47: Go to the seafood buffet

Wang Xinyi said she was a little thirsty on the way. Chen Xiangbei stopped the car by the roadside, took two bottles of water from the back seat, unscrewed one for her to drink, and drank the other himself.

Although it was past 6 PM, the sun hadn't set yet, and the temperature was still 34 degrees Celsius. Without drinking water for a long time, even adults couldn't bear it, let alone children.

Unscrewing the cap, he gulped down a bottle of water, and his dry throat instantly felt refreshed.

The only pity was that it wasn't iced. He thought about buying a car refrigerator when he had time so he could drink iced water anytime, anywhere.

Shortly after 7 PM, Chen Xiangbei drove to a seafood buffet restaurant. When taking a child out, you should always eat something good.

The two walked into the restaurant and bought tickets at the front desk. The ticket office informed them that an adult only needed to buy one ticket and could bring one child to dine for free.

Chen Xiangbei didn't mind. If it were before, he might have been excited for a while, but now, even if it wasn't free, paying wouldn't cause him any ripple of emotion.

After buying the tickets, he brought Wang Xinyi in. Seeing the dazzling array of food, her eyes sparkled, especially when she saw the ice cream and cakes; her heart yearned even more.

Her eyes were sparkling, fixed on the ice cream and cakes, her mouth slightly open, as if she was quietly swallowing saliva.

A look of longing appeared on her face, and her two small hands couldn't help but clench, as if she was secretly determined to try these delicious desserts.

Holding Chen Xiangbei's right hand with both hands, she said expectantly, "Xiangbei Gege, can I eat ice cream?"

Chen Xiangbei knew that children couldn't refuse sweets, but he couldn't indulge her either, so he said to her.

"You can eat it, but we have to eat first. We can only have ice cream and cake after eating, otherwise your stomach won't be able to handle it."

"Okay then, let's go eat quickly," Wang Xinyi said with slight disappointment.

Chen Xiangbei went to where the utensils were kept, took two plates and two bowls, handed her the two plates to hold, and went to get two bowls of rice.

He put the filled bowls of rice on the dining table to reserve a spot, and then took the plates to get the dishes.

All the food at this buffet restaurant was pre-made, ready to eat as soon as you took it, no need to cook it yourself.

He first served Wang Xinyi some braised yellow croaker and steamed sea bass. These two types of fish are rich in high-quality protein, vitamins, and trace elements needed by the human body, making them very suitable for children.

Chen Xiangbei himself took some big items, such as king crab, kuruma prawns, giant river prawns, Tuna, Boston lobster, Australian lobster, and so on.

He also served her some vegetables and eggs, while he took some grilled items and seafood porridge.

Seeing that they had taken enough dishes, he brought them back to the table and started eating. Wang Xinyi wasn't very focused on eating, her mind was on her ice cream and cake.

Chen Xiangbei promised her again that he would get them for her as soon as she finished eating, and only then did she actively eat.

After about 20 minutes, Chen Xiangbei finished the food on the table, and then went with her to choose desserts.

Wang Xinyi happily skipped and hopped.

Arriving at the dessert area, she couldn't reach the ice cream cabinet, so she asked Chen Xiangbei to get her a few different colored ice creams.

Then they went to the cake area, and she liked the chocolate cake and strawberry cake, so Chen Xiangbei got them for her.

Seeing that she still wanted to take more, he said, "Let's get more after we finish these, otherwise we'll waste it if we can't eat it all, and we'll have to pay a fine."

Hearing this, she indeed gave up the idea of taking more.

Back at their seats, Wang Xinyi was extremely happy. She didn't need Chen Xiangbei to urge her at all and started eating by herself, completely different from when she was eating the meal.

Children have small appetites and don't eat much to begin with. Plus, she ate the meal first, so she was full after just a few bites. Seeing so much left, she was a bit at a loss.

Chen Xiangbei had been observing her. Seeing that she couldn't eat anymore, he finished the rest.

When she saw that all the food was eaten, she also breathed a sigh of relief. Since childhood, her parents had told her not to waste food, and that wasting food meant you weren't a good child. This sentence still had a strong deterrent effect.

It was past eight in the evening, and the two returned to the residential area after eating.

Chen Xiangbei put the small fish he caught into the ecological fish tank. Looking at these beautiful small fish, Wang Xinyi couldn't walk anymore.

She moved a stool over, stood on it, and watched them play.

Chen Xiangbei first went to make her bed. She was staying in the second bedroom by herself tonight.

After making the bed, he found her pajamas from her small suitcase, put them in the bathroom, and then got a bucket to fill with water.

After filling the water, he came to the living room and said to her, "Xin Yi, it's late now, don't watch anymore. You can watch again after you've had your bath."

Hearing him call her, Wang Xinyi happily scurried over.

Chen Xiangbei taught her how to wash and instructed her not to play with water and to come out after washing.

As expected, children all over the country love playing with water. If you dare let her wash herself, she'll play until the water turns cold.

She didn't come out for a full half hour. Only when Chen Xiangbei went to knock on the door did she reluctantly come out.

Seeing her hair was all wet, he wanted to scold her but couldn't bear to, so he could only earnestly tell her not to play with water in the future.

After drying her hair with a hairdryer, he took her to her room and told her to go to sleep.

Chen Xiangbei was afraid she wouldn't dare sleep alone, so he put two dolls on the bed that were about her size for her to hug while sleeping.

Seeing the two cute dolls, she immediately hugged them and then started playing house with the dolls.

Seeing her playing so happily, Chen Xiangbei carefully closed the door and went back to his room to take a shower.

After finishing his shower, he came to the second bedroom, opened the door, and found that she was already asleep. He adjusted the air conditioning temperature to 26 degrees Celsius, covered her with the blanket, and then left.

He made a cup of coffee, sat on the sofa in the living room, replied to the unread messages he had missed today, and saw the message from Wang Ziyi.

Linhai Wang: Xiangbei, Xin Yi wasn't troublesome today, was she? I'll be back in Linhai City tomorrow morning and will probably pick her up around noon.

Gu Bei: No trouble, the little one is very well-behaved. She just fell asleep. With me here, you can enjoy yourself without worry.

After replying to the message, Chen Xiangbei also felt sorry for Wang Ziyi. At such a young age, he was already taking care of a little ancestor. Chen Xiangbei felt mentally exhausted after just one day with her, and it was hard to imagine how he had managed for over a month.

He suddenly realized how wise his parents were for having only him and no more children.

Of course, it was also because his family was poor. Raising just him had been a struggle, and they wouldn't have been able to afford more children.

In his parents' generation, they only thought about having more children, not caring if they could afford to raise them or if they had money, as if having a child was a gain in itself.

Although his parents were genuine farmers, they deeply understood the basic principle that knowledge changes destiny. From childhood, they constantly instilled in him the idea that he should study hard, as studying was the only way out.