Chapter Sixty: Xiaoxi’s Little Thoughts

“Tan Xier, you really are a genius—even taking a bath becomes an occasion to pee!”

“Hiahiahia… I’m amazing, aren’t I? I’m just too amazing, hiahia…”

Tan Jin’er: →_→

Am I supposed to be praising you now?

The little chef Jin’er was both fond and helpless toward her young sister. This little girl was like a bundle of joy, laughing hiahiahia every day, her laughter infecting everyone in the household. Although she was mischievous and sometimes did things that left people both laughing and crying, who could blame her? She was barely three, after all, and so sweet and kind.

Whatever a lovable, kind child did could always be forgiven. At this moment, Jin’er, who had meant to scold her sister with a stern face, had her anger dissolved by the little one’s laughter.

Resigned, she took her little sister’s hand and said, “Come on, didn’t you girls want to hear a story?”

“Hiahia… Story time! You’re so amazing, big sister! Xier loves you so much!”

Little Xier laughed happily and followed her sister to the bedroom belonging to the household’s little ones.

By now, there were already two freshly bathed children lying in bed. When the Tan sisters entered, the two little ones’ eyes sparkled as they called sweetly, “Sister Jin’er~~”

“Yes, you’re both so good,” Jin’er smiled at the eager faces, then gently asked her little sister, “Do you want me to carry you up?”

Xier replied, “No need!”

“Hiahia… Qiu’er, Bai, I brought big sister over, now we can listen to a story before bed! Hiahia… Xier is awesome, isn’t she?”

Proudly, Xier laughed, then scrambled up onto the bed, clambering into the covers in one swift move. She instinctively reached out next to her, but found nothing.

She was instantly bewildered, “Where’s Dong’er?”

Qiu’er giggled, “Hehe… Big brother carried her off!”

Bai added, “Hoho… Dong’er fell asleep. Qing carried her away so she can’t hear the story.”

Xier grew a little anxious, “Then… then I have no one to hug. I can’t fall asleep without a hug, wah…”

“Here, you can hug the bunny,” Qiu’er offered, handing her a stuffed rabbit.

Xier, on the verge of tears: “No, I don’t want the bunny, I want Dong’er!”

Xier began to fuss, and Qiu’er and Bai immediately tried to comfort her in their sweet, childish voices.

Sitting at the bedside, Jin’er watched her sister’s sudden outburst. Clever as ever, she seemed to see right through it, and, barely stifling a laugh, said:

“Are you afraid you’ll have no one to keep you company when you wet the bed if you don’t sleep with Dong’er?”

“Gah!”

The comforting voices stopped abruptly. Qiu’er and Bai stared at Xier with wide eyes.

“I didn’t! I wouldn’t! You’re making things up! Xier is a big kid, a big sister, she doesn’t wet the bed!”

It seemed Jin’er had hit the mark—her little sister’s face flushed as she protested loudly, trying to sound fierce.

Watching her little sister’s indignant defense, Jin’er worked hard not to laugh. “All right, all right, it’s my fault. You’re a big kid, a big sister. So, Miss Tan Xier, will you please lie down nicely and listen to the story so you can sleep?”

Xier: (•̥́ˍ•̀ू) *sob, sob*

A moment later, the three children lay in a row, bright eyes wide open, as the gentle, flowing voice of the little chef Jin’er began:

“Once upon a time, there was a mountain…”

As the soft tale unfolded, the three little ones’ eyelids grew heavy, and before long, their breathing settled into the even rhythm of sleep.

Jin’er gazed affectionately at the three, kissed each one, tucked them in snugly, turned off the lights, and tiptoed out.

Night deepened. The little ones drifted into dreams with smiles of happiness on their lips. The cozy shop was enveloped in peace, but on the internet, the storm only grew fiercer, as the name “Yang Qing” appeared again and again among the people of Yang City.

“Yang Qing! Say it again! His name is Yang Qing! He’s from our Yang City! That little girl singing is his sister!”

“Amazing! Yang City is amazing! Yang Qing is amazing!”

“What do you mean Yang Qing is amazing? It’s the little boss who’s amazing! The cutie is amazing! This song is amazing!”

“Haha… I may not be from Yang City, but I’m from Huaguo! This song gets my blood pumping! Go, Huaguo!”

“Go, Huaguo! I’ve made a recording of this song to use as my son’s alarm clock!”

“Bro, you’re awesome! Patriotism starts young—respect!”

“Respect! If we’re called to war, we’ll return at once!”

“If there’s war, we answer the call!”

“….”

The comments on the two videos, with their clicks and replies, exploded through the late night, sent to the top by night-owl netizens.

…

Qin Xue had worked overtime all day. Although Yang Qing’s edited video was smooth and coherent, much more harmonious than the three previous rejections, the opening scene still felt abrupt at first glance, and its meaning was too subtle to grasp without close attention.

So, to ensure the fourth edit would pass review, she and Fang Du, following Yang Qing’s guiding principle—“Tell history through scenery, guide the city through history, convey culture through the city, record people through culture, praise food through people, express emotion through food”—wrote a script, then added narration to the video.

Tomorrow, the finished version would be submitted for review once more. With a mix of nerves and anticipation, Qin Xue drifted off to sleep, exhausted—until her phone suddenly rang.

She cracked open her eyes, grabbed the phone, and answered in a weary voice, “Hello…”

“I’m not fine! Not fine at all! Xuexue, I’m about to explode with excitement!”

What?!

Hearing the familiar yelling in her ear, Qin Xue’s drowsiness vanished.

She glanced at her phone—3 a.m. Instantly, she was furious.

“Li Yuexi! Are you crazy? Do you want to die? Do you have any idea what time it is? If you’re not sleeping, at least let me sleep!”

“Hahaha… Sleep? Who can sleep now? I’m fighting with all my passion! Xuexue, join us!”

“Hm? Us? Who else? Xiaorou?” Qin Xue scolded, annoyed, “You need to play fewer games! Don’t drag Xiaorou into it!”

“Tch! As if Xiaorou needs me to lead her astray. Besides, I’m not gaming!” Li Yuexi shouted, “Fang Du and I are fighting for our Yang City pride—Yang Qing and his sister!”

What?!?

Qin Xue was full of questions. “What do you mean, fighting for Yang Qing and his sister? Explain!”

“Haha… I knew you wouldn’t know! And you call yourself a fan of him—you don’t even follow him as closely as I do!” Li Yuexi laughed, seizing the chance to lecture her. “Xuexue, seriously, you shouldn’t work so hard. It’s okay to be busy, but you should go online and have some fun sometimes. Look—”

“Are you going to tell me or not? If not, I’m hanging up!” Qin Xue said coldly, exasperated.

“Fine, I’ll tell you… Here’s what happened—”

Li Yuexi quickly recounted the origins and spread of that night’s internet storm.

A few minutes later, after hanging up, Qin Xue, shocked, hurriedly searched the web on her phone. In the dim room, her eyes grew wider and wider.

Yang Qing—a “Galloping Horses” erhu performance…

Little Chun’er—a patriotic song…

Hope Elementary’s Children’s Day performance…

At that moment, she felt she’d missed out on so very much…

The night was deep, her body exhausted, but sleep would not come again.