CHAPTER 498: CHAPTER 498 GRATITUDE

"I want the bed." Zhao Guangran was the first to rush into the room, and promptly flopped onto the bed to assert his claim.

Watching Zhao Guangran lay there like a big character on the bed, Gong Ruini really wanted to say, dude, what’s the point of making such a fuss over your claim?

If he’d suggested swapping rooms earlier, it would truly be up to him, but he didn’t agree.

Of course, even if he agreed to swap rooms, as long as Zhao Xuran is around, wouldn’t this guy obediently roll over to sleep on the floor?

Looking at the floor paved with large bluestones, even if the fireplace is burning, would the men of the house be completely worn out after sleeping on it for a month?

Zhao Xuran watched as his brother acted so inconsiderately, and his head began to hurt. Clearly, he had already talked to him about being mindful of their surroundings since they aren’t at home and can’t just do whatever they want. This kid used to behave well, but now he’s at it again.

Zhao Xuran coughed to signal Zhao Guangran to be a bit more considerate, "I think Ni Zi and Ban Xia should take this bed."

What, giving this to Gong Ruini? That’s a bit too much, Zhao Guangran was quite dissatisfied.

"Ni Zi and the others are the youngest," Zhao Xuran stated a fact, "Are you younger than Ni Zi?"

Zhao Guangran could brazenly claim he’s younger, but catching the smile at the corner of Gong Ruini’s eyes, he really didn’t dare to say so.

"Don’t say I’m biased; I’m just stating the facts." Zhao Guangran stayed silent, but Zhao Xuran understood what his sibling was thinking.

"So, we sleep on the floor?" Looking at that floor, Zhao Guangran felt his small frame might not be able to handle it.

He glanced at the bed, thinking if everyone squeezed together, maybe there could be room for him too.

"Second brother, there’s no room for you." Just as Zhao Guangran was trying to figure out if he could fit, Zhan Zisu jumped out.

Humph, second brother has such a bad sleeping posture; if we agree to let him sleep here, then we really wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Brothers are just annoying, Zhao Guangran was all sorts of frustrated at his younger brother’s words. He really didn’t understand why some friends would say having a brother is good.

Bah, really not sure what’s good about having a brother. Actually, having a sister is better; she wouldn’t be so frustrating. His brother just knows how to knock people down and make life feel completely joyless.

And why did Aunt Cai have to have another brother, too? Zhao Guangran thought about this and felt a toothache coming on. He could already foresee his life might become even more miserable in the future.

Zhao Xuran also knew that sleeping on the floor was really uncomfortable, but what could they do, dismantle a bed?

Cai Xingjuan actually wanted to speak up for a while but hadn’t found the chance. Now that there was a good opportunity, if she didn’t speak up, who knew when she would get the chance again, "Actually, we could put another bed in this room."

"There were two beds here before." Cai Xingjuan regretted it, wondering why she hadn’t thought it through. They had just dismantled the bed a few days ago, and now they needed to set it up again.

"Grandma Cai, then let’s set up the bed while Dad and the others are still around." Zhao Xuran noticed the regret on Cai Xingjuan’s face and knew that for Grandpa Ge and his folks, setting up a bed was quite the physical task.

Cai Xingjuan felt embarrassed to let Zhao Xuran and the others do the work, just about to refuse.

"Grandma Cai, let’s do it this way. Rui Wen, go tell Dad." Zhao Xuran wanted Zhao Guangran to do it, but since this kid had just thrown a tantrum, even if he recovers quickly, he might not have returned to normal yet.

Zhao Xuran could sense Zhao Guangran was about to throw another tantrum, so he asked Gong Ruwen to call for people instead, but his actions got on Zhao Guangran’s nerves, "Brother, why aren’t you calling me?"

Humph, big brother has become stingy; when he was obviously there, why wasn’t he called on?

Geez, this kid even got upset over this. Alright then, since this kid is back to normal, Zhao Xuran didn’t hold back, "Then you go call Dad and the others."

"Got it." Zhao Guangran eagerly ran outside, determined to do this task well, to show big brother that he’s still a good brother. Otherwise, if his place got snatched by Gong Ruwen, he’d be devastated.

A person whose temper comes and goes quickly, Cai Xingjuan was also observing these six children, knowing they would be spending a lot of time together in the future.

Initially, Zhao Guangran’s frequent anger outbursts startled her. She wondered what they’d do if he kept acting up, but later realized not just Zhao Xuran, even Gong Ruini could keep him in check. More importantly, Zhao Guangran’s temper ebbed as quickly as it flowed.

"I’m really sorry." His brother’s foolishness prompted him to apologize. "Guangran gets a bit moody, but he’s actually really nice."

"I know, I know." Cai Xingjuan had seen children with bad tempers before and felt no pressure from ones like Zhao Xuran.

"Grandma Cai, we’ll take care of cleaning this room in the future." Zhao Xuran looked around and only saw Grandpa Ge and his wife, no one else. It seemed what his mom said about Grandpa Zhuge not liking too many people around was true.

Though they hadn’t fully explored the place yet, they could tell it was sizable; just Grandma Cai’s family cleaning such a big house seemed overwhelming. This courtyard, they would have to manage themselves.

"And the yard needs cleaning too, Grandma Cai, just let us know. In the Northeast, we did chores around Beijing too." Zhao Xuran knew that since they were living there, Grandpa Zhuge probably wouldn’t charge them living fees, so they should trade labor instead.

"Alright, alright." Cai Xingjuan wasn’t one to be polite with them; such sensible children, most importantly, knew gratitude.

"For the heavier tasks, I’ll call for help from outside. You mainly accompany the master." Whenever Cai Xingjuan saw the master just reading alone inside, she thought it was a bit lonely.

If things hadn’t happened the way they did in the past, the master would also have kids bustling around. Although there were collateral descendants, none were accomplished. Not even the master, but even Cai Xingjuan and the others would just shake their heads when they saw them.

Though they put on a good face in front of the master, when he wasn’t around, they became arrogant, each treating the house as their own.

Thinking about those so-called Zhuge family relatives, Cai Xingjuan couldn’t stop shaking her head; they had no upbringing and loved to reminisce about the family’s past glory.

Several times, she wanted to say, instead of dwelling on past splendor, they should think about how to earn money, but as a servant, how could she bring it up? And no doubt, they’d say nonsensical things to the master.

It wasn’t that Cai Xingjuan feared the master wouldn’t stand up for her, but she didn’t want him upset over small-minded people.

Looking at Zhao Xuran and the others now, they were so polite; truly, without comparison, there’s no hurt.