Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  “The results are out?” Er Bao had sharp ears. He dashed over excitedly when he vaguely heard his mother and grandmother discussing the scores. “Mom, did I attain the top place?”

  When Er Bao said this, San Bao also rushed over. “Mom, am I the top scorer?”

  Da Bao walked over leisurely with Xiao Bao, this little tail, following by his side. He quietly walked to Qiao Nan without saying a word. While Da Bao was calm and cool, Er Bao and San Bao almost quarreled. Two little mouths were clattering, filled with a taste of explosives. At the end of Er Bao and San Bao’s ‘discussion’, both of their faces turned red with all the yelling.

  Qiao Nan could not help reaching out her hands and flicked on Er Bao and San Bao’s foreheads. “How old are the two of you? Quarreling to this extent in front of Xiao Bao? Aren’t you afraid that Xiao Bao will laugh at you? You’re the elder brother and elder sister. Are you setting this kind of example for Xiao Bao?” This was just the rankings for an examination and they could quarrel until their faces and ears turned crimson. Qiao Nan was the first to disagree with such behavior.

  “Isn’t this just the results of an exam? Don’t you find it embarrassing to kick up such a ruckus? How did Mom teach you normally? Did you all fulfill Mom’s expectations of you? If you behave like this, Mom is going to be angry!”

  Er Bao and San Bao immediately shut up and mumbled in their hearts: Mom, you are already angry.

  “Hug, hug.” Qiao Nan took a deep breath. Er Bao and San Bao liked to compete. This was normal for every child. If it was a friendly competition, Qiao Nan was supportive. However, in the current situation, the two were arguing nonstop and almost fell out with each other. Therefore, Qiao Nan’s attitude immediately turned serious.

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  The triplets were usually very attached to Qiao Nan. However, when Qiao Nan scolded them with a strict face, they would become very obedient. They were afraid that their mother would be angry although she was especially good to them normally.

  When one who did not flare up normally suddenly toughened her attitude, the triplets would feel that they had gone overboard.

  Once Qiao Nan spoke, Er Bao and San Bao dared not continue to kid around. They had long put aside the top scorer matter and hugged each other according to Qiao Nan’s request. One said ‘sorry, sister’ while the other said ‘sorry, brother’.

  Seeing that her children had admitted their mistakes, Qiao Nan did not continue to chide them. “Your results are out. In Mom’s views, all three of you have done very well. I am very satisfied.” There was an ancient saying of ‘There is no best writer, nor is there a second-best fighter.’ It was hard to differentiate the best in an academic competition, but easy to find out the stronger one in a fighting competition.

  Qiao Nan felt that she should have a good discussion with her mother-in-law when she had time. Of course, it was not an issue to use Brother Zhai and her as examples for her children. However, it seemed that both Er Bao and San Bao had a distorted understanding of what attaining the top ranking meant. They were even so stubborn about it. That was a problem.

  “Really?”

  “Cousins, you are awesome.”

  Having received their mother’s praise, the triplets were especially happy. Even Da Bao, who already resembled more and more like his father with his strict and serious manner even at such a young age, also curled the corners of his mouth and revealed a smile.

  “Of course it’s true. Da Bao got 99 marks, while Er Bao and San Bao got 96 marks. The three of you did so well. Mom is very happy.” Having said that, Qiao Nan bent down and gave them a kiss each. Upon receiving their mother’s praise and kiss, the triplets were smiling like pink flowers.

  Xiao Bao was anxious. He twisted his chubby body and squeezed in between his cousins. “Auntie, I am also obedient and good. When I am in the kindergarten, I do very well. The teacher always gives me small little red flowers. Auntie, I want a kiss too.” His cousins received kisses. How could his auntie miss him out?

  Looking at Xiao Bao’s anxious and red face, Qiao Nan laughed and gave him a hard kiss on the face. Xiao Bao’s fair skin resembled Tian Dong’s and his bright eyes resembled Zhai Hua’s. Qiao Nan did not know who his chubby face with baby fat looked like. However, just based on these, Xiao Bao was already a very adorable, lovely, and good-looking little boy.

  Sometimes, Qiao Nan felt that she was taking advantage of Xiao Bao when she kissed him.

  This matter had passed. However, Qiao Nan did find time to have a heart-to-heart talk with the triplets thereafter. Qiao Nan hoped that Er Bao and San Bao could get Da Bao to play with them more. She did not want Da Bao to become so mature at such a young age and miss out on laughter and happiness during childhood.

  “Da Bao, Mom doesn’t know how great-grandpa and grandpa usually teach you, but Mom wants to tell you that in front of Mom, you are always my son. You’re still very young now. You don’t need to feel anxious about many things. Don’t give yourself too much pressure. Play and make noises when it is time to.” As the eldest son of the Zhai family, the pressure that Da Bao had to take on was much greater than that of Er Bao and San Bao.

  In front of Qiao Nan, Da Bao should have the childlike innocence of a seven-year-old child. “Mom, rest assured. I know.” After thinking, Da Bao tugged Qiao Nan’s sleeves. Qiao Nan bent down and lowered her head. Da Bao then whispered into her ears. “Mom, don’t worry about me. Actually, sometimes, I don’t like to talk because I feel that some children are too childish.”

  Just take what happened earlier. He felt that the argument between Er Bao and San Bao was pointless. The examination was over and the results were already in their mother’s hands. Would the rankings change just because one’s voice was louder or he was fiercer?

  As the ‘eldest one’, Da Bao was still very confident of himself. He just could not be bothered to say that he did not think that the top place would be snatched away by his younger brother and sister.

  The triplets’ IQs were not low. They were all very intelligent children.

  Although Er Bao and San Bao were occasionally a little ‘stupid’ in Da Bao’s eyes, making him speechless, Da Bao was even more reluctant to bother about those children and classmates in the school. “Mom, you don’t know. During yesterday’s exam, one of our classmates was so anxious that he cried. I think he didn’t know how to answer some questions. He kicked up a ruckus and wanted to go to the bathroom. He insisted the teacher bring him there, saying that he didn’t know how to take off his pants.”

  At the end of his speech, the disdain on Da Bao’s face was very obvious.

  He wasn’t in kindergarten anymore, yet he insisted the teacher help him take off his pants when he went to the bathroom. Each time Da Bao recalled that he was in the same examination hall with such a child, he felt extremely unhappy. In his heart, Da Bao felt grateful more than once that Er Bao and San Bao were not like that.

  Even Xiao Bao. For those pants that were easier to remove, Xiao Bao did not want the adults to keep him company. He would step on the stool and pee on his own.

  A primary school boy performing worse than his family’s Xiao Bao—it would be strange if Da Bao could see eye to eye with such a child.