Chapter 029 The Police Arrive

In a blink of an eye, Li Juan and Song Nan have moved into No. 28 Ping'an Hutong for a few days. Her and Song Nan's joining has not brought any changes to the compound.

Gao Cuifen is still as stingy as before, Li Xiuying still dislikes Gao Cuifen as before, Old Lady Yang still tries to smooth things over and act like a good person as before, Yao Dazui still likes to watch the fun and gossip as before... Everyone lives their lives as usual.

Shi Yue and Shi Qiu Shui, father and daughter, were no exception and went to work and school as usual.

At the same time as usual, Shi Yue sent Shi Qiu Shui to the kindergarten gate. Shi Qiu Shui waved goodbye to Shi Yue with a sweet smile on his face, then turned around and ran to the classroom eagerly.

Although kindergarten is very boring, she is eager to go into the classroom to read the picture book she has not finished!

Shi Qiu Shui found the picture books at home yesterday, filling up a small box. They must have been the ones Shi Yue had read as a child and kept.

There were hundreds of picture books, including traditional historical myths, modern stories about the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, famous Chinese legends, and Western literary stories. Shi Qiu Shui casually opened a book called "The Investiture of the Gods" and was fascinated by it before he knew it.

After dinner in the evening, she started reading picture books and continued reading until after eleven o'clock in the evening. Finally, Shi Yue discovered that she was still not sleeping and took away her picture books forcefully, which made her go to bed obediently.

Shi Qiu Shui was very anxious when she was halfway through the important plot. If she hadn't been too late, she would have read the picture book as soon as she got it back from Shi Yue this morning.

Shi Qiu Shui's short legs moved very quickly, and he rushed into the classroom like a whirlwind. Seeing this, Teacher Kobayashi smiled with satisfaction.

Look how great her students are and how positive they are about going to kindergarten!

Shi Qiu Shui trotted into the classroom, came to his seat, slammed his small schoolbag on the table, took out a picture book from it, and then sat down on the stool and began to read with relish.

"bell--"

It was not until the bell rang that Shi Qiu Shui's attention shifted away from the vivid and interesting picture book.

Teacher Xiaolin on the podium said with a smile: "Children, today I want to tell you a story. This story happened..."

Shi Qiu Shui held his chin and listened carefully for a while. Teacher Kobayashi's story was very vivid and interesting, but the story of the tadpole looking for its mother was a bit too childish for Shi Qiu Shui.

As she listened, her attention unconsciously shifted from Teacher Kobayashi's face to the picture book in the desk drawer.

Kong Xuan looks so powerful, can Jiang Ziya defeat him?

Her big round eyes seemed to be looking intently at Teacher Kobayashi, but in fact her hand had already reached out quietly to take the picture book from the desk drawer.

When she found that Teacher Kobayashi was not looking at her, she bravely opened the picture book and quietly lowered her head to read it.

Ah! Kong Xuan is really powerful. Yang Jian can’t beat him, Li Jing can’t beat him, even Jin Zha and Mu Zha can’t beat him. What should Jiang Ziya do? What should he do?

Wow! The Taoist Zhunti is here! How will the Taoist Zhunti deal with Kong Xuan?

Shi Qiu Shui's eyes were shining as he stared at the picture book, completely unaware that Teacher Xiao Lin's eyes were looking at him. It was his deskmate Zhao Ran who noticed it first and poked Shi Qiu Shui.

Shi Qiushui turned his head: "Huh?"

Zhao Ran quietly nodded towards the podium, and Shi Qiu Shui followed his gaze and met the smiling face of Teacher Kobayashi.

Shi Qiushui:!!!

She quickly closed the picture book and pretended to listen to the class attentively. Only then did Teacher Kobayashi smile and look away.

But even so, after class, Teacher Kobayashi still came to remind Shi Qiu Shui.

"Xiao Qiu, please listen carefully in class."

"Okay, Teacher Kobayashi, I understand." Shi Qiu Shui responded obediently with a red face.

She was a little embarrassed that she was not paying attention in class and was discovered by the teacher. After Teacher Kobayashi left, she lay dejectedly on the table, her eyes unconsciously falling on her deskmate Zhao Ran.

By the way, didn’t her deskmate listen carefully in class?

Well, it seems so? Anyway, ever since she came to the kindergarten, Zhao Ran has never listened carefully to the teacher, but has always been reading the book in his hand.

