Chapter 6 Candy

Li Mumian lifted her head and saw a stylishly dressed middle-aged woman staring at her in surprise.

Lu Tingbai’s face instantly darkened. He shot the woman a cold glare and said, “Comrade, mind your words.”

“Tch! Who do you think you are? I don’t understand all that nonsense about words. But listen, everyone—don’t be fooled just because this girl looks all clean and tidy today. I’d never mistake those dark, shiny eyes.”

“You wretched woman, shut your mouth! This is our Company Commander Lu’s newly wedded wife.” The man beside her quickly stood up and bowed slightly. “Commander Lu, don’t take it to heart. My wife’s from the countryside, she doesn’t understand the rules. Please don’t hold it against her.”

Only then did the woman seem to realize she had spoken out of turn. She quickly forced a smile and said, “Oh dear, that’s not what I meant. I just meant… this young lady looks quite simple, like a child.”

“If you already know you spoke wrongly, shouldn’t you apologize to my wife before it can be overlooked?”

The woman, seeing she couldn’t win, stood up and said sheepishly, “Look at this careless mouth of mine. I hope Commander Lu’s wife won’t take offense.”

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Commander Zhang hurriedly smoothed things over: “Alright, alright, let’s drop it. Tingbai, come sit inside with me.”

Once inside the living room, Commander Zhang warmly invited them to sit. Lu Tingbai pulled Li Mumian down beside him on the sofa, while Lu Yunchi sat on his other side.

“Here, have some tea,” Commander Zhang said with a broad smile as he poured. “This is fine West Lake Dragon Well. I usually can’t bear to drink it myself.”

Li Mumian carefully took the cup, sipped a little, then broke into a bright smile. “Delicious! Mumian likes it~ Thank you, Uncle!”

Hearing her call him “Uncle,” Commander Zhang was overjoyed. “Good, good, drink as much as you like.”

“Uncle Zhang, why are there so many people here today? Looks like nearly all the officers above platoon level are gathered,” Lu Tingbai remarked.

Commander Zhang set down his cup, glanced at the seemingly foolish Li Mumian, then lowered his voice. “That’s exactly why I called you here today. The higher-ups are loosening policies. I’d wager within two years there’ll be big changes. The isolation of your parents should be ending soon as well.”

At the side, Lu Yunchi, seeing the adults about to discuss serious matters, suddenly said, “Dad, I want to go to the toilet.”

Lu Tingbai frowned and was about to get up, but Li Mumian quickly volunteered: “Mumian will take Xiao Chi.”

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, be careful.”

Li Mumian took Lu Yunchi’s small hand, giving it a gentle shake, her eyes full of tenderness. “Does Xiao Chi not like Mumian?”

Lu Yunchi snorted and turned his head away.

Amused, she thought to herself, this little brat really has a temper. She crouched down so they were eye to eye and coaxed him softly: “Xiao Chi, Mumian knows you don’t like me. But Mumian really likes you~ From now on, we’re a family. Mumian will take good care of you.”

Lu Yunchi frowned, his little face full of disdain. “Who needs you to take care of me? You’re just a fool!”

Li Mumian pretended to look aggrieved, her eyes reddening. “Why does Xiao Chi think Mumian is a fool? Mumian may not be smart, but I’ll work hard to learn.”

Lu Yunchi shot her a sidelong glance, a sly smile tugging at his lips. “Do you really want to prove you’re not a fool?”

“Mm-hmm, Mumian wants to prove it to Xiao Chi!” She blinked innocently and nodded earnestly.

Lu Yunchi pointed to a door at the end of the hallway. “That’s the kitchen. Go bring me a piece of candy.”

“Okay~ Mumian will go right now!” she chirped, turning toward the kitchen. But inside she was wary: This little devil is definitely up to no good. Let’s see what trick he’s trying to pull.

She pushed open the kitchen door. Pots and pans were neatly arranged on the shelves, and from a clay pot came the mouthwatering aroma of something stewing. Seeing no one around, she began searching for candy.

Suddenly—bang! A loud noise behind her made her jump. She spun around to see the kitchen door had slammed shut.

She rushed over to pull it open, only to find it locked from the outside.

“Xiao Chi, is that you? You’re outside, aren’t you? Open the door! Mumian wants to come out!” She patted the door anxiously.

Outside came Lu Yunchi’s triumphant laugh. “Fool, you’re locked in now!”

Damn brat, I knew it! She immediately put on a panicked act, pounding the door and crying, “Xiao Chi, Mumian’s scared, let me out, please!”

Lu Yunchi’s cold voice replied, “Weren’t you going to prove you’re not a fool? Then find your own way out!”

His footsteps faded into the distance.

So the little brat really means to mess with me. Just wait till I get out of here—see how I deal with you!

The kitchen window was tiny, far too small to crawl through.

What’s that? In the corner was a ventilation shaft, just wide enough for an adult to squeeze through.

“Tch, this little trick won’t stop me.”

She quickly dragged a stool over, climbed up, and began unscrewing the vent cover. Using her hairpin as a makeshift screwdriver, she carefully loosened the screws, trying not to make too much noise lest someone catch her dismantling Commander Zhang’s house.

Once the cover was off, she peered into the dark opening. She had no idea where it led.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid~ Brave little cow, moo moo moo!” Mumian encouraged herself, took a deep breath, and crawled in.

The duct was narrow and pitch-black, forcing her to crawl on all fours. Her heart pounded wildly, terrified she might run into some unexpected danger along the way.

After turning a corner, a sudden “squeak, squeak” came from ahead. She shuddered in fright, only to see a mouse darting out of a nearby pipe.

“Whoa~ scared me to death.” She let out a long breath, forcing herself to suppress the fear, and continued crawling forward. Finally, a faint light appeared ahead—it should be another air vent. Li Mian carefully pushed open the cover and jumped down.

“This looks like a guest room.” The heart she had been holding high finally settled—at least it wasn’t some forbidden place. She was just about to open the door and leave when footsteps suddenly sounded outside.

Li Mian’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly hid under the bed. Wait, why am I hiding?! I could totally pretend I got lost! But it was too late to go out now—someone had already stepped inside. Holding her breath, she didn’t dare make a sound.

“Strange, I clearly heard something in here.” A woman’s voice sounded—it was the middle-aged woman who earlier had called her a “fool.”

Li Mian’s heartbeat quickened, terrified of being discovered. The woman walked around the room but, finding nothing unusual, was about to leave. Suddenly, she stopped.

“Huh? What’s this?”

Li Mian’s heart tightened. She realized her hairpin must have fallen to the floor without her noticing. Bitterly, she cursed her luck but didn’t dare move. The middle-aged woman bent down, reaching to pick it up—if she bent lower, she would definitely see someone under the bed.

Clenching her jaw, Li Mian prepared to rush out and feign madness at any moment.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside the door.

“Something’s wrong! The downstairs is on fire!”

Startled, the woman quickly snatched up the hairpin and ran out.

Li Mian crawled out from under the bed. Without even bothering to straighten her appearance, she hurriedly slipped out of the room.

The corridor was in chaos, with people all rushing downstairs. Li Mian blended into the crowd, following them down.

In the courtyard, a large group had already gathered. Thick smoke was seeping out through the cracks of the kitchen door. Commander Zhang was directing people to break it open and put out the fire.

“Hurry! Get some buckets of water!”

Lu Tingbai was among the crowd too, anxiously searching around.

Li Mian quickly ran over, calling out, “Tingbai!”