Chapter 17: Little Guest

“That’s true, but you should ask your mother first if it’s okay for you to go,” Wang Jinhe replied. She only wanted to encourage the little boy to eat more, as he was really too thin for a five-year-old. She couldn’t help but wonder how his young mind worked so quickly, as he actually wanted to go to her home and see for himself.

Madame Zhang smiled with amusement. She understood that Wang Jinhe had good intentions. She had never seen her son so lively and animated before; he was truly adorable.

Zhang Zhilin turned to look at Madame Zhang, “Mama, can I go to this aunt’s home to see her little brother? I won’t be shorter than him.”

Madame Zhang smiled affectionately at her son, “Alright, you can go with Auntie Jinhe to her home and see her little brother.”

Madame Zhang suppressed her laughter and said, “Alright, I’ll have someone accompany you when you go.”

“See, Mama agreed,” Zhang Zhilin said triumphantly.

Wang Jinhe raised her hand to cover her forehead and said helplessly, “You’re quite something, little guy.”

“Wait for me while I fetch something. Don’t you dare run away,” Zhang Zhilin ran out a few steps and turned back to look at Wang Jinhe, speaking earnestly.

“Okay.”

After they left, Wang Jinhe looked awkwardly at Madame Zhang and said, “Madame, I’m sorry, I…”

Madame Zhang shook her head. “It’s okay. I’m grateful to you for bringing out such a lively side of little Zhilin. Thank you.”

“Eh?” Wang Jinhe was surprised by Madame Zhang’s response.

“Zhang Zhilin has never shown much interest in things around him since he was young. I used to think he would always be like that, but today I realized it’s not the case. He can also be lively and spirited, and he can look all puffed up too. If your child gets along well with Zhilin, could you let them be friends?” Madame Zhang earnestly looked at Wang Jinhe and asked.

She could tell that her son was genuinely interested in having a new little brother to play with.

If Madame Zhang had asked in a condescending tone, Wang Jinhe would have likely refused, but she didn’t. Her request was sincere, and she only wanted to find a playmate for her child.

“Sure.”

“Thank you for that.”

“No need to be polite, Madame.”

“I’m older than you by quite a bit, so if you don’t mind, you can call me Sister Jing,” Madame Zhang said with a smile.

Wang Jinhe really wanted to say she didn’t need any gifts, but Madame Zhang’s sincerity made her feel awkward if she were to decline. She didn’t want to be overly stubborn.

“Sister Jing.”

“That’s right.”

After talking for a while, Zhang Zhilin entered the room with a small box in his hand. “What’s this?” he asked.

“I’m the big brother, so I’m going to see my little brother with a gift. This is my treasure. I won’t show it to you; it’s only for my little brother,” Zhang Zhilin said protectively, eyeing Wang Jinhe as if she might snatch the box from him.

Wang Jinhe looked at him with a slightly sad expression. “I won’t take your things, so do you really need to be so cautious?”

“Who knows, you might want to take it.”

Wang Jinhe gave up discussing this topic with Zhang Zhilin. “Let’s go then.”

“Mama, I’m going. I’ll go see my little brother and then come back to tell you what he looks like, and if he’s shorter than me,” Zhang Zhilin said seriously to his mother.

Madam Zhang cleared her throat, suppressing a smile, and nodded. Perhaps her son wanted to say the last sentence?

After Zhang Zhilin left with Wang Jinhe, Madam Zhang’s husband, Zhang Qin, returned.

“Jing’er, you seem to be in a good mood today,” Zhang Qin sat beside Madam Zhang and curiously asked, “Where did Xiao Zhi go?”

“He went to see his little brother,” Madam Zhang said with a smile.

“See his little brother?” Zhang Qin looked puzzled at Madam Zhang. They didn’t have any other children at home.

Madam Zhang explained the situation to Zhang Qin, and finally couldn’t help but laugh as she said, “I’ve never seen our son like this before; he’s really adorable.”

