Chapter 113: A Tiny Slap (Subscription Requested)

"Niannian!"

"Xi'er! Qiu'er!"

As the three little ones met, little Xi'er and little Niannian chirped with joy, hugging each other and jumping up and down. Little Qiu'er held little Dong'er's tiny hand, her mouth curled into a wide, happy grin.

"Mm~ Sister~ Kiss~"

Little Dong'er seemed to remember her older sister Niannian. She tugged on Niannian's hem and babbled in her baby voice.

"Hehe... Mwah!"

Little Niannian let go of Xi'er and planted a kiss on Dong'er's cheek.

"Niannian, let's go play on the second floor. Xi'er and I have gifts for you," little Qiu'er said, acting as the little hostess and inviting Niannian upstairs.

The three little ones took Dong'er by the hand and headed up. By then, Tan Jin'er had finished making a savory crepe. After apologizing to the next customer in line, she turned to greet Li Wanxiao.

"Sister Wanxiao, I'm so sorry, it's a bit busy. Let me take you upstairs to sit."

"It's alright," Li Wanxiao smiled. "Business is really good! By the way, where is Yang Qing?"

"Brother Qing went to the television station," Tan Jin'er replied with a smile. "Let's go, you can go upstairs and keep the little ones company for a while; he should be back soon."

"No rush," Li Wanxiao said gently. "You go on with your work, don't worry about me. I'll just sit here for a bit."

Tan Jin'er paused, then smiled. "Oh... alright then. Make yourself at home, Sister Wanxiao."

Tan Jin'er returned to her work, while Li Wanxiao sat in the shop, watching with interest. Bai Lingyue caught a glimpse of Li Wanxiao amidst her busy tasks, and in just that one look, she was struck by the gentle yet elegant temperament Li Wanxiao exuded.

*Tap, tap...*

Just then, the sound of tiny footsteps echoed from the stairs. Li Wanxiao looked up to see the four little ones running back down.

"Mom! Look!"

Little Niannian happily held out a little princess doll and a small clay figurine, chirping, "These are gifts from Xi'er and Qiu'er for me! They even made small steamed buns and dumplings for me. We can eat them when Xiaobai gets back! Niannian is so happy!"

Seeing her daughter jumping for joy, Li Wanxiao’s expression softened into a warm smile. She took the two little gifts; the princess doll was pink, and the clay figurine, while only vaguely resembling a person, had adorable eyes and a mouth drawn on it.

The gifts were small, but they were filled with the sincerity of the children.

She looked at her young daughter and said softly, "Do you want Mom to pack them away for you?"

"Mm-hmm!" Niannian nodded. "Mom, please keep them safe for me. I want to put them in my little bedroom when we get home."

"Of course. Didn't you buy some little gifts for Xi'er and Qiu'er too? Go ahead and give them to them."

Li Wanxiao handed the bag to Niannian, who began passing out the gifts with excitement.

"This little ball is for Xiaobai. Xiaobai isn't here yet, so... let's save it for later."

Niannian crouched down and rummaged through the bag. After setting the ball aside, she pulled out a little hat with two rabbit ears on it.

"Dong'er, this one is for you. Let Sister put it on for you."

Niannian placed the hat on Dong'er's head and squeezed the rabbit ears. Suddenly, a tiny light on the ears began to flash.

"Wow! So cute, so fun!"

Little Qiu'er and little Xi'er were stunned, their eyes sparkling as they stared at the hat on Dong'er's head.

"Mm~"

Little Dong'er curiously reached up and began to squeeze the rabbit ears—over and over again.

"Hehe..."

Seeing her gift draw such admiration from her little friends, Niannian laughed happily. She then took out a square box and handed it to Xi'er. "Xi'er, this is a puzzle for you. You can make so many pretty pictures with it!"

"Hiahia... Xi'er has a gift too! Thank you, Niannian! Mwah!"

