When the little tiger heard his father leave, he was so happy that he raised his paws. Realizing that his father could see his movements, he restrained himself and put his paws back.
Chu Qing came here mainly to see Wei Yutang. Since he had gone out on a mission, there was no need for him to stay here any longer.
Xiaxia was quite happy to hear the news. He really liked the toy room, but after playing there for a few days, he got a little tired of it. Plus, the security there was quite strict.
Even a small tiger like him still needs to undergo some checks regularly.
After Chu Qing took Xia Xia back, he looked at the villa where they were staying. The design was impeccable, but it looked too much like a hotel.
There was no trace of any family members living there; it was like a house you could come to and leave at any time.
Xiaxia saw her father wandering around there and thought there was something interesting there, so she happily followed him with her little steps.
"What does Xiaxia like? How about we add a swing here? After dinner, you can sit on it and I can tell you stories."
The little tiger's eyes lit up when it heard this, and it nodded its head vigorously.
"Awoo awoo".
I want a swing, and I want my dad to tell me stories.
Chu Qing had only noticed that Xia Xia spent the most time playing on the swing before. Even when she had nothing to do, she was very willing to lie on the swing and daydream, so she wanted to put one at home as well.
"Then I'll have the housekeeper do it."
"Aww~"
Before the swing was even installed, an uninvited guest arrived at the house.
Chu Qing was genuinely surprised that the Chu family, who had never had any contact with the original owner, would now take the initiative to come to him, seemingly still wanting his help.
Chu's mother was dressed appropriately and sat on the sofa, which Chu Qing could see as soon as she came downstairs. The housekeeper next to her did not look too good and had not prepared water for the guests.
Chu Qing couldn't distinguish the specifics of the original owner's personality, but it was clear from many of the original owner's actions that he longed for his parents' love and hoped to gain their approval through his own efforts.
Little did he know that in the eyes of those who didn't value him, everything he did was wrong, and no matter how outstanding he was, he still couldn't compare to Chu Ming, who grew up with his parents.
In the original owner's memories, this woman had said when he was forced to be with the marshal that they should never have any further involvement with each other.
Helping the original owner to be with Wei Yutang and ensuring he would have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of his life was already their greatest kindness, and they owed him nothing.
Now that they've suddenly come knocking on my door, Chu Qing is curious about what they're after.
"You've come here, is there something you need?"
Upon hearing this, Chu's mother couldn't help but frown, feeling somewhat displeased.
He's still her son, after all. Does she have to have a reason for coming here? Is this the kind of questioning attitude one should have towards their mother?
"Can't you come unless there's a specific reason?"
After sensing the aggression in her tone, Chu Qing gave a sarcastic twitch and nodded slightly in response.
"If there's nothing wrong, why did you come over?"
He couldn't be bothered to pretend to be considerate and understanding. Rather than making himself uncomfortable with pretense, he preferred to be clear from the start.
"you!"
Chu's mother was so angry at Chu Qing's words that her face turned ashen. Normally, she would have turned around and left long ago, but today she forced herself to sit there and suppress her anger.
"I've come here today because I need your help with something."
The curt tone and the seemingly condescending attitude were not only unacceptable to Chu Qing, but even the butler beside her felt it was somewhat inappropriate.
The housekeeper had worked for the marshal for a long time. Due to the employer-employee relationship and the marshal's trust in her, he had given her special instructions before she left.
It was said that if the Chu family came looking for Chu Qing, it would be best to refuse if possible, but if not, one should stay by and watch to prevent the master from being wronged.
"Madam, look at yourself right now. Do you look like you're begging for a favor?"
Although the housekeeper was reluctant to admit it, she knew very well that if it was something that even the Chu family members couldn't solve, they would probably have no choice but to ask the marshal for help.
Getting the marshal involved is never a good thing; it might even affect the marshal himself.
"You, I'm talking to my son, who gives you the right to criticize me?"
“Madam, this is not a reprimand, but merely a reminder.”
The housekeeper smiled politely, and before Chu's mother could say a second word, Chu Qing interrupted.
"The housekeeper is right. I don't want to help with anything. If you really need it, you should go find someone else."
If she could find someone else, Chu's mother wouldn't want to stay here any longer, but that matter was just too difficult, and the only safest option was to have the marshal take action.
"You, after you help me with this, I promise I won't bother you again."
Even if I don't help you with this, you still won't have a chance to bother me.
The Chu family members were not among Chu Qing's mission objectives, so Chu Qing didn't bother to get involved with them.
He had limited energy, and the little tiger was growing too fast, seemingly changing every day.
“You, I am your mother.”
"Oh, so what?"
After saying this, Chu Qing raised her wrist to check the time, calculating that the little tiger should be waking up from its afternoon nap soon.
