Chapter 30
A-Yan sensed something and looked up at Su Ci.
He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but amidst the calm and unfathomable depths of the young man’s gaze, he thought he caught a faint ripple of emotion.
However, just as he tried to discern it more clearly, Su Ci had already turned away.
Stretching lazily, Su Ci yawned and strolled out of the room.
Unaware of his small companion’s gaze, the hem of his sleepwear occasionally lifted with his movements, revealing a glimpse of his slim, pale waist. The clean lines and soft texture of his skin gleamed under the light, captivating the child trailing behind him.
A-Yan found the scene oddly mesmerizing. In the back of his mind, a vague figure surfaced, overlapping with Su Ci’s silhouette. But when A-Yan blinked, the vision vanished.
By then, Su Ci had left the bedroom, and A-Yan snapped back to reality. Just as he was about to follow, his eyes fell on the messy bed.
He hesitated, his expression turning uncomfortable.
Glancing between the door and the bed, he eventually chose not to leave immediately. Instead, he turned back and ran to the bedside.
Standing on tiptoes, he tugged at the sheets and blankets, smoothing them out and folding them with care, mimicking how the nanny robot had done it before.
This was the place he shared with Su Ci to sleep. It needed to be treated well—leaving it messy felt wrong.
Outside the room, Su Ci glanced back and caught sight of A-Yan fixing the bed. His expression turned faintly bemused as he returned his gaze forward.
Tidying up the bedding was a habit of humans, something absent from Su Ci’s behavioral norms. Even the fragments of common sense that occasionally surfaced in his mind didn’t include such an action.
Perhaps, even in the memories he had lost, he had never done such a thing.
Still, it was a small matter. If the child enjoyed doing it, Su Ci saw no reason to stop him.
He made his way to the kitchen counter, set water to boil for nutrient solution, and headed to the bathroom to freshen up while waiting.
As Su Ci squeezed toothpaste onto his brush, A-Yan appeared at the bathroom door. Having finished tidying the bed, he hadn’t rushed to brush his teeth.
Instead, the boy darted past Su Ci’s back, his small feet pattering softly on the tiles.
While rinsing his mouth, Su Ci glanced at the child through the mirror. A-Yan had stopped at the washing machine, pressing the button to open the door and pulling out the dried clothes inside.
Su Ci casually resumed brushing, but his peripheral vision remained on A-Yan.
Finding the clothes too numerous to carry, A-Yan placed them back in the machine, fetched a clean laundry basket, and carefully reloaded the clothing into it. With the basket now in hand, he vanished in a blur, reappearing in the living room.
Su Ci blinked, and the scene in the living room materialized in his mind.
There, A-Yan was meticulously pulling each piece of clothing out of the basket. His tiny hands smoothed the wrinkles from the fabric, spreading and folding everything with earnest focus. Though his movements were a little clumsy, they carried a precision Su Ci couldn’t imagine himself having.
By the time Su Ci finished brushing his teeth and walked out, A-Yan had neatly placed Su Ci’s work uniform on the sofa. The boy himself had changed into a clean cub outfit and put on a pair of socks.
Spotting Su Ci, A-Yan trotted over, clutching his sleepwear. He tugged lightly at the hem of Su Ci’s clothing.
When Su Ci looked down, the child pointed to the folded uniform on the sofa, a shy but proud smile lighting up his bright eyes.
Satisfied that Su Ci had seen the uniform, A-Yan spun around and dashed into the bathroom. He tossed his sleepwear into the washing machine and dragged over a small stool to climb onto. Picking up his oversized toothbrush, he clumsily squeezed toothpaste onto it and began brushing his teeth.
Watching the little boy’s flurry of activity for a while, Su Ci felt an inexplicable sense of warmth.
What kind of force could give rise to a spirit like this little one?
His gaze shifted to the sofa. With a wave of his hand, the neatly folded uniform flew into his grasp.
The gray-blue caretaker’s uniform, made of special fabric, showed only minimal creases after machine drying overnight. Now, with the child’s careful smoothing, it looked as good as new—clean and orderly, an undeniably comforting sight.
Shaking the uniform out, Su Ci put it on. As for his discarded sleepwear, he casually tossed it aside.
The garment fell through the air but didn’t hit the floor. Instead, it landed directly in the washing machine.
Su Ci rolled up the sleeves of his uniform and began preparing the nutrient solution.
As he stirred the powder with a spoon, A-Yan emerged from the bathroom. Instead of heading directly to the counter, he ran toward the coffee table in the living room.
