Chapter 3 Rookie Dad Takes His Kid Out

Chapter 3: Rookie Dad Takes His Kid Street Shopping

Zheng Zheng's baby bottle lay casually tossed in the kitchen sink, caked with a thick layer of milk residue. The formula, too, was left beside the kettle, its lid not even properly sealed.

Wen Yuchen was utterly bewildered. The mess left by the original owner was already infuriating, and now this—he wasn't acting like a responsible adult at all.

He picked up the can of what looked like off-brand formula and tossed it into the trash with a resounding "clank."

"Dad," Zheng Zheng's voice called out.

Wen Yuchen went out and scooped him up, suppressing his rising irritation. "We're out of formula," he said softly. "How about Dad takes you out to eat, and we can get you some new clothes too?"

At the mention of going out, the little one was overjoyed, planting two loud kisses on Wen Yuchen's face. "Love Dad!"

Before leaving, Wen Yuchen called a cleaning service and instructed them to dispose of all bedding, clothes, pots, pans, and utensils. He wanted nothing to do with items that person had used.

After giving his instructions, he told Zheng Zheng to put away his "kitten ears" and instead put on a sun hat.

Following his memory, he found the garage. Surprisingly, the car was quite impressive—a Mercedes-Benz G63.

The sight of the car made Wen Yuchen's eyes light up for a moment.

Then, he couldn't help but curse.

"Damn it," he thought. "No wonder my current assets are only seventy or eighty thousand. So, the original owner spent all of Zheng Zheng's child support on himself."

He buckled Zheng Zheng securely into the car seat.

The G63 sped out of the neighborhood.

Wen Yuchen followed the GPS to the nearest large supermarket, which boasted a highly-rated stir-fry restaurant.

Halfway there, he noticed the fuel gauge was nearly empty and quickly pulled into a gas station.

A good car deserved good fuel. After filling up the tank, nearly a thousand yuan was gone.

"Ouch," he winced. "That really stings."

Weekends were always crowded. By the time Wen Yuchen finally managed to park, little Zheng Zheng in the back seat was frowning hungrily, his adorable face scrunched up like a bitter melon.

Wen Yuchen quickly took him to eat: cod in tomato sauce, tomato and beef brisket, pineapple spare ribs, celery with lily, a bowl of rice, and three adult palm-sized multigrain piggy buns.

The table was laden with incredibly fragrant food.

Zheng Zheng was surprisingly easy to feed, grabbing his little spoon and shoveling food into his mouth. Unfortunately, he was still too young to hold it steady, and crumbs scattered everywhere.

A thoughtful server brought a small bib for Zheng Zheng, which made Wen Yuchen feel more at ease letting him eat on his own.

"It’s good for a baby to feed themselves—helps with hand muscle development. Well, that’s what the internet says," he mused.

The piggy bun lost an ear to Zheng Zheng's bite. With his cheeks stuffed, his big, round eyes fixed on the pineapple spare ribs in front of Wen Yuchen.

"Num-num," came Zheng Zheng's muffled voice.

"Swallow what's in your mouth before talking, or you might choke," Wen Yuchen said, placing a deboned spare rib into Zheng Zheng's bowl.

Zheng Zheng buried his face in his food, eating with gusto. He looked less like a kitten and more like a little pig.

After eating his fill, Zheng Zheng toddled ahead on his short legs while Wen Yuchen followed slowly behind.

He first took Zheng Zheng to buy clothes. Kids grow fast, so there was no need to buy too many. Wen Yuchen let Zheng Zheng pick out five sets himself, and Zheng Zheng was utterly ecstatic.

After clothes, they bought shoes. The moment he put on the new shoes, Zheng Zheng happily bounced around. Wen Yuchen's heart melted, and with a wave of his hand, he tossed the old pair.

Kids' stuff was expensive—no wonder so many people were reluctant to have children these days.

Zheng Zheng was not yet two, so formula and diapers were still necessities.

Since Zheng Zheng was developing slower than his peers, he needed high-quality formula.

Formula is rich in nutrients essential for a baby’s growth. A good can costs over six hundred yuan.

Zheng Zheng could already eat regular food, so he only drank formula to supplement his nutrition—twice a day, 150 to 200ml each time. One can would last about half a month.

