Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Jiang Shining and Chen Ruozhi went shopping and bought a lot of things.
Jiang Shining found that Chen Ruozhi was too apathetic. Although it was a good thing to love reading, at such a young and beautiful age, it was also necessary for her to wear nice clothes.
After buying clothes for herself, she also bought clothes for the three young masters in her family. Since they all had standard figures, there was no need to try them on, so the two of them went on a shopping spree, buying whatever styles they wanted.
Finally, she bought some jewelry and other odds and ends.
When she came to her senses, there were thirty or forty packages of all sizes. What could she do? With so many kids, it was just too expensive.
Although Jiang Shining could carry all these things by herself, the bags were too numerous and scattered, making them difficult to handle.
So she called Chu Jingyuan.
It had been almost six hours since their last call. She just lost track of time while shopping…
Because they were so bored and didn’t dare to leave, the two of them eventually went to a health-preserving teahouse to drink tea and play cards.
When the call came in, the two were playing Go amidst wisps of smoke. It was a form of entertainment they both excelled at. Those who led troops and were somewhat educated often enjoyed Go, as it similarly required strategic thinking and planning.
However, Chen Tanliang was truly no match for Chu Jingyuan. Only at this moment could he directly sense that Chu Jingyuan was indeed an ancient person at heart.
The two had been playing for a long time, six hours already, and they had only just reached their third game. At the beginning, they were evenly matched, but as the game progressed, Jing Yuan’s strategies became increasingly unconventional, always coming up with unexpected moves, the kind of risky, all-or-nothing moves.
The back-and-forth between the two revealed their drastically different personalities. Chen Tanliang narrowly won the second round, but he clearly felt a significant difference in skill level between himself and Chu Jingyuan.
In the third game, it looked like Chen Tanliang was about to lose again, but just then Chu Jingyuan’s phone rang. Jing Yuan was engrossed in the game, and his first reaction to the ringing was displeasure, before he snapped out of his chess world.
He answered the phone and honestly said, “Mom.”
“Come pick us up on the third floor of Building C,” Jiang Shining said. “Even though it’s dark, you still need to be careful and not show your faces.”
“I know.”
After hanging up the phone, Jing Yuan looked at the chessboard, clearly not satisfied.
Then he took out his phone, took a picture of the chessboard, and said, “Let’s finish the game later.”
Chen Tanliang glanced at Chu Jingyuan, surprised that Jing Yuan had this side to him. This seemingly carefree and mischievous devil actually had a passionate hobby.
As the two walked out of the teahouse, they realized it was indeed dark. Jing Yuan was wondering how to avoid showing his face— should he wear sunglasses in the dark?— when he felt Chen Tanliang touch his arm and hand him a black face mask.
Each of them put on a baseball cap they had just bought, and then disappeared into the night.
On this side, Jiang Shining and Chen Ruozhi sat in a cafe in the middle of the shopping mall, with various bags piled up at their feet, attracting a lot of attention. Chen Ruozhi was drinking milk tea, while Jiang Shining, wearing sunglasses, was casually drinking water.
Finally, two tall, handsome young men walked over from a distance. They were wearing masks and hats, so they were finally less conspicuous. The city itself was very advanced and fashionable, and the young people in the commercial streets were all dressed in trendy and stylish clothes. Wearing black masks seemed to be a recent fashion trend, so the two of them blended in perfectly and did not attract any attention as they walked over.
They then entered the cafe one after the other. Jing Yuan sat down to Jiang Shining’s right, stretching his long legs out to the side, taking up the other half of the space. It was obvious he was deliberately trying to annoy Chen Tanliang.
Jiang Shining couldn’t help but sigh. She felt that Jing Yuan was becoming more and more childish.
“Aren’t you angry anymore?” Jing Yuan leaned closer and asked Jiang Shining.
Jiang Shining didn’t have a short temper; she didn’t get angry easily. It was just that her son was getting harder to manage as he got older, which was frustrating.
“Take your things and go home.” Jiang Shining put down her water glass.
