Having passed through the warm spring where ice melted and all things revived, and the long, leisurely, carefree joy of midsummer—

Time flowed by as quietly as a stream.

In the blink of an eye, Little Yuanbao and Little Xixi had reached the age of around three.

From their babbling, incoherent state to gradually being able to fully express their thoughts and feelings—all these changes occurred over this past year and a half.

Now, Little Yuanbao and Little Xixi had also shed their “baby” status and began to be addressed as “little kids.”

It was also time for them to enter kindergarten and start interacting with other children.

At the same time, they officially began familiarizing themselves with their full names.

Before their kindergarten enrollment, Mei Fang needed to provide some preparatory education for Little Yuanbao and Little Xixi.

For example, a perfect self-introduction could give their kindergarten journey a great start.

“Hello, everyone! My name is Mei Xiaoyuan. I am three years old this year. My nickname is Little Yuanbao. My hobbies are singing, dancing, and playing video games! I am a lively and cheerful little girl. My dream is to become a Masked Rider [假面骑士] who upholds justice, protecting my family and friends around me. Thank you, everyone!”

Little Yuanbao—Mei Xiaoyuan—wore her hair in lively twin ponytails and a beautiful magenta dress. After finishing her self-introduction, she gracefully lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed to everyone.

“Good, good! Very good!” Father Bao, Mei Fang, could only praise her unconditionally, clapping the loudest without a second thought.

Xia Yuan first affirmed Little Yuanbao’s self-introduction and encouraged her:

“Little Yuanbao did great! But Yuan Mama thinks one thing isn’t ideal—you shouldn’t mention liking video games to other kids. They might think you’re a bad child.”

“Why? But… isn’t Daddy’s job a game designer? Also, we have such a big game room at home. I’ve seen on TV that other kids don’t have that.”

“Exactly! What’s wrong with liking games?” Mei Fang nodded in agreement. “I am a game designer!”

“It’s not that there’s anything wrong with your dad’s job, it’s just—”

“I don’t think saying you like video games is bad at all…”

Lin Youxi smiled. “It’ll make our Little Yuanbao seem cool.”

“Youxi! How can you also—”

“Besides, boys all like playing games. If they hear Little Yuanbao has a huge game room at home, they’ll beg to come over.”

Mei Fang was initially nodding along with Lin Youxi’s words, but the moment he heard about other boys visiting, he immediately objected. “Then… then better not mention video games! The teacher won’t like you!”

“Do people really not like kids who play video games…?”

Little Yuanbao looked dejected. “I had so much more to say about it too…”

“You could talk more about Masked Rider instead. That’s cool too.”

Lin Youxi encouraged Little Yuanbao. “You can even bring your transformation belt to school.”

“No way! That’ll cause comparisons! Schools don’t allow toys—”

“A Rider belt isn’t a toy!”

Little Yuanbao said seriously, “Yuan Mama, please don’t say such childish things!”

“You little… You know exactly what I mean but still provoke me, huh? Just wait till I spank your butt—”

“Ah, Yuan Yuan, calm down… Don’t take it to heart with Little Yuanbao… You’re the adult here—”

Mei Fang held Xia Yuan back from disciplining their daughter. Meanwhile, Little Yuanbao cleverly pulled up her younger sister, Little Xixi, who had been silently reciting her lines with her eyes closed.

“Okay, okay, it’s Little Xixi’s—no, it’s my little sister Mei Zhixi’s turn to introduce herself now. Let’s give her a round of applause!”

The quick-witted Little Yuanbao clapped enthusiastically, prompting the parents to stop their playful bickering and focus on the youngest daughter of the Mei family.

“Um… my name is Mei Zhixi. ‘Mei’ as in Mei, ‘Zhi’ as in ‘to know,’ and ‘Xi’ as in… ‘Xi’ as in… Mama’s ‘Xi’!”

Mei Zhixi’s face turned red, her voice growing softer. Everyone held their breaths, not interrupting her.

