Chapter 14: Mischievous Big Brother Shen~
“Awoo~~”
A tiny “milk voice” echoed in the nest. Shen Lin rolled over and woke up from his dream, rubbing his eyes with his short, fat, round paws.
What met his eyes was the red plume floating in the air, the star-conch wind chimes making crisp bell sounds nearby, and the plush grass beneath him emitting a faint milky fragrance. Without that layer of white film, those round, dark eyes—looking as if all the dust of the world had been washed away—were sparkling and beautiful.
Shen Lin looked curiously at his surroundings. He first observed the area to judge whether it was dangerous. Finally, he discovered that in the giant nest, besides the energy stones flashing with strange lusters, there was no danger. The wariness in his eyes dissipated, and he began to measure everything around him with his four short legs.
Since his “cheap” big brother had picked him up from the nutrient pod and placed him in the nest, he didn’t know how much time had passed, but he had woken up twice in between. Shen Lin moved his limbs, which weren’t yet coordinated, and crawled along the edge of the nest lined with soft plush grass. When he got tired of crawling, he lay down on the spot to sleep, and when he woke up, he continued to crawl.
Shen Lin was accustomed to patrolling his territory whenever he arrived at a new place; his method was very domineering. He never considered whether there were other monsters here or if his actions would cause dissatisfaction in others. Monster Baba had taught him to be cautious and prudent, but also taught him that he couldn’t always be a gopher that never saw the light; when it was time to act, his target must be accurate for a one-strike kill, carving out his own territory.
Whether Shen Lin had learned to be an excellent predator, he didn’t know himself, but he had definitely learned Monster Baba’s domineering arrogance. Once the exploration of the massive nest was complete, Shen Lin began to feel his way outside of it.
Just as he was about to crawl to the edge of the nest, a pair of large hands accurately grabbed the cub’s armpits and picked him up. Shen Lin’s vision was suddenly raised high, and he tilted his head to look at the newcomer. Black hair and black eyes—it was his cheap big brother.
Shen Lin didn’t struggle. Being a small cub held by his cheap big brother’s iron-claw-like hands, it was hard to move even an inch. Thus, he chose to lie obediently on his big brother’s shoulder, his round eyes quickly taking in the shifting scenes around him, subconsciously memorizing the route to leave in his mind.
Shen Zeyu carried his Little Four to the hall for a meal. The interior decor was grand and luxurious, with minimalist carpets laid out. The walls continued the silver intricate patterns from the vaulted ceiling, and the chandelier was pieced together from large energy stones. On the long table that could accommodate more than twenty people, fragrant food was placed. The dishes were arranged in an orderly fashion, and exquisite flowers—still damp with dew—were placed in vases as accents.
Shen Zeyu sat down with the cub. A gentle maid nearby stepped forward, reaching out with the intention of taking the cub from Shen Zeyu’s arms to place him in a specialized cub chair.
“I’ll do it.”
The maid didn’t argue, stepping back obediently to stand by the side. The Old Butler placed the food belonging to the cub within Shen Zeyu’s reach. “Pearl Bamboo Shoots—one of the favorite complementary foods for bear-type cubs. Would the Young Master like to try and see if he likes it?”
Shen Lin blinked his eyes. Gurgle, gurgle—maybe? The cub didn’t understand, the cub was hungry. His little belly let out a timely “gurgle” sound. Shen Zeyu smiled and picked up a bowl of food that had been mashed into a puree.
The spoon clinked as it dissipated some of the heat, leaving only the fresh fragrance to linger around the nose. With his paws clinging to his cheap big brother’s hand—the same hand that could easily crush an insect’s brain—and his feet standing on his lap, the cub swayed unsteadily, but it didn’t affect his focus on eating.
When the food spread from his mouth to his tongue, the cub’s eyes lit up. Two words: Delicious! The cub took a big “awoo” bite of the food in the spoon, and his dark eyes immediately began to scan for the next bite. Seeing the food was not yet at his mouth, he made “en-en” and “wu-wu” sounds to urge him.
