Chapter 11 – What a Little Fox Who Won’t Let Things Go!

“Uh~” Lu Tingxiao nodded slightly.

“Did you invite her to dinner? I want to thank her,” Qingzhu asked, tilting her little face with an innocent expression.

Lu Tingxiao thought for a moment and said, “Your elder sister is busy, so there’s no chance this time. Let’s do it next time.”

“But… who knows how long until next time…” Qingzhu’s eyes drooped, her face full of disappointment.

“Then I’ll go again this afternoon and see if we can have dinner together tonight…” Lu Tingxiao felt a headache coming on. This little rascal really knew how to nag.

“All right, all right! Thank you, big brother!” Qingzhu clapped his hands in excitement. He had always known his parents were heroes, and his grandfather was an impressive soldier, so when he had been kidnapped at his grandmother’s house, he hadn’t panicked.

Instead, he had waited for the right moment to escape, and along the way, he had luckily met a transport worker and followed him until he finally arrived in Beijing.

But when he got there, he felt even more confused—he had no idea where his home was, or where his grandfather was.

So, he had no choice but to beg in the streets. If it hadn’t been for big brother noticing him, he might have had to continue living like that…

The day after tomorrow, they would take the train to see their grandfather. He didn’t know when he would see his sister again, so before leaving, he wanted to thank her—her buns were delicious, and he wanted to invite her to a meal.

Lu Tingxiao entered the house carrying the items and saw his grandfather glaring at him.

“Grandpa, are your eyes hurting?”

“I’m looking at you being uncomfortable. Tell me, when will you bring home a granddaughter-in-law for me?” The old man puffed on his beard, glaring at his grandson.

This was the only child of three generations of the Lu family. He knew exactly how much hope was pinned on this boy and wanted to drive him crazy.

“Such things depend on fate.”

“Fate my foot! Are you waiting until grandpa is gone before you’ll see a granddaughter-in-law?”

“Grandpa, you’re still young—you’ll live at least twenty more years.”

“You little rascal!” Lu Feihu got so angry he grabbed a cup nearby and threw it, but it veered off and missed entirely.

Although Lu Feihu was already in his sixties, he still looked robust. His white hair hadn’t dulled his energy, and just thinking about his grandson gave him headaches.

It was partly his own fault. Years ago, when his son and daughter-in-law went to work far away, he couldn’t bear to be apart from his grandson and forced him to stay nearby. As a result, the boy grew up without a mother’s presence, emotionally unmoored, and there was nothing he could do.

A couple of days ago, he had asked his grandson to meet the granddaughter of an old partner’s family. That rascal had ended up bringing home a little boy instead!

Even though the child belonged to the higher-ups’ family, he had sent him there for matchmaking! That brat!

Luckily, the boy didn’t take a liking to the Huang family’s granddaughter. Today it turned out she was sharp-tongued and unforgiving—such a girl could never enter the Lu family.

Lu Tingxiao knew his grandfather wouldn’t actually hit him, so he stood upright. When he saw the cup land about 800 meters away, he laughed.

“Grandpa, your aim is a bit off!”

“You little punk! I don’t care. Next year, you must bring home a granddaughter-in-law, or don’t bother coming back!”

Lu Tingxiao let his grandfather’s words pass over his ears. Every year, the same speech, and yet he remained single.

He had thought about marriage but never met the right girl. Plus, with his naturally cold personality, there were no suitable girls around—only smelly men.

For marriage, he believed in finding someone he liked and truly matched with; otherwise, he would remain single for life.

—

Xia Yuwei and Xia Wanwan arrived at the state-run restaurant. Today’s main dishes were braised pork, sweet-and-sour fish, and garlic stir-fried greens.

Xia Wanwan immediately ordered all three dishes, plus a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup, and then two bowls of plain rice. Even if the sky fell, she wouldn’t care—eating came first.

During the apocalypse, food had been extremely precious. Anything edible was enough, and there was no time to fuss about flavor or presentation.

But now, things were different. She could completely relax and enjoy the pleasures of food.

In this life, she vowed to love herself properly.

“Sis, we’re only two people and ordered four dishes. Isn’t that a bit much?”

“Not at all, not at all.”

Xia Wanwan waved her hand dismissively. Four dishes weren’t too much. If there were eighteen dishes, she probably would have ordered all of them too. Eating it all was another matter—the important thing was tasting it!

Soon, the food arrived. Xia Yuwei picked up her chopsticks and saw her sister devour the meal like a whirlwind. In no time, only a few pieces of braised pork were left on the plate.

It seemed her sister hadn’t eaten properly in days. Xia Yuwei resolved that after they went to the countryside, she would buy more meat to cook for her sister—and sneakily supplement their parents as well.

She had no idea that Xia Wanwan’s rapid eating was a skill developed during the apocalypse—always ready to defend herself in case monsters attacked—which led to this beautiful misunderstanding.

The sisters didn’t spend much—only three yuan plus two meal tickets—and, satisfied, they headed toward the guesthouse. But on the way, someone stopped them.

Xia Yuwei didn’t recognize the boy and looked at her sister in confusion.

Xia Wanwan felt a dark line run through her thoughts. How could they run into this “god” again? Weren’t they supposed to never see each other again?

“Excuse me, comrade, do you need something?”

“Is this how you treat someone who saved your life?”

“You… consider me a savior?”

But she didn’t dare say this aloud—only thought it. Who could she provoke? With this person’s aura so strong, she was powerless.

“Last time, thanks for helping out. So, what brings you to me now?”

This person was strange. Last time, he said he was bored and just helped without expecting anything. Why was he seeking her out now?

Xia Wanwan’s eyes were full of resistance.

Lu Tingxiao looked at the little fox across from him, wanting to tear it open to see how many faces it had. Clearing his throat, he said:

“The little beggar you saved that day… he’s not ordinary. To thank you for the two buns, he wants to invite you to his home for a meal.”

Xia Wanwan’s mind froze for a moment, then she realized—oh, this was the little boy she helped the day before!

No wonder he didn’t seem like an ordinary beggar.

“That little rascal means well, but I gave him the buns out of kindness, not expecting anything in return. So forget this meal!”

She deliberately said this loudly, partly to give him a gentle reminder. After all, it had been his choice, so no need to bring it up unnecessarily.

Lu Tingxiao immediately caught the hidden meaning. What a clever, sharp-tongued little fox!

“How about one meal to repay my life-saving favor?”

“Deal!”

Lu Tingxiao laughed in exasperation. Truly, this little fox never let herself suffer a loss!