Chapter 103: 20 Years Old

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: 20 Years Old

Wei’s mother lowered her voice even more. "There are some things I shouldn’t tell outsiders, but... Wei Qi always feels like he’s the one who harmed his younger brother."

It was exactly as she had suspected. A kind and cheerful child, living with intense self-blame for so long, had allowed the guilt to bottle up inside him until it eventually crushed him.

Deng Yuyuan asked in return, "Do you think it was his fault?"

"Of course not. He was just a child. Even if he had tried to stop them back then, it would have only resulted in one more person being kidnapped. This sort of thing can only be considered a sudden, unexpected disaster." Wei’s mother’s expression didn’t seem faked; she genuinely ached for her two children.

Deng Yuyuan shifted to another question. "Then does Wei Shu blame him?"

Wei’s mother shook her head. "Although Little Shu has a bad attitude toward his older brother, he’s equally nitpicky with everyone. I even consulted several child specialists, hoping Little Shu would get better soon, so Xiaoqi could let go of his worry for his brother."

Deng Yuyuan looked toward the three kids playing nearby. "Did Wei Shu’s temperament change drastically after the incident?"

Wei’s mother suddenly looked a bit awkward. She paused for a moment before saying, "Actually, Little Shu was born a bit sensitive and prone to overthinking, the exact opposite of his brother’s personality."

"So Xiaoqi probably thinks," Deng Yuyuan said, "if only he hadn’t let his younger brother be taken away back then, or if they had swapped places and *he* was the one taken instead of his naturally sensitive brother, would things be much better now? His brother wouldn’t have been hurt, and even if Xiaoqi himself had been kidnapped, he could have quickly stepped out of the shadow. This family would still be happy and harmonious."

Deng Yuyuan had hit the nail on the head regarding Wei Qi’s psychology. Wei’s mother’s eyes slowly widened, filled with a mix of regret, sorrow, self-blame, and resentment. "Is... is that really it?"

"I don’t know, I’m not a professional doctor. But I think Xiaoqi might also need professional intervention. And as for you two, you parents need to open up your hearts and minds as well." Deng Yuyuan’s words stopped abruptly.

In this era, people didn’t pay much attention to psychological issues. Even if she recommended that the Wei Family Parents go see a psychiatrist, it would be hard to find a truly reputable one—and if they happened to find a quack who made things worse...

"When you have time, you should seek out a famous fortune teller. This is wisdom passed down from our ancestors. Even though feudal superstition isn’t encouraged nowadays, there’s no harm in asking around." Deng Yuyuan suddenly changed the subject, proposing another solution. Fortune tellers were essentially the time-tested, homegrown master psychologists of this land!

No matter what the issue was, as long as the Wei Family Parents didn’t run into some charlatan pretending to be a mystic, a fortune teller was guaranteed to soothe their minds, broaden their horizons, and make them feel thoroughly refreshed—ahem.

Deng Yuyuan relented. "I’ll see what Tuantuan wants. If Tuantuan is willing to play with them, we adults won’t interfere. But if she doesn’t want to play anymore, then I can only shamelessly apologize to you."

Don’t be fooled by Tuantuan’s young age; little Tuantuan had a mind of her own.

Wei’s mother’s tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed. "Of course, of course, the child comes first! Don’t worry, when the three of them play together, I promise the boys will both listen to Tuantuan."

Deng Yuyuan suddenly felt worried.

A two-year-old was precisely at the age where she would take a mile if given an inch. If they kept putting Tuantuan on a pedestal like that, she would probably become so full of herself she’d think she owned the world.

Deng Yuyuan didn’t say anything more. Just as she couldn’t criticize Wei Shu and Wei Qi, the Wei Family couldn’t discipline Tuantuan either. This kind of promise already showed a high level of respect for her.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Deng Yuyuan stood up and called out, "Tuantuan, it’s time for bed. Pack up the toys on the floor and say goodnight to the brothers."

