Chapter 291

The boys didn't understand the little girl's thoughts, but strangely, they were actually able to play together.

Juan-Er rarely left the house and didn't get along with the neighborhood children; not only did they not get along, but they would fight whenever they met. The little girl had a fierce personality and a father who protected his own, so the neighbors didn't dare provoke her and told their own children not to play with her.

Being so overbearing wasn't enough; the things they said behind her back weren't pleasant either—all sorts of ugly words like calling the little girl promiscuous or neither male nor female came out.

Little Juan-Er heard it once, and after that, she didn't like going out even more.

Fortunately, her cheerful personality didn't change, and she was happy even if no one played with her.

She didn't mind playing alone, but... there are no children who don't like playing with their peers.

Suddenly meeting Yu-Bao and the others, who were to her liking, little Juan-Er was very happy in her heart.

"Yu-Bao, I've discovered that you guys are normally scary," the little girl said with a smile, "I like you."

Several little girls at school had said this to Yu-Bao, and he already had antibodies.

That delicate and cute little face didn't turn red.

He asked, "What does that mean? You said we're normally scary. Have you seen abnormal people? What are they like?"

Juan-Er invited her new little friends to wash their hands and said, "I don't know how to say it... but playing with you, I feel very comfortable."

"Oh." Yu-Bao, who hadn't seen bad people, couldn't empathize very well.

"Then don't play with people who make you feel uncomfortable," Mao-Dan'er said steadily, with the demeanor of a little big brother.

Jing-Mo agreed, "That's right, only make friends with those you hit it off with; if you don't hit it off, just ignore them."

He washed his younger brother's hands and face and told him to shake them dry.

Juan-Er's smile was as brilliant as the sun, "That's what I think too, otherwise we wouldn't be able to play so well."

She looked at Yu-Bao and the others, "If you come again in the future, will you still come to find me?"

"Heng-Bao and I are here to visit relatives, we'll go back to our hometown soon after school starts," Yu-Bao said.

Seeing her new little friend was a bit disappointed, he comforted her thoughtfully, "But we will come to follow the army with Mom in the future, and we'll come to find you to play then."

Juan-Er was full of expectation, "Great, I'll wait for you, don't forget, okay?"

"We won't," Yu-Bao said.

The little girl thought Yu-Bao had a really good temper, leaned over, and smiled, "I'll give you delicious peanut candy later."

"Did your father make it?" Heng-Bao interjected.

"Mm-hmm," the little girl named Juan-Er nodded, seeing Heng-Bao and the others were interested, she added, "I'll give you some too."

"Great," Heng-Bao said without standing on ceremony.

Children's friendship comes inexplicably; in less than a day, they started making appointments for the next time they would play.

A good friend brought his wife and children to visit for the first time, so Chef Han pulled out all the stops and made a table full of good dishes; the fragrance inevitably spread, making the people in the same alley very annoyed.

"Mom, I want to eat meat, waaaah..." an ignorant child made a fuss.

The adult cursed in her heart, swept the child's hand away in anger, "Eat, eat, eat, all you know is eating! I want to eat too, your old man doesn't have the ability."

The man sniffed the fragrance and swallowed his saliva; hearing this, he was unconvinced, "Just talk, why are you talking about me? Does this woman want to get beaten!"

The cursing woman didn't dare to complain anymore, but she resented the neighbors in her heart.

"Pah, burning money with a few stinking coins, if you have the ability, take that pot to the ancestral grave to offer it, see if your ancestors climb up to whip you! The smell of stinking oil makes people's heads ache, tossing and turning all day. Black-hearted, rotten-lunged things, specifically picking meal times to harm people, deliberately not letting people live in peace, bad seeds..."

The cursing voice wasn't small; the man gnawing on a steamed bun at the foot of the wall stood up abruptly and glared, "Shut your stinking mouth, do you want the neighbors to come knocking again?"

The woman's expression changed slightly, and she entered the room like a dog being chased.

The howling child sniffed his snot and slipped back into the room, hiding in the corner; his eyes were much clearer.

The neighbor next door was eavesdropping, and seeing everyone enter the room, they suddenly laughed.

"Learned to be obedient, don't dare to talk about the Han family's affairs anymore," the hostess of the house watching the excitement lowered her voice.

The head of the household held his rice bowl and answered his wife's words, "How dare they? The one surnamed Han has a bandit-like aura and doesn't look like a good person. Before, when the neighbors spread rumors about his wife, he came knocking, and their house was smashed to pieces. What could they say? Even going to the public security bureau was useless. I told you long ago, the neighbors next door aren't easy to get along with; you can't be close neighbors, so don't provoke them—those aren't people ordinary people can provoke."

"Who doesn't know that? You don't need to be a backseat driver! Hey, what did the Han family make today? This smell really smells fragrant."

The man who was talking eloquently shoveled rice, "I smell mutton..."

The woman swallowed her saliva, reluctant to enter the room, stretching her neck to smell the meat fragrance.

