"Call me whatever you want." Xu Yanshu bent down, took out a lollipop she had prepared in advance from her pocket, and gave it to her. "Want some candy?"
"Thank you, Sister Yan Shu!" Xu Chacha accepted the candy with both hands, her eyes narrowing into slits with a smile. "You're so kind to me."
Is this what "really good" means?
Xu Yanshu thought this kid might be a bit dim-witted, the kind who could be easily tricked out of a piece of candy on the street.
Xu Chacha, holding Xu Yanshu's hand, skipped and hopped towards her mother, showing off as she ran, "Mom, my sister gave me candy! Look!"
"Mom saw it." Xu's mother unwrapped the candy for her and handed it back, then reached for Xu Yanshu's schoolbag, weighed it in her hand, and asked, "So heavy?"
"Yes, I borrowed some books from the library and plan to take them back to read."
“It’s good to love learning, but you have to know how to balance work and rest.” Xu’s mother patted her back. “Don’t be like that workaholic. Money and books are the same; you can never earn enough of one and never finish reading the other.”
The workaholic she was referring to was Xu's father, a man who could work overtime for a week without coming home.
Xu Yanshu nodded, "I'll do as you say."
"Sister." Someone tugged at Xu Yanshu from behind. Xu Chacha opened her round eyes and pointed at Xu's mother with her little finger, "This is 'Mom,' not 'you.'"
She emphasized each word as she spoke, as earnest as a kindergarten teacher teaching a child to read.
"Yes, it's been so long and you still can't say no," Xu's mother laughed.
Xu Yanshu called out hesitantly, "Mom... Mom."
These two words were so distant from her past life that now, when she uttered them, they felt so cheesy that her fingers almost curled up.
"Sister is too shy." Xu Chacha chuckled, feeling a sense of fulfillment, like watching a TV drama protagonist's happy ending.
"One for my sister, one for me." She grabbed Xu Yanshu's hand and held it together with Xu's mother's, then grabbed Xu's mother's other hand. "Come on, let's go home together!"
"I—" Xu Yanshu's hand trembled slightly as she tried to pull it back, but her mother held it firmly without saying a word.
She and Xu's mother rarely even hugged before, let alone held hands. She always kept her status very low, never daring to overstep her bounds or ask for more.
But Xu Chacha grabbed all the things Xu Yanshu longed for but dared not touch and stuffed them into her arms, looking innocent and happy.
Xu Yanshu lowered her eyes, staring at her clasped hands with her mother, and then at the little one bouncing around.
She couldn't help but mentally criticize Xu Chacha again, thinking, "That's why I said you're clueless. Aren't you afraid your parents will be taken away?"
...
Xu Yanshu noticed that something seemed off about her home.
She stood on the steps and re-examined the magnificent European-style villa, her gaze, unable to hide her doubts, finally settling on the huge pink cat head at the entrance.
The silver metal cat head is adorned with a pink bow, and its two bright yellow eyes look as if they were made of real gold. Below the cat head is a small square sign that reads "Welcome Home" in large characters.
"This is Hello Kitty, isn't it cute?" Xu Chacha appeared to be smiling, but in reality, she had already cried all the tears in her heart.
Who could imagine how she felt one day when she came home to a house full of Hello Kitty toys? She was in pain! She was confused! Just like the "joy" she felt that night when she faced three plates of chicken legs.
She just casually created this persona for herself, but who would have thought that Mr. and Mrs. Xu's love would be so overwhelming and intense? She still remembers those days when Housekeeper Zhang would unpack packages from morning till afternoon, until his fingers turned pink.
This incident taught Xu Chacha a lesson: children who lie really do face consequences!
"Hahaha, this was your dad's idea. He said that if Chacha can't find her way home in the future, she'll know where home is just by seeing this Hello Kitty from afar."
Xu Yanshu nodded in agreement, "Cute."
Xu Chacha really wanted to go up and pat Xu Yanshu's blanket, and tell her: Sister, don't force yourself. Actually, I also think this cat head is a bit scary.
Knowing that Xu Yanshu was coming home today, the kitchen staff specially prepared a few extra dishes. Xu's father also valued this moment, the first time the family had gathered together, and he left work early to wait for the mother and daughter.
Upon entering, Xu Chacha was once again forced to experience being lifted high by her father, but she can now cooperate with him naturally, waving her arms and making a happy face.
"Come on, Dad bought you new slippers, try them on." Father Xu had two pairs in his hand, the smaller one was for Xu Chacha and the larger one was for Xu Yanshu, and the pattern on them was still that familiar yellow-eyed cat head.
"Thank you, Dad." Xu Chacha took his hand and slipped her feet into the slippers. The size was just right, and the shoes felt soft and comfortable underfoot. The bows on the shoes were three-dimensional and bounced cutely with each step.
"Puji puji—" Xu Chacha took two steps, and the smile on her lips became stiff.
Ugh! Just how obsessed is this man with this style of slippers?!
"Why don't my sister's slippers make a sound!"
"This style is only available for children's slippers." After thinking for a moment, Mr. Xu asked for Xu Yanshu's opinion. "If you also like Chacha's style, I'll have a pair custom-made for you."
Xu Yanshu politely declined, "No need, the current one is fine."
Xu Chacha: That's not fair!
...
Washing her hands and preparing to eat, Xu Chacha remembered a detail mentioned in the book: before the original owner returned home, Xu Yanshu always sat next to her father. However, because the two did not get along well, Xu Yanshu would initially sit in a corner, and later she rarely came home for meals.
"Sister, sit here." Xu Chacha pulled Xu Yanshu's hand and pressed her into the seat she had been sitting in yesterday, then pulled up a chair next to her and climbed up. "Chacha will sit next to sister."
