Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

"Pfft~" Zhang Chunxue flipped through the comic manuscript in her hand, her face tight with laughter. "Did the three of you draw all of these?" she asked. "Yep, yep, yep!" Meeting her mother's gaze, Zhang Yiyi nodded vigorously like a child eager for parental praise. "Brother Fan wrote the script, and Ningning and Yiyi drew the comics together!" Lin Wanning nodded vigorously as well. "Is that so? Everyone did great!" Zhang Chunxue lifted her daughter onto her lap and affectionately stroked Lin Wanning's head. "Auntie, what do you think of the comics we drew?" Xu Qingfan asked. "They're really good! Auntie laughed too, and some of the content is quite enlightening, suitable for people of all ages. Xiao Fan, how did you come up with so many funny stories!" Zhang Chunxue gave a thumbs-up, highly praising the comics. She wasn't exaggerating – the comics contained small stories about family education and school bullying that truly made one think after the laughter. For example, there was a story called "Eating Fish": Stupid Dad told Stupid Son, "You should be filial – leave the fish belly with fewer bones for your parents." Stupid Son took this to heart, always eating the fish's back, which had more bones. One day, while having a meal, he mentioned this to Stupid Dad, who scoffed and said, "You're just filial because you like eating the back meat of the fish!" Zhang Chunxue knew her daughter had been busy drawing comics all month, she had thought it was just childish fun, but they had unexpectedly impressed her. For a moment, Zhang Chunxue's gaze towards Xu Qingfan softened, [if only he were Yiyi's real brother.] Zhang Chunxue suddenly had the quirky idea of making the two kids swear to be siblings of different surnames. Xu Qingfan naturally didn't know what she was thinking, but even if he did, he would probably be pleased, as in his previous life he had always wanted a sister, though of course, he meant a purely fraternal relationship! "Auntie, we want to ask for your help to take the comics to someone for final touches, and also for registering copyright and all that," he followed what he had prepared to say earlier. "Of course! Leave it to me!" Zhang Chunxue agreed without hesitation. Regardless of how well the comic was drawn, even if it were terrible, she would have agreed without a second thought. Sparing a small amount of money to make her daughter happy is something Zhang Chunxue wouldn't hesitate to do; she was not the kind of mom who spoils the fun! "Yay!" "ヾ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ Yay!!" Upon receiving Zhang Chunxue's affirmative reply, the two little girls danced around joyfully. Xu Qingfan was also very happy. Having understanding parents was great. If it had been his parents from the previous life, he would definitely have been rebuked on the spot: "Daydreaming, stop those foolish dreams. Finish your homework and come help me cut the snails!" "Auntie, this is the money Wan Ning and I put together, ten thousand in total. If it's not enough, could you please cover the rest for us? We'll pay you back once the comics start selling," Xu Qingfan took out the prepared ten thousand yuan from his backpack and handed it to Zhang Chunxue. "Nonsense! Put it away, how can Auntie take your money. I haven't even thanked you yet for drawing together with Yiyi!" Zhang Chunxue playfully tapped Xu Qingfan's head and helped him put the money back into his backpack. "But how is that fair? The three of us drew the comics, so we should all contribute to the costs!" Xu Qingfan argued. "Kids today grow up so fast. I'll cover the cost upfront for you, and you can pay me back once the comics make money. How about that?" Zhang Chunxue chuckled as she pinched Xu Qingfan's cheek. Xu Qingfan shrugged; he had guessed the outcome, but he still showed the necessary attitude because he didn't want to seem like a bad kid who took advantage of others. "Okay, thanks a lot, Auntie! Don't forget to apply for the copyright!" Xu Qingfan, concerned that Zhang Chunxue might not take it seriously, continued to remind her. "Thank you, Auntie!" "Thank you, Mom!" The two little