Chapter 209: Three Little Buns

Chapter 209: Three Little Ones

After Su Xinbai's family arrived in Tianjin Prefecture, Qiu Huanian's home immediately became lively.

This liveliness was mainly reflected in Little Raccoon.

Little Raccoon was a year older than Gu Gu and Yang Yang. For a child, a year can bring about significant growth. Little Raccoon could already walk unsteadily by holding onto walls and could express himself with incomplete sentences.

This child was not shy at all and was not afraid of unfamiliar environments. After meeting his two godfathers, Du Yunse and Qiu Huanian, and realizing he was now in "his godfathers' home," he was filled with a strong desire to explore and was curious about everything.

Thus, in recent days, childish chatter echoed throughout the rear courtyard.

While Jiu Jiu was organizing the invitations she had received, Little Raccoon sat obediently on a stool beside her, his grape-like eyes wide open as he watched, even trying to help her sort the invitations by color and stack them neatly.

When Chun Sheng was practicing martial arts out back, Little Raccoon heard the noise and peeked through the doorframe, mimicking the movements with his tiny arms and legs. He accidentally tripped over himself, but luckily, Chun Sheng was quick to catch the little one before he fell.

Qiu Huanian was working on accounts on the sitting platform in the main room when Little Raccoon came running over, holding Nai Shuang, with two nannies bent over, reaching out to carefully protect him.

Qiu Huanian looked up and saw them, immediately smiled.

The three-year-old Nai Shuang was already a full-grown cat. The Shandong Lion Cat has a large frame, and as an adult, it is about the size of a small child.

Little Raccoon held Nai Shuang under his two front paws, cradling it in his arms. Nai Shuang stood upright, its hind paws touching the ground, its pointed ears occasionally twitching, and its long white fur fluttering in the wind.

Nai Shuang was a very intelligent cat. It likely knew this was Su Xinbai's child, so it didn't mind the boy's antics and let him handle it as he pleased.

However, when the cat's beautiful heterochromatic eyes looked at Qiu Huanian, he sensed a hint of helplessness and a plea for help.

Qiu Huanian smiled and waved, signaling Xing Mi to bring Nai Shuang over and place it on his lap. The nanny also picked up Little Raccoon and brought him to Qiu Huanian's side.

Little Raccoon, tired from running, obediently allowed the adults to place him on the sitting platform next to Qiu Huanian. He leaned against Qiu Huanian and began to breathe heavily, clasping his hands together with great seriousness.

Qiu Huanian tapped his tiny nose and asked, "What are you doing, Little Raccoon?"

"Inhale, exhale, run fast!"

Qiu Huanian couldn't help but laugh. "Who taught you that?"

Little Raccoon counted on his fingers as he tried to recall the name. "Chun... little brother."

The nanny standing nearby added with a smile, "The second young master was practicing martial arts out back, and the little young master was completely engrossed in watching. The second young master also likes the little young master and played with him for quite a while."

With the two families together, the younger generation were all referred to as "young masters," and in daily conversations, the terms 'big' and 'little' were used interchangeably. However, in specific contexts, everyone in the family knew who was being referred to and wouldn't get confused.

Little Raccoon nodded along with the nanny's words and extended his delicate arm to show Qiu Huanian.

"Here, sister, drew!"

On Little Raccoon's soft, pale hand were two faintly colored orchid prints. These were from Jiu Jiu's makeup, made from natural flower petals, harmless to the body.

"When we went over, the young lady was doing her makeup. She asked the little young master if it looked pretty, and he said it was beautiful and wanted some too. So the young lady stamped two flowers on his hand."

Little Raccoon kept turning his hand over to look at the flowers, his expression filled with pure delight, and he even wanted Qiu Huanian to look with him.

Qiu Huanian had no resistance to this little cutie who looked like a mini version of Su Xinbai. He pushed the account book aside and focused on playing games with him.

"Such pretty flowers! Whose flowers are these?"

"Cat's! Cat's flowers!"

The two characters "Li Nu" were too difficult for a child under two years old to pronounce, so in Little Raccoon's worldview, he actually called himself "Meow Meow."

Qiu Huanian suddenly had a 'brilliant' idea. He pointed to the cream on his lap and asked, "Then what is this?"

"It's Meow Meow!" Little Raccoon, ever the quick learner, replied promptly.

"Wait, you're Meow Meow, and this is Meow Meow too? How come there are two Meow Meows?"

Little Raccoon pondered deeply.

Qiu Huanian deliberately guided him, "You are both Meow Meows, so you are the same. Cream is a big cat, and Little Raccoon is a small cat—"

Little Raccoon followed Qiu Huanian's train of thought and suddenly felt enlightened, his eyes lighting up.

