Chapter 83

It was still early, and Li Han took Han Ximin and Li Xi for a tour around the small building. The emerald green lawn, the beautiful flower beds, and the butterflies dancing in the air were all enchanting.

"Han, this place is so beautiful. It would be just like a fairy tale if there were a swing here," Han Ximin said, especially when they reached the small forest. Her eyes widened, and so did Li Xi's. It was too beautiful, with the soft lawn, clusters of flowers, and butterflies flying around. Squirrels peeked out from the branches, curious and playful, while deer and sheep grazed nearby. The gentle sunlight made it feel like they were in a fairy tale world. "There used to be a hammock here. A few days ago, Dudu and my sister's baby broke it while playing. I haven't had time to fix it yet," Li Han said with a smile, ruffling Dudu's little head. The two little ones had quite a destructive streak.

Dudu pouted and shook Li Han's hand, saying, "Daddy, no, no. Daddy said he wouldn't say that. You're lying, Daddy." Han Ximin and Li Xi laughed at this. Dudu was dressed in a farmer's outfit, looking incredibly cute, especially with his chubby little face turning red like a small apple, making them want to pinch it. "Is that so, Han? This lawn is so comfortable. Let's sit down for a while."

Although they had only taken a short walk, the weather was quite hot. The small forest, with its lush trees and dense foliage, was different from the surrounding farmland and shrubs. A cool breeze brought the fresh scent of grass and a faint fragrance of flowers, making the soft grass feel like a woolen blanket. "Let's rest for a while. I'll go get a pot of coffee and some snacks. Dudu, help Daddy entertain the two big sisters, okay?" "Okay, I know," Dudu nodded, chasing a little lamb and rolling on the grass, then crawling over to say.

Li Han returned to the small building, grabbed a tablecloth, and brought a pot of coffee, a plate of snacks, chocolate cookies, and pudding. Dudu loved small cakes, and he arranged them neatly. When he came to the small forest, Han Ximin was playing with Dudu on the grass, and Li Xi was squatting next to two little lambs, feeding them. "Sister can't catch Dudu." "Don't run, I'll tickle you," Han Ximin pretended to catch Dudu, who screamed and ran away. The two of them were having a great time.

"Han, let me help you," Li Xi saw Li Han coming and came over to help, spreading the tablecloth and arranging the plates, snacks, and coffee cups. Han Ximin, who had been chasing Dudu, sniffed the air, suddenly stopped, and turned to look at Li Han. She ran over to him, and Li Han pinched her little nose. "Little glutton." "Dudu, I caught you," Han Ximin laughed, catching Dudu, who pouted, unable to escape.

"Ximin, stop playing. Let's rest for a while," Li Xi said, a bit embarrassed that Han Ximin hadn't noticed Li Han coming. "Han, let me help you with the coffee." "No problem, it's fine. Sit down and rest for a while."

Han Ximin smiled, caught Dudu, and held him in her arms, giving him a cookie. Dudu took a bite and offered it to Han Ximin. "Sister, have some." "Dudu is so good, it's delicious." "By the way, what do you want to eat for lunch?"

Li Han asked while drinking his coffee. They had gotten along well, and he felt comfortable enough to ask. "Anything is fine, Han," Li Xi, who was more reserved and rational, said politely.

Han Ximin opened her mouth, and Li Xi quickly gave her a look. "How about this? I went back to China a few days ago and brought some specialties. How about trying some Jinhua ham?" "Really? That's great. I haven't been back to China for half a year, and I really miss the food from home." Not just Han Ximin, but Li Xi's eyes also lit up at the mention of ham.

"Alright, let's have Chinese food for lunch. Dudu, will you help Daddy grind the tofu?" "Yes, I know how to grind tofu," Dudu said, looking up with a happy face, not forgetting to tell his sister how capable he was. "Really, Dudu is so good."

Dudu proudly puffed out his little chest and demonstrated to his sister how he would grind the tofu. Li Xi and Han Ximin were surprised to learn that the tofu was ground by hand using a small mill. They were eager to try, and Dudu, being a good little boy, taught his sisters how to grind the tofu. After finishing the snacks, Han Ximin took Dudu back to the small building. The beans had been soaked the day before, and Dudu carried a small wooden basin to the sink, rinsed the beans, and gathered them in a basket. He then hauled out the small mill.

Li Han came to help, but Dudu refused. "Daddy, no, no, I can do it myself." "Alright, little rascal, I won't help." Dudu was happy, set up the small stone mill, and brought over the wooden basin. He used a small spoon to scoop the soybeans into the mill and turned the handle with all his might. White soy milk flowed into a large wooden basin. "Dudu is so good," Han Ximin exclaimed, finding it amazing. Dudu proudly raised his head.

