Chapter 47: The Terror of Being Controlled

As the car approached Liulichang, another pancake stall appeared by the roadside.

Seeing a long-legged young woman enjoying a piping hot, freshly made pancake at the stall, Huang Tao’s mouth began to water uncontrollably. Seizing the opportunity while they waited at a red light, the boy started pestering Huang Guolun again. “Dad, look at that pancake stall over there—is there anything different about it compared to a regular one?”

Huang Guolun saw through Huang Tao’s little trick at a glance and snorted, “Don’t try to go in circles with me. No matter what you say today, I’m not buying you a pancake. Just sit tight.”

“I’m not asking you to buy me a pancake,” Huang Tao insisted. “I just noticed there’s a picture of a chicken on that stall. I bet that uncle selling pancakes has invented a spicy shredded chicken flavor. Honestly, I’ve never understood why you can’t add some spicy chicken to a pancake. I’ve seen people put sausage in, but nothing can compare to spicy chicken!”

Swallowing his saliva, Huang Tao launched into a passionate culinary description. “Think about it, Dad—imagine sprinkling some spicy shredded chicken on a pancake as it cooks. Not too much, just enough so you can taste it. How fragrant would that be! When you bite into the crispy layer, the fresh scallion and egg aroma mingles with the spicy chicken, hitting your taste buds all at once—you’d be drooling for sure! And the saliva wouldn’t wash away the flavor, but rather blend the spicy chicken’s heat with the pancake’s egg and scallion aroma, creating a rich, meaty, and utterly irresistible taste that would capture your soul! Can you imagine how delicious a spicy chicken pancake would be? Can you?”

Despite himself, Huang Guolun swallowed a few times, secretly admitting that the boy must have watched plenty of food shows lately, to be able to describe a simple pancake in such mouthwatering detail.

Huang Tao pressed on, “Dad, really, I don’t want one, but I suggest you try one from that stall. There’s a chicken on the sign, so he might just sell the spicy chicken pancake of my dreams. Don’t you love spicy chicken? Just imagine how good it would taste wrapped in a pancake!”

He was on the verge of giving in, but for the sake of Huang Tao’s health, Huang Guolun swallowed hard and resisted the temptation. “I’m not buying it right now. After I drop you off at kindergarten, I’ll stop by on my way back. If it’s good, I’ll let you know. So stop thinking about it.”

As the light turned green, Huang Guolun pressed the accelerator, speeding away from the pancake stall with a car full of swallowed saliva, refusing to let Huang Tao harbor any more schemes.

Huang Tao was beside himself with frustration, scratching his head in his car seat and grumbling at Huang Guolun. “You’re no fun! You’re not as nice to me as Li Yaxin. She always gives me her chicken at lunch in kindergarten! But you, you always make me miss out on good food. Are you even my real dad? If Mom hadn’t gone to Mars, she’d never treat me this way! And if I had a new mom, she wouldn’t torture me like this either! I want a new mom!”

“Stop changing the subject,” Huang Guolun retorted, picking out the key point. “What did you just say? Every time there’s chicken for lunch at kindergarten, Li Yaxin gives you hers?”

“Yeah, and Jia Lingling, Ma Xiaodan, and Yang Shengnan too. Those neat little girls always give me their chicken—they only eat duck, not chicken.”

“You’d better tell me the truth. Did you trick them again?”

“I didn’t trick them! I just told them an obvious fact—chickens are dirty, they poop everywhere, their coops stink, and chicks never take baths. Ducks are different—they bathe in water every day, so they’re much cleaner.”

“You little rascal! Why do you always con your friends out of their food?”

“I didn’t trick them, they insisted on giving it to me. They think chicken is dirty.”

“That’s still lying!” Huang Guolun was genuinely angry this time. “If you want to eat something, ask me or your grandma to buy it for you! Fooling people isn’t a skill to be proud of!”

“If you’d buy me whatever I wanted, would I have to beg other kids for their food? I only wanted you to buy me a pancake, and you wouldn’t. Forget chicken! Anyway, if you won’t buy me a pancake today, I’ll just keep drinking Wang Xiaoshan’s yogurt and eating Li Yaxin’s chicken!”

Huang Guolun was so angry his teeth itched! This troublesome child would stop at nothing to get his way! They say you can see a person’s future in their childhood—seeing Huang Tao now, Huang Guolun truly couldn’t imagine what this boy would become when he grew up.

If not for the psychologist’s advice not to hit children from single-parent families, Huang Guolun would have given him a good thrashing with a belt, just like his own father used to—maybe then this clever boy would learn not to be so unscrupulous.

Huang Guolun warned him sternly, “You’re not allowed to drink Wang Xiaoshan’s yogurt anymore! And no more taking chicken from Li Yaxin and the others!”

Huang Tao, stubborn as ever, replied, “They gave it to me—I didn’t ask for it.”