Sometimes he read books filled with strange, tadpole-like foreign characters, sometimes he read physics books with a jumbled string of numbers and letters, and sometimes he read biology books filled with all sorts of bizarre illustrations...

Anyway, these are books that Shi Qiu Shui can't understand.

Shi Qiu Shui was curious why Zhao Ran could read other books freely in class without being afraid of being scolded by Teacher Xiao Lin.

Because she was not very familiar with Zhao Ran, she moved closer to Zhao Ran, smiled ingratiatingly, and said, "Thank you for reminding me just now."

Zhao Ran looked up at Shi Qiushui and shook his head calmly: "Nothing."

"Thank you anyway!" Shi Qiu Shui replied somewhat embarrassedly.

Even though she and Zhao Ran were deskmates, lived in the same courtyard, and even her father and Zhao Ran's father had a good relationship, she and Zhao Ran had actually barely spoken to each other.

This was mainly because Zhao Ran didn't seem to like talking much. When Shi Yue worked the night shift and asked Shi Qiu Shui to live in Zhao's house, she didn't see Zhao Ran communicating much with his family.

Speaking of which, everyone in the Zhao family, whether it is Old Man Zhao, Grandma Lu, Zhao Hui or his wife, are talkative, but Zhao Ran is the only one who is taciturn.

Maybe this is what others say, genetic mutation?

Shi Qiu Shui was secretly criticizing Zhao Ran when he suddenly heard Zhao Ran speak.

"What else do you want?"

Shi Qiushui came back to his senses: "Ah... well, I just want to ask, why did the teacher not care when you were reading other books during class?"

Zhao Ran calmly turned a page of the book in front of him and said, "Because Teacher Xiaolin knows I'm listening."

"Ah?" Shi Qiu Shui was confused.

A chubby boy nearby heard this and helped Zhao Ran explain, "Oh, Xiaoqiu, you don't know. Zhao Ran can be like Zhou Botong in The Return of the Condor Heroes. Zhou Botong can do two things at once, drawing a circle with his left hand and a square with his right. Zhao Ran can read an unrelated book while remembering what his teacher said!"

At this point, he excitedly pulled Zhao Ran over and said, "Zhao Ran, show Xiao Qiu how to do this, just like you did for us before, repeating what others said while doing math problems!"

Zhao Ran: "No."

Little Fatty: "Hey, just show us. We've all seen it, but Xiaoqiu hasn't!"

Zhao Ran ignored the little fat boy and continued reading calmly. The little fat boy pouted in disappointment.

"Well, if you don't want to perform, forget it." He turned around and said, "Xiao Qiu, if Zhao Ran doesn't perform for you, I will."

The little fat boy had a strong desire to perform and started performing without even waiting for Shi Qiu Shui to nod.

He sat on a stool holding a book. "Zhao Ran was sitting like this at the time, and someone next to him kept talking to him. Xiao Taozi, cooperate with me. You talk to me. I want..."

Shi Qiu Shui was appreciating the performance of the actor Xiao Pangdun, while Shi Yue was appreciating the performance of Sun Guodong.

Face-changing performance.

"Good morning, Brother Shi." "Brother Shi, have you eaten breakfast? How about some of my fried dough sticks?" "Brother Shi, make some tea. I have water..." "Brother Shi..."

As soon as Shi Yue stepped into the office this morning, warm greetings from other people in the office rang out one after another.

He smiled politely and responded to each one, "Good morning." "I've eaten." "Thank you, I'll pour some hot water."

Ever since he caught the thief who stole parts from the factory, the attitude of the other security department towards him changed from their previous coldness to a warm and enthusiastic attitude, even to the point of being attentive.

Of course, Sun Guodong was not among these people. He still disliked Shi Yue, but there was nothing he could do.

Now, no matter it is the section chief Zhao Hui or the ordinary employees, everyone in the security department is sincerely convinced of Shi Yue, the deputy section chief. Sun Guodong is very jealous, but when he wants to recruit more people to join him in excluding Shi Yue, no one stands on his side.

Sun Guodong hummed in his nose, walked past Shi Yue with an unhappy look on his face, and sat down opposite Shi Yue.

Thinking about how his disciples came to persuade him last night not to continue targeting Shi Yue, he felt very unhappy.

Why shouldn't he target Shi Yue? Shi Yue stole his position as deputy section chief!

