t say.” Shan Hu also wasn’tsure, seeing Bai Huo’s deep frown, she asked eagerly, “You want to takehim to a doctor? If it’s urgent, why not let me take a look?”
“You?” Bai Huo sized her up,extremely doubtful, “What can you do?”
Shan Hu rolled her eyes at him, itching topunch him: “Little brother, I’ve studied medicine for fiveyears.”
“You dare treat patients after onlyfive years? Five years isn’t even enough for humans to finish medical school.”
“Who cares what you think, I’ll…I’ll tellthe association that you brought your child in to see me!”
“…”
Bai Huo was at his wit’s end, but he’d alreadybrought the child here, at the very least she could take a look to see what’swrong. If it turns out to be a serious illness, he would take the child to the articto find Jing Lan. So, he reluctantly exposed the back of his precious son’shead to her: “Be careful, he said it hurts. “
Shan Hu was shocked at this degree of overprotectiveness:“How can I diagnose by looking at the back of his head? Do you have asuper rare occiput medical diagnostic book?”
“Oy, Jing Lan doesn’t even need tolook to know what’s wrong with me, if he wasn’t so far away…” Bai Huo grumbledas he opened up the coat wrapped around the little dragon cub a little more.
Shan Hu turned red. She’d enjoyed banteringwith Bai Huo since she was a child, unfortunately, she’d never managed to outquip him. Irritated, she said: “That guy’s the water dragon clan’spatriarch, you … I also don’t need to look to know that you’re brainless!”
“Okay, okay,” Bai Huo raised hishand in surrender. “Older sis, quickly take a look, this is my onlyprecious son.”
Shan Hu grew anxious because of his words, andwas starting to think that the little dragon cub had some kind of incurabledisease. As a result, after inspection, she discovered that it was only a fevercaused by indigestion.
“…” Shan Hu speechlessly staredat Bai Huo for a long time, “What did you give him to eat?”
Bai Huo innocently replied: “He atemany things; I’m not starving him.”
“Let’s start from last night’s dinner.”
“Two boxes of sea urchin sashimi,three oyster patties, a bowl of seafood-veggie congee, oh, and a cup of warm milkat midnight. For breakfast, a catty and a half of salmon, a bowl of vegetablesoup, a bucket of popcorn at noon, four ice cream cones, two sticks of cotton candyand candied hawberry, and two deep fried skewers. At night, a little over 1,200RMBworth of food at Hai Di Lao.” Bai Huo counted on his fingers, “That’s all.“
Shan Hu’s jaw was dropped from beginning toend; if the child didn’t get indigestion after all of that he’d be a f#cking monster.
“Why did you give him so much to eat?”Shan Hu rummaged through the medicine chest, still shocked. “A child’sdigestive capability is already weak, but you added ice cream and hot pot, rawfood and cooked food, cold food and fried food, all mixed together in hislittle belly. No wonder he fell sick, just how are you raising this kid?”
Bai Huo admitted that he was in the wrong,but he also felt deeply relieved: “In order words, it’s just indigestion?”
“It’s not ‘just’ indigestion,” ShanHu dug through the chest, “It’s not easy to find medicine he can eat at hisage. We dragons haven’t had a new born in many years, our population is aging. We’veonly been paying attention to medicines for adult diseases, children’s medicinehasn’t been collected for many years. “
Bai Huo’s heart tightened again: “Whatcan I do?”
Shan Hu looked back and grinned, “Begme ah.”
Bai Huo’s expression didn’t flicker:“Please help me, Shan Hu.”
Shan Hu:”……”
Facts had proven yet again, in the battleof rogue vs rogue, the more shameless one wins.
Dragon medicine consisted of all kinds ofdried aquatic plants and seaweeds, which were occasionally mixed with special speciesof shellfish and deep-sea creatures. Shan Hu decoded an ancient prescriptionfor a long time, dispensing the requested medicines. The medicines were then groundedinto a liquid. After blending it, she sniffed it, and unconsciously glanced at BaiHuo.
“What? You just noticed how handsome Iam?” Bai Huo smoothed his bangs.
Shan Hu smiled suspiciously: “Uhh, thething is, this medicine doesn’t smell so good, so, uhh…”
Bai Huo: “Just say it.”
“I’m not a pediatrician, so I couldmaybe give the child the wrong medicine!” Shan Hu closed her eyes and forcedthe words out. “It’s not the end of the world if an adult takes the wrongmedicine, at most, there’ll be some vomiting and diarrhea for a few days. But achild is more vulnerable.”
