Chapter 219

As the saying goes, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” After the weather had eased up, Xiao Tangyuan returned to her room to sleep alone. Su Xiaoxiao and Han Cheng stayed “warm” until midnight, only falling asleep as dawn broke. However, they were soon awakened by a frantic knocking at the door by Gu Zhanwang.

Half asleep and half awake, Su Xiaoxiao hugged Han Cheng like an octopus and coquettishly refused to let him get up and open the door.

Xiao Yu, who had drunk a bit too much water the night before, happened to be awake to use the bathroom and opened the door on the way.

Xiao Yu, with sleepy eyes, looked at Gu Zhanwang with big and small eyes and said, “Uncle, why are you disturbing our peaceful sleep so early in the morning? We’re all still asleep; we have no time for entertaining guests!”

After Xiao Yu finished speaking, he slammed the door shut.

Gu Zhanwang stood outside, dumbfounded. He took a step back and glanced at the doorplate. Yes, this was Han Cheng’s house. Who was this brat?

“Brat, open the door! Are Fantuan and the others back? I’m Gu Zhanwang, looking for Han Fantuan!”

Xiao Yu retorted, “In our family, there’s only Fantuan and Han Jing, no Han Fantuan. I don’t care if you’re the Monkey King; come back when we’re awake!”

Gu Zhanwang: “…”

Why is every kid in Han Cheng’s family tougher than the next?

Gu Zhanwang really had no choice. He couldn’t keep knocking on the door forever. He reluctantly decided to go have breakfast at “Three Meals, Four Seasons” first.

Hearing the conversation outside, Han Cheng couldn’t help but smirk. His children were a handful, each more difficult to handle than the last.

He lowered his head and kissed his wife in his arms, then settled back into bed for a bit longer.

By the time the whole family woke up, it was already past nine in the morning. Han Cheng had left for work around eight. The kids finished getting ready to go to the shop for breakfast, while Su Xiaoxiao lazily got up, asking them to bring her breakfast.

Fantuan suddenly thought and asked Xiao Yu, “By the way, Xiao Yu, it seems like I heard someone knocking on our door early in the morning, right? Or did I dream?”

Xiao Yu was already half asleep and half awake. He was scratching the back of his head, and after thinking for a while, he couldn’t remember and shook his head. “It seemed like it, but then again, maybe not. I can’t remember.”

Zhuzi said, “I think I heard it too.”

Da Bao also said, “I think I heard it too. I even remember hearing Xiao Yu talking to that person.”

Xiao Roubao said, “I didn’t hear it; you must have heard it wrong!”

Xiao Doubao said, “Of course, you didn’t hear it. Last time at Grandma’s house, there was thunder and lightning, and you didn’t even notice. How could knocking on the door disturb your sleep?”

Xiao Roubao bounced forward and said, “Oh, second brother, did you hear it?”

Xiao Doubao felt a bit embarrassed and shook his head, saying, “I was really tired yesterday; I slept like a log and didn’t hear a thing.”

Xiao Roubao raised his little hand high and said, “Let’s vote. Raise your hand if you didn’t hear it! I didn’t hear it!”

Fantuan rubbed his head and said, “It’s not important; there’s no need to vote. If it were urgent, they would’ve kept knocking until we got up. Just a few knocks and leaving means it’s not urgent, or they lack sincerity.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

Nine cubs, four of them walking in front and five of them walking in the back, holding hands and walking shoulder to shoulder in a grand manner in the alley. They attracted the attention of everyone they passed in the alley. People were curious about where this spirited and good-looking bunch of kids had come from.

When they arrived at “Three Meals, Four Seasons,” it was almost ten o’clock. Su Xiaoxiao didn’t want everyone to work too hard, so breakfast wasn’t served to the public. However, there was someone sitting inside, dozing off with their head resting on their hands.

Xiao Roubao was extremely hungry, and the first one to run into the store said, “Hey, why is Uncle Gu here?”

Fantuan quickly walked in upon hearing Roubao’s shout and looked at Gu Zhanwang in surprise. “Old Gu? How could you be here?” After becoming familiar with each other, Fantuan liked to call him Old Gu. Han Cheng didn’t like it and had told him off a few times, but Gu Zhanwang found it endearing. He allowed Fantuan to address him that way, although, among the kids, only Fantuan dared to.

Gu Zhanwang naturally didn’t realize that he had become an idle person with no urgent matters and no sincerity. He tilted his neck from side to side, making creaking sounds.

Bai Lan brought over breakfast and chuckled. “Mr. Gu has been waiting here for you all morning. He’s almost fallen asleep.”

Gu Zhanwang put on his golden-rimmed glasses, regained his usual refined appearance, and quirked his lips. “Have you forgotten? Or have you taken my deposit and then turned your back on me?”

Xiao Yu widened his eyes and pointed at Gu Zhanwang, saying, “You’re the uncle who came to disturb our sleep before dawn? I thought I was dreaming! So it wasn’t a dream? “

Gu Zhanwang, who almost vomited blood: “…” 

Gu Zhanwang stared at Xiao Yu for a long time and asked him, “What is your relationship with Zhao Xianfeng?”

Xiao Yu pointed to his own nose and said, “He’s my dad! Do you know him?”

Gu Zhanwang replied, “No, I don’t!” After speaking, he didn’t forget to mutter, ‘What kind of people are these? Each son’s more daring than the next.’ 

“Back to business; give me a definite answer on when you can start the work,” Gu Zhanwang asked.

Fantuan and Zhuzi simultaneously slapped their foreheads and said in unison, “We forgot…”

Gu Zhanwang half squinted his eyes and said, “That’s not what you said when you took my plane ticket!”

Fantuan said, “No, no, we didn’t forget, Old Gu; don’t get anxious. We just forgot to tell Da Bao and Xiao Bao about this. Let us have a bite to eat first, and then I’ll explain it to them.”