The nanny immediately brought over a toy basket. Deng Yuyuan stepped forward, took the nanny’s hand, and led her away from the play area. "Auntie brought the toy basket over for you, Tuantuan. What should you say?"

"Thank you, Auntie~" Tuantuan tilted her little face up, flashing a cute, sweet smile.

The nanny looked at Wei’s mother, who waved her hand, gesturing for her to give Deng Yuyuan space. If Deng Yuyuan could raise Tuantuan so well, she definitely had some extraordinary methods, and Wei’s mother wanted to learn from her.

Wei Shu wanted to help Tuantuan throw the toys in her arms into the basket, but unexpectedly, Tuantuan hugged them tightly. "These... these are the toys Tuantuan is packing up right now! Brother, you can’t steal Tuantuan’s! Your toys are still on the floor."

"I’m not stealing yours, I’m helping you pack," Wei Shu sighed, explaining to Tuantuan.

Tuantuan generously patted her own chest, and the toys tumbled to the floor with a CLATTER. "It’s okay. Brother, you pack up your own first. Tuantuan can pack up by herself!"

Wei Shu bent down, picked up the toys Tuantuan had dropped on the floor, and put them into the basket.

Tuantuan was slightly dumbfounded. Oops, she had forgotten the toys were in her arms when she was talking.

It was fine. The hardworking Tuantuan continued packing up. It was the first time the two Wei brothers packed up toys by themselves, and their movements were a bit casual and chaotic. Tuantuan, as an experienced person, wanted to do everything herself but was repeatedly beaten to the punch by Wei Shu. However, Tuantuan was not satisfied with the results of his packing.

The scene gradually turned into a chaotic mess, and Tuantuan’s expression became harder and harder to control. The little toddler’s aura grew increasingly dark and gloomy. Fortunately, the toys were all packed up before Tuantuan completely blew her top.

Tuantuan rejected the Wei brothers’ help and pushed the toy basket to the corner by herself. "Hmph, Tuantuan is sulking right now! I don’t want your help."

Wei Shu couldn’t understand why Tuantuan was angry. Feeling that he had done nothing wrong, he refused to coax her. "The toys don’t usually go there. You put them in the wrong place."

"Then! Then Tuantuan will put them away again!" Tuantuan pulled the toy basket out from the corner, looking a bit troubled. She didn’t know where the toys were supposed to go.

Wei Qi intentionally tried to ease the tension between his younger brother and sister, stepping forward as the older brother. "The toy basket goes into the cabinet, and it takes an adult to put it away. Tuantuan, just leave it here, and I’ll go tell Auntie to handle it."

Tuantuan was still a bit angry. "Tuantuan isn’t small! Tuantuan is already twenty years old!"

"You’re lying," Wei Shu retorted, unwilling to be outdone.

Tuantuan wasn’t afraid of what he said at all. "I’m lying to you on purpose!"

She was entirely confident, despite being completely in the wrong.

In Wei Shu’s eyes, the little cub’s unreasonable badgering made her look like a little devil. No matter how arrogant Wei Shu was, he was still just a five-year-old kid. Unable to win an argument against a two-year-old toddler, he felt he was losing face and instinctively sought help from the adults.

Mr. Wei and Wei’s mother instantly grabbed each other’s hands and looked away to avoid their younger son’s gaze. Given their kid’s temper and sharp tongue, the fact that he couldn’t win an argument against Tuantuan clearly meant the boy was already going easy on his little sister at such a young age. If they actually helped him, they would end up offending both sides.

The two nannies also immediately remembered they had chores to do and practically teleported from the living room to the kitchen.

Left with no other choice, Wei Shu could only turn his gaze to Deng Yuyuan. The corners of Deng Yuyuan’s mouth curled up into a smile, which, in Wei Shu’s eyes, looked like outright provocation.

Under someone else’s roof, one had no choice but to bow their head.