After Chaochao had picked a little under half a basket of blueberries, Gu Wancheng called a halt.
"Okay, that's enough. We can come back next time you want some."
They were already close to the beach, and after walking for a few minutes, they reached the coconut trees.
Chaochao tilted his head back to stare at the towering coconut trees in shock. They were so tall!
"Are we picking the fruit up there?" Looking at the coconuts so high off the ground, then down at his own tiny frame, Chaochao pouted.
The corner of Gu Wancheng's mouth twitched. "Of course not. Daddy can't reach them. We're picking up the ones on the ground."
The coconuts on the trees were out of the question, so they couldn't just keep looking up. Sometimes they needed to look down, too.
Hearing that, Chaochao patted his chest and let out a relieved breath. Thank goodness. He had almost had to climb a tree.
Gu Wancheng saw through his thoughts at a glance and reached out to flick his forehead.
"What nonsense are you thinking? Even if someone had to climb a tree, it wouldn't be you."
Chaochao wagged his head. "It's not nonsense. I have to protect you. How could I let you do hard labor?"
Warmth filled Gu Wancheng's heart, and he couldn't help smiling at Chaochao's earnest little face.
Chaochao: o(一︿一+)o
"Why are you laughing? I'm really strong. Really."
"Daddy's just so happy."
"Hmph, as long as you know. Next time you need something done, tell me. I'll do it."
[Chaochao's already such a caring guy at his age.]
[That's what you call starting young.]
Then Chaochao changed tack. "So can you tell Father not to make me do homework?"
The smile on Gu Wancheng's face instantly froze. What?
The father watching the livestream frowned.
[???]
[How naive.]
[Chaochao, you... and here I thought you...]
He stared blankly at Chaochao and asked, "What did you say?"
Chaochao repeated himself. "Can you tell Father not to make me do homework?"
Gu Wancheng looked at him with a complicated expression. Naive. Far too naive.
So that was what he was after. Ha.
"No."
Chaochao's eyes widened, unable to believe what he had just said.
Chaochao instantly lost his composure. "Why? I helped you work!"
[He's actually asking why. What do you think... shrug.jpg]
[Hahaha, give it up, you little rascal.]
[Thought you were a little white bunny, but you turned out to be a crafty little black bunny.]
Gu Wancheng gave a dry chuckle and turned his back on him without mercy.
Chaochao stared resentfully at his retreating back, pouting and stamping his foot hard in a huff before following with his basket.
[That's what you get for talking too much.]
[Don't want to do homework, huh? I suggest increasing the workload.]
Bo Yizhou's gaze settled on that comment. He nodded slightly, looked at Chaochao, and made a decision.
As Chaochao caught up with Gu Wancheng, he felt a chill down his back. He turned to look behind him, but there was only the cameraman.
He turned back in confusion, unaware of the disaster about to befall him.
Looking at Gu Wancheng, whose whole body declared his displeasure, he asked, "Are you angry? Why?"
Gu Wancheng stopped and looked down at the little brat before him, narrowing his pretty peach-blossom eyes. He huffed twice without speaking.
[Three-year-old Cheng needs someone to coax him now. Hehe.]
Chaochao put his hands on his hips and looked up at him with a pout. "Are you sulking at me?"
Gu Wancheng still said nothing.
Chaochao anxiously spun in circles, experiencing the silent treatment at just four years old.
"I know I was wrong. Can you forgive me?" Chaochao fidgeted with his fingers and looked at him pleadingly.
The corners of Gu Wancheng's mouth lifted before he pressed them down again. "You really know you were wrong?"
"Mm-hmm, I do."
"Then what did you do wrong?"
The unexpected question left Chaochao dumbfounded, as though he had turned to stone.
[Hahaha, he's just like my partner.]
[Look at Chaochao. Didn't see that coming, did you? Hahaha.]
Chaochao thought quickly under pressure. Recalling what had just happened, he said, "I shouldn't have tried to get out of doing homework."
Gu Wancheng raised an eyebrow and nodded, letting him off reluctantly.
Seeing that he had passed, Chaochao let out a relieved breath and patted his chest.
He had finally soothed him. That had scared him to death. Why was Daddy just like a little kid?
His clear, childish voice rang out. "Let's go find coconuts."
Gu Wancheng held out his hand, and Chaochao sighed before taking it.
[Which one of them is the kid here?]
[Chengcheng's still a baby.]
[Three-year-old Cheng. Not a day older.]
Hand in hand, they went to look for coconuts. Their luck was fairly good, and they found a few that looked as though they had only recently fallen.
While searching for coconuts, Gu Wancheng never took a single step beneath the coconut trees. A few times, Chaochao tried to go underneath to get coconuts, only to be pulled back.
Under his puzzled gaze, he told him a story about a man who had stood beneath a tree and been struck by a falling coconut.
So it was better to be careful.
"Daddy!"
Gu Wancheng looked over. It was a coconut crab.
Huh?! A coconut crab! Meat!
Gu Wancheng's eyes lit up. He stepped forward and pinned the fleeing coconut crab beneath his foot.
[What a huge crab.]
[That's a coconut crab. They can grow really big.]
The coconut crab's cephalothorax was rounded and protruded forward, part of its abdomen folded beneath it, and its legs were thick and sturdy. One look told him there was plenty of meat, and Gu Wancheng nodded in satisfaction.
[Has Chengcheng's luck turned around?]
[I thought they wouldn't get any meat tonight.]
Chaochao crouched down and looked curiously at the coconut, pointing at its two mismatched claws. "Why aren't its claws the same size?"
"Because they're adapted to different functions."
"Its big claw can break open hard-shelled fruit, so they eat coconuts too."
"It's so amazing!" Thinking of how hard coconut shells were, Chaochao hadn't expected it to be able to open them.
Chaochao looked up. "Then does it taste good?"
Gu Wancheng fell silent for a while. He had never eaten one either. "It should taste pretty good."
He had heard that coconut crab meat was firm and springy, with a faint coconut-milk fragrance and a very distinctive flavor, so it should taste good, right?
But getting him back became another problem. Looking at the coconut crab struggling desperately beneath his foot, Gu Wancheng nearly lost his hold.
Although the coconut crab was huge, almost as big as Chaochao, there were a lot of them to feed. They would need two.
He was stumped, with no idea where to start.
In the end, he reached down anyway, swiftly grabbing both its pincers while lifting his foot off its back.
Whoa, it was strong.
Seeing its flailing claws, Chaochao immediately moved away, afraid of getting hurt by accident.
He went into the woods and found some tough grass to bind its legs. Only after seeing that it could no longer move did he relax, planning to look around for more coconut crabs.
An hour passed, and they had gathered five coconuts and two coconut crabs. After checking the time, Gu Wancheng decided to head back.
Chaochao carried one coconut in his arms. Gu Wancheng put the remaining four into his back basket and shouldered it, then picked up their two dinners and set off for home.
[Chengcheng's haul is so bountiful!]
[A little jealous. I really want to eat coconut crab too.]
[Already placed my order, hahahahahahahahahaha.]
[Get out of here, commenter above! angry.jpg]