Chapter 489

Lin Dongfan was embraced from behind by Chu Lingxi around the waist, his hand still holding the perch he had just been about to process, when he finally realized the fish's gills weren't cleaned.

Lin Dongfan, while picking at the fish gills, asked, "Aren't you hungry?"

"Who says I'm not hungry? I am." Chu Lingxi pressed her face against Lin Dongfan's back, tightly hugging his waist, unwilling to let go.

Lin Dongfan laughed, "Since you're hungry, why aren't you letting go? You haven't even eaten, what are you washing for?"

"It's because I'm hungry that I want to take a bath."

Chu Lingxi rubbed her face against Lin Dongfan's back back and forth, and the rubbing produced a scorching sensation, as if sparks were flying from the friction.

Lin Dongfan was speechless for a moment.

Little master is cooking for you, yet you're only thinking about driving.

But it's understandable; she's been away on official business in Haishan for so long, never coming home. For the past six months, she's been like a widow—who could stand that?

Lin Dongfan tossed the fish back into the basin, turned on the water to wash his hands, and rubbed his wet hands on his apron.

He turned around, smiled, and pinched Chu Lingxi's nose: "Okay, go take a bath and have a quick meeting; we'll cook later. You go run the water first, I'll tidy the kitchen and be right there."

"Haha, my husband is really understanding."

Chu Lingxi excitedly gave him a kiss, then fluttered off like a happy little bird toward the master bedroom bathroom.

Lin Dongfan quickly cleaned the cutting board, wrapped the perch in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge, then soaked that pot of 'caramelized sugar' together with the pot in the sink.

After finishing those tasks, he finally untied his apron, hung it up, and walked toward the bathroom.

He pushed open the bathroom door; inside, steam already filled the air.

Chu Lingxi was bending over to test the bathtub water temperature; her slender waist curved into a beautiful arc, a result of years of dance, giving her an almost perfect figure.

Hearing the door open, she straightened up, her face flushed from the steam.

Her hair also had a bit of moisture sticking to her temples.

"The water temperature is just right."

Saying that, she loosened her robe; the two kids were playing in the living room, and there was no one else at home. In front of her husband, she completely let go of herself, with not the slightest inhibition.

Lin Dongfan leaned against the doorframe, smiling as he watched her.

After several years of marriage and having two children, her innocent, unworldly purity remained unchanged, especially in this private space belonging only to the two of them.

That, too, is rather precious.

Her movements as she took off her clothes carried a dance-like rhythm.

Just…

When only her underwear remained, laziness struck; she couldn't be bothered to reach back to undo the clasp, so she offered her back to Lin Dongfan: "Honey, help me undo the strap."

"Here I come, my big treasure."

Lin Dongfan gave a casual pull, drawing her straight into his arms.

He skipped the car-washing process entirely, Lin Dongfan directly grabbed the steering wheel, started the engine, and slowly drove from the muddy lane onto the highway.

One hour later.

The two of them shamelessly soaked in the bathtub, relieving the fatigue from their exertion.

Chu Lingxi stretched her long legs out of the water, smiling proudly: "Honey, look how white my legs are—even the butcher's knife of time can't kill me."

"Don't just stare at my legs."

Lin Dongfan picked up her left hand, his gaze falling on her left index finger wrapped in a bandage; the edge of the bandage had turned white and curled from being soaked in water.

"It got wet—doesn't it hurt?" Lin Dongfan gently lifted her hand.

"It's fine, it's fine—just a little water, it doesn't hurt anymore."

Chu Lingxi wanted to pull her hand back.

Lin Dongfan, however, didn't let go; he carefully peeled off the soaked bandage. The wound wasn't deep, but it had turned pale from being soaked in water.

Lin Dongfan reminded her, "Pig-brain, you never learn; I told you before to use waterproof bandages." Though his tone carried a hint of reproach, it was mostly concern.

He pulled Chu Lingxi up and they stepped out of the bathtub.

He grabbed a towel to dry her off, then went to the cabinet to get the liquid waterproof bandage, carefully applying a transparent protective layer.

