My College Teacher is My Children's Mom-Chapter 603: Is the Problem with Myself?

After dinner, Lin Feng was still busy in the kitchen. Zhang Yuxi came over to see if there was anything she could help with.

Looking at the sliced pieces on the chopping board, Zhang Yuxi asked in confusion, "Honey, what are you making?"

Lin Feng explained as he worked, "I’ve cut up these chicken pieces so they won’t have to deal with it later. These are free-range chickens, which are hard to find in our country, so I imagine they’re even harder to find over there."

"I’m adding the seasoning packets for stewing as well," he continued. "Once they’re vacuum-sealed, all they have to do is blanch the chicken and it’s ready to cook. It’ll be more convenient for the kids that way."

Zhang Yuxi admired his thoughtfulness. "What’s this?"

"This is dried fruit I made. Kiwi, star fruit, apple..."

Zhang Yuxi figured these could just be toasted in the microwave and shouldn’t be much trouble, but then she heard Lin Feng say, "It’s better for the children to have these for snacks than other things."

Lin Feng also prepared some cured meat. He was busy until two in the morning, and he still hadn’t finished packing everything. He found some bags, packed and sealed the food, and tried to think if there was anything else he had forgotten.

As he rummaged through the cabinets, he muttered to himself, "Let me see... what else is there to bring..."

Spotting the flower tea he’d made, he decided to pack some for San Bao, as it was good for one’s beauty and health.

By the time he finished all the bustling, it was already three-thirty in the morning. Lin Feng stretched his limbs before heading off to shower and sleep.

***

「The next day.」

Da Bao and San Bao slept in until the sun was high in the sky. After they had breakfast and rested for a while, it was time for Lin Feng to drive them to the airport.

"Xiao Bao, we’re leaving now. You have to be a good girl at home, okay? We’ll bring you new toys when we come back next time, alright?"

Xiao Bao had seemed to understand when they’d talked about leaving before, but now she threw a tantrum, refusing to let them go and crying her heart out.

"No! I don’t want you to go! Can’t you just stay home?"

Da Bao and San Bao felt terrible, but no amount of coaxing worked. She wouldn’t listen to reason. In the end, they had no choice but to drop the subject and wait for Xiao Bao to fall asleep before sneaking out.

「On the road.」

Da Bao was feeling very sad. "Xiao Bao is going to cry her eyes out when she wakes up."

San Bao sighed. "I know, but we had no other choice. We would’ve never been able to leave otherwise."

Lin Feng, who was driving, reassured them, "It’s alright. I’ll comfort her when we get back."

After packing their suitcases and giving them some last-minute instructions, they arrived at the airport. Just as they got out of the car, Da Bao’s phone rang. A glance at the screen showed it was a call from their home’s landline.

It had to be Xiao Bao. Da Bao’s number was the easiest to remember, so she always called him.

The moment he answered, Xiao Bao’s sobs came through the phone.

"Big Brother Da Bao, where did you go? Where are you?"

Hearing her cry so brokenheartedly tugged at Da Bao’s heartstrings. "We’re at the airport."

At his words, Xiao Bao cried even harder. "Why are you at the airport? Didn’t you say you weren’t leaving? You’re liars! All of you are big liars!"

"Xiao Bao doesn’t like you anymore! Waaaah, you don’t want Xiao Bao anymore! You don’t love me!"

Da Bao had no idea how to comfort her and could only try his best to coax her. "Don’t cry, Xiao Bao, okay? When Big Brother Da Bao comes back, I’ll buy you toys. You can have any toy you want, I promise."

Xiao Bao refused. "No! I don’t want toys! I just want Big Brother Da Bao..."

She cried for over twenty minutes until she had no tears left and finally calmed down. Da Bao and San Bao repeatedly promised that they would video call her often and would be back before she knew it. After much coaxing, Xiao Bao reluctantly agreed.

"Don’t lie to Xiao Bao again... It makes me sad..."

The siblings started a video call to continue consoling her. Xiao Bao clutched the phone, her face a picture of misery. Then, she suddenly blurted out, "Big Brother, Third Sister, you have to take good care of yourselves, okay?"

Her words left them both flattered and surprised.

Xiao Bao sniffled. "When does the plane arrive?"

"We’re about to board soon."

"Oh," she murmured, her voice filled with disappointment. "Have you eaten?"

"Yes, we have!"

When it was time to board, they said their reluctant goodbyes and finally hung up.

On her end, Xiao Bao burst into tears the moment the call ended. Zhang Yuxi could only try to distract her with toys, but Xiao Bao kept crying, her face etched with sadness. Having no other choice, Zhang Yuxi resorted to offering her food.

