Stop Thinking Chapter 43: Extra 6: “Little Fry” 5 (How Much I Miss My Little Daddy…)

Chapter 43: Extra 6: “Little Fry” 5 (How Much I Miss My Little Daddy…)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

When Ruan Yu returned home from the research institute, three little fish fry were lying in their nest, each holding their own small bottle and drinking milk.

Gu Xiuhan sat upright beside the fish nest, holding a bowl of freshly mashed shrimp meat in his hand, preparing to supplement the fry with some solid food after they finished drinking milk.

But Ruan Yu could tell from their spiritual forms that the fry weren’t in high spirits. Especially Little Ice Cube, whose spiritual form appeared a cloudy gray, looking aggrieved, as if holding back tears. Having been lurking in the water grass and almost falling asleep before being rescued by their big daddy, Little Ice Cube’s tender heart was a bit hurt.

The other two fry were in similar states, albeit to varying degrees.

“Why are the babies all upset?” Ruan Yu hurriedly comforted them one by one, patting their heads, then picked up Little Ice Cube, who had the calmest demeanor but the most distressed heart, just like Gu Xiuhan used to comfort him when he was little. With his right arm wrapped around the fish’s tail and his left hand stroking their hair, he let the soft and chubby face rest against his shoulder.

Ruan Yu knew that being held like this would give them a special feeling of being cared for.

“They…” Gu Xiuhan was about to speak after a moment’s hesitation, but Ruan Yu, already incensed on behalf of the baby, interjected angrily, “Did big daddy leave you in the water grass and just went ashore?” Before he finished speaking, he turned to the other two babies, who were diligently sending brainwaves towards him, and recounted, “Did big daddy attack you and hurt your teeth with his iron arm? Did he accidentally bump Little Candy’s nose?”

Brainwaves were generated by brain activity, so even though the babies like Ruan Yu hadn’t mastered language yet, they could still convey their thoughts through mental activity, albeit with less precision. Not being able to speak was not a problem; they could still complain through brainwaves.

Initially, he thought he would express his displeasure, saying “Look at the mess you’ve made,” but Ruan Yu, who understood the situation, simply rubbed the faces of the three milkballs and kissed each one, making their spiritual forms bright and joyful again. Then he gently reassured them, “When little daddy goes to work, big daddy has to take care of all three of you at the same time. It’s very hard, and there are many things to do, so sometimes he might overlook something. And if big daddy didn’t do something right, he would apologize seriously to the babies. So, babies, don’t get angry about these things and try to understand big daddy, okay?”

The military matters were few, and the babies were attached to their daddy, so it was okay for others or the robotic butler to accompany them temporarily, but daddy couldn’t be away for too long, so taking care of the fish fry was Gu Xiuhan’s main responsibility.

Ruan Yu was no longer a child and knew how exhausting it was for Gu Xiuhan to take care of three babies at the same time. Similarly, the babies weren’t really angry with their big daddy; they just wanted to take advantage of the situation to get kisses and cuddles from their little daddy whom they hadn’t seen all day.

They were just being spoiled. Ruan Yu could see that, but what needed to be said still needed to be said. After Ruan Yu finished speaking, the babies nodded eagerly, their three little heads bobbing up and down. Then, following Ruan Yu’s command, they awkwardly wriggled into Gu Xiuhan’s arms, clumsily standing up with their tails and using their little hands to hold Gu Xiuhan’s face, taking turns to kiss him.

Since hatching, these three fish fry had shown different personalities. As they grew, these personality traits became more pronounced.

For example, Little Ice Cube was naturally calm and introverted, initially appearing most similar to Gu Xiuhan, but after raising him for a while, one would discover that beneath his serious exterior, he was actually quite soft-hearted, a surface cool guy with deceptive appearances. It seemed that Little Ice Cube was aware of the stark contrast between his inner and outer selves and, to avoid being laughed at, carried a heavier burden of coolness, often pretending to be calm with his round face tensed up.

