The Obligations of the Elderly - Chapter 4

Gong Si was very deft with his hands. He divided a fish into three parts: the head was made into a soup, the body was cooked into a green pepper stewed fish as Xi Liu requested, and the skin was peeled off and stir-fried.

The fragrant rice was also ready. After arranging the dishes, Gong Si washed his hands and left the kitchen. When he returned to the study outside, Xi Liu was awkwardly helping a little boy bandage a wound on his head.

Gong Si’s eyebrows shot up immediately: “Gong Dongchun! You got into a fight again?!”

The little boy being bandaged also raised his eyebrows! And all the hairs on his body stood up!

With a shiver, he jumped out from under Xi Liu’s hands, faced Gong Si, spread his small legs apart, and shouted loudly, “Bro! They started it!”

“It was clearly our own field, we drew the lines ourselves, cleared the grass ourselves, but a group of older kids insisted on taking our place!”

“And then?”

“And then we won.”

Gong Si’s eyebrows slowly relaxed. He looked the boy over again, beckoned him to come closer, and carefully checked the wound on his forehead. After making sure it was nothing serious, he let the boy go: “Don’t just play soccer all the time. Don’t skip practice at Grandpa Qiu’s Dojo either.”

“Reporting to big brother! I understand now! Martial arts are important! Only by practicing martial arts well can I defend our territory, and only by defending our territory can I play soccer well!” The little boy said seriously.

Gong Si nodded, and the boy nodded too. Somehow, the two brothers exchanged a glance that seemed to mean something.

Xi Liu: ^^

Hehe?

After knowing them for so long, he had more or less figured out Gong Si’s way of educating his brothers.

Waving the hand holding the bandage, Xi Liu signaled the little boy to sit down and continued bandaging him.

With someone taking care of Dong Chun’s situation, Gong Si finally had time to check on the little one still sleeping in the cradle. He paid special attention to the diaper, and after confirming it was perfectly dry, he was relieved.

At that moment, the wooden sliding door beside them was gently pulled open, and a tall, thin figure appeared at the doorway.

“I’m back.” The boy’s voice was still changing, a bit hoarse, but pleasant to hear.

It was a slender boy with soft black hair and glasses perched on his nose, giving him a refined look. One hand rested on the doorframe, the other carried a tote bag.

Gong Si looked up: “Qiu Xia.”

He called out the boy’s name, then clapped his hands: “Alright, everyone’s here. Time to eat!”

The moment the chef announced dinner, Dong Chun darted out from under Xi Liu’s hands and was the first to rush to the dining table in the next room. Xi Liu smiled and didn’t stop him, leisurely tidied up the iodine and gauze in his hands, and then strolled over. As for Qiu Xia, who had just arrived, he went to the sink to wash his hands carefully, took off his jacket and hung it up, then came over.

The four brothers of the Gong Family were finally all present. With one uninvited guest, the five of them began their lively meal.

Yes, five people indeed. Perhaps drawn by the delicious aroma, the little one in the cradle woke up, cried twice, and was immediately soothed by Gong Si, who picked him up and rocked him. The baby stopped crying at once and wriggled toward the dining table. Gong Si fed him a spoonful of fish soup, and he smacked his lips and ate happily.

He, too, got to enjoy the delicious fish~

The Gong Family had no rule about not speaking at meals. On the contrary, since dinner was the rare time the brothers could gather together, Gong Si was used to asking everyone about their recent happenings at the table. Over time, dinner became the noisiest time of day in the Gong Family.

“I want to watch TV!” Dong Chun said as he ate, mouth full. He was only in second grade, his skin tanned and covered in scars-a clear sign of an active boy, impulsive and fiery, the third child of the Gong Family.

“No way. I rarely come home, don’t you want to chat with me? I really missed you~” said Gong Qiuxia with a cheerful smile-the second child of the Gong Family. He had just started high school this year, and unlike his older brother who started school a year late, he started a year early and was only fifteen. Handsome and refined, he looked every bit the gifted student he was. When he entered high school, he scored first in the whole town and got into Minghua High School in the neighboring town-the best high school in several nearby towns!

Qiuxia’s notes were even placed in the family’s old bookstore and became the most borrowed books this year~

“You, you… Second brother, don’t say such cheesy things!” The little boy looked at his brother’s gentle smile, his face turning red and black, and he stopped clamoring to watch TV. Instead, he obediently scooted closer to his second brother.
Although he looks a bit rough, he’s actually a thoughtful and good kid~

The second brother immediately smiled and picked out a fish tail for him-he loves fish tails the most!

Watching his two younger brothers enjoying themselves, Gong Si showed a satisfied smile.

