Chapter 153: The Crying Baby (Subscription Requested)

"Sister, why isn't big brother coming out yet?"

At the entrance of the Jinghua Grand Concert Hall, little Qiu'er tugged at Qin Xue's hand, standing on tiptoes and looking around anxiously.

"He should be coming out soon," Qin Xue said with some uncertainty. "Let me make a call and ask."

"Mhm mhm, sister, call him quickly," little Qiu'er said, nodding her little head.

Qin Xue called Yang Qing, but Yang Qing helplessly informed her that he couldn't get out right now because he was surrounded by a group of old men.

"Xuexue, why don't you take Qiu'er for a stroll first, and then grab something to eat outside? I'll probably be quite late getting back today," Yang Qing said over the phone. "Put Qiu'er on, I want to talk to her."

"Alright."

Qin Xue smiled and handed the phone to little Qiu'er. The little one eagerly took it and sweetly called out, "Big brother."

A few minutes later, little Qiu'er hung up the phone with lingering reluctance, then took the initiative to take Qin Xue's hand and said with a milky smile:

"Sister, let's go. Big brother will be home tonight, and he said he'll tell Qiu'er a wonderful story when he gets back!"

"Alright, let's go then," Qin Xue nodded and said softly.

"Little darling Qiu'er, actually big brother Hao is also very good at telling stories, you know," Qin Hao chimed in at this moment. He truly, deeply liked little Qiu'er. The little one was sensible, well-behaved, and adorable, evoking a strong sense of tenderness in him.

"Really?" little Qiu'er said in surprise. "Then big brother Hao, hurry up and tell Qiu'er one!"

Holding little Qiu'er's hand, Qin Xue walked alongside them while looking curiously at her younger brother, wondering what kind of story he would tell. Could it be a script story...

"Ahem..."

Qin Hao cleared his throat and began, "Once upon a time, there was a mountain..."

Qin Xue: (Θ??Θ=)

Little Qiu'er: (ΘдΘ；)

...

"Qiu'er, come and try this little dress and these little shoes!"

"No more! No more! Sister, we've already bought so many! Big brother Hao can't even carry them anymore!"

Qin Xue glanced at Qin Hao: "Can you carry them?"

Qin Hao flashed a timid smile that was uglier than crying, gritted his teeth, and said, "I can!"

"Look, big brother Hao says he can carry them. We'll just try on this very last piece, alright?" Qin Xue smiled softly at little Qiu'er.

Little Qiu'er turned her head to look at the huge pile of clothing and shoe packaging boxes behind them, and sighed adorably:

"Is it really just the last one?"

"Mhm, really, sister promises!"

Hearing this, Qin Hao quietly let out a sigh of relief. He was genuinely afraid that his sister would keep on shopping. Money didn't matter so much, but the main point was that he really couldn't carry any more!

However, he relaxed far too soon. The clothes Qin Xue bought for little Qiu'er were indeed the last ones, but little Qiu'er still had two older sisters, one younger sister, and two little best friends.

In the evening, when Yang Qing returned home, he found Qin Hao paralyzed on the sofa with a completely lifeless expression, looking at him with a face full of grievance.

"Uh... what happened to you?" Yang Qing asked with an amused smile. "Who bullied you?"

"You tell me who else could bully me!"

Qin Hao made a mournful face and said, "Brother-in-law, I've been exhausted all day, I must have lost ten pounds. Hurry up and make me something delicious, I'm begging you."

Yang Qing: ......

"Big brother!"

At this moment, little Qiu'er cried out in her milky voice and rushed over, throwing herself into his arms and wrapping her arms around his neck, refusing to let go.

"If you want to eat something, order delivery yourself. Qingzi has had a much harder day than you," Qin Xue walked over and shot Qin Hao a glare.

Qin Hao was speechless, but once again looked at Yang Qing with eyes full of grievance.

"Ahem... well, I'll go make something to eat. As it happens, I didn't eat my fill this afternoon either."

Unable to bear his gaze, Yang Qing gave a dry cough and said.

"Qing, I'll just order takeout instead. You've been tired all day," Qin Xue said tenderly, with a hint of heartache.

"It's fine, I'm not tired. It'll be ready quickly. You play with Qiu'er for a bit."

"I want to help you make it."

"Big brother, I want to join you too."

Hearing this and looking at the big and small figures, Yang Qing smiled and said, "Alright then, let's do it together."

Qin Hao: ......

I shouldn't be in this room; I should be outside...

After eating the late-night snack, Yang Qing went into his room, but as soon as he stepped through the door, he froze.

There on the bed lay two business suits, two dress shirts, two athletic outfits, and two casual outfits, while four shoe boxes sat on the floor.

...

"Qiu'er, what did you and Sister Qin buy yesterday?"

"Um... bought little clothes and little shoes, so, so many!"

