Call Me Daddy [Quick Transmigration]

“Wow, is this candy? How can it be so pretty?”
Su Mingcheng stood in the middle of a crowd of children, all of them staring hungrily at the candy he had pulled out from his pocket, their mouths practically watering.
The square-shaped candies gleamed like gemstones under the sunlight. Because he had been holding them for a while, some of the glutinous rice paper wrappers had become slightly damp and stuck to the surface, but that didn’t make them any less beautiful.

Kids this young weren’t just greedy for meat—they craved sweets too. But in these times, sugar was a rare and precious commodity. Even the most basic yellow cane sugar was carefully hidden away by families, only brought out when an important guest visited, and even then, only a small scoop would be dissolved in water for a treat.
During the New Year or special occasions, people would go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy the cheapest bulk candy, but those sweets were nowhere near as beautiful as the ones in Su Mingcheng’s hand, and the flavors were limited.
“Boss, did your dad bring these from Ningshi? They must taste amazing!”

One of Su Mingcheng’s little followers wiped his mouth, his gaze practically burning a hole through the candy in Su Mingcheng’s hand.
“Yeah, they’re delicious.”
Su Mingcheng tilted his small head proudly, basking in the envy of his friends.

His dad had brought these back!
“The orange one is tangerine-flavored, the red one is watermelon, the green one is apple, and the white one is saltwater…”
Yesterday, Su Mingcheng had tried the tangerine and watermelon flavors, but there were still plenty he hadn’t tasted yet. Before heading out today, he had made sure to ask his dad about the flavors. After all, as the boss, he couldn’t afford to be clueless when his underlings asked questions. A leader had to maintain his dignity.

“You are all my good brothers. If I have meat to eat, you’ll have broth to drink. Everyone gets a piece of candy.”
He patted his chest, feeling as grand and heroic as the gallant warriors from the stories told by the village’s most learned elder.
“Really, Boss? You’re the best!”

“Wow, Su Mingcheng, you’re so generous!”
The group erupted into excited chatter. Such exquisite candy, and he was actually going to share it with them?
“One at a time, there’s enough for everyone.”

Su Mingcheng grinned wide, revealing two rows of straight, white teeth.
People say kids don’t have pride, but he had taken plenty of unfair treatment recently. Now, standing in the center of this adoring crowd, Su Mingcheng finally felt vindicated. Passing out the candy, he brimmed with confidence and satisfaction.
Tiezi was among the kids waiting in line. When his turn came, he lowered his head and pointed at the bright red candy in Su Mingcheng’s hand, speaking in a hushed voice.
“I want the red one.”

He thought that by keeping his head down, Su /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Mingcheng wouldn’t recognize him.
Su Mingcheng picked up the shiny red candy, held it up, and stretched out his hand as if to give it to Tiezi—only to pull it back just before Tiezi could grab it.
“I said I was giving candy to my friends. Niu Tiezi, are you my friend?”

Su Mingcheng hugged his candies protectively, his voice filled with haughty disdain.
“No way, Tiezi cursed at you last time! And his mom argued with Aunt Meizi!”
“Tiezi is bad. He always talks behind our backs. He doesn’t deserve any candy.”

The group erupted in chattering agreement.
Niu Tiezi’s face turned red when he realized he had been exposed. His fists clenched tightly.
“What? You wanna fight?”

Su Mingcheng stared him down without a hint of fear.
“Hmph! Just you wait!”
Niu Tiezi glanced at the hostile stares surrounding him, spat out a threat, and stormed off.

“If you’re real brothers, come with me!”
As he left, he called out to the kids in the back of the line, trying to rally his little gang. But the line remained perfectly still, and a few boys lowered their heads, avoiding his gaze.
It was candy, after all! Even at village weddings, they were lucky to snatch one or two pieces, and those weren’t nearly as pretty as the ones in Su Mingcheng’s hand. How could they possibly give this up?

“Waaah—”
Unable to hold back anymore, Niu Tiezi covered his eyes and ran home crying.
“Mom, give me money!”

Back home, his mother was in the yard, beating the dust out of the thin summer blankets.
“What do you need money for?”
Occasionally, traveling peddlers passed through the village, and some parents who spoiled their kids would give them a penny to buy dried figs or hawthorn slices.

“I want to buy candy and share it with Xiaomao and the others. If they eat my candy, they won’t talk to Su Mingcheng anymore.”
Tiezi’s sobs were heart-wrenching, his eyelids swollen, his voice hoarse.
His mother immediately understood. The Su family brat had been handing out candy, and her son had been left out. But not long ago, she and Jiang Lianmei had argued, so she didn’t even have the face to make a scene about it.

“You little money-waster! Do you think we’re made of money? You think your mother is the brigade leader’s daughter, or your father is a salaried elementary school teacher? You wanna take money from this house to buy candy for other people? Why don’t you just fly to the moon while you’re at it?”
Tiezi’s mother yanked his arm and whacked his backside several times with the wooden stick she had been using to beat the blankets, venting all her jealousy toward Jiang Lianmei on her own son.
Tiezi howled even louder, wailing so pitifully that his cries echoed across the village.

Hearing that nonstop wailing, Su Mingcheng felt utterly satisfied.
This sound was even sweeter than candy.
 

****
As the sun neared the horizon, voices rang out from the yards of various households, calling for their children to come home for dinner. Only then did Su Mingcheng reluctantly say goodbye to his little friends.
Savoring the memories of his glorious moment, he strolled home at a leisurely pace.

