Axolotl Translations

Everyone close to Huo Yunyan already knew: his little bird egg had finally hatched. But unfortunately, the tiny chick seemed a little weak, and its chirps were barely audible—a bit of a worrying sign.

Though Huo Yunyan looked calm on the outside and carried on with life as usual, those who knew him well understood—he was just good at hiding it. He didn’t show his worry, not even to the little chick. Most of the time, he just praised the baby: “So good,” “Looks a bit chubbier today.”

And he wasn’t wrong. Shen Jingque had put on a bit of weight. Baby birds change fast after hatching—practically a new bird every day.

Sure, baby birds aren’t exactly cute in a conventional sense. Frankly, they’re kind of… ugly. But to Huo Yunyan, his chick was pure perfection. He couldn’t get enough. Eating? Cute. Sleeping? Cute. Staring into space with its wobbly head? Still cute.

So cute, in fact, that it made him forget the chick was still a tiny, bald fluffball.

If it weren’t for how fragile the baby still was, Huo Yunyan might’ve already smothered it with kisses.

After three days of careful observation, everything looked good. The baby’s feather sheaths were even starting to grow in. The only issue? It didn’t like to move much. And Huo Yunyan was worried that might affect its bone development.

Then he had an idea—he’d discovered the chick was ticklish. So, he started teasing its back with a feather. To escape the tickles, the little guy would wiggle away, and voilà—exercise!

To Shen Jingque, this was pure injustice. Forcing a three-day-old baby to work out? Was this the collapse of basic decency? Wasn’t he already being a perfect little angel—eating, sleeping, repeat?

Annoyed into action, the baby chick shakily opened his beak and tried to snatch the feather coming toward him.

“Hm?” Huo Yunyan raised an eyebrow, amused, the corners of his mouth twitching with a smile.

Had he been wrong all along? Was his little fluffball not some zen master in disguise, but actually a tiny firecracker?

He twitched his fingers slightly and pulled the feather away, then tried again. Sure enough, the baby bit at the tip again, puffed-up and full of attitude.

“Hmm… Are you hungry again?” he asked with a chuckle. That didn’t make sense—he’d just been fed. This was definitely playtime.

What surprised him most was that the chick was already this interactive—less than a week old, and already showing signs of intelligence and personality. That had to mean he’d picked a real gem.

The thought made his chest warm. His little one wasn’t just special—he was one of a kind.

After a few more rounds of playing, Huo Yunyan forced himself to stop. No overdoing it. He rubbed the little fluff’s head and said, “Okay, that’s enough. Time to sleep. Your tiny body can’t handle too much excitement.”

Plenty of time to play when you’re older.

Snuggled up against Huo Yunyan’s fingertip, Shen Jingque slowly drifted off, rocked gently into sleep. Right before his mind went blank, one thought floated by: When can I finally open my eyes? He couldn’t wait to see what the man with the warm, gentle voice actually looked like.

From the sound of his voice, the man seemed young—maybe in his early twenties. But the way he spoke was calm, warm, and grounded, more like someone in their thirties or forties. Mature, thoughtful, and steady.

It was impossible to pin down his age. He didn’t quite fit into any age group, and since he lived alone, there was no way to guess from his family either.

To avoid disturbing the chick, he wouldn’t even take calls nearby. Every time his phone rang, he’d step outside to answer it.

That kind of thoughtfulness was rare—and honestly, admirable.

Huo Yunyan had always been conscious of his actions, but sometimes he couldn’t help himself. Just to check if the baby was really asleep, he’d gently give that soft, chubby little body a light squeeze. It felt just like jelly—soft, bouncy, amazing.

If the chick’s little claws moved, that meant he wasn’t asleep yet. But if he stayed completely still? That meant he was out cold.

Sometimes, though, Huo Yunyan wasn’t checking anything. He just wanted to squeeze it. It was fun. Addictive, even.

With that tiny, warm body curled up in his palm, it felt like he was holding the entire world.

Besides sleeping, Shen Jingque did almost everything—eating, drinking, even pooping—right in Huo Yunyan’s hand. That was the whole charm of hand-raising a bird. If you weren’t hands-on, it just didn’t feel the same.