So, the four of them started taking the bags. Chu Jingyuan and Chen Tanliang seemed to want to compete for everything, so they took most of the things, leaving the remaining two or three bags for Jiang Shining and Chen Ruozhi.
The group went down to the parking lot. Chu Jingyuan and Chen Tanliang put their things in the trunk. Just as Chen Ruozhi was about to put her things down and walk to the passenger seat, Jing Yuan reached out and opened the car door for her.
“Thank you,” Chen Ruozhi said, flattered.
When Chen Ruozhi went inside, Jing Yuan looked up again and saw Chen Tanliang glaring at him.
Jing Yuan smiled and immediately understood that the guy’s weakness lay in his sister.
The two did not ride in Jiang Shining’s car. When they came to meet earlier, Jing Yuan drove another car, so they rode separately.
Chen Tanliang wanted to sit with his mother and sister, but Jing Yuan wouldn’t let him have his way and dragged him away.
Driving home, there was bound to be some bickering along the way.
You know, this world is so unreasonable. The more you don’t want to see someone, the more you end up seeing them every day and having to spend time together. And it’s not over even when you get home; you still have to cook together.
With a larger population and more food needing to be cooked, one person couldn’t manage the cooking. Moreover, neither of them wanted the woman to cook, so they ended up urging Jiang Shining and Chen Ruozhi to go upstairs and rest before they began preparing the meal.
Jiang Shining went upstairs to the second floor, where Guoguo was watching TV by herself. She was overjoyed to see the two of them. Chen Ruozhi also liked the little girl and squatted down to give her a kiss. Jiang Shining then took out the clothes she had bought for Guoguo.
“She’s so cute.” Chen Ruozhi said with emotion after receiving a firm kiss from Guoguo.
“You were also adorable when you were little,” Jiang Shining said. “There was no one in the entire manor who didn’t like you.”
Chen Ruozhi gently pinched Guoguo’s round little face; it felt wonderful.
The two of them helped Guoguo try on the new dresses and clothes they had bought. Sure enough, she was cute and looked good in anything. After trying them on, they took them off, cut off the tags, and prepared to wash them tomorrow.
“Mom, I want to go to kindergarten,” Guoguo said.
Jiang Shining was a little surprised, “Guoguo, aren’t you afraid of crowded places anymore?”
Guoguo thought about it seriously.
“I was a little scared at first, but I’m not scared now,” she said. “Because I have many older brothers and sisters at home, it’s not scary at all when there are many people around. And my teacher said that if I go to kindergarten, I can make many friends who are the same age as me!”
Chen Ruozhi laughed and said, “Why do you need to make friends with people your own age?”
Guoguo was overjoyed.
“Because I also want to find friends like my brothers, who I can fight every day!”
Jiang Shining: …
Chen Ruozhi: …
Jiang Shining’s lips twitched, and she had to say seriously, “Guoguo, you can’t fight with other children.”
“But my brothers fight every day!” Guoguo didn’t understand.
“You should never hit someone unless absolutely necessary,” Jiang Shining said. “Unless someone wants to harm you, you can’t do that, understand?”
“Like before?”
“Right.”
“Then the brothers…” Guoguo was unwilling.
Jiang Shining stood up, and Chen Ruozhi instantly felt that her older brother and Jing Yuan were in mortal danger.
Jiang Shining carried Guoguo downstairs and heard two people arguing while cooking downstairs. Just then, Chu Jingxuan pushed open the door and walked in, bringing with him the cool night air.
“Mom, I’m home.”
Jiang Shining nodded to him, and after Jing Xuan changed his clothes, she said, “Jing Xuan, could you help those two manage the kitchen? And while you’re at it, call them over here.”
Jing Xuan didn’t understand, but he still did as he was told.
Jing Yuan and Chen Tanliang walked over. The two were a little puzzled, but in front of Jiang Shining, they looked very well-behaved, showing no sign of the wildness they had when they fought in private.
Jiang Shining sat on the sofa holding Guoguo, and Jing Yuan felt that her expression looked somewhat dangerous and familiar.
