Chapter 41 Zhao Zhao fakes crying

Grandpa Yin was surprised that Zhaozhao would respond so enthusiastically, and he was even happier.

"Doesn't the baby need a nap?" Yin Zhuoxian looked down at the little boy in front of him and asked with a smile.

Lu Yinzhao shook his head: "I'm not sleepy, I don't want to sleep tonight."

"Okay, then wait for Grandpa to change his clothes, and we'll head out now." Yin Zhuoxian usually wears casual clothes at home, so he doesn't pay much attention to them. Although he's not meeting anyone particularly important, he still wants to look presentable today since he's with his child.

"Where are you going? Do you need me to come with you?" Lu Cheng asked.

"This..." Yin Zhuoxian only wanted to take the younger one over, and Lu Cheng was not in his plans, but he was too embarrassed to directly refuse Lu Cheng. They were all his grandsons, and there was no reason to only favor the younger one.

"Didn't Grandpa just say he's taking Zhaozhao to meet his friends? You shouldn't join in the fun. Stay home and help Grandma wash the dishes." Lu Qi pulled Lu Cheng's arm, thus getting the old man out of the predicament.

A moment later, Grandpa Yin took Zhao Zhao's hand and went out the door.

The little one's hands are soft and tiny, like a small, milky-white dough ball, when held in the palm of your hand.

Seeing the old man walking and laughing, Lu Yinzhao couldn't help but think that the old man was quite cute.

To accommodate his small pace, Grandpa Yin deliberately slowed down.

Holding the child's hand in one hand, while fiddling with something on her phone in the other.

Before we'd even walked two minutes, the old man pressed a button on the bottom of his phone and started talking into it.

"I've already left, so hurry up and get ready. Don't let me be the first one there, and then I'll have to wait for you guys."

"Hey Old Zhang, aren't your cherry trees bearing fruit? Bring us a small basket to try some fresh ones."

"And Lao Wang, I saw you eating some cloud cake last time and it looked pretty good, so bring some over too."

"As for Lao Zhou... well, never mind. It seems like you don't have much good food at home. Just pick up some drinks or something along the way."

Lu Yinzhao: "..."

Do older people all chat like this?

While Lu Yinzhao was still worried about whether his maternal grandfather would be disliked, Grandpa Yin opened a few WeChat voice messages.

[Old Zhang]: I brought it! Did you install a security camera in my house?

[Old Wang]: Last time I gave you that cake, you complained it wasn't sweet enough, what's wrong? This thing still has a sweet aftertaste in your mouth after all this time?

[Old Zhou]: Why don't you like my stuff? I have delicious snacks too, just you wait!

The voice that Old Master Yin had turned on reached Lu Yinzhao's ears.

You can tell from their voices that these old men have a very good relationship with his maternal grandfather. Someone else might have gotten angry. They must often joke around like this with each other.

So the mission he was brought there for today is...

-

Ten minutes later.

"Hello Grandpa Zhang! Hello Grandpa Wang! Hello Grandpa Zhou! I'm Zhaozhao~" The little one shyly slapped his hands behind his back.

The three old men surrounded the boy, scrutinizing him closely.

"I knew it! You old codger, why did you take the initiative to invite us out today? Turns out it was to show us this!" Old Master Zhang said with a knowing look, placing a basket of cherries on the stone table.

"Whose child is this? Haha! So cute!" Old Master Wang pretended not to understand, tore off a piece of cloud cake, and handed it to the little child in front of him.

"Hello Zhao Zhao, between me and this old man next to you, who do you think is more handsome?" Grandpa Zhou asked, bending over with a sincere expression.

Lu Yinzhao knew, of course, that the "old man next to him" the other person was referring to was his maternal grandfather.

He can't do something that would offend people.

So he began his "feigning ignorance" technique.

The little one, biting his finger and drooling, said, "Baby doesn't understand."

"Alright, you bunch of old geezers! Don't tease my grandson! Go away!" Yin Zhuoxian waved his hand like he was shooing away flies, leading Zhao Zhao away from the "old men's toxic circle".

Lu Yinzhao handed the cloud cake in his hand to Yin Zhuoxian. Yin Zhuoxian's expression immediately changed when he saw his little grandson: "Zhaozhao, eat this. It's delicious. Grandpa has already tried it for you."

Seeing that the old man didn't want it, Lu Yinzhao immediately put it in his own mouth.

The texture is very delicate; it's not the kind of pastry that's overly sweet, but it's delicious.

The little one's eyes light up when he eats something delicious.

The three old men loved watching this scene and vied to pass the snacks they were holding into Zhao Zhao's arms.

"Zhaozhao, these are cherry blossoms picked from my own cherry tree. Try them, but be careful when you eat them, there are cherry pits inside, so spit them out."

"Zhaozhao, did you like the pastries I gave you? If you liked them, take more. I have a whole bunch more here."

"Zhaozhao, Grandpa Zhou bought freshly squeezed sugarcane juice. It's so sweet, would you like a sip?"

