Chapter 98 The Two Brats Have Grown Up

Chapter 98: The Two Kids Have Grown Up

Shi Zai already knew what the nearly forty-year-old "brat" was about to say! He glared, but after six or seven hours of exhaustion, his gaze lacked any real menace. Yang Yun seized the opportunity, chattering away in front of the children.

Minutes later, laughter erupted at the dining table. Shi Zai, blushing, leaned into Shu Yangkuo’s arm, listening as the man sternly declared, “Keep misbehaving and you’ll leave the table.” A brief silence fell, followed by another burst of laughter… Shi Zai wouldn't stay embarrassed for long. With a wave of his hand, he said, “Learn from this. Wait until you’re fifty and still in this state before you laugh like fools.” His words made everyone blush, but Shi Zai felt a sense of relief, tilting his head back and laughing uncontrollably.

Even Shi Mingzhao couldn’t help but chuckle a couple of times. He hadn't even been born then, and even afterward… he had never been as foolish as Shi Yiwang. Lifting his eyelids, he glanced over. Shi Yiwang, now a grown man, was clinging to his dad’s arm, whimpering something.

Since the topic had come up, and the children at home were growing up, especially the eldest… Shi Zai had just glanced over when the kid clung to his arm, pressing close. At twenty-three, he truly lived up to his childhood promise of “always being Dad and Daddy’s Wang Wang” (a childhood nickname). He whispered to Shi Zai that he didn’t like anyone and would commit to singlehood forever. Shi Zai never demanded they follow any particular path, simply nodding with a smile as he always did.

Then he looked at the younger one, now nineteen. Shi Zai gave him a once-over—the second son seemed fine too. If not, then not. Young people nowadays marry and have children later, and they have their own ideas. Let them be. But—he raised his hand:

“Mingzhao, aren’t you going to come hug your dad?”

“…After dinner, Dad.”

They were almost done eating anyway, and the table was quickly cleared. Shi Mingzhao had been unsettled by his dad’s earlier stare, but it turned out to be just this. With a hand on his dad's shoulder, he walked out of the dining room, giving him a light embrace. As soon as he let go, he paused, then hugged his father from behind. After that, he gave his older brother a perfunctory chest bump, followed by his second uncle and little uncle… It was all started by Shi Yiwang—the family always ended up hugging each other.

It was late, but no one was tired. The whole family set out tea and drinks in the yard and chatted about their recent lives.

The summer night was still warm, but with the fan blowing and a low ice wall behind them, a cool breeze made everyone comfortable. On the ice wall rested peeled watermelons, peaches, and tea drinks. Eating and chatting—there was no life more warm and wonderful than this. The Green Pompoms, large puffballs, and other flowers in the yard were in full bloom. The trees each of them had planted over a decade ago now reached for the sky. A man-made winding stream stretched from their feet to the doghouse that Qiaoqiao had used until four years ago. The stars twinkled not only in the night sky but also in the clear water and in everyone’s eyes.

They no longer needed to gaze at the distant, beautiful sky. The place they stood was their peaceful haven, their very own sky.

The night was long. Shi Zai, still half-asleep, heard noise coming from the living room. Despite Shi Mingzhao’s aloof, cool demeanor, whenever he returned on break, he and Shi Yiwang couldn’t go more than a few sentences without bickering. Shi Zai stretched, accustomed to it. Let them argue—one was obsessed with his older brother, the other with his younger brother. The more they fought, the closer they became. What were they arguing about? Shi Yiwang said Shi Mingzhao spent all day glued to his phone, while Shi Mingzhao criticized Shi Yiwang for wearing rags all day… Shi Zai burst out laughing, brushing off Shu Yangkuo’s hand—he wanted to eavesdrop.

Shi Yiwang’s clothes… There was really no talking to him about it. The brat dug his heels in on this matter. Perhaps because he was an artist, he had started expressing himself freely since college—wearing clothes with holes, long tassels, large collars, frayed shorts… a riot of styles and colors. Sometimes he looked decent, but other times it seemed like he was draped in rags. Shi Yiwang called himself “trendy,” so they had to respect it.

Well, relatively respect it.

When Shi Yiwang was almost sixteen, he not only wore ragged clothes but also got several ear piercings, smoked, and drank… When Shi Zai found out, he was furious and heartbroken. Even if he was studying art, why pick up these habits at such a young age? Back then, Yang Yun had only used these things to express adolescent confusion and rebellion, but this brat was different. Usually sweet and lively as a candy bean, he unexpectedly threw them a real curveball!

