Chapter 206 - 182: Who Is Stronger, a Tiger or a Lion?

Chapter 206: Chapter 182: Who Is Stronger, a Tiger or a Lion?

Having learned his lesson from last time, Xu An had originally planned to wait until the next morning to tell the two of them he was taking them to the zoo in the afternoon. But the two clearly remembered that Xu An had broken his promise to take them out, and they kept muttering, "Bad brother, brother’s a liar." In the end, Xu An couldn’t hold it in and told the two little guys the news.

Hearing they were going to the zoo tomorrow, the two of them went wild with joy. They had a clear division of labor: one ran to find a bag, while the other ran to gather animal-related picture books and toys, planning to bring them all to the zoo.

Seeing that it wasn’t a huge pile, Xu An let them be and went to attend to his own business. When he finished and returned to the bedroom to get the two little ones ready for bed, he saw the bed piled high with picture books and toys. The two boys were lying on top of it all, arguing in hushed tones.

"Tigers are the strongest!"

"Lions are the ones who are *really* the strongest!"

"That’s not true! Brother said tigers are the king of all animals." As Xu Le spoke, his little finger jabbed at the picture book. "Look, the markings on the tiger’s forehead even form the character for ’king.’ A lion doesn’t have that, so the lion’s not the boss!"

His reasoning was sound and his argument was clear. Although Xu Kang was still not convinced, he couldn’t find a way to rebut it. But then he lifted his head and saw Xu An standing at the door, enjoying the show. It was like seeing his savior. He threw the question of the century at Xu An: "Brother, you tell us! Who’s stronger, a tiger or a lion?"

Xu An went from a mere spectator to a participant in the dispute. As for the question, Xu An honestly didn’t know. ’What kind of nine-to-five office worker has the spare time and energy to figure out whether a tiger or a lion is stronger? I’d rather use that energy to look up a couple of recipes and make something nice to treat my own stomach.’

Although Xu An didn’t know the answer, he wasn’t the least bit flustered. In a very calm, drawn-out tone, he said, "If you two clean up the picture books and toys on the bed and lie down quietly, I’ll tell you whether the tiger or the lion is stronger!"

Hearing this, the two little ones scrambled up and began frantically cleaning up the books and toys on the bed. Meanwhile, Xu An quietly turned to the side, pulled out his phone, opened a browser, and typed the question ’who is stronger, a lion or a tiger’ into the search bar before hitting enter.

’I might not know the answer, but the almighty internet does! Nothing to be afraid of!’

’...In terms of size: most tigers are larger than lions... Tigers are solitary animals, whereas lions are social. A tiger’s hunting ability is superior to a lion’s... In conclusion, the tiger has a slight edge. However, the two live in different environments and almost never cross paths. In their respective domains, they are both king-level predators...’

Just as Xu An finished looking up the answer and formulating his explanation, Xu Kang and Xu Le had already finished putting away their toys and picture books. Two pairs of big, dark eyes were fixed intently on Xu An, their faces filled with anticipation, each hoping to hear his own desired answer.

COUGH COUGH—

After clearing his throat for effect, Xu An began slowly, "So, which is stronger, a tiger or a lion? Well, tigers live in the forest, so they are the kings of the forest. Lions live on the grasslands, so they are the kings of the grasslands. They are both kings in the places where they live!"

Disappointment flickered in both their eyes, but they reluctantly accepted his answer. However, new questions immediately popped up. Their attention shifted from who was stronger to what forests and grasslands were like, what other animals lived there, and whether they would be able to see a forest and a grassland at the zoo tomorrow...

Xu An lay on the bed, staring lifelessly at the wooden beams on the ceiling, listening to the ceaseless chattering. He made a solemn vow. ’Next time, I will absolutely, positively, *never* tell them our plans the night before. From now on, it’s going to be like opening a blind box. They won’t know a thing until the very last second!’

The next morning, Xu An groggily opened his eyes to find the room already bright. Sunlight was streaming in, reaching the edge of his bed. He glanced at his phone. It was 9:20 AM.

’Holy shit! The restaurant...’

Just as he was about to leap out of bed, his groggy brain finally caught up. Wang Fulong was at the restaurant. He had already told him he had things to do today and wouldn’t be coming in, leaving Wang Fulong in charge.

’Phew, that’s a relief.’ Xu An breathed a sigh of relief. He gave a big stretch and turned to look beside him, where the two little ones were curled up together, sleeping soundly. He clicked his tongue with feigned annoyance. ’Stay up late when they should be sleeping, then can’t wake up in the morning. They’ve got all the makings of night owls at such a young age.’ Despite his grumbling, Xu An gently pulled the blanket over their round little bellies.

Xu An didn’t know what time the two little rascals had finally fallen asleep. The last he remembered, it was 11:40 PM before he himself drifted off. And even then, the two of them were still wide awake, whispering to each other with boundless energy...

After quickly washing up, Xu An went into the kitchen. ’It’s already 9:30. By the time we get ready, it’ll be past ten or even eleven. A simple breakfast will do.’

