CHAPTER 401: CHAPTER 343: BROTHERLY LOVE AND SISTERLY RESPECT

Kingdom had no idea that her younger brother and sister were secretly scheming over next year’s allowance. After arranging for the coach, Anna returned to the apartment and took out William and Melanie, who were glaring at each other.

"Where’s Big Brother?"

After glancing around the doorway and not seeing any sign of Leon, Melanie couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Where is Big Brother? Isn’t he coming with us?"

"He went to pick up the gift," Anna replied casually as she picked up Melanie by the armpits and placed her on the carriage while reaching out to lift William. "Your sister Ellie isn’t in great health and didn’t go to school. She rarely goes out, so Big Brother wanted to give her a memorable birthday. He ordered some special gifts for her.

"But because time was tight, even after paying extra, they were only going to be ready this morning. So, Big Brother got up early to pick up the gifts, and he’ll meet us at the corner up ahead."

"Oh..." After listening to Anna’s explanation, Melanie’s bright eyes couldn’t help but flash with envy. *How nice it must be; William and I have never received customized gifts.*

Refusing Anna’s help, William climbed onto the carriage himself. Noticing the envy in her eyes, he patted her like a little adult and comforted her, "Don’t worry, you’ll get one on your birthday too. Big Brother never skimps on us, he’s always given us whatever he can.

"He didn’t throw us a big birthday before because the family was tight on money, so we had to save. But now that things are better, with Big Brother’s personality, he’ll definitely prepare well for our next birthday."

*Yeah, that’s right...* Remembering how good Leon had been to her in the past, the small jealousy in Melanie’s heart vanished instantly.

*Thinking about that poor little girl who, because of her poor health, had to stay home all the time and had no one to accompany her even for taking eggs out of bird nests, I even felt a little guilty for being jealous of such a pitiable child because of Big Brother’s ’favoritism.’*

Listening to their exchange from the side, Anna felt her heart suddenly soften. She couldn’t help but touch William’s little head, with a hint of guilt in her eyes. *Actually, although they’re a bit mischievous, both William and Melanie are really good kids. They remember who treats them well, know what to do and what not to do, and never do anything too outrageous...*

*Well... that’s questionable, but at least they’ve never gone too far first. Overall, they do okay, and my worries about them bullying before we set out were a bit unfounded.*

Pinching her rather full purse, Anna, feeling a bit guilty, decided to compensate her "wronged" brother and sister by promising, "Alright then, since you’ve been relatively behaved lately, I’ll buy each of you a gift when we get back tonight. What do you two want?"

?!!!

Hearing Anna’s promise, not only did Melanie break into a wide smile, but even William looked surprised. Compared to the always "generous" Big Brother, Sister Anna was the frugal one, or to put it bluntly, she was utterly reluctant to spend money, wanting to break each Copper Wheel into eight pieces.

So, with the usually stingy Sister Anna being unusually generous today, they had to seize this opportunity!

Plus, knowing Anna’s frugal nature, they understood the "total budget" for the gifts was likely limited. Even though the family was better off now, seven or eight Copper Wheels would be the max, and this budget was for both of them to share. So...

Whoever asked for cheaper gifts would lose out!

They exchanged a glance, and after spotting the lively glint in each other’s eyes, their thoughts synchronized instantly. They both realized that what lay ahead was a budget battle!

"I want a doll! And new shoes!"

Thinking rapidly, with a quicker mind and better math skills, Melanie blurted out two gifts totaling 5 Copper Wheels, taking up most of the budget in an instant.

Calculating the price of these two gifts, Anna showed a moment of hesitation but nodded slightly upon seeing Melanie’s slightly small shoes.

*Big Brother works hard for money; I hadn’t intended to buy them expensive things. Seven or eight Copper Wheels is the most.*

*Although Melanie’s taking most of it, her shoes are indeed a bit small and need replacing. If William wants toys, they can take a smaller portion.*

*After all, boys’ toys break fast, whether it’s a 5-Copper-Wheels clockwork soldier or a 3-Copper-Wheels tin frog, they barely last two months before falling apart. So, it’s best to save where possible...*

After settling whom to allocate the budget, Anna nodded slightly, agreeing to Melanie’s request.

"Alright... William, what about you? What do you want?"

"For me..."

Glancing at his sister, whose eyes were full of triumph as she looked at him, William’s mouth curved into a slight smile, and he smiled back calmly.

"Get me some books!"

?!!!

With Melanie giving a "big trouble" look, William took a folded piece of rough paper from his pocket and read it unhurriedly, "Sister Anna, the books I’d like include ’A Brief History of the Pan-Continental War,’ ’Our Kingdom,’ ’How the Parliament Was Established,’ ’Overview of the Armaments of Various Kingdoms’..."

After listing a long string of book titles, he handed the paper to Anna, gracefully conceding, "Although I prepared a list, I don’t need them all; just some will do.

"Even though these are recommended by my teacher and guaranteed to help my grades, Melanie’s toys are important too. As for my grades, they won’t be delayed much if improved later. So, Sister Anna, you could buy her toys first."

"..."

...

*Phew... just in time.*

Seeing the carriage approaching him and recognizing the passengers, Leon, standing at the entrance of Redwood Avenue, waved, and the carriage pulled over.

"Continue forward and stop at the entrance of Treasure Flower Manor."

After instructing the coachman and handing him the travel token, Leon stepped onto the carriage. He was about to ask if they were ready but noticed the odd state of the two little ones.

Though William maintained his little adult-like, serious face as always, the slightly tilted up chin revealed his inner joy.

As for Melanie beside him, she sat glumly in her seat like a defeated rooster, her little mouth pouting high. As Leon boarded the carriage, she sneakily kicked William when Anna looked away.

"..."

Seeing the six or seven dusty shoe prints on the side of his pants but still a victorious smile on William’s face, Leon couldn’t help but rub his brow in frustration.

*Though there’s no evidence for this judgment, I can’t shake the feeling that agreeing to Senior Emma’s request to bring these troublemakers to Ellie’s birthday celebration was a terrible decision...*