Chapter 544: Tricking the Kids

Lu Cheng's stern expression was a bit frightening; the little boy timidly said, "It wasn't me."

The little girl followed, "It wasn't me either."

Lu Cheng inhaled and said, "What do you mean? It means I peed!"

The two children nodded simultaneously.

Lu Cheng actually laughed in irritation, looked at the little girl and asked, "What did you dream about last night? Did you dream of sailing on the sea looking for dad again?"

"Um—no, I dreamed of catching fish."

Lu Cheng thought to himself, "What a sin,"—it would be one thing to pee on the Main Hall bedroom bed, but it was this room; he hadn't even dared to change the layout of the house.

"Tonight, you aren't allowed to drink a drop of water, nor sleep in this room; otherwise, I'll spank your butts first."

After saying that, he tossed the clothes that were dried last night over, "You can put them on, right?"

Seeing the little girl holding the clothes with a blank expression, Lu Cheng immediately said, "If you don't know how to wear them, just learn; you're already two years old, big friends now, you should do your own things yourself. When I was two, I could already fly a plane."

The little boy's wide eyes were full of admiration, "Wow, uncle is so awesome."

The little girl added, "Hmm, more awesome than dad."

Seeing the two kids truly believe him, Lu Cheng involuntarily straightened his back, "Hehe, so‑so, third in the world."

"Wow, third in the world…"

"Uncle is too awesome…"

"Ahem." Lu Cheng felt a bit embarrassed; the child was so easy to fool, believing whatever he said.

"Alright, alright, uncle will help you put on clothes; sit still, one at a time."

"Yay yay…" The two kids, wearing long underwear and long pants, jumped up on the bed.

Lu Cheng just took out the dried cotton pants coat, and the little girl suddenly pointed at the pants.

"Uncle, the pants have holes."

Lu Cheng glanced; it was the spot that had been accidentally burned last night. It didn't matter for the child; first it fell into the water tank, then it burned someone's pants.

To prevent the two kids from tattling, Lu Cheng made up a story.

"Oh, this is called Hole Pants."

"Hole Pants?"

"What do you mean by Hole Pants?"

Lu Cheng thought for a moment and explained, "Hmm? It's like the department store you visited yesterday—why was it so busy? Because everyone was buying Bell-bottom Pants, which adults wear."

"There are also ones for children, called Hole Pants; they're the latest fashion. Uncle stayed up all night yesterday to make Hole Pants for you; look at me, I've got dark circles."

The little girl nodded half‑understanding, "Uncle is so nice, I like Hole Pants."

Lu Cheng wiped his sweat; he finally managed to pull it off.

Actually he wasn't wrong; in later generations Hole Pants did become popular, turning a perfectly good pair of pants into a ragged mess.

He essentially put the little girl ahead of the fashion curve.

While dressing the two kids, he casually asked, "Does your family have any money?"

"What does 'having money' mean?"

The children had no concept of money, so Lu Cheng changed his question, "Do you have a nanny at home?"

In these times, any family with a nanny is definitely of high official rank.

Sure enough, the little girl nodded, "Yes, we have one—Li Mama. Her cooking is delicious, even better than grandma's."

Lu Cheng smiled; indeed they were wealthy.

"If you both understand uncle's hard work, shouldn't you think about repaying me? Look, you eat my food and sleep at my house…"

The little girl nodded again, "Then how much money should we give?"

Not bad, she's on the right track!

Lu Cheng thought carefully, "Hmm? For example, the braised pork you ate last night—how much per bowl per person? If you usually stay overnight, you'd stay at a Guesthouse, which is even more expensive. Adding everything up, at least two thousand yuan."

"So uncle will give you a discount; one thousand will do."

The little girl nodded heavily, "Uncle, you're so kind."

"Hehe, it's okay. Remember, when your adults come to pick you up, don't forget to ask for money… Okay, the clothes are on, go play downstairs. Uncle will heat water to wash your faces; this is a free gift."

He opened the door and stepped out of the side room, only then realizing a heavy snow had fallen last night; looking up, everything was a pristine white, and a thick layer of snow covered the courtyard.

The Separate Courtyard's landscaping was meticulous, clearly pre‑planned: jujube trees, pomegranate trees, vines, plum trees, sword grass, and evergreen shrubs, making the courtyard showcase different scenery each season.

The two kids played in the snow in the courtyard; Lu Cheng warned them not to go to the pond, then went to the kitchen to heat water.

After the water boiled, he washed the kids' faces and cleared a path through the courtyard snow to prevent icy, slippery roads later.

Having finished everything, he checked the time—it was already breakfast. Lu Cheng didn't return to Da Za Yuan; he hopped on his bicycle, took the two kids to a breakfast stall for a bite, then rushed to the department store.

His sister Lu Ying had already started work early; Lu Cheng lifted his coat, pulled out two meat buns from his pocket, and gave them to his sister.

"How did you know I hadn't eaten?" Lu Ying took a bite, still warm.

"I'm your brother; how could I not know you?"

In her previous life, his sister had gotten a stomach illness because she habitually skipped breakfast.

While eating, Lu Ying gestured, "I've already prepared the gifts you need to bring to the hospital; see if they're enough?"

Lu Cheng rummaged and found fruit, some berries, eggs, and the like.

"That's enough; that's already quite a lot…" Lu Cheng tied the gifts onto the bicycle, "Sis, I'll leave these two kids here for now."

"Alright." Lu Ying took another bite of the bun, then suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Lu Cheng, when I arrived Mom hadn't gotten up yet, but she called me and said if you came to the shop, she'd let you wait for her; she'll be back later."

Lu Cheng hung a bag of fruit on the handlebars, "What is Mom doing? Isn't she supposed to work at the cotton mill? Yesterday she took an afternoon off to rush to the grocery store for pork."

"I don't know either; she said she wanted to ask you something, so maybe you could wait for her."

Lu Cheng loads all the gifts onto the bicycle: "I'm not waiting; whatever it is, wait until I get home, I'm pretty busy today."

Seeing his younger brother ride off on the bike, Lu Ying looks at the two children: "Anyway I delivered the message, it's his own fault for not listening. When Grandma hits him later, she won't blame me, right?"

"Right, spank his bottom."

Lu Ying smiles, gestures at the steamed bun in her hand: "Uncle must have taken you two out to eat, right? Are you full?"

The little girl shakes her head: "No, Uncle said the buns are too expensive, so we should eat less."

"Too expensive?" Lu Ying looks at the bun in her hand: "Which shop did you buy it from? How expensive could it be?"

The little girl holds out a hand: "Uncle said, ten yuan each."

Lu Ying is speechless; sure enough, it's the younger brother lying to the child again.

"Then have Aunt's then, you two each get half."

As she turns to look, a hole has rotted in the little girl's pant leg, exposing the Wool Yarn pants underneath.

"How did the hole in your pants get there? Were you playing with fire? Kids shouldn't play with fire."

The area around the hole is black, clearly burnt.

But the little girl, chewing on a meat bun, shakes her head again: "No, no, Uncle made it, this is called Hole Pants, it looks better this way…"

Lu Ying holds her forehead, a black line across her face.