“That should do it, right?”
Having driven the tractor to haul the black-cloth-covered oval object into the basement of his warehouse, Rock went through the motions and asked, “Are you two really going to adopt that baby?”
“You know we’ve always wanted a child.”
Jonathan clapped Rock on the shoulder.
His tone was firm, though a trace of exhaustion flickered in his eyes.
Rock frowned, his gaze drifting toward the smoking ruins of the Kent barn.
“But your barn just burned down.
What about this year’s harvest?
Financially…”
“Hahaha…”
Jonathan gave an awkward laugh and scratched his head.
“Actually, I hadn’t gotten around to hauling the grain into the barn this afternoon, so the loss isn’t nearly that bad.
Luckily, most of the wheat is still stacked in the temporary shed out by the field.”
Hearing this, much of Rock’s guilt dissipated.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that his summoning of Dio had caused the accident.
That ball of fire, the man who had mysteriously dissolved into ash…
everything was far too bizarre.
Was this really how his adoption golden finger delivered children to him?
“Come on, Martha is still waiting for us.”
Jonathan’s lighter tone broke Rock’s train of thought.
The two walked together toward the Kent house.
The moonlight cast an eerie, dull red glow over the charred ruins of the barn.
Fortunately, this was an isolated rural area; a single burning grain warehouse was hardly enough to draw anyone’s attention—save for Rock, whose farm happened to sit right next to Jonathan’s.
*Thump.*
They pushed the door open.
Martha was sitting on the living room sofa, holding two infants in her arms, her face etched with worry.
“You’re back!”
She looked up, her anxious gaze sweeping over both men.
“Did you…
hide the ship?”
Rock nodded and said in a low voice, “It’s in my basement, covered with a black tarp.
No one will find it for now.”
Martha let out a breath of relief, her tense shoulders finally dropping.
“Still, it’s really strange…” Jonathan muttered, sinking onto the sofa and gently stroking Clark’s swaddling blanket with a calloused finger.
“How could the barn suddenly catch fire?
The wiring was fine, there was no thunderstorm, not even a stray spark.”
Martha shook her head, thoroughly perplexed.
“We’d barely stepped out before the fire started.
It was almost like…” She paused, searching for words.
“Like something slammed right into it?”
Rock’s heart skipped a beat.
He cleared his throat and offered a half-truth: “Maybe the weather’s been too dry?
Spontaneous combustion from heat building up inside the grain piles?
When I found this baby outside my door, I heard a loud boom, and right after that, your barn went up in flames.”
Jonathan and Martha looked up at the same time, their eyes shifting between Rock and Dio.
“You mean…” Jonathan frowned.
“The barn caught fire right when this baby appeared?”
Rock nodded, intentionally wearing a helpless expression.
“I think it’s strange too, but that’s what happened.”
“I see…” Martha fell silent for a moment before sighing softly.
She looked down at the two babies in her arms, a tender smile slowly gracing her lips, warm enough to melt ice.
“Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.”
She gazed fondly at the two infants.
“The more I look at them, the more I adore them.
Especially this little one—he sleeps so peacefully.” She gently caressed Clark’s forehead, then glanced at Dio on her other side.
“This blond little fellow was crying his eyes out earlier, but he’s finally quieted down.”
Jonathan blinked, then broke into a smile as well.
“Yeah.
We lost a barn, but we gained two wonderful boys.”
Rock couldn’t help but step closer, looking down at Dio.
The baby’s golden hair shimmered faintly in the light, and the star-shaped birthmark on the back of his neck was strikingly distinct.
Rock reached out and lightly brushed Dio’s tiny hand, only for the baby’s fingers to suddenly clamp down around his.
“Looks like he really likes you, Rock.” Martha smiled as she handed the baby to him, though a hint of concern lingered in her voice.
“Are you really sure you want to adopt him?
You’re still a bachelor, after all.
Taking in a child…”
“Well, since I was the one who found him…” Rock took Dio into his arms, cradling him gently.
“Maybe he and I were meant to cross paths, just like you two and that little guy.”
“Hahaha!” Jonathan laughed heartily.
“Then starting today, our families have two little rascals!
Clark Kent, and…”
He paused, looking at Rock.
“What are you going to name him?”
Rock went quiet for a moment.
In his mind flashed the image of the man who had disintegrated into ash, along with the cold system prompt that had rung in his ear.
Taking a deep breath, he said slowly, “Dio Kent.”
“Dio Kent…” Jonathan repeated the name and nodded with a broad smile.
“Great name!”
***
Seven years passed in the blink of an eye.
No one found it odd that two ordinary households had gained two new children.
In fact, perhaps blessed by the arrival of the two boys, life had only improved for the farmers of Smallville over the years.
Even Rock, who had started farming only a few years prior, had expanded his land.
Through careful budgeting and mutual help with Jonathan, he had completely freed himself from the crushing burden of back taxes.
The same went for Jonathan and Martha.
Their barn had long since been rebuilt, even larger and sturdier than before, and their old, battered tractor had been replaced with the latest model.
Yet what the townspeople gossiped about most were the two boys of the Kent family—Clark and Dio.
From an early age, Clark displayed extraordinary traits.
His strength was astonishing; by age five, he could easily lift bales of hay that grown men struggled with.
When he ran, he was like a gust of wind—even the fastest sheepdog in Smallville couldn’t keep up with him.
Discovering that Clark was far from ordinary, Jonathan and Martha were both proud and terrified.
They could only remind Clark again and again, “Be careful.
Don’t let anyone see.”
In contrast, Dio was the quintessential golden child—the kind every parent dreamed of having.
He could read fluently at age three.
By age five, he was helping Rock with farm chores alongside Clark, and he was unfailingly polite and respectful to everyone he met.
In the town’s kindergarten, the teachers praised him endlessly as a “well-mannered young prodigy.”
The local residents couldn’t help but envy Rock, constantly dropping by to ask for parenting advice and inquiring about Dio’s daily routine.
So…
what was our young prodigy’s daily routine actually like?
“Dad…”
“Uncle Jonathan…
*sniff*…”
“Clark, did you bully Dio again?” Martha knelt down and wiped away Dio’s tears.
“There, there, don’t cry.”
“I didn’t…” Clark held up a notebook smeared with slop, looking completely helpless.
“I just wanted to see what book Dio was reading.
I didn’t mean to use too much force and accidentally throw it into the pig trough!”
“Clark, don’t use force on your brother.
You’re too strong, and Dio is just a normal kid,” Jonathan said with a sigh.
“You have to learn to control your strength.”
“I really did hold back!” The more Clark explained, the more wronged he felt, his eyes welling with tears.
“I really didn’t do it on purpose…”
“All right, Clark.” Martha gently patted Clark’s head.
“You’re the older brother.
Apologize to Dio first.”
“Why?
Why is it always me apologizing?
I didn’t do anything wrong!”
*Bang!*
The front door swung open.
A man walked in, shaking out his umbrella and hanging it up while complaining, “The weather’s been totally unpredictable lately.
Jonathan, you’d better check on your haystacks.”
“Huh?!”
Remembering something, Jonathan bolted out the door.
“My haystacks!”
Well…
The two men didn’t look all that different from seven years ago.
Though that wasn’t entirely true.
Rock had grown considerably sturdier, and he seemed to have gone through a second growth spurt.
A careful measurement would reveal that his height had shot up from an already tall 187 cm to a staggering 195 cm!