He used to say that Xiaxia was well-behaved, but after a while, he realized that she wasn't actually that well-behaved.
For example, after his afternoon nap, if he doesn't see himself next to him, this little tiger will even destroy the house. He doesn't know how many of the little toys that he sleeps with have been destroyed.
"I have something else to do. If you're really curious about this, you can go to the biology exhibit to learn more."
The laws in this empire are rather unique; in cases like Chu Qing's, he is not required to support his parents.
Without this layer of consideration, Chu Qing became even more unscrupulous.
"You, are you really unwilling to help? Are you willing to watch your brother's future be ruined because of that?"
"Do you know how heartbroken I was when you got lost? During the long time you were gone, it was always your younger brother who stayed by our side. If it weren't for your brother, you probably wouldn't have seen me again."
After seeing that Chu Qing was not moved at all by what she said, Chu's mother began to play the emotional card.
No matter the cost, she was determined to make sure her son was alright. She absolutely couldn't let his efforts of more than ten years be ruined by such a small matter.
"I'd be happy to not help, I don't know, oh."
After Chu Qing finished speaking, he started calculating the time in his mind. It was probably too late to go upstairs now. He bet that the little tiger would come down to find him in two minutes, huffing and puffing, carrying the stuffed animal he had taken apart.
Perhaps they'll even place the disassembled doll in front of you, then turn around and act all cute.
He responded to every word his mother said. Chu Qing praised himself inwardly, thinking that this was probably what they meant by responding to everything.
"It's just a small matter."
"You can handle that small matter yourselves."
Just after I finished speaking, I heard the tender cry of a tiger cub.
Xiaxia ran down the stairs with the disassembled doll in his mouth. Usually, he would take the slide next to the stairs, lie down on it, and slide down by himself.
But today, because I had something in my mouth, it wasn't very convenient, so I had to make do and walk slowly.
The stairs were a bit high, and especially when going down, his legs were too short, so every time he jumped, his bottom would get bumped, and he would let out a pitiful whimper.
Every now and then, I would glance downstairs, wondering why my dad wasn't coming over to take our precious child down.
If I really had to jump like that, I'd be exhausted.
Chapter 92
Fortunately, Chu Qing didn't make things difficult for his little tiger for too long. He went over and picked Xia Xia up, then gave him a quick rub on the bottom.
The little tiger skillfully nuzzled his head against his father, and was just about to roll over to expose his soft belly so his father could press it to see if he was starving when he suddenly realized that there seemed to be someone he didn't recognize in the living room.
In this little tiger's mind, people he doesn't know can be categorized into those he doesn't like.
This person, in particular, looked somewhat familiar, as if I had seen him somewhere before.
"Huh?"
Chu Qing didn't intend to introduce it to him; the nanny had already prepared Xiaxia's usual milk.
When it comes to eating, Xiaxia is always easy to manage. She doesn't need to be coaxed at all; she'll just hold her bottle and drink on her own.
It held the bottle tightly with all four paws, but didn't forget to glance at the middle-aged woman.
Of all the things at hand, drinking milk was the most important, so Xiaxia forced herself to bring her attention back.
“If that’s all you’re after, I don’t think we have anything to say to each other, and I won’t help you.”
"What about Wei Yutang? Does he know you're like this?"
At this moment, Chu's mother felt more regret than ever before. If she had known that Chu Qing would be so disobedient, she would have preferred to let Chu Ming be with the marshal in the first place.
Even if Wei Yutang's illness is incurable, he won't live much longer anyway. Who knows, after he dies, his son might inherit everything.
"If you want his help, you can contact him yourself."
Chu Qing's attitude was very clear: she could ask Wei Yutang for help, but she would absolutely not interfere.
"You, you are so heartless."
"Thank you for the compliment."
When Xiaxia heard this person talking about her father like that, she even forgot to drink her milk and growled fiercely at her.
"Awoo."
The angry little tiger's fur stood on end, making him look exceptionally cute, but he thought he was quite fierce and secretly sharpened his claws.
Chu Qing reached out and skillfully stroked his fur. She hadn't originally planned to let Xia Xia know too much about this. It was better for such a young boy to be thinking about how to play all day.
But now that things haven't turned out the way they wanted, all they can do is try to minimize the potential impact of this matter.
"If you have anything else to say, please do so now, as I'm about to head out."
Chu Qing didn't know before, but today he suddenly saw a video of a blogger dressing his child.
The blogger's child is an adorable kitten, and looks even cuter when dressed in all sorts of exquisite clothes, especially those animal onesies.
I have a puppy of about the same age at home. If I don't take advantage of its young age and easy to fool now, it probably won't listen when it gets older.