Chapter 170 Chapter 170 Father's Preferential Treatment of Sons over Daughters 19

The puppet said softly, "You have passed the demon's test of humanity. In this world, I will truly give Zhuozhuo to you to raise."

Zhao Hongwei treated Zhuozhuo well enough. Although he had his flaws of favoring boys over girls, at least he had a positive outlook and wouldn't let Zhuozhuo suffer any injustice. As for the unpleasant matters of dividing the family property in the future, Zhuozhuo wouldn't be able to survive that time in this world, so why would he bother to think about it so much?

Not sure what 9972 was planning, Zhao Hongwei looked at the puppet suspiciously, confirming again, "Is there some other hidden test?"

"This isn't a game, so why would there be so many tests?" The puppet said something kindly, "Zhuozhuo has her own thoughts. I can't just take her away if I want to. As long as you treat her well, she won't hate you or think about leaving you. Isn't it Zhuozhuo who wants to stay this time?"

Zhao Hongwei was silent for a moment, his tense nerves relaxing. He curled his lips and murmured, "I hope you keep your word."

The puppet didn't bother to pay any more attention to him and turned back to his room. He didn't need to sleep. Now that Zhao Hongwei had exposed his true identity, he simply gave up the pretense and simply lingered by Zhuozhuo's bedside, squatting, standing, and tilting his neck, looking at her from all possible positions and angles, even secretly taking photos.

Zhao Hongwei blew the breeze for a while before returning. He subconsciously went to check on Zhuozhuo, but before he could get close, a cool hand pressed down on his shoulder. He instinctively grabbed his wrist and twisted it hard.

"It's me." The puppet whispered.

Zhao Hongwei's eyes adjusted to the darkness. Seeing the man squatting on the bedside table like a big dog, he frowned and asked, "What are you doing here?"

“…Let me see Zhuo Zhuo.”

"Pervert, get out of here."

9972 made the puppet yell back, "You're the pervert."

Zhao Hongwei was worried about waking up Zhuozhuo, so he didn't argue with the puppet. Instead, he warned it in a low voice, "Stop doing sneaky things. If you lead Zhuozhuo astray, I'll smash your broken TV!"

Zhao Hongwei grabbed the puppet's shoulders, veins bulging in his arms. With a force that nearly crushed his bones, he clamped the puppet and pushed it back onto the bed. "Don't come near Zhuozhuo before dawn. I'll keep an eye on you."

The puppet said stubbornly: "Would I be afraid of you?"

Zhao Hongwei sneered in response.

The puppet muttered a few words in embarrassment before falling silent. 9972 also realized that its actions were wrong and might be misleading Zhuozhuo, and felt deeply guilty. So much so that the next morning, when Zhao Hongwei suggested taking Zhuozhuo on a solo trip, it didn't let the puppet object.

Zhuozhuo ran around the room like a puppy patrolling its territory, looking up at Zhao Hongwei, "Where are you going?"

"Let's go shopping at the department store." Zhao Hongwei handed Ma Xia a piece of paper with squiggly lines drawn on it and reminded her again, "If you can't remember what I said, look at the map. If you don't understand the map, ask someone for directions. Don't wander around on your own. When you get to the bus station, buy your ticket and wait by the bus. Get on as soon as the door opens. Otherwise, we have so much stuff and we won't be able to squeeze through the others, and we might not be able to get a seat."

Ma Xia's face was full of nervousness, but he kept nodding: "I know, brother, I'll ask for directions, buy the ticket and go grab a seat. Don't worry!"

He didn't look reassuring at all, but Zhao Hongwei wasn't his father, so he didn't have to watch over him all the time. He looked at the puppet and said, "You should remember the way. Look after Ma Xia, don't get lost."

The puppet glanced at him and agreed, "Yeah."

Time was running out, so the two groups split up. Zhuozhuo leaned on Zhao Hongwei's shoulder, waved at them, and said in a baby voice, "Learn the way well, don't get lost."

Ma Xia bared his teeth and said, "Of course."

Entering the elevator, Zhao Hongwei teased Zhuozhuo with a smile: "Do you know how to get down? The numbers on these buttons represent a floor. We are now on the second floor, and the ground floor is the first floor. If you want to go to the first floor, just press the button with the number '1'. Zhuozhuo, do you know which one is 1? 1 looks like this, compare and find it..."

