As Rong Xin had mentioned, Old Master Huo seemed to be deeply humiliated and took swift and decisive action to handle the matter. The next day, when Xia Mian was taking Chenchen, Xiao Feng, and Huizhu to kindergarten, she saw the gate across the street wide open. Several servants—some she could recognize from her previous visit to the Huos—were moving luggage in and out. Xia Mian guessed that the old master, fearing that the old lady might drag her feet, had sent his own servants to handle the move personally.
Zhou Qianqian’s face was completely swollen—Xia Mian had caused the bruises on her face, but the puffy eyes were likely her own doing, and her knees were bruised as well, probably from a lot of kneeling and begging.
When the two sides bumped into each other, Zhou Qianqian glared at them with hatred, her teeth clenched. “Ning Shaoyun, you’re nothing but a woman with a good surname. After the divorce, you’ll still have to hide away in this poor, remote place!” She then turned her cold, mocking gaze to Chenchen. “I know you still have a little scheme, but it’s bound to fail.”
“You think you can use the Huo family’s eldest grandson to play some long game? I overheard it myself yesterday—Uncle Huo forced Brother Xuewen to sign the divorce papers, threatening to remove his control over the Chengbei project. Without Uncle Huo’s support, let’s see how long you can keep that smug look on your face!”
Xia Mian sneered inside. No wonder the old lady of the Huo family liked this Zhou Qianqian a lot—they were practically cut from the same clothes. Despite her dire situation and sorry state, Zhou Qianqian still tried to elevate herself by finding fault with others, just like the old lady.
Ning Shaoyun stopped Xia Mian, who was about to fire back, and calmly said, “You don’t need to concern yourself with how long I’ll remain smug. Haven’t we already told you not to appear in front of me again?”
Zhou Qianqian sneered, “Who do you think you are? Do you really think I’ll just disappear because you said so?”
“Maybe not, but I can make sure Huo Xuewen pays for this,” Ning Shaoyun replied as she picked up her mobile phone and dialed a number. “Want to guess what will happen when he finds out you’re still provoking me? Will all your desperate begging yesterday go to waste?”
Zhou Qianqian’s face paled. “You…”
The call was answered almost instantly.
“Xiao Yun!” The voice on the other end was excited. “Are you at home? I’ll come over right now so we can talk face to face.”
“Don’t come,” Ning Shaoyun said coldly, staring directly at Zhou Qianqian. “Huo Xuewen, can you keep your word just once?”
Huo Xuewen was stunned, “I…”
“Didn’t you promise yesterday that Zhou Qianqian wouldn’t show up in front of me again?” Ning Shaoyun continued. “But here she is, standing at my doorstep, flaunting herself.”
Zhou Qianqian, shocked and furious, shouted, “You’re lying! I-I didn’t do that, Brother Xuewen!” She even tried to snatch the phone, but Xia Mian quickly grabbed her arm and mocked, “You’re not standing in front of Sister Ning? Then who’s talking right now, a ghost?”
Zhou Qianqian trembled with anger but didn’t dare say anything more, fearing that anything she said might be transmitted to Huo Xuewen. Right now, she really couldn’t afford to anger him further!
Ignoring the frantic explanations from the other end of the line, Ning Shaoyun simply said, “Husband and wife are one, so when we were married, I used to be tolerant for your sake. But now, I’ve stopped doing that. Clean up your own mess.” With that, she hung up the phone and looked at Zhou Qianqian. “Do you want to stay here and wait for him to come pick you up?”
Zhou Qianqian was livid. She wanted to retort, but when she saw Ning Shaoyun ready to dial again, she found herself speechless, unable to utter a single insult. In the end, she had no choice but to turn and leave in a huff.
As Ning Shaoyun watched her leave in such a sorry state, she suddenly smiled and said to Xia Mian, “That felt pretty good.”
Chenchen, observing Zhou Qianqian angrily stomping away in her high heels, looked up at Ning Shaoyun and said, “Mom, that auntie will fall if she walks like that.”
Hardly had he finished speaking when a painful cry came from up ahead—Qianqian had twisted her ankle after stumbling over a stone.
Haha, Chenchen’s jinxed mouth was as reliable as ever!
…
At the kindergarten gate, Xia Mian watched a group of crying beanies in the distance, feeling a pang of worry. Trying to subside her anxiety, she knelt down to adjust Xiao Feng’s clothes. The boy was wearing a sky-blue tracksuit today, looking as soft and adorable as ever. Xia Mian reminded him once more, “Baby, your class isn’t with Brother Chenchen and Auntie Huizhu, remember?”
Xiao Feng, gripping the strap of his new backpack, nodded and replied in his sweet voice, “I’ll listen to the teacher in class and find Big Brother and Auntie Huizhu after class.”
“That’s right.” Xia Mian patted his fluffy head. “If you need to go to the bathroom, raise your hand and tell the teacher. There are candies in your backpack that you can share with your new friends…”
The more Xia Mian spoke, the more worried she became. In the end, she couldn’t help but add, “Let’s try today and see how it goes. If you don’t like it, we won’t come back tomorrow, okay?”
Xiao Feng wrapped his little arms around Xia Mian’s neck and gently patted the back of her neck, comforting her. “Auntie, don’t worry.”
His words made both Xia Wenyue and Ning Shaoyun burst out laughing.
