Chapter 67 Wang Wang Says “Dada” First

Chapter 67: Wang Wang Calls for Dad First

The little one couldn't wait to go out. Today marked five months old, and every month on this day, they went out to take a family photo.

While changing Wang Wang's clothes, Shi Zai noticed the baby's habit of chewing on things had gotten worse. Last month, it was just his feet, then slowly he started chewing on his hands. Now, he'd grab his little socks and toss them into his mouth too. Shi Zai took them out, but the little one wasn't happy, grabbing them again and waving his little fists to dodge Dad, his big eyes wide, eyebrows raised, and "ah-ah"-ing loudly as if to scold Dad away.

Shi Zai laughed heartily, also widening his eyes, lowering his chin, puffing his cheeks, and letting out a "Rawr!" Wang Wang paused, generously giggled twice, then stopped. Seizing the chance while Dad was playing by himself, he quickly tossed the sock back into his mouth, gnawing on it.

"Honey, Wang Wang bit me—"

Hearing this, Shu Yangkuo, who had just finished packing the things needed for going out, paused and brought the silicone teether bought at the end of last month.

Walking into the living room, Shu Yangkuo smiled. His husband and son were at it again, both lying prone. Wang Wang had one hand gripping the sock and the other shoving Dad's hand into his mouth, biting the fleshy part of Dad's thumb and not letting go. Shu Yangkuo offered his own knuckle, and the little one finally released Dad's hand, but only to bite down on Daddy's knuckle. It was too hard to bite. His mouth puckered, about to cry. Shu Yangkuo quickly gave him the teether. Wang Wang bit down hard, eyes squeezed shut as if relieving the itch in his gums. It seemed the first milk tooth was finally coming in.

Shu Yangkuo lifted the little one into the crook of his arm, coaxed Wang Wang to open his mouth, and gently felt with his fingertip. Sure enough, the little gums were swollen. Shi Zai leaned in to look too. "Honey, is it swollen?" They'd thought a tooth was coming since the end of last month and had been watching closely, worried about unnoticed gum swelling. Shu Yangkuo checked again. "No." The little one chewed on the teether for a bit but still felt uncomfortable, wanting to chew on his hand again. Shu Yangkuo had Shi Zai dip gauze in warm water, then wrapped it around his own pinky finger, reached in, found the emerging milk tooth, and gently massaged it.

Soon, Wang Wang was drooling and cooing contentedly.

Shi Zai found it amusing. The little one wouldn't use the teether himself but insisted Daddy massage him. He tapped Wang Wang's little forehead:

"Little fussy one, just like your daddy. Big fussy one and little fussy..."

Before he finished, Wang Wang opened his mouth wide and "wah—" burst into loud cries, Daddy's finger still in his mouth, tears and drool instantly covering his chin and neck. Shi Zai was stunned, speechless as he looked at Shu Yangkuo.

What happened?! What did he do?!

Shu Yangkuo hurriedly said, "It's okay," quickly picked Wang Wang up vertically, patting his back gently to prevent him from choking on his tears, while kissing his little forehead. "Wang Wang, be good. Dad likes you. Dad wasn't scolding you. Don't cry, alright..."

Shi Zai, standing stunned, was even more shocked—He scolded Wang Wang?!

Between him and Shu Yangkuo, Shu Yangkuo was the one who looked fiercer, right? Why did Wang Wang always cry around him? He felt a pang of injustice. But he still moved closer to Wang Wang, wanting to comfort him. To his surprise, the little one cried even harder upon seeing his face, his little body trembling, turning his head away from Shi Zai towards Daddy's other side, waving his little fists to keep Shi Zai away. Shi Zai was completely baffled. What was going on?

Wang Wang was crying very hard this time. Shu Yangkuo was a bit helpless. He glanced at Shi Zai; his husband's eyes were red too. He thought about taking Wang Wang aside to comfort him first, but his husband would probably feel worse. Shu Yangkuo sighed softly, stroking Shi Zai's face with one hand:

"Honey, let Wang Wang take a swipe at you, okay? I'll explain later."

"Why... okay."

Wiping his tears, Shi Zai moved his face closer, but the man stopped him, picked up his hand, and offered it to the still wailing Wang Wang. Shu Yangkuo whispered into his little ear, "Dad didn't scold Wang Wang. Hit Dad once and then stop crying, okay?" After repeating it several times, Wang Wang finally, between sobs, opened his tear-filled eyes, already red, looked down at Dad's hand, waved his little fist a few times, then his mouth puckered again, still so sad...

