The food was sumptuous, but it was Shao Qiyang who had worked hard to prepare these dishes.

  Shao Qihai awkwardly and warmly invited them to sit down and eat. Shao Dong looked at Shao Qiyang’s room. “Where’s Uncle?”

  “He said he wasn’t in a good mood,” Shao Qihai explained awkwardly.

  “It’s normal for Uncle to be in a bad mood. He’s been through a lot today.” Shao Dong, who was considerate, went to look for Shao Qiyang.

  Shao Qiyang, who was in the house, was very touched and sad when he heard Shao Dong ask about him outside. He asked Shao Dong not to worry and said that he would be fine in a while. Shao Qiyang even asked Shao Dong to go eat quickly and said that he would be skipping the meal because he had no appetite.

  Although he said that, they still left some food for Shao Qiyang.

  The late dinner started in silence and awkwardness. Although Mu Jingzhe and the kids didn’t talk much, the atmosphere was very harmonious and taciturn.

  The only person who didn’t fit in was Shao Qihai. Shao Qihai wanted to pick food for the children, but the children weren’t happy. In fact, when he got nervous, he even picked the wrong food.

  He had been dreaming of sitting down and having a meal with his family for the longest time. In the end, this was what happened.

  He wanted to talk to Mu Jingzhe, but when he actually sat at the table and looked at her, Shao Qihai felt a little hesitant.

  It was because he sensed that Mu Jingzhe was really different now. He felt that it would take a lot of courage to speak to her.

  In the end, the food tasted like wax in Shao Qihai’s mouth, and he didn’t even know what he ate.

  As soon as they finished eating, Shao Dong and Shao Xi worked together to wash the dishes. Shao Nan and Little Bei also helped clean up. Xiao Wu wiped the table, and the five siblings cooperated very well.

  Mu Jingzhe poured hot water for them and swept the floor. Only Shao Qihai had nothing to do.

  Shao Qihai wanted to help, but everyone pretty much ignored him.

  After they finally cleaned up, Shao Qihai remembered something and went out. A moment later, he came back out with a big bag and a face full of anticipation.

  “I kept thinking about you guys and bought quite a lot of things.” Like an ordinary father who had gone on a long trip, he wanted to give his children a gift upon returning. He imagined that the children would be happy to receive the gift, and then their relationship would improve.

  \r \r \r

  Oh, his wife would be happy too.

  Shao Qihai coughed and couldn’t wait to distribute the gifts.

  “This is Little Dong’s. This is Little Xi’s… This is for you.”

  After giving the presents to the children, Shao Qihai glanced at Mu Jingzhe and placed the item in her hand.

  Mu Jingzhe, who was watching the show, exclaimed, “Eh?” There was also something for her? This was rare.

  Mu Jingzhe hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should accept it. Shao Qihai stuffed it into her hands and said, “See if… if it fits.”

  He looked at the children. “You too. Try them on to see if they fit. You’re taller than I thought you’d be.”

  Shao Dong and the others looked at the presents and didn’t move much, but Shao Nan exclaimed, “Why do I find this a little familiar… This looks like something Mommy and I decided not to buy while shopping in the capital…”

  He looked at Mu Jingzhe to confirm this. Mu Jingzhe looked at the items, and they looked familiar indeed. “It really does seem…”

  Shao Qihai: “???” Meow meow meow?

  They had decided not to buy them? Was it because she couldn’t afford to buy them because they were expensive?

  Shao Qihai froze. Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan glanced at the presents in confusion. Mu Jingzhe finally spoke to Shao Qihai. “Why did you buy these?” Wouldn’t it be a little too much to call this a coincidence?

  Shao Qihai: “Would you believe me if I said it was a coincidence?”

  Mu Jingzhe and the five children shook their heads in unison to express their disbelief.

  Shao Qihai: “I’ll explain this later…”

  It didn’t seem like an appropriate time to say that he had been following them all this time. Shao Qihai could only awkwardly implement the stalling policy.