If he had the strength to hold a spoon, his cheap big brother wouldn’t have the chance to feed him. His greedy and impatient little manner made Shen Zeyu unable to suppress his laughter, and he sped up the feeding. The two brothers—one feeding and one eating—soon finished the bowl of food.
Clatter!
“Brother, I heard my brother is a waste brother—is it true or false!”
The voice of a boy in his voice-changing period, rough and scratchy, arrived before the person.
“Welcome home, Second Master.”
Shen Zejue threw his school uniform to the servant following behind him and ran in like a whirlwind.
“Cough, cough!”
Shen Lin, who had been eating well, was startled by the sudden voice, and the delicious food choked his throat. He coughed painfully, his tiny “milk voice” trembling, making everyone’s hearts ache. Many servants, from angles where they couldn’t be seen, condemned the Second Master with their eyes.
Shen Zeyu didn’t answer Shen Zejue’s question, hurriedly checking the cub’s delicate throat to prevent him from injuring his esophagus.
“Oh my, Young Master! Quick, quick, call the healer over!”
The Old Butler had someone go and invite the healer to the dining room. The healer had been hired by the Shen family for a high price even before the cub hatched. Now, hearing the master’s summons, he immediately arrived with his equipment.
Because of Shen Zejue’s actions, the dining room was in an uproar. Once the healer checked that there was no major issue with the cub, and as the cub was about to be carried away by a maid, his paws firmly clutched Shen Zeyu’s silk clothes. The maid didn’t dare to make any large movements for fear of hurting this adorable cub.
Shen Zeyu was puzzled, until he noticed that the cub’s gaze was still fixed on the bowl of Pearl Bamboo Shoot puree that had a shallow layer left, and he couldn’t help but find it funny.
“You’re in this state, and you’re still thinking about eating?”
Shen Lin’s eyes, red and still holding tears, protested: Don’t waste food.
Understanding what the cub wanted to express, Shen Zeyu held him in his arms again, touched his soft and fluffy furry face, and praised him: “Little Four is very good; not wasting food is a good habit. However, our family can afford to raise Little Four now, so we can afford to waste this little bit of food.”
The Old Butler waved his hand, and a maid stepped forward with new complementary food. While Shen Zeyu fed the cub, he occasionally touched his belly to see if it was bulging. His movements were practiced—clearly the actions of an experienced cub-raiser.
“Brother!” Seeing his big brother ignoring him, Shen Zejue plopped down into the seat next to him and started scarfing down food. The food on the table decreased at a speed visible to the naked eye. Especially that Shi beast placed in the center; weighing over a hundred pounds, only a skeletal frame remained. A growing boy can eat his father out of house and home—Shen Zejue fully expressed this with his individual appetite.
His heartless manner made it clear he hadn’t given a thought to the fact that he had just caused the cub to choke. Shen Lin’s little mouth pouted, his dark eyes rolled, and his whole body tilted forward. His paw dropped into the soup next to Shen Zejue, stirred it, and quickly retracted, revealing a small expression of victory.
Shen Zejue was buried in his food and didn’t see it at all—or rather, he had no guard against a cub. After finishing most of the meat on the table, he felt a bit greasy, so he picked up the soup and “gurgle-gurgle” drank it to the bottom.
Shen Zeyu witnessed the entire process and didn’t make a move, just watching his second younger brother drink up Little Four’s “foot-washing water.”
Shen Zeyu: “…”
Shen Zeyu closed his eyes. In front of Shen Zejue, he asked for a silk handkerchief and carefully wiped the cub’s furry paws. Shen Lin looked at his big brother a bit guiltily, but his big brother always had a flat expression, making it hard to capture his current thoughts. Of course, even if his big brother had an opinion, Shen Lin would still have done it. Why? He held a tiny bit of a grudge.
“He is your Third Brother.”