Shi Zai began to understand. He quickly softened his voice to comfort him, "It was Dad's fault. Dad wasn't scolding you. Our Wang Wang is the cutest, the best, the greatest." The little one, lips trembling with sobs, finally stopped crying. After glancing at Shi Zai twice, he suddenly buried his little head in Daddy's chest, tired from crying, heaving a couple of sighs... Shi Zai secretly smiled. It really was because of him. Look at this poor, wronged little face.

But he felt a bit wronged too. He was just playing with Wang Wang. Shu Yangkuo never plays like that, but Wang Wang rarely cries with him.

Shu Yangkuo leaned back, letting Wang Wang rest quietly in his arms, and reached out his other hand. "Honey, come here." Shi Zai, with a sob, said "Mm," sat over, and only rested his head on Shu Yangkuo's palm, afraid getting too close to Wang Wang would disturb the little one's recovery.

Pulling him closer, Shu Yangkuo said in a very soft voice:

"Honey, don't feel bad. Let me talk to you, okay?"

"...Go ahead. Tell me why Wang Wang doesn't seem to like me much. I'm feeling a little jealous of you now."

Shu Yangkuo smiled silently, kissed the top of Shi Zai's head, and said softly and slowly:

"But yesterday when I called him a little dog, Wang Wang still giggled."

"......"

Shu Yangkuo was silent for a moment, sighed silently, then smiled:

"He can sense the emotion behind your words..."

"But I wasn't saying it with any bad emotion just now."

How could Shu Yangkuo explain this? He thought for a moment and decided to be blunt:

"Honey, before, when you said I was fussy and petty, I felt a bit unhappy too."

"...？？？？"

"Shi Zai doesn't like eating tofu. If I said you were fussy..."

"How is that being fussy?"

"Right. Wang Wang's gums are itchy, that also has nothing to do with being fussy. An adult might laugh it off or joke about it. Wang Wang is only five months old. He can only express himself through crying. Crying isn't just about being wronged or angry; sometimes, like when he's urgently hungry or wet and hasn't been noticed immediately, he'll also cry, hoping we notice his needs. Honey, be good, don't feel bad anymore, okay?"

From the moment Shu Yangkuo started explaining, Shi Zai had already stopped feeling bad. He was just a bit puzzled—it wasn't that he didn't care about Wang Wang. He had to work at least half days, but every day when he came home, he'd say "I love you" and similar things to Wang Wang many times. But he really hadn't paid attention to these small aspects. Compared to Shu Yangkuo's quiet care for Wang Wang, he preferred playing and joking with Wang Wang.

Alright, the baby's emotional perception was also gradually developing and changing. He had been treating Wang Wang like a one or two-year-old to tease.

Shu Yangkuo held the person in his arms and kissed him:

"Honey, don't feel guilty. It's that I'm overly attentive to Wang Wang."

"...What silly thing are you saying? This is our baby. You can never be too attentive. I'm not guilty either. When Wang Wang is one or two and clings to me to play, you better not get jealous then."

Hearing this, Shu Yangkuo chuckled softly. The person in his arms always bounced back to optimism so quickly:

"Mm, I won't be jealous. I'll enjoy watching you play."

"Hehe."

"Sometimes—"

"Mm?"

He somewhat regretted starting this, but since he had, Shu Yangkuo took a deep breath:

"Sometimes, when I look at Wang Wang, I always think of Shi Zai as a child. Taking care of him feels like taking care of a little you."

"Honey—"

His eyes in his arms instantly reddened. Shu Yangkuo wiped them with his thumb, thinking carefully:

"So I'm doubly attentive, so I don't want outsiders to care for him. It should be compensating for Shi Zai, but... it's a bit strange. Shi Zai is my husband. How to say... I'm using Wang Wang to compensate for the past..."

"I understand! Honey, I understand. About compensating for things, we had already compensated each other enough long before we had Wang Wang. Those times you took me to the amusement park, all the times you were like a big brother to me, the two times you went to my hometown, gave me a new identity, let me start over with that piece of porcelain... My childhood, you had already compensated for it enough long ago. Now, you towards Wang Wang... I get it. Actually, I feel the same way as you. You probably hardly ever smiled when you were little, so I always want to make Wang Wang laugh. Who knew he'd be just as unable to take a joke as you."

"......"

Shu Yangkuo turned his head and smiled. Somehow, the conversation ended up teasing him again.

Shi Zai chuckled "hehe":

"Honey, Wang Wang really seems like a mix of both of us."

"I hope he takes after you more in the future."

