Extra 4.3

On the day Xiao Tangyuan received her admission letter from Peking University, Zhuzi had just finished his internship at the Supreme Court and officially became an assistant judge.

Zhuzi had passed the judicial examination the previous year. He originally planned to work at the district court closest to home and had already reached an agreement. However, due to his top score in the judicial examination, the Supreme Court directly recruited him, and the district court couldn’t compete, so he reluctantly had to give it up.

Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan were also very diligent. They were both admitted to Peking University and didn’t hold back the family. This year, Xiao Roubao, known for his exceptional academic performance, topped the college entrance examination in the capital. The entire capital, and indeed the whole country, buzzed with excitement. News about Su Xiaoxiao and Han Cheng once again dominated the front pages of major media outlets, and major TV stations vied to cover the story. This family had become synonymous with top academic achievements, having sent themselves, their children, and their relatives’ children to Peking University, many of them as top scorers. This was a historical milestone.

Tang Tiantian was also very hardworking and was admitted to Capital Normal University with outstanding grades. Becoming an excellent teacher had always been her dream, and she had successfully achieved it.

Only the youngest had not yet taken the college entrance examination among these children.

By the early 1990s, the media had matured significantly compared to the 1980s. Television coverage had expanded, reaching thousands of households with many local channels. Xiao Roubao’s visibility had grown beyond the big screen. He received numerous endorsements from well-known brands, especially after losing weight. His posters were everywhere in major shopping malls and subways, and he featured prominently in TV commercials. It was almost as if his handsome face could be seen from every angle on TV. In modern terms, he was a national celebrity who had grown up in the public eye. Some people had seen him on TV more often than their children and felt very familiar with him.

The twins had just turned 18 and Zhang Xiuyuan was already 25. Thanks to Su Xiaoxiao, the old Su family and Mr. Zhang remained open-minded. Times had changed, and they no longer pressed their children or grandchildren about marriage or blind dates. As long as the children were happy, that was all that mattered.

This summer was particularly hot. Old Master Zhang had been hospitalized due to a severe illness. The situation was critical, and two critical condition notices had been issued. The old master thought he was nearing the end and expressed his wish to see his precious grandson get married and have children before he passed away.

Zhuzi felt sorry for his grandfather and held his hand to encourage him to get better soon. He said that there was a female colleague in the court who was very nice to him and that he was planning to consider her, urging his grandfather to stay strong and he would be able to see her soon.

Zhuzi had originally intended to comfort the old man, and there was no such female colleague in the court at all. However, Xiao Tangyuan, who had been present at the time, took it to heart. This was the first time she realized that her brother Zhuzi was planning to marry another girl and have children with her!

How could this be possible? Her brother was supposed to be good only to her—how could he be good to other girls as well? How exhausting would it be to be kind to so many girls at the same time? Or did that mean her brother would stop being good to her once he became good to other girls?

Xiao Tangyuan’s mind was filled with questions, and she felt a sense of inexplicable confusion. Her brothers had always kept her away from romantic relationships during her adolescence, and she had been overly protected from childhood through to adulthood. Even though she was now an adult and about to start college, she remained completely naive about the dynamics between men and women.

She touched the safety buckle on her neck, lost in thought. The safety buckle she wore was actually the one Zhuzi’s grandmother had left for him. When Xiao Tangyuan was about seven or eight, she accidentally broke her own safety buckle, which was her grandmother’s heirloom. Xiao Tangyuan had been wearing it since she was one year old and had grown accustomed to touching it all the time, even when falling asleep at night. The thought of it made her increasingly sad, and she broke down in tears.

Many treasures were dug out from under the bridge piers of the Ancestral house. Su Xiaoxiao gave each child in the family a safety buckle to wear. When the brothers saw their sister crying, they all offered her peace locks to choose from. Without hesitation, Xiao Tangyuan chose the peace lock from Xiao Zhuzi.

