The Dragon King Insists That I Raise Him Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Catch Me If You Can!

After replying to Tao Lihe’s message, Yan Jiu paced back to the living room. In the darkness, he precisely located the person sleeping soundly.

Tao Qingguan must have felt hot, as he had kicked the air conditioner blanket down to his feet, leaving his flat stomach exposed to the air.

Seeing Tao Qingguan reminded Yan Jiu of that rag doll, causing a surge of displeasure in his heart. He ignored Tao Qingguan and prepared to return to the Fish Tank, but suddenly noticed the pastries on the table, causing him to pause.

Tao Qingguan had cooked quite a few times recently, and the dishes he brought to the table always looked delicious and tempting. Although Yan Jiu hadn’t tasted them, they should be very good.

He remembered that Tao Qingguan had just made braised dishes, cola chicken wings, and egg pudding today.

Yan Jiu narrowed his eyes. The kid had often used food to tease him, knowing he couldn’t eat it. Since he was here, he shouldn’t treat himself poorly.

He calmly picked up the pastries from the table, and then opened the refrigerator, taking out the egg pudding and braised dishes. Since he was too lazy to heat up the food, the cola chicken wings were spared.

Yan Jiu scooped a spoonful of pudding; the milky fragrance bloomed on his taste buds, the texture dense and smooth. Taking another bite of the braised dish, it was savory, fragrant, soft, and tender. Yan Jiu unconsciously sped up his movements.

The final result was that all the dishes in the refrigerator that didn’t need heating were gone, and Yan Jiu still felt unsatisfied.

Yan Jiu slowly wiped his mouth with a tissue, contemplating whether to heat up some more dishes, but considering the noise the microwave would make might wake Tao Qingguan, he regretfully abandoned the idea.

He crumpled the used tissue into a ball and casually tossed it into the trash can. Having eaten his fill, it was time to go back to sleep.

Yan Jiu strode forward with his long legs. As he passed Tao Qingguan, he slowed his pace, his gaze sweeping over Tao Qingguan’s slender body. He let out a soft tut, bent down, and pulled the air conditioner blanket nearby to cover Tao Qingguan tightly.

Looking at Tao Qingguan wrapped up like a silkworm pupa, Yan Jiu withdrew his hand with satisfaction. He walked forward a couple of steps, then heard rustling sounds behind him. Turning back, he saw that Tao Qingguan had kicked the blanket off again.

Yan Jiu frowned and pulled the blanket over Tao Qingguan again.

Tao Qingguan kicked it off.

Yan Jiu covered him.

Tao Qingguan kicked it off yet again.

Yan Jiu: “…”

If the child’s breathing frequency hadn’t remained the same, he would suspect the other person was deliberately messing with him.

Yan Jiu stood at the head of Tao Qingguan’s bed holding the blanket. His face darkened, and he looked down at Tao Qingguan, looking less like he was about to cover him with a blanket and more like he was about to smother him to death.

Hmph, he wouldn’t stoop to the child’s level.

Yan Jiu shook out the blanket, held one corner, and leaned over to cover Tao Qingguan’s… navel, then stood there quietly.

One second, two seconds—

Tao Qingguan didn’t kick the blanket off again. Presumably, since only his stomach was covered, he didn’t feel hot.

Yan Jiu didn’t even realize he had let out a sigh of relief. He squatted down and poked Tao Qingguan’s cheek irritably, cursing him in his mind as a drama queen.

…

The next day when Tao Qingguan woke up, the rain was still falling. The wind howled, making the leaves rustle loudly, and the ground splashed up a mist of rain, obscuring the view of distant scenery.

He sat up, and the blanket slid off him. Tao Qingguan glanced at it, somewhat surprised. He hadn’t kicked the blanket off last night.

Tao Qingguan didn’t think much of it and quickly put the matter out of his mind.

Around ten-thirty, the air conditioner repairman arrived on his electric scooter. Tao Qingguan was very surprised when he opened the door; he thought the man wouldn’t come today.

The repairman put down his toolbox in the entryway, took off his raincoat, and walked into the house. Tao Qingguan promptly handed him a clean towel.

“Thanks, young man,” the repairman took the towel and wiped his face, grinning to reveal his white teeth.

The repairman was efficient. After drying the rainwater, he immediately started working. He skillfully removed the air conditioner casing and began checking component by component with the tool in his hand.

Finding the burnt-out part, he switched tools to dismantle it. As he worked, the repairman kept sneaking glances at Tao Qingguan nearby.

He was also a descendant of the Rain Master and knew some inside information about the competition. The higher-ups attached great importance to this competition. Aside from Tao Qingguan, who had guarantees from superiors, ordinary people couldn’t even enter the competition venue.

The repairman glanced at Tao Qingguan’s pale lips and sighed inwardly. Just as he had heard, Director Tao’s little grandson wasn’t in good health. He was likely here to use the Spiritual Energy surrounding the Dragon King to nourish his body.

What a pity. His father and grandfather were geniuses, but he himself had no talent.

The repairman’s gaze toward Tao Qingguan was tinged with regret, and he couldn’t help but ask with concern, “Young man, you just moved back here, right? How is it? Are you getting used to living here?”

Tao Qingguan, who was playing on his phone, was startled by the question. “Uh… it’s okay.”

He felt helpless inside. Why did everyone who came ask a couple of questions about how he was doing?

After a few pleasantries, the repairman became talkative. “The feng shui here is good; it nourishes people. Staying here for a long time is also beneficial for your health.”

