Chapter 166 Chapter 166 Father's Favoritism 15

The puppet immediately spoke up for 9972, "Zhuozhuo is only three years old, and you're already thinking about getting married all day. How dare you fight me for custody?"

Ma Xia, who had been as quiet as a chicken, couldn't help but speak up. "My brother is only 22 and hasn't been in a relationship yet. What's wrong with him wanting to get married? Besides, if he gets married, there'll be someone to take care of Zhuozhuo, and Zhuozhu won't have to follow my brother around everywhere. Isn't that good?"

The puppet said angrily, "If you don't understand, shut up!"

Zhao Hongwei also said, "I feel at ease knowing that Zhuozhuo is under my watch."

Ma Xia: “…”

Okay, he shrank his neck, pushed his bicycle and walked behind the team.

Zhuozhuo didn't notice the small conflict. She was still thinking about what Zhao Hongwei had said. It was indeed difficult to solve the problem of her stepmother treating her badly. So, she sighed and said, "Zhao Hongwei, you're not a woman. If you were a woman, you could give birth to a son yourself."

"Women can't give birth on their own..."

Zhao Hongwei paused mid-sentence. Ming Tian understood Zhuozhuo's meaning and agreed that she was right. A man needs to be with a woman for at least a year to have a child. But a woman only needs one time to quietly nurture a life, just like Wu Jingqiu.

Seeing that Zhuozhuo seemed serious, 9972 didn't want to say anything that would affect Zhuozhuo's decision, so he used the puppet's mouth to speak frantically, "Give birth to a son! Zhao Hongwei, before Zhuozhuo comes of age, if I find out you've found a wife or a lover and have a child, I'll take Zhuozhuo away immediately!"

Zhao Hongwei didn't bother to pay attention to him, but worried that Zhuozhuo would be afraid of the same, so he said, "Zhuozhuo, I won't get married or have other children until you're eighteen. After you come of age, I'll also consult your opinion on marriage. I absolutely won't marry an aunt you don't like."

This promise was absolutely sincere. Zhao Hongwei reasoned that even if Zhuozhuo reached adulthood, he would still be in his thirties and still be able to reproduce. Furthermore, a man's prime years before forty were when he was striving for success. Why would he burden himself with a wife and children? Even if the puppet hadn't said anything, he had no intention of getting married anytime soon.

Zhuozhuo didn't know the weight of these words, and didn't say whether he believed it or not. He just nodded listlessly and dozed off in Zhao Hongwei's arms.

9972 believed Zhao Hongwei's words, because he was a widower, both in the original novel and in the development process. Perhaps his career was truly successful in the early stages, but later on, whether it was a habit or a physical problem, he remained a virgin until his death. But these words themselves were quite shocking at the time, more like the speaker's impulsive remarks. 9972 wanted to engage in a few arguments, but found that point pointless, so he remained silent.

Ma Xia followed behind, looking at Zhao Hongwei, the puppet, and Zhuozhuo. No, was he hallucinating what he just heard? Why are they all so calm?

Then he should be calm.

Zhuozhuo had to avoid certain foods because of her sore throat, so she couldn't eat the food prepared last night. Zhao Hongwei found a roadside stall and bought her a bowl of sweet tofu pudding and a bowl of steamed eggs. The others had a mixture of salty tofu pudding and spicy soup.

Ma Xia was touched. He took out a cold steamed bun, dipped it into the bowl, and buried his head in it. When he looked up, the bowl was as clean as if it had been washed. He was still not full, so he ate the cold bun with big mouthfuls. His eyes swept over Zhao Hongwei, who was serving Zhuozhuo eggs. Seeing that the two things in front of the puppet had not moved, he asked curiously, "Uncle Zhuozhuo, what do you eat in the big city?"

"Eat a normal meal." The puppet said apologetically, "I don't want to eat, not because I dislike it, but because I'm too tired from the car ride and have no appetite."

There is no eating function.

Ma Xia smiled, "You might want to eat soon, right? Uncle Zhuozhuo, drink a few sips of water, I guarantee you'll have an appetite immediately."

"Thank you, I'm not thirsty for now." The puppet said, "Little brother, how about I give you this bowl? I'll buy more when I'm hungry."

Ma Xia's eyes lit up, and she said shyly, "I'm so embarrassed."

“It won’t taste good when it gets cold.”

Ma Xia immediately stopped trying to refuse and grinned, "I'll eat it. I'm really hungry. Thank you!"

He picked up the bowl and started slurping.

