Chapter 24: Second brother, there’s a very fat little fat fish

Chapter 24: Second Brother, Look at the Chubby Little Fish!

"Alright, we'll buy little fish."

Fu Yuchen settled his sister into the car, watching her squirm excitedly in the seat, a smile playing on his lips.

"Does Zhi Zhi really like little fish that much?"

Her small head was pressed against the car window, gazing at the receding scenery. Hearing her second brother's voice, Zhi Zhi immediately turned around.

Her tiny hands rested on the window ledge, lips pursed, eyes sparkling, and cheeks flushed pink.

"Uh-huh!"

Zhi Zhi loves little fish the most!

Seeing his sister's boundless joy, Fu Yuchen's heart melted.

Even his usually cool demeanor softened with tenderness. "How many little fish does Zhi Zhi want later? Three?"

He held up three fingers, then recounted. "One, two, three, four, five—how about we buy five little fish?"

Zhi Zhi watched her brother count on his fingers, completely forgetting the view outside.

She settled back properly in her seat.

Extending her short, chubby fingers, she mimicked his counting. "One, two, three, four, five... Second Brother, is five little fish a lot of fish?"

Her plump little hand wiggled in front of Fu Yuchen's face.

Pushing up his wire-rimmed glasses, Fu Yuchen's eyes twinkled with a smile. "Yes, five is more than three. Does Zhi Zhi want five or three little fish?"

"Five!" Zhi Zhi spread her tiny fingers wide. "Zhi Zhi wants five little fish, okay, Second Brother?"

She nestled her fluffy little head into her brother's embrace.

Mimicking her third brother's earlier actions, Zhi Zhi gently rubbed her head against Fu Yuchen.

Fu Yuchen was pleasantly surprised.

Ever since his sister returned home, she had shown a maturity beyond her years, even insisting on brushing her teeth and washing her face herself.

Who would have thought that Fu Siyuan, that carefree one, could teach her to be so endearing?

His eyes crinkling with a smile, Fu Yuchen hugged his sister close. "Alright, we'll buy five little fish, and we'll put them all in Father's study for Zhi Zhi."

The little dumpling was overjoyed. She wrapped her arms around her second brother's neck and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, Second Brother!"

Fu Yuchen gently ruffled her hair. "You're welcome."

The largest ornamental fish market in the capital always bustled with visitors.

It was a sweltering summer afternoon, and the streets were quieter, with fewer customers and even the shopkeepers lazily huddled under air conditioning vents.

Outside a simply decorated ornamental fish store,

a young man in a white shirt and black trousers held a little dumpling in his arms.

The little dumpling had two small braids and wore a powder-blue dress, her bright eyes fixed on a fish tank displayed at the shop entrance.

"Second Brother, little fish! So many little fish!"

Having grown up by a lake, the little dumpling was used to seeing fish, shrimp, and turtles.

But she had never seen such beautiful fish before.

Tugging at her dress, the little dumpling beamed. "Such pretty fish, just like Zhi Zhi's dress!"

Cradled in her brother's arms, Zhi Zhi wanted to press her entire face against the tank.

"Blub, blub..."

The little dumpling mimicked the gurgling sound of the oxygen pump in the tank.

If she could, Zhi Zhi would take the entire fish tank home.

But her brother said she could only buy five little fish...

Fu Yuchen had no idea what his little sister was thinking.

Seeing her immense delight over the fish, he immediately carried her into the shop.

"Wel... come."

The shop owner was a middle-aged man.

Having run this store for years, he had never seen such striking customers.

The young man was tall and handsome, more so than any celebrity on TV.

And the little dumpling in his arms was even more adorable—already so beautiful at such a young age, imagine how stunning she'd grow up to be.

This was likely her first time in an ornamental fish store. Her dark, obsidian-like eyes darted around excitedly, her face brimming with wonder.

"Are you looking to buy fish? We have everything—saltwater, tropical, freshwater..."

Before the owner could finish, the young man raised a hand to interrupt him.

"Sorry, we're just browsing."

Most visitors to ornamental fish stores were just looking.

Unbothered, the owner chuckled and stepped back, gesturing for them to continue.

Zhi Zhi was already overwhelmed by choices.

Everywhere she looked, there were little fish—and some even bigger than Zhi Zhi!

She urged her second brother to carry her to a large tank, pressing her entire face against the glass, marveling at the golden arowana inside.

"Second Brother, what a huge fish!"

"Zhi Zhi has been cultivating for 'a hundred years,' and Mommy always says Zhi Zhi is still tiny."

Compared to Zhi Zhi, these fish were truly enormous.

Unlike his cool demeanor towards the shopkeeper, he was warm with his sister.

Hearing his sister's comment, Fu Yuchen chuckled softly, "Yes, would Zhi Zhi like such a big fish?"

Zhi Zhi shook her head. The fish was too big—Mommy said big fish eat small fish.

Zhi Zhi wanted to be friends with the fish, but what if she ended up being eaten by a big fish later?

The fish in the ornamental fish store were all without developed sentience; the largest was a five-year-old arowana.

Its fifty to sixty-centimeter body was only about thirty centimeters shorter than Zhi Zhi in her human form.

Even though she knew the big fish couldn't talk to her, Zhi Zhi was still afraid of being eaten and quickly averted her gaze.

Fu Yuchen, holding her, watched this scene, laughter spilling from his eyes.

The shopkeeper, standing nearby, was captivated by the sight.

He had initially thought the young man was just reluctantly bringing his sister to see the fish to keep her occupied.

Just like his own mischievous son, who hated spending time with his little sister and would just park her next to the fish tank before running off to play video games.

But it turned out the young man was only cold to outsiders—towards his sister, he was gentle.

Gritting his teeth, the shopkeeper couldn't help but lament not having such a good son himself, one who only knew how to cause trouble, bully his sister, and laugh when she cried.

"Second Brother, Second Brother! Chubby fish!"

Pointing at a fish tank placed in the center of the store, Zhi Zhi's eyes widened, and she gasped, "Wow!"

"Such a roly-poly little chubby fish."

Hearing this, the shopkeeper snapped out of his thoughts and followed the little dumpling's finger to the tank, immediately smiling. "You have great taste, little one!"

"This is a Ranchu goldfish I just acquired. Isn't it just the cutest chubby thing?"

The tank was on a shelf—too high for the little dumpling but too low for Fu Yuchen.

Seeing his sister's interest in the tank of goldfish, the young man obligingly crouched down without hesitation, letting her get closer to the tiny fish.

"Second Brother, can Zhi Zhi buy this little chubby fish? Five of them."

Zhi Zhi hadn't forgotten her agreement with her second brother.

Five little fish meant five.

The shopkeeper watched as the little dumpling held up five chubby little fingers and couldn't help but laugh.

But even as he laughed, his gaze lingered on the young man.

The youth looked noble, his entire demeanor radiating elegance.

With a smile, the shopkeeper said bluntly, "Does your sister like these fish? But they're a bit expensive, you know."

In recent years, Ranchu goldfish had been driven up in price by enthusiasts, with prices soaring to tens of thousands per fish—a tiny palm-sized one even pricier than the five-year-old arowana in his store.

Zhi Zhi didn't yet understand the concept of high or low prices.

And Fu Yuchen didn't want her to learn.

As the little princess of the Fu family, no matter how costly something was, if she liked it, her brothers were willing to spare no expense to get it for her.

Pulling a card from his pocket, Fu Yuchen resumed his aloof demeanor as the Second Young Master Fu when facing outsiders.

"Charge it."