Futile Devices Scans

“Mom, I made these mooncakes. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.” Seeing Mother Zheng staring longingly at Benben, who was currently in his great-grandfather’s arms, Wang Cheng quickly tried to divert her attention. Otherwise, in another couple of minutes she would be fighting with Great-Grandpa for the right to hold Benben again. He was not exaggerating—although his son had been wrinkly like most newborns when he was first born, within a month or two he had grown increasingly delicate and adorable. Many people said Benben was the most beautiful child they had ever seen. Now that he was seven or eight months old, he even carried a sweet milky scent. Wherever he went, he was always the most sought-after child.

Reluctantly, Mother Zheng withdrew her gaze. The truth was that she had fully intended to go snatch Benben back in another two minutes. His cuteness was one reason, but there was another. At her age, most women already had grandchildren. She had wanted to hold a grandchild for years. Yet her two sons had both failed to live up to expectations—one still had no partner, while the other had ended up with a man. She had already given up hope. Then, after finally getting a grandson, she wished she could tie him to her waistband and carry him everywhere.

Thinking of this, Mother Zheng cast a resentful glance at Zheng Jing’en.

Without even turning his head, Zheng Jing’en could feel her burning gaze. Of everyone in the family, he was undoubtedly the person least eager to see Wang Cheng’s family of three show up. Whenever Mother Zheng saw them, she inevitably thought of him. Ever since Benben was born, his parents and grandfather had not stopped pressuring him to get married.

Zheng Jing’en coughed lightly and looked at Wang Cheng. “Cheng Cheng, what flavors of mooncakes did you make this year?”

Wang Cheng immediately caught on. “There’s salted egg yolk, red bean paste, rock sugar, black sesame, and more. Brother, you don’t really like sweets, so try the osmanthus flavor I just came up with. It’s sweet without being cloying and should suit your taste. Benben ate half of one yesterday.” He cut a mooncake into four pieces and handed one over on a fork.

Zheng Jing’en took a bite. He had always trusted his younger brother’s cooking skills. “It tastes good. There’s a subtle fragrance of osmanthus.”

“Of course. I used the freshest and finest sweet osmanthus blossoms.” After all, the eighth lunar month was the height of osmanthus season.

At lunchtime, Mother Zheng and Great-Grandpa competed to feed Benben. Since Benben was obedient and easy to feed, taking care of him during meals required very little effort. Even Old Master Zhou enjoyed feeding him. Unable to compete, Mother Zheng could only eat while gazing enviously at the harmonious scene of the oldest and youngest members of the Zhou family sitting together. After lunch, everyone took Benben outside for a walk.

The weather in September was not particularly cold. Normally, walks took place in their own courtyard. However, ever since Benben arrived, both Old Master Zhou and Mother Zheng loved taking him outside. Their purpose was simple—to show him off. They lived in a wealthy district, where many elderly people liked strolling in the nearby park. Those with grandchildren or great-grandchildren often brought them along. Old Master Zhou had been jealous of that for years.

Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng followed behind as the old man carried Benben over to greet the neighbors.

Although he was nearly eighty years old, Old Master Zhou remained remarkably healthy and energetic, as though he had become ten years younger. Part of that was thanks to Wang Cheng’s health exercises. Yet the true source of his increased vitality was Benben. In the past, Zhou Shichang’s features had carried a certain kindness, but his overall demeanor had always been stern. Now, constant smiles had left his complexion rosy and vibrant. No wonder people said that smiling could make a person look ten years younger.

At a little after four in the afternoon, after finally saying goodbye to the reluctant old man, Wang Cheng’s family of three accompanied Mother Zheng to the Zheng residence.

Although Wang Cheng had never been Old Master Zheng’s favorite grandson, his son had completely won the old man’s heart. Every time he saw Benben, the stern expression on his face would soften into a clear smile. Like Wang Cheng’s great-grandfather, his health was excellent for his age, and he could carry Benben for more than ten minutes without feeling tired.