Chef Han never cared about the neighbors' reactions in the alley; he didn't look for trouble, nor was he afraid of it.

"Daughter, get the bowls and chopsticks," Chef Han walked out of the kitchen, ordered the bald girl, and looked at Gu Chenghuai and the others, "Dinner is ready, wash your hands and eat."

Gu Chenghuai stood up and gently pounded his shoulder, "Thanks for the hard work."

"Go to hell, don't be polite, don't talk nonsense, get lost after eating, I don't have extra rooms in my house," the dark-faced man said in a rough voice.

Gu Chenghuai was used to this explosive temper, but still said, "My wife is here, tone it down."

Chef Han said, "I can't pretend forever."

After speaking, he called the cubs to the kitchen to serve the food.

Heng-Bao followed the uncle he hadn't known for long without standing on ceremony and said without fear, "Uncle Han, what delicious food did you make? I'm almost dizzy from the fragrance."

Chef Han looked down at him, "You kid, you've got guts, just like your old man."

Don't know if this was a compliment or an insult.

Heng-Bao knew this was his father's good brother, so he automatically converted these words into a compliment for himself.

He said proudly, "Like father, like son, my father is an amazing adult, and I'm an amazing child."

"Right, you're an amazing child," Chef Han couldn't help but laugh; his laughter was hearty, with quite a bit of an open and bold momentum.

"You ask me what delicious food I made, just take a look and you'll know."

Just as he was speaking, the group entered the kitchen.

Inside, the fragrance was even more intense.

On the stove, there were plates upon plates of dishes that were perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

Heng-Bao couldn't take his eyes off them.

"Wow, so many dishes," he shook his brother's hand, "Brother, there are more dishes than when we ate at the wedding feast."

Jing-Mo looked at him, "When did you eat at a wedding feast?"

Yu-Bao said, "The wedding feast for my little aunt's marriage."

Hearing news of someone he disliked, Jing-Mo was instantly not so interested anymore.

"Let's serve the dishes," he changed the subject.

Several children got busy; don't look at them as small, they were all capable, and before long, they served dish after dish to the dining table.

Everyone sat down.

"What a big dining table," Lin Zhao said.

Looking closely, this wood didn't seem cheap.

Unfortunately, she didn't understand wood.

The dark-faced man looked at Lin Zhao; Chenghuai's wife should be able to talk to his wife—they both liked things that were flashy but not practical.

Although he didn't understand, he respected it.

"Everyone start using your chopsticks, don't be polite," Chef Han greeted them enthusiastically and heartily, and even joked to Gu Chenghuai and Meng Jiusi, "If you can't finish, pack it up and take it back; I only have three people in my house, we can't finish so many dishes."

Gu Chenghuai said, "Don't worry, growing boys eat their parents out of house and home; look at how many growing boys I brought, we'll finish it."

"Fine," Chef Han laughed, "Want a few sips?"

Meng Jiusi shook his head, "You guys drink, I don't drink alcohol."

The dark-faced man clicked his tongue, "As expected of a family, no one can compare in terms of self-discipline."

It was rare for people to come, and he even wanted to take a few sips, but there was no chance.

"I won't drink either."

The bald little girl gnawed on a lamb leg and interjected, "Father, if you drink alcohol, I'll go tell Mother, and Mother will definitely drive you to live in the side room, and then I can sleep with Mother."

"Daydreaming."

Juan-Er: "Hmph."

Chef Han was helpless, "My daughter's personality is mischievous, I've let everyone see a joke."

Lin Zhao looked at the little girl with a smile, "Not at all, this personality is so good."

Little Juan-Er's head was almost tilted to the sky.

Gu Chenghuai said, "Yes, I hope my Yao-Bao can grow up to have this personality too."

But unfortunately, as of now, Yao-Bao was relatively delicate and needed to be coaxed.

Chef Han looked at the couple opposite and said, "Don't worry, whether it's a boy or a girl, by the time they reach this age..." He only said half of what he meant, and the meaning was obvious.

Gu Chenghuai boasted, "I hope so, like Juan-Er, she won't be bullied."

The dark-faced man's gaze paused slightly.

It was true she wouldn't be bullied, but she would be isolated.

"Bring your wife and two cubs often in the future, the meat is all-you-can-eat."

His daughter could also have playmates.

"I'm afraid that won't work," Gu Chenghuai said, "My wife is here to visit relatives, not to follow the army."

The dark-faced man frowned and looked at him with an uncomprehending gaze.

Are you okay?

It's not like you don't have a wife, why live the life of an ascetic monk.

Lin Zhao was there, so he didn't complain.

Gu Chenghuai understood his friend's facial expression and had nothing to say.

After eating lively, Lin Zhao and the others left.

Chef Han and the little girl named Juan-Er saw them to the door.

"You've recognized the door, if you need to follow the army in the future, if you need meat, just come find me," Chef Han said to Lin Zhao.

