Matching Brother Outfits

"Haol, here you go." Gu Zhuoling handed Shen Xinde the red envelope, which was stuffed to bursting. "This is all the money I have. I don't have any more."

What a terrifying thing to say. What did he mean, all he had was money?

Looking like a little money grubber, Shen Xinde took the envelope and rubbed it against his cheek twice. "It's okay. Haol likes money too."

Ever since Shen Xinde came back, Gu Zhuoling had found everything especially fun.

Shen Xinde stayed with Gu Zhuoling while he finished reading a book, then they went downstairs. Their mothers were still chatting in the living room.

Gu Zhuoling watched them, then turned and pulled Shen Xinde toward a room on the first floor.

"What's this?" Shen Xinde was a little curious.

"Open it and you'll know." Gu Zhuoling seemed a little excited, so Shen Xinde reached out and opened the door.

Sunlight from outside spilled across the floor. A huge floor-to-ceiling window faced the back garden lawn, with the azure sky stretching out beyond it.

There was an easel in the room, along with some drawing tools and all kinds of paper.

"An art room?" Shen Xinde was a little stunned.

"Yeah. Haol likes drawing, so I'm going to start learning a little too."

Gu Zhuoling had thought it over. He wanted to learn to do the things Haol liked. He didn't have to be especially good at them, but he wanted to understand them.

That way, when Shen Xinde came to play with him, he wouldn't have to keep accommodating the things Gu Zhuoling liked.

"If Haol wants to draw later, you can come down here too. I can keep you company," Gu Zhuoling said. Feeling a little sappy, he shyly tucked his hands behind his back.

Shen Xinde's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected Gu Zhuoling to think of that. Laughing, he threw himself into Gu Zhuoling's arms. "Dolly, you're the best!"

Shen Xinde looked at the paints and pens in the room. The selection wasn't especially complete, but it was more than enough for children to draw with.

The giant picture Shen Xinde and Gu Zhuoling had drawn at the hot spring resort hotel had been framed and hung on the wall.

Gu Zhuoling didn't want just one. He hoped they could draw many more together.

"Let's draw together!" Shen Xinde plopped down on a cushion, spread a sheet of white paper on the floor, and pulled Gu Zhuoling down to start drawing.

This time, the two used watercolor markers, which easily left marks on their arms and clothes.

So when their mothers came looking for the children, they found one whose fingers were covered in all sorts of colors.

"Oh my, what a little painted cat." Shen Xinde turned to look at Xia Wanqing, his bottom sticking up in the air. Xia Wanqing burst out laughing and blurted it out.

Perhaps he had been too absorbed in drawing, or hadn't been careful with his pen. Whatever the reason, there were a few black lines on Shen Xinde's fair cheek.

Gu Zhuoling laughed too. He had only just noticed and was about to tell Shen Xinde when their mothers came in.

"No laughing, Dolly!" Shen Xinde didn't know exactly what his face looked like, but Gu Zhuoling was laughing, so it had to be funny. He chose the nearest mouth to cover and clapped a hand over Gu Zhuoling's.

Gu Zhuoling hurriedly raised both hands in surrender.

Only then did Shen Xinde let Gu Zhuoling go, and his mother led him away to wash his face.

"Would you like to go shopping at the mall this afternoon? We could have dinner out?" Xia Wanqing finished drying Shen Xinde's little face and quietly asked what he thought.

Shen Xinde swept his wispy bangs back, revealing his full forehead, and raised his head. "Is Dolly going too?"

"Yes. How about we buy some new clothes together?" Seeing that Shen Xinde's hair had been rubbed into a mess, Xia Wanqing patiently reached out and smoothed it down.

"Let's go!" Shen Xinde raised a fist above his head and charged out.

The two mothers hadn't gone shopping in a long time. With both children in agreement, they naturally set off at once.

"Dolly, eat." Sitting in the back seat, Shen Xinde pulled a green apple-flavored eight-treasure candy from somewhere and pressed it into Gu Zhuoling's hand.

Xia Wanqing turned around from the passenger seat and laughed. "Oh, I was wondering why you carried that candy all the way home without eating it. So you were saving it for A-Ling."

Shen Xinde straightened his back, looking perfectly unabashed about having saved it for Gu Zhuoling.

Gu Zhuoling smiled too. He thanked him softly, tore open the wrapper, and popped the candy into his mouth.

"A-Ling, you can have some of Haol's candy next time too. This little guy usually hoards so much that he's almost getting cavities," Xia Wanqing added, turning around.

"Mom, don't say that!" Shen Xinde didn't believe he was going to get cavities. He brushed his teeth very carefully every morning and night.

When they arrived at the mall, it was quite crowded because of the Spring Festival holiday.

The group first went into a few children's clothing stores.

"What do you think of this sweatshirt?" Zhou Jingyi was immediately drawn to a pure white sweatshirt by the entrance. The fabric felt comfortable, and the embroidered brand logo on the chest was especially pretty. It was simple and stylish. "It feels just right for Haol, doesn't it?"

Xia Wanqing agreed at a glance and asked the sales assistant whether they had it in Shen Xinde's size.

"Oh, does it come in any colors besides white?" Xia Wanqing suddenly added.

"Yes, it also comes in black. Would you like to see it?" The sales assistant took the same style in a different color off the rack.

"Nice. A-Ling could have the black one." Xia Wanqing thought it was suitable and pushed the two children forward. "You two can try on matching brother outfits."

The two children were ushered off to try the clothes on.

In front of the store's large floor-length mirror stood two unbelievably beautiful children, wearing the same style in different colors. One was beaming, while the other was expressionless, but his good looks made up for it.

"Dolly, Haol's so cute." Shen Xinde was very pleased with how he looked in the sweatshirt and confidently swayed from side to side in front of the mirror.

"Cute," Gu Zhuoling agreed.

"Dolly's handsome too." Shen Xinde didn't hold back his praise.

Gu Zhuoling looked at the clothes they were wearing in the mirror, and the corners of his mouth rose. They looked good. Dressed like this, other people would know at a glance that he and Haol were especially close.

"Oh my, you two look so handsome in those! Anyone can see you're close and match so well!" The sales assistant stood behind them, looking at the two little tots as she spoke from the heart.

Gu Zhuoling nodded to himself. Say more. I love hearing it.

"Let's see if there are any other suitable matching styles in different colors." Seeing that the outfits really suited them, Zhou Jingyi found a few more in the store for the children to try on.

Perhaps it was their faces, combined with the way both children were chubby-cheeked without being fat, but every outfit suited them incredibly well.

Without another word, Zhou Jingyi paid for all of them.

Xia Wanqing didn't compete to pay. Leaving aside how close the two families were now, her son and the Gu family's child were such good friends that if he paid this time, she could pay him back next time.

The two children tried on several outfits in the store, attracting many parents who were out shopping with their children past the entrance. One after another, they came inside.

"Oh my, look how beautiful these two children are. They look good in anything—they make the clothes look so much prettier." An auntie came closer to look at Shen Xinde and Gu Zhuoling and couldn't help exclaiming.

"Yes, and they look so much alike too! Are they brothers?" another auntie couldn't resist asking.

"No," Xia Wanqing answered with a smile. "But they're very close."

Shen Xinde heard the adults talking, and his eyes curved with his smile. In front of the aunties, he wrapped his arms around Gu Zhuoling's neck. "My big brother and I are the closest!"