grow taller

Saturday morning was sunny and bright. The house smelled of fried eggs and toast, and Amber chirped lazily on the balcony. It should have been an ordinary, cozy weekend morning, until—

"ah--!"

A scream filled with disbelief and grief, belonging to a young girl, erupted from the small room next to the master bedroom, belonging to Qingran, instantly shattering the silence.

Qi Shuo, who was frying eggs in the kitchen, almost flipped the egg over. Tan Huaiyu, who was sitting at the dining table watching the morning news, was also startled and looked up. The two looked at each other and saw doubt and a hint of tension in each other's eyes.

"Ranran?" Qi Shuo turned off the stove and asked in a loud voice.

Tan Huaiyu had already stood up and was walking quickly towards Qingran's room. Qi Shuo wiped his hands and followed.

Pushing open the slightly ajar door, you see Qingran wearing adorable bunny pajamas, standing motionless with her back to the door in front of the wall covered with cartoon height stickers.

Her little head drooped, her shoulders shrugged slightly, and she held a measuring tape in her hand.

"Ranran, what's wrong?" Tan Huaiyu walked over, his voice gentle, and placed his hand lightly on her shoulder.

Qingran turned around abruptly, her small face filled with shock, grievance, and resentment, her eyes even reddening slightly.

She slammed the measuring tape in her hand into Tan Huaiyu's hand, then pointed to the newest horizontal line drawn in pencil on the wall, marked with the date and the name "Ranran," her voice trembling with tears, a mixture of anger and anxiety:

"Brother! Look! I...I...I haven't grown taller! I haven't grown at all!"

Qi Shuo and Tan Huaiyu were both taken aback upon hearing this, then looked at the wall. The wall recorded Qing Ran's height changes. From the initial crooked markings, the rate of growth seemed to have indeed slowed down in the past year. And the new line drawn today almost perfectly overlapped with the one marked three months ago, with no visible difference to the naked eye.

Tan Huaiyu picked up the measuring tape and winked at Qi Shuo. Qi Shuo understood, stepped forward and gently pressed down on Qing Ran's shoulder, who was still angry and whose little face was puffed up like a bun. He coaxed her gently, "Ranran, be good, don't be anxious. Let Brother Yu measure you properly. Maybe you weren't standing straight just now, or you didn't hold the measuring tape properly."

Qingran sniffed, still looking unconvinced, but she still turned around and leaned against the wall, trying her best to straighten her small body. She tried to keep her head, shoulders, hips, and heels as close to the wall as possible, her face tense, looking as if she were facing a great enemy.

Tan Huaiyu suppressed a laugh and tried to put on a serious face. He squatted down and placed the beginning of the measuring tape firmly on Qing Ran's head, pulling the tape straight down to the ground with his other hand. He carefully examined the markings and repeatedly checked the old marks on the wall.

"Hmm..." Tan Huaiyu pondered for a moment, then looked at Qing Ran, who suddenly became nervous and stared at him expectantly. He cleared his throat and announced the result, "According to precise measurements, Qing Ran's current height is 151 centimeters."

"Look! It hasn't grown at all!" Qingran's face instantly fell, her lips pouting so much they could hang an oil bottle on them. She angrily pointed to the two almost overlapping lines on the wall, "It was 151 three months ago! And it's still 151! It hasn't grown a single centimeter!"

She became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, and her big eyes quickly filled with tears: "Am I...am I going to stop growing? Am I going to become a dwarf! I'll be 151cm forever!"

Thinking of the long legs of those models on TV, Qingran felt a pang of sadness, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Nonsense." Qi Shuo immediately spoke up, ruffling her head with his large hand. His tone was as steady as ever, carrying a reassuring strength. "Our Ranran is still growing, how could she not grow? She's just growing a little slower. Look, you've grown so much taller than you were this time last year, haven't you?"

“But I haven’t grown at all in these three months…” Qingran was still very frustrated, her little hands unconsciously tugging at the rabbit ears on her pajamas.

Tan Huaiyu stood up, put away the measuring tape, and looked at Qing Ran's angry expression, feeling both sorry for her and amused.

He put his arm around Qingran's shoulder and led her to the living room, gently comforting her as they walked: "Ranran, everyone's growth rate is different. Some people grow faster in the spring, while others grow faster in the fall. Moreover, growing taller is not something that can be achieved overnight; it takes time and, more importantly, a healthy body. Have you been a bit picky about food lately? Have you been secretly reading picture books late into the night again?"