Little Qiu'er hopped and skipped as she said, "Sister Qin bought so, so many for Big Sister, Second Sister, Dong'er, Qiu'er, Xi'er, and Xiaobai. She even bought some for big brother and Sister Jin'er too! Big brother Hao couldn't even carry them all, tee-hee..."

Hearing this, Yang Qing fell silent. When he entered the room last night and saw the clothes and shoes on the bed, he had already guessed it, but he hadn't asked Qin Xue about the details.

How could he辜负 (fail to live up to) her affectionate intentions? Since they were already bought, the only choice was to accept them.

Making hypocritical excuses to decline would only hurt each other's hearts.

He remembered all her love and kindness toward him. As days turned into months and years, he would love her even more and treat her even better.

At that moment, Yang Qing silently made up his mind in his heart.

"Qiu'er, can you still walk? Do you want big brother to carry you?"

"No need, Qiu'er is super-duper strong! Big brother Hao said that to see the most beautiful scenery on the Great Wall, you have to climb up on your own two feet!"

"Haha... what your big brother Hao said is so right! Then let's do our best!"

"Mhm, let's do our best!"

The academic exchange meeting had concluded, and Qin Xue and Qin Hao had gone back to visit their parents. Thus, Yang Qing brought little Qiu'er to climb the Great Wall.

Actually, Yang Qing had thought about visiting Qin Xue's parents as well, but when he called Mother Bai, she told him that going this time would be too abrupt. It would seem as though he were just dropping by casually on the side rather than making a formal visit, and advised him not to rush, telling him to make a dedicated trip to visit next time instead.

After climbing the Great Wall and taking pictures, just as they walked out of the scenic area, Yang Qing received a call from Li Dongning saying he wanted to come and meet them.

After Yang Qing agreed, he took little Qiu'er to wander around the vicinity while waiting.

As the capital of China, Jinghua was vast and prosperous. In the eyes of Yang Qing and little Qiu'er, everything here seemed novel and wondrous, making every spot feel like a scenic attraction.

"Big brother, there's a little baby crying over there!"

As they walked, little Qiu'er suddenly paused her steps, pointing crisp and clear toward the entrance of a park ahead.

"Mhm..."

Hearing this, Yang Qing looked over and saw a woman sitting on a bench at the park entrance. She was holding a wailing infant in her arms and feeding it with a milk bottle.

Yang Qing held little Qiu'er's hand and walked a few steps closer. He narrowed his eyes and gazed intently for a moment, his brow furrowed deeply. Then he took out his phone and called Li Dongning.

Before long, Li Dongning arrived, accompanied by a youthful and vibrant young girl wearing jeans and a white t-shirt.

"Qingzi, what's up?"

Li Dongning asked with a puzzled expression as soon as he arrived; he could hear the intense urgency in Yang Qing's voice over the phone.

"Don't ask yet, I'm not sure either," Yang Qing shook his head, then looked at the girl who was looking at him with a mix of curiosity and admiration, and smiled:

"Hello, I am Yang Qing, and this is my younger sister Qiu'er."

"Mhm mhm, hello Big Brother Qing, I know you, you're so amazing!" the girl said with some excitement. "My name is Li Caiyu, Li Dongning's biological younger sister. Big Brother Qing, can you give me an autograph?"

"Mhm, we'll talk about that later."

Yang Qing nodded, then said, "Caiyu, take Qiu'er to play over there for a bit. Your brother and I have some business to handle."

Li Caiyu nodded: "Okay."

"Big brother..." little Qiu'er sounded a bit reluctant in her milky voice.

"Be a good girl, go play with your sister. Big brother will come find you as soon as I finish handling things."

"Mhm... then big brother, you have to be quick, Qiu'er will wait for you."

"Mhm mhm, be a good girl."

Li Caiyu left with little Qiu'er, and Li Dongning asked curiously once more:

"What on earth is going on?"

With a solemn expression on his face, Yang Qing pointed at the woman sitting in front of the park holding the infant, who had now stopped crying, and said, "That baby probably isn't her child."

"What?!"

Li Dongning froze. He stared blankly in that direction, stammering after a long pause: "Y-you... how do you k... know?"

Yang Qing: "A feeling."

"A f—" Li Dongning was taken aback, then said helplessly, "Big brother, stop messing around, will you? Can you actually 'feel' something like this?!"

"Dong'er was about this small when I picked her home. I have experience raising infants, so trust me," Yang Qing said earnestly.

Li Dongning opened his mouth as he looked at him, falling silent for a moment before asking, "What should we do now? Call the police?"

Yang Qing shook his head: "No, let's verify it first."

"Alright then," Li Dongning said helplessly. "I have a feeling you've got it wrong. This is the capital, after all; how could such a thing happen?"

"Hehe... the sewers of a bustling metropolis breed even more rats."