Lu Yinzhao: "..."

The old men were so enthusiastic; how could a kid like him, who had just finished eating, possibly handle it?

It's not that he can't eat, it's just that with a child's stomach, eating too much will cause indigestion.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Yinzhao asked, "I can't eat right now, can I take it home to eat?"

Grandpa Yin was secretly delighted. As expected of Zhaozhao, she was even better at taking advantage of others than he was. Hahaha!

That's right, just like that, we'll take all the stuff from those old geezers!

"all right!"

"sure!"

"If you want to eat something in the future, just go to Grandpa's house and get it."

They hadn't seen such a well-behaved little guy in a long time.

The three old men's children and grandchildren all live in other places and only come back once a year for the Chinese New Year.

When the old men are bored, they usually get together to play chess and drink tea. Occasionally, they will argue heatedly over a math problem.

They were all people who retired at the same time as Yin Zhuoxian.

This residential area is almost entirely inhabited by elderly residents and their families. Many of them have known each other for decades, having studied, worked, and played together. The bond between them is certainly incomparable to that of ordinary friends.

"Does Zhaozhao know how to play chess?" Grandpa Zhang asked.

Yin Zhuoxian paused, he didn't know either.

Zhao Zhao is only three years old, she probably doesn't know chess or Go, right?

"No, but Grandpa can teach me," the little boy replied.

"Okay, let's play chess. Grandpa will explain the rules to you..."

Then it was time for the old men to give their chess lessons, one after another.

Lu Yinzhao certainly knows how to play chess, but he needs a reasonable reason to do so.

It's strange that he suddenly knows how to play chess since no one taught him at home.

"You're explaining it in too technical terms. How can Zhaozhao understand it?" said Grandpa Zhang.

“I’m explaining the proper rules of chess here, and I should have made them clear from the beginning,” said Grandpa Wang.

“But I feel you haven’t explained it clearly. Teaching children isn’t done the way you do it. You have to explain it in simple terms.” Old Master Zhou shook his head repeatedly.

How did the three old men end up fighting while they were teaching each other?

Lu Yinzhao secretly tugged at Yin Zhuoxian's hand, "Grandpa."

Yin Zhuoxian squatted down and leaned closer, saying, "What does Zhaozhao want to say? If you find it complicated and don't want to learn it, then we won't learn it."

Anyway, he's already achieved his goal of bringing the kid over, so there's no need for him to actually play with these old geezers.

Lu Yinzhao shook his head and said, "It's not that I don't want to learn, Grandpa. What I mean is, I've already understood."

"What? You already know the rules?" Yin Zhuoxian asked in surprise.

Lu Yinzhao nodded, "We can try the next game."

Yin Zhuoxian quickly shouted at the old folks who were arguing, "Stop, stop, stop! My little darling said he wants to try a game. Stop arguing, it's making my head buzz."

"Oh? That's fine too. It's better to teach directly from practice."

"Then let's go."

"Zhao Zhao, go with Grandpa Zhou first." After saying this to Lu Yin Zhao, Grandpa Zhou turned to the other two and said, "You two, line up!"

Grandpa Zhang: "..." What is that?

Old Master Wang: "..." What the hell?

You're giving me too much credit.

Lu Yinzhao sat on the stone chair, which was rather low, making the tabletop seem very high to him.

Yin Zhuoxian naturally noticed this as well, and said, "I'll be holding Zhaozhao while playing chess, I won't remind her!"

Old Master Zhou said, "You'd better not use any secret signals, or I'll despise you."

Yin Zhuoxian: "Hey, whatever, are you going to start or not?"

Grandpa Zhou: "Alright, let's begin then..."

...

Twenty minutes later.

Grandpa Zhou was dumbfounded as he watched the black "general" about to be the next target.

"Wait a minute, let me think..." Old Master Zhou touched his bald head, looking somewhat confused.

"What are you still thinking about! You've already lost!" Old Master Zhang said bluntly.

"Hahahaha, old Zhou, you underestimated your opponent, didn't you? You've finally met your match!" Old Master Wang laughed heartily.

Yin Zhuoxian could hardly suppress the smile on his face. He was overjoyed. Yin Song had said that Zhao Zhao was smart, but he hadn't taken it seriously. Now that he had seen it with his own eyes, he felt extremely proud.

Zhao Zhao does indeed possess something special.

Grandpa Zhou sighed and said, "Indeed, I lost. Zhaozhao is amazing!"

"You little rascal, when I asked you to compare who's more handsome, me or your grandpa, you said you didn't understand. I only explained the rules of chess to you once, and you already understand them? You little sly devil."

Lu Yinzhao chuckled foolishly. Could he really say that he won by chance?

He does understand the rules of chess, but he's not really an expert. Just now, Grandpa Zhou underestimated his opponent, seeing him as a three-year-old toddler, and let him win a few rounds at the beginning. Later on, it was too late to recover.

Next came Mr. Zhang and Mr. Wang.