Bai Huo already knew that this would be thecase, he sighed and walked over, reaching out: “Give it.”
“Hehe …” Shan Hu passed him theherbal juice. “Drink up.”
Bai Huo looked at the dark green juice in disgust,suddenly empathizing with the little dragon cub and the fat bird’s mood when eatinghis noodles.
If the little dragon cub and the fat birdknew what he was thinking at this moment, they would surely burst into tears ofgratification.
Bai Huo took a sip of the medicine and feltgreen from his stomach to the top of his head, like a herd of a thousand wildebeestswere surging inside him.
“How is it? Are you dizzy? Do you feellike vomiting?” Shan Hu asked enthusiastically.
Bai Huo covered his mouth, not wanting totalk: “It’s disgusting.”
“Good medicine tastes bitter,” ShanHu educated patiently, “You have to set a good example for your child.Don’t reject your pretty older sister’s medicinal juice.”
Fortunately, the only disgusting thing wasthe taste. Bai Huo circled his spiritual power and found nothing abnormal.After drinking the juice, there was a cool, refreshing feeling in his throat,which wasn’t uncomfortable.
“So, how is it? Didn’t I tell you,”Shan Hu excitedly filled a small bowl with more medicine, preparing to feed itto the little dragon cub. “The medicine I make is absolutely fine!”
Bai Huo intercepted the small medicinebowl: “I’ll do it.”
The little dragon cub was muddled-headedfrom the fever. After being suddenly awakened, he frowned and grumbled, when heopened his eyes to see Bai Huo, his complexion eased and he drilled into BaiHuo’s chest: “Hug.”
Bai Huo fulfilled his request, pulling himinto his arms and patting his back in persuasion: “Good boy, drink themedicine, okay? It won’t hurt after you drink the medicine.”
The little dragon cub looked up vigilantly,staring at the bowl of green juice in Bai Huo’s hand with suspicion, then he lookedat Bai Huo, as if wanting to confirm something.
“It’s not poisonous. Daddy just dranka bowl.” Bai Huo explained.
Shan Hu: “…”
The little dragon cub was clearly veryreluctant. He unenthusiastically opened his mouth, with an expression thatscreamed ‘I’m just doing this to respect my father’. After drinking it, heimmediately buried his face in Bai Huo’s shoulder, complaining. “It’sdisgusting.”
Shan Hu:”……”
These two little bastards really are fatherand son.
After drinking the medicine, they left the clinic.The little dragon cub’s sleep was obviously much more peaceful, the medicinehad worked correctly. Before leaving, Shan Hu pulled out a thick dictionary-likebook called the “Dragon Parenting Handbook” from God knows where, andshoved it at him. Bai Huo impatiently glanced over it, then he tossed it back beforeeven getting two pages deep.
“What’s the use of this thing, ‘go tobed early’, ‘get up early’, ‘less snacking, more meals’ yada yada, isn’t thisall nonsense?” Bai Huo waved his hand, “Don’t need it, just keep itfor yourself.”
“Oy, it also says right here that heshould be more exposed to dragons of the same age while he’s still a kid, especiallydragons of the opposite sex, so as to form a proper outlook on life, system of values,and worldview …” Shan Hu chased after him and pressed the book into hishand.
“Don’t you know how long it’s beensince us dragons became endangered? Where am I gonna find ‘dragons of the sameage’?” Bai Huo threw the book back again. “This antique thing willtake up too much space on the mahjong table, I don’t need it!”
“Hey–“
Before Shan Hu could finish her remarks, BaiHuo transformed into a dragon and escaped with his son.
After drinking the medicine and sleepingfor a whole day, the little dragon cub woke up in the evening, and, like he wasinjected with new blood, got right back to bouncing around the house.
Bai Huo had learned his lesson, he didn’tdare feed the child indiscriminately anymore, obediently ordering only twoservings of salmon, one for the child, and one for the fat bird.
The little dragon cub sat at the diningtable, a bib on his chest, and stared at the fist-sized fish fillet on theplate with an expression like he was watching his whole world collapse.
“From today on, you can only eat oneplate of food per meal.” Bai Huo lifted an index finger. “Tell me if you’revery hungry, I’ll order more for you.”
The little dragon cub stared at his littlepaws and contemplated something. After a few beats, he looked solemnly at BaiHuo and raised two claws.
