Chapter 109: Extra 8: Burning Fever
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
The little rascal has a fever. This was something Duan Yizhou never expected. Although they slept a bit late last night, he didn’t let himself be tempted by this little rascal. He firmly remembered the principle that he couldn’t do anything within three months after the caesarean section. They did play, of course, as he couldn’t resist when the little rascal acted cute.
It was probably because the air conditioning was too cold, and he ended up sweating, especially during the period when he was weak after giving birth.
“Baby?” Duan Yizhou gently tapped Luo Songran’s face, trying to wake him up. After calling for quite some time, this guy was still half-asleep. Just when he was thinking about calling the doctor directly, he woke up.
“…Hmm?” Luo Songran faintly heard someone calling him. His eyelids were heavy, and it took him a while to open his eyes. What he saw was Duan Yizhou’s worried expression. “What’s wrong?”
His voice sounded hoarse now. He couldn’t help but cough a couple of times.He thought he might have eaten too much last night and had a sore throat.
“Baby, you have a fever.” Duan Yizhou gently stroked Luo Songran’s face, calling the hotel to have someone bring some fever-reducing patches. As he made the call, the little rascal crawled onto him and subconsciously hugged his back.
Luo Songran leaned his whole body onto Duan Yizhou, his face against his exposed chest. The slightly cool temperature made him feel comfortable like this. Half-asleep, he closed his eyes again. “…It’s okay, I’ll be fine after a nap.”
Duan Yizhou furrowed his brows tightly. How could having a fever be okay? He instantly regretted fooling around last night. If something went wrong during the postpartum period, it would be terrible.
“Baby, don’t sleep for now. I’ll call the doctor to come and check on you, okay?”
“…No, just hold me.” Right now, Luo Songran felt completely powerless and very tired. In no time, he fell asleep again.
This nap seemed to be a bit long. And then he had a dream.
He dreamed of his brother who once gave him a big bucket of lollipops. It was after school at kindergarten. He didn’t see Dad and Papa coming to pick him up. He stood at the gate alone, waiting for the teacher for a long time. Then he noticed a big brother wearing a duckbill cap standing at the gate, staring at him, holding a bucket of candy, as if he knew him.
Did they know each other?
But it seemed like they knew the teacher. If they knew the teacher, didn’t that mean they knew Dad too? Because Dad told him that only Dad would come to pick him up after school every day. If someone else was coming to pick him up, Dad would tell him in advance and tell the teacher.
“RanRan, let’s go. Your brother is here to pick you up.”
After hearing the teacher say this, he walked out relieved. He saw the big brother reaching out his hand to him, and he reached out to hold it. At that moment, he looked up, but the big brother was too tall, and he couldn’t see his face clearly.
After walking a short distance, he saw the big brother squatting in front of him, handing him the lollipops.
“Do you want them?”
Seeing a big bucket of lollipops being handed to him, he was so tempted that he almost drooled. “Wow, are they all for me?”
“Yeah.”
“But I don’t have any money.” He reached into the big pocket of his overalls and took out an Ultraman sticker that had lost its stickiness, frowning as if he was pondering something. Then he handed the sticker to the big brother. “Brother, can I exchange this big sticker for one lollipop?”
“This is the Ultraman sticker that I got as a reward for voluntarily cleaning the desks today. I originally wanted to give it to Dad, but I wanted to eat candy. Can I exchange this sticker for a lollipop?”
“Hasn’t Dad told you not to go with strangers or eat candies given by strangers?”
He tilted his head, looking puzzled. “But brother, you’re not a stranger.”
“Do you know me?”
“If the teacher let me out, it must be because Dad asked you to pick me up, so you’re someone Dad knows, and if Dad knows you, then I know you too.” He saw himself pushing the sticker forward again, staring eagerly at the jar of candy. “So, brother isn’t a stranger, and the candy I’m going to eat isn’t from a stranger. I want to exchange the sticker for a candy, brother, can I?”
He was so eager, staring at the jar of candy that he almost drooled, pressing his face against it.