Thinking of this, he felt a little sad. He was not sad when Zhao Hui sided with Shi Yue, and he was not sad when his colleagues in the security department, such as Lao Wang and Xiao Wang, sided with Shi Yue. But his apprentice, who had been following him since he entered the factory, also sided with Shi Yue. He could not understand it at all!

What's the reason why Shi Yue is so popular? Why does he make so many people like him so much?

In fact, everyone favors Shi Yue, not because they like Shi Yue as a person, but because they don’t want to have a particularly awkward relationship with their colleagues.

After all, everyone goes to work to make money. Having a quarrel with colleagues or direct superiors will only bring them trouble and will not bring any benefits.

Sun Guodong's apprentice tried to persuade Sun Guodong because he saw this clearly, but Sun Guodong, who was obsessed with the issue, didn't think about this at all.

The look he gave Shi Yue at this moment was full of resentment, as if he was looking at a vixen who had seduced his young apprentice.

After resentment comes anger, after anger comes loss, after loss comes jealousy...

Shi Yue:......

Although I don’t know what’s going on in Sun Guodong’s mind, I can tell that this guy has a very rich inner life!

Appreciating Sun Guodong's changing expressions, touching the fish, drinking tea, and reading the newspaper, a pleasant day passed just like that. Shi Yue stretched himself and saw the clock on the wall showed that it was one minute before the end of work, so he started to put his things away in advance.

First, close the newspaper and put it away, then pour out the water in the cup, then put the ballpoint pen you took out to play with back into the pen holder, and finally count to three and stand up.

one two three......

"bell--"

Just when Shi Yue counted to three, the bell for the end of get off work rang on time. Shi Yue, who was ready, stood up and walked out first.

The kindergarten finishes school about five minutes later than the machinery factory. Shi Yue walked through the factory building and out of the machinery factory gate. When he arrived at the kindergarten gate, Shi Qiu Shui had just finished school.

The children from Class 2 walked out of the garden in a single row. Shi Qiushui, who was standing in the front row, spotted Shi Yue, who was tall and strong, standing out from the crowd. She rushed towards Shi Yue and shouted in her crisp, baby voice, "Dad!"

Shi Yue steadily caught Shi Qiu Shui who was rushing towards him, picked up the small schoolbag on Shi Qiu Shui's body, and led Shi Qiu Shui home.

As he walked, he asked, "How was Xiaoqiu's kindergarten today? Did anything interesting happen?"

Shi Qiushui reported honestly: "I was reading a comic book in class today and was almost caught by Teacher Xiaolin."

"Huh?" Shi Yue lowered his head: "You also brought the comic book to the kindergarten?"

Shi Qiushui nodded: "Yes, I brought it over this morning."

Shi Yue gave Shi Qiu Shui a brain-wrecking speech: "You stay up all night to read, and even read in kindergarten during the day. Are picture books really that attractive?"

Shi Qiushui nodded again: "Yes! The picture books are really good!"

Shi Yue: "...When Teacher Xiaolin found you reading a comic book during class, did he say anything to you?"

Shi Qiushui shook his head: "No, Teacher Xiaolin just told me to listen carefully in class."

Shi Yue raised an eyebrow: "Teacher Xiaolin didn't criticize you?"

Shi Qiu Shui widened his eyes, not being able to understand what Shi Yue said at all.

Could it be that her father is still hoping that Teacher Kobayashi will criticize her?

Shi Yue suppressed the expectant look on his face and asked, "Did you listen to the class carefully afterwards?"

Shi Qiushui: "Yes! I listened to the class seriously and didn't even get distracted!"

Shi Yue ruffled Shi Qiushui's hair: "That's pretty good."

Shi Qiu Shui curled her lips and wanted to complain about her father.

It was obvious that Shi Yue did not study seriously when she was in the Dayu Dynasty. She still remembered that the teacher at that time would go to the old housekeeper to complain every few days!

But they were still outside, and she was afraid of being heard by others, so she changed the subject.

"Dad, I'm telling you, I've discovered that Zhao Ran is amazing! He can actually do two things at once! Our class's fat kid told me... I was wondering why the teacher ignored him when he was always reading in class. It turns out it's because the teacher knows he can do two things at once!"

Shi Yue showed a surprised expression at the right moment. Multitasking sounds quite impressive.

But he thought he could do it too.

After all, when he was studying, he could listen to the teacher's lectures while secretly reading the storybooks.

