"Qianqian, Xiao Yu, look, I finished it. Is it supposed to look ?" Mother He held a grey bear in her hand. Luo Qianqian quickly ran up to Mother He and took the bear. The ears and the belly button area were covered with patchwork fabric, the eyes were tiny black beads, the nose was a neatly stitched black oval, and the tail was a small ball of yarn wrapped in the same fabric. Although it was different from the plastic violent bear Luo Qianqian had imagined, it wasn't too far off.
"Godmother, it looks super similar, you're amazing! But the nose I had in mind protrudes a bit more here, and the body should be slightly longer here. And the legs should be longer too. The paws and hooves aren't separate; they're integrated with the arms, just with a slight bend. That's almost it. But this one is super pretty, isn't it?" Luo Qianqian ran to Mother He, holding the first version of Patchwork Bear and pointing out the differences from what she had imagined.
He Wenyu and Luo Shufan could only see the two, one big and one small, one talking and one continuously nodding, completely unable to get a word in.
"So that's how it is, wait a moment. I'll make another one; you guys play first." Mother He took the bear and turned back to the house, leaving the three looking at each other with helpless expressions.
"I didn't even get a chance to look at it before she took it back." He Wenyu lamented, watching the door his mother had closed.
"You even knew there was something to see; I didn't even know what happened." Luo Shufan glanced at his sister, no doubt that right after they entered, his sister and Xiao Yu had hidden this from him while talking to their godmother.
Luo Qianqian rolled her eyes and without explaining, quietly started reading the newspaper that He's father had left on the dining table: "Thinking wildly when you're free is not as good as rushing to eat. After eating, there's still studying to do."
Luo Shufan looked at the empty bowls of his sister and Xiao Yu on the table and then at his own, still half full. He quickly sat down, hunched over his bowl, and started eating.
"Well, I finished eating, and I still didn't get to see it," He Wenyu pouted, snatching the newspaper from Luo Qianqian, clearly upset.
"Did you put away your bones after eating? Did you wash your bowl? Did you wipe the table? Did you put the chairs back in their place?" Luo Qianqian picked up the newspaper again, looking at yesterday's news.
She really sounds like an old man. That's what Luo Shufan and He Wenyu thought.
"Qianqian, it's just a little bear; why won't you let me see it? You even pushed me out of the room." Luo Shufan muttered, biting his chopsticks and staring at his sister's expressionless face, feeling irked. He clearly knew his sister longer, having been her brother since she was born. Xiao Yu and the godmother hadn't known her for nearly as long and yet were so close to her, which upset him, though he would never admit it was jealousy.
"Didn't you see me and Xiao Yu changing clothes? You wanted to come in and watch us change? So that's the kind of brother you are." Luo Qianqian didn't even lift her head, replying to her brother in a calm tone. He Wenyu made a face on the side and decisively sat next to Luo Qianqian without a word. Experience had taught her that these arguments always ended with Luo Qianqian winning, whether it was because of Luo Shufan's indulgence or Luo Qianqian's reasoning.
"You, hmph, you twist words and force logic. I won't argue with you. I'll see it in the end anyway, hmph, I'm eating." Luo Shufan stared at his sister's calm face, frustrated but powerless. He had always said he would protect his sister and wouldn't let such minor issues come between them.
"Qianqian, want a peach? The fuzzy, hard kind you like." He Wenyu couldn't sit still for long and soon got up to check what tasty things were at home. She quickly found, besides the strawberries she liked, the bananas her mother preferred, and the apples Luo Shufan loved, there were also peaches—the only type Luo Qianqian would eat.
"Dining half an hour after meals is good for the stomach," Luo Qianqian remarked, her eyes quietly shaping into crescents at the sight of the bright red peach.
Luo Shufan and He Wenyu both had the same thought pop into their heads: She's definitely an old soul.
"I'm done eating. I'll do the dishes. Xiao Yu, put the leftovers in the fridge, and Qianqian, wipe down the table and put the stools back where they were," Luo Shufan said, looking at his sister, clearly happy but not exposing her. Whatever had happened, the child sitting there pretending to be mature was his sister Luo Shufan, the one he wanted to protect for a lifetime.
The three of them cooperated and quickly finished the already minimal work. They then sat down in the living room. Luo Shufan began to teach the multiplication table. Of course, although Luo Qianqian looked like she was studying, her mind was far away, thinking about "Luo Shenyao," "Fragrance Comes," "Patchwork Bear," and about making money, about their family of three and the He family of three.
"One times three is three, two times three is six—so one three is just three, and two times three is like adding two threes which equals six," Luo Shufan explained earnestly why the multiplication table was arranged that way. He could only indulge in a smile at the sight of his sister's silly grin. After all, this sister of his was entirely self-taught.
"One times seven is seven, two times seven is forty-eight, three times eight Women's Day, May Day is Labor Day, Children's Day on the sixth," Luo Qianqian unconsciously blurted out this line from a particularly popular TV drama from her past life, realizing she hadn't seen the grand finale yet.
"Luo Qianqian, no messing around!" Luo Shufan said as he looked at He Wenyu, who was reciting seriously and was at his wit's end. His sister really knew how to teach all the jumbled stuff instead of learning properly. And he couldn't hit or scold her—hitting would make him feel remorse afterward, and scolding would upset him when he saw his sister feeling wronged. It was just too much.
"Do we even need to memorize this? Brother, your pencil case has it all. Just take a look if you forget," Luo Qianqian hurriedly tried to make amends, noticing her brother's unhappy face. After all, the multiplication table could be figured out by adding even if one forgot it.
"So you think you're right because of a pencil case? Are you going to take that to exams too?" Luo Shufan popped her on her smooth forehead. Not everyone was like her, able to learn just by looking a couple of times. Even he had to memorize it for several days back then.
"....." Luo Qianqian rubbed her head feeling wronged. She wasn't wrong, though; even without counting her unique advantage of being reborn in this life, she hadn't memorized it in her past life either and truly did take her pencil case to exams without looking at it.
"Qianqian, look at this, is this what you meant?" Mother He appeared before the trio holding a yellow bear.
Luo Qianqian's eyes lit up. This was indeed what she had in mind.
"Godmother, you are too amazing! It looks just like it. I just mentioned it casually. Godmother, you're incredible," Luo Qianqian looked up in admiration at Mother He, who enjoyed the compliment as her mouth and eyes curved happily.
"Qianqian, this looks nice. It's not chubby like Winnie the Pooh but still pretty. But why are the belly button and ear patterns all floral? Didn't they get washed?" He Wenyu's question had Luo Qianqian's mouth falling open in shock. Was there really such a misunderstanding?
"No way, this is called Patchwork Bear. How can it be called Patchwork Bear if it doesn't have any patchwork?"