“If that’s the case, then we can indeed have some interaction with this family,” not for anything else, but for the sake of our son,” Madam Zhang said.

“I think the same,” Zhang Qin agreed.

“That girl seems to be a nice person,” Madam Zhang added.

“We’ll wait for Xiao Zhi to come back and see how much he likes his little brother. He even took out his precious item,” Zhang Qin teased.

Madam Zhang chuckled, “I’m afraid he’ll want to go there every day after visiting. After all, Xiao Zhi is also starting his education, and Jinhe’s child is still young. Otherwise, they could have their education together.”

“That’s true,” Zhang Qin nodded.

Meanwhile, Wang Jinhe took Zhang Zhilin to find Wang Dagui. When he saw the little child, Wang Dagui was puzzled and asked, “Little He, this child…”

“He’s from Zhang’s family. Dad, we’ll talk about it when we go back. Did you meet younger brother?” Wang Jinhe asked.

“Yes, I met him. He said he still has a lot of the money you gave him before. He doesn’t need more, and he received money from copying books for his master, so he has quite a sum in his hands,” Wang Dagui replied with a smile.

“Then let’s go back first.”

Xiao Bao was sitting on the doorstep, playing with a small wooden horse. When he saw a carriage approaching, he curiously turned his head to look.

As Wang Jinhe got down from the carriage, Xiao Bao quickly ran over, asking, “Mom, you’re back?”

“Yes,” Wang Jinhe replied.

When Zhang Zhilin heard the voice, he hurriedly came out and saw the chubby-faced child hugging Wang Jinhe’s legs. The child had big eyes and looked especially adorable.

“I admit that your son is cuter than me, but I don’t admit that I’m shorter than him,” Zhang Zhilin said seriously as he looked at Xiao Bao.

Wang Jinhe couldn’t help but laugh and sigh, “I never said you were shorter than Xiao Bao.”

“Is his name Xiao Bao?” Zhang Zhilin asked curiously, his focus shifting from height to the child’s name.

“His nickname is Xiao Bao, and his formal name is Wang Ziqin.”

“Mommy, who is he?” Xiao Bao asked curiously.

“He’s Zhang Zhilin, a big brother who is two years older than you,” Wang Jinhe introduced.

Now it was Zhang Zhilin’s turn to be dissatisfied, “If I’m a big brother, why am I called a little brother?”

“Because you are still very young.”

“I’m two years older than him, so I should be called a big brother,” Zhang Zhilin insisted.

Wang Daogui, listening to Wang Jinhe teasing Zhang Zhilin, said with a speechless expression, “Xiao He, how old are you? Is it appropriate to tease a little child like this?”

“Hehe, Dad, don’t you find it fun the way he is?”

“Big brother, come with me, I’ll show you baa baa.” Xiao Bao was excited to see another young boy and greeted him happily.

Zhang Zhilin jumped off the carriage, startling the servant following behind him.

“Young Master…”

“You all stay here and don’t follow inside.” Zhang Zhilin gave a sharp look.

“Yes.”

Zhang Zhilin approached Xiao Bao, “What is ‘baa baa’?”

“It’s the big ‘baa baa’ and the small ‘baa baa’.”

Zhang Zhilin looked at Wang Jinhe with a puzzled expression, silently asking, “What is your son saying? I don’t understand.”

“They are our two sheep. Because they like to make ‘baa baa’ sounds, Xiao Bao named them  (big ‘baa baa’) and  (small ‘baa baa’).” Wang Jinhe explained while trying to hold back her laughter.

Zhang Zhilin nodded, indicating that he understood.

“Big brother, I’ll take you to see them. Mom said small ‘baa baa’ will have little little baa baa (little lambs) in the future.”

“Pfft.” Wang Jinhe couldn’t help but laugh.

Why would they be called ‘little baa baa’ (little lambs)?

Zhang Zhilin looked at Wang Jinhe discontentedly, saying, “You shouldn’t make fun of him.”