Chapter 355

Jin Chen let Mo Zhinan go to the hall to eat breakfast first, while he took the fire tongs and approached the cage.

A moment later, he came out of the bedroom, washed his hands, then sat down.

Mo Zhinan was eating a steamed bun; seeing him sit down, he raised his head to look over, cheeks bulging, eyes questioning.

"There's no mouse inside the cage, and I didn't find any by the bedside cabinet; maybe it ran off just when you noticed it last night."

Jin Chen brushed the bun crumbs from his lips, saying, "It's unlikely it ran out; how about we go to town this afternoon to buy some mouse poison and bring it back?"

Mo Zhinan felt utterly unwell.

He frowned as he finished the milk, mouth turning down, eyes scanning the hall and kitchen, afraid a mouse might suddenly dart out from somewhere, and now he felt every corner of the house unclean.

"How do you use mouse poison, and does it work well?" Mo Zhinan anxiously shifted his chair, sitting a bit closer to Jin Chen.

"It should be decent; you'll see results in two or three days, and then you'll spot dead mice around the house."

Mo Zhinan's expression changed again.

Jin Chen, seeing he was truly afraid, could only suggest, "Why don't you stay at my place for a few days? If you don't want to see others, you can just stay in the room and read when you're free."

Between the giant southern rat and seeing Jin Chen's family, Mo Zhinan decisively chose the latter.

He finished his breakfast, then obediently took the calcium tablet Jin Chen handed him and asked, "Will your mother… welcome me?"

Jin Chen didn't hesitate, smiling and nodding, "She likes you a lot; last night she even said to have you come over for lunch."

Mo Zhinan slightly widened his almond eyes, a flicker of surprise appearing in their depths.

"Why?"

"It's clear we haven't communicated with your mother before."

"Because…" Jin Chen pretended to ponder, a softness flashing in his peach-blossom eyes; under Mo Zhinan's growing curiosity, he finally smiled and said, "Perhaps it's because love me, love everything about me—I like you, so my mother likes you too."

Mo Zhinan's cheeks flushed all at once, feeling his gaze held another meaning, and for a moment his heart was in a tangle.

Jin Chen stopped at that.

"All right, don't worry about that; as long as you're willing, my family's gate will always stay open for you."

Jin Chen stroked the youth's soft hair, his tone gentle.

Perhaps those words struck a chord in Mo Zhinan's mind; he lifted his eyes to meet Jin Chen's, his gaze flickering for a few moments, eyes slightly red as he nodded.

"Mm."

In the morning, Jin Chen accompanied Mo Zhinan to the Zhi Qing Yuan for roll call, then helped him finish the morning's tasks, never leaving his side the whole time.

Such companionship made Mo Zhinan no longer resent the chores assigned to him; instead, he found joy in working alongside Jin Chen.

——

Noon.

The two returned home on time; Gui Fang had already prepared the meal, just waiting for them to come back.

Gui Hua, although still unaware of Jin Chen's affection for Mo Zhinan, still valued this nephew's good friend and even changed into a new outfit especially for the occasion.

For a moment, the Jin household was filled with joyous cheer.

Next door, Xu Pozi smelled the meat fragrance, wandering about the courtyard; seeing Gui Fang had prepared that big table of dishes, some of which one might not even get to eat during New Year.

Previously, her own family had always been better off than the Jins, but that sense of superiority had vanished completely—where could she possibly feel at ease now?

She muttered at home, openly and secretly saying the Jins' newfound wealth made them different—not just for holidays, but they ate so well they weren't even afraid of getting food stuck in their teeth.

But no one took Xu Pozi's complaints to heart; instead, Xu Lin felt embarrassed and said he was going to town to run some errands, then wanted to head out.

Xu Pozi, who usually didn't care what he did, changed color at his words, her eyes turning fierce and pressing.

"Who are you going to see in town—are you really going to work?"

Xu Lin felt strange; facing Xu Pozi's pressing questions, his heart suddenly panicked for a moment.

"Grandma, why are you asking like that? Of course I went to town to work; I often have to go there."

"Don't lie to me, don't go out and fool around with others," Xu Pozi seemed to think of something, her expression suddenly softened again, "You're also at the age to start a family; it's time to find a nice girl—working in town, you must have female coworkers, right?"

Xu Lin turned away, the fists hanging at his sides clenched tight, he replied guiltily, "Grandma, don't worry about these things; I'll be careful myself."

Having said that, without waiting for Xu Pozi's reply, he ran straight out the door, not looking back.

Inside the house, Xu Pozi stared fixedly at his retreating back, muttering rebellious nonsense, losing face.

This eerie atmosphere had no effect whatsoever on the Jin Family's liveliness.

Mo Zhinan was still a bit nervous; from the moment he entered, he followed Jin Chen step by step, refusing to leave his side even half a step.

Fortunately, Gui Fang and the other person were very kind; seeing he was ill at ease, they left the main hall empty for them to talk privately, only sitting down together as four when it was time to eat.

Gui Fang smiled as she gave Mo Zhinan a chopstick of braised pork, saying, "Chenzi said you like sweet food; I made this braised pork sweet on purpose—hurry up and eat, see if it suits your taste."

"Thank... thank you, Auntie."

Mo Zhinan glanced at Jin Chen, receiving the latter's encouraging gaze, he also pursed his lips and smiled, finishing all the meat and vegetables in his bowl.

He gathered his courage, voice very soft, "It's very delicious."

"Good, good, good; if it's tasty, eat more."

Seeing his frailty, Gui Fang couldn't help but feel pity and affection.

Gui Hua, watching Jin Chen occasionally interact with Mo Zhinan, finally noticed something, and inwardly found it amusing as she looked at her sister, letting out a soft "hey."

It turns out I'm still kept in the dark even now.

【Detected Villain Blackening Value -5, total 40!】

Jin Chen heard the 0731 notification, looked toward his wife who was lowering her head to eat, and chuckled.

In the afternoon, Jin Chen took Mo Zhinan by bicycle to town.

——

After the end of the dog days, the cool autumn wind had already begun to blow over the country lanes.

Today Jin Chen didn't walk on the repaired main road; the side lanes had many households, and the villagers would always have someone come to greet him.

Mo Zhinan sat in the back seat, face buried against Jin Chen's back, refusing to lift it, arms tightly wrapped around his waist.

When they arrived in town, at the agreed place, Jin Chen led the person to the park at the town entrance.

"Jin Bro! Over here!"

Xu Xiaoliu stood beside the bench, waving at the two people walking over.

The three little brothers looked energetic, each having changed into new attire, showing no trace of gangster demeanor.

According to Jin Chen, to help him with tasks one needs decent attire to convince others.

"How did the matter go?"

Jin Chen embraced the person and walked over; seeing their happy faces, he guessed it was basically settled.

Sure enough, Liu Da Zhuang presented the car keys with both hands.

"Jin Bro, these are your car keys, Shanghai Phoenix brand! Quite impressive!"

Jin Chen took it calmly, "And that matter?"