"It's better if he takes after both of us. Otherwise, when he grows up and gets rowdy, if he only takes after me and not you, I might not be able to resist giving his bottom a real spanking. But if he takes after you, I’d definitely go easy on him, hehe."

Shu Yangkuo really didn’t know what to do with him. He covered Wang Wang’s little ears, afraid the baby would get his feelings hurt again.

The little one is only five months old, and his dad is already thinking about spanking him when he grows up and becomes naughty, he sighed.

As soon as Daddy moved his hand away, Wang Wang lifted his big eyes to glance around, then followed Daddy’s gaze to look at Dad, who was grinning goofily at him. Wang Wang let out two giggles—alright, no more sulking. Dad was even happier and used a finger wrapped in cloth to massage Wang Wang’s gums. After crying earlier, he had almost forgotten about his teething discomfort. He nibbled on the finger—Dad’s finger wasn’t as firm as Daddy’s, so it didn't scratch the itch well enough. Wang Wang bit down a little harder, and when he saw Dad grimacing in pain, he giggled again.

Feeling the tingling pain in his fingertip, Shi Zai suddenly said:

"Hey, I think Wang Wang sometimes plays jokes on me too."

"...Just realized that now?"

"It’s amazing."

"Yeah, he’s clever. When he gets a bit older, he’ll definitely learn to push his luck based on people’s reactions."

"Hmph, I think so too... Ouch! Why are you biting me when Daddy’s the one talking about you?"

Amid the smiles of the two, Shi Zai pouted. Why was he always the one ending up hurt? Well, who asked him to be the dad? Hehe.

After all that excitement, they hurried out. The winter sun wasn’t as intense as in spring or summer, but it was lovely, casting a soft, fuzzy glow in the chilly wind, warming their hearts just right. The new parents pushed the stroller slowly toward the photo studio at the entrance of their neighborhood.

Shi Zai held his man’s hand with one hand and carried a little rabbit balloon with the other, dangling it in front of Wang Wang’s face to tease him. The five-month-old loved lying in the stroller outdoors, watching the scenery and giggling endlessly.

At the photo studio, Wang Wang posed lying down, on his tummy, and even held by both Dad and Daddy, capturing another set of photos in his life.

Huh? Why are Daddy and Dad taking photos alone while he’s still lying on the floor? Oh, they’re kissing again.

That night, Shi Zai lay beside Wang Wang, patting him to sleep while whispering to him—a five-month-old needs plenty of interaction, like storytelling. But tonight, since both of them had been upset that morning, he decided to have a heart-to-heart with the little one:

"Wang Wang, let me tell you a story first."

"Yaya..."

"Hehe, my good Wang Wang, here’s the story—Once upon a time, there was a big lion, huge and tall, looking very fierce. People were afraid of him, and he didn’t like people either. He was injured and licked his wounds alone in a cave, pitiful indeed. But in reality, he wasn’t fierce at all. If Wang Wang doesn’t believe me, just look—the little dog who often visited the lion knew best. The little dog would pounce on the lion, and the lion wouldn’t even move, afraid of scaring or hurting the dog. The little dog liked the lion, knew he wasn’t fierce, and knew no one loved him. He also knew the lion liked him back and would save tasty treats for him. So the little dog often stayed with the lion, making him laugh and gradually leading him out of the cave. One day, the little dog discovered the lion not only laughed but also cried. After thinking for a few days, he realized the lion laughed because he laughed and cried because he cried. Later, the lion learned to love the little dog and express his feelings, becoming more capable of laughing and crying. The little dog was thrilled—he had nurtured the lion well, even making him a bit pampered. The lion would lower his head and yield for the dog, and even pretend to be upset or throw tantrums. Some said the lion had turned into a delicate, fragile darling... But the little dog was proud, loving the lion’s dramatic transformation... Why? Because only those who are loved dare to show their vulnerable side."

"So, my Wang Wang, Dad hopes you’ll always have that vulnerable side. That’s how we’ll know Daddy and I have raised you well and with great care. I love you, and I hope you can always cry and laugh freely in front of Dad. Being ‘pampered’ isn’t about you—it’s my own standard in loving you. You can be strong, but I also hope you’ll always be at ease and peaceful. I just wish for you—to always be loved, to always have an endless supply of love."

After saying this, Shi Zai gently stroked Wang Wang’s little arm with his finger. The little one giggled twice, naturally not understanding.

Glancing toward the door, Wang Wang’s Daddy was probably still busy. Shi Zai leaned closer to Wang Wang and whispered:

"Wang Wang, don’t be mad at Dad anymore, my little pampered one. Otherwise, your Daddy will become a big pampered one and cry. If he cries, Dad will cry too, and when Dad cries, it’s really sad—even more than when Wang Wang cries..."

