Chapter 164

Han Cheng went to the carriage to look for cotton candy as soon as possible, but amidst the crowd, he couldn’t move. Cotton candy, being small in size, disappeared in the blink of an eye. It was nearly impossible to find him in this crowded place.

Han Cheng calmly thought for a moment. If Cotton Candy was really lost, he could only ask the staff to make an announcement and hope that someone kind would bring it back; they could even reward that person. 

However, this would alert Xiao Tangyuan. He actually preferred to find Cotton Candy without letting Xiao Tangyuan know that Cotton Candy had wandered off, but that was almost impossible.

Han Cheng knew that being anxious wouldn’t help. He decided to go back to Su Xiaoxiao first, explain the situation, apologize to Xiao Tangyuan, and then ask the staff to announce their lost dog.

This was also Su Xiaoxiao’s consistent educational philosophy. Whether it was adults or children at home, making mistakes wasn’t a big deal, but being brave enough to admit them and learn from them was.

As a parent, Han Cheng has no psychological burden to lead by example in admitting mistakes to his children. He was more concerned that his daughter would cry or be upset. The priority was still to find the dog; he couldn’t afford to think about much else.

Han Cheng made his way back through the crowd, organizing his words and taking a deep breath to explain the situation. Then he saw his daughter holding a snow-white ball in her arms.

And the snow-white culprit was staring at him with his wet black eyes, which seemed to be saying, “Why are you so slow? I’ve been back for half a day.”

Han Cheng took another deep breath and slowly exhaled. Su Xiaoxiao asked the question on Cotton Candy’s stead: “Han Cheng, what took you so long? Cotton Candy has been back for a while now.”

Han Cheng, who had been in a state of turmoil all the way, got stuck in his throat and almost bit his tongue. His gaze shifted away from the white puppy, and he shook his head at his wife, saying truthfully, “I thought it got lost just now.”

Su Xiaoxiao patted cotton candy and said, “A smart and clingy dog won’t get lost easily. It will follow the scent back to its owner.”

Su Xiaoxiao led Han Cheng to sit down, looked at him with a smile, and asked softly, “Were you scared?”

Han Cheng nodded. “I almost went to announce to find the dog.”

Fantuan, who was playing chess with Xiao Zhuzi, said, “We have to be careful. Cotton candy is so pretty. If someone else finds it, they probably won’t return it to us.”

Xiao Zhuzi nodded. “When we sleep at night, let’s tie it to the basket with a rope.”

Xiao Tangyuan rubbed her face against cotton candy looked at her puppy with a serious face and said, “Cotton candy, there are too many people on the train. You must not run around on your own in the future. You must follow us closely, do you understand?”

Cotton candy remained silent and affectionately rubbed against Xiao Tangyuan. As if saying, “I understand.”

After this little episode, the whole family paid even more attention to Cotton Candy’s safety and kept a closer eye on it.

Han Cheng usually found it difficult to endure long train journeys alone on business trips, but now with the whole family chatting and laughing, the time doesn’t seem so unbearable. With so many children playing together, it wasn’t boring at all. Fantuan was good at playing games, and there were endless varieties. They played chess, cards, and various other games, and before they knew it, dozens of hours had passed.

Su Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, was sitting on such a long train journey for the first time in her life and found it quite uncomfortable.

They arrived in the capital in the evening of the next day. This was the final stop of the train, and Zhang Hongtu had called his father before they departed. 

After Grandpa Zhang estimated the time of their arrival, he sent a big car to wait for them in advance.

They had a lot of luggage and planned to get off at last. They almost waited until everyone else had gotten off the train before moving their luggage.

The winter in the north was much colder than in the south. Coming down from the warm carriage, the biting cold wind seeped into their clothes. Despite being prepared and putting on scarves and gloves, they still shivered.

“Is the capital always this cold?” Su Xiaoxiao’s breath turned into white smoke as she spoke.

The children are not so sensitive to cold air, but having just gotten off the train, they hadn’t adjusted to the temperature difference yet and were all shivering.

“Let’s move the luggage to the exit first, and we won’t feel as cold when we’re moving around,” Yali suggested.

The luggage still needed to be moved on two trips. Su Xiaoxiao stayed behind with the twins to watch over the luggage, while the others moved a portion to the exit. Yali stayed at the exit to watch over it, while the others went back to bring the rest.

Zhang Hongtu took a large bag out first. “Wait here; I’ll go outside and find the person who’s picking us up before moving the luggage.”

The outside was still bustling with people. The children, who were visiting the capital for the first time, looked around curiously.

“Mom, Dad, the train station in the capital is so big! And there are so many people!” Fantuan felt that the train station in the capital was at least tens of times bigger than the one in Qingfeng Town.

