My College Teacher is My Children's Mom

After watching the movie, Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi took the kids for a stroll. They decided to wait until the extended holiday was over to return home. During this time, the children would be studying here.

Liu Qing had mentioned going back to Meicheng but unexpectedly returned to Modu instead. Her father-in-law had fallen ill, so her family of three had come to visit. And just like that, they bumped into Zhang Yuxi and her family at the mall. Liu Qing and her daughter were planning to watch the movie that started just after six o'clock.

Liu Qing asked with a smile, "How was the movie? Was it good?"

Zhang Yuxi responded with a smile, "Not bad, the kids really liked it."

"And you? How is your father-in-law doing?"

At the mention of this, Liu Qing's smile gradually faded, and she sighed.

"Don't even get me started. My father-in-law had a fall and is now partially paralyzed. It looks like he'll need a wheelchair from now on."

Zhang Yuxi frowned. "A fall can be very serious these days!"

Liu Qing hesitated, her tone tinged with resentment.

"If it had been just a simple fall, there wouldn't be much to say, but unfortunately..."

"What happened?"

Liu Qing sighed deeply. "My father-in-law is a complete boozehound, hopelessly addicted to drinking."

"We've tried everything we could think of, but nothing worked. He just won't listen to us. It's the reason we chose to move out and start our own business after getting married."

"When he fell this time, we initially thought it might have happened when he got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, but who could have expected..."

"That day, my mother-in-law was away in her hometown taking care of some business. He used her absence as an opportunity to go drinking with his friends."

"When he came home, he got up to use the bathroom during the night, and in his drunken stupor, he went into the wrong one and slipped..."

"He only confessed the truth after the accident happened."

"The main problem now is that my mother-in-law doesn't want to take care of him anymore. I looked after him for a few days, but now I'm planning to hire a caregiver."

Liu Qing's brow remained furrowed as she spoke about the matter.

"Can you believe it? A man in his fifties, and he's so stubborn, always insisting on doing things his way."

"My mother-in-law has kept this whole thing a secret because she's just too embarrassed."

Zhang Yuxi didn't quite know what to say. Both Zhang Fuyong and Lin Dashan enjoyed a drink, but they were reasonable and would listen to advice. Plus, their wives were able to keep them in check. Now that life was better, they only drank on occasional social gatherings. Most of the time it was just a few sips, which wasn't a big problem. Hearing about a situation like this was simply maddening.

"Well, as long as it wasn't more severe, that's what matters," Zhang Yuxi said, trying to be comforting.

Liu Qing sighed. "That's what we tell ourselves. What else can we do?"

While the two women chatted, Lin Feng took the kids to get some snacks.

As she ate, Tian Tian said, "My grandpa is sick. He fell down and had to go to the hospital!"

Upon hearing the word "hospital," the expressions of the four treasures changed slightly.

Erbao shuddered and said, "Then he must have gotten shots! Shots are painful."

Sibao's entire face scrunched up. "And he probably had to drink bitter medicine too."

Once, Zhang Yuxi had a minor cough. To avoid disrupting her classes or spreading it to the children, she had taken some medicinal powder mixed with water. Sibao had thought it was a delicious treat and gave her an accusatory look, thinking she was hogging a snack. Left with no choice, Zhang Yuxi let him have a taste, which sent him scurrying away in fright. Unlike some cold remedies, that powder wasn't sweet at all; it was extremely bitter!

Tian Tian nodded. "Yeah, he has to take lots of medicine and get lots of shots!"

"I saw it myself!"

It was getting late, so it was time for Liu Qing and her daughter to head to their movie.

"Goodbye! Let's play again soon!" Tian Tian said, waving her small hand.

「After returning home.」

Zhang Yuxi found Zhao Lizhen and Zhang Fuyong sitting on the couch and told them what had happened with Liu Qing's father-in-law. She directed the story mainly at Zhang Fuyong, hoping he would take it as a cautionary tale and drink less in the future.

Sanbao looked at Zhang Fuyong with concern. "Grandpa, you can only drink a tiny little bit of alcohol, okay? You can't drink too much!"

Dabao added, "If you drink too much, you could fall down and have to go to the hospital for scary shots and medicine!"

Erbao put his hands on his hips and declared in a grown-up tone, "From now on, we'll supervise Grandpa and make sure he doesn't drink!"

Sibao chimed in, "Right! We'll supervise Grandpa! He can't drink! And Grandma can't either!"

The couple's hearts warmed. Zhang Fuyong lovingly patted one little head after another.

"Okay, okay," he said repeatedly. "Grandpa will quit drinking from now on."