"Giggle..."

"Tsk, you’re really good at laughing now. So it’s settled—if you want to cry, cry with Daddy. When you’re in Dad’s arms, Wang Wang only laughs, okay? Dad is really good at making you happy."

"Heh..."

Shi Zai burst out laughing. He didn’t know how their Wang Wang had learned to mock so well—just a slight lift of his little lips, and it was full of sarcasm.

He changed positions, lying on his stomach, propping himself up to kiss Wang Wang’s little arm, repeatedly asking, "Cry with Daddy, laugh with Dad, okay?" Wang Wang kicked his little legs, thumping the bed, giggling nonstop. Suddenly, his little mouth uttered, "Baba."

Shi Zai was about to turn and pat him to sleep when he froze, his eyes widening.

"Ge! Ge—Wang Wang called me Dad!"

"...Waa—"

His loud voice scared the little one. Shi Zai quickly picked him up to comfort him, whispering, "Wang Wang, don’t cry. Dad was too excited. Don’t be scared." As he spoke, his own eyes turned red—Wang Wang had called him Dad first!

It felt like a dream. That laughter-filled "baba" still echoed in his ears. He was Wang Wang’s dad!

Shu Yangkuo dried his hands and entered the room, smiling at the scene. He wrapped his arms around both of them:

"Wang Wang, be good. You’ve made your dad go silly."

"Wuwu..."

The little one pouted, extremely upset from the earlier shout, stretching his arms out for Daddy to hold him. Dad was always like a suddenly popping balloon, startling him with sudden outbursts.

Shu Yangkuo took him, comforting the little one while patting his dazed honey:

"What did you just say, honey?"

"..."

"Hmm?"

"I was just saying things like ‘Dad loves you,’ and Wang Wang suddenly said ‘Baba.’ Let me teach him how to say ‘Daddy’... Brother, wait, Wang Wang, come on..."

"Stop."

Shu Yangkuo smiled helplessly. Wang Wang was only five months old—saying "baba" was instinctive. But he didn’t say that, only telling Shi Zai not to rush things, or Wang Wang would get upset. Shi Zai finally dropped the subject, still basking in the joy of being called Dad, laughing to himself nonstop.

It was incredible.

The next noon, when Shi Zai returned from work, there was unexpectedly a cake on the table with the words "Congratulations, Honey, on Being Called Dad"... Shi Zai’s eyes instantly welled up. He ran to the kitchen, hugged Shu Yangkuo, and planted several loud kisses on him. This man seemed calm and hadn’t made a big deal about it last night, but he was actually very thoughtful and deeply emotional, always loving him so meticulously.

Another weekend, Shi Zai found out that this man hadn’t just congratulated him but had also showed off to their friends.

Since turning five months old, Wang Wang had grown to love going outside. Whether being held or lying on a mat, he’d point his little hand toward the window, kicking his little legs, thumping vigorously. If carried toward the door, he’d giggle; if taken elsewhere, the little one would anxiously cry out "Ah ah ah." At this stage, children naturally crave the outdoors, and it’s good to take them out often to build early connections with the outside world, preventing fear and fostering bold, brave qualities.

When Shi Zai wasn’t home, Shu Yangkuo would take Wang Wang to play in the yard. On the spacious lawn, they had an outdoor activity area where he’d teach the little one about flowers, grass, trees, and small animals, slowly helping him sit up. Each time, Wang Wang was reluctant to go back inside. Luckily, the weather wasn’t cold, so Shu Yangkuo sometimes carried him around to explore or pushed him in the stroller to places Wang Wang indicated with his "ah ah" sounds.

That weekend, they visited Ji Qianxi and Tan Xun’s home to see "Xixi," who was about eight months old.

As soon as Shi Zai entered with Wang Wang, Tan Xun said enviously:

"Wang Wang can already say ‘Dad.’ Time flies."

"...How did you know?"

"What do you think?"

"Hahaha, come on, Wang Wang, show us how you say ‘Baba.’"

The little one was busy chewing on the teething stick Daddy made from oakwood. He peeked up briefly, let out a polite giggle, and went back to chewing.

Shi Zai burst out laughing. Their Wang Wang had such expressive laughs—he could even give a deadpan giggle like an adult. Since he was busy teething, Shi Zai decided not to bother him for now. He’d have Wang Wang perform later, hehe.

He glanced around:

"Brother Xun, where’s Xixi?"

"...We decided to keep it. When it has a litter, we'll give you one of the puppies."