Zhao Hongwei sneered in his heart, thinking what did he mean by no appetite? He was sure that the puppet didn't want to eat the things he bought.

Zhuozhuo used his tongue to push the spoon out of his mouth, waved his little hand in front of Zhao Hongwei, and said softly, "Zhao Hongwei, you're distracted. Are you starving? You eat, Zhuozhuo can eat by himself."

"I'm not hungry, I'll feed you." Zhao Hongwei ignored the rumbling of his stomach and said calmly.

Zhuozhuo blinked, "Oh."

9972 laughed silently, not letting the puppet compete with Zhao Hongwei for the job of feeding. People value things more when they have given more. If something happened in the future, Zhao Hongwei might remember that he had gone hungry to feed Zhuozhuo, and perhaps it would evoke a trace of emotion.

Well, this can be considered as cooperation with Zhuozhuo.

After dinner, Zhao Hongwei used hot water to rinse the elephant water bottle, then refilled it. He then used the small bowl-like bottle cap to pour a third of the throat-clearing granules into it and fed them to Zhuo Zhuo bit by bit with a spoon he'd used to drink tofu pudding. His meticulous and attentive manner, like he was serving Empress Dowager Cixi, gave Ma Xia a toothache.

The medicine was not bitter, but rather sweet, with a slightly strange taste. Zhuozhuo, who hadn't eaten much sweet food in recent days, liked it very much. He couldn't wait to drink it in small sips, so he held the bottle cap and gulped it down in one breath.

Ma Xia laughed out loud: "Zhuozhuo is really good at taking medicine. Brother, you bought that water bottle for nothing."

Zhao Hongwei thought he was being noisy. "I bought the water bottle so Zhuozhuo can drink more water, not for her to take medicine." He touched the bottle and found it wasn't hot, so he slung it across Zhuozhuo's body and demonstrated how to use the straw. He patiently instructed her, "Drink this half bottle of water this morning. Take a sip whenever you want."

Zhuozhuo had already started drinking, and nodded with his eyes wide open.

Zhao Hongwei looked at the puppet and asked in a dismissive tone, "When are you leaving?"

The puppet said leisurely, "Since you're here, stay with Zhuozhuo for a few more days."

After silently cursing, Zhao Hongwei ignored him and discussed the next route of the stall with Ma Xia. He repeatedly reminded Zhuozhuo not to talk, not to talk, not to talk.

Zhuozhuo pricked up his ears and listened. Then, remembering that he had forgotten something important, he quickly spit out the straw and said, "Zhao Hongwei, it's time to divide the money. Give the money Zhuozhuo earned to Zhuozhuo."

"Whatever you want to buy, I'll buy it for you."

Zhuozhuo shook his head, "No, I don't want to buy it. I want money."

Zhao Hongwei remembered that he hadn't returned the two cents to Zhuo Zhuo. Suddenly realizing what was going on, he immediately pulled out a handful of coins and stuffed them into Zhuo Zhuo's pocket. "I'll give them all to you. Is that enough?"

Zhuozhuo took a look and said, "It's not this, it's the money Zhuozhuo earned from selling clothes."

"Why do you want so much money?" Zhao Hongwei looked at the puppet with a bad tone, "Did he ask you to ask for it?"

Even if he really is my uncle, it doesn’t mean that he is a good person. What if he is trying to cheat me out of money?

Zhuozhuo shook his head again, thought for a moment, and then told her his plan in detail, "Zhuozhuo wants to save money, buy a big house, and live with my sister."

"With Xiaofang?"

"Yes, I'm going to a very far place with my sister, without you, without my elder brother and sister-in-law, and without Dabao." Zhuozhuo looked up at Zhao Hongwei and said firmly, "If you don't agree, Zhuozhuo will run away secretly."

Zhao Hongwei suddenly felt a headache, and truly realized what the puppet meant by "Zhuozhuo was about to leave". His Adam's apple rolled, and for a moment he didn't know what to say to dispel Zhuozhuo's idea. His mind was full of following Zhuozhuo wherever he went.

Ma Xia hadn't expected the constant stream of events today, but Zhuozhuo's words were hilarious. Where could two little brats possibly go? Did they even know where the bus stop was? He was about to make a joke when Zhao Hongwei shoved his wallet into Zhuozhuo's arms and said, "Zhuozhuo, even if I gave you all my money, you still couldn't afford a house in the big city. Wherever you want to go, Dad will go with you. We'll rent a place first, okay?"

Ma Xia: “…”

Did his brother lose his brain by raising a child? This is the legendary daughter-obsessed.