Having been accused of her "crime," Qingran's arrogance immediately subsided. She lowered her head guiltily and muttered softly, "...It wasn't that late..."

“Look,” Tan Huaiyu pressed his advantage, leading her to sit down at the table and pushing a warm glass of milk in front of her, “If you want to grow taller, getting anxious and angry won’t help. You need to eat well, sleep well, and…” He paused, exchanged a glance with Qi Shuo, and then smiled at Qing Ran, “you also need to exercise more.”

"Exercise?" Qingran looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Yes, exercise.” Qi Shuo picked up the conversation, sat down opposite Qing Ran, and said very seriously, “Especially stretching and jumping exercises, they are very helpful for growing taller. Starting today, your older brothers will exercise with you, how about that?”

"Exercise together?" Qingran's attention was diverted, and she blinked her eyes, which were still wet with tears.

"Okay." Qi Shuo nodded, pointing to a relatively spacious corner of the living room. "We can lay out mats there and do some simple exercises together on weekend mornings and after dinner on weekday evenings. Your brother Yu and I also need to stay healthy, so let's keep each other accountable, okay?"

Tan Huaiyu chimed in with a smile, "Yes, Ranran is in charge of supervising us to see if we're slacking off. Besides, exercise can make you healthier and less prone to illness, just like when Brother Yu was sick last time, it was so uncomfortable."

Remembering how weak Tan Huaiyu looked when he was sick last time, Qingran immediately nodded vigorously. The frustration of her stagnant growth was temporarily replaced by the novelty and sense of responsibility of "doing something very important with my brothers." "Okay! I want to exercise! I want to grow taller! And I want to keep an eye on my brothers!"

Seeing Qingran's face regain its fighting spirit, Qi Shuo and Tan Huaiyu both breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at each other.

Let's get right to it.

Qi Shuo went to the storage room and found the yoga mat he had bought before that had been sitting idle, and then cleaned up a corner of the living room.

Tan Huaiyu then searched online for some stretching and basic fitness movements that are suitable for families, easy to learn, and beneficial to growth and development. She also specifically looked for some lively and interesting children's fitness videos.

So, on Saturday morning, a corner of the Qi family's living room was transformed into a temporary "family gym".

Qi Shuo changed into a black sports vest and shorts, revealing his strong, powerful arms and well-defined muscles.

Tan Huaiyu was dressed in a light gray casual tracksuit, looking fresh and neat. Qing Ran also changed into her favorite pink tracksuit, tied her hair in a neat ponytail, and looked very serious.

The warm-up exercises were simple head, shoulder, waist, and leg circles. Qi Shuo and Tan Huaiyu stood on either side of Qing Ran, guiding her through the exercises.

At first, Qingran was a little clumsy and her hands and feet were not very coordinated, but with the patient demonstration and encouragement of her two older brothers, she quickly caught up with the rhythm and did it quite well.

"Ranran is amazing! She learns so fast!" Tan Huaiyu praised her generously.

Qingran was a little embarrassed by the praise, but her eyes sparkled, and she worked even harder.

Next came stretching. Tan Huaiyu found a simple seated forward bend tutorial. The three of them sat side by side on the yoga mat, straightened their legs, and tried to reach their toes with their hands.

"Oh dear, I can't reach it..." Qingran looked at her fingers, which were still some distance from her toes, and felt a little discouraged.

"It's okay, take it slow. Just feel the stretch, don't push yourself." Qi Shuo said, while easily touching the instep with his palm, and even moving it forward a little. He has been exercising for many years, so his flexibility is actually quite good.

Tan Huaiyu was struggling a bit, barely touching his toes with his fingertips, his expression tense. "Hiss...it seems I need to stretch more too."

Qingran looked at Qi Shuo, then at Tan Huaiyu, and suddenly felt that it wasn't so difficult after all.

She followed their example, took a deep breath, and slowly pressed down. Although she still couldn't touch it, she did feel a noticeable stretch in the back of her thighs.

"I can feel it!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, that's it, hold it for a while," Qi Shuo instructed.

After stretching, we did some simple jumping exercises—jumping jacks. This exercise is beneficial for promoting growth plate activity. Tan Huaiyu played some upbeat music, and the three of them jumped along with the rhythm.

