Chapter 79 On the Verge of Eruption

Su Xiaonuan silently calculated the time in her mind, knowing that it was almost done.

Just as she counted to "one," the elderly men behind her, who had been repeatedly cut in line, finally became completely dissatisfied!

They initially thought it was just a child, and that these older folks, being kind to their younger generation, would simply let it go.

Unexpectedly, these kids took advantage of our tolerance and acted as if it were their due!

Even clay figurines retain a touch of earthiness, let alone these old men who have weathered storms, some even retired from the battlefield.

Immediately, an elderly man with gray hair but an upright posture frowned, pointed at the children, and scolded, "What's wrong with you kids? Don't you have any manners? Don't you know how to line up?"

Another elderly man nearby also recognized them: "Aren't these the troublemakers from the Wang and Li families in the next neighborhood? They're always causing trouble in the neighborhood, and nobody seems to care, huh?"

"Exactly! Cutting in line once is one thing, but this is never-ending!"

"Whose child is so ill-mannered?!"

An even more astute old man, sensing something was amiss, quietly slipped away from the crowd and hurried toward the residential area next to the nursing home—clearly heading to find the children's parents.

Su Xiaonuan was delighted with the outcome. She wasn't worried to begin with, and now she was even more relaxed.

She glanced at the remaining ingredients and the number of people in line, and had a general idea of ​​the situation.

After another elderly gentleman paid, she suddenly spread her hands, her face showing an innocent yet extremely apologetic expression, and called out to the back of the line, "Grandpas and grandmas, I'm so sorry! All the portions of the French custard we prepared today... are completely sold out!"

The moment she finished speaking, the already tense atmosphere caused by the unruly child cutting in line was instantly ignited!

The hot-tempered old man who had started the argument immediately exploded, pointing at the dumbfounded children and yelling, "Look! Look! It's all your fault! Cutting in line! You ruined everything for us! The owner worked so hard to make it, and you ruined it all!"

"That's right! Give us back our steamed eggs!"

"Whose child is this? Take them away right now! This is outrageous!"

Just then, several men and women dressed in casual clothes, looking hurried, ran over from the direction of the residential area. They were clearly the children's parents who had rushed over after receiving the news.

As soon as they arrived, they saw their child being surrounded and criticized by a group of old men, and they immediately became indignant!

A woman with curly hair immediately jumped up, spreading her arms to shield the children behind her, and shouted in a shrill voice, "What are you doing! What do you think a bunch of old men are doing surrounding our children? Are you trying to take advantage of your age? What kind of skill is it to bully children?!"

Another man wearing glasses pushed up his glasses and said with dissatisfaction, "Kids don't know any better. Why are so many adults arguing with them? Don't you have any compassion?"

The old men were so angry at these distorted words that they almost fell over, their faces turning red.

The elderly man with gray hair was so angry that his beard bristled. His hands trembled as he quickly recounted the whole story, then he threatened, "Your child must apologize for what happened today! Also, you have to pay for the steamed eggs at the restaurant! Otherwise, this isn't over!"

Su Xiaonuan stepped forward, blinking her clear, innocent eyes at the parents, her voice soft yet clear: "Um... parents, your children just ate six servings of French custard, each costing 35 yuan, for a total of 210 yuan. Would you like to pay in cash or by scanning a QR code?"

She then displayed her payment QR code at the opportune moment.

When the parents saw this, they were shocked to find that not only were a group of old men confronting them, but even the stall owners selling their wares were demanding money from them! They immediately felt humiliated, and their anger flared up.

The curly-haired woman's voice became even shriller: "What money?! Who saw my child eat it? Huh? Who saw it? You're all ganging up on me to extort money! Call the police! I'm calling the police!"

"Yes! Call the police! Let the police see how you gang up on us ordinary people!" the bespectacled man shouted, trying to occupy the moral high ground.

Call the police? That's exactly what Su Xiaonuan wanted! She was just about to signal Zhao Liyue to reveal her identity to mediate the dispute, or actually call her colleagues from the nearby police station.

However, before Zhao Liyue could make a move, a group of people suddenly walked out of the seemingly ordinary door of the nursing home.

The leader was a middle-aged man in a crisp military uniform, whose epaulets indicated a high rank.

He was tall and upright, with a resolute face and features as if carved by a knife and axe. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, and wherever his gaze swept, it seemed to carry substantial pressure.

He exuded an aura of authority and power, a quiet yet imposing presence, mixed with a chilling, murderous air that came from having experienced real battles, making him completely out of place in the peaceful atmosphere of the surrounding nursing home.

His appearance instantly silenced the previously noisy and chaotic scene, as if a mute button had been pressed.

Everyone's attention was involuntarily drawn to it, and even the parents who were shouting that they would call the police lowered their voices unconsciously.

Su Xiaonuan was also stunned. She subconsciously glanced at the seemingly ordinary nursing home and hesitated: What's the background of this nursing home?

The soldier's gaze swept across the room, finally settling on the gray-haired, angry old man. His brows furrowed slightly, and he spoke in a deep voice, not loud, but carrying an undeniable authority: "Grandpa Cheng, what's going on?"

The old man's face, which had been flushed with anger, instantly changed upon seeing him, as if he had found a pillar of support, yet with a deliberately exaggerated air of grievance. He abandoned his attempt to maintain his authority, and like a child, put his hands on his hips, pointed at the group of children and their parents, and loudly "complained": "Little Lu! You've come at the right time! Look at these brats! Cutting in line! Being unreasonable! They've made it so we old folks can't even buy some good food! And when their parents came, they didn't even bother to find out what happened, accusing us of bullying the children and trying to renege on our payment! Poor little stall owner, he sold several snacks to these little gluttons for free, didn't earn a single penny, and has to put up with this humiliation! Tell me, is this fair?!"

He spoke rapidly, embellishing the story, portraying Su Xiaonuan as a weak, pitiful, and helpless victim.

The soldier, referred to as "Xiao Lu," listened and then turned his gaze to Su Xiaonuan.

The gaze was almost tangible, filled with scrutiny and inquiry, causing Su Xiaonuan to subconsciously swallow and her fingers to twitch involuntarily, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

He glanced at it only once before looking away, seemingly already fully aware of the situation.

Standing next to Su Xiaonuan, Zhao Liyue also recognized the soldier's identity. Her pupils contracted slightly, and a look of extreme surprise and awe flashed across her face.