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The three children had only been gone for three weeks, but to Zhong Wan and Chu Qinghuai it felt like three years had passed. They never expected that when they returned, the children had grown up quite a bit.
In a literal sense, he's grown up; he's half a head taller than before he left, transforming from a little baby into a big baby, so big that Zhong Wan can't even hold him in one arm.
"Mom, Dad."
The three of them took turns calling out "Dad" and "Mom," as if they couldn't get enough of it. Each clear "Mom" and "Dad" made the couple very happy.
"Mom misses you all so much."
Zhong Wan carried Mu Mu, while Chu Qinghuai carried Cai Cai and Xiao He, and the family headed to the living room.
With the dolls gone for the past two days, all the toys on the floor had been put away, making the house feel less lively with children. Now that the three babies were finally by her side, Zhong Wan's sense of loss and sadness disappeared, replaced by a feeling of relief at having them back.
"Mom, I miss you too."
Zhong Wan was eager to know what they had eaten and slept well during this time, but what she was most curious about was why the children had suddenly grown up and whether it would have any impact on their health.
She and Chu Qinghuai exchanged a glance, and could clearly sense that the three children seemed to have changed compared to before. For example, the special fragrance on them was now almost undetectable.
Mumu said, "The goddess sister cast a spell on me. She said I won't be a little spirit anymore and can stay with Mom and Dad forever. Mom, if I don't become pretty anymore, will you hate me?"
The little girl blinked her bright, clear eyes at her, filled with anticipation and nervousness.
She really underestimated her parents' love for her. In parents' eyes, their children are adorable no matter what.
"Aren't you a little sprite? How did you do that? What about Cai Cai and Xiao He?"
She didn't answer the final question immediately, but instead expressed disbelief that the three babies had become normal, ordinary babies.
Zhong Wan couldn't help but marvel at the wonder of this world, as if it were truly magical, allowing her to do whatever she wanted.
Chu Qinghuai was equally shocked upon hearing this. He touched his eldest daughter's hair, then bounced the two younger ones on his body, and couldn't help but kiss their cheeks. There was really only the scent of milk left; the fresh and natural scent from before had disappeared.
For some reason, he felt closer to the children on a deeper level.
"We've all become the kids that our parents love!"
Xiaohe said this.
Zhong Wan's nose tingled with emotion. "Your parents will love you no matter what."
Cai Cai has only grown taller, but his personality remains simple. When his mother asked him if he had eaten and slept well, he first shook his little head, then shook his little head again, saying, "No food, but I slept. I'll go home when I wake up."
Zhong Wan heard that the spirits remained asleep throughout the process of absorbing spiritual energy, so she guessed that the children must not have suffered much pain. They had just woken up and arrived home, and had also gotten rid of the perhaps too burdensome identity of the spirits. For the parents, that was naturally the best thing. She didn't want her children to be smart or well-behaved. She was happy enough if they could be healthy and happy as ordinary children.
"Does Cai Cai want to eat Daddy's cooking?"
"think!"
He looked up at Chu Qinghuai, then shyly snuggled against his father's neck and smiled, "Caicai wants to eat two meals."
The little boy held up two fingers, which meant two bowls of rice. Chu Qinghuai grasped his fingers and said, "Okay, Dad will give you two."
"Xiao He wants one too!"
"Then Daddy will cook more food." Chu Qinghuai hugged them tightly as if they were precious treasures, his eyes filled with tenderness.
The family hadn't seen each other for many days, so they lingered on the sofa for a long time. The three children asked their parents if they loved them three hundred times. Zhong Wan and Chu Qinghuai were tired of saying "Yes, yes, yes" to each other.
At first, the two thought the babies were asking because they felt insecure, but they soon realized that the three little devils were being mischievous and were becoming more and more affectionate, just wanting to hear nice things from their parents.
Chu Qinghuai had probably said "I love you" enough for a lifetime. Seeing that they still wanted to ask, he patted his behind and left, saying, "I'm going to cook."
Zhong Wan smiled, thinking that someone's ears were turning red if she didn't expose them in front of the children.
-
The three children who returned to normal human cubs only grew a few centimeters taller during their first visit. After that, they exhibited normal growth patterns, including in weight, appearance, and intelligence. They did not become less adorable; on the contrary, they became even more beautiful and delicate.