Uh… Jing Yuan recalled some unpleasant memories.
Then, he saw Jiang Shining pull out an iron ruler from behind her.
Chen Tanliang and Chu Jingyuan felt a chill run down their spines. Jing Yuan recalled once again the painful experience of being beaten up years ago, and couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.
“…What’s wrong?” Jing Yuan forced a smile.
Jiang Shining sighed solemnly.
“You’ve corrupted your sister,” she said. “Brothers should value harmony, but you’re always fighting, which makes Guoguo always want to fight with others. This is the influence of an older brother on his younger sister.”
The more Jing Yuan listened, the more familiar it seemed. In the past, when Jiang Shining hit him, she would also spout a bunch of grand principles.
“Did I say no fighting?” Jiang Shining asked.
“No,” Jing Yuan said sincerely.
Jiang Shining never directly told them not to fight. Although she implied it, she didn’t say it explicitly.
“Now I’ve said it.”
“…”
#Never try to reason with your mother#
Jiang Shining smiled gently, her tenderness tinged with a terrifying aura.
“Come here, each of you, let me hit your palm ten times.”
Eek!
Jing Yuan couldn’t help but struggle, “Guoguo came from the apocalypse, maybe she’s just naturally wild and unrestrained?”
Jiang Shining smiled, “Fifteen.”
… #You must remember not to bargain with your mom#
Chen Tanliang glared at Chu Jingyuan, and Chu Jingyuan glared back at Chen Tanliang; neither was willing to be the first to speak. Afraid to speak, they used their eyes to relentlessly criticize each other: It’s all your fault! It’s all your fault! It’s all your fault!
“Jing Yuan, you go first.” Jiang Shining’s devilish voice rang out, “You’re more experienced. Hitting someone is much gentler than whipping them.”
Being beaten up was considered a good thing, a valuable experience!
Upon hearing this, Chen Tanliang looked at Chu Jingyuan with a hint of sympathy. That’s the bad thing about ancient times; if you were to be beaten, it was always with a stick or a whip. Now look at Chen Tanliang, living in a semi-modern world.
Sorry, but it seems he’s never actually been hit before.
Jing Yuan stretched out his hand as if facing death. He originally thought that Jiang Shining was just making a show of it, but he didn’t expect that she would touch his palm, choose a suitable place, and then slap it down with the ruler.
Jing Yuan shuddered.
“…Are you really hitting me?” Jing Yuan said, feeling wronged.
“There’s no other way,” Jiang Shining said helplessly. “If I don’t really hit you, Guoguo will be able to tell.”
They always forgot that this adorable little girl had survived the most challenging world of all. So despite her young age, she had a deep, ingrained familiarity with these things.
Guoguo blinked her big eyes, looking incredibly innocent, but Jiang Shining knew that Guoguo could tell whether she was serious or not.
After the fifteen blows, Jing Yuan slumped into the sofa, utterly dejected.
It’s so embarrassing to be beaten at such an old age.
When Chen Tanliang’s time arrived, Jiang Shining thought for a moment and then said, “I’ll just hit you five times, let’s just say Jing Yuan took the other five for you. Don’t mess around with him so much in the future.”
“—Why should I?” Jing Yuan pulled his head out of the sofa and wailed.
“I reckon you started the fight two-thirds of the time,” Jiang Shining said, raising an eyebrow. “Am I wrong?”
Chu Jingyuan: …
Okay, you’re absolutely right.
But! Chen Tanliang is clearly a cunning devil. He looks honest, but he’s actually having a blast when things get heated!
“This is favoritism!” Jingyuan said. “I’m going to run away from home.”
Jiang Shining sighed.
“Don’t do that. You have to act like the eldest son and set a good example.”
Jing Yuan and Chen Tanliang both fell silent.
Jing Yuan: “Okay, my dear mother.”
Chen Tanliang: “I can get hit fifty times.”
The author has something to say:
What’s the point of fighting for the position of the eldest son? There are still two moths waiting to arrive! →_→
Having too many kids feels like hell mode, hahaha.
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