Extra 4.2

Xiao Zhuzi patted Xiao Tangyuan’s head and said with a touch of helplessness, “If you want to read those letters, you can just ask me. Don’t read them secretly in class next time, okay? It affects the class discipline.”

Xiao Tangyuan turned around and skipped backward, her little mouth pursed as she hummed, “You’re lying. You won’t let me see them. Brother, I don’t want to read those scary words. Can you read them to me next time?” She raised her white index finger and added, “Just read one letter, okay?”

Xiao Zhuzi worried that the little girl might fall, stayed close and reached out to steady her. “Okay, okay, walk carefully and don’t fall.”

Xiao Roubao shook his head and sighed with resignation. It had always been this way. From childhood to now, no matter how big or small the issue, if Xiao Tangyuan acted spoiled, Brother Zhuzi would always give in. He feared this habit might never change.

Fantuan had been so busy lately that he often grabbed whatever he could in the lab, sometimes missing lunch altogether. Little Doubao was not fond of eating and rarely came back for lunch. The kids usually met up only at dinner.

The branches of “Three Meals and Four Seasons” had opened across the country. Su Xiaoxiao and Gu Zhanwang shared the same vision and were interested in entering the hotel industry in recent years. Their dream was to have their own hotel in every city, enjoy their own food, and shop in their own malls.

This dream had been about one-tenth realized, and they were confident it would be fully achieved with the ongoing reform and opening-up.

Su Xiaoxiao traveled with Han Cheng for both business and leisure. Sometimes, he would inspect the local market as part of their trips. In essence, it was a mix of work and travel.

Su Xiaoxiao was in charge of the company’s overall operations and market expansion. Bai Lan now oversaw the kitchen’s output and frequently traveled across the country. This brought up the story of Mu Xiaocao and Chen Ping’an. Indeed, Mu Xiaocao pursued Chen Ping’an until he finally agreed. They had been married for several years and had a daughter.

Bai Lan had transformed from an unemployed middle-aged woman into a successful businesswoman alongside Su Xiaoxiao. She knew well the hardships and rewards of her journey. Now, her perspective on life has broadened, and she has a new outlook. She no longer intervened in the lives of younger people much. For example, Mu Xiaocao contributed to her hometown’s development, while Mu Xiaocao expanded the northwest market for projects with Su Xiaoxiao. Chen Ping’an became a teacher in Mu Xiaocao’s hometown after graduation. Their child was cared for by Mu Xiaocao’s retired parents, who only returned during winter and summer vacations to reunite with her. She genuinely didn’t mind.

In the past, she would never have allowed her child to be so far away. She had hoped Chen Ping’an would marry and have children soon so she could help raise them and enjoy a peaceful old age. It was Su Xiaoxiao who gave her a second chance to shine. She felt full of energy and believed she could work for several more decades.

Uncle Yang, on the other hand, enjoyed staying with the kids and Grandpa Zhang. They had bought a new courtyard house and transformed it into the “Three Meals and Four Seasons” old store. This place had become more than just a dining spot for Zhuzi’s family and Su Xiaoxiao’s family; it was also a canteen for the local neighborhood. It was filled with the kids’ creative ideas. They liked to write and draw on the walls whenever they had new ideas. Compared to other stores, people preferred to come to the old store to “check-in.” Even though they had expanded, they still followed the original limited-release model, making it perpetually hard to get a ticket. “Three Meals and Four Seasons” had sent off many graduates from the capital’s university, who witnessed the growing up of nearby children and the aging of the elderly, slowly becoming a cherished place for many.

Zhuzi and the other cubs returned to the store to eat. The familiar old neighbors had watched these kids grow up and treated them as their own. Nevertheless, they still praised them daily. After all, it was rare to see so many outstanding and good-looking kids. Some even specifically brought their children to eat at “Three Meals and Four Seasons” to bring some good luck. It was hard not to imagine the “Three Meals and Four Seasons” business thriving.

Xiao Tangyuan liked shrimp but didn’t like to peel them herself. Zhuzi never tired of peeling them for her. He peeled one for her and then ate, only starting his own meal after she was full. Whether it was shelled shellfish or thorny fish, Zhuzi always served Xiao Tangyuan pure meat.

