Chapter 715: Mistaken for the Nouveau Riche

Sheng Hanyu and his wife never imagined that just putting a banknote into the coin box would actually cause trouble.

Shi Youxuan apologized: "Sorry everyone, I've delayed your time, I'll make a call immediately."

There was a company phone number above the driver; she dialed the number and explained the situation to the dispatch office, and only then did the driver start the bus.

"Whew—"

She let out a sigh of relief.

……

Like his parents, Sheng Zichen had never ridden a bus before.

But the child was too young, and he found everything curious.

Being curious, he couldn't help but ask.

"Mom, why are there so many people on the bus?"

Shi Youxuan: "This is called a bus; everyone can get on, and it has a fixed route."

Sheng Zichen: "Mom, let's buy one for our family too, then I can sit down."

A man in a seat immediately stood up: "Little friend, you sit here."

"No need, no need, the child is just talking nonsense, please don't mind..." Shi Youxuan hurriedly explained.

Before she could finish, the little guy had already thanked him sweetly: "Thank you, Uncle." Then he sat down.

Sheng Hanyu: ……

He carried the suitcase and walked back two steps.

His son was too embarrassing; he might as well stay far away and pretend he didn't know him.

"Thank you, I'm really sorry." Shi Youxuan hurriedly thanked him, blushing slightly.

They reached the stop.

The three of them got off the bus, returning the seat to that man.

Before them were dilapidated buildings; there was no residential complex at all.

Downstairs from Xiao Ya's home was an open-air market.

The stalls were very dense, one right next to another.

The market was very lively, selling everything; it was convenient for buying vegetables, but very dirty.

The aisles were very narrow; one had to turn sideways to walk through without bumping into people.

The ground was full of potholes.

Sheng Hanyu carried the suitcase; he couldn't drag it on the ground because it was muddy, so he had to carry it.

Shi Youxuan held her son, struggling to avoid bumping into people.

The market was bustling, with people coming and going; it was very lively.

There was haggling, picking and choosing, and even arguments.

Sheng Zichen stared with his big, round eyes, a bit overwhelmed by everything.

He found everything novel; he had never seen these things before and thought it was especially fun!

Passing a fish stall, a large, fresh carp jumped right out of the fish tank and landed at Shi Youxuan's feet, giving her a fright.

Sheng Hanyu frowned but didn't speak.

The little guy, however, was incredibly excited: "Big fish, wow—it must be delicious!"

Sheng Zichen was chubby, round, and looked particularly cute with his tiger-headed, tiger-brained appearance.

The fishmonger teased him: "Little friend, this fish is especially delicious, let your mom buy one!"

"Okay."

"Mom, buy the fish."

Shi Youxuan: "We'll buy it later, let's go settle into the house first."

The little guy was easy to talk to; since his mom said so, he didn't make a fuss and politely explained to the vendor: "Uncle, my mom can't hold the fish while holding me, and Dad is carrying a very heavy suitcase. Can you deliver it upstairs for us? Thank you."

"Sure, sure, I'll deliver it."

Shi Youxuan: ……

That counted as a deal?

She didn't want to buy it, but Sheng Hanyu had already agreed and paid.

A child's word must also count; this was Sheng Hanyu's way of educating as a father.

Keep one's word, starting from a young age!

"Beauty, buy a chicken? You need both fish and chicken to make a feast!"

"Handsome, buy some meat; look at these ribs of mine, they're very fresh..."

The family of three was surrounded by small vendors.

It was mainly because Sheng Hanyu was too "flashy."

A six or seven-pound big fish, he didn't ask the price and bought it without blinking.

Although a fish wasn't worth much to them, the small vendors had spotted a "business opportunity."

Even though they were wearing cheap clothes, they were still treated as targets who were foolish and had money.

Sheng Hanyu didn't make a sound, but Sheng Zichen agreed to everything: "Okay."

"Dad, pay."

"Little friend, buy a few pounds of farm eggs?" asked the woman selling free-range eggs.

Sheng Zichen was unhappy: "Don't want 'stupid eggs' (farm eggs), hmph!"

