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Zhong Wan politely asked the two girls for A Yue's account, the one who had posted the baby videos without permission. She wrote it down, found the account on her phone, and discovered that it was almost entirely about the three babies: Fruit, Vegetable, and Flower.
The other party was clever; they even wrote in the introduction that they had obtained parental consent for the filming and that the updates would be every other day. How could Zhong Wan not know that she had given her consent? She was just waiting to see how A Yue would update in the future.
The two girls who shared the account stood to the side. Zhong Wan and Chu Qinghuai allowed them to take photos together because they really liked the babies, but they said they hoped the girls wouldn't share the photos. Zhong Wan was still a little guilty, afraid that if the children were exposed to the public eye for a long time, people would discover their secret of being spirits.
The photo shoot didn't take long. As they were about to say goodbye, one of the girls squatted down and hugged Mumu tightly, pressing her cheek against hers. She even said, "Luckily I didn't wear makeup today. Oh my, Mumu is so soft and cuddly. I love her so much. I really want to take you all home."
"Say goodbye to your sisters," Zhong Wan reminded them.
Upon hearing her mother's words, Mumu waved her right hand and said, "Bye-bye, sister."
Cai Cai and Xiao He also obediently said "goodbye" like their older sister, but they waved differently. Instead, they put their fingers together, folded them down, and clapped their palms, repeating this over and over, like twinkling stars. It was so cute that anyone would be charmed. Zhong Wan smiled and touched their faces: "You say goodbye like this?"
After saying goodbye to the two girls, it was finally lunchtime. Chu Qinghuai carried Xiao He and walked ahead, searching for a place to eat. There were restaurants all over the street, so they weren't worried about not having a good meal.
But adults suffer from decision paralysis and are overwhelmed by the choices, so they hand over the decision of what to eat to the children.
"What do the babies want to eat? Noodles or rice?" Zhong Wan looked around and saw many fast food restaurants. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Hamburgers and fries are fine too. Since we're out having fun, it's okay to eat once in a while."
None of the three had ever seen a hamburger before, so when their mother gave them this unfamiliar option, they naturally chose the hamburger out of curiosity.
So the family of five went into the relatively spacious store and found seats at the very back.
Zhong Wan took off her coat and casually said, "It's not hot or cold, it's so comfortable. I can rest when I get tired."
...
Eating out is so convenient these days. She took out her phone to scan the QR code on the table to order food and was surprised to find that there were not only Western snacks like fries and pizza, but also Chinese food like noodles and dumplings. Worried that her children wouldn't have enough to eat, she ordered an extra braised pork rice and a bowl of noodles.
Fortunately, they chose to sit near the window, so the children wouldn't get too bored. While waiting for their food, Chu Qinghuai would teach them to count or let them walk around and play.
Taking three children out is no easy task. You have to be prepared for all sorts of unexpected events. The couple has to keep an eye on the babies to make sure they are nearby and haven't fallen while doing anything. It's really tiring, and they can only rest during mealtimes.
Chu Qinghuai reminded them every minute: "Don't wander around, it's almost time to eat, come here quickly so I can wipe your hands."
He was quick-witted and nimble-fingered, catching Cai Cai who wanted to go to another table to join the fun. He picked her up, carefully wiped the baby's paws with wet wipes, and moved on to the next one after finishing one. It took him a long time just to deal with the hygiene issues.
"Have you finished reading it? How did it go?"
Zhong Wan quickly skimmed through A Yue's video and opened the comments section. Finding no particularly malicious comments, she breathed a sigh of relief. What she feared most was that the babies would suffer undeservedly, and since none of them did, that was for the best.
"I took a quick look, and there's nothing too outrageous. Do you think I should message her privately to delete the video?"
Chu Qinghuai chuckled: "You think you can just delete someone's content just because you tell them to?"
Nobody turns down money; asking someone to delete the video is no different from cutting off her source of income.
"What should I do? I don't want my child to become someone else's money-making tool."
Zhong Wan, who usually spoke gently, suddenly raised her voice. She wanted to question the person about their right to be so disrespectful. Her protective instincts surged, and she rested her chin on one hand while swiping the screen with the other, staring at the familiar and lovely face on it with great dissatisfaction.
Chu Qinghuai didn't want this to disturb her mood, so he comforted her, "Let's talk about it when we get back tonight. Call Sister Lin and ask if she knows this person. Anyway, the most direct way is to stop letting the kids go to the noodle shop in the future."
"good."
Having finally made it to the amusement park, Zhong Wan felt she couldn't let it spoil her mood. She turned off her phone, smiled, and continued to watch the children play.
Two of the three children sat with Chu Qinghuai, and one sat with Zhong Wan, because it was more convenient for Chu Qinghuai to feed them.
Logically, the children should be allowed to eat by themselves, but Zhong Wan didn't bring any bibs or extra clothes. Given their mischievous habits, they would definitely make a mess of the food. So, she decided to have Chu Qinghuai feed them instead.
"Open your mouth, ah~"
Zhong Wan held a spoon in her left hand and chopsticks in her right, taking a bite for herself and a bite for the child. Mu Mu supported her chin with both hands, her cheeks moving with each chew, which was incredibly cute.
"Is it tasty?"
Zhong Wan cut the pizza into small pieces for them to eat. The three little ones, who had never seen such delicious food before, were like they had discovered a new continent, eating one bite after another, unable to stop.