For some unknown reason, Xiao Tangyuan had a special fondness for Xiao Zhuzi’s safety buckle. When she was young, she had clung to it during the “grabbing the first item” game. At that time, Su Xiaoxiao had put the safety buckle from Li Yufeng around Xiao Tangyuan’s neck and returned Xiao Zhuzi’s to him.

Even after all these years, she still had an eye for Xiao Zhuzi’s safety buckle. Su Xiaoxiao had chosen the buckles based on the children’s ages. Although Xiao Roubao’s buckle was most similar to the one she had broken, she didn’t want it.

The children likely didn’t remember the origin of Zhuzi’s safety buckle. Just as Su Xiaoxiao was about to intervene, Zhuzi had already put the buckle around Xiao Tangyuan’s neck and picked up his sister, giving Su Xiaoxiao a look that indicated it was fine.

Su Xiaoxiao thought that since so many years had passed, Zhuzi’s grandmother would be reassured that Zhuzi was living well now. She decided not to dwell on such small matters and found the best-quality buckle from the collection for Xiao Zhuzi to wear.

Xiao Zhuzi actually likes it very much. All the family members in Aunt Su’s family, young and old, wear one, giving it a sense of ritual. Wearing this buckle made him a part of the family, and he was very happy to be part of it.

To this day, Zhuzi still cherishes that safety buckle. He checks the string every day while showering to ensure it is secure and willn’t break. Ever since Xiao Tangyuan’s buckle broke due to the string, even the most careless Xiao Roubao has become accustomed to checking the string while showering. This buckle has truly become their family’s symbol. Since then, everyone has taken great care of it.

Xiao Tangyuan had been wearing the safety buckle that Zhuzi had worn for many years. Due to frequent touching, it had become particularly smooth and shiny, and she had always taken good care of it.

“Tiantian, do you really think brother is going to marry another girl and have children with her?” Xiao Tangyuan’s soft and sweet voice carried a distress she was not fully aware of herself.

This was the last summer vacation before starting senior year of high school, which was still half a month away. Xiao Tangyuan and Tang Tiantian, who had been desk mates from kindergarten through high school, were about to be separated for college. Therefore, they decided to spend more time together and went out to play every day.

Tang Tiantian found Xiao Tangyuan’s words a bit odd. The use of the word “other” implied that Xiao Tangyuan already believed Zhuzi had someone else.

Due to family reasons, Tang Tiantian was more mature and sensitive than Xiao Tangyuan, who grew up in a protected environment. However, Xiao Tangyuan’s impressive brothers set her standards for boys to the peak. No other boys could stir her heart even in the early stages of romantic feelings. Indeed, as the saying goes, “If you meet someone too stunning in your youth, you will never find peace for the rest of your life.”

Tang Tiantian thought that her future might never find peace.

“The person involved is confused, while the onlooker sees clearly.” This applied to both Tang Tiantian and Xiao Tangyuan. Perhaps even she didn’t realize that besides her Brother Zhuzi, no other boy could catch her eye. With his refined appearance, tall stature, gentle personality, and a smile that felt like a spring breeze, he could instantly calm any restless heart. Always first in exams, growing up together as childhood sweethearts, and most importantly, having cherished Xiao Tangyuan from a young age, where could such a boy be found a second time? Xiao Tangyuan used “other” because she included herself in the category, though she didn’t realize it.

Xiao Tangyuan always added prefixes like “Big,” “Second,” or “Third” when referring to her brothers or called them “Big Brother” or “Second eldest Brother,” but when she simply said “Brother,” it specifically referred to Zhuzi. When she called him “Brother,” her voice was the softest and sweetest. Only Tang Tiantian, who had grown up with her, could notice this.

Tang Tiantian felt that they were all adults, and she needed to remind her good sister: “Xingxing, have you ever thought about marrying your brother Zhuzi and having children with him?”

Tang Tiantian’s words were undoubtedly a bolt from the blue. It was as if a firework had exploded in Xiao Tangyuan’s small mind, and her brain was not just crashing but turning into mush, unable to process anything.