Bai Tang swiftly tucked his little head into the blankets, but the small sprout on his head remained exposed. He then reached out from under the covers, sneakily pulling the tiny leaves into his sanctuary. Afterward, he solemnly performed his disappearing act for the system.
System: “…”
I should cooperate with your performance and learn to turn a blind eye.
“Alright, alright, let’s go check out that Lingquan water,” the system said to the pile of blankets.
The pile of small blankets shifted, revealing the cute and slightly flattened face of a beautiful young man, along with the small sprout that had almost been squashed.
With a serious expression, Bai Tang declared, “Yes, we need to know the concentration of spiritual energy in Lingquan water.” If you ignore his silkworm baby appearance and the rosy earlobes, his overall image barely aligns with seriousness.
Bai Tang made an effort to forget the awkward scene earlier, picked up the first small bottle, and with a furrowed brow that resembled a scientific experiment, he carefully twisted off the bottle cap.
A refreshing spiritual energy permeated the air.
Bai Tang brought his nose to the bottle’s opening, took a deep breath, and all seriousness was thrown out of the window. The young man blissfully squinted his eyes, intoxicated, and exclaimed, “It smells so good.”
“Drink it, don’t let the spiritual energy leak out,” the system advised.
Bai Tang gulped down the Lingquan water. After finishing, he sat on the bed with a blank expression on his delicate little face.
This made the system nervous, fearing something might be wrong with Bai Tang. Then, the system saw Bai Tang shiver in comfort. He opened his small mouth and let out a burp filled with abundant spiritual energy.
System: “…How do you feel?”
Bai Tang stretched out his arms, and the small sprout on his head energetically welcomed the evening breeze. “Comfortable! I feel like I can run ten laps downstairs!”
The system noticed purple thunderbolts appearing around the small sprout. It looked like the aftermath of a human overindulging and starting to nosebleed.
“…Maybe you should rest for a while,” the system earnestly suggested.
Bai Tang, feeling as strong as a bull at the moment, proudly tilted his head back, swinging the small sprout in an elegant curve. However, he swung a bit too much, losing his balance and tumbling onto the bed.
After coming into contact with the soft bed, Bai Tang suddenly felt a bit dizzy. A continuous wave of drowsiness hit him. He struggled to open his eyes, then slowly closed them, softly turning his head to sleep.
…
After drinking the Lingquan water, Bai Tang felt more energetic than usual. His memory had also improved a bit. He didn’t need to take notes in class; he could remember everything the teacher said.
Bai Tang placed his notebook aside, propped up his chin, and listened to the class. Since he could easily remember the content, his attention involuntarily wandered. He surveyed other classmates in the class—
When the teacher turned away, Tang Jinlang slyly fed several pieces of chocolate to Zhen Aichi. The young man’s cheeks were puffy, munching quietly while smiling foolishly at Tang Jinlang.
Tang Jinlang extended his hand, using his fingertip to wipe away the chocolate crumbs from the corners of the young man’s mouth. He said something softly, his appearance inexplicably revealing a trace of indulgence.
Bai Tang: “…”
Feeling that something was off, Bai Tang tilted his head and looked at another pair of classmates.
Xiao Feige was still lazily sprawled on the desk, one hand supporting her cheek, and the other holding a pen. The girl’s fingers were slender, and the way she held the pen was exquisitely beautiful. The characters she wrote were also elegant and neat.
She Rao sat with a straight posture, a serious expression on her face. She took the paper, carefully examining each character and circling any spelling mistakes with a red pen.
Xiao Feige looked somewhat helpless as she glanced at the paper covered with corrections. She squinted her eyes, yawned, and then muttered something.
Reading her lips, it seemed like she said, “I really can’t do anything with you.”
Bai Tang: “…”
Why do I feel like the classroom is filled with a sour and vinegary taste?
“Do you know how annoying you usually are?” the system lightly tutted. “No one else in the class is as lovey-dovey as you and Su Siyuan.”
Bai Tang: “I’m not, I don’t, don’t make things up.”
The system chuckled.
Thinking that he exuded an aura of herbal charm, Bai Tang gracefully concluded the conversation, continuing to rest his chin on his hand and attentively listen to the lecture.