9972 hadn't expected Zhao Hongwei to follow Zhuozhuo and give up the lucrative opportunity. It didn't dare utter a single sound, waiting for Zhuozhuo to make his choice.

Zhao Hongwei was very calm. He had already made his choice. As long as he was with Zhuozhuo, it didn't matter where he went.

Zhuozhuo observed Zhao Hongwei carefully, then suddenly smiled and said childishly, "Zhao Hongwei doesn't like Zhuozhuo, so Zhuozhuo wants to leave. Zhao Hongwei has changed, so Zhuozhuo is giving him a chance. I won't leave yet. I'll see how you perform."

Zhao Hongwei's eyes were red with disappointment, and he said incoherently, "Okay. Thank you, Zhuozhuo. Dad will definitely do his best."

"If you miss Dabao, you can go visit Dabao, buy things for Dabao, it's all fine. Zhuozhuo won't be angry, as long as you don't tell Zhuozhu about Dabao." The little guy acted like a little adult, "It's hard to not be able to do what you want. Zhao Hongwei is so tired, don't be sad."

Zhao Hongwei was really about to cry. How could Zhuozhuo be so kind and considerate!

The conflict was temporarily resolved, and the three of them resumed their stall business. Zhuozhuo also remembered that he was a patient, so he just sat in the cloth bag, smiled at the customers, and handed them clothes that suited them.

The goods were as popular as ever, but the three men were unlucky. Just ten minutes after setting up their stall, they encountered an urban management patrol. They hurriedly piled the goods on their bicycles, and Ma Xia rode away.

Zhao Hongwei ran wildly holding Zhuozhuo, and went through seven or eight alleys before he finally shook him off. He leaned against the wall, bent over, and gasped for breath.

Zhuozhuo raised the water bottle, "Zhao Hongwei, drink some water."

Zhao Hongwei took a small sip of emotion and said, "Thank you, Zhuozhuo. Dad is full of strength now."

He struck a signature move of a kung fu superstar and let out a series of strange noises, which made Zhuozhuo laugh out loud.

After a while, Zhao Hongwei, catching his breath, pulled out his water bottle and gulped down the water. He wiped the sweat from his face and glanced at the nonexistent puppet, his brow furrowed. "You blind man, you run so fast, like you can see the road."

Puppet: "I'm used to it."

Zhao Hongwei sneered and didn't believe a word of it.

After meeting up with Ma Xia, they continued to set up their stall. They kept an eye on the situation at each intersection. Ten minutes later, they saw the urban management again.

"run!"

Ma Xia packed up his stall skillfully, pedaling his bicycle to leave a shadow. Zhao Hongwei ran for his life holding Zhuozhuo, but finally escaped.

When they met again, Ma Xia was still frightened. "Brother, are we still going to sell it today? It's so unlucky."

Zhao Hongwei looked at the remaining stock. "Sell! I'll buy more tomorrow after we sell them all. We're being targeted. Anyone with insight will definitely be able to guess where I got the goods. The longer we wait, the more people will sell to us, and our advantage will be gone. Time is money now, and we can't waste a minute!"

When they set up the table again, Ma Xia and Zhao Hongwei looked anxious and ready to run away at any moment. They shouted to the people who gathered around them, "Only ten minutes, then we'll be gone!"

The time limit stimulated everyone's desire to consume, and the remaining goods were sold at a faster rate. It was just lunchtime at this time, and the last bus we took had not yet left.

Zhao Hongwei immediately decided to rush to the station to catch the train. This time, Ma Xia would also go, doubling the amount of goods. To avoid being recognized, the two adults and one child disguised themselves, and the puppet also followed.

The three adults went their separate ways, one to buy tickets, one to buy food, and one to buy clothes - after a busy day, Zhao Hongwei and Ma Xia were covered in sweat, mixed with dust, which stuck to their bodies, making them sticky, dirty and smelly.

After a frantic rush, everyone gathered at the bus' departure time. The three adults, using their physical strength to squeeze in, managed to snag seats next to each other. Zhuozhuo was overjoyed, walking over their legs, then back again, then over again. Over and over again, without feeling annoyed at all, a far better state than on his previous two rides.

Zhao Hongwei raised her arms to hold Zhuozhuo to prevent her from falling, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. It was rare that she didn't find the doll annoying.

Apart from his childhood escape, this was Ma Xia's first time traveling far away. He was very excited, looking left and right. He gave up Zhao Hongwei, whose eyes were burning, and chose to chat with the puppet, "Uncle Zhuozhuo, which village are you from?"