After discovering it, Shi Zai talked to Shi Yiwang several times, but the brat was adamant, believing everyone should live their own way and be nonconformist. Shi Zai was so angry he yelled—what did this have to do with nonconformity?! Why not choose something positive to be nonconformist about? But no matter how he reasoned, scolded, or guided him, the brat insisted on opposing him. True to himself, he had a way with words—if Shi Zai said two sentences, the brat would retort with three; if Shi Zai scolded once, the brat would snap back twice; if Shi Zai reached for his belt, the brat even dared to stand his ground defiantly!

In the end, Shu Yangkuo dragged the kid out to the yard like a sack of trash and drenched him with a hose.

That day, all hell broke loose. Qin Xihan tried to mediate left and right, while Yang Yun seemed to enjoy stirring the pot—yelling that adolescence should be harshly disciplined. He had gone through it himself, having been dragged into the bathroom by his older brother back in the day. If not for his second-oldest brother intervening, he would have been beaten with a stick… As for Yiwang, making such a big mistake and even daring to raise a hand against his second-oldest brother, he deserved to have his head rinsed with a hose!

He wasn’t a bad-hearted kid to begin with. Rebelling during adolescence in the name of “nonconformity” was one thing—it was fine to like some niche instrument or even ignore everyone… but going down the wrong path for the sake of “nonconformity” was absolutely unacceptable. The brat had many friends, was loyal and kind, and inevitably, some friends led him to be exposed to all this messy stuff. It turned out he had picked up smoking and drinking from others, trying to “jump on the bandwagon”… Shi Zai promptly transferred him to another school.

If they hadn't addressed his smoking and drinking during his rebellious phase, things could have gotten much worse later on. After this incident, Shi Zai talked to him several more times before he finally moved past his so-called “nonconformity.” To this day, Shi Yiwang remembers it. No matter how mixed his social circle becomes, he knows the boundaries—what to touch and what not to. He feels only gratitude toward his dad and daddy.

So, aside from his weird clothing, Shi Yiwang’s “trendy” essentials were relatively respected by the parents.

The eldest had his rebellious phase and was disciplined, and the second son naturally couldn’t escape it either.

Strangely enough, both kids’ rebellious phases mirrored Yang Yun’s. But then again, it wasn’t that strange—Shi Zai never had an adolescence, and Shu Yangkuo… certainly didn’t either. Only their first raised child, pink dumpling, went through a rebellious phase. So when Shi Zai faced his two kids’ adolescence, he wasn’t worried—instead, he felt happy. Only children raised with ample love and care have the luxury of “rebelling.” Otherwise, if no one cares, even if they feel wronged or frustrated, who would they rebel against? They’d wipe their tears and carry on alone.

So-called rebellion is merely a cry for help and expression of confusion and frustration at a growth milestone.

At this stage, kids are eager to grow up, believing they can handle their own affairs, yet they’re too immersed in it to understand their own confusion. Shi Yiwang desperately wanted to become his own person with a unique identity, while Shi Mingzhao was eager to prove his strength. Shi Yiwang, like his second-oldest brother, sought to cater to the outside world, while Shi Mingzhao, also like his second-oldest brother, temporarily closed himself off from it.

The two of them represented Yang Yun’s earlier and later stages. Or rather, most adolescents fall into these two categories.

However, both of them were more intense than their second-oldest brother. When Shi Mingzhao entered university, he was seven or eight years younger than his classmates, making it hard to fit in. Moreover, since they were all top students, each proud and arrogant, some students disliked this aloof, coldly arrogant genius younger brother and occasionally picked on him… Over time, Shi Mingzhao naturally fought back, quietly using his fists.

Despite being seven or eight years younger, he was among the tallest in his class and had learned boxing and martial arts. He managed to overpower those older than him, leaving them beaten. After one major fight, the matter reached the school authorities, and the university students’ parents were called in. If not for the involvement of a much younger student, the school would have directly disciplined them. Given the age gap, they first looked into the details.

Once everything was clear, the ones who had been beaten apologized first, but Shi Mingzhao refused to speak. In such a situation, since the others had started the trouble, nearly escalating it to bullying, Shi Mingzhao didn’t need to apologize even if he had beaten them black and blue. The key issue was that two of them had nothing to do with the bullies—Shi Mingzhao, while walking and reading, had accidentally bumped into someone and didn't apologize, and when the person muttered a complaint behind his back, he turned around and punched each of them. That was very wrong.

After being dragged home, Shi Mingzhao broke free from his father’s grip, defiant and refusing to apologize, even if it meant dropping out. Then, provoked by his father’s challenge, “Then try to knock me down first,” he put on gloves and started pounding his father’s chest.