Everyone used to say that the child's eyebrows and eyes looked a lot like Chu Qinghuai's, but now that's no longer the case. The three babies look exactly like Zhong Wan, with soft features, big eyes, and high nose bridges. It's not hard to imagine how good-looking they will be in the future.
Zhong Wan and Chu Qinghuai have never cared much about looks; as long as the child is presentable, that's enough. Inner beauty is always more important than good looks. But every time they take their child out to play, they always receive a few compliments, and they start to feel proud. Yes, their baby is indeed very beautiful.
As children grow in all aspects, their tempers also develop, they have their own thoughts, and they pay special attention to their privacy. Now they don't want to sleep with their parents anymore, which makes their parents very sad.
Of course, these changes are not without reason.
Chu Qinghuai's fruit shop business is getting busier and busier. He has created six or seven WeChat groups alone. He can't handle it all, so he has hired workers to help him. Zhong Wan is not working at the cake shop at the moment. The boss's wife asked her to be the manager of the dessert shop branch. With performance bonuses, she can earn 15,000 to 16,000 yuan a month. But behind the high salary is endless hard work. She is also busy and has no time.
Therefore, the three children, who had no one to take care of them, were sent to daycare by their parents again.
This time, Chu Qinghuai found out clearly that the daycare center was very well-organized, and even offered interest training such as singing, dancing, and piano. The children were not in the same class and had all made new friends. They might have learned from others, as they are now very conscious of their privacy.
In the morning, before going to school, Zhong Wan would get up and knock on the three children's doors. Then she would hear, "Mom! Don't come in! I can dress myself!"
This is a new skill they learned in daycare, and they've already shown it to their parents. Not only that, they also know not to take off their clothes in front of others. Zhong Wan is very pleased with this natural sense of privacy that the children have developed. However, she still often patiently explains, "You must not let anyone touch the parts covered by your underwear. If you feel uncomfortable when someone touches you, run far away and come back to tell Mommy, understand?"
Zhong Wan felt that they were all angels, and they knew certain principles without being taught.
But even if I know it, I still have to talk about it.
To respect their wishes, Chu Qinghuai removed the surveillance cameras a long time ago, truly making their room their secret base.
...
Another change from becoming a normal child is that the three little ones are no longer allergic to anything.
Xiaohe is fine; she doesn't dislike any particular food and eats them all. She's a loyal fan of her father's cooking.
Mumu finally got to taste what oranges tasted like. They were sweet and sour, and she loved them. But Caicai suffered because leafy greens became his absolute least favorite vegetable, even though his dad often cooked them for him.
How spoiled was he? Chu Qinghuai made a fragrant braised pork and vegetable rice dish, chopping the small green vegetables into tiny pieces and mixing them with rice coated in lard and soy sauce. On top were slices of homemade cured pork. The sweetness of the vegetables and the oiliness of the meat combined to make it incredibly delicious. Xiao He could eat two small bowls of the dish, while Cai Cai wouldn't even glance at it, pouting and saying, "I don't want the vegetables, pick them out!"
Zhong Wan laughed and said, "If you don't eat vegetables, Mom will rename you Cai Cai (Vegetable)."
"No, I am Cai Cai."
Everyone around him was engrossed in their food, but he was still arguing with his mother about what name to give him. At this moment, Chu Qinghuai put on his "strict father" act and tapped the edge of his bowl with his chopsticks, saying, "Take a bite, and you really can't taste any vegetables."
Seeing that the child didn't believe him, he simply said, "This is all we have today. If you don't eat it, you'll go hungry."
Cai Cai reluctantly picked up the small spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and slowly picked out the small pieces of vegetable leaves with her left hand, looking almost like she was being forced to eat poison.
-
The Lunar New Year is just around the corner, and this will be the first New Year that the children have celebrated in this family. Of course, Zhong Wan and Chu Qinghuai want to make good preparations and create a festive and lively atmosphere.
In previous years, the couple would at most cook a sumptuous dinner to mark the end of the year, then set a small goal for saving money in the coming year, and lie in bed dreaming about a wonderful life.
This year can't be like that. Zhong Wan specially bought red lanterns and some exquisite stickers at the supermarket and decorated them in the three children's rooms. The children, who have never experienced the Spring Festival before, started looking forward to it a month in advance.
Mumu learned the most useful move from the cartoon.