Xi'er hugged the puzzle box and laughed, adding a kiss to Niannian’s cheek. Niannian blushed, then pulled out another box for Qiu'er. "Qiu'er, these are building blocks for you. They're so much fun; we can play with them right now!"

"Mm-hmm! Thank you, Niannian!"

Qiu'er laughed happily, and the four little ones ran back upstairs.

Li Wanxiao watched their retreating backs with a smile. She carefully tucked the clay figurine into a box and set the princess doll aside before rising to stand quietly by Tan Jin'er’s side, careful not to disturb her.

Upstairs.

"Niannian, Xi'er, let's play with the blocks!"

"Okay!"

"Hiahia..."

They opened the box, and the three little ones sat on the floor and began to build. Piece by piece, the structure rose. Their expressions grew serious, and their hands became increasingly cautious.

Finally, after Xi'er placed a block and saw that it didn't collapse, she patted her little chest with relief.

But just as they were fully focused on their masterpiece, a tiny hand reached out, and—*thud*.

The tower collapsed.

*Whoosh!*

The blocks they had worked so hard to stack were knocked over by Dong'er in one swipe. Three pairs of wide, incredulous eyes turned to look at her.

"Mm~ Sis—Sister~~"

Under the gaze of the three older girls, Dong'er seemed to realize she had done something wrong. She chewed on her little finger, looking scared.

"Dong'er, you little troublemaker," Qiu'er said with a shake of her head and a smile. She took the finger out of Dong'er's mouth and said in her baby voice, "You can't chew on your finger. If you're hungry, just tell me, and I'll feed you."

"Mm~"

Dong'er babbled and then plopped into Qiu'er’s arms.

"Hehe... good girl," Qiu'er hugged her little sister and gave her an affectionate kiss.

"Hiahia... let's not play this anymore! It was too scary for Xi'er!"

Xi'er laughed, grabbed Niannian’s hand, and said, "Niannian, let's play with this instead!"

"Mm-hmm, okay!"

Seeing that Xi'er was pointing at the puzzle, Niannian said excitedly, "Dong'er can play too! Let's all play together."

"Hiahia..."

The three little ones, along with little Dong'er, crouched on the floor to play with the puzzle. Just then, Xiaobai charged into the shop like a gust of wind.

"You little rascals! I'm back!"

She shouted as soon as she entered, only to see Li Wanxiao standing beside Tan Jin'er. She exclaimed in surprise, "Niannian's mom! Why are you here?"

"Hehe... I brought Niannian to play," Li Wanxiao smiled at Xiaobai, reaching out to pat her watermelon-cut hair.

"Whoa... Niannian is here too!" Xiaobai was overjoyed.

"Yes, they're playing upstairs. You should go up."

"Got it!"

Xiaobai zipped upstairs, and a moment later, the sound of joyous, high-pitched laughter rang out from the second floor.

*Tap, tap...*

Soon after, Xi'er and Qiu'er scampered down the stairs.

"Sister! Sister! Xiaobai is back! Quick, get us the little steamed buns and dumplings!" Xi'er jumped up and down beside Tan Jin'er, chirping excitedly.

Tan Jin'er smiled. "Alright, just wait... Sister will get them."

A moment later, after handing the crepes to a customer, Tan Jin'er stepped into the kitchen and brought out two small bamboo steamers.

"Jin'er, let me take those. You go back to work."

Li Wanxiao, who had followed her in, saw the steaming baskets and quickly offered, "I'll take them up. I don't want the little ones to get burned."

"Thank you, Sister Wanxiao, that's a big help."

Tan Jin'er returned to the counter, while Li Wanxiao carried the two steamers upstairs, following the two little girls. She placed the baskets on the table and opened them, only to pause in amazement. She looked at Xi'er and Qiu'er, who were grinning from ear to ear, her voice trembling.

"Did... did you really make these?"

"Hehe... Brother and Sister Jin'er taught us how!"

"Hiahia... is Xi'er amazing? Hiahia..."

At the sound of their little voices, Li Wanxiao was completely moved.