They waited for over an hour.

Out of thirty-something eggs, only six hatched.

Dabao cried because none of his eggs had hatched.

Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi's egg did hatch, and they gave the little quail to Dabao.

Only then did he break into a smile through his tears.

Over the past few days, Lin Feng had prepared a cardboard box with the quads. The quails were still too small, so the metal cage wasn't suitable for them. They needed to grow a bit more first. The bottom of the box was lined with a highly absorbent paper pad, and a small space heater was aimed at it to keep them warm. After getting everything ready, Lin Feng placed the newly hatched quails into the cardboard box.

The children rubbed their little hands together. "Daddy, Daddy!"

"Can we hold them?"

"I really want to touch them, too! They're so cute!"

"Yeah, they're super cute!"

Lin Feng had them cup their hands. "You're still too little. You might not know your own strength and could hurt them. You can only let them sit in your palms."

"Come on, Sibao, your turn!"

A small, colored string was tied to each quail's leg to tell them apart.

Lin Feng gently placed Sibao's quail into his cupped hands.

As soon as the quails hatched, they became adorable, fluffy little things.

Sibao felt a tickle in his palm. He pulled his head in, hunched his shoulders, and giggled.

Erbao held out his little hands. "Daddy, Daddy, me, me!"

Zhang Yuxi said softly, "Don't rush. Take it slow."

Lin Feng placed a quail in each of the children's hands and even gave one each to Zhao Lizhen and Zhang Fuyong. The two adults laughed like children.

After a little while, Lin Feng said, "Alright, alright, we have to put them back now. They're still too small to be handled so much."

Lin Feng used water bottle caps to provide them with feed and water. The little ones smelled the food and immediately went looking for it.

The children, still wanting more, excitedly shared their thoughts with Lin Feng.

"Daddy, they're so, so tiny and soft..."

"They pecked my hands just now, but it didn't hurt at all!"

"Daddy, should we name them?"

Lin Feng lovingly stroked their heads. "Of course. Go ahead and name your own little quail."

The quads thought hard about what to name their new pets.

He figured that since all the quails looked identical, giving them names was just for fun. In a few days, the kids would surely forget the names and not be able to tell them apart anyway.

Dabao was very direct, naming his one and only baby quail "Dabao."

Erbao thought for a moment. "Let's call it Little Cute."

Sanbao had already picked a name: "Fruit."

When asked why he chose Fruit, Sanbao replied, "Because its name is Fruit!"

Sibao named his "Ultraman."

Well, children's logic was just that simple and direct.

For the next few days, the children constantly hovered around the cardboard box. To ensure their survival, the hatchlings needed meticulous care. After two days, they were all doing very well, hopping around full of life.

Lin Feng's job was to clean the box. The children's job was simply to play and watch them.

Three days later, it was time for the chicks to hatch. Lin Feng had put the chicken eggs into the incubator right after the quails came out.

Early in the morning, Lin Feng faintly heard a chirping sound and his eyes snapped open. He lifted the scarf covering the incubator and saw that one chick had already broken out of its shell. Judging by its wet down, it must have just emerged. Several other eggs were cracked as well, meaning they weren't far from hatching.

Lin Feng quickly woke up the quads and Zhang Yuxi.

The floor heating was on and the small space heater was running, so the children only needed to throw on a coat. He quickly got them all ready and then ran to check the rice cooker.

The first chick that had hatched earlier had already dried off and turned into a fluffy little yellow chick.

It was a critical hit of cuteness!

The children shrieked with delight. "It's so fluffy and cute!"

One after another, more yellow chicks broke free from their shells.

The hatch rate was quite high this time. Out of eight eggs, seven hatched; only one showed no signs of life. Judging by the color painted on the shell, it was Sibao's. Although Sibao was sad that one of his eggs failed, his other one did hatch. Besides, any trace of sadness was instantly swept away by the adorable yellow chicks.

The chicks were much larger and, arguably, much cuter than the quails. As soon as they hatched, the little yellow chicks became the children's new favorites. They chirped nonstop inside their new cardboard box home.

The naming ceremony was a mixed bag of thoughtfulness.

For example, Dabao, who had named his quail Dabao, simply named his chick Dabao No. 2.

Sibao's quail was Ultraman, so his chick became Tiga!

Sanbao, who named his quail Fruit, named his chick Vegetable.

Erbao used the same name for both: Little Cute.

This time, the task of naming Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi's chick fell to Yuxi.

Yuxi said, "Let's just call it Tiny Chick!"

Lin Feng couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Zhang Yuxi flushed with embarrassment and pouted, "Hey! What are you laughing at?"

Lin Feng leaned in and whispered in her ear, "I think it's a... very fitting name..."

Zhang Yuxi's face instantly turned bright red, and she playfully swatted his arm.

Lin Feng placed the chicks in the cardboard box and prepared some chopped leafy greens, water, and chick feed for them.

Sanbao carefully stroked a little yellow chick and asked, "Daddy, when will the ducklings hatch?"

"In about a week!"

Sibao asked, "Daddy, what color are ducklings? Are they yellow like the chicks, or are they black?"

Lin Feng said, "Well, Daddy bought 'little yellow duck' eggs, so they'll probably be yellow! Or maybe a creamy white, like those little cream puffs we eat."

Now that the house was home to quails and chickens, the children had plenty to keep them entertained.

One day, to everyone's surprise, a heavy snow began to fall outside.

Zhang Fuyong was astonished. "I think the last time Modu had a snow this heavy was five years ago. We haven't had a real snowfall in years!"

Zhao Lizhen nodded, her voice filled with nostalgia. "When Yuxi was little, Modu often had light to moderate snow, enough to leave a thin blanket on the ground."

Zhang Yuxi was also feeling nostalgic. "Honey, have you ever seen a heavy snowfall like this?"

Lin Feng was pressed up against the window just like the children, watching the flakes dance and swirl.

"I went up north with my dad once, a long time ago. Other than that, I've always lived in the south."

Sibao was already dying to go outside. He hugged Lin Feng's leg tightly.

"Daddy, Sibao wants to go out and play, can I?"

"Daddy, Erbao wants to see the snow, too!"

Seeing the looks of pure anticipation on his children's faces, Lin Feng couldn't possibly refuse. This was their very first time seeing snow, after all.

Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi bundled the children up in their coats and boots and led them out into the yard to play.

An Lan called, her voice just as excited. "Yuxi, can you believe it? It's snowing!"

Zhang Yuxi smiled, holding out a hand to catch the falling flakes.

"I know. I'm standing in my yard right now."

An Lan sighed contentedly. "I'm heading back to Yangcheng in a few days! Tell Director Lin I'm coming over for hot pot later. He'd better have it ready."

Zhang Yuxi laughed. "Have your mom and dad come, too."

An Lan suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right! How are all those eggs of yours doing? Have they hatched yet?"

"They hatched a while ago. The chicks just came out of their shells yesterday."

An Lan clicked her tongue in admiration. "Leave it to your man to pull that off!"