NOVPUBTaier and his siblings couldn’t stand to see their little sister bullied, so they immediately picked up the little lump and moved him to the side.
Harvis and his brothers had always disliked their overbearing attitude, and since it was Vanessa mocking Lilia to begin with, the three lion teenagers joined the ’dispute’ as well.
Soon the room became noisy and chaotic.
Qiao Suisui was completely unable to manage these kids, especially since they were Beastmen in their restless period, which is somewhat similar to human adolescence.
She sighed, took Lilia’s hand, and pulled her aside to avoid any accidental injuries. Then she gestured for Bellini to come over—since he was smaller, he definitely couldn’t beat his older siblings.
Ruka’s expression cooled down, his authority commanding by his very nature. Without uttering a word, as his gaze swept across each of them, those teenagers who had just been about to fight all fell silent, not daring to utter a sound.
"Is this how I’ve taught you all these years?"
The children all bowed their heads in shame.
Due to the war, Ruka hadn’t sent the children to school but had hired tutors to come to the Imperial Court to teach them. Since there were many children, they made up a class by themselves. Four little snow leopards had their own tutor for the basics, while the older ten spent more time together, but still disagreed with each other as usual. Only Ruka could truly hold sway over these kids.
Qiao Suisui knew she had been negligent in this area and had no excuses; after all, she did what she had to do for the points and didn’t have a deep affection for these children. Moreover, her own life had just begun, so naturally, she wasn’t going to be held back by the kids. The men were all aware of this and had never blamed her. After all, having borne them cubs was something they were profoundly grateful and contrite for.
But now, seeing her grown children directly expressing their dissatisfaction with her, she felt somewhat conflicted.
Carl noticed her mood and stopped fooling around with the three youngsters. He quickly walked over, wrapped her in his arms, and said gently, "They’re just little brats who spout unpleasant things, and right now, they’re at an age even dogs would despise, so irritating. Honey, you play with these four; they’re obedient. Look, if you tell them to go east, they wouldn’t dare go west."
As he spoke, he kicked Tata in the butt and said, "Transform for mommy."
Tata, clutching his butt, his eyes whirling around, turned into a little snow leopard in the next second and, tail up, walked over to rub his head against Qiao Suisui’s leg.
The other three leopards followed suit, and then four snow leopards appeared at Qiao Suisui’s feet, adorable, fluffy, and incredibly cute.
She had no resistance to this, touched their fur, with Klein expertly lying down and rolling over to expose his belly, his little paws flailing, his round, dark eyes seeming to say, "Mommy, pet me."
It was impossible to say she wasn’t biased.
She was partial to the four little lions when they were young, and now with the four little snow leopards, she was even more biased.
Harvis, watching with envy, muttered jealously, "Mommy used to pet me like that when I was little..."
Taier felt bitter inside; the six deer cubs had barely seen their mother when they were younger, let alone such affectionate interactions. It was no wonder Vanessa could utter such sharp words; in fact, she hid in the blankets crying several times, saying she missed her mommy.
Ruka was aware of what these children were thinking and understood that their longing for Qiao Suisui was no less than his own, but regardless of the reason, speaking to her with such a tone was unacceptable.
"Each of you, go back and copy the classics thirty times. You’re not allowed to sleep until you finish."
Vanessa’s eyes widened, a jin-heavy classic, so thick, with so many words, to copy thirty times? They wouldn’t be able to finish even by dawn.
She was about to retort again but was silenced by a look from Taier, reluctantly pouting her lips.
"Any objections?" Ruka’s voice dropped a few degrees colder.
Everyone replied dejectedly, "No."
Qiao Suisui hesitated whether to intervene while Ruka was disciplining the kids, considering couples often argue over child-rearing, especially when one is strictly teaching while the other acts as the good cop. She deeply respected Ruka, and whatever his reasons were, she at least needed to present a united front with him.
But thirty times really is a bit too many....
"Well, how about giving them another option?" Qiao Suisui sought Ruka’s agreement, saying, "I have some things that need help with. If they are willing, they can help me with a task to offset one round of copying. What do you say, Ruka?"
Ruka naturally had no objections. Carl, however, lazily interjected, "What task? I’ll do it."
Qiao Suisui gave him a glare.
What an unreliable father.
Carl’s back stiffened as he picked up on her warning; her look told him to shut up. He pursed his lips in grievance and, like Xianglin’s wife, picked up a child from the ground without even seeing clearly which one it was. Anyway, he proceeded to put on an act.
"Ah, fine, I obviously have no status in this family anyway, right, Klein?"
The child in his arms, Bellini, glanced at him, her speechlessness almost written on her face, "Dad, can you at least figure out who I am before you start your act?"
Qiao Suisui couldn’t help but smile and hold her forehead, looking towards Ruka, who nodded back with a smile.
"So... who’s willing..."
She hadn’t finished her sentence when Harvis was the first to step forward, his expression as firm as if he were enlisting, and he said, "Me! I can!"
Followed by Taier, Dikun, and the rest, Lilia also raised her hand, and Lei An quietly stepped forward after his older brother, indicating he was willing too.
Vanessa and her two sisters had been eager to help their mother all along, as they saw others keen to lend a hand, but their pride made it hard for them to step forward. At that moment, they stood there, hesitating, and were on the verge of stamping their feet in frustration.
Qiao Suisui knew the girls were shy and had been spoiled by Leberli into little princesses, so she took the initiative to extend an olive branch.
She said, "But I have quite a few tasks, how about you all help me together?"
The children nodded in unison.
Thus, during the following time, she had the girls help her organize her jewelry and dresses, tidy up her dressing table, and match the outfit for the next day. She had the boys go buy flower seeds and fertilizer and take care of the neglected garden in the Imperial Court.
In reality, none of those were urgent matters; but affection was cultivated from such trivial tasks, little by little.
Just like when she noticed Vanessa eyeing her jewelry box with envy, she took the initiative to put a necklace on her.
"This was given to me by Ash," she said while fastening the necklace clasp for Vanessa. "Back then, your father said he was looking forward to your arrival, so he had the most lustrous pearls gathered and made into this necklace. I’m not particularly into these things, but I thought it would be nice to give them to you when you grow up."
At that moment, Vanessa’s face was already covered in tears.
Suddenly hugging Qiao Suisui, she sobbed, "Mom, Dad and all of us really, really miss you."
"I know, don’t worry, I’ll make sure Dad comes back."
Vanessa couldn’t understand how her father would come back since he was clearly already deceased.
Afterward, Qiao Suisui also selected suitable jewelry for the other three girls, and the atmosphere became very harmonious for a time.
But things weren’t going so well for the boys.
