Axolotl Translations

Now that they knew the little bird could recognize people, Jiang Ye didn’t try to touch Huo Yunyan’s bird again. He and Fu Shaoheng just stood off to the side, watching with interest as Huo Yunyan fed it.

With his shirt sleeves rolled up, Huo Yunyan explained while feeding Little Feather, “This is what they mean by ‘hand-raised.’ You have to hold the bird often—let it get used to your hands. That way, it’ll start forming a bond with you…”

Jiang Ye cut in, “Yeah, it’ll think you’re its mom.”

Huo Yunyan cleared his throat and corrected him, “Dad, thank you.”

At that, Shen Jingque let out a little bubble from his beak, clearly protesting.

In his heart, he only ever acknowledged his human parents from his past life. No matter how kind his new “owner” was, he wasn’t planning on adopting him as family.

“Hey, no playing with your food, Little Feather…”

The three grown men watched helplessly as the baby bird blew a tiny bubble at his food instead of actually eating it. It was both hilarious and annoying.

“You’re such a little rascal,” Jiang Ye said, shaking his head. He was now fully convinced this bird was not normal. Huo Yunyan was definitely in for it.

But Huo Yunyan? The guy just smiled and wiped the bird’s beak with a tissue before patiently offering him another spoonful.

“No more playing this time. Be good and eat properly.”

Honestly, Shen Jingque hadn’t done it on purpose—it was just a reflex. As long as Huo Yunyan didn’t talk and distract him, he could eat just fine.

Watching all this, Fu Shaoheng couldn’t help commenting, “Only someone in your line of work would have the patience for this kind of delicate stuff.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t do it,” Jiang Ye agreed, rubbing his stomach. “Just watching is exhausting. Feels like it’s draining my patience too. And watching him eat makes me hungry—I’m gonna go see what your chef’s making for dinner.”

Huo Yunyan didn’t stop him. He knew Jiang Ye well—he was the least patient person out of all of them. During the months they’d worked together, Jiang Ye had tried many times to trade jobs with Fu Shaoheng.

Once, Fu Shaoheng had had enough and said, “Sure. You can take my schedule for the day.”

Jiang Ye took one look at the packed itinerary and instantly gave up. “Kidding! I was just joking!” He had zero interest in spending his day socializing with strangers.

Little Feather finished eating quickly. After a bit of quiet time with him, Huo Yunyan went downstairs to talk business with Fu Shaoheng.

Delicious smells were already drifting out from the kitchen, and Jiang Ye, who couldn’t sit still, grabbed a tennis racket. “C’mon, let’s play a few rounds.”

The Huo family’s backyard had both a tennis court and a pool.

No matter how busy they were with work, the three of them always tried to fit in some exercise. But lately, ever since Huo Yunyan started raising his bird, their outdoor time had dropped significantly.

And it looked like it’d stay that way until Little Feather learned how to fly. It wouldn’t take long—probably just about a month, give or take.

From upstairs on the second floor, Shen Jingque could hear faint sounds from the tennis court. He could tell that his “owner” and the others were playing.

A wave of envy washed over him. Running, jumping, playing tennis… How nice would that be?

Too bad he’d never get to try it. Not in this life, or the last.

Before dinner, the “owner” came upstairs to shower and check on him. The next time they saw each other was late at night.

The whole house was quiet. The gardener and housekeepers had all gone home, leaving just Shen Jingque and Huo Yunyan to enjoy some peaceful one-on-one time.

Well… it was supposed to be peaceful.

Huo Yunyan played with him for a bit, but then got pulled away by a phone call. And just when he finally came back, he got sucked into replying to endless WeChat messages.

Curious, Shen Jingque craned his neck to peek at the phone on the table—oh, it wasn’t from a girlfriend or anything. It was his mom texting him.

He didn’t get a chance to read the messages though—Huo Yunyan swiftly reached over and covered his eyes, then tucked him back into his little nest.

“No screen time,” he said seriously. “Bad for your eyes.”

Little Feather was still a baby, and his eyesight was still developing. Screens were a no-no for now. Maybe once he was older, Huo Yunyan would consider showing him a few cartoons.

And just like that, the nosy little bird was robbed of his gossip privileges.

