My College Teacher is My Children's Mom

The second day of vacation, Lin Feng called a family meeting.

"Here's the situation," he began. "Thirdborn needs to go study music with Grandpa Miao, while Firstborn and Fourthborn still have taekwondo lessons, and their exams are coming up soon. Secondborn's handicraft class isn't over either. So, I've decided to let Mom and Thirdborn go back to Modu first to study with Grandpa Miao. We'll follow once our classes here are done."

Thirdborn's music lessons hadn't finished yet. After discussing it with her, Lin Feng decided they would follow Miao Lang's suggested pace; once Thirdborn was back in Yangcheng, she would resume her lessons based on her progress.

Lin Feng looked at Secondborn. "If you want to go with Mom and your little sister, you can. Dad, Firstborn, and Fourthborn will join you as soon as we're finished here."

Secondborn said she would stay with Lin Feng because she wasn't interested in music.

Lin Feng nodded. "Does anyone have any objections to this arrangement?"

Everyone agreed to the plan.

"Since there are no objections, the flight is this afternoon!"

Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi packed while the children said their goodbyes in the living room. It was the first time they would be separated, and the thought was unbearable.

Thirdborn had always been calm and rational, able to see things from multiple perspectives. It's not like we'll never see each other again, so there's no need for all this fuss, she thought, though her heart still felt warm and content.

Firstborn gave his transforming robot to Thirdborn. "Little sister, this is me. Let it keep you company from now on!"

Seeing this, Fourthborn and Secondborn thought it was a great idea.

Fourthborn brought out a meter-tall Ultraman figure. "Sister, this can be me, keeping you company!"

Secondborn offered her favorite doll. "Little sister, this is my most cherished doll. You have to take good care of her, and remember to braid her hair."

So, the three little huskies dashed upstairs to have Lin Feng pack the toys.

Lin Feng was touched by their bond, but seeing the meter-tall Ultraman, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "This one is too big. How about a smaller one?"

Fourthborn reluctantly agreed and picked out a smaller version. Lin Feng affectionately patted his head. "Good boy."

They had originally planned on using a small suitcase, but with all the toys, they needed a slightly larger one. This was the first time the four siblings had been apart. Lin Feng drove Zhang Yuxi and Thirdborn to the airport.

At first, the children didn't seem to mind. By nightfall, however, they started missing their mom and Thirdborn.

Secondborn called Zhang Yuxi. "Mom, Mom! Have you and little sister arrived yet?"

"We just arrived, sweetie. Have you had your dinner?"

"I did! Did you eat too?"

"We've eaten too!"

"Okay, I'll hang up now. Mom, take care of yourself over there!"

"Thank you for your concern, Secondborn. You do the same. While I'm away, be a good girl. Make sure you eat all your meals and sleep well."

"Mhm! Bye, Mom!"

"Bye, darling!"

Zhang Yuxi waited a few seconds. Noticing Secondborn hadn't hung up, she laughed. "Darling, why haven't you hung up?"

Secondborn's soft, sweet voice came through the phone. "Mom, you hang up first!"

A wave of warmth washed over Zhang Yuxi's heart. "You want me to hang up first? Alright then, Mom is hanging up now!"

"Okay!"

Zhang Yuxi waited a few more seconds, and when she saw that Secondborn still hadn't disconnected, her heart melted. "I'm hanging up now, okay?"

"Okay!"

With a pang of reluctance, Zhang Yuxi finally ended the call.

A look of disappointment crossed Secondborn's face before she called Thirdborn.

"Thirdborn, did you have dinner?"

"Yes. Did you?"

"I did too! Do you miss me?"

"Mhm."

"I miss you, Thirdborn! Once we're done here, I can come and play with you!"

"Okay!"

"Study hard, Thirdborn!"

"Mhm."

Fourthborn came over and shouted into the phone, "Sister, I miss you! You have to take good care of my Ultraman!"

Firstborn chimed in, "And don't forget my transformer!"

After the call, the children perked up again with the reminder that they would all see each other soon.