“Mmm… well… my favorite person is drawing, and my favorite hobby is Daddy—”

Mei Zhixi clutched her little skirt, utterly flustered. Only after speaking did she realize she’d misspoken. Overcome with embarrassment, she pursed her lips and buried herself in Mei Fang’s arms.

“Daddy… Waa—”

“You did great! So adorable, Little Xixi!”

Mei Fang lifted Mei Zhixi onto his lap, gently booping her nose. “Why are you so shy?”

“I… I said it wrong.”

Mei Zhixi mumbled, her eyes red. “I don’t want to go to kindergarten. Can I not go?”

“Why don’t you want to go anymore?” Mei Fang asked softly. Mei Zhixi rubbed her eyes and snuggled closer.

“I… I only want to stay with Daddy.”

“Daddy has to work too, Little Xixi,” Lin Youxi said gently. “If Mommy and Daddy don’t work… our big family, and all the cats we have to take care of—it all costs money.”

(The six cats previously sent away during Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi’s pregnancies had been brought back last year, growing up alongside Little Yuanbao and Little Xixi.)

As Lin Youxi patiently persuaded Little Xixi, Little Yuanbao—Mei Xiaoyuan—chimed in:

“But but! Yuan Mama said even if Daddy doesn’t work, we’d still have lots of money because Yuan Mama can do livestreams to support us!”

“?”

Mei Fang and Lin Youxi both turned to Xia Yuan, who was hastily shushing Little Yuanbao. “I—I was just joking with Little Yuanbao!”

Mei Zhixi clung to Mei Fang, nuzzling and whining before looking up. “Daddy… I don’t want to go to kindergarten…”

“But Little Xixi, you promised Daddy you’d go… You need to meet other kids too, right?”

Little Yuanbao then stepped forward, patting Little Xixi’s back reassuringly. “Little Xixi, don’t be scared! Yuanbao Jiejie will protect you there!”

“Yeah! You’ll be with Yuanbao Jiejie in kindergarten. She can transform into a Masked Rider to protect you—no monsters or villains will bully you.”

“I’m not scared of monsters.”

Little Xixi mumbled in her tiny voice. “I… I just want Daddy…”

Ahhhh!

Help!

Mei Fang wore an utterly helpless expression. “Daddy loves Little Xixi super, super much too! But… Little Xixi has to grow up someday.”

“When I grow up… can I not be close to Daddy anymore?”

Mei Zhixi muttered. “Then… I don’t want to grow up…”

“Look at you… spoiling our daughter like this.”

Xia Yuan took a deep breath but then sighed with a smile. “But then again, she’s our own daughter. If we don’t spoil her, who will?”

Mei Fang spent a long time coaxing Mei Zhixi, even reading her picture books with her seated in his lap.

Meanwhile, Mei Xiaoyuan played with her Masked Rider figurines until she noticed Lin Youxi reading on the sofa. She scampered over and curiously watched her.

“What’s up, Little Yuanbao?”

“Xi Mama, what are you reading?”

“Educational theories on child-rearing.”

“Theories… what’s that?”

“For example, if Little Yuanbao refuses to eat vegetables in kindergarten, should I confiscate her Rider belt or her Masked Rider toys?”

“I’ll eat them, I will! I’ll eat my veggies! I’m not a picky eater!”

“Haha… Good.”

Lin Youxi patted Mei Xiaoyuan’s head. “But actually, even if you don’t eat veggies, it’s fine. I won’t take your treasures.”

“Really? It’s okay?!”

“Because girls don’t need to be super strong. Boys will protect them anyway.”

Lin Youxi said softly. “After all, little girls usually dream of being magical princesses or being protected by princes—not becoming Masked Riders or heroes of justice.”

“Ah!”

Mei Xiaoyuan pondered this, then nodded solemnly with a heroic expression.

“Xi Mama, I won’t be picky. I’m not an ordinary kid—I’m a warrior of justice who protects everyone, including my little sister. So I need to be super, super strong!”

“Just being healthy is enough.”

