Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Children grew up quickly, especially when they entered the period of rapid growth that occurred during puberty. In four years, they had all changed drastically.
The changes in the five children were very obvious. The oldest, Shao Dong and Shao Xi, were 17 and about to turn 18. Their height had already surpassed Mu Jingzhe’s.
In just two years, they had soared to 1.80 meters. From the looks of it, they would continue to grow.
In the blink of an eye, Mu Jingzhe felt that they had grown even taller. Their clothes would always become short quickly. Sometimes, after buying new clothes, if they didn’t wear them in time, they would outgrow them in two to three months.
The changes of the duo made Mu Jingzhe truly experience seeing her children grow up.
Now that they had grown taller, their facial features had also changed. They had dashing eyebrows, and their nose bridges were tall and straight, which made them look rather heroic. Their facial features resembled Shao Qihai’s, but in combination with Bai Lu’s characteristics, they looked even fresher.
Children their age really had the most vigor. Every time Mu Jingzhe looked at them, she felt a youthful aura rushing over her.
At the thought that they had been raised by her, she couldn’t conceal her pride.
Shao Dong and Shao Xi’s height basically increased at pretty much the same rate. Because they were twins, their appearance was still similar. However, their disposition was completely different.
Shao Dong was very steady. Just like when he was young, he looked like a young adult, reserved and very serious when dealing with outsiders. Over the past few years, his aura had become even more domineering, making it impossible for anyone to retort.
Even Mu Han, his uncle, said that whenever Shao Dong’s countenance darkened these days, he would feel his hair stand on end and he wouldn’t dare say anything.
However, Shao Dong would only do that to outsiders, not to his family or Mu Jingzhe. When he saw Mu Jingzhe, he would always smile before saying anything. Whenever he smiled, his entire disposition would soften. Therefore, he was a big boss to outsiders, but when he came home, he was a good little boy around his family.
“Mom.” Shao Dong was the same this time. He called her ‘Mom’ first and looked at her with smiling eyes. Mu Jingzhe couldn’t help but laugh.
Shao Dong’s stutter hadn’t disappeared yet. Although he no longer cared, he still didn’t like to talk outside usually. However, when he had to speak, he was never afraid.
He didn’t mind his stutter, nor did he mind other people’s gazes. Instead, he became increasingly calm.
Beside Shao Dong was Shao Xi. Shao Xi was fairer and gave off a completely different vibe from Shao Dong. He wasn’t serious but he was lively. When he smiled, he looked handsome and exuded a bad-boy vibe. In a crowd, one could always spot him at first glance.
Shao Xi was now famous for his vicious tongue, and his bad-boy appearance made many people go crazy for him.
However, in front of Mu Jingzhe, Shao Xi was simply childish. No matter how many years had passed, he was still the same around Mu Jingzhe and he kept competing for her favor.
Shao Xi wanted to hug Mu Jingzhe, but Shao Nan pushed him away.
They had turned fifteen this year, so it was unavoidable for Shao Nan and Shao Bei to grow taller. Also, Shao Nan was still at the stage when his voice was changing. Because his voice wasn’t pleasant, he didn’t like to talk anymore.
Besides, because he had laughed at Shao Xi during Shao Xi’s voice-changing period previously, he would be mocked by Shao Xi as soon as he opened his mouth. Therefore, he would use actions instead of speech to express himself when possible.
After becoming a little short-sighted from reading too much, Shao Nan had begun wearing a pair of glasses. He had a pair of black-framed glasses and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, and each pair made Shao Nan give off a different aura.
The black-framed glasses were elegant and refined. At a glance, one could tell that he was a star student and a school hunk. He looked harmless wearing those glasses.
However, whenever he was wearing the gold-rimmed glasses, he looked like a refined degenerate. He rarely wore the gold-rimmed glasses, as he was usually wearing the black-framed ones instead.
Because he had suffered quite a bit in Shao Nan’s presence, Shao Xi was about to argue after being pushed aside. However, Shao Nan only let Little Bei go forward.
Cutie-pie Little Bei was still cute, but she had become even more beautiful. At fifteen years old, she was at her most beautiful and youthful age. Quick-witted and adorable, she was truly the nation’s daughter and younger sister.
At the sight of Little Bei, Mu Jingzhe’s smile widened, and she picked Little Bei up in her arms. Little Bei was both happy and embarrassed. “Mommy, I’m grown up now.”
“It’s fine. I can carry you even if you’re 20 or 30 years old.”
The boys couldn’t help but laugh as they watched from the side. Little Bei was their precious younger sister, and Mu Jingzhe was their beloved mother. They were naturally only glad that the two of them were so close.
“Mommy, I’m here too.” Xiao Wu followed, opening his arms. “I want a hug too.”
Xiao Wu was 13 years old and had grown much taller. His facial features kept slowly developing and becoming more exquisite. He had long curly hair and skin so fair that it seemed to glow, like a Prince Charming in a book.
When Mu Jingzhe saw Xiao Wu, a dazed look flashed across her eyes. Xiao Wu seemed to be becoming more and more like Ji Buwang.
Or rather, he resembled Ji Buwang’s older brother. But since the two brothers had looked like twins, he also resembled Ji Buwang.
Xiao Wu’s facial features had become more similar to his now that they had developed a little. Perhaps the resemblance would grow as he grew up.
However, there were also some differences. For instance, his disposition. Although he was young, Xiao Wu was already a little gentleman. He was still just like before—obedient, fond of smiles, and famous for his politeness.
Mu Jingzhe reached out and gave Xiao Wu a hug. “Xiao Wu is going to be taller than me too. I’ll be the shortest person in the family from now on.”
Who would have thought? In just a few years, she had become the shortest. Although she felt happy, Mu Jingzhe sighed in her heart.
“It’s alright, Mommy. If you want to touch my hair, I can squat down.” Xiao Wu lowered his head as he answered.
“No need. I can stand on my tiptoes.” Mu Jingzhe pulled them in. “Alright, come on in and eat.”
“Mommy, if you’re busy, I can come back and cook,” Shao Dong said.
“No, I have time.”
The family ate a meal and shared what had happened today at the dining table. The atmosphere was quite lively.
After Mu Jingzhe listened to them and told them what she had done, she casually asked about Xiao Wu’s confrontation on TV.
“Xiao Wu, is there something wrong with that Zhao guy? Looks like you don’t like him very much.”
When Mu Jingzhe asked, everyone stopped to look at Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu was different from his brothers and had a nice personality. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t get angry. It was rare for him to act like Shao Xi, but on the TV show, his sharp tongue had made that guy’s face turn purple with just a few words.
Xiao Wu paused. “No. I just don’t like him.”
Xiao Wu would occasionally appear on television. Usually, he would meet good people, but this time, he had met an ignorant person.
That Zhao person was actually an old acquaintance of the Ji Family who knew about Ji Buwang and Mu Jingzhe and was aware that Ji Buwang had passed away. He had hypocritically comforted Xiao Wu for a while and then changed the topic and actually expressed his interest in Mu Jingzhe.
His words hadn’t been very respectful and had completely angered Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu also had a reverse scale1—his family. He was protective of his loved ones and couldn’t be provoked when it came to the people he cared about. He usually seemed mild-tempered, but when he got angry, he was very intimidating.
