Chapter 19
At dawn, Shan Hu yawned and opened the door, then jumped in shock when she saw a young man sitting on the sofa, holding a child.
“Why are you here?” Shan Hu asked, half-covering her mouth, then she looked outside and glanced around alertly, asking in a quiet voice, “Did someone see you come in?”
“Relax.” Bai Huo patted the little dragon cub"s, who was lying in the crook of his arms, back with his big hand, asking, “Is your master in?”
“She"s in estrus, I"m the only one in the 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 an ordinary day, he"d exchange some heated banter with her, but he turned a deaf ear today, frowning slightly: “So unlucky? When did she go into retreat?”
“It"s been half a month.” Shan Hu finally 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 her hand away, “Don"t touch him.”
“What"s wrong with touching him?” Shan Hu was about to call him stingy when she suddenly noticed the little dragon cub"s deep red cheeks, and her expression turned a bit grim. “Oh, is he sick?”
“A slight fever.” Bai Huo was like the countless parents who"ve faced their children falling sick for the first 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 coming out?”
A dragon"s first estrus could be as long as three months, afterwards, it usually lasted one to two months. The divine bone"s effectiveness was extremely unstable during the estrus period, it was very easy for dragons to get into trouble. So, once a dragon sensed that they were about to enter estrus, they would suspend all work, and retreat to an isolated place with their partner. They wouldn"t come back to human society until the estrus period ended.
“Can"t say.” Shan Hu also wasn"t sure, seeing Bai Huo"s deep frown, she asked eagerly, “You want to take him 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 to punch him: “Little brother, I"ve studied medicine for five years.”
“You dare treat patients after only five years? Five years isn"t even enough for humans to finish medical school.”
“Who cares what you think, I"ll…I"ll tell the a.s.sociation that you brought your child in to see me!”
“…”
Bai Huo was at his wit"s end, but he"d already brought the child here, at the very least she could take a look to see what"s wrong. If it turns out to be a serious illness, he would take the child to the artic to find Jing Lan. So, he reluctantly exposed the back of his precious son"s head 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 a super rare occiput medical diagnostic book?”
“Oy, Jing Lan doesn"t even need to look to know what"s wrong with me, if he wasn"t so far away…” Bai Huo grumbled as he opened up the coat wrapped around the little dragon cub a little more.
Shan Hu turned red. She"d enjoyed bantering with Bai Huo since she was a child, unfortunately, she"d never managed to out quip him. Irritated, she said: “That guy"s the water dragon clan"s patriarch, you … I also don"t need to look to know that you"re brainless!”
“Okay, okay,” Bai Huo raised his hand in surrender. “Older sis, quickly take a look, this is my only precious son.”
Shan Hu grew anxious because of his words, and was starting to think that the little dragon cub had some kind of incurable disease. As a result, after inspection, she discovered that it was only a fever caused by indigestion.
“…” Shan Hu speechlessly stared at Bai Huo for a long time, “What did you give him to eat?”
Bai Huo innocently replied: “He ate many 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 milk at midnight. For breakfast, a catty and a half of salmon, a bowl of vegetable soup, a bucket of popcorn at noon, four ice cream cones, two sticks of cotton candy and candied hawberry, and two deep fried skewers. At night, a little over 1,200RMB worth of food at Hai Di Lao.” Bai Huo counted on his fingers, "That"s all. “
Shan Hu"s jaw was dropped from beginning to end; 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"s digestive capability is already weak, but you added ice cream and hot pot, raw food and cooked food, cold food and fried food, all mixed together in his little 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,” Shan Hu dug through the chest, “It"s not easy to find medicine he can eat at his age. We dragons haven"t had a new born in many years, our population is aging. We"ve only been paying attention to medicines for adult diseases, children"s medicine hasn"t been collected for many years. “
Bai Huo"s heart tightened again: “What can I do?”
Shan Hu looked back and grinned, “Beg me ah.”
Bai Huo"s expression didn"t flicker: “Please help me, Shan Hu.”
Shan Hu:”……”
Facts had proven yet again, in the battle of rogue vs rogue, the more shameless one wins.
Dragon medicine consisted of all kinds of dried aquatic plants and seaweeds, which were occasionally mixed with special species of sh.e.l.lfish and deep-sea creatures. Shan Hu decoded an ancient prescription for a long time, dispensing the requested medicines. The medicines were then grounded into a liquid. After blending it, she sniffed it, and unconsciously glanced at Bai Huo.
“What? You just noticed how handsome I am?” Bai Huo smoothed his bangs.
Shan Hu smiled suspiciously: “Uhh, the thing is, this medicine doesn"t smell so good, so, uhh…”
Bai Huo: “Just say it.”
“I"m not a pediatrician, so I could maybe give the child the wrong medicine!” Shan Hu closed her eyes and forced the words out. “It"s not the end of the world if an adult takes the wrong medicine, at most, there"ll be some vomiting and diarrhea for a few days. But a child is more vulnerable.”
Bai Huo already knew that this would be the case, he sighed and walked over, reaching out: “Give it.”
“Hehe …” Shan Hu pa.s.sed him the herbal 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 eating his noodles.
If the little dragon cub and the fat bird knew what he was thinking at this moment, they would surely burst into tears of gratification.
Bai Huo took a sip of the medicine and felt green from his stomach to the top of his head, like a herd of a thousand wildebeests were surging inside him.
“How is it? Are you dizzy? Do you feel like vomiting?” Shan Hu asked enthusiastically.
Bai Huo covered his mouth, not wanting to talk: “It"s disgusting.”
“Good medicine tastes bitter,” Shan Hu 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 was the 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 it to the little dragon cub. “The medicine I make is absolutely fine!”