kids also smiled sweetly. "I know, I know, Auntie knows way more than you, so don't worry!" Zhang Chunxue rubbed the three kids' heads and put the comic manuscript into her briefcase right in front of them. Zhang Yiyi led by giving her mom a kiss on the cheek, and Lin Wanning followed suit. After kissing, the two kids looked simultaneously at Xu Qingfan, tilting their heads, gesturing him to hurry up. Xu Qingfan scratched his head, a bit shyly, and leaned in to give her a kiss as well. "Hahaha, our Xiao Fan can still blush!" Zhang Chunxue pointed at the blushing Xu Qingfan and laughed heartily. Xu Qingfan thought to himself: [It's not like it's my fault you wear so little around the house. It's really tempting!] Thank goodness his younger brother was still listening to him. If it were a few years later, Xu Qingfan didn't know how many times he would have died of embarrassment. Xu Qingfan guiltily shifted his gaze to the window, "Then we won't disturb you while you work. Auntie, you go ahead and get busy!" Zhang Chunxue chuckled at Xu Qingfan. Captivating a six- or seven-year-old boy made her quite proud of herself. It seemed she still had the charm, "Hmm, I used that call for Yiyi last time. Remember to bring it with you when you go out in the future, you hear!" "Got it, dialing 11 means calling you, Auntie. I remember!" Once Zhang Chunxue had put on her shoes and left the house, the three little ones exchanged glances and then cheered, "Yay! Time to draw comics!!!" After a bit of ruckus, Lin Wanning slumped onto the sofa and asked Xu Qingfan, "Brother Fan, when do we start drawing the second volume, huh?" "Draw!" Zhang Yiyi also raised her hand and exclaimed. "I haven't started writing the script for the second volume yet. How about we wait until the first one is out before deciding?" Xu Qingfan, a typical procrastinator, was always looking for an excuse to slack off after finishing one task. "Then write it now!" Lin Wanning sprang up from the sofa, grabbing Xu Qingfan's shoulders and shaking them. "Write!" Zhang Yiyi found it amusing and also ran behind Xu Qingfan to shake him together. "Stop shaking, stop shaking, I'll write, I'll write right now!" Xu Qingfan admitted defeat under the pressure of two fierce supervisors; it seemed there was no chance for laziness. "Hee hee! I'll go turn on the computer for Brother Fan!!" Lin Wanning ran into Zhang Yiyi's family's study. "Me, get snacks!" Zhang Yiyi also dashed into the kitchen. "Brother Fan, you write fast!" "Write fast!" At the computer desk, Xu Qingfan sat facing the LCD screen, with the two little ones seated on either side of him. Xu Qingfan: ... "You staring at me like that, I can't write!" "I think you just want to be lazy, Brother Fan!" "Be lazy!" Writing was like peeing; having someone stand beside you, regardless of whether they were watching or not, just felt awkward. But this toilet etiquette was something Xu Qingfan couldn't discuss with the two little girls; after all, only boys understood these kinds of unwritten rules. "Yesterday, I found a post online teaching how to bake a cake with a rice cooker. Why don't we try it at home?" Xu Qingfan executed the great method of changing the topic. "Wow! Yes!! Ningning also wants to make a cake by herself." "Cake, let's make!" Zhang Yiyi poked the hand Xu Qingfan was using to operate the mouse, urging him to quickly find the post. Xu Qingfan skillfully shut down the computer with Windows+u+u, "I've memorized the steps. Come on, I'll teach you how to make it!" "Baking cakes now!" Xu Qingfan got the eggs, flour, and granulated sugar ready and instructed the pair on how to separate the egg whites and yolks. "Ah! We add sugar, Wanning, why are you adding salt!" "Sift the flour!" "Yiyi, you need to keep the direction of stirring the egg whites consistent!" "..." After using up over twenty eggs from Zhang Yiyi's family, Xu Qingfan finally led the two little ones to successfully make a fluffy, soft cake. "What about these?" Lin Wanning stuck out her tongue and pointed at the ruined egg yolks and whites and the still-smoking volcanic rock-like cake. "No worries, I'll take them home for the dogs in the yard to eat." Dogs: ???