One stood firm as a mountain, the other lost control like a madman—a stalemate.

Shi Zai’s eyes reddened with anger. He rushed over, shielding Shu Yangkuo, and yelled, “Come on, hit your dad too!” The kid, eyes blazing, swung his fist but abruptly diverted it mid-air, grazing past Shi Zai’s ear. Simultaneously, his father kicked him to the ground.

Suppressing his heartache, Shi Zai asked him, “So you can’t beat the strong, only bully the weak, is that it?” That made Shi Mingzhao break down, clutching his head and crying, unleashing days of pent-up frustration: “I’m so sick of them…” Shi Zai understood what he meant. Only after the kid sincerely apologized to Shu Yangkuo and the two students did Shi Zai sit down to reason and talk with him. With their love supporting him from behind, the reason they chose to act out was simply to prove—they were growing up.

Or rather, it was the awakening of self-awareness. There was nothing wrong with that, but they couldn’t stray from the right path. If they wanted to grow up quickly and soar high, then Shi Zai and Shu Yangkuo would create better, more comfortable conditions for them to do so. If the environment or the people around them were bad, they’d change the environment. “Ignore” those people, focus on the good, and only then could they have a bright future. Shi Mingzhao hadn’t liked his original major much anyway, so he dropped out, retook the exams, and entered a new environment. After that, he became much more peaceful, even sharing his thoughts and concerns with his dad proactively. No matter how well-behaved a child is, they will rebel; no matter how rebellious, they will regain their footing through love.

So the family never avoided or blamed them for their rebellion. After educating them with a mix of firmness and gentleness, they could now look back on it with laughter.

Listening to the two kids bickering and roasting each other, Shi Zai laughed uncontrollably—this happened every holiday. Just as he was about to step out, he heard Shi Yiwang say something, followed by Shi Mingzhao quietly stopping him… Shi Zai didn’t catch the rest, his mind buzzing.

After breakfast, in the third-floor sunroom, various vegetables were almost ready to harvest. This was one of the hundred small things Shi Zai and Shu Yangkuo wanted to do together. Every couple of days, they’d stroll here, chatting while tending to the plants—a leisurely way to date.

But now, Shi Zai brought Shi Mingzhao here because there were some things he couldn't say directly and needed the vegetables as a conversation starter.

Shi Zai wandered around twice before pointing and saying to his puzzled younger son:

“One vine can grow two gourds, but—people can’t. Is Dad right?”

“…Right.”

Shi Mingzhao answered hesitantly. Seeing his dad frown, he quickly affirmed:

“Right, Dad. People can’t grow gourds, let alone two.”

“…??”

After a moment of confusion, Shi Zai laughed in exasperation, then genuinely threw his head back and laughed before stopping:

“Just like your dad!”

“…”

Hearing this, Shi Mingzhao didn’t respond. He’d heard it many times before, but really, what did gourds have to do with people?

Seeing that the kid was as stubborn as his dad, Shi Zai cut to the chase:

“Since when? How long has it been?”

“…?!”

Shi Mingzhao’s neck flushed red. He vaguely understood, scratched the back of his head, and smiled sheepishly. Glancing at his dad, who was staring intently, he thought, since you already know, why ask… He paused, then remained silent with a faint smile.

The brat was actually shy, but Shi Zai wanted a clear answer—acting cute wouldn’t get him off the hook.

Shi Mingzhao leaned his elbow on the railing, turned sideways, and gently bumped his head against his dad’s shoulder with a laugh before saying:

“Since my birthday.”

“What—then why didn’t you say anything…”

Before he could finish, Shi Yiwang burst into the sunroom, shouting, “Dad, don’t disapprove of them!” “They didn’t do anything wrong!”… Shi Zai couldn’t help but laugh. He hadn’t even figured things out yet, and here was the eldest putting on a melodramatic act.

Shi Yiwang glanced around, hesitated, then continued, “Zhaozhao and Maomao are a good match, Sheng Sheng has no objections, so Dad, just let them be… Shi Mingzhao, I’m sticking up for you, why are you glaring at me?” Hearing this, Shi Mingzhao turned away, letting Shi Yiwang meddle as he pleased. The big mouth and loud voice weren’t enough—now he was adding fuel to the fire with his “Zhaozhao, Maomao, Sheng Sheng.” How old was he again?

The two started squabbling again. Shi Zai paused for a moment, then burst into laughter—it was indescribably strange, yet undeniably amusing:

"Shi Mingzhao, are you sure the one you really like is Ji Kuimao?"