He pulled out a bag of flour and three eggs, diced some ham and scallions, then added pure milk and salt, stirring everything into a batter. In one smooth motion, he arranged the kindling, lit the fire, heated the pan, added the oil, and started frying. A moment later, the thick batter had transformed into three round, golden ham and egg pancakes that gave off a faint, meaty aroma.

Although Wang Fulong and the others hadn’t been working there for long, they had gotten the hang of their jobs at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant. Xu An took a quick tour of the restaurant and saw that everyone was at their posts, working in an orderly fashion. His absence hadn’t caused any chaos.

「Hai City Stationery Street.」

Hai City Stationery Street had a long history. In ancient times, it was a street of bookshops that specialized in selling paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones to the city’s scholars. It had been destroyed several times during the long years of war, the entire street reduced to ruins. But after the Liberation, it was quickly rebuilt. After its reconstruction, however, it became an ordinary street selling daily necessities like rice, oil, and salt. It wasn’t until the 1990s, when the first Xinhua Bookstore opened on this street, that the surrounding shops slowly transformed into various kinds of bookstores and stationery shops.

Before Xu An started school, Granny Xu had brought him here to buy all sorts of school supplies. Back then, the stationery sold on this street was still very plain. Backpacks with prints of characters like Rainbow Cat & Blue Rabbit, Astro Boy, or Popeye were extremely expensive, almost considered small luxury items. But now, looking around, everything his eyes landed on was a stationery product printed with all kinds of flashy, gaudy designs, and the prices were incredibly low.

The dazzling array of products made the two little ones feel as if they didn’t have enough eyes to see everything. One moment, they thought the backpack with Pleasant Goat was the cutest; the next, they turned their heads and saw a Sailor Moon backpack that was also nice; and turning back again, there was one with Briar and Bramble Bear...

Just as the two little ones were agonizing over their decision, a small boy came bouncing over, snatched an Ultraman backpack hanging in front of them, and turned around to shout excitedly, "Dad, Dad, I found it..."

The voice stopped abruptly. Xu An followed the direction the boy was facing and saw only a middle-aged woman passing by with her child; there was no man in sight. At the same time, Xu Kang and Xu Le’s slightly surprised voices rang out, "Brother Hu Lei!"

Hearing them shout, Xu An finally realized that this little boy was the same child he had rescued from the river not long ago. The first two times they met, he had been in too much of a hurry to get a clear look at the boy’s face, and the second time, the child was either hiding behind his parents or playing with Xu Kang and Xu Le, so he never got a good look at him then either. Now, with a fresh buzz cut, Xu An really wouldn’t have recognized him if it weren’t for Xu Kang and Xu Le’s shouts.

"Where’s your dad?" Xu An asked softly, grabbing Hu Lei, who was about to rush off to find his father.

"He was just... just... behind me. I... I don’t know... where he went!" Hu Lei answered, his eyes welling up with tears as he sobbed.

"It’s okay, don’t worry!" Xu An gently patted the back of Hu Lei’s fuzzy head, then crouched down to look him in the eye. "I have your dad’s phone number. I’ll call him right now. How about you stay right here with me while we wait for him, okay?"

It was hard to say whether it was Xu An’s words or the comforting gestures from Xu Kang and Xu Le that worked, but the tears in Hu Lei’s eyes slowly subsided.

Now Xu An had three children with him, but he didn’t have three hands. He had the three kids hold hands in a line in front of him, and he followed closely behind as they walked toward a dessert shop on the street. The shop was crowded, but there were still a few empty seats. Xu An led the three to a table and sat them down. After letting them choose their favorite desserts, he took out his phone and dialed the number of Hu Lei’s father, Hu Guanghong.

BEEP... BEE-BEEP-BEEP... BEEP...

The phone rang until the call timed out, but Hu Guanghong never picked up. Xu An persistently redialed four more times, but still, no one answered. On the fifth try, the unchanging ringtone was replaced by a flat, robotic voice: "The user you have dialed has powered off their phone. Please try again later."

’In this situation, there’s only one possibility: Hu Guanghong’s phone was stolen! With public safety being what it is these days, it’s not like he just dropped dead in the middle of the street.’ Putting his phone down, Xu An considered how to contact Hu Lei’s family. He had just looked up when his eyes met Hu Lei’s anxious gaze.

"Lei, I couldn’t get through to your dad’s phone..." The moment the words left Xu An’s mouth, the corners of Hu Lei’s lips turned down, and a fresh layer of mist formed in his eyes. Panicked, Xu An quickly added, "Do you remember your mom’s phone number? I can call your mom and have her come pick you up, how about that?"

At the mention of his mother, Hu Lei’s emotions stabilized slightly. He nodded, then shook his head and said timidly, "But... but I don’t remember mom’s phone number. Can you still find her?"

...

Xu An suddenly found himself missing the kids’ smartwatches that would one day be everywhere. With just the press of a button, you could call a family member. Even if you couldn’t call, relatives could use an app to see the child’s location and find them quickly. But those weren’t an option right now, and he couldn’t reach Hu Guanghong. That left only one solution—get help from the police.

After apologizing to the shop owner and asking for directions to the police station, Xu An herded the three children like a flock of ducks and headed toward the station.