“You’ve grown up… but you clearly haven’t gotten any taller.”
For some reason, Xia Rou responded honestly.
She looked down at the tiny little sister before her, and in just a moment, a soft affection bloomed in her heart. She couldn’t help but reach out to pat the girl’s head.
She couldn’t be more than 1.6 meters tall, pretending to be a little grown-up—what an adorable little sister.
“Mmm-hmm!”
But just as her hand began to pet, the little girl in front of her let out a cute noise.
Her voice was so soft that Xia Rou didn’t even catch the hidden anger in it.
“So cute, so cute~ Let me pat your head.”
Xia Rou sped up her patting motions—stroking back and forth, then side to side—and every so often, she’d run her fingers through the girl’s hair, gently ruffling it.
It was the same technique she usually used when petting cats.
“Ugh, that feels so good… No! Sister Rou, don’t touch my head! I’m not a child anymore!”
Qin Yuanyuan had endured the petting long enough. Finally, she puffed up with righteous anger.
“Sister Xue said I’m a big sister now! I have to protect Sister Xue! That means I’ve grown up!”
“Oh? Sorry about that.”
Xia Rou blinked for a moment, then sincerely apologized after processing what Qin Yuanyuan had said.
But… her hand still remained firmly on top of Qin Yuanyuan’s head.
“That’s why, Sister Rou, you’re not allowed to pat my head anymore!” Qin Yuanyuan declared righteously, stretching out both hands to swat away the offending palm.
But no matter how hard she pushed, the hand wouldn’t budge.
“Uuugh…” Qin Yuanyuan whimpered, frustrated but not willing to give up.
While Qin Yuanyuan struggled, Xia Rou remained relaxed and even wore a playful smile.
In truth, the two sisters looked quite similar—especially when Qin Yuanyuan was angry. That cold glare was almost identical to her elder sister Qin Xue’s icy expression.
Normally, Xia Rou would be afraid of Sister Xue. But when that same look appeared on Qin Yuanyuan’s face, it just looked… dumb and adorable. It made her want to hug and pet her even more.
And now, if she wanted to pet Qin Yuanyuan every day, she needed a strategy…
Got it!
“Alright, alright. I can tell Yuanyuan has definitely grown up. At least a little.”
“Really!?”
As expected, Qin Yuanyuan stopped struggling and looked up at her with bright, excited eyes.
“Mm-hmm, you’ve grown. You’ve got the potential to be a great big sister.”
“That means… you should let go of my head, right? Big sisters shouldn’t be patted…”
“No! That thinking is totally wrong!”
“Eh?” Qin Yuanyuan was startled by Xia Rou’s sudden tone. Her big eyes blinked in confusion.
“Not getting your head patted doesn’t mean you’re grown up. Think about it—some people are just so tall no one can reach their heads. That’s not really the same, is it?”
“Uuh… yeah, I’ve seen some elementary school kids taller than me back in high school…”
“Exactly!”
Xia Rou’s eyes sparkled with joy.
“Those people are tall, and you can’t reach their heads, but does that automatically mean they’re adults?”
“Wha—what do you mean, Sister Rou? Let me think…”
Qin Yuanyuan scrunched her face in deep thought, her small head turning side to side rapidly.
Soon enough, her clever little brain reached a conclusion.
“Sister Rou! I get it now! You mean even people who don’t get their heads patted can still be kids!”
Her wide, glimmering eyes held both adorableness and a hint of clueless charm that made it impossible to refute.
“Yes! That’s right, Yuanyuan—you’re so smart. Someone this clever must be an adult.”
As Xia Rou praised her, she watched Qin Yuanyuan’s delighted reaction before moving on.
“Now that you understand that, let’s try reverse logic.”
“If not getting your head patted doesn’t mean you’re a grown-up, then getting your head patted doesn’t mean you’re a child either, right?”
Qin Yuanyuan paused briefly, but she was quick-witted—this kind of reverse logic didn’t stump her.
“Right! I’m smart! I knew you weren’t wrong, big sister!”
Xia Rou nodded solemnly, even adopting a serious tone.
“So now, do you still think me patting your head means you’re a child?”
“Nope!” Qin Yuanyuan answered decisively.
“Then you keep studying, and I’ll keep patting your head!”
“Okay!”
With that strange and solemn exchange complete, Qin Yuanyuan finally settled back into her studies.
And once her head dipped back down, Xia Rou could no longer hide her smug grin.
She barely held back her laughter.
So adorable…
“Haha, Yuanyuan’s just too fun.”
But maybe I shouldn’t lie so much in the future… it doesn’t feel entirely right.
…
And just like that, Xia Rou got to pat Qin Yuanyuan’s head for nearly ten full minutes.
Last night, she sensed something was off. She hadn’t known why—only that Qin Yuanyuan seemed upset.
Turns out… it was because she’d “grown up.”
“Knock, knock.”
A crisp knock on the door pulled Xia Rou from her thoughts.
“Xia Rou, can you come out for a second? I need to talk to you.”
“Oh, I’ll be right there.”
Xia Rou reluctantly let go of Qin Yuanyuan and stepped out into the hallway with Xiaoju in her arms.
She thought Qin Yao was leaving for work—after all, she hadn’t come to see them all day.
“Sister Yao, is something wrong? We were just chatting. Sorry if we were loud.”
“Come with me.”
Qin Yao led Xia Rou to the sofa in the center of the living room.
Under Xia Rou’s gaze, she pulled out a box of medicine from a white plastic bag.
Xia Rou’s dazed expression sharpened in an instant.
No way…!
“Xia Rou, this is the medicine you usually take, right? I spent all day looking for it. I only knew the name, not what it looked like.”
“I bought it at First Hospital. Is this the right one?”
There were still beads of sweat on Qin Yao’s forehead—it looked like she’d just returned and had rushed to bring the medicine to her.
“Yes, this is it. Thank you, Sister Yao.”
Xia Rou carefully took the medicine with trembling hands.
She wasn’t afraid of the illness itself, but of others discovering it.
Sister Yao… had been gone all day… just to buy this for her?
“Oh, good.”
Qin Yao seemed relieved she had done something helpful, her voice lighter now.
“But I asked the doctor—they said this just alleviates symptoms. Can you really recover just by taking this?”
…
Xia Rou didn’t answer right away. Her head lowered, expression unreadable.
Only after collecting her thoughts did she look up with a sweet smile.
“Maybe my condition isn’t too serious, so once I stabilize for a while, I’ll get better on my own. Don’t worry. And thank you for the medicine, Sister Yao.”
“I see. That’s good, then.”
“Mhm. You should go back to studying. I won’t keep you.”
Before leaving, Qin Yao gently patted her head, then made her way up the stairs.
She still hadn’t eaten dinner, but there was no time for that. She had a mountain of work ahead.
…
After she left, Xia Rou remained seated on the couch.
She tied up the plastic bag tightly with the string.
“I absolutely can’t let Yuanyuan see this…”
(End of Chapter)