Chapter 497 He Deserves a Punishment
To be exact, it was the boy who got a scolding and a spanking from his father.
Suddenly, seeing Chicago splash mud on her father without him getting upset, he cried out wanting to switch dads.
"They're just envious you have a tall, handsome, and gentle dad, aren't they?" Fiona teased mercilessly.
Darwin stood in front, smiling.
She carried the chattering Chicago to the tent to change clothes.
Contracting a cold during a camping trip can be quite unpleasant.
As they changed clothes, Fiona observed Chicago humming a tune. It was a side of Chicago she had never witnessed before, brimming with happiness. .
"Do you love Daddy?" she asked softly.
Chicago paused, then flipped the question on her. "Mommy, do you love Daddy?"
"Little one, I am asking you." Fiona gave her another pat on the bottom.
"I do," Chicago answered without hesitation, and asked again, "Mommy, do you love Daddy?"
Fiona lowered her gaze. "I used to love him very much, he was my favorite."
“And now?“ Chicago pressed her immediately.
"Now, my favorites are Charles and Chicago." Fiona tried to dodge the question.
However, Chicago wasn’t easily fooled.
"That doesn't count!"
"I don’t know, honestly," Fiona admitted.
"How can you not know?" Chicago was puzzled.
Ever since she became aware, she could always tell what she liked and didn’t like.
"It's complicated, you'll understand when you're a bit older." Fiona didn't want to continue the topic. "Come on, let's go prepare dinner together, okay?"
"Okay." Chicago nodded obediently.
Then, mother and daughter left the tent.
Charles and Darwin were back as well, sitting in folding chairs outside, looking at photos Charles had just taken.
When Fiona and Chicago emerged, Darwin exchanged a fleeting glance with Charles and approached them, saying, "Time to whip up some dinner, don't you think? I'll take care of the groceries."
With limited resources up on the mountain, preparing anything took a while. When the family of four finally settled in front of the lookout, ready to dig in, dusk had already set in. The sky was a canvas of incredible beauty, as if God Himself had spilled His palette.
Suddenly, Chicago asked Fiona for her cell phone. With the device held high, she captured the vibrant sunset on video, chattering excitedly, "Uncle Stuart, Mommy and Daddy took Chicago on a camping trip. Look at this amazing sunset at the campsite!"
Fiona's smile slowly faded. Darwin couldn't help but notice and, reaching out soothingly, he gently patted her hand.
After filming the sunset, Chicago's mood had soured as well. Uncle Stuart still hadn't responded to her messages. This was the longest she had ever been apart from him since she was born.
"Sweetheart." Fiona managed to brighten her tone, smiling warmly at Chicago. "Guess what else Daddy has hidden in the cooler?"
Chicago looked up at her with less sparkle in her eyes and said half-heartedly, "I have no idea."
"Go take a look for yourself," Fiona suggested, nodding towards the small cooler nearby.
Obediently, Chicago walked over and opened it, discovering a carton of ice cream perched on top. "Wow, it's huge!" she exclaimed, though it was just the regular size that families buy, much larger than the small single servings Chicago was used to.
The delight was evident as she hugged the ice cream. "Mommy, can I have some?" she asked, the cloud of her earlier disappointment now swept away.
"Well, if Daddy brought it, we can't just haul it back," Fiona responded, her eyes shifting to Darwin. "However, for Daddy's clandestine ice cream smuggling, there must be a penalty!"
"What kind of penalty?" Chicago asked, instinctively moving closer to shield her father. "You can't smack his hands; he's an adult."
Chicago remembered the sting of being punished herself, after making a serious misstep, by having her palms slapped—how it hurt. Reflecting on the punishments she had endured, she proposed to Fiona with solemn certainty, "Mommy, just spank the bottom!"
Fiona was taken aback, speechless.
Before she could respond, Darwin, ever the straight-faced joker, declared, "I think that's fair."
Quick to deflect, Fiona declared, "The punishment is he gets no ice cream. We three will share it!" and promptly ushered Chicago to start their meal.
Eating her small portion with focus, Chicago took advantage of Fiona's distraction to tug at Darwin's pant leg.
Darwin bent down and quizzically asked, "What's up?"
"Don't worry, I'll sneak you some food," Chicago whispered in his ear with a conspiratorial grin.
The joy on Darwin's face was indescribable; he must have been the happiest man on earth.
"What are you plotting this time?" Fiona asked, eyeing them both with a hint of exasperation.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before Chicago and Darwin's sturdy bond surpassed the one between Chicago and herself.
"It's a secret!" Chicago gleefully chomped down her meal.
For dinner, they had a casual American-style meal. Fiona prepared two pots, one spicy and one not, but everyone else stuck to the light broth.
As the evening cooled down, they savored their dinner slowly until nightfall.
Darwin had strung up some lights earlier, which he now turned on, enhancing the tranquil atmosphere with the sounds of crickets and frogs all around.
Chicago was in high spirits, sharing numerous intriguing stories from the island and boasting about Charles's impressive acts.
"Mommy, did you ever tell him about it?" Chicago asked Fiona with fluttering eyelids.
"About what?" Fiona was clearly baffled.
"The story of how Charles and I met you while still in the womb."
Fiona stiffened momentarily, then forced a smile and shook her head. "No, I haven't mentioned that."
Darwin, perceptive as ever, noticed Fiona's reaction and then turned to Chicago. "So, you met Mommy while you were in the womb?"
"Yeah," Chicago asserted with certainty.
"It was all white around us, and suddenly I can’t feel Mommy anymore," Chicago explained seriously to Darwin. "Before that, Chicago could hear Mommy's heartbeat every day!"
Darwin paused, his thoughts rushing to the time Fiona was kidnapped and nearly strangled.
He instinctively looked up at Fiona, who was intently focused on her meal and did not meet his gaze.
"I got so worried, but thankfully Charles found Mommy, and I could feel her heartbeat again!"
"I see," Darwin said softly, patting Chicago's head. "Charles and Chicago are amazing!"
"Charles is the best!" Chicago boasted proudly, clinging to Charles like a little kitten. "I will never leave Charles’s side, not in this lifetime!"
Chicago tried to appear nonchalant, yet her little ears were blushing crimson.
"Isn't it time to go see the fireflies?" Charles looked up at Fiona, his eyes appealing for her guidance.
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