Chapter 408 - 407: Extra 3: Anecdotes of Nanny Dads Teaching Their Cubs to Walk, Part 3

Chapter 408: Chapter 407: Extra 3: Anecdotes of Nanny Dads Teaching Their Cubs to Walk, Part 3

However, Ye Ming often had no idea where his two little cubs had been running off to, or why they always managed to get so dirty the moment he looked away.

San San was still a beautiful little princess. Dressed in a clean, neat skirt, she looked as sweet and well-behaved as ever.

Beside her, little Liu Liu was covered in pale gray dust. His ears drooped listlessly, and he guiltily tucked his tail between his legs as he peeked at Ye Ming, trying to hide behind San San so he wouldn’t be noticed.

But he was a Black Panther. The dust on his fur was glaringly obvious, making it impossible to hide.

San San whispered, defending her younger brother, "Papa, Liu Liu just accidentally fell down."

Ye Ming’s brow furrowed slightly. "San San, don’t lie. Lying is not a good thing to do, understand?"

San San gave a small, meek nod. "I understand."

Liu Liu shuffled out, his head hanging dejectedly. He rubbed against Ye Ming’s pant leg, trying to curry favor. Though he hadn’t been speaking for long, he was already a sweet-talker. "Papa, don’t be mad. I just crawled through a few holes. I won’t get myself dirty next time. Please don’t blame my sister, it’s all my fault."

Seeing Liu Liu readily admit his mistake, Ye Ming sighed and gathered both cubs in his arms, one on each side.

He first looked at his daughter and said gently, "Papa isn’t mad at you, San San. I just want you to tell me if you’re ever in trouble, instead of hiding it. I want you both to know that your mother and I will always be your greatest support, the ones you can always rely on. You should never be afraid of us."

Hearing this, the tension in San San’s heart melted away, and a smile returned to her face.

"I understand, Papa."

After comforting his daughter, Ye Ming turned to his son. "Liu Liu, you’re still young, and it’s normal for cubs to love running around and playing. But you have to be careful and keep yourself and your sister safe. There’s an old saying: ’A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall.’ It means we should be aware of dangerous things and avoid them, and not put ourselves in harm’s way. Do you understand?"

Even though the two children had many guards following them every day, Ye Ming couldn’t help but worry. After all, they were still so young. Once they grew up and their strong Beastman bodies fully developed, he wouldn’t be nearly as concerned.

The two little cubs took his words to heart.

Ye Ming held his two children, looked at the grubby little Black Panther, and couldn’t help but laugh. "You little dirt-ball. I’ll take you to get washed up, and then we’ll go home and find Mama."

At the mention of "Mama," both little ones’ eyes lit up.

’Perfect! We were just missing Mama!’

[4. Dad-on-Duty Mu Tangfeng]

Shi Lansheng’s first three cubs were all the type who rarely cried. The little ones were always sweet and well-behaved, their heart-melting eyes making you want to scoop them up for a hug the moment you saw them.

Even Mu Tangfeng, who was initially afraid to hold babies, was always looking for any excuse to help after he learned the proper way to hold a cub. This was especially true after He Hanshi returned to the Capital Star. He and Jiang Xia took it upon themselves to be Er Er’s dads, taking turns looking after the baby and gaining valuable cub-raising experience.

Er Er was a very good baby. When he drank his infant growth liquid, the corners of his little mouth would curl up in a smile. He was a perfect little angel, and anyone who met him couldn’t help but fall in love.

Perhaps because taking care of Er Er had been so easy, Mu Tangfeng had gotten a bit cocky. He felt he was now an expert, that raising a child was an absolute piece of cake.

As it turned out, his own baby was a little crybaby who cried for several hours a day, from morning till night.

He cried when he was hungry. He cried when he was unhappy. He cried when he saw something scary. He even cried when he woke up.

In short, the crying was endless.