As soon as Shi Yue said this, Shi Qiushui shook his head and denied it: "No, no! Dad, it's not what you said!"

She said: "Xiaopang said that Zhao Ran can memorize everything others say. He can do math problems while reciting."

Shi Yue: "Then he is quite powerful."

Shi Qiushui: "Yeah! Xiaopang and Xiaotaozi also said that Zhao Ran is amazing. They said Zhao Ran is a little genius!"

Shi Yue didn’t have much contact with Zhao Ran, so he didn’t know whether Zhao Ran was the so-called little genius.

However, the impression Zhao Ran left on him was indeed that he was not an ordinary six-year-old child.

Although Zhao Ran is young, he has a very mature and steady personality. If it weren't for his clear eyes and lack of the vicissitudes of an adult, Shi Yue would have suspected that he was also a ghost like himself and Xiao Qiu.

Thinking of this, Shi Yue laughed at himself. He was just being too suspicious. How could such a bizarre thing as reincarnation be so common on the streets like selling cabbages?

Shi Yue smiled and looked at Shi Qiushui: "Then can you study with your little genius deskmate and become a genius yourself?"

Shi Qiu Shui shook his head violently.

"No, I can't be a genius."

Shi Qiu Shui is very self-aware. She knows that she is just an ordinary person. She may be a little clever, but she is still an ordinary person. Even if she can pretend to be a genius now by relying on her experience, she won't be able to pretend for long.

Besides, the education she received in the Dayu Dynasty was completely different from what she had to learn in the 1990s. She had to work very hard to accept and apply the pinyin she learned in kindergarten, let alone pretend to be a little genius!

How can there be a genius who can’t even use pinyin properly!

Shi Yue had just said it casually and didn't take it seriously, but after hearing Shi Qiu Shui's excited rebuttal, he became interested.

He teased Shi Qiushui and said, "Well, why does our Xiaoqiu look down on herself so much? Didn't you tell me before that where there is a will, there is a way. As long as you have the ambition to be a genius, you will definitely be able to do it!"

Shi Qiushui: "But this is not something I can do just by thinking about it."

Shi Yue smiled: "Then who told me that where there is a will, there is a way. As long as you have the ambition to become the top scholar, you will definitely succeed?"

"Now you understand, I won't take the exam to be the top scholar, not because I don't want to, but because I can't." He vented his anger by pressing down on Shi Qiu Shui's hair with his big hands and ravaging it until Shi Qiu Shui's hair became a mess.

Shi Qiu Shui pouted and complained while fixing her hair.

"Dad, you are so petty. You kept remembering such a small thing for so long."

Shi Yue was about to let Shi Qiu Shui go, but upon hearing this, he decisively reached out his hand towards Shi Qiu Shui's face: "I'm narrow-minded, then I'll show you what true narrow-mindedness means!"

"Ahhhhh, Dad, you can't catch me! Hehe..."

Shi Qiu Shui was prepared and ran away the moment Shi Yue stretched out his hand.

Shi Yue quickly chased after him: "Don't run, don't run..."

"Hahaha, Dad, chase me..."

The father-in-law and daughter quarreled all the way back to the compound. When they arrived at the gate of the compound, they happened to meet Li Xiuying who came to pick up Song Nan from school.

Maybe she thought of Li Juan and her daughter as her past self and daughter, or maybe they just clicked, but Li Xiuying got along well with them. When Li Juan was busy at work, she'd cook for them and invite them to eat together. Since Li Juan didn't get off work until 7 p.m. and couldn't pick up Song Nan from school, Li Xiuying took the initiative.

Shi Yue smiled and greeted Li Xiuying: "Aunt Li, did you just come back from picking up the child?"

Li Xiuying: "Well, you just got off work too?"

Shi Yue: “Yeah, that’s right.”

Li Xiuying: "Hey, Shi Yue, I think the small schoolbag that Xiaoqiu is carrying is pretty nice. Where did you buy it? I want to buy one like this for Nannan. She always uses a small cloth to wrap things, which I find inconvenient."

Shi Yue: "Ah, Xiaoqiu, this schoolbag is what I bought when I was in the army, but I also saw a similar one on the second floor of the department store. You can go there and take a look."

"Oh, the department store, right? Okay, I'll go take a look when I'm free." Li Xiuying nodded.