Music could promote the development of the baby’s spiritual forms, and it was a compulsory course for mermaids, so Ruan Yu would give the fish fry music lessons every week. In the early stages, it was mainly appreciation. Ruan Yu would play some classic melodies that mermaids could sing. Later, he would gradually let the fry sing along.

The three fry sat on small stools that matched the mermaid’s body shape. Little Koi and Little Candy both loved to sing, smiling and clapping their hands as they sang, and sometimes even wagging their chubby tails when they got excited. But Little Ice Cube never opened his mouth, just sat there rigidly.

His mouth was always tightly shut, and his face puffed up when he closed it forcefully.

Although Ruan Yu had only lived among the mermaid tribe for two years, he had encountered many mermaids who served the royal family and took care of him, and he had never seen a mermaid who didn’t like to sing or couldn’t sing well. The “racial talent” of the mermaid tribe was not just talk.

So Ruan Yu understood Little Ice Cube’s behavior as shyness. Faced with a shy baby, of course, one had to patiently encourage and guide them, building their confidence… After several attempts, Ruan Yu encouraged Little Ice Cube so much that he finally blushed and tried to sing a short passage.

“Little sea rabbit, white and white, both ears standing up…” The problem was, every note deliberately avoided the correct pitch. Anyone who didn’t know would think it was intentional.

“…” Ruan Yu choked back a smile and forced out praise, “Little Ice Cube, you’re so great.”

It was really strange how a mermaid could sing off-key. Where did that off-key gene come from?! Come to think of it, Ruan Yu had never heard Gu Xiuhan sing in all the years he had been with him…

Ruan Yu’s gaze became sharp.

“Brother sings so beautifully!!” Little Candy cuddled up to his brother and rubbed against him, first praising him brainlessly, then asking a soul-piercing question, “Which song were you singing?”

Little Koi hesitated to speak, closing her mouth sympathetically.

Little Ice Cube’s complexion, which had slightly improved, turned pale again at the mention of it. “!” Isn’t it the song you just sang? Couldn’t you tell?… “…Hmph.”

Little Ice Cube sat up straight, clutching his clothes, and forced back his tears. But he couldn’t completely hold them back, so he made a small “hmph” sound from time to time. But the good news was that Little Ice Cube gained the right not to speak during music class. From then on, he remained cool to the end…

Among the three fish fry, the one who truly inherited the military family’s combat genes and tough personality was the only girl, Little Koi. As she grew older, Little Koi became more and more like Gu Rong in temperament…

Ruan Yu originally thought he would have a sweet and soft baby daughter. Gu Xiuhan initially thought the same. In order to satisfy his daughter’s possible desire for a beautiful image, he even learned over a dozen complex but quite beautiful braiding techniques. In just ten minutes, he could create a flower on a dummy’s head with a frozen face.

But Little Koi’s style became stranger with each passing day…

Gu Rong spoiled the fry excessively. Even the grand marshal was willing to be ridden like a horse by the fry, so the most clingy relative for Little Koi gradually changed from her two dads to her grandparents. She would often insist on staying at the estate where her grandparents lived for a while.

Little Koi didn’t like being hugged in someone’s arms; she felt her vision wasn’t broad enough. Instead, she liked sitting on the shoulders of taller relatives, one hand propping up her round belly (calling it “waist” was a stretch), the other hand holding onto the relative’s head. She would play around wildly with her tousled silver hair, sticking up her little tail and looking around disdainfully.

Fortunately, middle-aged men in the interstellar era no longer suffered from hair loss problems. Even if it happened, it could be treated. Otherwise, Gu Rong’s head would eventually be polished to a shine by Little Koi’s antics, shining brightly and reflecting people.

Little Koi adapted well to Gu Rong’s masculine hobbies and even liked them mysteriously. Hand-to-hand combat dramas with violence factors, with a viewing age of 16+, if Gu Rong didn’t let her watch, she would sneak onto the housekeeping robot and slip into his room when the robot went in to clean or deliver something.

If the robot detected a discrepancy in weight and stood still, Little Koi would punch the robot’s iron head. She wasn’t as fragile as a purebred female royal mermaid. Although she was small and soft, her genetic assessment surprisingly matched her big daddy’s with an SSS grade, a strange strength that contradicted her size. One punch from her and the robot’s weight sensing system would malfunction.