He taught impromptu and took out a pencil for Zhuozhuo to see, but Zhuozhuo walked directly to the button, stood on tiptoe, and pressed the "1" with his chubby little hand tremblingly.

A feeling of weightlessness came over me and the elevator went down.

Zhao Hongwei: "...Zhuozhuo, have you studied numbers?"

"Yes, Mommy taught me." Zhuozhuo pointed to the other buttons one by one and read them in a loud voice, "Two! Three! Four! Five!"

bite--

The elevator arrived, the doors opened, and a group of people poured in.

Zhao Hongwei squeezed down, carrying Zhuozhuo, feeling a sense of urgency. He'd originally thought Zhuozhuo wouldn't start school until she was six, giving him three years to earn money. But Zhuozhuo was already showing an ability to learn, and that TV geek had already taught her. As her father, he couldn't afford to fall too far behind.

Zhao Hongwei's expression was solemn as he mentally compiled a teaching plan, worried about his inability to teach well. After all, Zhuozhuo only knew a few common characters. But sending him to school at such a young age would make him vulnerable to bullying. He had no choice but to hire a tutor, just like they did on TV.

Zhuozhuo didn't know what she was about to face. She looked around curiously and smiled softly and sweetly when her eyes met people's. If she got a response, she would wave her hands excitedly and call "Sister/Uncle/Brother/Auntie", attracting extroverted people to come over and talk to her.

The little girl wasn't at all shy and chatted with everyone, even if the conversation was sometimes irrelevant. After a short conversation, she even said, "Daddy and I are going shopping. Bye."

"Hey, Zhuozhuo, goodbye."

Both sides were reluctant to leave, looking back every few steps, and their hands were almost broken from waving.

After they were out of sight, Zhao Hongwei pinched Zhuozhuo's little hand somewhat unhappily.

Zhuozhuo looked over curiously and snorted, "Zhao Hongwei, you're hurting me."

"You were Dad just now, but now you're Zhao Hongwei?" Zhao Hongwei loosened his hand and spoke harshly.

"Hmph." Zhuozhuo shook off Zhao Hongwei's hand, holding up the red mark on his arm, and expressed his meaning with his eyes. He still wanted her to call him daddy?

Zhao Hongwei smiled guiltily, "Dad didn't mean it. Dad just wanted to talk to you."

Zhuozhuo raised her chin, with a proud look that said, "I'll give you a chance to quibble," and said, "Go ahead."

Zhao Hongwei actually had something serious to say. "Do you still remember the policewoman who gave you malted milk and canned yellow peaches?"

"Remember." Zhuozhuo blinked and said childishly, "We should thank her."

"Yes, Dad will take you to buy gifts now."

"Zhuozhuo, buy it!" Zhuozhuo didn't spend all the money yesterday, and still had one tenth left.

"Okay, you pay."

When they arrived at the department store, Zhuozhuo waved her little hand and said proudly to the salesperson, "Uncle, I want malted milk and canned yellow peaches, the best!"

Zhao Hongwei wanted to persuade Zhuozhuo to buy something else. After all, returning something he had received wouldn't look good. But then he thought, what if giving someone else something else was considered a bribe? Returning the same thing would be the right thing to do.

The salesperson took out the items, and the beautiful little jars immediately caught Zhuozhuo's attention. She leaned over the counter, staring intently at the pieces of yellow peach flesh that seemed to be suspended in water, and said, "I want three bottles of this. They will look beautiful at home."

The salesperson glanced at Zhao Hongwei, and seeing that he showed no sign of objection, he smiled and said, "Little boy, there are other canned goods."

He took out canned pears, canned hawthorns, canned strawberries, canned oranges, and assorted canned fruits. The slices of fruit pulp were clearly visible in the transparent glass jars, and they looked like works of art.

Zhuozhuo looked at them one by one, his eyes almost too busy to take it all in. He thought each one was beautiful. He hugged this bottle, then hugged that bottle, his little face full of "I want them all".

Zhao Hongwei was originally observing the baby products such as milk powder in the store. Seeing this, he thought the little one was worried about the money, so he said, "Take them all. Daddy will buy them for you."

Zhuozhuo shook her head, "No, it's too heavy. Dad will be tired carrying it." She could barely carry a bottle.

The salesperson praised, "This child is so sensible."

"It doesn't matter whether she understands or not, but my daughter has me in her heart." Zhao Hongwei smiled proudly and said, "Dad is very strong. He can hold Zhuozhuo all day without getting tired. These cans are no problem. I want them all!"

