Chapter 24 - 9: Imagination Girl

Chapter 24: Chapter 9: Imagination Girl

She couldn’t just tell Er Zai what was going to happen, so she had to threaten him with his favorite thing: candy.

Er Zai nearly jumped out of his skin and agreed in a heartbeat. "I won’t learn! I’ll never learn again!"

’Are you kidding me? Compared to learning gossip, candy is more important than anything.’

Lin Zhao wasn’t entirely convinced, so she turned to instruct Da Zai. "Da Zai, you keep an eye on your little brother."

Da Zai loved helping his mom more than anything. He nodded solemnly. "Mm-hmm."

While they were talking, Lin Zhao finished cutting the fabric, which she would sew tomorrow. She didn’t have a watch and couldn’t tell what time it was. Feeling a bit tired, she put her things away.

"Let’s go to sleep."

The twins were already fast asleep, sprawled out with their little bellies rising and falling. Their little feet were kicked up, and their cheeks were rosy red.

Lin Zhao adjusted the two little ones’ sleeping positions, covered their small bellies with a new blanket, and said to Da Zai and Er Zai, "Da Zai, Er Zai, lie down properly. Mom’s going to blow out the lamp."

"We’re lying down," said Da Zai.

Lin Zhao blew out the lamp and lay down. Before long, the two "big friends" had also drifted into a deep sleep.

Once the children were all asleep, Lin Zhao rubbed her hands together and started the lottery draw.

The red pointer spun and spun before finally coming to a stop.

It landed on the bath and skincare set category.

[Laundry Soap x2]

[Shampoo x1 bottle]

[Rose-scented Body Wash x1 bottle]

[Smoothing and Moisturizing Conditioner x1 bottle]

[Baking Soda Whitening Toothpaste x1]

[Soft-bristle Toothbrushes x5]

[Whitening and Moisturizing Body Lotion x1 bottle]

[Hydrating and Moisturizing Face Cream x1 bottle]

[Hydrating Children’s Face Cream x1 bottle]

[Moisturizing Face Soap x1]

These were all things the family desperately needed.

Lin Zhao got up quietly. She mentally commanded the system to ’withdraw’ and stored the newly drawn items in the cabinet. Yawning, she climbed back into bed to sleep.

「In the eldest branch’s room at the Gu Family’s old house.」

Tie Dan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He asked his little brother, "Tie Chui, did you really eat eight whole dumplings today?"

"Mm-hmm." Tie Chui lay there stiff as a board, his right hand resting on his bulging stomach. His thin, dark face was full of satisfaction.

"Third Auntie’s dumplings were as big as my fist! One bite and your mouth is full of meat. And they were made with white flour, so they were super tasty."

Tie Dan was so jealous he wanted to cry.

"Why didn’t you save one for me?" he grumbled.

Tie Chui looked at him, confused. "But didn’t you say it, big brother? Only what you’ve eaten and put in your belly is truly yours."

Tie Dan wanted to slap himself. If you asked him how he felt, the only word was regret.

"From now on, if there’s good food, save some for me. If I have good food, I’ll save some for you too."

"No way." Little Tiechui shook his head, refusing. "I have to save it for Da Zai and Er Zai."

"I’m definitely not saving any for you. You eat too much." He even offered a thoughtful explanation.

Tie Dan could almost hear his heart breaking. His voice was forlorn. "Tie Chui, I’m your brother. Your real, biological brother."

’What’s wrong with saving a bite for your own brother?’

Tie Chui rolled over, ignoring him, and muttered, "Da Zai and Er Zai are my brothers too. My best brothers."

Tie Dan was both angry and heartbroken. He said, "I washed your diapers for nothing!"

After saying his piece, he rolled over too.

’Big brother washed my diapers for me?’

Little Tiechui couldn’t lie still anymore. Wriggling like a worm, he moved over to his mother, Huang Xiulan, and whispered, "Mom, did my big brother wash my diapers?" The little boy’s face was a mask of conflict.

Huang Xiulan found her son’s little expression amusing. She decided to tease him on purpose: "What will you do if he did, and what will you do if he didn’t?"

Tie Chui glanced at his brother’s resentful-looking back. He already had a plan in mind.

"If my big brother washed my diapers for me, I’ll save good things for him. If he didn’t, I’ll still save them for Da Zai and Er Zai."

Originally, Huang Xiulan didn’t like her youngest son getting too close to the children from the third branch. Those two kids were too clever, and the third brother’s wife didn’t seem to care about their basic needs at all. She was afraid Tie Chui would be taken advantage of.

She never expected Lin Zhao would actually invite Tie Chui to eat dumplings.

’How strange.’

But since her son was the one benefiting, the shrewd Sister In Law Gu certainly wasn’t going to say anything.

Tie Chui poked Huang Xiulan’s arm, asking earnestly, "Mom, did my big brother ever wash my diapers?"

Behind him, the boy’s body went stiff.

’Even though I only got halfway through before the smell made me cry, that still counts as having washed them, right?!’

Huang Xiulan glanced at Tie Dan and said with a smile, "I suppose you could say he did."

Tie Chui was puzzled. ’What does "I suppose you could say he did" mean?’

"Why do you smell a little fragrant?" Huang Xiulan had noticed a nice scent on Tie Chui earlier but hadn’t asked. Now that they were closer, the smell was more obvious.

Tie Chui gave a simple, honest laugh. "Third Auntie put some snowflake cream on me. Me, Da Zai, Er Zai, and the twins are all sweet-smelling kids now."

Huang Xiulan hadn’t expected Lin Zhao to have changed so much. She was filled with suspicion.

’What on earth is going on with the third brother’s wife?’

「The next day.」

Lin Zhao woke up in a daze, feeling hot and short of breath. She opened her eyes to find the twins sleeping on top of her in strange positions.