“Hun… gry… hungry…”
The spirit seed in the dirt canister had begun its pitiful cries again, much like the previous morning. Its voice was weak and lethargic, as if it were on the verge of starvation.
A-Yan glanced back at Su Ci and saw that the caretaker was watching him. Pointing first at the spirit seed and then at the solid fertilizer left on the coffee table, he waited for permission.
Understanding his intent, Su Ci nodded.
With approval granted, A-Yan scooped a small spoonful of fertilizer pellets from the bag and gently sprinkled them over the soil’s surface. He then fetched a cup of water and poured it over the fertilizer.
The water was crystal clear, suffused with a barely perceptible trace of spiritual energy.
Under the infusion of the spirit water, the pellets quickly dissolved into the soil, and the once-lifeless spirit seed suddenly perked up.
“Ah-ha!”
“Grow—grow—grooow—”
“Grow—grow—grooow—”
Hearing the dramatic chants from the fussy seed again, Su Ci’s spiritual senses swept over it. He found it still showed no signs of breaking its outer shell or sprouting. Clicking his tongue in mild disdain, he averted his gaze.
A-Yan, on the other hand, felt his spirits lift at the seed’s renewed vitality.
Once the seed sprouted, the caretaker would surely be happy. He seemed to care a lot about these two seeds.
Though Su Ci hadn’t said much, his actions spoke volumes. The fact that he had used his points to exchange for solid mixed fertilizer and multipurpose nutrient solution revealed their significance.
After all, the combined cost of those two items was enough to exchange for 15 boxes—or over 300 packets—of nutrient solution, enough to last a long, long time!
Yet the caretaker had chosen to spend it on fertilizer, underscoring how important these seeds were to him.
At least…
More important than A-Yan himself.
Though he felt a pang of disappointment at the thought, A-Yan still hoped to see Su Ci happy.
Imagining the day when the seeds finally sprouted, he couldn’t help but smile. However, his grin quickly faded as he remembered the lazy seedling in the courtyard.
That seed was far too lazy. Who knew when it would finally sprout?
A-Yan scooped another generous portion of fertilizer pellets and fetched another cup of water. Then, with a flash, he teleported out of Room 303.
His actions didn’t escape Su Ci’s notice. Seeing how skilled the child had become at teleportation, Su Ci paused his stirring, a faint feeling of amazement rising in his chest.
This child… his talent really is remarkable.
*
In the courtyard, A-Yan approached the transparent cover sheltering the spirit seed. Peering inside, he found the lazy seed still sound asleep in the soil.
A-Yan hesitated.
Did he still need to fertilize and water it when it was sleeping? Thinking it over, he decided against it.
Having spent time in the plantation, he knew a bit about plant care. While fertilizer and water were important, too much could harm them instead.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, the spirit seed’s sleeping consciousness suddenly shifted.
“Hun… gry…”
Its voice was weak and pitiful, but something about it seemed off—more like it was pretending.
A-Yan: “…”
This little guy wasn’t just lazy—he was also… a drama queen.
A-Yan had heard this phrase from others at the base, and he felt it fit perfectly here.
He placed his cup down and poked the soil with his finger, as though jabbing at the spirit seed buried within.
The spirit seed seemed to react, as its pitiful cries for food grew quieter.
With a satisfied hum, A-Yan sprinkled the fertilizer pellets onto the soil and poured water over them, watching as the nutrients dissolved and soaked into the ground.
The exposed soil, with its warm brown hue and faint traces of black, remained untainted by the red mist. A-Yan still found it fascinating.
After receiving the water, the spirit seed quieted down and returned to its deep, comfortable sleep.
The sound of its soft snoring suggested it was thoroughly content.
Lazybones.
A-Yan poked at the soil again. Seeing no response, he pursed his lips, picked up his cup, and disappeared in a flash.
*
Back in Room 303, A-Yan looked up to see Su Ci sitting at the kitchen counter. The caretaker’s pale, graceful hand propped up his chin, and his dark, gentle eyes were focused on the boy.
Caught in Su Ci’s gaze, A-Yan felt a bit flustered as he hugged the cup to his chest.
Why is the caretaker looking at me like that?
Was it because he hadn’t asked permission before watering and fertilizing the lazy seed?
However, his unease didn’t last long. He quickly noticed something surprising: sitting across from Su Ci was a steaming cup of dark green nutrient solution.
The smell was familiar to him.
