22 Annie Baby

After Li Wei finished shopping, she looked at the bunch of bags hanging like grapes on her future uncle's hands. She rubbed her hands together, a little embarrassed, and said, "Uncle, how about you take these to the station for me so I can catch my train back?"

Ding Anping and Cheng Fei looked at each other, neither of them daring to put the child in the car and let her go home by herself.

But not going home is really not an option. After all, Li Wei's behavior is practically called running away from home, and her family must be incredibly worried. There's no phone at home, otherwise, even just a message would be helpful.

Despite Li Wei's repeated assurances that she would be perfectly fine at home, Cheng Fei and Ding Anping decided to take her home so they could catch the last bus back if they rushed.

Just as the two were about to take a car to the bus station, Ding Anping suddenly remembered something: "Oh, wait a moment, I'm going to make a phone call." After saying that, he ran to the post office not far away to make the call.

He ran out again in less than two minutes, looking quite happy. He said to Cheng Fei, "Don't worry, I just called my dad's workplace. He just got back from his business trip. I'll have my dad's driver, Lao Liu, give you a ride. It'll be quick, but we'll have to wait until they get off work."

Cheng Fei was too embarrassed to trouble him. She hadn't yet decided on a future with Ding Anping and didn't want to owe him too much of a favor, so she immediately declined, "No need to trouble you, I'd better go first..."

"Okay, okay, Uncle, then we can shop around the mall a bit more before we go." Li Wei's cheerful voice came from the ground.

Cheng Fei was seething with hatred. How could this brat be so annoying! How did her sister raise her child? Look at her, so shallow-minded it's practically nonexistent!

Li Wei didn't think that much about it. Since the handsome guy was destined to be her aunt's husband, she should give him more opportunities to show his abilities. It's a win-win situation for both of them. No matter how much her aunt struggles, it's useless.

At the same time, her fondness for her future aunt's husband grew significantly. She also remembered that his father was a high-ranking official in the city's Public Security Bureau, and his mother was a leader in the Education Bureau—they were children of officials. In her previous life, her aunt didn't have much contact with relatives after marriage, and their marriage only lasted four or five years. Li Wei had only met her aunt's husband a few times. He was very polite and gentle, with a kind of detached and aloof demeanor, giving the impression of someone high above her.

Now that they had the chance to get so close, Li Wei inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "Kid, you've got those moments too, all cautious and submissive, unable to find your way in, huh?" This uncle-in-law seemed more like a normal person now, even showing some normal human warmth.

Given that the Cheng family's daughter would be given away as a wife in the future, even though the shelf life might be short, Li Wei decided to maintain a closer relationship with Ding Anping. This guy not only had a powerful family, but he himself had become a member of the police force. However, ever since her aunt married him, it seemed that none of her maternal relatives had benefited from his influence. Li Wei decided to collect some "keeping fees" from her aunt on behalf of her maternal grandmother.

Ding Anping pulled Li Wei along, with Cheng Fei following reluctantly behind, looking indignant. They quickly browsed the nearest store. Li Wei, in her haste, bought a small bag of chestnut cakes for the twins. The cakes were painfully expensive, but undeniably delicious. Then, her aunt, worried about breaking the bank, dragged her along with Ding Anping to his house, which wasn't far away. According to Ding Anping, his mother was away on a business trip; only his sister, who was about the same age as Li Wei, and the nanny were home.

Ding Anping lived on the ground floor. A middle-aged woman in her forties opened the door for him. Ding Anping introduced Cheng Fei to the woman, whom he called Aunt Zhang, as his classmate. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Li Wei roughly knew that this was the nanny. Ugh. She was a little allergic to those two words now.

Ding Anping's living room was quite spacious. The decor was old-fashioned: red floors, wooden sofas and coffee tables covered with white gauze. In one corner stood an upright piano, also covered with white gauze, with a vase of roses on it. By today's standards, the whole house would be quite modern. But in Li Wei's eyes, it was rather nostalgic.

They had just put their things down when a little girl ran out of a room, looking at the two strangers with some curiosity, especially Li Wei, who seemed a bit confused.

She was puzzled, but Li Wei wasn't. She burst out laughing. Haha, wasn't this the pretty girl who wore the same dress as her at the wedding banquet she attended with her grandfather? It really is true that you never know where you'll meet someone again, hehe.

When the pretty girl saw Li Wei smile, she suddenly remembered where she had seen Li Wei before, and immediately glared at her: "Who are you, and why are you in my house?"

"Oh, this is my younger sister, Ding Anni, who is in the fourth grade of elementary school. Anni, you are not allowed to talk to guests like that. You are two years older than them. This is your sister Cheng's little sister, Li Wei, and this is your sister Cheng Fei." Ding Anping was a little unhappy with his sister's rudeness, and his voice was a bit stern.