“Even if they offer, you can’t accept! That’s charity food, don’t you understand?”

“What charity food? I earned it with my own skills.”

“You—!”

Seeing his father about to explode, Huang Tao finally relented. “Actually, I don’t really want their food that much. If I could just have a hot pancake every morning, I’d be satisfied and wouldn’t eat anyone else’s. Dad, you know what you need to do, right?”

Huang Guolun was completely at a loss—he couldn’t hit him, and reasoning didn’t work.

In the end, he could only compromise, selectively. “Fine! I’ll buy you a pancake! But you can only have one bite—the rest is mine! And after you eat it, you’re not allowed to eat other kids’ food anymore! If I ever find out you do, I’ll never buy you anything to eat again!”

Huang Tao never listened to those impossible warnings—in one ear and out the other. He only heard what he wanted to hear. Clapping his hands, he cheered, “Great! If you’d said you’d buy me a pancake earlier, I wouldn’t have had to go on and on. Hurry up, turn around! Let’s go back to the chicken pancake stall and see if they have spicy chicken pancakes. If they do, buy two—one for each of us. If not, I’ll settle for a double-egg pancake. And make sure you tell the vendor to make mine extra spicy—I love spicy food! Even if it sets my bottom on fire, I’ll eat it without regret!”

Feeling thoroughly manipulated, Huang Guolun gritted his teeth in frustration.

With his limited abilities, he truly didn’t know how to educate this boy.

Sensing that his father was genuinely angry today, Huang Tao quickly tried to smooth things over. “Dad, don’t stay mad. When you get angry, you’re punishing yourself for my mistake—it’s not worth it.”

Huang Guolun was on the verge of tears. Facing a child who seemed even more clever than himself, he truly felt his soul had been battered again and again.

He was starting to admire Bai Yao more and more. Although many older girls could get along with Huang Tao, only Bai Yao could completely overwhelm and control him. No one else could keep him in line like she could.

But Bai Yao’s main weapon was her identity as the Snow Queen. Who knew what would happen once Huang Tao saw through her disguise? If even Bai Yao couldn’t control him, this kid would really be unstoppable.

At that point, Huang Guolun would have no choice but to resort to his own “cauldron-sized fists,” like Allen’s, and give this boy a few lessons in the colors of family discipline.

Knowing his father was still upset, Huang Tao kept trying to lighten the mood. “Dad, after we eat the pancake, I’ll stop making you angry. Especially if it’s spicy chicken flavor—we’ll share it together.”

When Huang Guolun still didn’t respond, Huang Tao reached out from the back seat and tugged at his father’s shirt. “Dad, did you hear me? Don’t give me the silent treatment. I know I make you mad, but you really don’t have to be. You’re an adult—why get angry with a little kid? Adults should be magnanimous.”

“Cut it out with the lectures!”

“Hehe, Dad, you finally answered me. Okay, don’t be mad. Let me give you a brain teaser. What do you call a person after they die?”

“A dead person,” Huang Guolun replied dully.

“And what do you call a chicken after it dies?”

“Dead chicken,” he replied, the pun lost in translation.

“Wrong! After a chicken dies, it’s called—white cut chicken, curry chicken, braised chicken, chicken stewed with potatoes, mushroom chicken, tender chicken skewers, Orleans roast chicken…”

Huang Guolun nearly smacked his face on the steering wheel. Even when he was about to explode, this boy could always make him laugh with a joke—albeit while on the verge of tears. It was simply maddening!

People like Sun Yanzhen, who only interacted with Huang Tao occasionally, thought he was adorable and funny. But only Huang Guolun truly knew the sense of collapse and dread that came from being at his mercy!

He couldn’t wait to find a new mother for Huang Tao. If he couldn’t handle the boy alone, he’d just have to find someone to share the terror of being under Huang Tao’s rule.

After dropping Huang Tao off at kindergarten, Huang Guolun still couldn’t relax. Every time his phone rang, he’d get a sudden chill, expecting a call from a teacher complaining about Huang Tao’s mischief.

But for once, the morning went smoothly. After satisfying his craving for pancakes, Huang Tao didn’t cause any trouble—at least, nothing that required the kindergarten to call his father.

At half past eleven, the staff canteen opened for lunch.

Taking advantage of the fact that the students were still in class, Huang Guolun strolled leisurely to the teachers’ cafeteria. He was always among the first to arrive for lunch.

He got a set meal with four happiness meatballs and a bowl of soup. As he sat down with his tray, he saw Sun Yanzhen, who rarely came to the canteen early, walk in, humming a little tune with a spring in her step.

Tomorrow was her birthday, and she could finally set aside the burdens of being a homeroom teacher and let her spirit fly free for the weekend.

Even though it was only Friday noon, she was already like a little bird longing to soar.