Zhuzi, who had been to the capital a few times, said, “Everything in the capital is big. There are many cars and people. Not only are the roads spacious, but there are also overpasses and tunnels. Look, there are many tall buildings like that.” Xiao Zhuzi pointed to the tall buildings not far away. “The malls are also much larger than those in our town. The largest one is the square where the national flag is raised. There’s also a park that takes half a day to walk through. Oh, and there are elevators in the malls. People stand on them, and they move automatically. Besides buses, there’s also a subway in the city, almost like a train. Some subway stations even have escalators. In short, there are many things in the capital that we don’t have in Qingfeng Town.”

The little ones listened attentively as Xiao Zhuzi spoke, their eyes filled with longing.

Just like they say, “Traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books.” From Sujia village to the small town, then to the county, and from there to the city and finally to the capital, the children’s horizons expanded gradually with each step they took. Having seen more magnificent places, they would now look back at the path they had taken with a clearer sense of direction for the future.

This was also why Su Xiaoxiao insisted on taking the entrance exam for the capital’s university. She didn’t just want to fulfill her own and the original owner’s dream; she also wanted to show the little cubs a bigger and more exciting world so that they would have more and better choices in the future.

What Xiao Zhuzi talked about was commonplace to Su Xiaoxiao in her past life, but for the little cubs, it was all a delightful surprise after opening the door to a new world.

Su Xiaoxiao said, “Once we settle down, Mom and Dad will take you all around the city and take a good look at our vast and diverse capital city.”

The cubs nodded in unison and said, “Yes!”

Xiao Roubao, with his clever little mind filled with thoughts of food, asked his mom, “Mommy, can we still eat roast duck, pork elbow, and candied fruit rolls?”

Su Xiaoxiao pinched Xiao Roubao’s chubby face. “Yes, indeed. Is your little brain always thinking about food? Hmm?”

Xiao Roubao nodded and said, “I remember all the delicious food I’ve eaten!”

Xiao Doubao couldn’t help but wrinkle his frozen red nose and quip, “Little brother, have you ever eaten anything that wasn’t tasty? ” 

Xiao Roubao could be said to have been raised by Xiao Doubao since childhood, and he had never seen Xiao Roubao dislike any food.

Xiao Roubao earnestly replied, “All the food is delicious! Except for the bitter black soup that Mommy makes.”

When Xiao Roubao caught a cold or felt his throat sore, Su Xiaoxiao would make Chinese herbal medicine for him to drink, and Xiao Roubao hated drinking Chinese herbal medicine the most.

In the midst of chatting and laughter, Zhang Hongtu came running back, presenting his documents to the comrade guarding the entrance to explain the situation. Not only did the comrade let him in, but he also called a few comrades who were free to help him carry the luggage. Zhang Hongtu thanked them repeatedly and even gave them some small local specialties. In this way, all the luggage was moved into the car in one trip, and the car was large enough to fit everything in the trunk.

The person who came to pick them up was his father’s former security guard. After getting used to living alone during the most difficult years, he no longer needed any security guards, and they just let him return to the military to do whatever he needed to do. He would only send him on errands if necessary.

In the cold winter when the lights are on, there are few pedestrians on the Beijing roads. 

The children lay by the window, listening attentively as Xiao Zhuzi shared his experiences. The little ones listened earnestly, occasionally exclaiming at the winter scenery so different from the south. Since there weren’t many private cars in the 1970s, traffic jams didn’t exist, and they arrived back at the old alley just past seven o’clock.

Xiao Zhuzi, leading his sister, was the first to get out of the car and knock on the door to call his grandpa.

Grandpa paced back and forth in the house for a while, almost anxious to see his grandson through the walls. When he heard his grandson’s voice, his whole demeanor brightened, and he quickly ran to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, he saw his tall and spirited eldest grandson. Grandpa smiled, patting his grandson’s shoulder with satisfaction. “You’ve grown taller, stronger, and more handsome!”

Xiao Tangyuan knew that the grandpa in front of her was her brother’s grandfather. With her dimples showing, she called out in her milk-like voice, “Hello, Grandpa~~”

The old master was so absorbed in watching his grandson that when he finally glanced down, he exclaimed inwardly, Oh, what a delicately beautiful girl! With rosy lips and white teeth, adorned with dimples, and holding a fluffy white dumpling in her arms. She’s just charming in every way. The heart of a grandpa melted, and in an instant, he guessed her identity.

Zhuzi said, “Grandpa, she is Xiao Tangyuan.”

The old man had already laughed so hard that his eyes couldn’t be seen. “What a good child! Wow, such a beautiful little girl I’ve never seen before at my age! Come, let Grandpa hold you.”