He couldn’t say anything mushy like “I really missed you.” If it were him, he’d probably use his big brother’s authority to forcibly stop Dong Chun from watching TV. Dong Chun would obey, but he’d definitely be unhappy inside. Only Qiu Xia, with his gentle temperament, could always get Dong Chun to listen with a smile.

He wondered how he managed to raise a child as mild-mannered as Qiu Xia-Gong Si stuffed a big mouthful of rice into his mouth.

He didn’t know, but he was still very satisfied in his heart.

Over there, Qiu Xia wasn’t just talking to his younger brother; he hadn’t forgotten his big brother either. After softly saying a couple of words to Dong Chun, he quickly turned to his big brother:

“Brother, have you thought of a name for our little brother yet? The day to register his household is coming up soon. If we miss it, we’ll have to wait another three months.”

His tone was gentle as he reminded his elder brother.

“Ah! If you hadn’t mentioned it, I’d have almost forgotten. This weekend is the day to register his household.” Putting down his rice bowl, Gong Si looked at his second brother, then lifted his youngest brother up to show everyone: “I’ve already thought of a name!”

“Four Seasons! This little guy will be called Four Seasons! Gong Siji!”

“His nickname will be Ah Ji! It’s a homophone for ‘lucky’~”

Gong Si announced with a look of satisfaction.

Perhaps because everyone was looking at him so happily, Gong Siji, held up in the air by his brother, blinked his eyes, waved his little arms, and even smiled.

“He likes this name,” Gong Si said immediately.

Gong Dongchun: *chomp chomp*

Gong Qiuxia: ^^

Xi Liu: …

“Um, I’ve been meaning to ask-your name is Gong Si, shouldn’t your brothers be called Gong Wu and Gong Liu?” Xi Liu took a sip of soup and slowly asked his question.

“Of course not!” Gong Si frowned, his Kitchen Knife Eyes flashing over: “Just because my name is so casual, my brothers’ names absolutely can’t be so random. I’m not asking for something poetic, but at least there should be some sense of meaning!”

Xi Liu: Qiu Xia, Dong Chun, Four Seasons… Is that really meaningful…

“Ah Ji is a pretty lucky nickname~” In the end, it was Qiu Xia who played along, reaching out to bump his little brother’s tiny fist, smiling.

“Bro! I want more rice!” Not caring at all about his little brother’s name, Gong Dongchun slapped his empty rice bowl on the table.

“Easy!” Putting Ah Ji back in the cradle, Gong Si was about to grab Dong Chun’s bowl, but Qiu Xia beat him to it, standing up with the bowl in hand.

While the second brother went to get more rice, Gong Si didn’t sit idle. He ate quickly, and instead of rushing to clear the table after finishing, he grabbed the tote bag Qiu Xia had brought home.

Unzipping it, he saw all sorts of snacks inside, some daily necessities, and even a few books…

“Why did you bring all these things for us? Just spend your pocket money on yourself, you don’t need to worry about us. Didn’t I tell you to bring your dirty clothes home? Where’s your homework? Don’t you guys have homework?” Another string of questions spilled out of Gong Si’s mouth.

Returning with the rice, Qiu Xia smiled at the corner of his mouth: “Big brother, which question do you want me to answer first…”

But his younger brother had already raised his voice energetically-

“I know, I know!” With rice grains still at the corner of his mouth, Gong Dongchun raised his dark little arm.

“The snacks don’t cost any money. Second brother is handsome, so lots of girls like him. He gets a ton of snacks every day, and he can’t finish them, so he brings them home!”

Gong Dongchun’s first revelation.

“As for homework, there are pretty older sisters who help him do it! Lots of people fight to do second brother’s homework!”

Gong Dongchun’s second revelation~

Gong Si frowned again: “Why let others do it for you? Wouldn’t it be faster to do it yourself?”

Qiu Xia flashed his signature smile: “There’s a lot of homework…”

Softly, he explained to his big brother, “If someone else can do it, why should I do it myself? I can do it anyway…”

Gong Si hadn’t yet figured out how to refute his second brother’s logic, but Xi Liu smiled and chimed in:

“That way of thinking is a lot like a User~”

With the same smile on his face, Gong Qiuxia slowly looked at him: “Is it? I don’t really understand the User stuff…”

Their conversation was finally interrupted by Gong Si:

“Eat, eat! Dong Chun and I have already finished a bowl of rice, and you two have only eaten half your first bowl? Especially you, Qiu Xia! You’re too skinny! Are you not eating enough at school? Hurry up and eat more now that you’re home!”

As he spoke, he put a big piece of fish in Qiu Xia’s bowl.

The Gong Family’s dinner table was destined to be lively.