Some hand-raised birds get super attached to their owner’s hand. The moment you put them down, they start chirping and fussing. There were stories like that in their bird-raising group. The experienced ones always warned newbies: Don’t spoil them too much, or they’ll grow up clingy and hard to manage.

A good temperament doesn’t happen by accident. It takes patience and intentional training from day one. Seasoned owners took pride in raising birds with calm, independent personalities.

But Huo Yunyan didn’t really feel the usual struggles that came with raising chicks. His little fluffball clearly liked being in his hand—he’d sit quietly and comfortably—but he wasn’t clingy at all. Whether you put him back in the nest or held him close, he was content either way. Zero separation anxiety.

Another chick in the group was the exact opposite. The moment its owner put it down, it’d cry nonstop. Technically, that was a bad habit… but still, Huo Yunyan couldn’t help feeling just a little envious.

It must be nice to have that kind of bond.

Maybe it just needed time.

Canaries usually opened their eyes around day seven. By then, Shen Jingque’s body was already covered in soft down feathers—fluffy as a cloud, gentle to the touch.

This stage was especially adorable, and also marked the beginning of his glow-up. He’d gone from a chubby, pink baby blob to a fuzzy, chubby ball of fluff.

As long as he didn’t randomly go bald during development, he’d probably stay this cute all the way through.

Watching that soft fuzz slowly grow in gave Huo Yunyan a quiet sense of pride. Wow, how did he get this big already? It felt like just yesterday he’d hatched.

Time really flew. He hadn’t even gotten enough of the smooth, naked baby version before it turned into a fluffy one. But honestly, whether bald or fluffy—his little bird was equally adorable.

It wasn’t just Shen Jingque who was eager to open his eyes. Huo Yunyan was also excited, imagining what his bird would look like with his eyes finally open—he could already picture how ridiculously cute it would be.

After seven days in darkness, Shen Jingque woke up one morning and noticed something: he could see light.

Thrilled, he started pacing around excitedly inside the nest.

It was still super early—so early that Huo Yunyan was still asleep. Normally, if he woke up this early, Shen Jingque wouldn’t make a sound even if he was hungry. He’d just curl back up for another nap.

But today was clearly different.

He felt like… he was about to open his eyes. So he stood up in his little nest, flapping his tiny wings and chirping loudly, all to get Huo Yunyan’s attention.

Ever since this delicate little creature moved into his bedroom, Huo Yunyan had become a super light sleeper. Even the faintest noise could wake him. And now that this little guy, who was usually so quiet, suddenly started calling out over and over again—he couldn’t help but be more startled than anything else.

Huo Yunyan kicked off the covers and got out of bed in one smooth motion. No hesitation, no wasted movement. His eyes only really started to focus once he’d already reached the edge of the nest.

“Morning. What’s up?” he asked, his voice still low and husky from sleep.

Shen Jingque heard that familiar deep voice, still carrying the warmth of sleep, as the man’s fingers gently stroked the top of his head.

“Did you make a mess or are you just hungry?”

Not even a hint of blame in his tone. Huo Yunyan wasn’t mad at all about being woken up at the crack of dawn. He quickly checked the pad he’d laid down in the nest last night, and sure enough—this well-behaved little fluffball had gone to the bathroom neatly in the corner, far away from his sleeping spot.

“So smart,” Huo Yunyan said with a smile.

“Hang on, I’ll get your breakfast ready.” He gave the fluffy chick a soft pat, moved him to the side, swapped out the dirty pad for a fresh one, then gently put him back.

Shen Jingque tilted his head back as far as it would go, watching the big fuzzy blur moving around in front of him. His eyes had only barely started to open, just a sliver, and everything was still fuzzy.

Misinterpreting your pet’s every sound and responding to them like they’re talking back—it’s practically a rite of passage for pet owners.

“Chirp chirp~” Shen Jingque tried again, squinting, hoping to see a little more clearly.

Huo Yunyan immediately turned toward the sound and laughed. “No need to rush. Are you that hungry?”