"...Dad, don’t be like this."

"Hahahaha, then what about Ji Jinsheng?"

"Dad—"

"Hahahahahaha..."

After laughing, Shi Zai finally put on his parent hat. He wasn’t actually opposed—the childhood betrothal had never been taken too seriously, and the adults from both families hadn’t deliberately brought it up over the years, precisely to avoid making the kids uncomfortable in the future. But… somehow it still ended up awkward. Because Shi Zai had assumed the two children would find their own partners outside. He never expected that the twin brother would end up swapped for the older brother.

Even though it wasn’t really binding, they were still brothers. What was up with his Shi Mingzhao?

Shi Mingzhao was utterly exasperated and called out "Dad—" again. How could something from when he was two years old count? All these years, he had never liked Ji Jinsheng, and Ji Jinsheng had never paid him any extra attention either. The childhood friends had always been him and Ji Kuimao—never Ji Jinsheng. If anything, it was more like he and Ji Kuimao had always looked after the gentler-natured Ji Jinsheng together, treating him like a younger brother.

Since they were little, whenever Ji Kuimao didn’t feel like coaxing his brother, he’d pass the task to Shi Mingzhao—it was all the adults’ doing, trying to pair them up randomly.

There was nothing really awkward about it, but… Dad laughing like this… This was exactly what Shi Mingzhao had been afraid of, which was why he’d been too embarrassed to bring it up.

After laughing, he grew a bit concerned. Ji Jinsheng was somewhat shy and might feel uncomfortable… Shi Mingzhao quickly interrupted:

"Dad, Ji Jinsheng is well-behaved in front of others, but behind the scenes, he’s always chasing me and Kuimao around trying to hit us. Don’t overthink it—he’s just as annoyed with me as he is with Kuimao."

"...Alright then, hahahaha… you guys are just too funny, hahahaha…"

On the other side, Shi Yiwang snorted, crossed his arms, and said to Shi Mingzhao:

"You let someone else’s brother chase you around trying to hit you, but won’t let your own biological brother hit you?!"

"...Shi Yiwang, how many times have you hit me already? Want Dad to judge who’s right?"

"Hmph! Fine! Let Dad judge first—is it right to call your own older brother by his full name? Say ‘brother’!"

"...Shi Yiwang."

Provoked, Shi Yiwang grew furious, took off his slipper, and started whacking his brother.

Shi Mingzhao had no choice but to quickly call out, "Brother."

As for their dad, who was supposed to mediate, he had already slipped away. Shi Zai was laughing uncontrollably—the kids had really grown up. One was shyly in love, the other was loudly proclaiming his singlehood. One moment the older brother was protecting the younger, the next the younger was being overpowered by the older.

The matter with the younger brother was settled for now—let them choose whoever they wanted to spend their lives with. The adults could only laugh along, feeling the sentiment that their children had grown up and started dating. How exactly were they dating? After instructing them not to rush into anything improper, there wasn’t much else to scrutinize.

Not long after, the oldest son at home stirred up some trouble, also related to matters of the heart.

One evening, Shi Zai and Shu Yangkuo were relaxing on the swing in the yard when they heard noisy arguing from outside. With a roar, a motorcycle entered the yard—one voice repeatedly saying "shut up," the other on the back seat grumbling, "Shi Mingzhao, you’ve grown bold, daring to meddle in your brother’s affairs? If you do this again, I’ll break your legs…"

Shi Zai glanced at the man holding him and smiled:

"Brother, you handle this one."

"Wife, you take care of it this time—can’t play favorites."

"…"

Annoyed, he punched the annoying man. Now he tells him not to play favorites? This guy just felt awkward discussing emotional matters with the kids.

Before the two even entered the yard, Shi Zai had already figured it out—the older one was going on about "only dating people, not relationships"... What did that mean? It seemed the "person" he was dating struck Shi Mingzhao as shady, so he rode his motorcycle over to scare them off.

It was amusing how they sometimes undermined each other, yet also had each other’s backs.

Calling both of them over, Shi Zai got straight to the point:

"Shi Yiwang, what’s going on? If you like someone, you like them; if you don’t, you don’t. You can’t treat emotions like a game."

"...It has nothing to do with liking or not liking."

"Then what—"

Hearing this, Shi Yiwang glared at his meddling brother—just focus on your own relationship, why bother with mine?

After a pause, Shi Yiwang explained with a grin:

"Consider it an experiment or a trial. I’m working on a set of tattoo designs related to love, so I’m ‘dating’ different people to experience how love feels under different conditions. It should be really interesting—I’m going to make a big splash with this!"