Tao Qingguan: “Mhm…”

“What our ancestors left behind must have its reasons. This place is now a treasure spot, especially where you are, the core of the treasure spot…”

Tao Qingguan: “Oh, oh.”

The repairman wasn’t bothered by Tao Qingguan’s indifferent responses and rambled on animatedly, spittle flying. “…Speaking of which, I saw you when you were three or four years old. I also knew your grandfather; he cherished you like a treasure…”

The hand Tao Qingguan rested on his leg tightened and loosened, tightened and loosened again. His face was practically contorted in pain.

Repairman, repairman! Stop lecturing.

Seeing that the air conditioner repairman had no intention of stopping and leaving him a way out, Tao Qingguan had to resort to his ultimate move.

“Master, what do you do for a living?”

The air conditioner repairman seemed to suffer a basic code execution error; he instantly froze, looking at Tao Qingguan’s face repeatedly, opening his mouth several times but failing to utter a word.

Tao Qingguan immediately felt a wave of relief.

The repairman fixed the air conditioner. Before leaving, he looked at Tao Qingguan several more times, as if contemplating whether the young man’s mind was slightly off.

Tao Qingguan didn’t care what the repairman thought and smiled to see him off.

As the repairman stepped out the door, he thought better of it and turned back to say one last thing, “All things have a spirit. Being close to nature is good for recuperating.”

Tao Qingguan: “Mm.”

After watching the repairman leave, Tao Qingguan closed the door behind him. He muttered silently, All things have a spirit.

It sounded familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had read it. Tao Qingguan thought for a moment but couldn’t remember. If he couldn’t recall it, it meant it wasn’t important.

Tao Qingguan stretched his body and walked toward the refrigerator.

There were many leftovers from yesterday’s cooking; he could heat them up today. There was also egg pudding; he had deliberately saved two for today.

Tao Qingguan hummed an unknown tune and opened the refrigerator. His pupils contracted sharply. A smile appeared on his lips, but a closer look revealed the curve to be somewhat stiff. Tao Qingguan slammed the refrigerator door shut with a bang, muttering to himself.

He must have woken up too quickly; his eyes were playing tricks on him; he couldn’t even see the food.

He let out a breath, gripped the refrigerator door, and yanked it open again. Empty plates lay quietly inside. The refrigerator looked as if locusts had passed through; the food had vanished completely. Oh, not completely—they had left him a plate of cola chicken wings.

Tao Qingguan calmed his rapid breathing, staring at the single remaining dish as if he could stare a hole through it.

Damn it, which bastard would steal his food from the fridge instead of stealing from the Keke Farm?

Tao Qingguan gritted his teeth, two small flames instantly appearing in his eyes. Thief, you better not let me catch you.

Yan Jiu, adjusting his sleeping posture in the Fish Tank, watched Tao Qingguan run up and down with a broom. Wherever he went, there was a clanging sound, resembling the little black cat that wanted to fight him to the death.

It shook its head internally. Children are too impatient. It leaned against a piece of coral and comfortably dozed off. Rainy days were perfect for sleeping.

Tao Qingguan searched the entire house but found no trace of anyone else. He did notice that the second-floor window was open, but that window was very small; a normal-sized adult couldn’t climb in.

He calmed down and thought carefully. Nothing valuable in the house was missing. A sane person wouldn’t go to such trouble just to steal a few dishes of food. The thief was likely not human.

Tao Qingguan rested his chin on his hand and looked out the window at the lush green hillside. He pondered: could the thief be—a monkey?

After all, besides monkeys, other animals probably wouldn’t have the ability to open a refrigerator.

Were there monkeys in the mountains around here?

He hadn’t seen any, only a few squirrels on the way to fetch water. But the environment there was good; having monkeys wouldn’t be particularly strange.

Tao Qingguan frowned tightly, raised his hand, closed the window, locked it, and then checked all the other windows to ensure they were all locked.

If no more food went missing in the following days, then the thief was definitely an animal from outside.

Tao Qingguan also kept a lookout, placing glue traps in the corners of the house, and deliberately placed more near the refrigerator.

In the following few days, Tao Qingguan waited patiently, but… found nothing.

Of course, his dishes also yielded nothing.

Tao Qingguan: 🙂

Looking at the refrigerator that had been ransacked for the Nth time, Tao Qingguan resigned himself to fate.

He tried every method imaginable but couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the little thief. In the blink of an eye, the food in the refrigerator would disappear.

The glue traps at home didn’t catch the thief; Tao Qingguan himself got stuck several times. Finally, he angrily threw the glue traps into the trash can.

Tao Qingguan stared at the dwindling amount of food and let out a cold laugh. The slightly manic laughter woke up Yan Jiu in the Fish Tank.

Yan Jiu swam to the glass and observed Tao Qingguan’s expression, which was slightly guilty.

He didn’t make the child go crazy from anger, did he? It hadn’t eaten everything; it had left some for the kid.

Tao Qingguan slammed the refrigerator door shut forcefully, causing the entire refrigerator to shake a few times.

He turned and walked toward the back door, stomping on the floor as if venting, making loud thudding sounds. Tao Qingguan picked up the umbrella by the door, put on his waterproof shoes, and stepped outside.

Tao Qingguan looked aggressive, as if he was going to settle a score, but his purpose for going out had nothing to do with the food thief.

It had been raining for three days, and the day to change the water for Little White had been repeatedly postponed. The rain showed no sign of stopping today, and Tao Qingguan was afraid that delaying further would be too much for the precious fish, Little White.

Taking advantage of the light rain today, he went to the back mountain to fetch some Spring Water.