Today’s class content was related to human society’s festivals.
“The human race is quite interesting. Just taking the example of China, they divide the ordinary seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter into twenty-four solar terms, and based on celestial changes, they created the Mid-Autumn Festival,” Chu Li paused here, smiling as she continued, “Coincidentally, I am the protagonist Chang’e in the Mid-Autumn Festival legend—”
“Alongside the Jade Rabbit.”
“On the Mid-Autumn Festival, humans don’t eat rabbits. Instead, they eat mooncakes and gaze at the moon while thinking about their loved ones,” Chu Li explained. “This common knowledge will be the basic points for the exam. If you can write a few poems, that will be considered extra credit.”
Everyone focused on memorizing the key points. After finishing the discussion on the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chu Li talked extensively about other festivals. Towards the end of the class, she smiled and said, “The exam period coincides with the Qixi Festival, so I’m giving you a hint. This year’s exam paper should include knowledge related to Qixi.”
“Qixi initially had its origins in celestial phenomena. Later, humans created the myth of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl, turning this festival into a symbol of love,” Chu Li chattered on, “Today’s assignment is to organize information related to the Qixi Festival. It would be best if you could describe how humans celebrate Qixi and what gifts lovers exchange. Submit it to me by tomorrow.”
After school, Su Siyuan didn’t immediately take Bai Tang home. Instead, he walked across the street to the monster kindergarten and said, “They kept clamoring to see you.”
Whether it was Bai Tang’s illusion or not, he always felt like he smelled the overturned vinegar jar.
Before Bai Tang could ponder further, his attention was captured by the colorful little blobs standing at the kindergarten entrance. The group of colorful little blobs stood eagerly, and when they saw Bai Tang, their little antennae stood straight up instantly.
The snail babies, with their short legs, rushed over, wanting hugs. Among them, Chi Yan took the lead, running at a speed not characteristic of snails.
“Tang Tang, I missed you so much~” Chi Yan hugged Bai Tang’s thigh, tilting his head and complaining, “Without seeing Tang Tang, even eating isn’t enjoyable.”
Su Siyuan, on the side, observed inscrutably, thinking, “Adorable enough to be eaten, it’s understandable if the food isn’t enjoyable without them…” So, he didn’t feel unhappy.
Following closely, Chi Chen also hugged Bai Tang’s other thigh, pitifully saying, “Can’t sleep well either, wuwuwu, miss Tang Tang so much.”
Su Siyuan furrowed his brows slightly, giving Chi Chen a deep look. Clearly, it was Grandpa who slept with this little rascal. If he couldn’t sleep well, shouldn’t he seek Grandpa’s company? What’s the matter with bothering Bai Tang?
Watching the other snail babies chattering away about their longing, Su Siyuan’s brows furrowed tighter and tighter. He felt displeasure as if his own territory had been invaded.
The imaginary sloth in his heart kicked over a small vinegar jar, approached menacingly, plucked all the snails from the tree, and then used both hands and feet to embrace the tree. Facing the bark, it made cooing and kissing sounds, even presenting its butt to the group of snail babies.
However, all of this could only exist in imagination. Ideal and reality always had a significant gap. For instance, at this moment, Su Siyuan could only stand there with folded arms, telling himself to stay calm. He inhaled and exhaled while the snail babies by Bai Tang’s side acted cute and spoiled. Eventually, Su Siyuan… couldn’t swallow this grievance any longer.
The man walked to Bai Tang’s side and bent down to look at the group of snail babies, a familiar smile on his handsome face. “Not enjoying your meals?” He extended his index finger and playfully booped Chi Yan’s nose.
Chi Yan, the little one, was struck dumb, looking utterly confused.
“Your meals are all made by Grandpa. Your daddies can’t replicate Grandpa’s flavor, so,” Su Siyuan said with a smile, “if it doesn’t taste good, you should go find Grandpa.”
Under Su Siyuan’s gentle gaze, Chi Yan released Bai Tang’s thigh, took a few steps back, and then ran off to find Grandpa Su.
Having triumphed in his initial victories, Su Siyuan continued his efforts, facing Chi Chen, the little one, with a spring-like smile. “Having trouble sleeping as well?”
