Cultivation Daddy

Chapter 186: Chapter 185: Forgot About Daddy (Sad Daddy)

By the time Li Jain returned to the Li residence with Liu Xiong and Li Yujian, the sky had already darkened.

The night wind carried a faint chill, but the Li residence itself looked bright and welcoming. From outside the gate, Li Jain could already hear the children’s voices coming from the inner courtyard.

Li Zhang’s voice was the first to reach his ears.

"I’m telling you, Father definitely bought the biggest one!"

Li Cheng’s calm reply followed. "You do not know that."

"I know Father."

"You also said Father would definitely come back before dinner."

Li Zhang paused, then he said confidently, "That is because Father was busy buying my future restaurant, so it longer than intended."

Li Yuhan laughed: "Your future restaurant? You’re bold, kid."

Li Zhang replied naturally: "Listen, I am one of Father’s sons. Everything good in this family has my share. And I am allowed to be selfish with my father. Do I have to consider everyone of you in every little thing?"

"That’s right, leave the responsibilities to those who wants to carry it." Li Jingxuan nodded in agreement.

Li Jingsheng said seriously, "That doesn’t mean he own the tavern."

Li Jingxuan shook his head: "He can own whatever he wants, as long as the kitchen belongs to me."

"You only want the food," Li Juanxin said.

"Is that wrong?"

Li Jain stood outside the gate for a moment and listened with a smile. Then pushed the gate open. As soon several children saw him, they rushed over.

"Father!"

"Daddy!"

"You’re finally back!"

Li Zhang was the fastest. He ran straight toward Li Jain, then stopped suddenly when he saw the boxes in his hand.

His eyes brightened.

"Father, did you bring food?"

Li Cheng, who came behind him, looked much calmer, but his eyes also fell on the boxes.

Li Jingxuan ran over from the side corridor, his hair slightly messy. "Father, did you buy the building? Is the kitchen big? Is it bigger than our current kitchen? Can we all fit inside?"

Li Jingsheng followed behind him and sneered, "Why would we all need to fit inside the kitchen?"

"To help," Jingxuan answered confidently.

Li Yuhan laughed from the pavilion. "You mean to taste."

Li Jingxuan turned around: "Don’t read too much into in."

Li Jain looked at the children gathered around him, and the tiredness from walking around District Seven for most of the day immediately faded.

He smiled. "Yes. The building has been bought."

The courtyard instantly became noisy.

"Really? How big is it?" Jingxuan asked quickly.

"Very big."

"Bigger than the old tavern?"

"Much bigger."

Li Zhang jumped up: "I knew it!"

Li Jingxuan’s eyes also sparkled: "How big is the kitchen?"

"Very big," Li Jain answered patiently.

Li Jingxuan inhaled sharply, clutching his chest as if he had just heard news of a divine treasure: "A very big kitchen..."

Li Cheng asked: "Where did you buy it?"

"It is in District Seven," Li Jain said. "About an hour from here by ordinary carriage."

Li Juanxin tilted his head. "That is far."

Li Jain nodded. "The building also has a back residence. After renovation, we can stay there when needed."

Li Yuhan smiled. "So we have another house."

"Not exactly," Li Jain said. "It is mainly for the tavern."

Li Zhang waved his hand. "Father, if there are beds, rooms, and we can sleep there, then it is a house."

Li Jain thought about it and felt that this logic was not wrong.

Li Yujian placed the property documents on the stone table and said, "The building used to be a spiritual food restaurant. It has nine floors, and a residential compound at the back. The foundation is good, but it needs renovation."

The children immediately gathered around him. They eyes grew brighter with each sentence.

Li Juanxin leaned against the pavilion railing and smiled. "Father, buying a restaurant and a residence in one day... you really went out to do something big."

Li Jain did not think it was that big, but he nodded either way.

Li Jain watched them happily, then suddenly remembered the time. "It is already late. I will prepare a quick dinner first. You can continue talking while I cook."

The children fell silent. Li Jain noticed and looked at them. "What is wrong?"

Li Juanxin hugged Fluffy and blinked. "Daddy, we already ate dinner."

Li Jain paused. "You already ate?"

The children nodded.

Li Jain was a little surprised. "Did Xinyue stop by?"

He thought that since he had returned late, perhaps Li Xinyue had come over and arranged dinner for the children. She was thoughtful, capable, and wouldn’t let the children go hungry if she knows they haven’t eaten.

But the children shook their heads.

Li Jain looked even more puzzles. "Then who cooked?"

Jingsheng and Jingxuan both straightened at the same time.