“But what if I’m a bad person?” the big brother asked again.
“Huh?” He immediately covered the Ultraman sticker against his chest, then leaned forward to look at the face under the big brother’s cap, his expression serious, pointing at him with his little finger, “Then I’ll remember you, and then call 110 to have the police take you away!”
At that moment, he saw the face hidden under the hat. It was Duan Yizhou. His Duan Yizhou. Then he saw himself rushing towards Duan Yizhou.
Duan Yizhou was taken by surprise by his sudden attack, almost losing his balance. He instinctively reached back to support himself on the floor to stabilize his body, while his other hand hugged him tightly.
“Hmph, I caught you!” Luo Songran saw himself holding Duan Yizhou’s neck tightly, glaring at him fiercely. He took off his hat and shouted loudly into his smartwatch, “Dad~~~ Help~~~ Someone’s trying to catch your son~~~ You’ll be sonless~~~”
His voice was so loud that it felt annoying. It probably startled Duan Yizhou too. How could there be a child with such a loud voice? It’s so noisy.
But when he saw Duan Yizhou couldn’t help but laugh, he thought, Duan Yizhou looked so good. He was always handsome, even when he was little. He used to say he didn’t smile much when he was young, but he smiled a lot, especially when he was being a little piglet.
“Brother, you’re so handsome. You couldn’t possibly be a bad guy, right?”
“But what if I am?”
“It’s troubling. How about you give me all the candy, and I’ll let you go.”
“What if you let go of a really, really bad bad guy?”
“Worse than hitting people?”
“Even worse.”
He saw himself grabbing Duan Yizhou’s hand, his little hand not very strong but still holding on tightly. “Then I won’t let you go.”
“Don’t want candy anymore?”
He saw himself staring at Duan Yizhou and kept looking. “I have money, I can buy it myself. I don’t want yours, you villain!”
“Very clever.”
Then he was picked up by Duan Yizhou.
He saw Duan Yizhou putting the bucket of lollipops into his arms, letting him hold it, and then putting on his hat. He carried him towards the RV. “RanRan is a very clever kid, so the big brother rewards you with this bucket of lollipops.”
Out of nowhere, his nose felt sour. No one praised him for being smart when he was little, because he was too naughty and too mischievous. He liked to make Dad angry and even fought with his second brother. But apparently, Duan Yizhou had praised him for being smart so early on.
He still remembered that every time he ate a lollipop back then, he would ask Dad, “Where did the big brother who gave me the candy go?”
Dad would smile and reply, “The big brother went abroad to study.”
“Will the big brother come back?”
“He will.”
Luo Songran thought he knew why Duan Yizhou would come back. It was because the first-generation super-memory chip had a strong rejection with him, so later on, the super-memory chip 20 was developed, specifically to observe whether there was any rejection after his surgery.
And then they were together. And then, inexplicably, they got married. And now they had a child, twins even.
He didn’t just think of Duan Yizhou when he didn’t need to eat candy anymore, but every time he opened his eyes, he could see Duan Yizhou, and before he went to sleep, he could also see Duan Yizhou. It turned out that his thoughts had been clear from the very beginning. Their encounter was never a coincidence. It’s wonderful. He would arrange one for Piglet too.
“Hehehe.”
In the bedroom, Duan Yizhou was changing Luo Songran, who was sweating from the fever. Suddenly, he saw the little rascal sleeping beside him suddenly laughing, so happily. Seeing that he hadn’t woken up, he couldn’t help but laugh too. What kind of dream did he have?
After changing into a clean and fresh cardigan, he lay down beside Luo Songran.
The fuss from last night had caused Luo Songran to have a fever all day, and it wasn’t until now in the evening that the fever subsided slightly, for no other reason than catching a chill. If Luo Songran’s dads found out that he was fooling around like this, eating ice cream and barbecue, and even running to the hotel, they would certainly scold him.
They would say that he was usually so rational, why did he become irrational when he came to RanRan’s side? They would also ask him to take better care of RanRan in the future, not to spoil the little rascal too much, or else it would be difficult to control him if he became too willful.
