After Descending the Mountain, Seven Big Brothers Spoil Me - Chapter 726

Chapter 726: Raising Children is Expensive
Once inspiration struck, Ning Xian couldn’t stop himself.

While the Qin family had all gone to bed, he was still immersed in drawing, his head down and focused. Grandma Qin came over to call him, but he didn’t respond.

Gu Shao hurriedly explained, “Grandma Qin, don’t worry about him. When he gets into his drawing, he gets completely absorbed in his own world. It’s not that he’s intentionally ignoring you.”

Hearing this, Grandma Qin nodded in understanding. Seeing how concerned Gu Shao was, she smiled and said, “It’s okay, I understand. You all get busy with your work. We’ll head to bed.”

“Alright,” Gu Shao replied.

Meanwhile, Zhouzhou had already fallen asleep in Qin Lie’s arms, snoring away. Qin Lie gave a slight nod to Gu Shao before carrying the little chubby girl upstairs.

The next morning, when Zhouzhou woke up and opened her door, she was greeted by a sight: Ning Xian standing there with dark circles under his eyes. His face lit up when he saw her. “Zhouzhou!”

“Sixth Senior Brother?” Zhouzhou rubbed her eyes and asked, “Why are you here?”

“I came to bring you some drawings,” Ning Xian said as he handed her a stack of papers, each already beautifully colored. There were at least forty or fifty sheets, all exquisitely done.

Zhouzhou stared at them in surprise before looking up at him with concern. “Sixth Senior Brother, did you stay up all night?”

Ning Xian scratched his head sheepishly. “I got too absorbed in drawing.”

Zhouzhou sighed softly. She quickly pulled him into the room, pushed him onto the bed, and put her chubby little hand over his eyes, forcing him to close them. “Now, sleep,” she said sternly, her face serious.

Ning Xian blinked a few times, his long eyelashes brushing against her palm. He smiled indulgently and said, “Okay, I’ll sleep.”

With that, he obediently closed his eyes, and soon his breathing became steady as he drifted off. Zhouzhou, feeling relieved, gently patted his face before leaving the room.

As soon as she stepped out, she ran into Gu Shao.

Zhouzhou instantly sprinted over, wrapping her arms around him and whining, “Second Senior Brother~”

Gu Shao chuckled as he bent down to pick up the little chubby girl, bouncing her lightly in his arms. “Not bad, not bad. You’ve gained ten pounds since we were up on the mountain.”

It felt like he was weighing a little piglet. Zhouzhou pouted but didn’t mind. She snuggled into him, happily chatting away.

“Oh, Second Senior Brother, why did you start cooking at our school?” Zhouzhou suddenly remembered to ask.

When Gu Shao started explaining, he was filled with righteous indignation, recounting all the shady things the previous manager had done. Zhouzhou clenched her tiny fists in anger after hearing the story. “That’s terrible! How could they do such a thing?”

Food is life! How could someone deliberately make something disgusting to make people eat less? If the food is that bad, it just goes to waste! How could someone be so heartless?

Zhouzhou was so angry that she wanted to march over to the manager and give them a piece of her mind. Seeing her so upset, Gu Shao patted her back reassuringly. “Don’t worry, someone that bad will get what’s coming to them.”

“Exactly!” Zhouzhou nodded firmly, feeling a bit better.

Gu Shao, still holding her, asked, “I made breakfast today. Can you guess what it is?”

Zhouzhou sniffed the air and her eyes lit up. “Steamed buns!”

“That’s right,” Gu Shao grinned. “I steamed a whole pot, enough for a whole day.”

Lowering his voice, he added, “But don’t share with your Fourth Senior Brother.”

Just then, Xie Ziyue came out and overheard. He rolled his eyes in exasperation. What exotic foods hadn’t he eaten before? Who cares about a few buns?

Zhouzhou glanced at Xie Ziyue and, mimicking Gu Shao’s whisper, said, “Yeah, let’s not share with Fourth Senior Brother. I’ll take the leftovers with me so he can’t steal them.”

Xie Ziyue: “…”

Can they whisper any louder?

Later, after breakfast, when Zhouzhou really did pack the buns into her bag, Xie Ziyue was too speechless to say anything. He just felt tired, in every possible way.

Grandma Qin noticed this and curiously asked, “Zhouzhou, are you still hungry?”

Zhouzhou shook her head. “No, I’m full.” She explained why she was packing the buns, and after hearing it, the whole Qin family shot accusatory glances at Xie Ziyue.

So it turns out that while they thought Zhouzhou had a rough time on the mountain, at least everyone treated her well. But now they learn there was a “bad apple” among them, stealing food from the child!

Xie Ziyue: “… I wasn’t doing it for the food, I was saving it for her!”

“Lies!” Zhouzhou puffed up her cheeks, not believing him at all. “I asked you for it, and you didn’t give it to me!”

“I told you I’d give it to you if you meowed like a cat!” Xie Ziyue retorted.

Zhouzhou’s eyes widened in indignation. “I’m not Jinbao!”

She’s a human, why should she meow like a cat? Just because she looked all soft and round like a kitten doesn’t mean she should act like one!

Even Qin Ren adjusted his glasses and gently said, “Then we won’t leave any lunch for Mr. Xie. If he wants some, he’ll have to bark like a dog.”

Mu Xuan and the others all nodded in agreement.

This guy was really a piece of work. Mimicking a dog’s bark wasn’t exactly a big deal.

Xie Ziyue was momentarily at a loss for words, wanting to retort but unable to come up with anything. He looked at them with tears in his eyes, regretting that he had ever acted up. Now, with his little junior sister gone and his pride bruised, he felt miserable.

Seeing him like this, Zhouzhou felt a sense of satisfaction. Finally, she had gotten a bit of revenge. Let’s see if that annoying Fourth Senior Brother dares to bully her again after this!

Hmph!

With her revenge served, the chubby little girl puffed up her belly, lugging a big bag of steamed buns as she strutted toward the school like a little soldier.

Gu Shao had to go to work, so he hopped into the car with them.

Before they parted ways, he asked, “Zhouzhou, what do you want to eat for lunch? I’ll cook something special for you.”

This was the joy of having someone in the kitchen!

Zhouzhou’s eyes lit up, and she immediately rattled off a list of dishes, drooling as she spoke.

Gu Shao couldn’t help but drool too. He realized there were so many things he hadn’t tried yet. It seemed like his little junior sister had been living quite well since coming down from the mountain. Back then, she had only eaten steamed buns, even being tricked by their master into avoiding meat altogether.

She had been so easy to please!

Now, though, she was all about fish, duck, and shrimp–nothing less.

He gave an “OK” sign with his hand. “Alright, leave it to me.”

He realized he needed to start earning money fast. Before, he had been budgeting based on steamed buns, but now that Zhouzhou was eating meat, his expenses were skyrocketing.

Ah, raising a child in this day and age was really tough!