"Honey, I really don't hurt."

Chu Lingxi watched his focused actions, her heart swelling with sweetness, smiling like a fool.

When the two had freshened up and left the bathroom, the 'battlefield' in the living room had escalated.

Lin Fuxing had somehow dug out a box of colored crayons and was enthusiastically 'creating' an abstract painting on the originally off-white sofa cover—Picasso would have to give a thumbs-up—awesome, dude!

Zhao Xia had successfully gnawed the stuffed bear's ears until they were soggy and the fur was all tangled, and now she was trying to stuff a crayon into her mouth to taste it.

Chu Lingxi exclaimed 'Yikes!' and rushed over: "Ugly treasure, the sofa isn't a drawing board! And you, Zhao Xia! You're asking for trouble—this isn't edible!"

She fumbled, snatching the crayon from her son's hand, then tried to pry open her daughter's little mouth.

Without a nanny, daily life left the house in utter chaos.

Lin Dongfan walked into the living room, but there was nowhere to step—the floor was covered in toys.

But he had no thought of disciplining the kids; if the world of divine beasts weren't chaotic, would it still be a world of divine beasts?

Lin Dongfan picked up the unopened crayon on the sofa and said to Lin Fuxing, "Fuxing, learning from Picasso really gets you nowhere; if you want to learn, learn from your great-grandfather and play with guns."

"What nonsense are you spouting."

Chu Lingxi quickly snatched the pen from Lin Dongfan's hand.

She then scolded Lin Dongfan: "What era is this, still playing with guns? Don't teach the kids bad habits."

"What era? In any era, whoever holds the truth is the big boss."

Lin Dongfan certainly wouldn't speak of the power that grows out of a gun barrel.

He simply felt that artistic cells and power cells were two entirely different kinds of beings, and the Lin family's descendants absolutely did not need artistic cells.

Of course, he wouldn't argue endlessly with Chu Lingxi over this disagreement.

He turned his gaze toward his daughter again, gently pinching her little cheek, and casually picked up a small bear plush toy and shoved it into her hand: "Zhao Xia, be good, the little bear is your friend, you can't bite it, understand?"

Smack!

Little Zhao Xia suddenly slapped Lin Dongfan across the face.

Just as Lin Dongfan wore a bewildered expression, little Zhao Xia had already broken into a giggle and slapped him again across the face.

"You clueless little cotton‑padded jacket, you really don't understand anything, only thinking of your own pleasure — come on." Lin Dongfan turned his cheek toward her: "If you hurt me, you're impressive."

"If you raise the child like this and my mother sees it, you're dead. When she was little you indulged her random hitting, and now she'll only get worse." Chu Lingxi picked up little Zhao Xia and set her on the sofa, pointing at Zhao Xia's nose as she warned: "That's your dad — no hitting, hear me? If you dare hit anyone again, watch out, I'll beat you."

Zhao Xia's little mouth pouted, and her wronged tears immediately fell, wailing loudly.

Lin Dongfan hurriedly held her in his arms to comfort her: "Little Zhao Xia, don't be scared, Daddy's here." He turned and complained to Chu Lingxi: "She's only two, she doesn't understand anything — why are you yelling at her?"

"Who has the energy to yell at her? I'm hungry — you go make food." Chu Lingxi said.

Lin Dongfan said: "The child is crying — first comfort her, then we'll make food later."

"What's there to comfort? Just toss her onto the sofa — if no one pays attention to her crying for a while, she'll realize crying gets her nowhere and it's more fun to bite her stuffed animal." Chu Lingxi struck an experienced pose: "That's how we always do it — as long as we ignore her, she'll stop crying after a bit. The more you attend to her, the more she'll keep crying."

Hearing that, Lin Dongfan was speechless.

Is this a stepmother?

Raising the child like a free‑range mountain pig, and not comforting her while spouting confident excuses.

Even if you raise the child like a free‑range mountain pig, you still need to prepare feed, right? A little piglet wailing loudly — isn't the best way to shut it up to stuff a milk bottle into its mouth?