Chi Chen dared not speak a word.
“Grandpa is the one who sleeps with you. If you can’t sleep, you should go find Grandpa.” Chi Chen quickly released his hold, tearfully seeking refuge in Grandpa Su’s arms.
Under Su Siyuan’s intimidation, the snail babies were defeated without a fight. They dispersed, leaving Su Siyuan and a bewildered Bai Tang behind.
“System, why do I feel…” Bai Tang expressed his confusion, “like Su Siyuan is only three years old?”
“Don’t say that.” The system responded with the tone of someone experienced, “This is the average intelligence during a romance.”
After pondering for a while, Bai Tang quietly asked, “Does that mean I have a high IQ among them?” Then, realizing his mistake in asking, as he hasn’t experienced romance yet, he quickly corrected himself, “If, I mean if I were in a relationship, I would definitely be a high IQ player.”
The system remained silent for a moment and then, with a somewhat pitying tone, said, “Yes, you would be.”
Bai Tang: “…”
Why did he feel so uneasy despite being acknowledged?
“Brother Bai Tang.” A timid voice with a hint of familiarity. Bai Tang snapped back to reality, lowering his head to see a little radish head approaching.
It was a fully armed little cactus spirit, wearing gloves and a hat. The spikes on his body remained sharp, but the deep green eyes resembled serene pond water.
The little cactus spirit carefully took out a piece of cardboard from behind and handed it to Bai Tang.
After hesitating for a moment, Bai Tang accepted the cardboard. Before he could say “thank you,” he noticed the little cactus spirit turning around and running away. He ran very fast and disappeared in an instant, leaving Bai Tang staring blankly at the object in his hand.
It was a red heart-shaped cardboard adorned with a few small stars. The two neat lines written with a pencil on it read, “Brother Bai Tang, thank you for the hug.”
It was signed by “Tong Tong.”
At this moment, Bai Tang felt a slight prick in his heart, a sour yet tender sensation. He looked up, hoping to catch sight of that tiny figure, but in the end, he found nothing.
“System, I should have hugged him just now,” Bai Tang said, lowering his head to look at the card, “given him many hugs.”
“Yeah,” surprisingly, the system didn’t argue with Bai Tang. It consoled him, “It’s okay. This little cactus is right here in this kindergarten and can’t run away. Next time you come to see the snail babies, take the opportunity to see him and give him a hug.”
Bai Tang felt a bit relieved. He put away the card and saw the snail babies cuddling around Grandpa Su, with Bai Yinhao standing nearby, exchanging words with Grandpa Su.
Currently, the care of the snail babies was entrusted to Bai Yinhao, as Chi Cai Nan was busy handling work and had no time to pick up the snail babies.
Chi Cai Nan had opened a beauty salon in human society, which was highly sought after by the upper class, making a fortune. It was no exaggeration to say that it was a daily gold mine.
On the other hand, Bai Yinhao had just come out of the deep mountains and forests and was currently an unemployed wanderer. His spirit certificate had been obtained a hundred years ago, which had already expired, so now he had to re-examine.
After all, the spirit certificate was a certificate of whether a monster could smoothly integrate into human society. The qualifications obtained a hundred years ago could only prove that a monster had successfully integrated into the past society. Nowadays, with technological progress, the certificate needs to be re-examined every twenty years.
So, Bai Yinhao was busy preparing for the exam while taking care of the children. He and Xiong Liliang had been disconnected from human society for too long. The training class Bai Tang attended was different from the one Bai Yinhao was taking, as the latter’s class required at least three to four months of study.
After exchanging cooking insights with Grandpa Su, Bai Yinhao held the little hands of the snail babies, organizing them into two groups. One group was led by Bai Yinhao, while the other was led by Xiong Liliang.
Xiong Liliang had prosthetic limbs. He held the hand of a snail baby with his remaining right hand. Because the snail baby was too short, and Xiong Liliang was quite tall, he had to bend over as he walked, resembling a clumsy giant.
After taking a few steps, Xiong Liliang raised his prosthetic limb and waved goodbye to everyone.
The gloom between his eyebrows faintly dispersed, and his eyes sparkled with a brightness, shining like the dawn breaking through the darkness.