Xiao Yu asked in confusion, “What’s going on?”

Fantuan explained the situation as quickly as possible and finally said, “That’s all. After completing this task, we can earn a lot of pocket money. Before the start of school, we can eat, drink, and have fun everywhere. By the way, Old Gu will also help you book a return flight ticket. In short, we can make a steady profit without losing money.”

Da Bao and Xiao Bao exchanged a glance. Previously, Fantuan had mentioned coming to the capital to earn pocket money, and they thought it was about doing labor-intensive jobs like moving bricks, selling newspapers, or carrying cement. They didn’t expect it to be such an easy job, so they had no objections.

Xiao Yu’s confidence wavered a bit. “Um, I’m not very good at drawing. So, maybe I can’t help you, right? But I have money! Uh, Old Gu, no, Mr. Gu, I’ve never been on a plane before. If I give you money, can you help me book a plane ticket too?”

Gu Zhanwang replied, “No, and how did I become your uncle? If you want to fly, ask your father.”

Xiao Yu pouted, “Stingy! If you don’t want to help, then forget it!”

Fantuan patted Xiao Yu’s shoulder and pointed to the flowers and plants at the bottom, saying, “These were drawn by Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan when they were three years old. You can’t possibly draw worse than them, right?”

Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan both looked up at their big brother. “We draw very well!”

Fantuan surrendered and said, “Yes, yes, Big Brother was wrong, very wrong. You draw very well now that you’re grown up.”

Xiao Yu carefully looked at the painting below, feeling even less confident. He swallowed his saliva and gestured with his index finger: “Maybe just a little bit worse…”

Fantuan said, “That’s okay, as long as the drawing is as good as Xiao Tangyuan and Xiao Roubao.”

Xiao Yu shook his head and said, “No, it’s just that my drawing is a little worse than theirs.”

Fantuan: “…”

“Zhao Xiao Yu! What have you been doing during our absence in Qingfeng Town? Playing with cats and dogs all day? How come even such basic skills are inferior to those of two four-year-old kids?” 

Xiao Yu knew he was in the wrong, so he smiled and said, “Big boss, my big brother Fantuan and big brother Zhuzi, ever since you guys arrived in the capital, Xiao Houzi and his gang of little troublemakers have been causing chaos. At least I passed the exams, right? They don’t even pass exams!” 

“Is passing exams something to be proud of?” Fantuan asked the others. “Have any of you scored below 95?” 

Except for Yao Bao, who has not yet started school, the other seven cubs all shook their heads.

Fantuan continued, “See, if it weren’t for the difficult essays, we would score full marks every time!” 

Even Gu Zhanwang couldn’t help but interject, “You guys are the exception, okay? Not everyone is as smart as you.” He couldn’t even believe these kids, let alone figure out what they were up to. 

Breakfast was quickly served. Today’s breakfast consisted of soy milk, rice porridge, fried dough sticks, and buns. The kids squeezed around a table to eat together. 

Xiao Roubao grabbed two buns, then blinked his big eyes and asked Gu Zhanwang, “Uncle Gu, were you as dumb as Xiao Yu when you were studying? Did you often fail?” 

Gu Zhanwang: “…”

Fantuan took a deep-fried dough stick, walked to Gu Zhanwang, and sat down opposite him. “Okay, let’s not talk about that. Come on, Old Gu, tell us your specific requirements. After breakfast, we’ll go to the mall together and then come up with a plan. We need to hurry up and finish so we can have some fun.” 

Gu Zhanwang’s teeth hurt. This was exhausting. Were they really just kids? Or were they child prodigies? He had never been this exhausted from negotiating business deals with cunning tycoons overseas. 

Gu Zhanwang got angry and muttered something in English. 

Fantuan glanced at him and replied in English.

Gu Zhanwang was taken aback and persisted in continuing to converse with him in English. Fantuan used a perfect British accent, showing that he can communicate well even in English.

Gu Zhanwang was speechless. “Aren’t English lessons not taught until later grades? Why do you guys know so much English?” 

Fantuan: “My mom taught us. We also have English tapes at home. It started when I was five years old and Xiao Doubao was two years old. Anyway, we all know how to speak English.”

Gu Zhanwang took a deep breath and pointed to Xiao Doubao, who had a ring of soy milk foam around his mouth and looked adorable. “Are you saying his English level is as good as yours?” 

Fantuan nodded and said, “It should be similar. Anyway, every time you communicate with your assistant in English, he understands. Old Gu, not to offend you, but next time you want to talk about secrets, it’s better to use a language we don’t understand, like French or Spanish. Although, in a couple of years, that might not work anymore. I’ve already finished my junior high school textbook, so if I have time, I’ll see if I need to learn more languages. At least eavesdropping on secrets is easier, right?” Fantuan gave a meaningful look as he finished speaking.

Gu Zhanwang: “……!!!” 

He needed this project to be finished quickly. He didn’t want to talk to Han Cheng’s kids anymore! 

After breakfast, the four little ones held hands and carried their breakfast back home to find Su Xiaoxiao, while Gu Zhanwang drove the five older ones to the recently completed mall. 

The shopping mall, a joint venture between state-owned and foreign-funded enterprises, is indeed impressive. Its exterior facade alone appears more upscale than that of the capital’s shopping mall.

Xiao Yu had spent the past few days touring half of the capital with Grandpa Zhang recently, and by now, nothing seemed new to him anymore. But when he saw this glass facade with an elevator in the large shopping mall, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow!”

As for Da Bao and Xiao Bao, who had just washed off the mud from the swamp fields of Sujia Village, their feet had barely touched the outskirts of the capital. If they were asked to describe it, they would probably use “magical” to express their awe.