……

Xiao Ya opened the door and was startled.

A crowd of people squeezed in.

Chickens, ducks, fish, meat, and a basket of farm eggs; once everything was put down, there was basically no room left for people to stand.

Xiao Ya hurriedly cleared an aisle and invited the family of three to come in.

She felt a bit uneasy and said in a low voice, "You are all too kind. You already brought so much last time; why buy so much again this time? It's such a waste of money..."

Shi Youxuan didn't care about the cost of the groceries, but she was concerned about where to put them; she had noticed last time she visited that there was no refrigerator in the house.

"There will always be a way. You all go inside and rest; leave this to me."

Xiao Ya worked very efficiently.

She quickly slaughtered and cleaned the chickens and ducks, set a portion aside, and rubbed salt on the rest to hang on the balcony to air-dry.

She used the same method to cure the fish, chopped the ribs into small pieces, and soaked the glutinous rice... the series of actions flowed like clouds and water, leaving Shi Youxuan dazzled.

She wanted to help, but she was truly unskilled and only made things worse.

The family of three was ushered into the large room.

The room had been rearranged, and a small bed had been added.

The bed was covered with brand-new bedding; although not a big brand, it was high-quality pure cotton, which was the best Xiao Ya could do.

"Mommy, where is my room?" Sheng Zichen asked with the guilelessness of a child.

Arriving at a new place, Sheng Zichen found everything novel; he knew he would be staying here with his mommy and daddy for a while, and now he wanted to know where his room was.

Shi Youxuan said, "Zichen, this is your room. You are staying in the same room as Mommy and Daddy; are you happy?"

"Really? I'm happy!"

The little fellow jumped from the small bed to the big bed, rolling around and unable to stop.

He was truly too happy.

At home, he had to walk through a long corridor to enter his parents' room.

If he wanted to cling to his mommy, he would also be chased away by his daddy!

Now that he was staying in the same room as his mommy and daddy, let's see how he could chase him away?

The adults didn't know that Sheng Zichen had already started plotting how to "occupy" the big bed.

The living space was small, but it held much more joy than many large houses!

"Time to eat."

Xiao Ya set the dining table in the small room.

The meal was very sumptuous: braised chicken, sweet and sour fish fillets, chopped chili fish head, steamed pork with rice flour, twice-cooked pork, salt-water shrimp...

Sheng Zichen's mouth almost watered: "So fragrant."

Xiao Ya brought the food to the table, but she didn't sit down, instead going to the kitchen to stay busy.

Shi Youxuan called her to eat together, but she was restless and uneasy: "You all eat first; I'll just have a bite in the kitchen."

It was already a great disturbance to Xiao Ya for them to come and stay at her home.

It was not right for Xiao Ya to be the host yet act like a servant in the kitchen.

Shi Youxuan went to the kitchen, firmly pushed Xiao Ya out, and gave her the seat of honor: "Godmother, remember that you are an elder, not a servant. From now on, you sit here for meals, and I will wash the dishes after we finish."

As for cooking, forget it.

She even disliked the food she cooked herself.

"No..."

Xiao Ya was about to refuse, but when she met Sheng Hanyu's gaze, she sat down immediately.

The Eldest Young Master had grown up and had the same eyes as the old master.

Sharp, like a falcon.

Dignified without anger.

Although Xiao Ya sat down, it felt as if there were needles pricking her in the seat; her bottom kept squirming as she wanted to stand up, but she didn't dare.

She didn't know where to put her hands and feet, and she didn't dare to lift her head.

This was her first time eating at the same table with people of such status, and she felt not honored, but uncomfortable.

Sheng Hanyu glanced at his wife; although he said nothing, she understood the meaning in his eyes.

It was meant with good intentions and they were all good people, but to have the first meal turn out like this was truly not right.

Shi Youxuan wanted to say something to make her less nervous, but she was afraid that poor phrasing would only make her more nervous.

"Grandma, you've worked hard. Grandma, eat some meat."

Sheng Zichen picked up a piece of rib and placed it in Xiao Ya's bowl.