After being reminded by Fatty, Sha Zhu realized that Xiao Dang's face was already covered in tears. Now, seeing her silly father's eyes, she couldn't hold back anymore and turned to run into Fatty's room.

The fat man also invited Ran Qiuye, saying, "Teacher Ran, why don't you come to my room and sit for a while?"

Then she turned to Xu Damao and said, "What are you standing there for? Grab Xu Xiyue and come here quickly!"

Xu Damao was also taken aback by what the fat man said. He quickly looked down and saw Xu Xiyue hugging his leg, her eyes wide open, looking at He Sui with curiosity.

As soon as he entered the room, the fat man said to Ran Qiuye, "Teacher Ran, it's been many years, but you still look as charming as ever."

Ran Qiuye also exclaimed with emotion, "This courtyard has changed so much that I almost don't recognize it."

The adults sat together talking, while Chen Mengqi, leading Xu Xiyue, curiously looked at He Sui.

Xu Xiyue acted like she knew him well and took the initiative to talk to him. The two quickly struck up a conversation: "Where do you live? I've never seen you before."

He Sui probably didn't have many playmates, especially little experience playing with girls. When Xu Xiyue asked him, he answered in a very formal way, "My home is in Singapore..."

Chen Mengqi exclaimed in surprise: "Singapore?"

She had heard of this country. During the Spring Festival Gala this year, when Teacher Ma Ji performed "A Salesman" (Universe Brand Cigarettes), there was a segment where Duan Guan mentioned the names of more than 40 countries in one breath.

After Teacher Ma Ji finished speaking, the fat man added, "Singapore, Malaysia, Taylor, that's called Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand."

There was another sentence Chen Mengqi didn't understand: "Don't even think about leaving Taylor on a smuggling boat and then going to Myanmar, Laos, or Cambodia..."

Leaving aside Chen Mengqi and Xu Xiyue bombarding He Sui with questions, the fat man had Yu Li bring out several cans of Jianlibao (a popular Chinese soft drink) and distributed them to everyone. Then he said to Ran Qiuye:

“Teacher Ran, you must have a lot to say to Shazhu, but don’t rush. You know how complicated the people in our compound are. Wait until everyone in the compound has left, then you can go to his house to talk privately. Now, just satisfy our curiosity and tell us what exactly happened back then, and why you suddenly left?”

Ran Qiuye did have a lot to say to Sha Zhu, but the fat man's words finally calmed her down.

However, her impressions of Sha Zhu and the courtyard were still from the end of 1967, and in the blink of an eye, 17 years had passed.

Ran Qiuye didn't answer the fat man's question immediately. Instead, she pointed at Xu Damao and then at Shazhu and asked, "I remember, weren't those two supposed to be like oil and water?"

Now, not only the fat man, but everyone in the room burst into laughter. Yu Li chimed in, "Those two are doing really well now, they're truly in love!"

True love? Ran Qiuye was stunned. Xu Damao had invited her to his house, but before they could even exchange two words, Sha Zhu kicked the door open and grabbed a teapot, ready to smash it over her head...

She forcefully stopped Sha Zhu.

Later, Sha Zhu said a lot of bad things about Xu Damao and Fatty to her; but what's going on now? Sha Zhu and Xu Damao made up, and Fatty seems to have become their leader. From just now until now, Fatty has been in charge.

As soon as Xu Damao was mentioned, Sha Zhuli got excited again, stood up and looked for his son: "He Sui, He Sui, come to Daddy quickly!"

Hearing Sha Zhu call him, He Sui told Xu Xiyue that he was about to come over.

The fat man suddenly said, "I think this young couple is quite well-matched."

Sha Zhu was thinking of calling his son over, and then showing off in front of Xu Damao. He was determined to make Xu Damao furious today!

The fat man's one sentence completely killed the conversation!

What do you mean by "a good match"? Xu Xiyue is only 7 years old, while He Sui is already 16 or 17!

But the boy is older than the girl... This is way too big!

And, and I must say "and"! His son, Sha Zhu, and Xu Damao's daughter?! Even novels wouldn't dare write something like this!

Xu Damao reacted as if someone had stepped on his tail: "What do you mean, Fatty, don't talk nonsense! It's Sha Zhu, he..."

Xu Damao looked at Sha Zhu, then at He Sui, and then at Ran Qiuye, and almost went crazy.

Damn it, you guys can't treat people like this!

Even Qin Jingru was doubled over with laughter as she watched Xu Damao carry Xu Xiyue and flee through the door.

The fat man pointed at Sha Zhu in a sarcastic tone and said, "Leave a way out for others, so you can meet again in the future. Even if you're not doing this for Xu Xiyue, you should at least think about Xiao Dang, right?"

Fatty's words were like a bucket of cold water, drenching Sha Zhu. Once he calmed down, Fatty said to Ran Qiuye, "Xiao Dangdang is someone I know. She's not an outsider. Some things happened back then, and Sha Zhu recognized her as his goddaughter."

After saying that, he stood up, looked around the yard, and said, "Alright, most of the people have left. Let Sha Zhu tell you the rest slowly. Come to my place for dinner tonight."

That's right! Fatty's words actually woke up Sha Zhu up; he has a son now! Today, he must let his eldest son taste his cooking.

After Sha Zhu, Ran Qiuye, Xiao Dang, and He Sui left, Yu Li couldn't wait to ask, "Am I dreaming?"

Qin Jingru quietly came over and pinched her, which made Yu Li wrestle with her. After a while, Qin Jingru said, "Now you believe me, this isn't a dream!"

Yu Li looked at her with ill intent: "Whether I dream or not has nothing to do with me. You should worry about Sha Zhu taking his son to show off in front of your Xu Damao later!"

That's why they're a couple; Yu Li guessed the meaning behind Fatty's words so quickly.

He just didn't want Sha Zhu and Xu Damao to fall out, especially Xu Damao, because Fatty still needed to use him to carry out many of his plans.

This guy is thick-skinned, ruthless, and cunning—a perfect sales champion template. With a little training, he could easily become a regional director!

After Qin Jingru left, only Fatty and his family of three remained in the house. Chen Mengqi then asked curiously, "Mom and Dad, can you tell me what happened?"

"..."

Ran Qiuye followed Sha Zhu to the familiar door, watched him take out his key and unlock the door, and then touched his nose a little embarrassedly: "The room is a bit messy, please don't mind."

Once inside, Ran Qiuye looked around carefully and found that the room was almost exactly the same as before.

There was a new grandfather clock on the table as soon as you entered, and even the mirror on the dressing table was still facing the bed.

Ran Qiuye's nose was a little stuffy, and her voice was muffled: "Didn't I tell you that you can't put a mirror facing the bed?"

Sha Zhu naturally continued, "To see a mirror clearly, you need enough light. If the mirror faces the bed, and you wake up groggily in the middle of the night, you'll see a blurry reflection in the mirror, which will create a sense of uncertainty, and those who are easily frightened will be scared. That's what you told me back then..."