Chapter 61: Let Her Laugh a Little Longer

A growing number of neighbors had gathered to watch the drama unfold. Furious, Cheng Hongying nearly spat at Aunt Qiu in front of everyone. Being blocked at the door during New Year’s was humiliating. Who could stay in a good mood?

Qiu Yinuo, however, remained unbothered, her smile even more infuriating than Aunt Qiu’s scolding. “Oh dear, what a coincidence, I was just joking with you too! But really, Auntie, you’re the one who took it so seriously.”

Aunt Qiu: “…”

How could this girl be so maddening?

But looking at the generous New Year’s gifts in her hands, Aunt Qiu had no choice but to swallow her anger along with her pride.

Forcing a twisted smile onto her face, she said, “Second sister-in-law, Yinuo… and, uh, the niece’s cousin-in-law—you all come in, don’t stand outside.”

Qiu Yinuo beamed, her grin widening. “We’re coming, we’re coming. Auntie, you’ve always been so welcoming.”

Aunt Qiu felt a rush of blood go straight to her head, her scalp tingling from sheer rage. In just a few minutes, she was practically gasping for breath.

No, she couldn’t afford to lose her temper—not on New Year’s. Losing her temper now would mean a whole year of bad luck.

Once she let them in, Aunt Qiu reached out to take the New Year’s gift from Qiu Yinuo, only to have her dodge away.

“Auntie, these are for Grandpa and Grandma. If you want to see what’s inside, you can take a peek later.”

As if. What Aunt Qiu really wanted was to sneak the gifts away for herself.

But Yinuo didn’t give her a chance. She carried the gifts straight into their grandparents’ room.

Seeing that she had brought quite a few nice things, the elderly couple felt too embarrassed to bring up the old rule that married daughters shouldn’t return home for the New Year.

Especially when Dabao reached out his arms, asking to be held—both of them immediately set aside any thoughts about propriety or favoritism, each picking up one of the little ones. “These two are getting more and more adorable.”

Dabao gave a wide, toothless grin. Dressed in his bright red New Year outfit, he looked even more festive than the chubby baby boys often painted on traditional New Year prints.

“He’s gotten heavier again. Good boy, eat more so you can grow up tall.”

“Come on now, give Great-Grandpa a kiss.”

An old face full of stubble suddenly leaned in. Dabao hesitated for a second, unsure where to plant the kiss.

But for his mama and baby brother, he mustered his courage.

He leaned forward and gave a big smack, which left Grandpa Qiu stunned. “Hey! Did you see that? He really understands us! Oh my, only four months old and already this clever. Wife, our family’s got a little genius!”

Grandma Qiu was equally amazed. “It can’t just be a coincidence, can it?”

“How could there be so many coincidences? He kissed me last time too.” Then, a bit uncertain, Grandpa asked, “It was this one, right? Which one is he again?”

The twins looked so alike that Grandpa Qiu couldn’t tell them apart.

Cheng Hongying used to get them mixed up as well, but after nearly a month of taking care of them, it was now easy for her to distinguish the brothers.

She gently reminded her father-in-law, “Dabao. That’s right—it was him who smiled at you last time too.”

Maybe she initially let her granddaughter in because of the New Year’s gifts, but now it was definitely because of Dabao’s charm.

Erbao, still sound asleep, seemed completely indifferent to all the noise around him.

The grandparents’ full attention was on Dabao, and Cheng Hongying knew perfectly well that they favored the child who could easily win people over. She carefully picked up the sleeping Erbao, worried that he might get accidentally bumped or jostled while no one was paying attention.

To her, both Dabao and Erbao were equally precious.

Qiu Qianjin actually feared the grandparents might not like the twins. If that were the case, how would he ever bring his little nephews over in the future to freeload during family gatherings?

“I’ll go help your Auntie with the chores. You take good care of the children,” Cheng Hongying said, standing up.

Seeing He Ziqing about to follow her, she quickly stopped him. “You’re a guest. Just sit here nicely. Don’t follow me around, or she’ll think you’re an easy target.”

