Chapter 121.2

Half an hour passed quickly, just enough time for a few games of flying chess.

As the time was almost up, Xiao Bao touched the sand’s temperature, saying, “Da Bao, I think it’s okay. What do you think?”

Da Bao moved aside a layer of sand; although it was still hot inside, after all this time, he felt it was nearly done. He nodded, saying, “I think so too.”

Xiao Fantuan said, “Then let’s dig!”

Da Bao said, “Be careful and dig with a wooden stick bit by bit, otherwise, it’s easy to break.”

Their little buddies worked together to dig out the buried potatoes, and the lotus leaves were already scorched, emitting a fragrant aroma.

Hot and steaming sweet potatoes with slightly charred skin were pulled out one by one, and the children couldn’t help but swallow their saliva as they watched.

Xiao Fantuan said, “Let’s get moving and take whatever you like.”

Da Bao said, “It’s very hot. Let’s wait a little longer if you’re afraid of the heat.”
The young friends sighed, “Oh,” taking a potato here and a sweet potato there, juggling them between their hands because they were too hot to hold.

“Children, what are you doing?”

The cubs turned around, and Fantuan looked surprised. “Uncle, is that you? We’re baking sweet potatoes. Do you want to eat them?”

That’s right, it was the two uncles they met in front of their door on the morning of the first day of the lunar new year.

The two of them walked up and squatted down to take a look. The uncle wearing glasses was surprised and asked, “Who came up with this method?”

Da Bao is a bit afraid of strangers, while Xiao Bao isn’t shy at all. Peeling the fragrant roasted taro carefully and not littering the skins, they knew to place them on lotus leaves. Not just them, all the other kids peeled and placed the skins on the leaves without a mess.

“No need to wonder, we roast sweet potatoes like this in our village. Try one; it’s very fragrant,” Xiao Bao said.

“Okay.” The two uncles picked the smallest one, split it, and tasted it. They nodded. “Mmm, not bad.”

Xiao Fantuan reminded them, “My mother said garbage can’t be thrown around. You put the skin on the lotus leaves, and we’ll take it with us when we leave.”

The two uncles looked at each other and were even more surprised. What kind of family raised such a child?

The uncle wearing glasses said, “You guys are great, you don’t litter.” He then casually asked, “What do your parents do?”

The three cubs looked at each other with alert eyes.

Fantuan said, “What do you want to do? This is a military district, and many people’s fathers are soldiers who fight villains. Don’t think about doing bad things.”

The two uncles chuckled, and the bespectacled one apologized, “You’re right. We’re sorry for being abrupt. We just felt that the parents who raised such good kids must also be outstanding.”

Fantuan was extremely proud of his parents, regardless of whether it was Han Cheng, his biological mother, or Su Xiaoxiao. In Fantuan’s eyes, they were both exceptionally outstanding individuals. During the Qingming Festival, when he and Xiao Doubao went to visit their (biological) mother’s grave, their father also mentioned that their mother was an exceptional military doctor—a remarkable woman deserving everyone’s respect. He urged them to remember to visit her every Qingming Festival, light incense, and tell her how they were doing.

Xiao Fantuan took a bite of the fragrant sweet potato and proudly said, “You guys have great vision. My parents are very, very excellent, and they are both good role models worth learning from!”

The two uncles exchanged a glance and nodded. “I can see it.”

Fantuan didn’t know what the two uncles did or wanted, but they didn’t linger much longer and left after finishing the sweet potatoes.

Only after the uncles left did Xiao Houzi ask, “Fantuan, do you know them?”

Xiao Fantuan shook his head. “I’ve seen them once, but I wouldn’t say I know them.”

Xiao Houzi said. “I followed my dad to the state-run restaurant that day to deliver things. They ordered a lot of food, and my dad said the highest-ranking official hosted them, which seems like a big shot from the capital.”

Xiao Fantuan didn’t care about these things. Whoever these people are has nothing to do with him: “Whoever they are has nothing to do with us. Let’s quickly finish eating pack up and go back. My younger brother and sister are going to wake up soon, so we need to hurry back and help Mom.”

Their little friends savored sweet potatoes one by one. Some even wanted more after finishing. While the three kids only ate one each and saved a few for their mothers and Xiao Doubao to taste, Although Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan could eat sweet potatoes directly, Mom said Xiao Tangyuan should only eat the moist and sweet ones; the dry ones might choke him. So, for now, he couldn’t eat them directly. The kids brought various types of sweet potatoes, and Little Fantuan specifically picked two small sweet ones to save for his younger siblings.

As the kids were about to clean up the beach and head back, they heard someone shouting from the shore, “Da Bao, Xiao Bao, Fantuan, Xiao Yu…”

Fantuan, holding a bunch of garbage, looked over. Da Bao and Xiao Bao had already started running up. “Xiao Zhuzi, you’re finally back! We missed you so much!”

Fantuan suddenly remembered that today was the fourth day of the New Year, the day Xiao Zhuzi returned from the capital.

T/N: I also missed Zhuzi!!!