The way he sulked about it made Huo Yunyan laugh, but he didn’t give in. It was bedtime for little birds.

“You know, you’re all sleepy and sluggish during the day, but the second it’s night, you’re wide awake,” Huo Yunyan muttered, shaking his head. “Look at those big round eyes. If you won’t sleep, I won’t get any either.”

Little Feather, who’d been a sleepy fluffball all day, now had sparkling, wide-open eyes. His whole body looked full of energy—he was practically glowing with life, even the fluff on his head looked extra perky.

“Chirp~” The little guy blinked, as if saying, You can’t blame me—no one played with me all day.

Huo Yunyan understood. The bird was bored because he wasn’t home. When he was around, the little guy was always lively.

“Alright, alright, it’s my fault,” Huo Yunyan said with a smile. He answered the last of his mom’s texts while absentmindedly petting the bird. “I’ll hang out with you all day tomorrow. I’m staying in for the weekend.”

Usually, even on weekends, he had things lined up—work to handle or hobbies to relax with. But this time, he’d make time.

That said, it was still bedtime. Huo Yunyan gently set the bird down, got up, and turned off the main light in the bedroom.

But when he looked back, there was the tiny puffball, staring at him with those glowing eyes—zero intention of sleeping.

Staring straight at him like that, Huo Yunyan started to wonder if he’d be able to sleep.

“……” He felt a little guilty. Those eyes were full of hope and silent pleading for company. But it really was late.

“Time for bed, Little Feather.”

He tried to pretend he hadn’t noticed those expectant eyes.

“Chirp~” Shen Jingque shuffled forward, resting his little head on the edge of the nest. The nest wasn’t very deep—built for airflow, not depth.

If just now had been a flirty glance, this was full-on seduction—his whole fluffy body oozed “Don’t sleep, stay with me~”

And then he tilted his head. That tiny, silent act of snuggling was deadly cute.

Who could resist that?

Huo Yunyan hesitated for a few seconds. Then he slowly picked up his phone and checked the time.

“…Alright. Twenty more minutes.”

That word—compromise—barely existed in his vocabulary.

As Fu Shaoheng once put it: Little Feather really had Huo Yunyan wrapped around his tiny claw.

Since the baby bird was still tiny, there weren’t a whole lot of games they could play. The reluctant owner kept him company while half-dozing, teasing him with a feather while his eyes were practically closed.

Watching the fluffy little yellow puffball chase after the feather in his nest, Huo Yunyan couldn’t help but smile the whole time. Before he knew it, the twenty minutes he’d promised had passed—and then he just casually added ten more on top. Only then did he go to bed feeling slightly more justified.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to move the little guy closer to the bed. It was just too risky. What if the baby bird jumped up and he accidentally hurt him in his sleep? That would be a disaster.

The downside of a late night? Sleeping in the next morning.

By the time Huo Yunyan had finished his morning jog, Shen Jingque was still curled up fast asleep in his cozy nest. The weather had turned chilly lately, so the nest had been made extra snug, complete with a tiny soft pillow for his fuzzy little head.

Huo Yunyan came back and said in a mock-stern voice, “Sun’s already up and you’re still in bed?”

Half-awake, Shen Jingque rolled over and thought, So what?

He was just a bird. He had no responsibilities.

But Huo Yunyan did worry—especially about getting dragged into another late-night play session. So, with a bit of internal struggle, he firmly poked the sleepy little lump. “Up.”

That word actually carried a rare note of authority. It might’ve been the most serious thing he’d ever said to the baby bird.

Two minutes later, a grumpy little puffball appeared, feathers fluffed in protest. He sat there sulking, still half-asleep, staring at Huo Yunyan with watery eyes.

Adorable? Yes. But bad habits shouldn’t be encouraged. Good kids sleep early and wake up early—not laze around all day and go nuts at night.

Huo Yunyan sipped his coffee like nothing happened while the baby bird’s breakfast—a bowl of rice cereal—was waiting nearby.

Technically speaking, baby birds should have a carefully designed feeding plan. But this one had unusual tastes. He wasn’t interested in special bird food—he liked milk porridge, rice cereal, egg yolks, and the like.

Thankfully, those were nutritious enough.

“Want some egg yolk?” Huo Yunyan finally softened, a little guilty for being so firm earlier.