When she was younger, Su Xiaoxiao wanted to train her manual skills and suggested that the older brothers not do everything for Xiao Tangyuan. So, during her early years, Xiao Tangyuan did most things herself. However, once she could handle everything independently, Zhuzi started to treat her like a baby again.

Even Xiao Roubao, who was usually indifferent, couldn’t stand it. “Brother Zhuzi, we peeled shrimp ourselves before we even went to kindergarten. You eat yours and let Xiao Tangyuan peel hers.”

Only then did Xiao Tangyuan realize that Zhuzi had been peeling shrimp for her all along and that she hadn’t eaten a single shrimp yet.

She pushed some shrimp from her bowl into Zhuzi’s bowl, saying, “Brother, you eat too.”

Zhuzi smiled and said, “It’s okay. You eat first. I’ll eat later.”

Xiao Roubao moved his bowl over, “Then Brother Zhuzi, peel a few for me, too.”

Zhuzi, in good spirits, placed the freshly peeled shrimp into his bowl, “Alright, alright. Let’s peel one for our little star.”

Xiao Tangyuan pushed his bowl away: “Third brother if you want to eat, peel it yourself. Brother is tired from peeling so many.”

Xiao Roubao was just playing around; he wasn’t serious about having Xiao Zhuzi peel shrimp for him.

“You know Brother Zhuzi is tired and still doesn’t peel it yourself? Look at how Tiantian peels her own shrimp.”

Xiao Tangyuan stuffed a big shrimp into her mouth and bit it like a little squirrel, blinking her big round eyes at Zhuzi: “Brother, are you tired?”

Seeing his adorable little girl, Zhuzi’s heart softened. He wanted to reach out and rub her head but noticed his hands were dirty and held back. “I’m not tired. It’s enough that our Xiao Tangyuan is happy.”

Xiao Tangyuan tilted her head and said, “Then Brother, only peel shrimp for me. Don’t peel for anyone else.”

When Xiao Tangyuan mentioned “anyone else,” she deliberately lifted her chin towards Xiao Roubao.

Xiao Roubao wasn’t that petty; he loved his sister, too. He peeled a shrimp and put it into her bowl, saying, “Here, here. Don’t say later that Third Brother doesn’t love our little princess.”

Xiao Tangyuan’s face lit up with a sweet smile, revealing her little dimples, “Thank you, Third Brother.”

Since childhood, the person Tang Tiantian envied the most was Xiao Tangyuan. Everyone doted on her and spoiled her. Xiao Tangyuan was beautiful and kind-hearted, excelled in her studies, and was very caring towards herself and her grandmother. Whenever Aunt Su bought things for Xiao Tangyuan, she would also get some for Tang Tiantian. They often wore the same clothes, just in different colors. Aunt Su even joked that they were like twins. There was essentially no difference between the food, clothing, and care given to Tang Tiantian and Xiao Tangyuan. Although she felt envious, Tang Tiantian was more grateful for having encountered such a family that provided her with a stable life.

Her grandmother no longer had to wash dishes. Su Xiaoxiao had hired other dishwashers and arranged a lighter job for her and a significant salary increase. Tang Tiantian was very grateful.

She also peeled a shrimp and put it into Xiao Tangyuan’s bowl. “I’ll peel shrimp for the little princess too.”

Xiao Tangyuan put the shrimp she had peeled back into her own bowl and moved the one Xiao Roubao peeled over. “We’re all little princesses, so let’s eat together.” However, she was unwilling to move the shrimp peeled by Zhuzi, as in her heart, Zhuzi Gege could only be good to her. Being good to so many people would be too tiring.

In reality, Xiao Tangyuan was overthinking. All the older brothers at home were straightforward. Besides being particularly good to Su Xiaoxiao and Xiao Tangyuan and taking care of Tang Tiantian a bit, they treated other girls as if they were invisible.

Since they had to act as temporary guardians in the afternoon, Xiao Zhuzi returned to school during lunch to bring warmth to the future great scientists who had been working tirelessly. He packed two servings of pepper-salt shrimp and sauced beef and sent them over.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao were not recommended for graduate school, so they temporarily interned in their unit. They would decide whether to pursue graduate studies later, so they no longer attended school.