However, Li Wei found the generational order a bit confusing.

Clearly, the Ding family had excellent upbringing. Although the pretty Ding Anni was still a little unhappy, she politely greeted her, "Hello, Sister Cheng Fei."

"Yes, that's a good child. Go on, take Li Wei to play." Ding Anping affectionately patted his younger sister's head and said with satisfaction.

Ding Anni obediently took Li Wei's hand and dragged her towards her room with a bit of force, seemingly still feeling resentful.

Li Wei smiled and followed Ding Anni into her room without a care. After all, she had been busy for a while, so she had to give her aunt's husband some treats and get closer to her aunt. After walking for a while, she felt a little hot, so she took off her little white round hat and placed it on Ding Anni's desk. She then sat down on the chair next to her and looked around Ding Anni's room with a smile.

The decor was similar to the living room; the pink and blue floral bed sheets were very feminine, and there were several plush toys and dolls on the bed, seemingly having just been played with—one doll was naked with its clothes still lying to the side. Next to the desk was a matching bookshelf filled with colorful books.

Seeing Li Wei come in, Ding Anni didn't glare at her to show their mutual dissatisfaction, which was a bit boring. She raised her snow-white face and asked Li Wei, "Do you have a doll? The kind that can change clothes?" She picked up the naked doll and said to Li Wei with a bit of smugness.

Li Wei glanced at Ding Anni, just a slightly spoiled little girl. But the child was really pretty. She wore a simple white polyester dress and somehow managed to look like a princess. Moreover, her proportions were great. She was sure she would grow up to be a beauty.

He glanced at the doll in her hand. These kinds of dolls would be everywhere in ten years. Although they were a bit childish, since he was in her shoes, he decided to play with her for a while: "I don't have this kind of doll, but I can make doll clothes, pants, and skirts. Oh, I can even make her a wedding dress. Want to try?"

Ding Anni's eyes immediately lit up; her doll only had one set of clothes! "Really?"

Li Wei nodded demurely: "Of course, do you have any pretty fabric? Old clothes are fine too, as long as they're pretty. Oh, and yarn is fine too. We can even give her a new hairstyle..."

Originally, Li Wei was just trying to fool the child, but as they played, she became interested too. Ding Anni had found a lot of materials, and they were all really pretty. Women are never immune to beautiful things. The two of them worked together to make several sets of clothes, accessories, and wigs for the little doll. Li Wei, after all, was good at sewing; she had often fought with her grandmother to mend socks when she was little. This gave her an advantage, and with Ding Anni enthusiastically helping out, watching the pretty little dresses and other items being completed one by one, her childlike heart was rekindled, and she had a great time playing with Ding Anni, who usually didn't have many friends.

Ding Anni, in particular, felt a great sense of accomplishment looking at the sets of dresses and clothes she had made herself, and directly attributed Li Wei's efforts to herself.

Time passed quickly before she realized it was almost dark when Ding Anping and Cheng Fei came to call her home. Ding Anping's father had also come home from work, which left Cheng Fei, who was unprepared, feeling a little lost. Seeing Li Wei buried in the pile of scraps of cloth, she felt even more resentful.

Ding Anping's father was in his late forties, not yet fifty. He wore a white short-sleeved shirt and dark trousers, and was refined and elegant, with the demeanor of an elder. Ding Anping resembled his father.

Ding Anping's father greeted Cheng Fei and Li Wei warmly: "Cheng Fei, don't be shy, sit down. Okay, I've often heard Anping talk about you. Why don't you come over and visit? Your aunt and I are busy with work, so please take care of your little niece more often when you have time. Li Wei, please bring Li Wei over to play often. Annie is quite lonely at home all by herself."

It seems that Ding Anping's father still knows her aunt.

Cheng Fei was a little embarrassed: "Okay, sure. We won't disturb Uncle Ding's rest any longer, we'll head back now." Who was it? Who put her in such an awkward situation?!

Li Wei pretended to be a good girl and kept quiet. Sigh, it wasn't that she was shy, it's just that she didn't know how to address him. Li Wei suddenly realized with her aunt there that her generational ranking had inexplicably dropped. Calling Ding Anping's father "Uncle Ding" would probably be a bit inappropriate, and moving up another generation... well, she really couldn't bring herself to call him "Grandpa Ding." So, she could only feign shyness.

Ding Hong noticed Cheng Fei's discomfort, so he didn't try to keep her. After a brief chat about her studies and life, he asked the driver, Lao Liu, to take Cheng Fei and the others home.

Ding Anni, who had initially had some reservations about Li Wei when she entered, watched Li Wei leave with great reluctance. Her father, Ding Hong, found this amusing and patted his beloved daughter, saying, "Don't worry, baby. We'll have your brother bring that kid to play with you sometime."