Wen Yuchen pushed the shopping cart with one hand and checked information on his phone with the other. Zheng Zheng sat in the cart, his little hands busy fiddling with the formula cans.

Since one can lasted half a month, Wen Yuchen grabbed two—no need to stockpile.

Then there were diapers. The sales assistant said Zheng Zheng was almost two, so diapers were getting too small and recommended pull-up pants instead.

Wen Yuchen thought he could just grab any pack of pull-ups, but it turned out sizing mattered. After comparing the sizes the assistant brought over, he finally settled on 3XL.

A pack contained 30 pull-ups. Zheng Zheng needed one for his nap and one at night, plus one for outings—three a day. One pack would last about ten days, costing around a hundred yuan.

"Kids' things are really expensive," he sighed.

"Sir, our pull-ups feature an upgraded 0.6D petal surface layer, softer and more skin-friendly. They also contain rare golden camellia extract to keep your baby’s bottom comfortable and rash-free. What’s even better is that our brand is running a promotion right now. One pack is 142 yuan and lasts about ten days. I recommend buying four packs—it’s buy three, get one free. So you’d pay for three and get four. Our production dates are also fresh..."

The sales assistant talked until she was nearly out of breath, and soon four packs of pull-ups landed in Wen Yuchen’s cart.

Zheng Zheng, sitting in the cart, couldn’t stay still, touching everything in sight.

"Pants, milk, Zheng Zheng’s?" he asked, hugging a formula can.

"Yes, these are for Zheng Zheng."

After buying what Zheng Zheng needed, Wen Yuchen picked up some miscellaneous daily essentials.

This shopping trip set him back nearly seven or eight thousand yuan, and they hadn’t even bought new bedding, pots, or pans yet.

After loading everything into the car, Wen Yuchen took Zheng Zheng to buy bedding and appliances, arranging for store delivery.

The whole process took about half an hour—he simply picked the best and most expensive items.

Zheng Zheng was impatient. It was rare for them to go out, and the toy section had him mesmerized. Wen Yuchen had to coax him for a long time before Zheng Zheng agreed to come back later.

Once inside the toy store, Zheng Zheng stepped onto a little scooter and refused to get off.

Unlike other kids who cried and threw tantrums, Zheng Zheng just stood on the scooter, his big eyes glistening as he stared at Wen Yuchen, clearly conveying "I want this" with his gaze.

The father and son had a standoff for half a minute before a sales assistant with a kindly smile and plenty of sales experience approached Wen Yuchen.

Ten minutes later, Wen Yuchen bought the three-in-one children’s scooter. The little one could stand and scoot, sit and scoot when tired, and it could even transform into a stroller.

Zheng Zheng, showing off his little teeth, happily scooted into another store.

Ten minutes later, Wen Yuchen emerged carrying a small gray plush kitten toy. "Why did no one tell me that a tiny plush toy could cost five hundred bucks?!" he grumbled.

By the time Wen Yuchen took Zheng Zheng out, the sky was getting dark. He carried the completely conked-out, soundly sleeping Zheng Zheng in one arm and pushed the stroller with the other hand as they made their way to the parking lot.

The afternoon had worn Zheng Zheng out completely—the little one had fallen asleep without even having dinner.

When they returned home, the cleaning crew had long since finished and left. The house was spotless and tidy, which felt great.

He changed Zheng Zheng into a pull-up and put him to bed, padding the sides with pillows to prevent him from rolling off.

Afterward, he took a hot shower.

Once out of the shower, Wen Yuchen dried his hair and lay down beside Zheng Zheng. The day had been such a rollercoaster that he had no appetite for food.

He even wondered if it was all just a dream—that when he woke up, he would still be just an ordinary person biking to work every day.

Zheng Zheng turned over, made little smacking sounds, and his small hand grabbed onto the fabric of Wen Yuchen’s shirt.

"What an adorable little kid," Wen Yuchen thought, pulling the little one into a hug.

Sleep wasn’t coming anytime soon. Young people needed to do some scrolling before bed.

But as soon as he glanced at his phone, Wen Yuchen rolled his eyes hard in exasperation.