Zhuozhuo was still worried and said in a baby voice, "Huangtao, I want one bottle, not three."

"Okay." Zhao Hongwei felt very touched. He finally experienced the feeling of having a little cotton-padded jacket. It seemed as if his whole body was full of strength. Not to mention carrying a few cans of food, even carrying a mountain would be easy.

Seeing Zhao Hongwei's brisk steps, Zhuozhuo realized for the first time how strong he was. She felt a sense of security and said sincerely, "Dad is amazing."

She clapped her hands and clapped loudly, and suddenly found that Zhao Hongwei was walking faster, as if he was flying, so she clapped harder, and Zhao Hongwei walked even faster.

At this speed, the adult and the child arrived at the station earlier than scheduled. When they found Ma Xia, he had just squeezed to the side of the car and stood firmly, constantly comparing the words on the ticket and the window to see if they were the same.

"Brother Hongwei, Uncle Zhuozhuo said he won't go back with us!" This was Ma Xia's first sentence. Although they had only been together for a few days, he had already regarded the puppet as a companion and was thinking of setting up a stall together. He didn't expect that he would leave as soon as he said so.

Zhuozhuo knew that the doll was just a form of expression of 9972. Hearing this, he showed no resistance and waved his little hand to say goodbye.

Zhao Hongwei frowned, his face full of objection, "You can't leave! If you leave, you won't be able to get all the goods."

No matter how strong he is, he can't hold Zhuozhuo with all the bags hanging around him like Ma Xia.

Ma Xia is in a headache, his brother might as well keep silent!

"...Ah, Uncle Zhuozhuo, my brother is uncomfortable and embarrassed to try to keep you directly, so he said that. He can't bear to leave you!" Ma Xia tried to make excuses with an embarrassed look on his face.

The puppet's mouth twitched, and it said speechlessly, "I didn't say I was leaving now. I said I would send you to the county town and then I would leave. It was Ma Xia who didn't listen to the whole story."

Zhao Hongwei wasn't surprised at all. He simply said, "We can't leave even after we get to the county town. Please send us to Ma Xia's house."

Ma Xia: “…”

His brother is really stubborn, daring to speak to Uncle Zhuozhuo like that.

The puppet said unhappily, "I know!"

This Zhao Hongwei, everyone thought he was a monster, but he was not afraid at all. He even treated him like a coolie without any courtesy. It was too much!

The ride was bumpy, but Zhuozhuo had already gotten used to long-distance buses. He had a lot of fun on the bus, becoming a little social expert and getting to know most of the people on the bus, leaving Zhao Hongwei and the others feeling ashamed.

Arriving at the county town, the group immediately prepared to go to Ma Xia's house. Zhuo Zhuo was anxious to sell the goods and asked why they had to go to Ma Xia's house first this time instead of selling them directly like last time.

Zhao Hongwei explained, "Zhuozhuo, we have too much stuff this time. It's hard to keep track of it all. It's easy to lose it."

Zhuozhuo understood, "We need to find a place to put the goods."

"right."

"Why not put it in the city? Aren't there any houses in the city?"

Zhao Hongwei was hit hard by the little cotton jacket and touched his nose and said, "We don't have a house in the city...but we can rent one!"

After this idea came to Zhao Hongwei, he quickly weighed the pros and cons. The only advantage of returning to Ma Xia's home was that it didn't cost money, but it was far from the county town, and the commute was time-consuming. Furthermore, there were no secrets in the village, so the villagers would quickly discover what they were doing, and there was a risk of being robbed when no one was home.

Renting an apartment in the county town, aside from the added expense, is also close to the bus station, the street vendors, and convenient for exploring the surrounding countryside. Furthermore, the neighbors are strangers and won't ask what you're doing. The doors and windows are sturdy, and locking the door greatly reduces the risk of theft.

Zhao Hongwei immediately decided to rent a place, leaving Ma Xia and the puppet to look after the goods. He took Zhuozhuo to find a landlord. After looking at several small courtyards, he decisively paid the rent and rented one. Watching Zhuozhuo curiously exploring the courtyard, Zhao Hongwei suddenly felt a surge of pride in his heart, "This will be our base from now on!"

Now that he has settled in the city, he will take root in the city like a weed, striving to absorb nutrients and grow into a towering tree.