  He hadn’t expected to make such a blunder. Coincidentally, Little Bei was right in front of him. When he saw her adorable look, Shao Qihai’s gaze melted. He quickly changed the topic and asked, “Does Little Bei like these hair ornaments?”

  Little Bei: “I don’t. These hair ornaments aren’t as pretty as the ones Mommy makes.”

  Shao Qihai stiffened again. “Uh…”

  “Mommy has made me a lot of pretty ones.” A year ago, Little Bei, who had never owned any hair ornaments, might have been thrilled. However, she had a lot of beautiful hair ornaments now, so she didn’t care for such mediocre ones anymore.

  Shao Qihai was so embarrassed that he was about to say something when Shao Nan took a look and suddenly burst into laughter. “Mommy, look at this hair ornament. Isn’t it the one you said was so ugly it was adorable?”

  Mu Jingzhe took a look and saw that it was true. Because she was in this line of work, she would take a closer look at the hair ornaments sold in the streets. Some of them weren’t bad, but the workmanship was rough, and they were ugly. However, when something was ugly to an extreme, it had an ugly and adorable effect. Mu Jingzhe even tried to see the effect, wanting to see if it would look different when the ornament was worn on the head.

  In the end, it didn’t. Instead, the hair ornament looked even uglier and out of place when worn.

  Mu Jingzhe still clearly remembered the jibes she had made then. She just hadn’t expected Shao Qihai to actually buy one.

  Shao Qihai: “…”

  He actually didn’t have much of an aesthetic sense for girly things. At the time, he’d also felt that it was strange that she would take a fancy to it, but he had thought that maybe it was because he didn’t understand. He hadn’t expected… that it would really be ugly.

  He had been looking forward to the presents relieving the awkwardness and making them feel closer to him, but now that he had distributed the presents, it was even more awkward… He really was…

  He was at a loss for words. As he faced everyone’s strange and probing gazes, he was so anxious that he nearly broke out in a sweat. At that moment, Xiao Wu looked at his father’s clothes and then down at his own clothes. He finally couldn’t help but speak.

  “You’re wearing the same clothes as us.” He subconsciously said that in an accusing tone.

  When Xiao Wu said this, everyone finally saw the clothes Shao Qihai was wearing. They couldn’t help but widen their eyes. How could he be wearing the same clothes as them!

  Shao Dong’s face fell when he saw this, as they were wearing the parent-child outfits that Mu Jingzhe had bought previously!

  The parent-child outfits Mu Jingzhe and Shao Nan had bought were unanimously liked and cherished by the children. After wearing them once, the children had cautiously worn them again on the first day of school. When they went to school with Mu Jingzhe in that outfit, they became the most beautiful sight at school.

  They loved these parent-child outfits to death and couldn’t bear to take them off. Mu Jingzhe also felt that wearing parent-child outfits was very cool, so she couldn’t bear to take the clothes off either.

  The other children looked at them enviously and also wanted to wear the same clothes as their parents. The parents in Great Eastern Village were forced to think of ways to find clothes of the same or similar color to satisfy their children’s needs. Many parents even took out sportswear.

  The children were proud and happy to see that everyone’s outfits weren’t as well-matched as theirs. In the end, Shao Qihai was also wearing the same outfit as them.

  What gave him the right?! How could he?! He had tarnished their clothes!

  Mu Jingzhe looked at the clothes on her and then at Shao Qihai’s clothes. She had a profound feeling that if they were to go out like this, anyone who didn’t know might think this was a couple’s outfit.

  Upon seeing the children fuming and Mu Jingzhe looking at him strangely, Shao Qihai was speechless.

  “…”

  Under their gazes, he shrank his body, wishing he could shrink into nonexistence.

  This was the nth time he had suffered a blow. There were so many times that he had lost track. He felt like he was in a daze, as if he had died again.

  He had secretly bought that same outfit that day and specifically changed into it before coming back. He had wanted to wear the same clothes as his kids and Mu Jingzhe, but in the end…