Just this short sentence—nothing else was introduced. But after the series of events just now, it seemed everything had been said. Shen Zejue had a Snow Wolf Fierce Beast bloodline; he was shrewd outside, but at home, he was purely a “Silly Erha.” Big Brother Shen, who had cleaned up the most messes for him, was too lazy to waste words. Drinking a bit of Little Four’s foot-washing water was nothing; consider it a way to “wash his brain.”
Shen Zejue didn’t know his big brother was grumbling about him. After eating his fill, he lay like a salted fish, his gaze involuntarily following the little cub. Shen Lin’s pink little mouth opened and let out a refined yawn. Occasionally, a short cough could still be heard, the tiny milk voice making one’s heart ache.
Shen Zejue finally realized the stupid thing he had just done. He touched his nose a bit awkwardly, wanting to say something, but the little cub immediately moved his gaze away as soon as it met his. Shen Zejue realized belatedly that he seemed to be disliked by the little cub.
Shen Zejue’s thoughts drifted, and he stared fixedly at the cub who was lying in his big brother’s arms and playing with his own tiny feet. As he stared, his gaze involuntarily landed on the cub’s tiny feet—were they really that fun to play with?
Shen Zejue recalled Tali’er’s words and re-evaluated the cub’s appearance. He was pink all over, and only his eyes were black—this part was like their family. Every member of the Shen family had black eyes. The little cub didn’t have the fierce destructiveness of a Fierce Beast; his eyes, veiled with a layer of mist, were ignorant and completely non-aggressive.
Shen Zejue, who always preferred whoever had the bigger fist to call the shots, who had fought without a rival in the academy, and who held the title of school bully… logically speaking, he shouldn’t like weak cubs. His brother should be just like him—violent and domineering. Hearing Tali’er’s mockery and the curses online, he had disliked this brother he hadn’t met.
But seeing him with his own eyes, that nameless fire in his heart immediately died down, and was replaced by a bit of curiosity.
Over the next few days, Shen Zejue, who usually returned home late, unexpectedly didn’t go around fighting with his lackeys. As soon as class ended, he carried his backpack and, like a gust of wind, sat on the starship that picked him up every day. Even Tali’er, who had spent several days brewing and had come to reclaim his face, missed him.
Every day at the dining table, Shen Lin could see the figure of his “cheap” second brother. After drinking his “foot-washing water” for several days in a row without realizing it, Shen Lin felt a bit embarrassed to retaliate against him—this third brother was truly a bit silly.
After finishing the soup in a few gulps, Shen Zejue smacked his lips. “Uncle Chen, did the family change chefs? Why has the soup for the past few days had a milky taste?”
The Old Butler, Uncle Chen, suppressed the corners of his mouth that were rising frantically. His gaze covertly caught the Young Master trying hard to retract his little feet into the Eldest Master’s arms. The expensive silk fabric clearly left a damp water stain, which Shen Zeyu calmly wiped away in front of Shen Zejue.
Shen Zejue didn’t notice the servants around him lowering their heads to suppress their laughter. He was still critiquing: “Change the flavor tomorrow; drinking it every day is a bit tiring.”
Shen Zeyu let out a helpless sigh. He had given such an obvious hint, yet this idiot third brother still hadn’t noticed. Well, he couldn’t be blamed then.
Translator’s Note:
Terms used in this chapter:
- Milk voice (奶音 – Nǎiyīn): A high-pitched, soft voice characteristic of a baby or very young cub.
- Silly Erha (二哈 – Èrhā): A common Chinese internet nickname for a Siberian Husky, often used to describe someone who is energetic but a bit dim-witted or silly.
- Pearl Bamboo Shoots (珍珠筍 – Zhēnzhū sǔn): A made-up food for the story, likely a premium cub food.
- Shi beast (豕獸 – Shǐ shòu): A pig-like beast.
- Second Brother/Third Brother: Shen Zejue is the second brother (second son), but he is the third child overall (after the Eldest Master and the Second Daughter).
See you in the next one!
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