Then he paused. From midnight until now… it had been five hours since the little guy last ate.

Shen Jingque: “……”

While Shen Jingque was still mulling that over, his ever-dutiful owner had already finished preparing breakfast and returned to feed him with gentle care.

As he started eating, Shen Jingque noticed that a huge shadow had fallen over him, blocking out most of the light. Strangely, this actually helped his eyes adjust. His vision suddenly sharpened, just a little.

Tilting his head back, he opened his beak and ate while sneaking a peek through his half-opened eyes.

And finally—finally—he got a good look at the face right in front of him.

Huo Yunyan looked about twenty-something—way younger than Shen Jingque had expected. From his angle, he could only see the sharp line of the man’s jaw, his long lashes lowered in quiet focus. And his eyes—so gentle they made his tiny heart flutter.

This guy… looked nothing like the refined, scholarly type Shen Jingque had imagined.

He seemed more like the kind of man who should be raising horses or falcons—not a dainty little canary.

Huo Yunyan was still completely focused on feeding him, eyes glued to the baby bird’s beak and belly. He hadn’t noticed yet that two round, beady eyes—like shiny black beans—were quietly staring back at him.

Those eyes had only just opened and were still a little foggy, like someone had draped a soft veil over them. If Shen Jingque had a mirror, he would’ve seen how dazed and clueless he looked—adorably innocent and totally at odds with the fact that there was a fully grown adult soul inside that tiny body.

He happily multitasked: eating while sneakily observing his new owner. Not a challenge at all.

It wasn’t until after breakfast that Huo Yunyan finally noticed he’d opened his eyes.

His hand paused mid-motion, and he stared at the little fluffball with food still smeared around his beak. Those two round black eyes were locked onto his face, serious and focused.

How long had he been staring like that… and without making a single sound?

“You’re awake?” Huo Yunyan reached out and gently tapped his head. “Why didn’t you say something? Trying to give me a heart attack?”

Shen Jingque tilted his head to the side.

Looking at those wide, clueless eyes, Huo Yunyan suddenly felt like—nah, there’s no way this little guy could be up to anything. He was clearly just a harmless fluffball.

He leaned in closer, face nearly nose-to-beak, grinning. “Little Feather, can you see me?”

He was dying to know—was the little guy’s eyesight okay?

If his vision was normal, that meant this baby bird was in perfect health.

The human face loomed closer, and Shen Jingque’s eyes instinctively followed the motion. What can he say—he might be a bird now, but he could still appreciate a good-looking man.

“Good boy,” Huo Yunyan murmured, satisfied that the birdie’s vision was fine. After a short round of interaction, he stopped himself and grabbed a cotton swab to wipe the leftover mush from the baby’s beak.

But Little Feather didn’t stop staring at him. His gaze didn’t leave Huo Yunyan’s face for a second.

Huo Yunyan couldn’t help but laugh. “Why are you looking at me like that? You’re so focused.”

Was this what bonding looked like?

Shen Jingque felt a bit awkward at first… but then quickly reminded himself—I’m a bird. What’s there to be embarrassed about?

Fearless, he continued staring.

It was like opening a mystery box and finding a baby bird that only had eyes for you. The way those shiny eyes clung to his face—Huo Yunyan was helplessly charmed.

He couldn’t resist sharing the moment with his friends.

[Guess what—Little Feather just opened his eyes.]

Since it was still early, it wasn’t until around noon that someone finally replied.

[My nephew opened his eyes? Is he cute? Send a pic!]

Huo Yunyan sent over an adorable photo and added: [I think he really likes me. He’s been staring at me ever since he opened his eyes.]

Jiang Ye replied: [Uh, yeah? You were the one who hatched him. You’re literally the first thing he saw. Of course he’s staring.]

Then he added, with dramatic flair: [This is textbook imprinting. Totally normal.]

Fu Shaoheng chimed in: [Yunyan, please. In his eyes, you’re basically his mom.]

Mom?

Huo Yunyan glanced at the tiny fluffball snoring peacefully in the nest and shrugged.

Mom it is, then.

---

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter