A Billionaire CEO Brings His Child Home: The Awakening of the Stay-at-Home Dad System

Shen Xiaoting immediately took a liking to the pink swim ring with the Little Mermaid printed on it, and hugged it tightly, refusing to let go.

The swim ring was inflatable, pink with a picture of a little mermaid with red hair, and some seashells and starfish patterns next to it.

"Daddy, I want this." Shen Xiaoting hugged the swim ring tightly, afraid that her father wouldn't buy it for her.

"Okay, I'll buy this one."

Chen Hao then took another orange adult-sized swimming ring, his own.

The orange one is larger, with no pattern, just a solid color, and it's sturdy and durable.

Next, choose a swimsuit.

Tingting chose her own swimsuit; she picked a pink two-piece set.

The top is a short-sleeved shirt, and the bottom is shorts. The fabric is very elastic and feels smooth to the touch. The pattern is also a little mermaid.

She held the swimsuit up against herself and asked her dad if it looked good. Chen Hao said it looked good, and she smiled.

Chen Hao bought himself a pair of black swimming trunks, plain black, without any frills, simple and elegant.

I also bought Tingting a pink swimming cap and a pair of children's swimming goggles.

The swimming cap is made of silicone and feels soft to the touch. The swimming goggles have transparent frames, pink straps, and an anti-fog coating on the lenses.

Viewers in the live stream were showered with praise as they watched Tingting choose her swimsuit.

"Tingting is so cute!"

"Pink suits Tingting well; it makes her skin look fair."

"The Little Mermaid style, Tingting is the Little Mermaid herself."

"The swim trunks Dad bought for himself are too plain. He should buy nice ones for his daughter, and just pick any old ones for himself."

After paying, Chen Hao carried the bag in one hand and held Tingting's hand with the other, and walked out of the store.

Shen Xiaoting kept looking back at the pink swim ring as she walked, afraid that she would leave it at the store.

Chen Hao carried her into the car, fastened her car seat, and drove home.

On the morning of the third day, after having breakfast, Chen Hao turned on his live stream and rode his electric bike to town.

Last night he contacted an excavator operator and arranged for him to come and dig the pool early this morning.

Digging by hand is too slow. A pool that is four meters long and two and a half meters wide would take one person a whole day to dig properly, but an excavator can do it in half an hour.

When he arrived in town, the excavator operator was already waiting by the roadside.

The driver's surname was Zhao. He was a man in his forties, tanned dark, with many wrinkles on his face, and wearing a yellow safety helmet.

The two greeted each other and drove back to the village one after the other.

Master Zhao drove the excavator in front, and Chen Hao followed behind on his electric bike. The excavator was not moving fast, but it made a rumbling noise, and pedestrians on the road made way for it.

When the excavator drove into the yard, it made a loud rumbling sound, and the tracks made a creaking sound as they rolled over the cement ground.

Shen Xiaoting stood by the yard, covering her ears, her face showing both nervousness and excitement.

The excavator was so loud it made her chest feel tight, but she couldn't bear to go inside. So she squatted by the courtyard wall and watched, her eyes wide open.

Chen Hao marked the excavation area and depth on the open ground with lime powder.

He drew another circle outside the white line he had drawn and told Master Zhao to dig within this range: 60 centimeters deep in shallow water and 1.2 meters deep in deep water, with a slope in between.

Master Zhao nodded and started working on the excavator.

The excavator bucket was inserted into the soil, and bucket by bucket, it was dug out and piled up to the side.

The excavator's arm moved up and down smoothly, a clear sign of an experienced operator.

The pool grew larger and deeper, and the mound of earth beside it grew higher and higher.

Shen Xiaoting initially covered her ears, but later, engrossed in watching the excavator digging, she lowered her hands.

The pool was dug in half an hour.

The excavated soil is piled up outside the courtyard wall, a huge pile, which can be used to fill the garden or pad other places later, so it won't be wasted.

[Ding! Swimming pool foundation excavation completed. God-level masonry experience points +142!]

Chen Hao paid the money, and Master Zhao drove away in his excavator.

When the excavator drove out of the yard, its tracks left two deep marks on the ground.

Shen Xiaoting loosened her ears, ran over and stood by the pool, looking down at the rectangular pit, then looking up at her father, her little face full of surprise:

"Dad, this hole is huge!"

"Dad will turn it into a swimming pool tomorrow."

Chen Hao squatted down and checked the flatness of the pit bottom. Master Zhao's workmanship was good; the bottom of the pit was quite flat and didn't need much repair.

Chen Hao was carrying things out of the tool shed.

Cement, sand, bricks, spirit level, measuring tape, trowel, rubber mallet, water pipes—one by one, they were carried out and placed next to the pool.

He first mixed the cement mortar, with a cement-to-sand ratio of one to three, using one shovel of cement and three shovels of sand, then poured them together and mixed them evenly. He then dug a pit in the middle, added water while stirring, until the mortar became thick and uniform.

This ratio is the standard ratio for bricklaying. Too much cement will cause cracks, and too much sand will make it weak. A ratio of 1 to 3 is just right.

Then he began to build the pool walls.

The red bricks were laid from the bottom of the pool, layer by layer.

He first laid the first layer of bricks along the white line at the bottom of the pit, applied mortar to each brick, placed them on top, and gently tapped them twice with a rubber mallet to make the bricks settle.

Place a spirit level against the surface to check if it's level. If not, tap it with a rubber mallet to adjust it.

After laying one layer, lay the second layer. The brick joints should be staggered and not continuous, as that would make the structure weak.

The gaps between the bricks should be filled with mortar, ensuring there are no hollow areas. Press down with your finger to make sure the mortar is packed tightly.

Shen Xiaoting squatted down beside her father, watching him lay bricks.

She watched very attentively, her little head moving in sync with her father's hand.

Chen Hao picked up a brick, applied mortar, placed it on the brick, tapped it twice with a rubber mallet, checked it against a spirit level, and then laid down the next brick.

The movements were not fast, but each step was precise and there were no unnecessary movements.

[Ding! Pool wall construction completed. God-level masonry experience points +138!]

By the time the pool walls were finished, the sun was already setting in the west.

Chen Hao straightened up and stretched his shoulders; his back was a little sore after laying bricks all day.

The pool walls are finished, perfectly square, with smooth red brick surfaces and even brick joints, which looks very pleasing.

He began applying the first layer of waterproofing.

The coating used is a polymer cement waterproofing coating. After it dries, it forms an elastic film that prevents water from seeping through.

He poured the paint into a bucket, added water according to the ratio, and stirred it evenly with a stirring stick.

Then, dip a roller in the paint and start brushing from the bottom of the pool. Roll the roller back and forth on the bottom of the pool to evenly coat the cement surface with the paint.

After brushing the bottom of the pool, brush the pool walls. Use a brush to touch up areas that the roller brush can't reach. Corners and seams are most prone to leaks, so brush them carefully and don't miss any.

After applying the first coat, wait two hours for it to dry before applying the second coat.

Chen Hao took the opportunity to sit down and drink some water. Shen Xiaoting ran over and asked him if he was tired. He said he wasn't tired, and Tingting smiled.

[Ding! Waterproofing completed. God-level tile setter experience points +146!]