She implied that she would pay directly for Song Nan's schoolbag, but this was not because she was generous, but because on the first day that Yang Zhiqiang was satisfied with her work and allowed her to officially start work, Li Juan asked Yang Zhiqiang for an advance of one month's salary and handed it to Li Xiuying, saying that she couldn't let Li Xiuying spend money on them for nothing.

Li Xiuying argued with her for a long time before agreeing to take half of it as rent and food expenses, and let her take the remaining half back.

Not to mention a full month's salary, even half of it was a burden on Li Xiuying. According to market prices, the rent for Li Xiuying's small bungalow was at most twenty yuan a month. Furthermore, Li Juan and Song Nan's living expenses were so low, how much could they eat for just the two of them? With Li Xiuying contributing one yuan, seventy or eighty yuan a month was enough for the three of them. So, half of Li Juan's salary was more than enough to cover her expenses, and she couldn't even spend it.

Li Xiuying is also an honest person. She thought that she had more living expenses than she could spend, so she looked for a place to supplement them. So she thought of buying things for Song Nan.

Li Xiuying: "Hey, Shi Yue, I think someone said that the department store is having a sale these days, right?"

Shi Yue: "Well, it seems like that's the case. It's said that there's a lucky draw for spending over 50 yuan..."

The two adults were talking, and Song Nan and Shi Qiu Shui beside them also gathered together and whispered.

Song Nan took out two fruit candies from his pocket and gave one to Shi Qiushui: "Xiao Qiu, this is candy for you."

Ever since she moved out and her mother started working, she also had pocket money. When she got the pocket money, the first thing she thought of was to treat Shi Qiu Shui, who had given her candy. So she went to the grocery store after school today just to buy candy for Shi Qiu Shui.

It was a pity that she didn't find the milk candy that Shi Qiu Shui had treated her to in the grocery store, but only found fruit candy.

Shi Qiu Shui readily took the candy and put it in his mouth, not at all bothered that it was not milk candy.

"Wow, it flavors like orange!" She looked at Song Nan in surprise.

Song Nan: "Yeah, it's orange flavored. Do you like it?"

Shi Qiushui: "I like it!"

Song Nan pursed her lips and chuckled. Because she had been eating and sleeping well these past few days, and she didn't have to be forced by her grandmother to do housework, her complexion was obviously better, and her smile looked a little more adorable.

Shi Qiushui: "Hey, does the store you went to have bubble gum?"

Song Nan was stunned for a moment: "Yes."

Shi Qiushui: "Then can you buy me two pieces of bubble gum?"

She had seen someone eating bubble gum outside before and wanted to try it out of envy, but Shi Yue heard from others that bubble gum would stick to the intestines if swallowed, so he was afraid and didn't allow her to eat it.

Song Nan nodded: "Sure."

"Wow!" Shi Qiu Shui happily took out the money from his pocket and was about to give it to Song Nan, but a pair of big hands took away Shi Qiu Shui's pocket money.

Shi Qiu Shui looked up angrily, only to find that the person who stole his pocket money was actually Shi Yue.

Shi Yue: "Xiao Qiu, if I heard correctly, you want Song Nan to buy you some bubble gum, right?"

Shi Qiushui blinked his eyes, trying to deny it: "No, Dad, you heard me wrong, I said lollipop, not bubble gum!"

"If you don't believe me, go ask Song Nan!" After she said that, she winked at Song Nan where Shi Yue couldn't see.

Receiving her hint, the honest man Song Nan stammered and lied: "Well, yes, it is a lollipop, not bubble gum, uncle, you heard it wrong."

Shi Qiushui put his hands on his hips and said with bravado, "Look, Dad, you heard it wrong! You blamed me wrongly!"

Shi Yue raised his eyebrows in amusement and said, "Did I really hear it wrong?"

Shi Qiushui nodded vigorously: "Yes!"

She said, "Dad, you may be old and your hearing may not be good, but don't worry too much, this is normal."

"Huh?" Shi Yue laughed out of anger. He shouted in a chilling tone: "Shi Qiushui, you..."

Shi Yue was interrupted by a female voice just as he was about to say something: "Hey! Old Li, it's great that you're here. I was just looking for you!"

Shi Yue and Li Xiuying looked back in confusion and found that the person who spoke was Director Wang from the Street Office. Director Wang did not come alone. There were two public security comrades wearing wide-brimmed hats standing behind her.

Li Xiuying was stunned when she saw the police. She asked in confusion, "What do you want from me?"