Chapter 20: The Decision of the Parents

Qiao Mian forced himself to choose a tender piece of meat from among the small dinosaurs killed by King Kong, and had Drift use the sword at his waist to cut a large chunk before leaving.

Liang Xiaoyu stood far away, and even as Qiao Mian departed in the sports car form of Drift, she never got to see his true face.

The disappointment was palpable for the female host.

She thrust her little fist and hammered Bumblebee hard—“bang bang”—her knuckles stung.

“Lady, I have good news for you: Old Fury is one of us now,” Bumblebee said, hands on hips, proud.

“Old Fury?” Liang Xiaoyu asked, rubbing her aching hand.

Bumblebee pointed to the distant Rampage Dragon: “He’s evolved, so Mr. Qiao gave him a contract. From now on, he’s the new sightseeing vehicle.”

There was genuine relief in Bumblebee’s tone: “You can ride him around and won’t have to keep pestering me.”

He’d been ordered by Qiao Mian to obey Liang Xiaoyu, escorting the female host here and there, and it had been exhausting. Although he liked chatting with humans, this woman’s demands were endless, treating him like a tourist bus.

He was a great Transformer warrior, after all. When did he become a beast of burden for a weak, foolish, self-absorbed woman?

Liang Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up: “Is he willing?”

“Just go ask him,” Bumblebee replied. “Mr. Qiao already told him.”

“Why didn’t I hear anything?” Liang Xiaoyu was suspicious.

She suspected this Transformer, whose personality matched his legendary name, was tricking her into feeding dinosaurs.

“We have our own communication system, what would you know?” Bumblebee plopped down on the ground. “Believe it or not, I need to recharge anyway.”

“Recharge?” Liang Xiaoyu was incredulous.

Transformers needed to recharge?

“What’s so strange about that?” Bumblebee snorted. “The Spark is expensive; using it for energy is wasteful. Mr. Qiao provides free charging, so why not?”

“I’m just curious about your energy source,” Liang Xiaoyu said, blinking.

Bumblebee sprawled out: “I’ve long known you covet my handsome exterior. Give up, lady!”

Blue currents suddenly appeared beneath him, instantly enveloping him.

Bumblebee started singing: “In the endless night / Everything is about to be destroyed / At least I still have dreams / And am moved by you…”

Liang Xiaoyu listened quietly, then lay down beside Bumblebee.

She felt that this day had been utterly surreal.

It had been less than twelve hours, yet it felt as though twenty chapters had passed.

…

Qiao Mian returned to the county town, picked up his packed meal, and hurried home.

Seeing him unload a large, bloody slab of meat from the van, his mother Su Yueling looked him over several times.

“What kind of meat is this?” she asked.

“Dinosaur meat,” Qiao Mian replied.

Su Yueling and her husband exchanged glances, both surprised.

“I brought it back for you and Dad to try something new,” Qiao Mian explained.

“This must be more precious than panda meat,” Qiao Lin came over to touch it. “How could you bear to kill one?”

“It was for you and Mom,” Qiao Mian said offhandedly.

“Be honest!” Su Yueling glared at her son.

“They killed each other fighting,” Qiao Mian admitted.

“How do you cook this?” Qiao Lin was intrigued.

“Steam or boil it, but I usually roast it,” Qiao Mian replied casually.

“You’ve eaten it before?” Qiao Lin squinted.

“The park’s been open for five years now,” Qiao Mian said.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Qiao Lin shot his son a look.

Qiao Mian grinned awkwardly: “I did, but you didn’t believe me.”

Watching his mother walk off with the dinosaur meat, Qiao Mian turned to his father: “Have you and Mom decided?”

Qiao Lin grabbed his tea and took a long sip, then asked his son, “If your mom and I move over, will it affect you?”

“Of course,” Qiao Mian said. “You two can do whatever you want; over there, you’ll be emperor and empress dowager.”

Qiao Lin shot his son a look, then nodded: “We’ll follow your lead.”

“We really don’t mind, but if people find out who you are and use us to threaten you, or play on your feelings to ask for things, it wouldn’t be good.”

He couldn’t hide the pride on his lips: “My son’s finally made something of himself; we can’t hold you back.”

Qiao Mian pressed his lips together.

He had prepared several compromises in case his parents refused to move: hire a few bodyguards from the Transformers world, hide some giant pythons in the yam cellar to guard the house, pay Iron Man Stark to tailor portable armor for his parents, or recruit some villagers—including his parents—as park staff…

He hadn’t expected his parents to agree so readily.

As honest farmers, they didn’t share Liang Xiaoyu’s curiosity for the fantasy park.

From past hints and tests, he knew his parents were reluctant to leave their familiar environment.

Few people are willing to sever ties with the land they’ve lived on for decades and settle alone in a strange place with no peers.

For their son, they were willing to give that up.

Seeing Qiao Mian’s shifting expression, Qiao Lin chuckled: “Are there fields over there?”

“We’ve discussed it and want to grow some melons and fruits. We certainly won’t be idle,” Qiao Lin said.

Qiao Mian nodded: “Alright, I’ll get you some baby pythons as pets.”

Qiao Lin kicked his son: “Stop messing around.”

Qiao Mian protested: “If you don’t like pythons, just say so.”

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll scare your mother?” Qiao Lin said. “Get me some baby dinosaurs.”

He added, “Can they be domesticated?”

“Of course,” Qiao Mian laughed. “They’re even more obedient than dogs.”

It was his own territory, after all. These creatures had to behave.

Besides, the ones from the hatchery were all intelligent breeds; with proper training, they could evolve like Rampage Dragon.

“After this meal, let’s head over!” Qiao Lin declared.

“Not going to say goodbye to the villagers?” Qiao Mian asked.

“There’s signal over there, right?” Qiao Lin replied.

“The park needs to provide services for visitors, so basic infrastructure is a must,” Qiao Mian explained.

“Then that’s settled,” Qiao Lin said. “I’ll just say you married into someone’s family, and your mother and I are moving in. I’m too embarrassed to tell anyone in advance.”

Qiao Mian looked at his father, speechless.

After dinner, the family of three rode Drift, now a van, through the tunnel beneath the yam cellar directly to the Fantasy Park.

Optimus Prime hauled along their TV, sofas, leftover rice, flour, oil, vegetables, fruit, and two quilts.

The Qiao family’s gate was locked tight, and the house was suddenly empty.