As a gift for their admission to Peking University, Su Xiaoxiao had given each of them a small courtyard. Even though they were interning, they lived nearby and had dinner together every evening. The interaction among the kids was no different from when they were in school.

All the kids at home liked to wear white shirts and black pants. Each of the three, distinct in style but equally handsome, was an ideal type that girls would only dream of. They were already the most beautiful scenery on the campus path of Peking University.

It was said that a child’s character was set by the age of three. Fantuan and Xiao Doubao’s personalities were much the same as when they were young. Fantuan remained an outgoing, sunny socialite, always the center of attention wherever he went. Xiao Doubao was indeed excessively beautiful, almost to the point of being a country-shaking beauty if he were gender-swapped. He was still shy and gentle, more like a researcher compared to Fantuan.

They ate shrimp and beef while listening to Zhuzi talk about Xiao Tangyuan, peeking at love letters, and their expressions were serious.

When their parents were away, Fantuan was their guardian, and Xiao Doubao also helped take care of the younger siblings. Although they no longer needed much care, emotional support was still important.

In fact, they had all received love letters before, but girls were generally reserved. Few dared to send them. Those who did rejected face-to-face. Some who slipped letters secretly were also read a few times. They found this all unnecessary; things that could be said in a few words didn’t need to be embellished with stormy moon metaphors. When the handwriting was ugly, it was truly an eyesore. They couldn’t hurt the girls’ self-esteem; having feelings for them was not a fault. The uniform response was to devote themselves to scientific research and not have time for relationships.

In their view, their parents’ love was always understood with just a glance, and there was no need for so much fuss.

The brothers patiently listened to Zhuzi finish speaking. Fantuan stuffed the last piece of sauced beef into his mouth before saying, “I’ll ask the teacher for leave. I’ll handle it this afternoon. The world is really declining; back in our junior and senior high school days, no one dared to write love letters. Such things only appeared in college. Having a beautiful younger sister is also troublesome. She’s so young and already has so many admirers. Who knows which pig will push her around in the future?”

Zhuzi felt similarly. He thought for a moment and said, “It’s hard for you to ask for leave. I’ll go instead. Xiao Tangyuan is still young and not in the mood; she’s just curious about what others wrote to her.”

Xiao Doubao thought for a while, took an envelope from his backpack, and handed it to Fantuan. “Brother, please handle this for me as well.”

Fantuan asked, “What day is it today? Love Letter Day?”

When Fantuan looked at the envelope, he almost choked on his saliva. The signature was from a girl in their class. “She’s at least five years older than Xiao Doubao and has only met Xiao Doubao once. She usually seems quite reserved. I didn’t expect her to proactively write a love letter to Xiao Doubao. Fine, Zhuzi will handle the issue of my sister’s love letters, and I’ll handle Xiao Doubao’s love letters.”

Having a handsome younger brother was also particularly troublesome. He was a busy brother, but fortunately, Xiao Roubao had a good temperament like him and could solve problems on his own. Otherwise, he would be even busier.

After speaking, Fantuan teased his brother, “Xiao Doubao, she’s actually nice. Have you considered it?”

Xiao Doubao had only met her once and remembered that she was his brother’s classmate. He had even forgotten what she looked like. Consider what?

Xiao Doubao was not foolish and knew that his brother was teasing him. He replied, “Brother, I’ve just turned eighteen. There should be order among the young and the old. I will not consider personal matters until my brothers resolve their own.”

Fantuan and Zhuzi: “…………” Such order among the young and the old.

Having outstanding younger siblings was indeed a sweet trouble. The two good brothers with outstanding younger siblings split into two routes.

One route directly told a classmate: Thank you for your admiration, but my younger brother has just turned eighteen and is not considering personal matters for now. This was a direct KO.

The other route politely explained to the teacher: Our family has a rule that no child can have a relationship before going to university. My sister was just curious about the words on the envelope, so she read it a few times. As you know, reading, writing, and painting are basic skills in our family. Seeing such ugly handwriting, it’s natural to have a sense of curiosity. My sister’s beauty inevitably attracts admiration. However, she has absolutely no such intentions. We also hope that the teacher and the school can help supervise and educate to prevent such occurrences from happening again.

Growing up always comes with various bumps and bruises. This is the unique beauty and trouble of adolescence, which will eventually end with the end of adolescence.