Seeing how hard she was struggling to climb the chair with her bottom sticking out, Xu Yanshu couldn't help but reach out and pat her. Xu Chacha kicked her short legs a few times and finally sat down steadily.
Once everyone was seated, the aunt brought out the hot dishes from the pot.
Xu Yanshu stared at the huge platters of meat and vegetables piled up like small mountains, and the pitiful little green vegetables forced into a corner, and felt the same helplessness that Xu Chacha had felt back then.
She remembered that the Xu family's menu always emphasized nutritional balance, and they even hired a nutritionist to create dishes. They had never encountered such a one-sided situation before.
"Come on, Cha Cha, we have your favorite chicken legs today too, eat more." Mother Xu called out again.
"I've had enough, I've had enough." Xu Chacha was afraid that if she didn't stop the two parents, she would burst her stomach sooner or later.
Xu Chacha glanced at Xu Yanshu beside her, and Xu's mother understood, turning her chopsticks around and putting the chicken leg into Xu Yanshu's bowl.
"Thank you." Xu Yanshu lowered her head and ate the meat.
"Is studying very tiring, sister? You're so skinny." Xu Chacha laboriously used her small pink chopsticks to put food into Xu Yanshu's bowl. "You should eat more and gain weight."
With the idea of diverting attention as much as possible, Xu Chacha started stuffing food into Xu Yanshu's bowl.
The book says that Xu Yanshu is never a picky eater. She just mixes everything and takes a bite. As long as Xu Yanshu eats fast enough, she can eat less!
Xu Chacha: I'm so smart.
Just as she was feeling smug about her little trick, three pairs of chopsticks were thrust in front of her almost simultaneously.
"You too, eat more so you can grow taller."
Seven-year-old Xu Chacha, who is less than 1.1 meters tall, was hit where it hurt. Her mouth twitched and she looked like she was about to cry.
"I'm still young, I'll grow taller!"
If these people hadn't reminded her, Xu Chacha wouldn't have remembered this. Before transmigrating into the book, she was always the shortest person in the class line, which is why she was scouted by a talent agent to become a model.
Same name, different fate, Xu Chacha, why are you so disappointing!
...
After dinner, at Xu Chacha's insistence, the family sat on the sofa and watched TV for a while before dispersing.
Xu Chacha was put to bed early by her mother and only fell asleep after listening to Butler Zhang tell her the story of Snow White.
Xu Yanshu was writing her piles of test papers at her desk when her pen ran out of ink. She stood up to look for a refill, and her gaze inadvertently drifted to the window, where she realized it was raining outside.
The summer night rain was loud with thunder and large raindrops, pattering against the window. Luckily, she was wearing headphones the whole time and didn't notice it.
She adjusted the angle of the desk lamp and was about to put her headphones back on when she suddenly heard a knock at the door.
The sound was very soft, just three polite knocks, probably because the person knocking thought she was already asleep, and they walked back.
"Plop... plop plop..."
Having guessed who was at the door, Xu Yanshu put down her pen and went to open the door.
The little baby, who only reached her waist, was holding a pillow in both hands, walking back with her back to her. She looked tiny and pitiful.
"Cha Cha," Xu Yanshu called out to her, "Why aren't you asleep yet so late?"
"I'm scared."
Are you afraid of thunder?
"Hmm." Xu Chacha tightened her arms around the pillow and tugged at Xu Yanshu's clothes while standing on tiptoe. "Can Chacha sleep with her sister?"
Chapter 13
"Okay, come in." Xu Yanshu was only thirteen years old at the time, but he already had the composure of an adult, and his words made people feel inexplicably safe.
"Yay!" Xu Chacha clenched her chubby fist, celebrated softly, kicked off her slippers, and jumped onto Xu Yanshu's bed. "Sister's bed is so soft."
All the furniture and household items in the Xu family's home are from the same brand, and of course, Xu Chacha and Xu Yanshu's beds are also the same.
Xu Yanshu put a bookmark in the book, closed it, untied her hair, and went to sleep next to Xu Chacha.
At first, there was some distance between the two, but after another loud clap of thunder, Xu Chacha took a breath and moved closer to her.
The small body made a small bulge in the blanket where Xu Yanshu was holding it.
"Don't be afraid." Xu Yanshu patted her back, as if comforting a frightened little animal. "Sister is here."
The "little bag" moved up and down, as if it were nodding.
"Don't stay stuffy, let it breathe." Xu Yanshu lifted the blanket.
Xu Chacha poked her head out, her bangs flying everywhere, her hair a messy, tangled mess like a ball of cotton candy. She blinked her bright black eyes, seemingly contemplating whether to be scared to death or suffocate.
Fortunately, the rain came and went quickly, and the thunder stopped as soon as it stopped.
"Sister, are you happy now?"
Xu Yanshu, who had been pretending to sleep with her eyes closed, opened them. "Why are you asking this?"
“Mom said that my sister used to be very unhappy.” Xu Chacha held Xu Yanshu’s right hand in both hands, pressed it against her forehead with a serious expression and prayed softly, “Chacha is very happy now, so I want to share half of my happiness with my sister. I hope my sister will be happy in the future too.”
"you……"
Just when Xu Yanshu thought all her "younger sisters" would be as willful, arrogant, and difficult to get along with as Wen Shiyu, a silly little girl suddenly appeared.
Because of a piece of candy, he unsuspectingly recognized her as his older sister, even though they were not related by blood.
Because of a hug, I prayed in an innocent tone that I would share my happiness with her.
Xu Yanshu held back her tears, thankful that it was nighttime so Xu Chacha couldn't see her expression.