"Then Little Raccoon's daddy is—"

"Big Meow Meow!"

Qiu Huanian couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. At that moment, footsteps were heard outside the main room, and Su Xinbai, who had gone out with Zhu Jingcheng, returned.

Su Xinbai overheard the end of their conversation and couldn't help but glare at Qiu Huanian. The glare had no effect, and Qiu Huanian clapped his hands to greet him, "Hey, Big Meow Meow, welcome back!"

Su Xinbai wisely chose to remain silent, picked up his son, and sat down. Little Raccoon also clapped his hands and laughed, mumbling "Big Meow Meow" while rubbing his soft little face against his father's chest. Though Su Xinbai remained silent, his expression softened noticeably.

Qiu Huanian, knowing when to quit, had the table cleared and brought out tea and snacks to chat with Su Xinbai.

"How did the house hunting go?"

Zhu Jingcheng had taken advantage of his busy schedule to scout for over ten days and finally found a house with excellent conditions. Today, he took Su Xinbai out to inspect it in person, letting Su Xinbai decide if he liked this future home.

Since Little Raccoon was too young to go out safely and had adapted well to the Du residence, the couple left their son behind and didn't take him.

"We've already signed the contract," Su Xinbai said. "The house is only a fifteen-minute carriage ride from the prefect's official residence. The previous owner was a wealthy merchant from Hejian Prefecture. The house features three courtyards, including two on the east side. It was extensively renovated two years ago, so it will save us a lot of trouble."

Qiu Huanian nodded, "That does sound like a great fit."

The Zhu family of three didn't need such a large house, but if Tianjin was to become the second base for the Zhu family, it would be better to buy a bigger house in preparation for future family members.

Since the house was renovated two years ago, just adding some furniture would make it move-in ready. The previous owner was a wealthy merchant, so there was no need to worry about the house's layout not meeting official standards and requiring modifications.

Qiu Huanian smiled and said, "The house is good, but don't rush to move in. Jingcheng is about to leave for Fuzhou soon. I'd feel better if you stayed here with me instead of living alone outside."

Su Xinbai nodded slightly and retorted, "Even if you didn't say it, I would have stayed."

"Qiu Huanian clicked his tongue in mock amazement. "Wow, Big Meow Meow has evolved into Super Meow Meow?"

Su Xinbai met his gaze, but in the end, Qiu Huanian's thick skin won out, and he smiled as Su Xinbai looked away.

Little Raccoon didn't understand the silent exchange between his father and godfather. After lying still for a bit, he grew bored and whispered that he wanted to see his little brothers.

Qiu Huanian called over the new nanny hired in Tianjin Prefecture. Hearing that Gu Gu and Yang Yang had just woken up, he took the father and son to the east side room to see his own sons.

The prefect's official residence was built on a grand scale. Although the east side room was just a small building next to the main house, it had three rooms and a high ceiling, making it feel spacious.

Qiu Huanian had converted this area into a nursery. The east side had a green gauze partition, and inside, most of the floor was occupied by a large crawling bed. The crawling bed was only as high as an adult's calf, surrounded by railings, with a flexible mat made of woven rattan underneath.

Gu Gu and Yang Yang spent most of their days here, crawling around when they wanted to play and lying down to rest when they got tired or sleepy.

Su Xinbai placed his son on the ground. Little Raccoon gripped the railings of the crawling bed, standing on tiptoe to peek inside.

"Little brothers! Little brothers!"

Gu Gu and Yang Yang turned their heads from different spots in the playpen upon hearing the voice.

Over the past few days, the two little ones had already gotten to know the new little friend and responded with incomprehensible baby talk, babbling in response.

"Little brothers!" Little Raccoon stretched out a short arm, trying to summon his little friends. "Look! Flowers! Kitty's!"

Yang Yang, the little Township Lord, hesitated for a moment, estimating the distance he would have to crawl, then plopped down on the playpen, pretended to be asleep.

Gu Gu, on the other hand, was attracted by the flowers and quickly and steadily crawled over to where Little Raccoon was.

The two little ones, one slightly bigger than the other, leaned against each other through the gaps in the railing. Little Raccoon pointed at his flowers and kept emphasizing them. Gu Gu nodded his head, whether he understood or not.

Qiu Huanian and Su Xinbai did not intervene or make a sound, stood by, smiling as they watched the kids play together.

Suddenly, Su Xinbai felt someone tugging at his sleeve. He turned to look and saw Qiu Huanian mouthing something at him.

Su Xinbai took a deep breath and, half-embarrassed and half-urgent, mouthed back.

—It's too early, don't even think about it!