"Daddy, Daddy, Sister is praising me again." "This girl, she can't take a compliment," Li Han said with a smile, proud of his son. Not many children were as capable and well-behaved as Dudu. Han Ximin and Li Xi followed Dudu to learn how to grind tofu. Li Han took out a top-grade Jinhua ham from his storage and sliced it into thin pieces, planning to make a honey-glazed ham dish. Li Xi's hometown was in the Jiang-Zhe region, so she would surely enjoy the local specialty.

After slicing, Li Han immersed the ham in water and took a bucket and a net to the pond to catch some fish and shrimp. When Han Ximin heard about catching fish in the pond, she was excited and insisted on helping Li Han, which made Li Xi roll her eyes. "Ximin, you've hardly ever seen a pond, let alone caught fish."

"That's fine. There are traps in the pond. We just need to pull them up. I've raised some fish and shrimp from China in the pond, like carp and freshwater shrimp. You can try them later." "Really? I loved eating carp when I was a child, but there are no freshwater fish in America, only sea fish."

Li Xi saw Han Ximin's excited face and smiled bitterly, shaking her head. "Wait a moment, I'll get the car." Li Han handed the net and bucket to Han Ximin and went to the garage to get a four-wheeled motorcycle. "Get in, Li Xi. Dudu, you help take care of him." "No problem, Dudu is very well-behaved." "Yes, Dudu will make tofu." Dudu waved his little hand, and with Li Xi taking care of him, Li Han felt at ease.

Riding the four-wheeled motorcycle, Han Ximin sat in the back, holding the bucket and net. Xiao Milly chased after the motorcycle as they drove along the path to the pond. They stopped the motorcycle, and Li Han took Han Ximin to a small dock by the pond. "This place is so interesting."

Next to the small dock was a thatched pavilion, which Li Han and his brother-in-law had built over two days. It was a great place for fishing and drinking tea. "Why don't we sit for a while? There's a fox den in the bushes ahead. Do you want to see it?"

"Foxes?" Han Ximin opened her mouth, pointing to the chickens and ducks wandering nearby. "Don't foxes eat chickens?" "Actually, that's a misunderstanding. Foxes prefer fish, shrimp, and mice. They only eat chickens and ducks when they're very hungry."

"Is that so? Then aren't the fish in the pond all being eaten by the foxes?" Han Ximin followed Li Han to a bush, where he pointed to a tree hole. Sure enough, a few little foxes were peeking out. "They're so cute."

Li Han smiled and shook his head. Just a moment ago, she was saying the foxes were stealing fish, and now she was calling them cute. "They are cute. My little Dudu loves to sneak over and feed the fish." "Really, Dudu is so cute."

Li Xi and Han Ximin didn't get too close, afraid of scaring the little foxes. Back at the dock, Li Han pulled up a trap from a gentle slope near the dock. Inside were small fish, shrimp, and carp, which were quite good. Han Ximin stood by, shouting and cheering, delighted. "Han, pull it up quickly. Wow, a crayfish escaped."

"It's fine. There are still plenty inside. Bring me the bucket," Li Han said with a smile. "Okay, here's the bucket. There are so many fish." Han Ximin ran to the pavilion and back with the bucket, her face flushed. This was her first time catching fish, even if they were in a trap. Li Han opened the trap and said with a hint of disappointment, "Our luck wasn't great today. We didn't catch any big ones."

"It's fine. There are already so many. Really, there are carp." Han Ximin pinched a small carp and giggled, extremely happy. "Of course, there are yellow croakers, meat strips, and a silver carp. I'll make you some fried fish potstickers for lunch." He threw the small fish to the ducklings and kept the finger-sized ones for the potstickers. There were plenty of shrimp, about finger-sized, and Han Ximin picked them up and put them in the net. There were quite a few, enough for a bowl.

After collecting the fish and shrimp from the trap, Li Han looked at Han Ximin and laughed. "What's wrong?" "Nothing, nothing." Han Ximin huffed and ignored Li Han, busy picking up the jumping shrimp. She was afraid of the crayfish, and Li Han laughed, noticing the two black streaks on her face, probably from wiping sweat without noticing.

He put the crabs and crayfish in the bucket. The trap had yielded quite a lot, about three to four pounds of fish and shrimp. They returned to the small building, and Han Ximin proudly showed Li Xi her fishing and shrimp-catching achievements. Li Xi covered her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter, but finally burst out laughing, pointing at Han Ximin. Han Ximin was taken aback, ran to the sink, and gasped, covering her face, glaring at Li Han. "Han, how could you?"

"Actually, it looks pretty good," Li Han chuckled, and Li Xi shook her head. Li Han and Han Ximin were acting like children, less mature than Dudu. Looking back at Dudu, he was using a small pair of pliers to cut the crayfish's large claws, muttering, "Bad crayfish, pinching Dudu, hum."

The last time, Dudu had been pinched by a crayfish and cried. The little girl held a grudge. Li Han laughed and recounted the story, and Li Xi and Han Ximin looked at each other, laughing heartily. "Dudu is so funny."

---

**End of Page**