Chapter 29

"What's up? Go ahead and say it."

Finally, Xiaobai was invited to Zhang Tan's home. The moment she arrived, she couldn't wait to ask, "Why are you being so aloof today? Usually, you're the one who always comes to me. Are women really so fickle?"

Zhang Tan didn't argue with her. He took out a gift box and said, "Take a look. It's for you."

Hearing that there was a gift, Xiaobai's frown turned into a broad smile. "Ehehe," she laughed, sounding like a goose, and eagerly opened the gift box, taking out a glass bottle.

Zhang Tan asked, "Do you like it? It's for you."

Xiaobai nodded repeatedly, hugging the bottle, clearly very fond of it, but then reluctantly gave it back to him.

"What's wrong? It's for you."

"Uncle, what are you thinking? I'm very fierce, you know."

Her guard was indeed high. The last time he offered her food, she was the same, even revealing that she sometimes had a black ass to scare him.

Zhang Tan explained, "I broke your glass bottle yesterday. This is to make up for it. Keep it."

Hearing this, Xiaobai happily hugged the glass bottle again. "Thank you. You're such a good person."

Great, another "good person" card. His drawer was almost full.

Xiaobai's original glass bottle was just for apple jam. After the jam was finished, she kept the bottle, but it was far inferior to the one Zhang Tan bought. This one had a fish-shaped body, a wide mouth, a clasp, and a handle, making it easy to carry. It was originally used for making alcohol, like plum wine, red wine, or ginseng wine, both beautiful and practical.

Xiaobai, who couldn't put it down, wanted to show her gratitude and asked Zhang Tan if he had eaten well.

Zhang Tan said he had, but he was still concerned and warned her, "Don't put earthworms in it, okay?"

To be honest, he was a bit scared of those things, and the little girl in front of him seemed to be an earthworm expert, catching them without any fear.

"Do you still want to eat fish with bird's tongue? I can make it for you tomorrow," Xiaobai said enthusiastically, clearly proud of her cooking skills, which she couldn't resist practicing.

"I appreciate it."

Don't bring up the sore spot.

"You mustn't put earthworms in the glass bottle. I had nightmares last night."

"About what?"

"They were crawling all over me. I don't know what they wanted."

"Did they go into your mouth?"

"Yes."

"Your ass?"

"… Forget it, let's not talk about it."

"Ehehe~~~" Xiaobai laughed mischievously.

"Are you happy that I had a nightmare? I advise you to be kind, Xiaobai."

"I, I'm not laughing at you."

Laughing so happily and saying she's not laughing at me? Do you think I'm that easy to fool?

Perhaps realizing her acting wasn't convincing, Xiaobai said, "Uncle, Uncle, actually, I had a nightmare too."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"What did you dream about? Earthworms too?"

To play along, Zhang Tan suppressed his disgust.

Xiaobai nodded and said she also dreamed about birds.

Zhang Tan dreamed of being attacked by earthworms everywhere. As an earthworm expert, Xiaobai's dream was different.

"What did you dream about the earthworms doing?"

"Fishing."

Sure enough, even in her dream, she was attacking earthworms. Poor earthworms.

"Did you catch any?"

"Fishing is my strong point." She looked annoyed at Zhang Tan's skeptical attitude.

"Great, how many did you catch?"

"Malanhua."

"What?"

I asked how many, and you give me your aunt's name.

"Malanhua, twenty-one, twenty-one fish."

This is too perfunctory. Zhang Tan couldn't help but think, do you always use your aunt's name to tease people? Afraid of getting beaten?

"What kind of fish did you catch?" Zhang Tan continued.

He might have asked too many questions, making Xiaobai a bit unhappy. After a moment's thought, she couldn't answer, either because she didn't dream that part or couldn't make it up on the spot.

"Uncle, you tell me. You were there too."

"Huh?" Zhang Tan was full of questions.

Xiaobai extended her little finger, poking his stomach playfully, and said, "When I was fishing, you were there too. You were the one who put the fish in the bottle. Tell me what kind of fish I caught."

"…" Zhang Tan.

"Uncle, tell me."

Zhang Tan said he didn't know and wouldn't admit he was there. Your dream, your rules. I don't know even if I was there.

"Stupid~" Xiaobai muttered softly.

Zhang Tan was furious. What kind of logic is this? You can't tell your own dream, so you make someone else tell it! If they can't, you call them stupid.

He reminded Xiaobai that it was time to go back. The other children were waiting in line for her to tell stories, which was a polite way of saying, "Get lost."

However, Xiaobai, who had only planned to stay for a moment, now didn't want to leave because she had discovered a comic on the sofa!

"What's this?" Xiaobai asked Zhang Tan, holding the comic, her eyes shining with curiosity.

This was a signed, limited edition of "The Lantern Bearer" comic, given to him by the original author.

"Can't you read the words? It's a comic."

"Comic? What's a comic?"

"It's like a picture book."

"Windmill, Afu?"

"Something like that."

Xiaobai didn't want to leave, engrossed in the "The Lantern Bearer" comic, asking him what this and that were.

Zhang Tan asked her, "Why don't you go to kindergarten?"

"Huh?" Xiaobai looked up, puzzled.

"I mean, you're 4.5 years old, you can go to kindergarten. Why don't you?"

"No money. My aunt is very stingy."

As she spoke, she started singing, "Malanhua, Malanhua, not afraid of wind or rain…"

Zhang Tan guessed that Xiaobai must have been beaten often. This song was a song that invited beatings.

"What do you do during the day?" Zhang Tan asked. If she wasn't in school, what did she do during the day? Did she follow her aunt and uncle to work?

"Sleep, Uncle. What's this about?"

Her little finger pointed to a scene in the comic. Picture books for children were different; this was a comic, and without knowing the words, it was hard to read.

Ding dong~

Someone was knocking at the door. Zhang Tan went to open it and found Xiaomi.

"I, I…" Xiaomi was so nervous she couldn't speak, her face turning red.

Zhang Tan showed eight teeth, trying to make his smile more friendly to increase his approachability.

"I guess you're looking for Xiaobai, right?" Zhang Tan said.

Xiaomi nodded repeatedly.

Zhang Tan turned and called, "Xiaobai, Xiaomi is looking for you."

Xiaobai didn't move, sitting on the sofa and saying, "Let her in."

"Xiaomi, Xiaobai says to come in."

After saying this, Zhang Tan felt something was off. Why did it seem like he was being used by Xiaobai to serve her guests?

Xiaomi didn't come in but stood at the door, loudly saying that Chengcheng was crying.

Xiaobai immediately jumped off the sofa and rushed out to comfort Meng Chengcheng.

Zhang Tan didn't know why Meng Chengcheng was crying, worried it might be another fight. He followed, but it turned out not to be a fight or an argument. Meng Chengcheng just missed her father. Teacher Xiaoliu couldn't calm her down, so only Xiaobai could.