One morning, when Zhong Wan opened her door, Xiao Mumu, wearing fluffy pajamas, clasped her hands together in a prayer-like gesture, saying, "Give me a red envelope~"
Her sweet voice almost made Zhong Wan overlook the funny and playful New Year's greeting gesture. Zhong Wan pinched her little face and said, "Who did you learn that from? You little money-grubber."
Mumu continued waving her hand, "Give me the red envelope!"
She knew that red envelopes meant money, and money could buy lots and lots of snacks. She wanted them, so why wouldn't her mother give them to her?
“Sweetie, you’re doing it wrong. Your hands should be placed like that.” Zhong Wan taught her the correct way to offer New Year’s greetings, and then said, “It’s not New Year’s yet, so Mommy doesn’t have a red envelope for you. How about I give it to you on New Year’s Eve?”
Mumu couldn't wait any longer and hoped that Lunar New Year's Eve would come quickly, so every morning when Zhong Wan opened the door, she would see the adorable scene of Mumu saying "Give me the red envelope."
...
Who would have thought there would be good news on New Year's Eve?
After making Cai Cai cry, the naughty Xiao He probably realized she had done something wrong, so she hid behind the curtains and pretended that no one could see her.
Chu Qinghuai smiled helplessly and deliberately said, "Children, come and have some candy."
Little He was really craving it, but she didn't dare to go out right away, so she tugged at the curtains, hesitating between the two.
Chu Qinghuai tossed a candy to her, and she exclaimed, "Oh dear! One of my candies is missing! Can anyone help me find it?"
Xiao He reached out her paw, picked it up, and ran out excitedly, saying, "Dad, I found it!"
She felt incredibly proud of herself, having finally done something good for her father.
Chu Qinghuai picked her up horizontally. "I caught you, you little shrew! First, thank you for helping me find the candy. Second, did you break your brother's building blocks?"
Feeling guilty, Xiaohe whispered, "I'm sorry."
She did it on purpose for fun, so she has no reason to deny it now.
"Speak louder and apologize sincerely."
"sorry!"
Chu Qinghuai put her down. "Go apologize to your brother. If he forgives you, Dad will give you candy."
Xiao He ran off to apologize.
After dealing with the children's affairs, Chu Qinghuai was about to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner. He had just put on his apron when his phone rang in the pocket of his lower abdomen. He picked it up and answered, "Hello—"
You could clearly see his expression go from calm to unsettled and back to calm again. I don’t know what news he heard. His eyes flickered, and his right hand fingers trembled slightly.
The reason was only revealed when everyone had their New Year's Eve dinner that evening.
Each child had a glass filled with freshly squeezed juice. They held the glass with both hands and clinked it together, just like adults. Inevitably, some of the liquid dripped onto their clothes. Zhong Wan didn't say anything when she saw this, and she didn't spoil the fun at all. She took turns toasting with the three children.
Before dinner, she, as the head of the household who controlled the finances, began her speech, starting with the plans for the coming year: "The children can go to kindergarten now, I will continue to manage my dessert shop, and Dad will sell more fruit."
After speaking for about two minutes, she asked Chu Qinghuai to add something, but to her surprise, he suddenly dropped a bombshell. The man said inscrutably, "I received a call today that the house in the north of the city is going to be demolished. Our family has many members, so we'll get a lot."
The child wouldn't understand what these words meant, but Zhong Wan, being an adult, understood perfectly. Her eyes widened, "My God! Is this information reliable?"
"Absolutely true."
She was suddenly moved to tears. After calming down, Zhong Wan began to review her experiences over the past year. Not only did she attract three lucky babies, but she also brought them good fortune. Mu Mu, Cai Cai, and Xiao He are truly lucky stars.
After years of hard work, her seemingly endless life suddenly took a new direction. Overwhelmed with emotion, she grasped Chu Qinghuai's hand and asked earnestly, "We're rich now? We're not broke anymore, are we?"
Chu Qinghuai smiled: "Yes, we have money now, and we will earn even more money so that our children will never have to suffer again."
"Mom and Dad, what are you talking about? I'm so hungry."
Zhong Wan was filled with emotion when she turned her gaze to the three adorable, pink-haired children and sighed that life was enough.
The steam from the food brought smiles to the faces of the family of five.
—End of main text—
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