Xiao Zhuzi’s features resembled his grandpa’s to some extent, making Xiao Tangyuan feel familiar. She usually didn’t let strangers hold her, but she handed Cotton Candy to her brother and reached out to let Grandpa Zhang hold her.

As soon as Grandpa picked up Xiao Tangyuan, the three boys behind him called out in unison.

Grandpa looked over and saw three especially spirited and handsome little boys holding hands: the oldest was Fantuan, the middle one was Xiao Doubao and the youngest was Xiao Roubao.

Zhuzi introduced them to Grandpa: “Grandpa, the oldest is Fan Tuan, the younger one is Xiao Doubao and the youngest is our brother, Xiao Roubao.”

Grandpa Zhang was delighted and couldn’t help but praise them repeatedly. He wished these good children were all his own grandchildren, but they were almost like his own anyway.

Han Cheng led Su Xiaoxiao down: “Uncle Zhang, this is my wife, Xiaoxiao.”

Su Xiaoxiao smiled openly, greeting Grandpa Zhang, “Hello, Uncle Zhang, I’m Su Xiaoxiao.”

Grandpa Zhang nodded repeatedly, “Good, good, good!” It turned out that Han Cheng’s new wife was such a beautiful comrade. Not only was her appearance good, but her eyes were bright, her smile was gentle, and it was no wonder she gave birth to such lovely children and even became the top scorer in the provincial college entrance examination. Han Cheng indeed had an excellent eye.

Zhang Hongtu came in with his things and said, “It’s too cold outside. Let’s talk inside.”

“Yes, let’s go inside.” Grandpa Zhang was so overwhelmed with sudden happiness that he stood there enjoying the breeze.

The men brought the things inside, and Fantuan and Su Xiaoxiao also helped carry them.

“Grandpa, give Xiao Tangyuan to me.” Zhuzi was worried that Grandpa would get tired from holding Xiao Tangyuan. He gave cotton candy to Xiao Doubao and took Xiao Tangyuan from his grandpa’s hands, walking quickly into the house with Xiao Roubao and Xiao Doubao.

Xiao Zhuzi helped his younger siblings take off their shoes and put them on the kang. He also brewed them a cup of malt milk powder and instructed them to drink it to warm up before going back outside to help with the luggage.

Grandpa Zhang thought to himself that his grandson had such a good relationship with them, just as he cared for his younger siblings. The more he looked at these beautiful children, the more satisfied he became.

Dinner had not been served yet, but Xiao Roubao was already starving. After gulping down a bowl of malted milk, he still felt hungry. There were some pastries on the small table on the kang bed, and Xiao Roubao stared at them, rubbing his belly and salivating, but he didn’t reach out to take them, forcing himself to lower his head and not look at the plate of pastries.

Grandpa Zhang often heard his grandson talk about these four children, so he was not unfamiliar with them at all, especially the two born later, whom Zhuzi had seen grow up with his own eyes. 

Grandpa Zhang knew that this little chubby one loved to eat the most, and looking at his cute appearance, he couldn’t help but push the plate of pastries toward the child and say, “If you’re hungry, have a little something to fill your stomach first. We’ll have dinner together after everyone finishes moving the luggage.”

Xiao Roubao still didn’t reach out to take them but looked up at his brother because their mommy told him to listen to his brother.

Xiao Doubao shook his head and said, “Thank you, Grandpa, but we haven’t washed our hands yet. Let’s wait until everyone is ready to eat together.”

Seeing their manners, Grandpa thought highly of them. However, it wasn’t surprising that a woman like Su Xiaoxiao raised such children. Just by seeing how well she raised Xiao Zhuzi, he understood how good Su Xiaoxiao was. 

Xiao Zhuzi often talked to him about Su Xiaoxiao, and his affection for Su Xiaoxiao was no less than that of Han Cheng.

“I was confused. After sitting on the train for so long, it’s better to wash your hands properly before eating. Let Grandpa take you to wash your hands first.”

As soon as Grandpa Zhang finished speaking, everyone had finished moving the luggage and returned, and the adults led the children to wash their hands.

Grandpa Zhang had a cook named Lao Yang who helped with cooking. 

It was said that their ancestors were imperial chefs, and Lao Yang was particularly skilled. Before retiring, he was a cook in the military’s kitchen but became deaf from an explosion and retired. He had no family, so after the ban on Grandpa Zhang was lifted, he called him over, ostensibly to cook for him but actually to give him a place to live and work.

After everyone washed their hands and came in, Lao Yang had already brought out the copper pot prepared in advance, with plate after plate of thinly sliced lamb and various condiments placed beside it.

As soon as the pot boiled, the aroma filled the air, and Xiao Roubao’s stomach couldn’t help but rumble… 

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Lucia: Hello~ Sorry for not updating, to make it up to you guys, I unlocked Chapter 164-172. Enjoy Reading~

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