Lin Zhao smiled slightly, "Okay."

The open channel for buying meat was found!

The delicate-featured bald child waved at Yu-Bao and the others, "After eating my peanut candy, you're my friends, remember to come find me to play!"

"Okay," the few little boys agreed.

Lin Zhao and the others left the alley.

Just as they were walking, she caught a glimpse of a familiar back.

"Gu Chenghuai, it's Su Yuxian, she saw us, Comrade Han won't be in trouble, right?"

Gu Chenghuai withdrew his gaze and said lightly, "It's fine."

If she had bad intentions, the one who would be unlucky would be her!

Old Han wasn't someone just anyone could move.

"Okay, it's getting late, let's go back," Lin Zhao said.

The group left the spot.

Su Yuxian left the military area just to avoid Lin Zhao; she didn't expect to run into her outside, and her whole person went numb.

"It's Yu-Bao and Heng-Bao," said Lu Baozhen, who was carrying things.

"I'm not blind," Su Yuxian said impatiently.

Lu Baozhen shrank her neck, looked at the Han family's front door, and said as if inadvertently, "Mom, whose house is this?"

These words reminded Su Yuxian.

That's right.

Her gaze flickered, and she felt inexplicably excited in her heart; she had the refreshing feeling of immediately grabbing Lin Zhao's pigtail.

She walked over without a word and knocked on the door next to the Han family.

Hearing Su Yuxian ask about the troublemaker next door, the hostess of this house had a profound expression.

"Why are you asking about this?"

Su Yuxian pulled out a smiling face, "I want to rent a house, just asking."

As she spoke, she shoved a dime over.

The woman picked up the dime for nothing, greed flashed in her eyes, and she said a few simple words.

The information she gave was very ordinary and nothing useful.

Su Yuxian didn't really want to rent a house; she wanted to know if there was anything strange next door and what relationship it had with Lin Zhao.

"What does that family do?"

The woman opened the door halfway, didn't let Su Yuxian enter the room, and said vaguely, "Not clear, not clear about this."

Su Yuxian's brain suddenly became bright, and she shoved two more dimes into her hand, "Sister, I really want to rent a house, I just took a fancy to your neighbor, tell me a few words."

Woman: I believe you, rent a house, who are you fooling, you idiot with a belly full of bad intentions.

She stuffed the money into her pocket, "A family of three lives next door, that woman is sick and rarely leaves the house, the man is surnamed Han... the rest is hard to say, they also have a girl, that girl isn't a good one, her temper is very bad, and she loves to hit people..."

Su Yuxian asked again, "Do people often go next door?"

The woman who was talking looked at her deeply, didn't dare to answer, stretched out her arm, pushed her, and closed the door.

Su Yuxian was stunned.

She patted the door, "I haven't finished asking yet, why are you closing the door, open it, you took my money, you have to explain it clearly to me."

"What do I have to explain, I've said everything I should say, don't look for trouble, otherwise I'll make you pay the price," the woman's threatening voice rang out.

Su Yuxian still wanted to make a scene, but a rough male voice came from inside, "Who's looking for trouble!"

She didn't dare to linger and ran away.

Lu Baozhen carried the heavy basket and followed in a hurry, "Mom, Mom, wait for me."

After leaving the alley, she looked back at the Han family, her heart feeling stuffy; she was still young and couldn't describe it. After Lu Baozhen grew up, she knew... the feeling at this time was called a sense of loss.

In the world where Lu Baozhen was the protagonist, the Han family was her opportunity; they should give her money, give her a house... and pay everything for her happy life.

"It shouldn't be like this..." Lu Baozhen lowered her head, her mouth moving, muttering something, "It shouldn't be like this."

Just as she was thinking, a hand viciously slapped her head.

"What are you standing there like a fool for, are you going back or not? If you aren't going back, stay here and let human traffickers kidnap you, you annoying dead girl!" Su Yuxian scolded coldly.

Lu Baozhen looked at her stepmother timidly, not making a sound like a mute.

"Are you a mute, I'm talking to you." Su Yuxian's sharp nails poked her head, poking one mark after another, "Useless thing! I knew bringing you out wouldn't lead to anything good!"

Lu Baozhen was in tears from the pain.

After Su Yuxian vented her anger, she pulled her forward; the thin little girl hung the basket on her small arm, walking staggeringly, wanting to speak but not daring to, biting her lips tightly.

Almost at the place where the car was parked, Su Yuxian took the basket, adjusted her expression, and said to her cheap stepdaughter with a fake smile, "Don't say what shouldn't be said, otherwise... hmph."

The tail of her voice didn't fade as she walked toward the car.

Lu Baozhen chased after her with small steps and said ingratiatingly, "I won't say anything, I'm good."

This scene was seen by Lin Zhao, who had opened the window to get some air, she: "..."

Meng Jiusi frowned.

Two-faced, honey-mouthed but sword-hearted, smiling with a knife hidden... many similar idioms popped up in his mind.