Fearing that his grandfather would react to Benben the same way Mother Zheng did, Zheng Jing’en had found an excuse to leave beforehand. Neither Father Zheng nor Mother Zheng suspected anything, but upon hearing that he had gone off to handle something, Old Master Zheng’s expression shifted slightly.

“Today is Mid-Autumn Festival. What business could your brother possibly have?”

Since his grandfather was clearly directing the question at him, Wang Cheng could not exactly tell the truth. He forced himself to answer, “I think a friend was looking for him. I’m not sure about the details.”

The old man neither agreed nor disagreed.

Wang Cheng could not tell whether he believed him and could only wish his brother good luck.

That evening, they stayed at the Zheng residence for dinner. Since no one in the Zheng family dared compete with Mother Zheng for Benben, she finally got her wish and monopolized her grandson. After dinner, she tried to persuade them to stay the night, but Wang Cheng firmly refused. There were too many people in the Zheng household, along with too many rules. It simply was not a comfortable place for them to stay.

Originally they had also planned to visit the Chu family, but both Old Master Chu and Old Madam Chu were away. They adored Benben as well. If they had not truly been occupied, they would certainly have preferred spending Mid-Autumn Festival at home doting on their grandchild.

After leaving the Zheng residence, the family of three returned directly to their villa. Benben had slept for two hours at the Zhou residence that afternoon, so he remained energetic after getting home. Wang Cheng set him down on the carpet in the living room and let him crawl around freely. Just as he was about to head upstairs, he looked back and discovered that his son was following him.

“Benben, Daddy’s going upstairs to run hot water for your bath. Be good and wait here.” Then he turned to Chu Yifeng, who was taking off his coat. “Watch your son.” With that, he strode upstairs.

Chu Yifeng tossed his coat onto the sofa and walked over to pick up the little boy, who was still trying to follow Wang Cheng.

Benben sniffled and hugged Chu Yifeng’s arm. Unfortunately, he was still too small while Chu Yifeng’s arm was especially muscular. Benben could not maintain a secure grip with both hands. The moment Chu Yifeng straightened his arm, he slid right down. Chu Yifeng picked him back up, and Benben seemed to enjoy the sensation. He grabbed his father’s shirt with both hands and stared at him excitedly, clearly wanting another turn. Naturally, Chu Yifeng did not refuse and repeated the game several more times.

When Wang Cheng came downstairs and saw how much fun they were having, he said, “The water’s ready. Bring Benben upstairs.”

“Hear that? Little Daddy says playtime’s over.” Chu Yifeng scooped up his son, who had wrapped himself around his leg demanding another round, and headed upstairs.

Benben pouted.

Taking him into his arms, Wang Cheng said to Chu Yifeng, “I’ll bathe Benben. You go wash up too. I’ve already prepared your clothes and left them beside the bed.”

Although Benben was unusually sensible, Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng still worried about him. After all, he was still a child who could crawl and walk. They were afraid he might get hurt, so one of them always kept an eye on him.

“How about I bathe with the two of you?” Chu Yifeng said with a grin.

“Don’t even think about it.” Wang Cheng turned and marched into the bathroom. The first time he had agreed, Chu Yifeng had started acting shameless halfway through, nearly causing him to embarrass himself in front of their son. Ever since then, he had refused to let Chu Yifeng join them during bath time.

Perched on Wang Cheng’s shoulder, Benben tilted his little head and waved sympathetically at Chu Yifeng.

Bye-bye, Daddy~

The adorable gesture left Chu Yifeng both amused and exasperated. The smarter his son became, the more mischievous he grew. Now he even understood the concept of taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune.

Inside the bathroom, Wang Cheng tested the water temperature one last time. Only after confirming that it would not scald his son did he begin washing Benben’s hair. Learning how to wash a baby’s hair had taken him a long time. His hands were naturally strong, and he had always been afraid of hurting his son. Eventually, however, he became skilled at it. After finishing the hair, he started removing Benben’s clothes.

“Daddy~”

Benben tugged at Wang Cheng’s collar.