Ding Hong, a seasoned official with a keen eye, could tell from meeting Cheng Fei and Li Wei for the first time that they were both outstanding young women. Although they were both young, their charisma was undeniable. He had heard his son mention Cheng Fei several times; she was a top student at the high school with a promising future. And seeing her today, she was indeed remarkable. From a man's perspective, his son, Ding Anping, had not disappointed him.

Therefore, no matter how amiable some superiors may seem at times, there are indeed invisible barriers, and there are still differences between people.

Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief as she left Ding Anni's house. Finally, she didn't have to call him "Grandpa" anymore. This place was unbearable. Even little Ding Anni had somehow become a generation older than her. What kind of world was this?

I'll avoid this place in the future; it makes me feel inferior to everyone else!

So, after searching the village in a chaotic mess, Li Zhaoxing and Cheng Min returned home anxiously and disappointedly. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard laughter and cheerful voices from inside. They exchanged a glance, hurried a few steps into the house, and were both furious.

Their eldest daughter, whom they had been trying to capture in vain, was eating and chatting animatedly with her two younger siblings and the elderly man. The audience, meanwhile, listened with beaming smiles and asked questions – what a heartwarming scene of family bliss!

Without hesitation, Li Zhaoxing and Cheng Min roared in unison, "Li Xiaoming, you dare to come back!"

The laughter and chatter came to an abrupt end.

The three little faces showed fear at the same time.

An old face showed displeasure.

Grandpa Cheng Enjiu was overjoyed. Not only had his granddaughter returned, but his youngest daughter had also come. In particular, his youngest daughter's classmate was a very thoughtful young man who had brought him two bottles of Wuliangye liquor. The young man was also quite handsome.

The old man was in a good mood when he was interrupted by two clueless people. Grandpa Cheng was displeased and turned around to glare at them: "What are you two arguing about? So what if she's back? If she really didn't dare come back, what good would you two do? Besides, my granddaughter is very clever; she wouldn't run away. She just went to the city to see her aunt. Let's just leave it at that. Don't take it out on the child. Xiaoming, don't be afraid, Grandpa will stand up for you."

Considering how much her grandfather protects her, she'll just have to accept Xiaoming.

Cheng Min reluctantly called out "Dad," but was interrupted by the old man: "Alright, alright, go do what you're supposed to do. The child knows what she's doing; nothing will happen."

While nodding in agreement to show that she knew exactly what was going on, Li Wei secretly praised her grandfather for his wisdom and wisdom, saying that it would be even more brilliant if he could stop calling her Xiaoming from now on.

Li Zhaoxing didn't say anything, but he somewhat agreed with the old man's words. His little devil was indeed not stupid; sometimes she was even more meticulous than her mother. It was good that she had returned without any problems. He sat down at the dining table, poured the old man a glass of wine, and began to eat himself.

That's why they say sometimes men are more forgiving than women.

Cheng Min didn't have that much magnanimity. She glared at her daughter, who was relieved, and thought to herself, "You little brat, just you wait. If you do it again, I'll strangle you." She then turned and went to the kitchen to get the food that was still warm in the pot.

Since no one was hurt, compared to the messy things Li Wei had gotten from selling the sixty-odd yuan, there was nothing to be ashamed of.

Li Wei's runaway saga thus came to a successful conclusion under the behind-the-scenes manipulation of her maternal grandfather.

I went to school as usual the next day.

Now, their family's steamed buns and mantou are sold by designated people in various places, including around their school. So at lunchtime, Li Wei can just go and pick up a few buns. However, Li Wei still brought some fruit for the children in a small lunchbox.

An hour-long lunch break is plenty of time, aside from eating. The twins and Wu Feng went out to play, while Li Wei sat by the classroom window watching the willow catkins fluttering in the May sky. Sigh, it was around this time last year that she was bumped into by her aunt, and then…

The past is like a dream.

Lost in thought, Li Wei felt a slight itch on her face. She touched it and found a clump of willow catkins, soft and white. She held her hand out the window, letting it drift away in the breeze. On the playground, boys ran around, and groups of girls skipped rope, colorful ribbons and bows adorning their heads and skirts, decorating their carefree childhood…

Wait a minute... Li Wei suddenly remembered her hair accessory business and quickly took a closer look.

It seems that nowadays, most girls wear hair ties, except for those that are tied up with rubber bands and then adorned with a thin, ribbon-like band tied into a bow – a rather sophisticated accessory. There are also better rubber bands, like the ones Li Lin and Wu Feng often wear, which are essentially rubber bands wrapped with a layer of colored, coarse fabric, sometimes with gold or silver threads. However, while these are prettier, they are not durable and easily come undone. As for the dazzling array of hair ornaments that Li Wei knows about years later, she hasn't seen any in her area yet.

So, hair accessory, oh hair accessory, here I come!