Mu Tangfeng used to regret that he didn’t have any playmates growing up. But after Fofu was born, he started feeling grateful that his parents only had him. ’What if I’d had a sibling who was also a crybaby? How annoying would it have been to have someone wailing in my ear all day long?’

But this was his own child. No matter how much he cried, Mu Tangfeng had to raise him well and love him dearly.

As a new father, Mu Tangfeng learned how to soothe his child the hard way. He even started a forum thread asking for help, and netizens offered him all sorts of advice.

For example, someone suggested buying small toys like rattles. Fofu probably found it too noisy, because he just cried even louder.

Mu Tangfeng immediately switched to a rocking cradle, which was also completely useless.

Then he tried a whole series of other methods—lifting him up high like Yi Yi loved, making funny faces, and even imitating the baby’s cries—but they all ended in failure.

The little guy’s cries were surprisingly robust; he could wail for ages without his voice going hoarse. He even knew to take a break when he got tired before starting up again.

Mu Tangfeng was completely at his wit’s end. His only option was to follow Shi Lan’s example and give the baby a pacifier. But if Fofu sucked on it for too long without getting any infant growth liquid, he would start to cry again, his muffled sobs even more heart-wrenching to hear.

Fortunately, his parents arrived. Mu Tangfeng had finally found a temporary lifeline.

Mr. and Mrs. Mu knew their little grandson was a crybaby, but they adored him and were on standby 24/7. Even when Mu Tangfeng had no choice but to call and wake them in the middle of the night, they would come over immediately.

Shi Lan was just as embarrassed, since she couldn’t soothe the baby either. She wanted to try breastfeeding to see if that would calm him, but it seemed her milk had dried up, and it was too painful. Watching her, Mu Tangfeng would grit his teeth. He refused to let his son continue to take advantage of his wife, and he couldn’t bear to see Shi Lan go through that kind of pain.

And so, Mr. and Mrs. Mu arrived.

The baby they had been unable to soothe would quiet down within ten seconds of being in their arms.

Fofu would open his big, dark, glistening eyes and stare at Mr. and Mrs. Mu for a moment. His tear-streaked eyelashes would flutter, and he would soon fall into a peaceful sleep.

They were like miracle workers.

Mu Tangfeng swallowed hard and whispered, "Mom, Dad, why don’t you take him for a while? I can’t do this."

Although Mr. and Mrs. Mu felt sorry for their son, they also believed that this was a necessary experience for any new father. However, when they saw the dark circles under his eyes and his utter exhaustion, they decided to take the baby for a week.

That week, Mu Tangfeng felt refreshed and clear-headed. The only thing was, with his son gone, he felt an emptiness in his heart. He had to go to the Mu Family estate every day to see Fofu before he could go home with peace of mind.

After a week apart, both Mu Tangfeng and Shi Lan missed Fofu, so they brought him back home.

During that week, Mu Tangfeng had reflected on his painful experience and diligently researched many new methods. He was ready to give it his all, refusing to believe that he couldn’t soothe his own little cub.

As it turned out, he really couldn’t.

Fortunately, after more than a month, these torturous days finally came to an end. While teaching his little cub to walk, Mu Tangfeng finally stumbled upon a way to soothe him.

Perhaps Fofu was awestruck by his father’s beast form. In any case, the first time Mu Tangfeng transformed, Fofu’s whimpering instantly ceased. He opened his small, yellow, pointed beak and circled his father, full of curiosity.

He then tilted his head back to look up at his towering father, hopping on his tiny claws and flapping his flightless little wings as he jumped up and down.

Mu Tangfeng tilted his head, thinking for a moment. He used a wing to scoop the little cub onto his back. He then felt a small head burrow into the space on his back near his wing, followed by a few gentle pecks from a tiny beak.

The pecks were so light they were almost ticklish, and Mu Tangfeng had to hold back a laugh. Fofu seemed to be playing. After a short while, he nestled his head against his father’s back like a fledgling returning to its nest and fell silent.

And so, he had finally found the cure for his little cub’s crying.