Although he did not finish the sentence, Wang Cheng understood perfectly. Taking hold of the little hand, he said, “Daddy will wash you first. After you’re done, Daddy will wash himself. Otherwise you’ll catch a cold. Benben is a good boy and understands what Daddy is saying, right?” During the summer, Wang Cheng sometimes bathed together with his son. But now that the weather was getting cooler, both he and Chu Yifeng worried that Benben might get chilled.

Benben did not really know what catching a cold meant, but he vaguely understood it was something bad. Obediently, he allowed Wang Cheng to place him in the warm water. The ceramic tub had been custom-made according to Benben’s size the previous month. It fit him perfectly—neither too large nor too small.

Wang Cheng started by washing his hands. Since Benben crawled around constantly, his hands became dirty easily, especially beneath his fingernails. Whenever they grew even a little longer, dirt would accumulate underneath. Fortunately, the house was usually very clean. The only reason there was dirt today was because Great-Grandpa had taken him outside earlier, where he had spent some time playing on the grass. The black grains of sand under his nails came from that outing. Once cleaned, his little hands were pink and spotless again.

“Alright, next we’ll wash your legs and little butt.”

Benben immediately covered his bottom with both hands.

“Oh? Benben gets embarrassed now?” After scrubbing his legs, Wang Cheng gently moved his hands aside, revealing a tiny pink little sprout. It was unbelievably cute. He could not resist lightly flicking it and burst out laughing.

Benben twisted his body away from him. His little face turned red—whether from embarrassment or the hot water was impossible to tell.

Wang Cheng decided not to tease him anymore. Worried that he might actually get cold, he finished the bath quickly, wrapped him in a large towel, and dressed him piece by piece.

Benben happily grabbed the cartoon character on his shirt. It was a bright yellow Pikachu. However, when it came time to put on his diaper and pants, his enthusiasm disappeared. He disliked diapers. Once, Wang Cheng had softened and skipped the diaper. Within a single hour, Benben had peed three times and gone through three pairs of pants.

Carrying him out of the bathroom, Wang Cheng found that Chu Yifeng had already finished bathing in the next room. He was holding a bottle of warm milk. His pajamas resembled Benben’s, except they lacked the Pikachu design. Wang Cheng set their son down on the bed.

“He’s all yours. I’m going to shower.”

“Go ahead.” Chu Yifeng retrieved a hair dryer from the cabinet and skillfully dried Benben’s hair. The warm air made the child squint in contentment. His hair was sparse, short, and extremely soft, so it dried quickly.

Benben flopped backward onto the soft bed and rolled twice toward the inner side. Chu Yifeng placed the bottle in his mouth. “Finish this milk and then go to sleep.”

Holding the bottle by its handles with both hands, Benben sucked diligently. The dinner he had eaten at the Zheng residence had already been digested by bath time. If he did not drink milk before bed, he would wake up in the middle of the night. By the time he finished, Wang Cheng had just emerged from the shower.

After finishing the milk, Benben became sleepy. He had exercised more than usual that day. Although he had taken a two-hour nap in the afternoon, children naturally became tired easily. The fact that he had stayed awake this long was already impressive. Before long, he drifted off to sleep. Chu Yifeng called his name once without getting a response, then carefully carried him to the small room next door.

Following the advice of their elders, Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng had started having Benben sleep alone once he was five months old. However, their son turned out to be unexpectedly well-behaved. He rarely cried or fussed and was extremely easy to care for. Because of that, they sometimes let him sleep with them.

Tonight, however, Chu Yifeng clearly had other plans. After drying his hair, Wang Cheng was just about to ask a question when he saw Chu Yifeng’s eyes light up. The man pounced on him, pinning him to the bed. The hair dryer fell to the floor.

Burying his face in Wang Cheng’s neck, Chu Yifeng inhaled deeply. “Finally, we can have some time alone.”

The moment he heard that, Wang Cheng immediately understood his intentions. So that was it. He thought their son was getting in the way of intimacy, which was why he had carried him off to the next room.

Previous

Main

Next