Hearing this, Shi Zai snorted. "That's just great."

"It's only eight months old. When will it even have puppies? I was planning to let Wang Wang play with a puppy after the New Year."

"They come into heat in March, get pregnant in April, and give birth by June. By then, Wang Wang will be about one year old—perfect timing."

"Fine."

Just as they were talking, Ji Qianxi came back from walking the dog. He had intended to meet them at the neighborhood entrance but was a couple of minutes late.

When Xixi saw Shi Zai and Shu Yangkuo, it remembered them and immediately started wagging its tail, nuzzling against their pants. It had grown quite a bit and was no longer afraid of Shu Yangkuo. It even jumped up, trying to see the little one in his arms.

Shu Yangkuo sat down, turned Wang Wang around, and pointed to the puppy with its mouth open on the floor. Wang Wang stared for a couple of seconds, then got excited. Like the puppy in the pictures, he started kicking his little feet, trying to get down. But Daddy held him tightly, so he just giggled at the puppy. The puppy liked him too and wagged its tail even harder.

Watching their interaction, Shi Zai became even more determined to get a dog. He squeezed Wang Wang’s little fist.

"Wang Wang, do you know what sound a puppy makes?"

"Giggle giggle..."

"No, it's woof woof! Woof woof..."

Right after, hearing its owner's "woof woof," Xixi joined in with barks of its own.

Wang Wang jumped, stared blankly at his dad for a moment, and when Dad barked again, the little one blinked his big, round eyes in confusion. He looked at the puppy on the floor, then down at his own little fist, pouted, and started wailing.

Shu Yangkuo had already lifted Wang Wang upright before he could really start crying—he’d expected this.

His wife was still squatting on the floor, playing with the dog and grinning cheekily at Ji Qianxi. Shu Yangkuo fell silent for a moment, then began comforting Wang Wang.

"Wang Wang, don’t cry. Wang Wang isn’t a puppy—Daddy is the puppy."

"Wah wah..."

"Good boy, see? Daddy is like a puppy."

Soothed by his father’s gentle words, Wang Wang slowly stopped crying. Blinking his big, red-rimmed eyes, he looked at the puppy, then at his dad squatting on the floor with a grin. He waved his little fist, giggled twice, then smiled with curved eyes and said, "Baba."

Shu Yangkuo chuckled softly and nudged the squatting figure with his foot.

"Your son’s calling you."

"...Wang Wang! My good Wang Wang, say 'Daddy' again!"

"Giggle, baba."

Shi Zai shot to his feet, so excited he almost jumped, showing off to Ji Qianxi and Tan Xun.

"Did you hear that? Did you hear it?"

Ji Qianxi almost wanted to plug his ears but nodded with a smile. Just last month, Wang Wang seemed to understand nothing, and now he was already calling Daddy. Kids grow up so fast—time flies.

Everyone in their family was thriving. Ji Qianxi blinked, avoiding looking at the man beside him.

After showing off at Ji Qianxi’s place and visiting Xixi, they finalized plans to pick up a puppy next summer. The three of them then headed to the antique street shop. Shu Yangkuo had to discuss some matters with a client. In his line of work, weekends and weekdays didn’t matter—he enjoyed the freedom.

Seeing they weren’t going home, the little one flailed his arms excitedly, even clapping a couple of times as if applauding.

Shi Zai stayed in the studio with Wang Wang for a while before heading next door—his man was always like this. The moment he talked to outsiders, his expression turned blank, his firm face turning stern, his posture formal and stiff, exuding seriousness.

When Wang Wang reached out for Daddy, Shi Zai shushed him and carried him to another area. But the little one wasn’t having it—he thrashed his legs and yelled "ah ah ah," wanting to go to Daddy. He’d been here with Daddy a couple of times before, but this time Daddy looked so stern it scared him. He cried out "babb," stretching his little arms toward Daddy.

With no other choice, Shi Zai carried him to the reception area. Shu Yangkuo hadn’t noticed them earlier, but when he saw them, he stood up immediately.

"Wang Wang, come here. Daddy will hold you."

"Ha!"

The little one excitedly flailed about. Shi Zai handed Wang Wang to Shu Yangkuo and was about to leave when the man grabbed his arm, forcing him to sit nearby. With both Dad and Daddy present, Wang Wang finally calmed down and giggled at the middle-aged man across from them.

The man was instantly charmed, praising, "So handsome, like a little star," before turning to the now noticeably softened Shu Yangkuo.

"Boss Shu, having two little ones at home must be such a blessing..."

"Yes."