「On the other side.」

Zhang Yuxi picked out a pair of pajamas for Thirdborn. "Thirdborn," she called. "Have you washed your feet?"

Thirdborn toddled out of the bathroom.

"Do you want Mommy to help you change?"

Shaking her head, Thirdborn replied, "Thank you, Mommy, I can do it myself!"

"Alright then. Mommy is going to go downstairs for a glass of water. You get changed, and call me if you need anything."

"Okay, Mommy."

Ten minutes later, Zhang Yuxi guessed that Thirdborn must have finished changing. And she was right; the little girl was already tucked in bed. Lying beside her were the transformer, the Ultraman, and the doll. Thirdborn had even thoughtfully covered them with a little blanket, bringing a knowing smile to Zhang Yuxi's face.

"Goodnight, Thirdborn!"

"Goodnight, Mommy!"

Once Thirdborn was asleep, Zhang Yuxi secretly took a picture of the sweet scene and sent it to Lin Feng. She also told him about her heartwarming phone call with Secondborn.

After the children fell asleep, the couple exchanged text messages. Despite having just separated, they couldn't help but miss each other.

「The next day」

After getting the children ready, Lin Feng showed them the picture of Thirdborn. He explained that she was taking good care of their toys, which was her way of showing how much she cherished them.

Their taekwondo and handicraft classes weren't until the afternoon, so Lin Feng took them to the gym that morning to play basketball and other sports.

Fourthborn challenged Lin Feng to a game—whoever scored more points would win. Lin Feng's basket was at the standard height, but the gym also had adjustable hoops designed specifically for children. Occasionally, Lin Feng would join them in a game of basketball, table tennis, or something else. The facility was equipped with both adult and children's versions of everything, even golf clubs.

The children had tried a bit of everything, and thanks to the two nutritional drinks they'd had, they all showed considerable athletic talent.

Fourthborn was especially talented. He had been a ball of energy since he was small and had a real gift for sports. Even the taekwondo coach said that while Fourthborn had natural talent, his comprehension wasn't as strong as Firstborn's.

After playing for a while, Secondborn stood on the sidelines to watch.

This time, the three little huskies won, and Lin Feng lost the game. The children celebrated by running in happy circles around him.

Fourthborn, acting like a champion athlete, spread his arms, clenched his fists, and let out a triumphant yell. "AAAHHH! We won!"

Seeing this, Lin Feng couldn't help but laugh. "Do you guys want to learn martial arts?"

The three little huskies' ears perked up. "Learn martial arts? The real kind? Will we get super strong?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment. "You could say that. On one hand, it strengthens your body. On the other, it lets you protect the people who are most important to you."

"But practicing martial arts is very, very difficult," he cautioned. "I'm worried you wouldn't be able to handle it."

He had considered it before but decided against it because the children were too young. At that age, they couldn't fully understand or make such a choice for themselves, and he didn't want to force his own ideas on them. But now that they were getting older and developing their own ability to reason, Lin Feng wanted to hear their thoughts.

The three little huskies were all for it.

Boys are often fascinated by incredible martial arts feats like leaping over walls and flying across rooftops, dreaming that one day they could be just as amazing. Lin Feng understood completely. He remembered how, after watching some heroic swordsman on TV, he would drape a blanket over his shoulders like a cape and brandish a wooden sword, imagining himself to be an invincible hero, the greatest under the heavens.

It was no surprise that Firstborn and Fourthborn would often mimic fight scenes from movies. They wanted to be heroes, and Secondborn wanted to be a heroine!

After their performance in the gym today, Lin Feng felt the time was right to ask them.

He looked at them with a serious expression. "This isn't like taekwondo. Learning true martial arts is incredibly difficult. It requires years and years of dedicated, daily training."

The three little huskies looked at each other.

Fourthborn was the first to declare, "Daddy, I can do it! No problem!"

Secondborn added, "I can do it too."

Firstborn nodded firmly. "I can do it too!"

Lin Feng was relieved that they weren't afraid of a little hardship. "Okay. Dad still needs to find the right teacher and make some arrangements. We'll see what happens."

"But you still have to keep up with your taekwondo lessons!"