"…"

Shi Zai pondered for a moment. It didn’t sound entirely unreasonable—in fact, it seemed rather ambitious and innovative.

But—just as Shi Mingzhao had worried—what if someone developed real feelings for Shi Yiwang and started causing trouble, showing up at his studio or company? Tonight’s incident was Shi Mingzhao’s way of preventing trouble before it started, after sensing something was off.

But Shi Yiwang argued confidently:

"First, I have them sign short-term contracts upfront, clearly stating it’s ‘fake dating.’ Second, I pay them—once they’ve helped me gain some insight, they can leave. If anyone tries anything shady, we’ll settle it at the police station. Third, I plan to bring them home to meet you and Father first. With you two watching, no matter who it is, would they dare have any ulterior motives toward me?"

"…"

It sounded logical, yet also somewhat unreliable.

Well, let him try. Young people have their own innovations and ideas—they should be supported.

For a while after that, the villa was in constant cheerful chaos, filled with endless laughter every day. Shi Zai watched like it was a show, daily observing their Shi Yiwang bring home all sorts of people—men and women of various personalities and appearances… At first, Shi Zai worried the oldest might suddenly discover romance, liking one after another or several at once… But after a few days, he realized the older one was still a late bloomer. "Dating" these people, he acted silly and unserious—probably because he knew it was pretend—which made it all the more hilarious.

With a frail male college student, Shi Yiwang would sprawl lazily, playing the domineering CEO: "So, how do you find your brother? Feel safe with me?"… Shi Zai laughed so hard he immediately sent the embarrassed young man home. Their Shi Yiwang could be plenty cringe when he tried.

Then he invited a very cool and capable woman, and Shi Yiwang put on a high-pitched, drawn-out "Sis—ter—". Not only did the bold, red-lipped woman roll her eyes, even Shi Zai found his own son too disgusting to listen to, yet the brat kept performing as if no one was watching.

…

In the end, the colorful array of "sweet beans" didn’t win over a single person—instead, he awkwardly drove everyone away. Really—none of the ones he actually liked made the cut, yet he insisted on all these antics. It was hard to understand why.

That night, Shi Zai couldn’t help but talk to him:

"Shi Yiwang, do you actually want to date someone but are too embarrassed to say it?"

"...Dad, am I the kind of person who gets embarrassed?"

Hearing this, Shi Zai rubbed his nose and laughed. True, like him, his son wasn’t the thin-skinned type.

Then what was it for? Shi Yiwang sighed and said:

"The love you and Father have given me is already more than enough—I can’t bring myself to like anyone else. Sometimes I think about it and feel like no one could love me the way you and Father do, so I just let it go. Lately… it really is because of my upcoming project. It’s not that I want to date—if I really did, I could just date those who genuinely like me. But that wouldn’t be fair to them, which is why I came up with this method."

"If you never meet someone who loves you as much as Dad and I do, are you really decided on staying single forever?"

"Hmm, there's nothing wrong with that. On one hand, I have your abundant love; on the other hand, I also love myself deeply. I can make myself happy and fulfilled all on my own. Having a partner isn’t that important."

After hearing this, Shi Zai finally understood his oldest kid's mindset—he wanted pure, passionate love, not something settled for. So he fully supported him, he thought. There was no need to rush; if it's meant to be, it'll happen. If not—just as Shi Yiwang said, the love they gave him, along with his own self-love, was already more than enough. There are countless forms of love in this world, and romantic love isn’t necessarily the best. Supportive love and self-love are equally beautiful.

Shi Zai smiled, pulled out a stack of discs from under the TV cabinet—recordings of their family over the years—and said, "Shi Yiwang, take another good look at these. Maybe they’ll inspire you."

"……"

Three months later, Shi Yiwang, just like when he was over a year old, once again captivated the public’s attention with a unique ceramic art display. Simply put, it involved various paired ceramic patterns dynamically portraying the process of "falling in love" under light and shadow. The creative video went viral online, making all kinds of deep, quiet, and enduring forms of love a soothing remedy for society's collective anxiety.

Love, after all, is just a noun, an emotion… but its expressions are infinite, and all the inspiration was drawn from their big family. At the same time, Shi Yiwang stopped waiting for a love like his dad and father’s—he was meant to have his own story.

With all the children’s matters settled, their life journeys were theirs to continue writing.

After this, Shi Zai and Shu Yangkuo resumed their quarterly travels together. This time, Shu Yangkuo felt like he’d seen a ghost.