"Otherwise, wouldn't I be squandering the good intentions of my grandchildren?"

Zhao Lizhen gave the children a thumbs-up. "You'll be the official supervisors from now on!"

The four treasures answered in unison, "Okay!"

Zhao Lizhen said with satisfaction, "Our little grandchildren have grown so sensible. They know how to care for people now. Grandma and Grandpa haven't spoiled you for nothing..."

After the children had gone off to play by themselves, Zhao Lizhen shot her husband a cold look.

"Did you hear that? If you drink again, I'm going to tattle to our grandchildren!"

For once, Zhang Fuyong put on an appeasing smile. "Come on, don't be like that. I'm already drinking a lot less, and I don't overdo it."

Zhao Lizhen said flatly, "You may drink less, but don't you get blackout drunk every single time?"

"Anyway, if you ever drink without restraint again, just see if I don't report you!"

"Old An started quitting smoking and drinking this year. At your age, you should stop messing around and start taking care of yourself!"

Zhang Fuyong sighed in complete resignation. "Alright, alright. I'll listen to you from now on, okay?"

Zhao Lizhen retorted, "If you don't listen to me, who else would you listen to?"

Zhang Fuyong was speechless.

For the next few days, Sanbao went to piano lessons with Zhang Yuxi in the morning and only came home after dinner.

"I gave the medicinal soup you brought to Old Miao, and his throat is already more than halfway better," Miao Lang's wife said over the phone, her voice filled with gratitude.

"How did you make that soup? Can you tell me the recipe?"

Lin Feng smiled. "No problem. I'll write down the steps and send them to you in a bit."

"Thank you! He's had this chronic problem for years. He's tried all kinds of medicine, but none of them worked as well as your soup."

After hanging up, Lin Feng wrote down the instructions for the soup, took a picture, and sent it to Zhang Yuxi for her to share with Miao Lang's wife.

...

After lunch, Lin Feng took the kids for an afternoon nap. When they woke up, he decided to take them to Toy City. He had only recently learned of this place, which was a half-hour drive away.

Toy City, as the name implied, was filled wall-to-wall with toys. The children, who could already recognize many words, saw the sign and began jumping around with excitement.

Before they went inside, Lin Feng made an announcement, "You can only buy two toys each!"

The four treasures replied in unison, "We know!"

For the children, Toy City was an ocean of happiness. They were dazzled by the myriad of toys on display and wanted to buy every single one. Even Lin Feng found the sheer variety overwhelming.

I mean, why do kids love to play so much these days? Isn't it because there are just too many toys? There are mobile games, board games, and now all these physical toys... If it were me, I'd love to play all the time too. Who could possibly resist so many interesting toys?

Lin Feng led them through the store as if navigating a maze. If it weren't for the safety harnesses, these four little huskies would have bolted the second he let go.

When they got to the second floor, they found rideable electric cars, airplanes, and a robot that stood a meter tall. It was an intelligent model that could sing, recite ancient poetry, and perform simple actions like waving its hand or nodding its head. It was priced at two thousand four hundred yuan.

Seeing Dabao rooted to the spot and staring at it, Lin Feng suggested, "How about this? We can look around a bit more, and if we don't find anything better, we can come back and get this one?"

Dabao nodded, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice. "Alright!"

After all, everyone only had two chances to pick a toy, so they had to choose wisely.

The shopkeeper overheard them and grew anxious.

"Don't go, little friend! This is the very last one we have in the store!" he exclaimed. "If you leave and come back later, another kid might have already bought it!"

This made Dabao even more reluctant to leave. "Daddy, what if it's gone when we come back?"

Lin Feng looked ahead and said confidently, "It won't be. Let's go!"

Dabao hesitated for a moment. Although he looked incredibly reluctant, he didn't insist.

Lin Feng smiled and said, "See? There are more of them right up ahead, aren't there?"

At that, Dabao was no longer worried.

They continued browsing until they reached the top floor. The toys here were all from major brands; the ones downstairs couldn't compare.

Lin Feng led them to the LEGO section. He wanted to find something that would interest Dabao but wasn't too complicated to assemble. Finally, he chose a kit for a battery-operated robot that could move on its own once assembled.

Dabao's eyes lit up. "I want this one, Daddy! I want this one!"

The toy wasn't cheap. Lin Feng handed it to the shopkeeper. "Sir, please wrap this one up!"

It seemed the joy of building things appealed only to Dabao. Even a meticulous child like Sanbao wasn't interested in assembling models.

Each child returned home, laden with their new toys.