"Big brother!"
Su Mingmei was squatting by the bamboo fence, playing in the dirt with a small stick. When she saw her brother return, she happily stood up and toddled over to him on her short little legs, arms stretched out for a hug.
"You little messy kitten."

Su Mingcheng wiped her face with his sleeve, cleaning off the smudges of dirt on her cheeks.
"Here."
After wiping her face, he popped a piece of candy into her mouth.

"Suck on it, don’t swallow it whole, okay?"
Su Mingcheng patted his pocket—it still felt nice and full. There were seven fruit candies left inside.
He was much better at saving than his dad. With so many candies left, he and his sister could enjoy them for a long time.

"Mm-mmm."
Su Mingmei savored the rich, tangy orange flavor melting in her mouth. She nodded her little head eagerly, bobbing up and down like a pecking chick.
For someone as tiny as her, even a candy no bigger than a thumbnail was a bit too much. Once it was in her mouth, she couldn’t even move her tongue properly. She let out muffled little noises, her small hands covering her mouth to keep the drool from spilling out.

"You're back."
Su Mingcheng struggled to carry his sister for a few steps before giving up and setting her down. Instead, he held her hand and led her back to the house.
Just as he was about to step over the threshold, a tall figure emerged from inside, blocking the dim light from the kerosene lamp.

Su Mingcheng looked up. Against the darkness of the night, his father’s face was shrouded in shadow, his expression ominous.
For a moment, Su Mingcheng was reminded of the grim statue of King Yama that used to sit in the ruined temple at the edge of the village before it was destroyed.
A shiver ran down his spine. He blinked and took another look.

Oh, it was just his dad.
Weird. Why did his dad look like the King of Hell?
Su Mingcheng scratched his head, puzzled—until his gaze drifted downward.

That was when he saw what his father was holding.
Several schoolwork notebooks.
Crap.

His body slowly stiffened.
He had completely forgotten about this.
Su Mingcheng started to panic. He still had twenty arithmetic problems to solve and an essay to write. He was slow at writing—just a 120-character journal entry would take him at least three or four hours!

Looking at the darkened sky, his lips trembled. He was on the verge of tears.
"As a teacher, I expect my son to lead by example and complete all his assignments on time," Su Aobai said, crouching down to hand the notebooks to his son. "Don't worry, Daddy will stay up with you tonight until you finish all of them."
Su Aobai sighed inwardly. Kids these days really didn’t have much homework. Once the college entrance exam was reinstated, the education system would improve a lot. He couldn't wait for legendary study guides like Three Years of High School, Five Years of Simulated Exams to make their debut.

Seeing his son’s despairing face, Su Aobai felt a sense of glee rise in his chest.
Being a dad was truly the best!
"No rules, no order," Su Aobai continued. "I'll talk to your mother. From now on, you won't get any candy or snacks unless you finish all your assignments. You're the older brother—you have to set a good example for your sister, right? Daddy believes you can do it."

As he spoke, Su Aobai reached into his son's pocket and fished out the six remaining candies. There was still one left, and his daughter was happily sucking on it.
At that moment, Su Mingcheng really wanted to cry.
Daddy! Are you the King of Hell?!

He opened his mouth, about to say something, but in the end, he didn’t dare ask.
 
****

Early the next morning, Su Aobai borrowed a bicycle from his father-in-law. Then, after drinking a bowl of thick porridge, he lifted his half-asleep son onto the rear seat of the bike.
"Hold on tight."
Swinging his long legs over the crossbar, he grabbed the small hands at his back and placed them around his waist.

The chilly morning wind blew past, waking Su Mingcheng up a little.
Last night, he had stayed up two or three hours later than usual to finish his homework. So when he was dragged out of bed at 5:30 AM, he could barely keep his eyes open.
This was a hard lesson. Next time, he would never put off his homework until the last minute again.

"Teacher Su, taking your son to school again?"
"Ah, Teacher Su, you and your boy are quite the pair—one teaching, one learning. You must enjoy each other's company."
Along the way, they ran into many familiar faces. Su Aobai had to stop several times to greet them.

"Teacher Su!"
"Good morning, Teacher Su! You're back from your hometown? Haven’t seen you in a while!"
Many people in the commune knew Su Aobai, and even in neighboring brigades, there were some parents who recognized him. They smiled and waved as he passed by.

With the way he was casually riding his bike all over the place, it wouldn’t be long before the whole commune knew he was back.
From the moment the first person greeted them, Su Mingcheng straightened up, sitting obediently on the back seat.
Each time they passed someone, he eagerly called out, "Uncle! Auntie! Grandpa! Grandma!"

His little hands clung tightly to his father’s waist, as if he wanted to make sure everyone could see that he and his dad were together.
"Daddy, can you ride all the way in and drop me off right at the classroom door?"
Su Mingcheng knew his father wouldn’t be staying at the school today. After dropping him off, he’d be heading into the county town for errands.

His little mind worked fast. Even if his dad wasn’t teaching today, he still wanted him to personally escort him to the classroom door—not because he was too lazy to walk the extra twenty steps from the school gate, but because he wanted more of his classmates to see that his father was back.
Ever since school started and his dad hadn’t returned, rumors had been flying among the students and teachers. Some had even asked him if his dad was never coming back.
"Alright."

Su Aobai saw right through his son’s little scheme. But of course, there was no reason to refuse.
And so, Su Mingcheng clung tightly to his father’s waist as they made their way all the way to the classroom door.