Ning Shaoyun chuckled, “Looks like Xiao Feng is the one comforting you.”
Xia Mian felt both heartache and relief. She kissed the boy on the forehead and said, “Alright, Auntie trusts Xiao Feng. You’re super brave.”
“And I trust Chenchen and Huizhu to take good care of him.”
Chenchen puffed out his chest, “Don’t worry, Auntie Xia Mian. Leave it to me!”
Xia Wenyue wasn’t worried about her youngest and just reminded her, “Listen to the teacher and keep an eye on Chenchen and Xiao Feng. Mom won’t be able to come at noon, so your Sister Mian will pick you up, okay?”
Mao Huizhu nodded and then turned her attention to the children playing on the slide inside the kindergarten, clearly eager to join them.
After watching the three beanies being led into the classroom by the teacher, both Xia Wenyue and Ning Shaoyun were completely at ease and went about their activities.
Xia Wenyue headed to the wholesale food market, while Ning Shaoyun immersed herself in her studio. Xia Mian, on the other hand, was supposed to be reviewing her lessons, but she was too restless to focus on anything. In the end, she grabbed her textbook and sneaked over to the kindergarten to peek inside.
What she discovered was that, in a short amount of time, her little Xiao Feng was already on his way to becoming the public favorite—mostly thanks to Mao Huizhu. The little girl was bold and outgoing, with a straightforward personality. Although her family couldn’t afford store-bought toys, she had some woven grass toys and wooden carvings in her backpack, similar to the ones her mother had given Xiao Feng when they first met, all made by her skilled father. Since they didn’t have money to buy toys, her father had crafted a bunch of small trinkets that the children loved.
City kids rarely saw things like this, so Mao Huizhu quickly made friends by sharing her toys. Of course, it was typical for a school to have a few bullies, and one of them tried to snatch Huizhu’s toys. That’s when Chenchen stepped in. Despite his delicate, porcelain-like appearance, the little guy already had a commanding presence. He stood in front of the bully, curling his lips into a cold smile. “Are you not ashamed to bully a girl?”
He mimicked his uncle’s disdainful expression perfectly. “If you keep it up, you might get in trouble with the teacher.”
The bully was used to picking on those who seemed weaker, but he was, of course, afraid of the teachers. Chenchen’s threat made her pause, and just as he was about to make a threat, several little girls eagerly began tattling:
“Teacher, Pangpang is trying to hit Huo Yuchen!”
“Teacher, Pangpang is trying to take our toys and hit us!”
“Teacher, Teacher…!!”
And with that, little Pangpang was taken away by the teacher for a reprimand.
Xia Mian couldn’t help but smile as she watched Chenchen being surrounded by a group of children.
Kindergarteners tend to be a bit shallow and are drawn to good looks, so even though Chenchen had a cold personality, his handsome appearance and demeanor made many kids want to be friends with him. However, Chenchen didn’t seem to enjoy all the attention.
Not long after, the junior class finished their lessons. Mao Huizhu, who had been playing happily, and Chenchen, who looked annoyed by the crowd of kids around him, both ran toward the entrance of the junior class.
After a group of little beanies emerged, Xiao Feng slowly walked out. He was shy and reserved by nature, and the new environments made him extra cautious. Although he was surrounded by other kids, he quietly observed everything around him without interacting much.
Seeing familiar faces as soon as he left the classroom, Xiao Feng immediately instantly felt at ease and happily called out: “Auntie Huizhu, Brother Chenchen!”
Although Mao Huizhu was the youngest child, she had excellent role models in her sisters, Huimei and Huilan, and knew how to take care of younger kids. She held Xiao Feng’s hand and led him to the slide, offering the most precious ‘croaking wooden frog’ in exchange—each time the kids helped Xiao Feng down the slide, they could make the frog croak.
With this arrangement, Xiao Feng didn’t have to compete with the other kids. He calmly climbed the slide with Chenchen’s help.
Once he was at the top of the slide, Xiao Feng felt a bit scared. Chenchen, sitting behind him, reassured him, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll slide down with you. It’s really fun! You’ll know after trying it once.”
Mao Huizhu stood at the bottom of the slide with her arms wide open, “Don’t worry, Xiao Feng! Auntie will catch you.”
A nearby child exclaimed in astonishment, “Mao Huizhu, are you already an auntie?”
Mao Huizhu proudly puffed out her chest. “Yes! Xiao Feng is my nephew.”
Kids their age loved the idea of being big brothers or big sisters, so Mao Huizhu’s one step up ladder ‘Auntie’ earned her public admiration.
A clever little girl remarked, “So, does that mean he has to call us aunties too?”
A boy chimed in, “Does that make us uncles?”
“Shouldn’t it? I’m an uncle!”
“Then I’m aunt?”
“…”
The little beanies, who still didn’t quite grasp how familial ties work, eagerly discussed their new ‘status,’ happy to feel more grown-up.
So, when Xiao Feng and Chenchen slid down together, they were met with a chorus of children calling themselves uncles and aunts. No more toy exchanges were needed; all that was left was for Xiao Feng to enjoy being pampered by his new ‘relatives.’
Meanwhile, Chenchen, who found himself dragged into this, was left bewildered: Why am I just a big brother? I want to be an uncle too!
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Awww~ the lil’ kids are so cute~~ 🥰
Thanks for the chapter ❣️