He thought to himself, it’s not that he didn’t want to take care of him, but every time he saw the little rascal crying, he would soften up.
Sitting the month was indeed a boring thing, he also felt bored, and he wasn’t like other husbands who could dance and be funny. He just accompanied Luo Songran every day, playing with building blocks, and he couldn’t sit for too long because the caesarean section wound would hurt.
Then he would nap at noon and tell him stories when he went to bed at night, stories about physicists. But basically, he would fall asleep in less than two minutes.
There was really no experience in coaxing him to sleep because his sleep quality was very good. He would almost fall asleep as soon as he touched the bed, and there wasn’t a day when he didn’t do that.
He even asked his former colleagues from the research institute about their experiences accompanying their wives during the postpartum period, and then he compared it with his own situation. He could only say that Luo Songran was really obedient.
This only made him feel more guilty. Going out to play is not an option now. So, what can be done at home?
Knock knock—
Just then, there came a knocking at the door.
“Mr. Duan, the midnight snack for the young master is here.”
Duan Yizhou heard the voice of the nursemaid from outside and softly responded, “Hmm,” then instinctively glanced at Luo Songran, who was still asleep. “Leave it outside. He hasn’t woken up yet. You’ve worked hard.”
“Alright, then I’ll go feed the babies first.”
“Mm…”
Luo Songran heard the commotion and turned over, feeling sore all over, instantly awake. He couldn’t help but inhale sharply, feeling a bit of a sore throat, “Duan Yizhou, I want water.”
Seeing that the little guy was awake, Duan Yizhou couldn’t help but smile at his promptness in giving orders even before opening his eyes. However, he still lovingly touched his forehead, “Awake? Is there anything uncomfortable? Do you have a headache or backache?”
As he spoke, Duan Yizhou lifted Luo Songran up and leaned him against his chest, offering the warm water to his lips.
“My throat hurts,” Luo Songran mumbled, half-awake, as he opened his eyes. He took a sip of water, fully awake now, surveying the surroundings. Oh, he was back home. Seems like he had a fever.
“Why does your throat hurt?” Duan Yizhou suddenly felt a bit nervous, afraid it might lead to inflammation. “I’ll call the doctor over.”
“Wait, wait—” Luo Songran hurriedly pressed Duan Yizhou’s arm, hugging him. “It’s hurting from laughing too much.”
Duan Yizhou didn’t react for a moment. “What?”
“I mean,” Luo Songran sat up, facing Duan Yizhou, then reached out and patted his thigh. “It’s from… well, you know, that thing we did.”
Duan Yizhou coughed softly, lowering his head to hug him, his hand touching his forehead. “No more playing around like that in the future.”
He had to restrain himself too. He couldn’t let the little guy take advantage of him anymore. It was okay before pregnancy, but now, with the special circumstances, he had to control himself.
“That’s just human nature, couldn’t help it,” Luo Songran lazily nestled in Duan Yizhou’s arms, suddenly realizing he was back home. If he had a fever… his eyes widened, “Um, my dad, they won’t find out, right?”
“Yeah, and they scolded me.”
Luo Songran suddenly raised his head, “Seriously? Even you got scolded? Did I?”
“I was scolded first, for not stopping your antics. Now they want you to finish the two months of confinement.”
Luo Songran felt a mix of emotions. He thought he would be free after forty-two days. There were only five days left, and yet he had to endure more. He slapped his thigh in frustration.
“Ouch.” Duan Yizhou, caught off guard, looked at Luo Songran in surprise.
Luo Songran winced, realizing his mistake, and awkwardly touched Duan Yizhou’s thigh, “Sorry, sorry, I hit the wrong place.” Afraid of hurting him, he lowered his head and kissed him.
“It’s okay, baby, I’ll stay home with you.”
“It’s boring at home.”
“Should I do an experiment with you?”
Luo Songran gave him a look, “Nobody does experiments with someone during their confinement. Professor Duan, you’re probably the first.”