Xiao Bao just barely managed to stop crying. "Okay!"

Lin Feng watched his two children board the plane and stood there for a long while before finally turning to leave. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

When he returned home, Xiao Bao was acting as if nothing had happened, completely back to her normal self. Her eyes, however, were swollen and bright red from all the crying. Zhang Yuxi, sitting on the sofa, explained that it had taken a long time to calm her down.

At two years old, Xiao Bao was more sensible than before and would cooperate when asked to do things herself. Not only was she much taller than her peers, but she had also surpassed the height San Bao had been at that age. She was very tall indeed. Coupled with her fair and chubby appearance, one could easily believe she was four.

An incident at the amusement park was what made Lin Feng realize just how tall she was. He had taken Xiao Bao there to play, and he noticed a child about half a head shorter than her who walked very steadily and had excellent coordination.

Such a small child, he’s probably just over a year old. Lin Feng thought.

As Xiao Bao was playing near the boy, he noticed the pretty little gourd bracelet on her wrist. The child came over and tugged at it. The bracelet snapped back against Xiao Bao’s wrist, making her little face scrunch up in pain.

Anytime Xiao Bao got even the slightest bit hurt, Lin Feng’s heart ached terribly. But although he was pained, he didn’t show it on his face. After all, the other child was very young and didn’t know any better. Besides, the parent was sensible and hurried over to apologize.

Lin Feng offered a small smile. "It’s fine. He’s just a little kid."

Being doted on by the entire family had made Xiao Bao protective of her things. She possessed an innate delicateness, unlike San Bao, whose was cultivated over time. Even though her two ’attendants’ were gone, she still had Lin Feng, Er Bao, and Si Bao at home. Xiao Bao was so pampered that she was always carried when they went out. Aside from occasionally feeding herself, everything else was done for her. And even if Lin Feng didn’t step in, Er Bao and Si Bao would rush to help. Zhang Yuxi, however, didn’t pay her much mind, so whenever Xiao Bao wanted something, she would just turn her head, start to cry, and look for someone else.

Previously, Lin Feng would have sided with Zhang Yuxi, but now, he figured he should just let his daughter have her way.

Until the quadruplets turned eighteen, the system’s monetary rewards were doubled. He no longer had any real idea of just how wealthy he was. Ensuring his descendants would never have to worry about money was certainly not an issue; his fortune could withstand the lavish spending of six or even seven generations, let alone three.

That being the case, he might as well raise Xiao Bao in the lap of luxury. When she was born, they were already in their middle age, so she was especially cherished as their precious darling. Gradually, Xiao Bao became not only delicate but also developed a delicate temperament. She was good at controlling it, though, always testing everyone’s boundaries without quite crossing them.

Xiao Bao turned to glance at the little boy beside her, pointed to the gourd bracelet, and asked, "Do you like it? I can let you look at it!"

Despite her youth, Xiao Bao had a vast collection of jewelry. Some were from international luxury brands, while others were custom-made for her by Er Bao using the finest materials.

The little boy nodded.

Xiao Bao took off the bracelet and handed it to him with a serious expression. "You can’t break it. My second sister gave it to me."

It wasn’t that she was particularly attached to it. She had so many things that the novelty of any single item wore off quickly. However, she would never agree to simply give her things away.

The small gourd was exquisite and cute. The boy played with it in his hands, and his father instructed him, "Be careful not to break it, okay? It belongs to the little girl."

The two fathers began chatting as they watched their children. When the topic of age came up, they were both shocked to learn their children were the same age. In fact, the boy was four months older than Xiao Bao.

The other father was stunned. "How did your daughter get so tall?"

Lin Feng replied, "Is she? I hadn’t really thought about it..."

He knew she was a bit tall, but he was surprised to learn she was that much taller than her peers. They hadn’t been to their early education classes in a long time. Xiao Bao didn’t want to go, complaining that the teacher was always making her do this or that. After their attendance became so sporadic, Lin Feng simply stopped making her go. He didn’t like forcing his children to do things they didn’t want to do.

"I’m 178 cm, and my wife is 170 cm. What about you?" the other father asked.

"I’m 182 cm, and my wife is 168 cm."

Uh...

Could the problem be me? the other man wondered.

Seeing his concern, Lin Feng tried to console him. "You can’t really predict height. Some kids have a sudden growth spurt later on, while for others, it’s all genetics. Some children grow tall early and then stop. The most important thing is that the child is healthy."

Based on his intuition, Lin Feng felt that Xiao Bao probably wouldn’t end up being short.

The other parent grunted in agreement. He glanced at his own son, but couldn’t help asking, "So, what does your daughter usually eat? Does she do exercises or anything like that?"