Shen Jingque wanted to stay mad, but his little bird stomach betrayed him. He was starving. So he took a bite of egg yolk, then gave Huo Yunyan’s fingertip a light peck—just to express his displeasure.

“What a little temper…” Huo Yunyan laughed in surprise. The peck tickled, but he also worried that the baby bird’s beak was still too delicate to handle much force.

He didn’t need to worry—Shen Jingque had barely touched him. He wasn’t trying to win some kind of battle—just making his point.

Today marked two weeks since Shen Jingque hatched. He didn’t look quite so fragile anymore. His down-covered wings and tiny claws were stronger now—strong enough to stand steady in Huo Yunyan’s palm.

In the wild, most birds are ready to fly by their first month and soon leave the nest to live on their own. At two weeks, they’re at their most curious and playful—eager to explore the world, peeking out of the nest and testing their tiny limits again and again.

From the moment he hatched, Shen Jingque had been cooped up in the bedroom for a full month. He’d long since grown curious about the outside world—he couldn’t wait to step out that door and breathe in the fresh air of freedom.

“You wanna go outside?” Huo Yunyan noticed the little guy in his palm kept staring longingly out the window. Clearly, the desire to explore wide open spaces was in a bird’s blood.

It wasn’t that Huo Yunyan didn’t want to take him out—it was just that Little Feather was still young, and a single mishap could be dangerous.

Yes! I do!

Shen Jingque thought excitedly. Wow, the man’s smart! Seizing the moment, he eagerly rubbed up against his hand and flapped his wings to say, Bingo!

This kind of response always gave Huo Yunyan a strange feeling—like the little guy was subtly manipulating him to get his way. But then again, maybe he was overthinking it. He was just a tiny bird. Could he really be planning this out?

“Hold on. I’ll check.” Shaking off his wild thoughts, Huo Yunyan pulled out his phone and messaged a seasoned bird keeper: [Can I take a half-month-old chick outside for some fresh air?]

[As long as the environment’s safe, yes. But avoid public parks or residential areas,] came the prompt and responsible reply.

That made sense. Public places meant dogs and cats and who knows what else—way too risky for a baby bird.

[Got it, thanks.] Luckily, Huo Yunyan didn’t have that problem. He had a full 1,000 square meters of private property. More than enough room to walk a tiny bird.

Shen Jingque waited and waited… and finally, the good news came. When the man lifted him up, he realized just how tall Huo Yunyan really was. Looking down from his hand, it felt like peering off a cliff.

As they stepped out of the bedroom, everything became new and exciting. Shen Jingque had thought the bedroom was already big and luxurious, but now… wow. The rest of the house was even bigger!

There wasn’t a single other person around. Honestly, it was hard not to suspect that this whole mansion only had one resident.

Shen Jingque had grown up in a regular working-class family. He didn’t have much exposure to the outside world, and didn’t think much about status or wealth. He was just wide-eyed with curiosity, taking it all in as they went.

As they descended the stairs, Shen Jingque instinctively clenched his little claws around Huo Yunyan’s finger to keep from falling.

Feeling that tight grip, Huo Yunyan couldn’t help but glance down. Was the little guy scared of going downstairs?

Shen Jingque, who was too busy marveling at the world, didn’t realize that his every move was being quietly observed. His nervous yet eager behavior was exactly what you’d expect from a young chick taking its first trip out—excited but cautious, completely adorable.

Unable to resist, Huo Yunyan finally bent down and gave him a gentle kiss on the head—a mix of comfort and affection.

Shen Jingque blinked. Wait, something just bumped his head… but both of the man’s hands were holding him. So what was it?

He only needed a second to figure it out.

He kissed me!

Just like that, all his nerves about the stairs were gone. He was too busy processing the kiss.

By the time he snapped out of it, Huo Yunyan had already carried him outside into the garden. Compared to the enclosed bedroom, this was a whole new world.

Shen Jingque’s beak fell open slightly in awe. It was even bigger and more beautiful than the hospital’s outdoor play area.

Huo Yunyan didn’t say a word—he just smiled and quietly enjoyed the way his little bird looked like he was discovering the universe for the first time.

At first, he used to think it was a bit much to live in such a big house all by himself.

But now? He kinda felt like it could be even bigger.

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