Cai Cai, the little foodie, also said, "It tastes better than noodles."
"It's instant noodles," Chu Qinghuai corrected him.
He wouldn't change it, no matter what.
Junk food has its own allure; after one meal of it, the dishes Chu Qinghuai makes will probably have to take a backseat.
Zhong Wan had originally ordered hamburgers, but she misread the set menu and ordered spicy hamburgers, which the children couldn't have.
However, seeing her mother eating something delicious, Xiaohe deliberately asked, "Mom, what's this?"
Zhong Wan clearly saw her swallow, then smile and say, "A hamburger."
What flavor do hamburgers taste like?
"It's delicious, but a little spicy. You can't eat it."
She saw right through her daughter's thoughts in a single sentence.
"Mom—" she called out in a coquettish tone.
Zhong Wan pretended not to hear and even put a bite into Chu Qinghuai's mouth, saying, "You eat it, it's really a bit spicy, I don't want to eat it."
"Put it here." Chu Qinghuai was focused on feeding the child and hadn't eaten a single bite himself.
Seeing what her mother was doing, Xiaohe became anxious. She bit the small spoon used to scoop the mashed potatoes and said with a pitiful look, "Mom, I want to eat."
"It's spicy."
Kids are all rebellious by nature, they won't learn their lesson until they're faced with dire consequences. Zhong Wan picked up the hamburger, broke off a piece of bread, dipped it in hot sauce, and before she could even put it in her mouth, the little glutton had already opened her mouth wide: "Ah—"
Zhong Wan picked up her phone with her other hand, unlocked it, and prepared to record a video.
She didn't believe Xiaohe wouldn't mind the spiciness.
Sure enough, Xiao He, who was savoring the delicious food, suddenly changed her expression and almost jumped up, opening her mouth and sticking out her tongue, "Ouch, it hurts!"
She was about to cry.
Children have sensitive taste buds, and the sweet and spicy sauce is considered a very strong flavor to them.
"See? You still don't believe Mommy. It's so spicy, do you think Mommy would lie to you? Do you want to eat it again next time?"
She shook her head frantically, hugged her water cup and gulped down cold water, her little face flushed, shaking her head and saying no.
Chu Qinghuai found her reaction amusing and handed her a can of cola: "Baby, have some iced cola to cool down the spiciness?"
The two adults stared at her reaction. This time, Xiao He wasn't curious at all. She only glanced at the dark, bubbly liquid before looking away, refusing to taste it no matter what. "I don't want to!"
He shook his head like a rattle drum.
She drank the most water during this meal and didn't eat much of the staple food before she was full. So Chu Qinghuai fed her last, after feeding Mu Mu and Cai Cai.
He scooped up a shrimp, blew on it several times to cool it down until it was no longer hot before feeding it to his daughter. He repeated this action about ten times before finally feeding her.
Zhong Wan specially saved a meal and two slices of pizza for him, saying, "You've worked hard, eat up, it's still hot."
Thinking of the scene of Chu Qinghuai skillfully feeding her just now, she joked, "You're becoming more and more like a parent, huh? You're so good at it, a real super dad."
He has a magical power that allows him to get children to willingly open their mouths and swallow food without needing to say any coaxing words.
For example, she just tried feeding the children, but none of them behaved. She doesn't know if it's because she was too excited today or what, but she suddenly lost her authority over them.
Chu Qinghuai lowered her head, and after thinking for a moment, she told her, "I told them that you would criticize them if they didn't eat properly, and they agreed."
Zhong Wan exclaimed in surprise, "Ah, is that even possible?"
...
"Mommy, sleepy."
After playing for a while, Cai Cai came back, rubbed his eyes and told his mother that he was very sleepy. He leaned on the chair with his little bottom sticking up and kept touching his face with both hands, looking extremely sleepy.
Zhong Wan first grabbed his hand, then took out wet wipes from her bag and wiped his face and hands countless times, saying, "Don't put your dirty hands in your mouth or touch your eyes, they're full of germs, you'll get sick."
She picked up Xiao Qingcai, laid him horizontally on her lap, pulled her coat over his belly, patted his back, and he whimpered twice before falling asleep.
"It's 1:15, I really should be sleepy." Zhong Wan looked at the time and hesitated whether to call Mu Mu and Xiao He, who were playing, back to sleep together. Chu Qinghuai said he would go.
Parents know their children best. Five minutes later, the two daughters fell asleep on the sofa. Zhong Wan picked up Mu Mu and leaned her against the wall, while Chu Qinghuai took care of the smaller Cai Cai and Xiao He. The couple silently exchanged glances, and the only sound around them was the gentle patting of the children.
The restaurant wasn't just frequented by Chu Qinghuai and his wife; most people were there with their children for a nap. However, quite a few fussy babies were crying incessantly. Compared to them, their three children seemed even more angelic. Some people even asked Zhong Wan how she took such good care of her babies, expressing their envy.
She laughed and said she just brought it along randomly.
Two months ago, they could never have imagined that they would have such a harmonious and warm side. Looking at their daughter and son sleeping peacefully with their little hands hanging limply at their sides, Zhong Wan said, "I'm so glad we never had children. It seems that not having money to have a baby before was fate. We're just waiting for them to save up more money to bring them home."
"Yes."
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