Chapter 27: The Chubby Boy Goes Home

“I’m not going back. I want to live here,” the chubby boy said, looking at Xiaojiu hopefully. “I’ll have my parents send me living expenses.”

Shen Zhiyuan also didn’t want to go back and quickly added, “I don’t want to go either, I want to stay and play here.”

Her cousin beside her also shook her head, refusing to go back.

“No, you have to go back first. Come live here only after your parents agree,” Xiaojiu refused.

The group could only reluctantly follow the villagers back to town.

“Wait for me, I’ll talk to my parents and then come live here,” the chubby boy muttered, still thinking about the delicious food he had just eaten.

Xiaojiu waved to them casually.

The only one left was the little boy who still couldn’t say where he lived.

“Do you really not know where your home is?” Xiaojiu asked again.

The little boy shook his head.

“What’s your name?”

He shook his head again.

“How old are you?”

He shook his head once more.

“Are you some kind of idiot? But that can’t be — you spoke so precisely at dinner just now,” Xiaojiu said.

“Then you can stay here for now. When the time comes, we’ll go to the county office and look for your parents.”

The little boy nodded.

“Find an empty room to stay in by yourself.”

With that, Xiaojiu went back to her room to catch up on sleep.

She hadn’t done yesterday’s lottery draw yet, so she clicked to draw.

She won one “Twin Birth Pill.”

Twin Birth Pill?

What’s that?

‘Women who take this can give birth to twins,’ the system replied.

“Oh!” Xiaojiu was a little disappointed.

This is not as good as the Strength Pill.

“Then if I take the Strength Pill, will I be as strong as I want?” Xiaojiu asked.

‘No, but you will be stronger than an average person,’ the system replied.

Xiaojiu put the Twin Birth Pill into her storage bag and lay down to rest.

Meanwhile, at the chubby boy’s home gate, he asked Zhao Dalang again, who had brought him back.

“I don’t want to go back. Can you take me to your village to live?”

“No. Our village chief said you must be sent home,” Zhao Dalang coldly refused the chubby boy’s nth request, then knocked on the large grand gate, whose copper rings gleamed dazzlingly in the sunlight.

Soon the gate opened. A young servant peeked out, and upon seeing the chubby boy, his face lit up excitedly.

He quickly turned back and shouted inside, “Young master is back! Young master is back!”

“What! The young master is back?” Hearing this, other maids and servants hurried to report to the master and mistress.

Immediately, a crowd rushed out from the mansion.

An elderly lady dressed in pearl-studded finery, her hair white, with tears in her eyes, staggered forward a few steps and tightly embraced the chubby boy, her voice trembling: “My precious treasure, where have you been? You worried grandmother so much!”

Seeing his grandmother, the chubby boy’s grief from being kidnapped yesterday suddenly poured out: “Grandmother, I almost couldn’t come back.”

“What? Tell grandmother what happened,” the old lady asked anxiously.

The chubby boy recounted how he was kidnapped and then rescued by Xiaojiu.

“Unbelievable! How dare they be so bold in broad daylight! Go to the county office — those scoundrels must be arrested,” the old lady said, banging her cane.

“Mother, please don’t worry. We will see who is so bold,” the chubby boy’s father, Wang Fugui, glanced at the honest-looking man beside him and cupped his hands: “Thank you to your village chief for saving my son. May I ask which village you’re from? I will certainly pay a visit to thank you someday.”

“Yes, yes, we must thank your village chief,” the elderly lady said again to Zhao Dalang with gratitude.

The Wang family had only one male heir—Wang Zherong. Whoever saved her grandson was a great benefactor to the Wang family and must be personally thanked with generous gifts.

“They’re from Taoyuan Village,” the chubby boy interjected. “Where’s my mother?” He looked around, puzzled that she wasn’t there.

“Your mother went to the county magistrate’s house to find Madam Shen. She asked the magistrate to send someone to look for you,” Wang Fugui quickly told a nearby servant to inform Madam Shen that her son had returned.

“Come inside quickly, don’t just stand here,” Wang Fugui invited Zhao Dalang into the house.

“No, I’ll leave after I deliver him,” Zhao Dalang politely refused and prepared to leave.

The chubby boy immediately grabbed Zhao Dalang’s leg and, looking back at his grandmother, whined, “Grandmother, I want to live in Taoyuan Village for a few days.”

“No, your mother hasn’t seen you yet, she’ll worry and won’t be able to sleep,” Wang Fugui said without hesitation, thinking about his wife’s anxious state.

“I want to go! I want to live with my little benefactor,” the chubby boy nearly threw a tantrum.

“Let him go. Bring him back tomorrow,” the grandmother ordered, and Wang Fugui gave up.

A little embarrassed, Wang Fugui looked at Zhao Dalang and asked, “Is that alright with you?”

The chubby boy clung to Zhao Dalang’s leg and said, “Uncle Zhao, the little benefactor said if my family agrees, I can stay in the village.”

Zhao Dalang had no objections since the village chief had already agreed.

Wang Fugui instructed the steward to arrange a carriage to take him there.

The chubby boy, Zhao Dalang, a servant, and a carriage full of belongings headed back to the village.

The moment he got off the carriage, the chubby boy ran like a wild child toward Xiaojiu’s courtyard.

“Hotpot! Hotpot! Here I come!”

On the way, he saw Cuihua, who had helped him escape yesterday. The chubby boy quickly took some silver coins from his pocket and stuffed them into the small pouch on Cuihua’s back.

He patted Cuihua’s wings and said, “Thank you. You’re amazing—the smartest animal I’ve ever seen.”

Cuihua lifted her neck and clucked a few times.

“You’ve got good eyes, kid. Don’t worry, I, Cuihua, will protect you from now on.”

Seeing Cuihua respond to his thanks, the chubby boy continued, “Next time, I’ll take you to meet my grandmother. I’ll have her make a golden lock for you to wear around your neck, so you’ll be the richest chicken here.”

Cluck, cluck.

“Really? Don’t forget!” Cuihua happily rubbed her head against the chubby boy’s hand.

He picked up Cuihua and went into Xiaojiu’s courtyard.

Just inside the gate, a strong, delicious aroma hit him.

“Wow! Smells so good!” the chubby boy exclaimed excitedly, quickening his pace.

At that moment, Xiaojiu, just awake and stepping out of the house, saw the chubby boy and Cuihua in his arms and asked puzzled, “Didn’t you go back?”

The chubby boy quickly found a stool to sit on and said, “I talked to my grandmother, and she agreed I could stay in the village. Look, I even brought my living expenses.” He pointed to the doorway where the servant was struggling to carry a full load of belongings into the courtyard.

Xiaojiu turned around, surprised. “How long do you plan to stay here?”

Did he just move his whole house here?

The chubby boy happily replied, “I told my grandmother I’d stay one day, and that’s why they agreed. But I moved all my stuff here. When my grandmother comes to get me, I’ll ask her to let me stay longer. She’ll agree.”

“And that’s my servant, Xiao Liuzi, who came to take care of me.”