Was this prepared for me? A-Yan’s heart leaped with delight.
Yesterday, Su Ci had told him he’d have to prepare his own, but now the caretaker had gone out of his way to make it for him!
A-Yan’s pale little face flushed with a hint of color, and an adorable smile spread across it.
The caretaker was so good to him!
Su Ci blinked slowly, observing the boy’s cheerful expression.
It was just a cup of mixed vegetable-flavored nutrient solution—was it worth being so excited about? A-Yan was… remarkably undemanding.
Su Ci, who had always believed that cubs shouldn’t be picky eaters, felt a rare twinge of softness in his heart.
Though thrilled, A-Yan didn’t immediately rush to the counter. His hands had touched fertilizer and soil, leaving them dirty. Dutifully, he went to wash them thoroughly, drying them carefully before teleporting to his designated seat at the counter.
He cradled the warm glass cup in his small hands, relishing the gentle heat against his palms. Lowering his head, he took a tiny sip of the nutrient solution and let out a contented sigh.
Su Ci watched him intently.
The boy’s happy expression seemed to lift Su Ci’s already good appetite. However…
Su Ci glanced at the canned beef in front of him, then at the dark green liquid in the boy’s cup. His expression turned conflicted. Finally, with a sigh, he used his fork to spear the smallest piece of meat from the can and extended it toward A-Yan.
A-Yan froze.
He knew it was meat. He had seen members of the action team eating it before, and the faint aroma alone was enough to make his mouth water.
Gulp. He swallowed involuntarily.
But… glancing at Su Ci’s face, he could clearly sense the caretaker’s reluctance. Shaking his head firmly, he refused the offering.
The meat smelled delicious, but Su Ci didn’t have enough for himself. How could he possibly share it with A-Yan? The warm nutrient solution was more than enough for him!
For someone like A-Yan, who had never eaten food before, all sustenance tasted wonderful—including the mixed vegetable-flavored nutrient solution Su Ci disliked.
To him, it wasn’t unpleasant in the slightest!
Of course, even though the caretaker didn’t have enough to eat himself, his willingness to share still made A-Yan very happy.
Thinking this, the boy couldn’t help but grin, his black-red eyes sparkling brightly, making him look especially endearing.
Su Ci, seeing A-Yan shake his head, glanced again at the piece of meat on the fork. A flicker of hesitation crossed his gaze, but in the end, he brought the beef to the boy’s lips with a tone that left no room for argument: “Eat.”
The slightly cool meat touched A-Yan’s lips. At the caretaker’s command, he instinctively opened his mouth.
The moment the meat entered, its rich and savory flavor exploded across his taste buds. The overwhelming sensation widened his eyes in amazement.
Having never tasted something so flavorful, A-Yan froze, chewing the meat while marveling at its texture. The sensation was completely different from the nursery’s meat jelly, which, though chewable, lacked the authenticity of real meat.
More importantly, A-Yan had previously never had the chance to eat solid food at all.
This small piece of beef was only the second type of food he’d ever tasted in his life.
It’s so delicious! No wonder the caretaker likes it so much!
The look of pure delight on his face was infectious. Watching him, Su Ci tilted his head slightly and realized that sharing food with this little one wasn’t as unpleasant as he’d initially thought.
That said, there was no way he was sharing more.
Retracting the fork, Su Ci set aside any lingering reluctance and began to enjoy his meal in earnest.
The small piece of meat was quickly chewed into blandness. Reluctantly swallowing it, A-Yan smacked his lips as if trying to relive the wonderful taste.
Though he longed for another bite, he didn’t ask Su Ci for more.
What made him happier than tasting the food was that the caretaker had not only made him nutrient solution but was also willing to share such a precious piece of meat.
A-Yan’s heart bubbled with joy. To him, Su Ci was undoubtedly the kindest person in the world. He resolved to be just as good to the caretaker in return.
After the meal, Su Ci didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he assigned A-Yan some work—continuing his study of heavenly script.
Although A-Yan wanted to follow Su Ci everywhere, he also understood the benefits of practicing heavenly script. He could clearly feel that his body had become a little stronger, a change that mere food couldn’t achieve.
So, he obediently stayed behind in the dormitory.
As Su Ci left, A-Yan pushed aside his sense of loss and rekindled his determination.
It’s okay, he thought to himself. Once I’ve mastered heavenly script, I’ll be able to follow the caretaker again.
With this goal in mind, he resolved to work hard and study diligently today as well!