—If the appliance doesn’t work well, just give it a tap. This ancient life experience was still useful in the interstellar era.

Of course, Little Koi couldn’t sneak a peek for long because as soon as she got excited and started making excited noises, Gu Rong would drag her out from under the sofa like catching a cat. To satisfy Little Koi’s interests within reason, Gu Rong had to choose a few cartoonish shooting games for her to play.

Little Koi soon became as good as Gu Rong.

“Our little girl at home,” Gu Rong would always boast proudly whenever he mentioned his granddaughter, his proud expression overflowing from his eyes, “her military rank won’t be lower than her daddy’s in the future!”

Gu Xiuhan’s diligently practiced braiding skills were left with no place to show off. Fortunately, there was another baby who loved beauty. Little Candy might have watched too many animated films featuring cute little mermaids. For a while, he was obsessed with dressing himself up as marine creatures.

For example, using a small piece of coral as a hairpin, picking up a small piece of scallop shell left by his siblings and using it as a decoration on his head, or braiding a few strands of seaweed into a grass ring to wear…

Cute with a touch of pity.

Seeing his love for beauty, one day Gu Xiuhan tried braiding a thin, short twist braid with Little Candy’s forehead hair. This hairstyle wouldn’t look strange on a little boy either. He used the hair on the side of Little Candy’s forehead and only took a small strand. As a result, the visual effect of the entire braided braid was like a small ornament, and the braid was tied with the hair tie prepared for Little Koi earlier, with a string of pearls hanging on it.

Little Candy was delighted with his new look and spent quite a while admiring himself in the mirror. When he had enough of looking at himself, he reached out to Gu Xiuhan for a hug, then pointed this way and that, directing Gu Xiuhan to carry him around.

First, Little Candy strutted around in the Gu Family’s courtyard, showing off to the gardeners and technicians one by one. Then he demanded to “go to daddy’s workplace to play,” so Gu Xiuhan carried him to the military base. Along the way, whenever he met someone he knew, Little Candy would stop them, turn his red cheeks to them, and show them his braid, then ask in a childish voice, “Auntie/sister/brother… Do you think the braid my big daddy did for me looks good?”

Faced with such a baby, whoever was asked couldn’t help but praise him. “It looks great!” Then Little Candy would invite them to touch his braid. If it was an aunt or sister, he would even boldly move his head closer to let them touch his braid.

“Hehe…” After a big round of showing off and being praised, Little Candy, who was flushed with excitement, grabbed Gu Xiuhan’s collar and twisted his little fish butt to try to crawl into his military uniform. Being shy and wanting praise at the same time, what a contradiction.

“I’ll braid it for you often in the future.” Gu Xiuhan smiled and rubbed the little fish’s head, suggesting, “Shall we go to the research institute to pick up your little daddy together?”

Little Candy raised both hands in agreement, “Sure, I miss my little daddy.”

Gu Xiuhan lifted Little Candy up and walked briskly towards the hovercraft parked outside Building 1 of the military base, casually asking, “How much do you miss your little daddy?”

“Haven’t seen my little daddy for a day,” Little Candy lifted his clothes and patted his belly, “I’m getting thin from missing him. Buy me some delicious food.”

“Getting thin?” Gu Xiuhan tilted his head slightly, poking at his round belly like a small watermelon, then turned to set the course for the research institute on the control panel.

Because the people at the military base knew that Admiral Gu often came to walk his kids around when he had nothing to do, to attract the fry, snacks like crispy little fish were basically distributed to everyone at the military base. This baby had just been eating and drinking at the military base.

“Getting thin, getting thin!” Little Candy quickly held his breath and sucked in his belly. As a result, Gu Xiuhan scratched his belly, and he burst into laughter the next second.

Gu Xiuhan chuckled softly too.

The hovercraft rose slowly, leaving a light silver trail against the deep blue sky, flying towards the research institute.

 

 

 

 

 

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