Sure enough, in the next two games, the two old men dared not hold back or underestimate their opponents, and played very seriously.

As expected, Lu Yinzhao was defeated.

How could someone who doesn't know much about chess possibly beat these old men who play chess every day?

According to the behavior of ordinary children, shouldn't he cry loudly after losing the game?

When children get serious, they won't give up until they win.

Lu Yinzhao turned around and threw herself into Yin Zhuoxian's arms, sobbing, "Grandpa, I'm so stupid, boohoo."

This fake crying was actually very half-hearted.

But the old men were terrified.

They all put down their chess pieces and came over to comfort her, saying, "Oh dear, Zhao Zhao isn't stupid, Zhao Zhao is the smartest."

"Yes, yes, this is your first time playing chess, and you even beat your Grandpa Zhou once. That's really impressive."

"Don't cry, Zhao Zhao. What do you want? Grandpa will buy it for you."

The old men felt sorry for the little child and thought to themselves, "Really, why are they taking a three-year-old so seriously? It's not honorable for them to win."

Yin Zhuoxian also thought that his beloved grandson was crying because he lost the game, which is quite similar to his own childhood.

He was a very competitive kid when he was young. He wanted to win everything, and if he had the chance to be number one, he had to be number one.

It turns out the child inherited it from him; he was right.

Yin Zhuoxian gently patted the little guy's back and comforted him, "It's okay, it's okay, we won't play with them anymore, Zhaozhao, Grandpa will take you home."

I've been out for several hours now. If I don't go back soon, my family will probably start nagging me about it.

"Okay, meeting adjourned!" Yin Zhuoxian stood up, holding the little one, and waved his hand with the same nonchalant air as a company CEO.

The three old men: "..."

So they were just part of this old guy's show-off act?

That cunning old man.

But they were indeed the ones who made the child cry, and the three of them felt a little embarrassed.

Before leaving, he gave all the food he had brought to Yin Zhuoxian.

"Take it with you, didn't the child just say he liked it?"

Yin Zhuoxian smiled and said, "Okay, next time I'll bring you some of my own local specialties too. See you later."

The grandfather and grandson returned home laden with their purchases.

When Lu Cheng got home, she saw so much food and happily came over.

"Grandpa, why did you buy so much food again? Is it for me?"

Yin Zhuoxian put the things down and then called to Lu Cheng, "Oh right! Here you go, eat up, don't waste it."

It's best to enjoy the good deals while they're still fresh.

"Grandpa, you're so kind! I'll come here often from now on!" Lu Cheng was overjoyed and started eating the cherries from the basket.

Lu Yinzhao was already a little dazed. On the way back with Yin Zhuoxian, her head had become muddled. Now that she was home, she didn't try to stay awake any longer. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

"Dad, is Zhaozhao asleep?" Yin Song walked over and asked in a low voice.

Yin Zhuoxian turned his head and saw that the little guy was drooling in his sleep.

"He just fell asleep. Let's take him to his room to sleep for a while. He's probably tired from crying."

Yin Songgang had just taken the child into his arms when he heard Yin Zhuoxian's words and immediately turned around: "Huh? Dad, what are you doing with Zhaozhao? Why is she crying?"

This was something Yin Song had never expected.

It was one thing for Lu Xun to cry when her dad took her out as a child, since Lu Xun was quite shy around strangers, but why did Zhao Zhao cry too?

Are her dad's friends... scary?

"It's nothing, I just lost a game of chess," Yin Zhuoxian said casually.

"Dad—!" Yin Song was speechless for a moment. "You wouldn't be having those elders take turns abusing our Zhaozhao, would you?"

"No, that's not true. Old Zhou was the first to go on stage and he lost to Zhao Zhao. Zhao Zhao's record isn't all losses. I completely agree with what you're saying now..."

"What?"

"Zhao Zhao definitely inherited my genes."

The Lu family members who arrived upon hearing the news: "..."

Lu Yinzhao couldn't hear anyone speaking; he had already met with the Duke of Zhou (the Duke of Zhou).

Even in her dreams, she was eating sweet pastries and cherries, smacking her lips.

Yin Song patted his son's head and decided that he shouldn't let the old man take the child out alone anymore, because he was making the child very tired.

Their Zhao Zhao is just too cute and lovable, which is why a group of old men treat her like a little toy.

Yin Song put the sleeping baby on the bed, covered him with a small blanket, watched him quietly for a while, and couldn't help but kiss his son on the cheek.

"My darling, you'll be a year older tomorrow. Mommy hopes you grow up healthy, but I'm also afraid you'll grow up too fast. Can you spend a little more time with Mommy?"

The woman's eyes were filled with endless love and tenderness as she looked at her child. The afternoon sun shone through the window, casting a warm orange glow. Time seemed to stand still at that moment, like a warm and beautiful painting.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Zhao Zhao: Baby's an idiot [pity]

Grandpa Yin: Haha, just like me. [Sunglasses]