Chapter 147

Afterwards, Zhang Fan and Ba Ke Er again asked Wei Er, Di Er and the others for some advice on raising children, and only then did they say goodbye to everyone.

Leaving the tribal chief's house, Zhang Fan took the dragon egg from Ba Ke Er's hand, held it in his arms, then took Ba Ke Er's hand and they walked home together.

It was exactly noon, with every household busy preparing lunch; few people were strolling around the tribe, but there were still some walking outside, such as Ba Ke Er and Zhang Fan, as well as some hurried passersby.

The weather was excellent today, perfect for a walk outside, but even so, Zhang Fan did not continue strolling; as soon as he got home, he did not put the dragon egg down.

Instead, with Ba Ke Er's help, he tied the dragon egg to his belly with a strap, then covered it with his clothes. Even when cooking, Zhang Fan had no intention of taking it off.

Seeing this, Ba Ke Er didn't say much more, but took over Zhang Fan's work and began busying himself. He also didn't forget to say to Zhang Fan:

"Fan Fan, you've walked so far, you must be tired? Go rest in the room quickly; I'll call you when it's time to eat."

Zhang Fan was already somewhat fatigued, and upon hearing Ba Ke Er's words, he quickly replied in agreement.

"Alright, I am indeed a bit tired; I'll go lie down in the room for a while. You don't need to cook too much food—I have little appetite. Alright, you go ahead and get busy; I'm heading in now."

After saying that, Zhang Fan supported the dragon egg on his belly with both hands and walked unsteadily, step by step, toward the bedroom.

Ba Ke Er watched Zhang Fan's retreating figure, wanting more than once to go over and support him, but he restrained himself each time, knowing that if he really went to help, Zhang Fan would likely be displeased.

As proud as he is, how could he tolerate being supported while walking when he is in good health?

Ba Ke Er, who fully understood Zhang Fan's personality, could only offer a respectful gaze at this moment, following Zhang Fan's steps with his eyes, even though he felt great pity.

Only after Zhang Fan finally turned and disappeared from Ba Ke Er's sight did Ba Ke Er gradually withdraw his gaze and begin preparing lunch.

Zhang Fan, too, clearly knew that Ba Ke Er had been behind him all along, watching him. Therefore, he did not worry about falling for any reason, because he knew Ba Ke Er was always there!

After entering the room, Zhang Fan then unfastened the strap on his belly and took the dragon egg out of it.

After taking off the dragon egg, Zhang Fan held it in his arms, climbed onto the bed, and once the blanket was in place, he pressed his ear to the dragon egg, closed his eyes, and listened carefully.

It was as if he could hear some sound from within the dragon egg. Indeed, Zhang Fan had this thought, because when he first saw the dragon egg, a strange voice suddenly appeared in his ear.

Moreover, it seemed that only he had heard it that day, since aside from his own reaction, others seemed to have heard nothing. Zhang Fan pondered this back and forth for over ten days, yet could not figure it out.

However, after listening intently for a long time, Zhang Fan still could not hear any sound similar to that day, let alone a child's laughter or any unusual reaction from the dragon egg.

Due to his bodily fatigue and dry eyes, Zhang Fan did not even make it to lunch before falling into a sweet dream.

After Ba Ke Er had prepared lunch, he pushed open the door, about to call Zhang Fan to eat, when he realized that Zhang Fan had already fallen asleep sometime earlier.

Looking at Zhang Fan's sleeping face, Ba Ke Er's heart softened, his expression gradually gentled, and the corner of his mouth unconsciously curved into a wide smile.

However, Ba Ke Er's good mood did not last long; upon seeing Zhang Fan holding the dragon egg in his hand, his formerly wide-open lips instantly drooped.

"What the heck! Didn't Am and Uncle say we don't need to keep incubating it? Why is it still like this?!"

Ba Ke Er said that, sighed helplessly, shook his head, quietly climbed onto the bed, gently snatched the dragon egg from Zhang Fan's hand, then tucked Zhang Fan's blanket back in, and only then left the bedroom holding the dragon egg silently.

As Ba Ke Er left the room holding the dragon egg, he couldn't help wondering: should he put the dragon egg in the secondary bedroom? Isn't it said that dragon eggs can hatch naturally? Wouldn't that save trouble?

Thinking this way, Ba Ke Er became more convinced it could be done: it would neither affect his own happiness nor the dragon egg's hatching, since it would eventually come out anyway—what difference does a day earlier or later make?

Thus, having made up his mind, Ba Ke Er skipped lunch and immediately moved the dragon egg's little nest from his and Zhang Fan's bedroom to the adjacent secondary bedroom.

After settling the dragon egg in place, Ba Ke Er left the room feeling satisfied, walked with cheerful steps back to the main hall, and began to enjoy the now-cold lunch.

After the meal, Ba Ke Er washed the dishes, then returned to the bedroom, climbed onto the bed, embraced Zhang Fan, and entered dreamland together.

……

Zhang Fan woke up from hunger; upon checking his watch after waking, he realized he had unknowingly slept for most of the afternoon. He pushed away Ba Ke Er, who had been clinging tightly to his waist from behind.

However, that push actually woke Ba Ke Er, but that wasn't the main issue; the main point was that a certain indescribable part of Ba Ke Er, due to Zhang Fan's push, was gradually awakening.