Bai Huo stared blankly, then suddenly burstinto laughter.
This clever kid wanted to bargain.
“Relax, I won’t starve you.” BaiHuo ruffled his hair and smiled. “We’ll eat slowly. Eat then rest for a bit,let it digest. If you eat too much at once, you’ll get sick like yesterday. If youget sick, you need to drink that medicine again. Do you want to drink that medicine?“
The little dragon cub recalled the dread ofbeing dominated by the herbal juice, and shook his head like a rattle.
“Good boy.” Bai Huo beamed.
The dragon cub’s horns drooped.
“I have a question,” said the fatbird, dissatisfied. He pointed to the little dragon cub with his wing, “He’sthe one who ate too much, so why do I have to follow the diet?”
Bai Huo poked at his bird belly, which was almostdragging across the tabletop: “Because you’re fat.”
When the sky was getting dark, Ji Bei senta text message saying that the homework was completed, but he couldn’t comeover because of business, so Bai Huo would have to pick it up at the citybureau.
Bai Huo felt deep respect for this policecomrade, and cheerfully carried the little dragon cub to the office to collectthe assignments.
“Here, a collection of fifteendifferent leaves, creatively displayed on a canvas.” When they arrived, unexpectedly,Luo Wen Xu was the one who brought out the bag and presented the crafts to themwith a gloomy expression, “Here, a truck made out of three toothpaste boxes,and here, a waist drum made out of a powdered milk jar!”
Bai Huo clicked his tongue in wonder, he examinedthe crafts and sighed in admiration: “Officer Ji is so good with his hands.The leaves alone must’ve taken a long time to collect, plus, you still have toglue them into a picture afterwards. Only someone with Officer Ji’s talent anddexterity could do it, if it was me, I’d definitely break them into pieces bahahaha.Aiyo, and would you just look at this picture, Officer Ji really has achildlike innocence. He can even make a heart out of leaves bahahaha…”
Bai Huo laughed heartily, completely obliviousto Luo Wen Xu’s increasingly dark complexion.
“Are you done laughing?” Luo WenXu aggressively clenched his teeth. He only wore a short sleeve shirt, exposingthe dense muscles on his upper arms and shoulders. When he slapped the table,veins bulged, there was overwhelming force, “If you’re done laughing, get out!”
As soon as he said this, Lu Luo poked herhead through the doorway, her voice clear and loud: “Captain, do you haveany more glue? I’ve used up all of mine ah.”
Luo Wen Xu’s forehead throbbed noticeably;his face turned darker.
Bai Huo choked back his laughter and carriedthe little dragon cub into the reception room, shoving the assignments into hisschoolbag: “Good, we’ll take a look at them again when we get back.”
“Director Bai, have some tea.” Ayoung policeman came in and bowed, leaving as soon as he put down the cup.
“Is Officer Ji absent today?” BaiHuo looked around. “I’m waiting for his report on the progress of thecase. We can’t just wait around, it’s too passive. Is there a way to speed upthe opponent’s movements? We can try something out, take the initiative toattack. “
“We’ve already discussed this; Xiao Bei’scurrently requesting directions.” Luo Wen Xu didn’t want to speak to him,trying hard to maintain his tough guy image, “Go home and wait for contact.”
Bai Huo gave him a glance filled with interest,lowering his head to drink the tea.
The hot tea hadn’t touched his lips whenthe steam hit his face. Bai Huo paused imperceptibly, and quickly glanced atthe doorway, catching sight of a faint shadow. He smirked slightly, and drank asif nothing happened.
“Okay, I’m gone. You’ve worked hardtoday.” Bai Huo said meaningfully, patting Luo Wen Xu’s shoulder. His tonewas full of glee.
“Get lost!” Luo Wen Xu’s expressiontwisted.
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T/N:
Shan Hu- Previouslytranslated a Coral…because that’s literally her name. It just occurred to methat it makes no sense for Chinese dragons to have English names, so I’m leavingit untranslated from now on. But I repeat, her name is literarily the Chinese wordfor coral. Weird.
Little brother- She literarily calls him big younger brother, which is something womenin certain areas of China call men younger than them. I just left it as littlebrother.
Older sis- Jiejie,not necessarily related. I honestly don’t have a pattern for translating somehonorifics/prefixes and not others. It’s basically what feels natural, isfaster to type, and how often it shows up. Just don’t complain about seeing Chinesewords in a Chinese novel.