Lin Youxi pinched Mei Xiaoyuan’s cheeks playfully. “You know… you and your Yuan Mama are very much alike when she was little.”

“R-Really? I’m Little Yuanbao, she’s Yuan Mama—of course we’re similar.”

Mei Xiaoyuan climbed into Lin Youxi’s lap and mumbled, “But… I don’t think Little Xixi and Xi Mama are alike at all…”

“No, Little Xixi and Xi Mama were very similar too.”

Lin Youxi said warmly. “But back then, it was Yuan Mama who protected me.”

“Wow!”

Mei Xiaoyuan gasped. “So… Yuan Mama and Xi Mama were like sisters too?”

“Not exactly… We were childhood sweethearts.”

“Childhood sweethearts?”

“It means… friends who grew up together.”

“Then aren’t Little Xixi and I childhood sweethearts?”

“Childhood sweethearts can’t be family. They can’t share blood ties.”

“Hmm… I don’t get it.”

Mei Xiaoyuan scratched her head. “Aren’t Yuan Mama and Xi Mama family?”

“Well…”

Lin Youxi paused, then smiled. “It’s okay. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

“Then I’ll grow up fast!”

After this exchange, Lin Youxi tickled Mei Xiaoyuan’s sides, making her giggle uncontrollably.

Just then, Xia Yuan returned to the bedroom after her livestream, exhausted, and collapsed onto the bed.

Mei Fang and Mei Zhixi stopped reading picture books to check on her.

“You’ve been working so hard with the livestreams lately. You should rest soon.”

“It’s… it’s not time yet. The virtual album is about to drop, so I need to promote it properly…”

“You don’t have to push yourself. We still have savings—”

“I—I have no choice—”

Xia Yuan panted dramatically. “For everyone to drink milk every day… I must… keep going—”

Watching her exhausted Yuan Mama, Mei Zhixi hesitated, then poured a glass of water and brought it to her.

“Yuan Mama.”

“Huh? What is it… Little Xixi?”

Mei Zhixi whispered timidly, “I… I’ll go to kindergarten… I can’t let Yuan Mama work so hard alone.”

“Oh? Even if Daddy isn’t with you…?”

Mei Zhixi trembled visibly—clearly reluctant.

Yet, she made a firm decision in her heart.

“Daddy… Daddy is the head of the household. He can’t play with me all the time… He has to… support the family.”

Hearing such maturity from their youngest, Mei Fang and Xia Yuan exchanged touched smiles, marveling at how much their daughters had grown.

(Though tricking children about financial struggles was a bit naughty, they’d surely laugh about it fondly when older.)

Suddenly, Mei Xiaoyuan raised her hand.

“Daddy! I have a question! If someone asks who my mommy is—since I have two mommies—what should I say?”

“Don’t answer strangers. For teachers or classmates, just say Yuan Mama is your mommy.”

“Same for Little Xixi.”

Xia Yuan smiled at Mei Zhixi. “Remember, your mommy is Xi Mama.”

“Uh… Okay.”

Mei Zhixi nodded. “And… outside, just say ‘Mommy,’ not ‘Yuan Mama’ or ‘Xi Mama.’”

“Yes, yes! So clever, Little Xixi!”

Though the Mei-You-Xia trio hadn’t explicitly explained their unconventional family structure, the children intuitively accepted their guidance.

Perhaps they already sensed what having two mommies meant.

Over the past three years, Mei Fang, Xia Yuan, and Lin Youxi had been model parents—never arguing in front of the kids (or even privately), always respectful and caring, occasionally playful like siblings.

To Mei Fang, this was parental responsibility.

Their own parents might not have been perfect, but this generation, free from financial struggles, lived a life a hundred times sweeter.

The next morning, like countless new parents, Mei Fang, Xia Yuan, and Lin Youxi took their children to kindergarten for the enrollment ceremony.

And so, Little Yuanbao (Mei Xiaoyuan) and Little Xixi (Mei Zhixi) embarked on their newest life lesson.

Final Rampage of Bonus Chapters Incoming!