Bai Huo intercepted the small medicine bowl: “I"ll do it.”
The little dragon cub was muddled-headed from the fever. After being suddenly awakened, he frowned and grumbled, when he opened his eyes to see Bai Huo, his complexion eased and he drilled into Bai Huo"s chest: “Hug.”
Bai Huo fulfilled his request, pulling him into his arms and patting his back in persuasion: “Good boy, drink the medicine, 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 looked at Bai Huo, as if wanting to confirm something.
“It"s not poisonous. Daddy just drank a bowl.” Bai Huo explained.
Shan Hu: “…”
The little dragon cub was clearly very reluctant. He unenthusiastically opened his mouth, with an expression that screamed "I"m just doing this to respect my father". After drinking it, he immediately buried his face in Bai Huo"s shoulder, complaining. “It"s disgusting.”
Shan Hu:”……”
These two little b.a.s.t.a.r.ds really are father and son.
After drinking the medicine, they left the clinic. The little dragon cub"s sleep was obviously much more peaceful, the medicine had worked correctly. Before leaving, Shan Hu pulled out a thick dictionary-like book called the “Dragon Parenting Handbook” from G.o.d knows where, and shoved it at him. Bai Huo impatiently glanced over it, then he tossed it back before even getting two pages deep.
“What"s the use of this thing, "go to bed early", "get up early", "less snacking, more meals" yada yada, isn"t this all nonsense?” Bai Huo waved his hand, “Don"t need it, just keep it for yourself.”
“Oy, it also says right here that he should be more exposed to dragons of the same age while he"s still a kid, especially dragons of the opposite s.e.x, so as to form a proper outlook on life, system of values, and worldview …” Shan Hu chased after him and pressed the book into his hand.
“Don"t you know how long it"s been since us dragons became endangered? Where am I gonna find "dragons of the same age"?” Bai Huo threw the book back again. “This antique thing will take up too much s.p.a.ce on the mahjong table, I don"t need it!”
“Hey–“
Before Shan Hu could finish her remarks, Bai Huo transformed into a dragon and escaped with his son.
After drinking the medicine and sleeping for a whole day, the little dragon cub woke up in the evening, and, like he was injected with new blood, got right back to bouncing around the house.
Bai Huo had learned his lesson, he didn"t dare feed the child indiscriminately anymore, obediently ordering only two servings of salmon, one for the child, and one for the fat bird.
The little dragon cub sat at the dining table, a bib on his chest, and stared at the fist-sized fish fillet on the plate with an expression like he was watching his whole world collapse.
“From today on, you can only eat one plate of food per meal.” Bai Huo lifted an index finger. “Tell me if you"re very hungry, I"ll order more for you.”
The little dragon cub stared at his little paws and contemplated something. After a few beats, he looked solemnly at Bai Huo and raised two claws.
Bai Huo stared blankly, then suddenly burst into laughter.
This clever kid wanted to bargain.
“Relax, I won"t starve you.” Bai Huo 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 you get sick, you need to drink that medicine again. Do you want to drink that medicine? “
The little dragon cub recalled the dread of being 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 fat bird, dissatisfied. He pointed to the little dragon cub with his wing, “He"s the one who ate too much, so why do I have to follow the diet?”
Bai Huo poked at his bird belly, which was almost dragging across the tabletop: “Because you"re fat.”
When the sky was getting dark, Ji Bei sent a text message saying that the homework was completed, but he couldn"t come over because of business, so Bai Huo would have to pick it up at the city bureau.
Bai Huo felt deep respect for this police comrade, and cheerfully carried the little dragon cub to the office to collect the a.s.signments.
“Here, a collection of fifteen different 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 them with 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 examined the 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 to glue them into a picture afterwards. Only someone with Officer Ji"s talent and dexterity 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 a childlike innocence. He can even make a heart out of leaves bahahaha…"
Bai Huo laughed heartily, completely oblivious to Luo Wen Xu"s increasingly dark complexion.
“Are you done laughing?” Luo Wen Xu aggressively clenched his teeth. He only wore a short sleeve shirt, exposing the 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 her head through the doorway, her voice clear and loud: “Captain, do you have any 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 carried the little dragon cub into the reception room, shoving the a.s.signments into his schoolbag: “Good, we"ll take a look at them again when we get back.”
“Director Bai, have some tea.” A young policeman came in and bowed, leaving as soon as he put down the cup.
“Is Officer Ji absent today?” Bai Huo looked around. “I"m waiting for his report on the progress of the case. We can"t just wait around, it"s too pa.s.sive. Is there a way to speed up the opponent"s movements? We can try something out, take the initiative to attack. “
“We"ve already discussed this; Xiao Bei"s currently 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 when the steam hit his face. Bai Huo paused imperceptibly, and quickly glanced at the doorway, catching sight of a faint shadow. He smirked slightly, and drank as if nothing happened.
“Okay, I"m gone. You"ve worked hard today.” Bai Huo said meaningfully, patting Luo Wen Xu"s shoulder. His tone was full of glee.
“Get lost!” Luo Wen Xu"s expression twisted.
T/N:
Shan Hu- Previously translated a Coral…because that"s literally her name. It just occurred to me that it makes no sense for Chinese dragons to have English names, so I"m leaving it untranslated from now on. But I repeat, her name is literarily the Chinese word for coral. Weird.
Little brother- She literarily calls him big younger brother, which is something women in certain areas of China call men younger than them. I just left it as little brother.
Older sis- Jiejie, not necessarily related. I honestly don"t have a pattern for translating some honorifics/prefixes and not others. It"s basically what feels natural, is faster to type, and how often it shows up. Just don"t complain about seeing Chinese words in a Chinese novel.