If that were true, he’d really be grateful.
Duan Yizhou understood and smiled knowingly, “Then are you hungry? The nursemaid brought the midnight snack. Have some.” He got off the bed and brought in the confinement meal brought by the nursemaid earlier, placing it in front of Luo Songran. “Which one do you want?”
Looking at the confinement meal, Luo Songran shook his head, “I want the clay pot porridge you make.”
He was tired of confinement meals too.
“Then I’ll go make it for you now.” Duan Yizhou didn’t say much. He just put down the confinement meal in his hands. These meals would eventually end up in his stomach, sooner or later, it was just a matter of time.
“I want to go too.” Luo Songran pretended to get out of bed and reached out towards Duan Yizhou. “Carry me, carry me.”
Duan Yizhou had no choice.
In the kitchen, Luo Songran sat on the table outside the open kitchen, resting his chin on his hands as he watched Duan Yizhou, wearing an apron, making porridge for him. Seeing him skillfully preparing the ingredients without needing to refer to a recipe, he called out, “Xiao Zhou.”
“What’s up?” Duan Yizhou was used to all kinds of names the little guy called him.
“I feel like you’re a chef now.”
Duan Yizhou thought to himself that this was all just honed skills. He smiled, “Hmm, Chef Luo Songran’s exclusive chef.”
“I had a dream just now, and you were in it.” Luo Songran gazed at Duan Yizhou’s back, thinking about the dream he just had.
“What about me?”
“I dreamt that when I finished kindergarten, you came to pick me up and brought me a bucket of lollipops. After that, I never saw you again.”
“And then?”
“Then I asked my dad where the brother who gave me candy went, and my dad said you went abroad to study.”
Duan Yizhou murmured, pouring slices of meat into the cooked porridge, “That was when I had just published a paper on super-memory chips in ‘Nature’ and was preparing to study abroad.”
Luo Songran calculated Duan Yizhou’s age at that time, “So you were sixteen, in high school?”
Duan Yizhou chuckled, “No, I was already a sophomore in college.”
Luo Songran was immediately horrified, clasping his hands together and praying, “Please, don’t let our kids be like me, it would be terrible like their dad.”
Duan Yizhou glanced back at Luo Songran’s reaction and found the little guy praying with clasped hands, finding him adorable. “What’s wrong with being like their dad? It’s tough being like me.”
But then he imagined having three Luo Songrans at home and fell silent.
Indeed, being more like him would be better.
“Being like Dad means they’ll be very smart!” Luo Songran knew about Duan Yizhou’s achievements. He wondered how a genius like him ended up with a straight-A student like him. But since they were already together, he could only accept it. Besides, children could be nurtured. “Our kids will definitely be like you.”
“Let nature take its course with the kids.” Duan Yizhou put on heat-resistant gloves, placed the clay pot porridge on a mat, and held it in front of Luo Songran. “It’s still hot, wait a bit before eating.”
Luo Songran smelled the familiar aroma and his taste buds were immediately satisfied. “Chef Duan, you’re getting better and better. I can already smell how delicious it is before even tasting it.”
After saying that, he picked up a spoonful, blew on it, and then ate. Then he saw Duan Yizhou sitting in front of him, smiling as he watched him eat. Suddenly, he remembered the dream he just had, “Duan Yizhou, let me tell you, do you know what I was thinking when I had that dream?”
“What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that I might know why I fell for you at first sight in the bar.”
“Why?”
“Because when I first saw you as a child, I thought you were very handsome. Every time I ate lollipops, I would think of you. This is probably what they mean by ‘what’s remembered is often what’s important’. I fell for you at first sight in the bar.” Luo Songran laughed, “And then we got together, and now we even have children.”
Duan Yizhou understood what Luo Songran meant, reached out and pinched his cheek, indulgently smiling, “Hmm, everything happens for a reason.”
The two of them locked eyes and smiled simultaneously. It couldn’t be just a coincidence. Their love was not a chance encounter. In some ways, it was planned all along.
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