"One, two, three, four! Open your arms, jump your feet!" Tan Huaiyu shouted the slogan, jumping very seriously, and soon beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Qi Shuo's movements are standard and wide-ranging, appearing both effortless and powerful.

Qingran, on the other hand, was like a lively little rabbit, hopping and skipping to the rhythm, her little ponytail swinging back and forth, her face flushed with the rosy glow and smile from exercise, having long forgotten about her height "crisis".

After a few sets of jumps, all three were a little out of breath. Qingran's face was flushed, and her forehead and nose were covered in sweat, but she was full of energy.

"Alright, take a break and rehydrate." Qi Shuo called out, then went to the kitchen and poured three glasses of warm water.

The three sat on the floor mat drinking water. Amber curiously came over and circled around them, rubbing her furry head against one of them and the other, seemingly wondering why these humans were jumping around on the ground.

"Brother, will we exercise every day from now on?" Qingran asked expectantly, holding her water bottle.

"Yes, as long as the weather is good, weekend mornings are fine. On weekday evenings, if I finish my homework early, I can also do it for fifteen to twenty minutes." Tan Huaiyu wiped his sweat with a towel and said with a smile, "But remember, the key to exercise is consistency; you can't just exercise sporadically."

"I'll definitely stick to it!" Qingran clenched her little fist, making a firm vow. Then, she looked at Qi Shuo's smooth muscle lines, and then at Tan Huaiyu's slender but well-proportioned figure, and suddenly blurted out, "Brother, your arms are so strong! Brother Huaiyu, you should practice more too, so you can be like me!"

"Pfft—" Tan Huaiyu, who was drinking water, almost choked. Her ears turned slightly red, and she glared at Qi Shuo with annoyance, as if to say, "It's all because you have such a good figure."

Qi Shuo couldn't help but chuckle and reached out to rub Qing Ran's head: "Your brother Yu is fine as he is, as long as he's healthy. Everyone's physical condition is different, and the best exercise is the one that suits you."

"Oh..." Qingran nodded as if she understood, but her eyes were still bright and full of admiration as she looked at Qi Shuo's arm muscles.

After resting enough, Tan Huaiyu found a fun parent-child exercise video. The movements were simple, lively, and had a game-like feel to them.

The three of them followed the coach in the video, sometimes imitating the walking of small animals, sometimes simulating rowing and shooting hoops, having a great time. The living room was filled with laughter and shouts of "one, two, three, four," and even Amber was infected by the fun, playing with a ball of yarn next to the mat.

After their "family workout," all three were drenched in sweat, but felt incredibly refreshed. Qingran, in particular, was flushed with excitement, exclaiming, "That was fun!" and "I want to do it again tomorrow!"

Qi Shuo and Tan Huaiyu looked at their sister's energetic appearance, smiled at each other, and saw relief and satisfaction in each other's eyes.

That night, before going to bed, Qingran was once again led by Tan Huaiyu to the height wall. This time, however, she didn't take a measuring tape. Instead, she picked up a pen and carefully drew a small, crowned smiling face next to the 151-centimeter line, then wrote a line of crooked words below it:

"Starting exercise today! Let's grow taller!"

After finishing the drawing, she looked at it with satisfaction, then snuggled into Qi Shuo's arms, tilted her little face up, and asked with bright eyes, "Brother Qi Shuo, if I eat more, sleep more, and exercise more, will I grow as tall as the model sister?"

Qi Shuo bent down and picked her up, holding her steadily. He rubbed his nose against her little nose and said with a smile, "Our Ranran doesn't need to look like a model. As long as she is healthy and happy and grows into the best version of herself, that's enough."

Tan Huaiyu also came over, kissed Qingran's forehead, and said gently, "Yes, Ranran is Ranran, the one and only, the best Ranran in the world. Growing taller is good, but health and happiness are more important."

Qingran looked at Qi Shuo, then at Tan Huaiyu. Although she still had a slight obsession with her dream of "looking like a model sister," her heart was mostly filled with thoughts of "the one and only Ranran" and "health and happiness."

She nodded vigorously, put her arms around one of the brothers' necks, and gave them both a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I love my brothers!"

Qi Shuo and Tan Huaiyu both smiled and hugged the warm little body tightly in their arms.