At that moment, it was erect and pressing against Zhang Fan's buttocks. Consequently, Zhang Fan unconsciously forgot his hunger and instead thought of the dragon egg.

Thinking this, Zhang Fan instantly sensed something was wrong; in a panic, he suddenly sat up, widened his eyes, and began searching the bedroom for the dragon egg's trace. But after looking several times, he still found no sign of it.

"Ba Ke Er! Did you see the dragon egg? I clearly remember holding it properly in my hand before sleep—how did it suddenly disappear?!"

Having said that, without waiting for Ba Ke Er's reply, Zhang Fan suddenly seemed to think of something and flung the blanket off, yet still found no trace of the dragon egg.

This only made Zhang Fan more panicked; he turned and pulled Ba Ke Er up from the bed, then spoke to him anxiously without any restraint.

"Ba Ke Er, what do we do! Our child, our child is missing! Wahhhh…"

Saying this, Zhang Fan could not control his emotions and began to sob, head bowed.

At this moment, Ba Ke Er suddenly realized something was off! Fan Fan had been fine just before—why did he suddenly burst into tears? And he was crying so groundlessly.

Nevertheless, these questions did not affect Ba Ke Er's comfort of Zhang Fan; at this moment, Ba Ke Er did not panic but instead silently calculated in his mind to take Zhang Fan to see the tribal doctor, Wei Er.

At the same time, Ba Ke Er did not forget to gently comfort Zhang Fan's out-of-control emotions. As the saying goes, 'speak late, act fast'—Ba Ke Er lowered his head and, with both hands, gently lifted Zhang Fan's tear-streaked, pear-blossom-like face that was buried against his chest.

Then he slowly lowered his head and gently placed a series of kisses on Zhang Fan's handsome cheeks. After Ba Ke Er did this, Zhang Fan's emotions gradually stabilized; seeing this, Ba Ke Er knew his chance had come, so he hurriedly seized the moment to offer further comfort.

"Alright, Fan Fan, stop crying; come with me, I'll take you to see our child."

Saying this, Ba Ke Er smiled, picked Zhang Fan up in a horizontal carry, stepped out of the bedroom one step at a time, and arrived at the adjacent secondary bedroom.

Upon seeing the dragon egg lying quietly in its little nest, Zhang Fan gradually realized the truth; even before Ba Ke Er could speak, he had already figured everything out.

Having understood, Zhang Fan stopped crying, lifted his head, and gave Ba Ke Er a gentle smile, saying: "Thank you, Ba Ke Er, thank you for anticipating and fulfilling my idea."

After saying that, Zhang Fan was about to straighten up and give Ba Ke Er a kiss, but his stomach refused to cooperate, suddenly starting to growl the 'Empty City Stratagem'; seeing this, Zhang Fan abandoned his intended action and instead gave Ba Ke Er an embarrassed smile.

Upon receiving Zhang Fan's embarrassed smile, Ba Ke Er did not speak but instead expressed his affection for Zhang Fan through his actions.

After turning and leaving the secondary bedroom, Ba Ke Er again carried Zhang Fan back to the bedroom, gently laid him on the bed, then tenderly ruffled Zhang Fan's hair and said affectionately:

Fan Fan, wait a moment, I already put the food in the pot to keep warm; I'll now go bring you the food—this time you must not fall asleep again~! Otherwise you'll be hungry again.

As he spoke on, Ba Ke Er's affectionate tone somehow turned into a joking one. However, regarding Ba Ke Er's words, Zhang Fan didn't pursue it further, but obediently nodded at Ba Ke Er.

Ba Ke Er saw that Zhang Fan had already indicated he wouldn't be like that again this noon, then he felt relieved and left the bedroom, striding toward the kitchen.

Not long after, Ba Ke Er came out of the kitchen carrying warm food, entered the bedroom, and satisfiedly saw Zhang Fan obediently sitting on the bed, not falling asleep as at noon.

When Zhang Fan saw the food being brought in, the corners of his mouth gradually curled into a slight smile; he smiled at Ba Ke Er, then took the food from Ba Ke Er's hand, got up from the bed, walked to the small table nearby, sat down, and began to eat.

Seeing that Zhang Fan had already started eating, Ba Ke Er also put his mind at ease; good thing Fan Fan had returned to normal. Ba Ke Er dares to bet, if Zhang Fan at this moment were still like how he was just after waking up.

He would surely, disregarding Zhang Fan's opposition, directly hug him and go find Wei Er and Di Er, to let them see if Zhang Fan had some physical problem!

However, Ba Ke Er at this moment still didn't know that it was precisely because he had relaxed his vigilance like this that he would, upon learning the truth, regret not having timely discovered Zhang Fan's various abnormal behaviors.

After Zhang Fan finished his meal, Ba Ke Er went with him again to the adjacent guest room to check the Dragon Egg. Seeing nothing amiss, they left the room, went to the yard, and started smoking the cured meat.

Thus, Zhang Fan and Ba Ke Er, as a couple, missed the Dragon Egg's abnormality once again.

This time, the Dragon Egg's behavior differed from the slight shake it had when Zhang Fan and Ba Ke Er first brought it home after adoption, when it suddenly trembled lightly on the road. This time, the amplitude and intensity of its shaking were far greater than before.

Unfortunately, Zhang Fan and Ba Ke Er failed to notice any of this.