Li Jingxuan raised his chin proudly. "We did."

Li Jingsheng coughed lightly and corrected him. "He helped me to prepare dinner."

"You mean we cooked," Jingxuan insisted: "If you say helped, it sounds less impressive. As if I was your assistant"

"..." Li Jingsheng was speechless by his shamelessness.

Li Jain’s eyes immediately brightened: "You two cooked dinner?"

Jingxuan nodded quickly. "Yes! I made the stir-fried spirit vegetables and steamed buns. Sheng made the rest of the dishes."

Jingsheng added with a serious face, "It wasn’t a big deal. I followed Father’s recipe book."

Li Jingxuan eyes widened in disbelief: "Ah! So that’s why your dishes were teasing better than mine, you were cheating!!!"

Li Jingsheng frown. "What are you talking about? They are just recipes. You could’ve used the book if you wanted to. It’s not like I hid it."

Li Jain’s expression softened and he praised them. "You both did very well."

Li Jingxuan’s face became bright, while Li Jingsheng tried to remain calm, but the tips of his ears turned faintly red.

Li Jain placed a hand on each of their heads. "You cooked dinner for everyone while Father was away. You did very well."

Jingsheng lowered his eyes, but the corners of his lips rose slightly.

Jingxuan was much more direct. His face immediately bloomed with pride.

"Father, I told you I can cook. I only need more practice."

Li Jain nodded seriously. "Yes. Father believes you."

Then he smiled and said, "Daddy can’t wait to have some."

The courtyard became quiet. The smile on Jingxuan’s face froze. Jingsheng’s expression also stiffened.

Li Zhang blinked and look at Li Cheng. Li Cheng turned his head slowly trying to his to reduce his presence.

Li Juanxin looked at everyone’s faces, then seemed to realize something terrible, and also moved away.

Li Jain looked at their unusual behavior and asked: "What’s wrong?"

No one answered.

Li Jain still had a gentle smile on his face. "Did you not leave some for me?"

The silence became even deeper. Li Jingsheng pressed his lips together.

Finally, Jingxuan whispered, "We... forgot."

Li Jain didn’t catch what he said and blinked. "What did you say?"

The children had actually forgotten to leave food for their beloved daddy.

Li Zhang’s mouth opened, then closed.

Then opened again: "Father..."

Li Jain blinked slowly. "Oh."

That one word was very light. But it made all seven children feel as if they had been struck by heavenly thunder.

Li Jain lowered his eyes slightly: "It’s fine. You were hungry."

Li Jingsheng face changed at once: "Daddy..."

Li Jain smiled gently, but the smile somehow looked sadder than if he had not smiled at all.

"I just thought maybe there would be a little left. But it is okay."

The children became even more panicked.

Li Zhang immediately stepped forward: "Father, it’s not like that. I thought someone had saved some for you."

Li Cheng frowned. "You ate the last bowl of soup. How can you forget so quickly."

Li Zhang turned to him in disbelief. "Why are you saying this now?"

"Because it’s true. Besides, I’m not going to let you push the blame away."

"I didn’t know it was the last bowl!"

Li Yuhan said weakly, "I also thought there was more."

Li Jingxuan clears his throat: "There was more at first, I told Sheng that we should safe some for later just in case, but he wouldn’t list..."

Li Jingsheng frown and interrupted him before he could finish: "If you dare lie on me, I will punch you so hard that you’ll fly out of this courtyard!"

"Sorry Father, we should have been more thoughtful."

Li Jain looked at his children and suddenly felt a strange dullness in his chest. It was not true sadness exactly,

more like a small pinch of disappointment that had caught him unexpectedly.

The had spent the entire day thinking about the new tavern, about how the children would like the building, and whether they could vote on the design again.

Even when he bought pastries from Golden Spirit Pavilion, his first thought had been that the children might like them.

On the way home, he wondered whether they had eaten, and what he should cook so they would not go to sleep hungry.

But the children had eaten, which is good. That should have made him happy.

Yet when he realized none of them had thought to leave even a little food for him, he suddenly wondered whether he thought about them far more than they thought about him.

The moment that thought appeared, Li Jain was startled by it.

They are children and forgetting things was normal. But for some reason, his heart still felt empty.

He lowered his eyes and frown. His Dao of Seven Emotions and Six Desires was too sensitive right now.

A small disappointment could easily turn into something heavier if it spread.

But before Li Jain could press the emotion down, Li Juanxin suddenly rushed out from his corner, and hug his leg.

"Daddy, don’t be sad."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!