“No worries, Auntie. Doing a bit of work isn’t tiring at all,” He Ziqing said.

“To keep her auntie from pushing her luck later, asking you to help with every little thing,” Cheng Hongying added sharply.

Qiu Yinuo nodded in agreement. “Listen to my mom, she’s always right. We’ve got plenty of work at home for you to shine. No need to waste your energy here.”

“Here, take Erbao.”

Qiu Yinuo’s laziness flared up again, and she quickly waved her hand. “They’re really heavy now. My arms start aching after holding them for a while.”

“You’re hopelessly lazy!” Cheng Hongying grumbled, then turned to Qingqing with a last-minute reminder before leaving. “Keep a close eye on Erbao. Don’t count on his mother—she might forget to bring him home altogether.”

“…I wouldn’t go that far,” Qingqing mumbled.

Erbao was doing his best to sleep, Dabao was doing his best to be cute, Jinzi was doing his best to shower compliments—and together, they effortlessly excluded Qiu Yinuo and He Ziqing from the group.

Qiu Yinuo grabbed a handful of hazelnuts and dumped them into Qingqing’s hands. “Eat up!”

Crack. The shell split open, and the rich, oily flavor of the nut meat burst in her mouth. Even without roasting, the hazelnuts grew more fragrant the longer she chewed.

She hadn’t even swallowed when Grandpa suddenly said, “Dabao, go pluck a bird for Great-Grandpa to eat.”

Qiu Yinuo immediately choked and burst into a coughing fit.

Dabao hadn’t had time to figure out what it meant to “pluck a bird” or even what “bird” it referred to when he saw Great-Grandpa reach out with a mischievous hand and gently pinch that spot.

Then he brought his hand to his mouth, grinning as if savoring a delicious treat.

Dabao stood frozen, utterly stunned. His fragile little heart shattered into pieces.

Aaaaaah!!!

He wasn’t clean anymore.

It was in that moment he finally understood what “pluck a bird to eat” meant.

He’d lived fifteen years in his past life, four months in this one, and never before had he encountered such a perverted old man’s hand. Dabao couldn’t help it—he wailed.

His sudden outburst frightened the elderly couple.

Grandma Qiu quickly patted his back, trying to soothe him as his face turned red from crying. “Old man, did you pinch him too hard? You hurt our Dabao!”

“How could I have? I didn’t even use any force!”

“If you didn’t use force, why is our Dabao crying so hard?”

Seeing that Dabao was still bawling, Grandpa Qiu began to doubt himself. “Could it be… I really was too rough?”

“Of course! Little kids are delicate. You can’t just go tugging at that spot.” Grandma Qiu tried to calm the baby down. “Dabao, be good now. Don’t cry. Great-Grandma will give it a little rub.”

Dabao was hiccupping from fright, unable to squirm away in time, and then—Great-Grandma rubbed it.

Wuuu wuuu wuuu!

Now he really, truly wasn’t clean anymore.

One pinched, one rubbed—how was he supposed to live with himself after this?

Being a good baby was just too hard.

Seeing that he had no intention of stopping, Grandma Qiu quickly laid Dabao down on the heated brick bed.

She pulled down his pants and, along with Grandpa, began inspecting the area. “You didn’t really hurt him, did you? You just can’t help yourself—always trying to pinch anyone’s little bird.”

Qiu Qianjin was frantic and leaned in to look as well. “Let me see. That spot on a man is very sensitive. Grandpa, you really need to stop touching randomly. You used to pinch me like that when I was a kid too!”

At that moment, Dabao wished he could just die. His lower half was exposed, and his soul felt like it had been dragged through an icy lake.

Inside, he was screaming: Pull my pants back up! No one is allowed to look at my bird!

Meanwhile, Qiu Yinuo buried her face into He Ziqing’s shoulder.

“Sister Yinuo, aren’t you going to check on Dabao? He’s been crying nonstop.”

No. Please… just let her laugh a little longer.